A Newcastle United supporting priest has written a prayer to God, calling for the departure of the club’s owner, Mike Ashley, from St James’ Park.
Stephen Foster, who lives in Ireland, has witnessed his beloved Newcastle lose eight consecutive matches to sit two points above the Premier League relegation places.
Exasperated with such a dismal run of form, father Stephen is hoping for some divine intervention to reverse Newcastle’s fortunes, starting with Ashley leaving the club if he cannot see the error of his ways.
The prayer reads: “If you spend your hard-earned money on a match ticket, it’s an insult to witness passionless, mercenary football. Our family is Newcastle. Give us what we want.
“But, if he is not prepared to change Heavenly Father, give him the insight to know it’s time to go. Give us a new owner [or a new mentality for the present owner] who will take our spirit and not crush it but revive it. Give us someone who will not rename our stadium from St James’ Park, not change the colour of our strip. Not rebrand us into something we are not.”
Father Stephen is a former season-ticket holder at St James’ Park and attended his first match when he was seven, he told the Newcastle Chronicle. “It’s a prayer to the Lord to try to change the mentality of the owner and the club,” he said.
