Would any Newcastle fan argue with DW’s charachter assassination?

Football FanCast columnist Rob Facey wonders if anyone can argue with Dave Whelan's character assassination of Mike Ashley.

Mike Ashley has "got what he deserves" according to Dave Whelan, the Wigan Chairman, and is wholly to blame for the state Newcastle find themselves in.

Whelan's outburst was prompted after being quizzed on whether Wigan manager Steve Bruce was being lined up for the job at St James' and, before swatting away the speculation, launched a broadside at the controversial Newcastle owner.

"I don't trust him as far as I could throw him," Whelan said of Ashley, as reported in The Times.

"He's got what he deserved at Newcastle. Newcastle are a very big club and you don't go in there and lower all the standards. He turns up wearing a replica top in the boardroom. No class whatsoever.

"The minute he arrived there and turned up in the boardroom in a replica shirt and jeans and a pair of trainers, the club was gone."

Ashley has faced fierce criticism from the Newcastle fans this season and was forced to stay at home through safety fears before Christmas.

He unsuccessfully tried to find the club a buyer but, due to the credit crunch, nobody was forthcoming. As a result he stayed in charge and they have continued their slide down the Premier League.

As stand-in boss Chris Hughton tries to take positives from the perilous position the club find themselves in, more negative press is the last thing anyone at St James' Park needs.

He has undoubtedly lowered the standards and as a result Newcastle resemble a cheap and easy outfit with, as Whelan points out, "no class".

He has turned the club into a laughing stock and, now that other Premier League owners are weighing in, surely it is time that Ashley understands that his position is untenable. What is he waiting for?

While getting personal is hardly an admirable trait in itself, Whelan is spot on that Ashley's unprofessionalism has had a staggeringly detrimental affect on the club.

Fans opinions of Ashley have been well publicised but is there any hope that he will leave any time soon? If Newcastle go down, which is looking increasingly likely, how long will Ashley stick around then?

Perhaps the most damning indictment of Ashley's behaviour is that he will have no come back to Whelan's attacks. He has stunted the potential of the club more than anyone could have ever imagined during his time in charge, so much so that they are positively in reverse, and nobody can dispute that.

"I don't think you will ever get Steve Bruce going to a club that is run the way Mike Ashley runs it," Whelan added, painting a bleak picture of the future for the club.

Can anybody – manager or owner – stop the rot at Newcastle, or has Ashley cheapened the club for good? Will they forever be known as the easiest side in the Premier League?