Demotion may cost United up to £50m

May 26 2009 By Dan Warburton, The Journal

MIKE Ashley faces key decisions if financial disaster is to be avoided for Newcastle United, football experts warned last night.

Estimates put the cost of demotion from the Premier League as high as £50m and experts last night claimed stormy seas were ahead.

But Gordon McFadyen, sports management lecturer at Northumbria University, said the club’s drop from top-flight football could actually help stop the rot following months of mismanagement.

He said: "It’s hard to know how the club will deal with the relegation in terms of ticket and shirt sales.

"Because they’ve got this captive market, because it’s a one-club town, it means they’ve got very, very devoted supporters.

"And it’s been well documented that there have been instances where that has been abused.

"You can’t help thinking you need to wipe the slate clean and start again. A lot of people have talked about mismanagement and you can’t help but think the club has not been well managed."

He added: "One of the words very often used about Newcastle is ‘arrogance’. It clearly is a big club, but it’s not a successful club, and it needs to shake the arrogance.

"This is an opportunity to make it more accessible to the community and fans. The relegation might just help them have a different attitude and get them away from the feeling they have a captive market."