Agreed, great post. One question though :
"I think for the majority of our fans this will be last chance saloon for Mr Ashley."
Or else what? We'll have demonstrations and boycott (sorry, boycoutt) the club shop?
I don't think this statement changes anything really. Mike Ashley will still sell the club if a high enough bid comes in at any stage. All this means is that Ashley isn't paying Keith Harris a riduculous wage to make phone calls to Dubai every day anymore.
Yes, there has been several flaws in the Ashley regime (and the complete lack of communication between the board and the fans is ridiculous - yes, 99% of what gets said should come from the manager, but it's nice to get a soundbite from the top every month or so to share their vision for the club or whatever ... seriously, bring back Chris Mort!), but I do believe Ashley is a shrewd enough businessman to realise that the only way he won't make a massive loss on this club would be to invest. And I know loads of people are bemoaning a perceived lack of investment, but we did break our transfer record for a defender by signing Coloccini.
It will be in everyone's best interests to pull together. So, yes, love Ashley or hate him, but we're stuck with him and we need him. And he needs us.
To answer your question, I do believe the majority of fans are willing to give Ashley another chance given our current predicament, not despite of it. If he doesn't take it, I think what will happen will be far worse for the club than demonstrations and boycoutts, namely apathy will set in big style, resulting in significantly lower crowds and the club losing even more ground (financially and otherwise) to the top clubs in the country and those willing to invest to get there. We as Newcastle United supporters have been spoilt in the last two decades, but whenever I speak to my Geordie friends I sense there is a growing feeling of frustration with the club.
The reason there was such a massive outburst after the events at the end of the transfer window was twofold in my opinion. Firstly, it was clear to all and sundry the club had once again managed to shoot itself in the foot in spectacular style; another season was effectively over before it well and truly started, even though there had been promising signs of a reversal of fortune. Second, Ashley and his management team to which we had not exactly endeared ourselves yet had unwillingly soiled the reputation of one of our few club legends. It was an emotional reaction to a surprising turn of events.
Things have changed since then. Time is a great healer as they say, but instead of massive upset has come progressive indifference. Events on the pitch in the past half season have done little to buck this trend. I think Ashley has made a mistake by distancing himself from the club as he has done. He could have come out and hold his hands up, attempt to correct the situation by making changes to his management team and saying he was willing to listen to offers if a worthy new custodian came in. As it was, he more or less left us to our own devices and I don't think it has limited the damage as it could have done if he had been more active in trying to resolve the issues that had led to the events leading to Keegan's departure.
We will give Ashley another chance because there isn't really an alternative as most people are "locked in" by season tickets. Whether people will be willing to renew if there aren't significant changes made between now and renewal time remains to be seen, especially in the current economic climate. It is in everybody's best interest that Ashley has learned from his mistakes and corrects them, because if he plans on continuing as he has done people's interest in the club will dwindle, and along will the club itself.