EXCLUSIVE: Chris Waddle on Newcastle, Mike Ashley and the passion of the North-East

Sunderland and Newcastle collide at the Stadium of Light this afternoon, but supporters looking for an antidote to the depression hanging over both clubs should look away now.

Waddle’s exciting wing skills lit up St James’ Park for five years in the early 1980s and he supported bitter rivals Sunderland as a boy, playing seven games for them in 1997.

He is now a regular visitor to his native North East as a valued pundit, and has heard at first hand the moans about Newcastle owner Mike Ashley not having any ambition, and about Sunderland churning out managers almost as quickly as cars come off the assemby line at the neighbouring Nissan factory.

But in an age when big money calls the tune, the former England star believes both clubs suffer from their geography – few top players will commit to the North East. 

This painful fact hit Toon owner Ashley shortly after his takeover, says Waddle – the days of the Geordies competing as they did briefly under Kevin Keegan were confined to the past. 

Waddle said: “When Mike Ashley first took over Newcastle, I’m certain he thought he could win the Premier League. 

“You buy a club with regular crowds of 52,000, pay good wages, get full houses and promise you will compete by buying better players.

“Then he sees at close hand what is happening at Chelsea, Manchester City and Manchester United.

“He’s had a reality check. He’s suddenly thought that he’s going to throw all his money at the club to finish sixth or seventh – it’s not worth it. 

"And if he ended up as a washed-up businessman, living in a three-bedroomed, semi-detached house, would people rally round him thinking, ‘Poor Mike Ashley’? No.

“Fans want him to spend like Chelsea and Manchester City but it is not sound business, so he has looked at it and thought he can only spend a certain amount – that’s why they will always look to finish 10th or 11th.

“If he was pinned down, I believe he would admit that. He has a budget and won’t break it. He knows it’s about being in the Premier League, even if the top four’s out of sight. 

“People argue that he’s worth £2billion. Believe me, he could lose much of that. It could go within three years with nothing to show for it. Who in their right mind would risk that?

“Yes, the fans deserve better. But in the world of football now, Newcastle are going to be a mid-table team. I can understand the fans’ frustration. Yes, they were in the top four under Kevin Keegan and Bobby Robson, but they were buying players when the money of Chelsea and Manchester City wasn’t dominating.

“They didn’t have those teams going, ‘Bang, bang, we will sign him and him’. This has sent buying into a different league, one in which Mike Ashley has said he can’t compete.”

As for Ashley’s Sunderland counterpart Ellis Short, Waddle stated: “He’s another who has invested to stay in the Premier League. I think he has also got to a level where he feels he can’t compete any higher. He can’t spend the money the fans want him to spend.

“It’s all right saying there’s another £5million, another £10m. Even that doesn’t always work. You are definitely not going to get Sunderland spending the £28m that Everton invested in Romelu Lukaku.

“They have brought players in but no one to make you go, ‘Wow!’ Some might say Adam Johnson, but he had lost his way at Manchester City. Why has Jack Rodwell left City? They are still relatively young players, so why were they let go?

“With the size of their support, it’s ridiculous Newcastle  last won a trophy in 1969 (the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup) and Sunderland in 1973 (the FA Cup), but the only way that will change is if you find a Roman Abramovich or a Sheikh Mansour type, for whom money isn’t a problem – someone who doesn’t care what it costs to win trophies.”

In the meantime, Waddle says good players will use the two clubs as a shop window. He explained: “There’s a huge problem getting the better players to the North-East. They aren’t keen to live up there. Every away game is an overnight stay, a journey and a half. People say it’s too cold.

“Newcastle have had a bit of luck in the French market but it’s a window for those players to get to London. 

“Both clubs have to go back to finding their own talent. There’s talent out there, and you want lads who really want to play for either club instead of so many imported players looking at it as a stopping-off place.”

Which makes it remarkable that both grounds are often close to capacity. “They love their football in the North-East,” said Waddle. “People go on about the passion at Manchester United, Liverpool and other big clubs, but would they be as passionate with what has been delivered at Newcastle and Sunderland? I doubt it.”