John Barnes has suggested Newcastle United fans are 'hard to please' in his assessment of Mike Ashley's tumultuous tenure on Tyneside so far.
The Magpies owner has endured a difficult relationship with the fanbase since completing a takeover in 2007.
Ashley is currently locked in a legal battle with the Premier League on two fronts in an attempt to force through a deal to sell the club to the consortium backed by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund.
However, Steve Bruce has been given the green light by the Newcastle owner to press on with recruitment with no imminent resolution to the takeover saga in sight.
Disgruntled Newcastle supporters have regularly made their grievances with Ashley clear over the last decade, with various protests attracting national headlines.
Barnes accepts Ashley's actions or words 'in the past' may have been 'disrespectful' to the club's fanbase. However, the former England and Liverpool winger has indicated the wantaway owner has invested properly into the club with regards to the transfer budget and the wage bill.
Barnes told Betting Odds: “Well he does put money into the club. It’s quite tribal in Newcastle and Mike Ashley is from the south and some used to describe him and his associates as the ‘Cockney Mafia’.
“There are things he may have said or done in the past which Newcastle fans would have found disrespectful.
"Newcastle fans are obviously going to know more than me, but from the players they’ve bought, the money they’ve spent and the salaries they’ve paid then it seems as if football fans are just hard to please.
“I however believe that the players and Steve Bruce have done a fantastic job.”
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