It’s time to lay off Ashley
JAMAAL Lascelles has urged angry Newcastle fans to stop hammering owner Mike Ashley and rally round Rafa Benitez’s struggling side. Delivering a message he knows could prove unpopular with Ashley’s fiercest critics, skipper Lascelles wants an end to the “bad energy” which has engulfed Newcastle’s season. The Magpies have back-to back home games against Watford and Bournemouth and in a plea to the Toon Army, the defender wants the club to present a united front. Newcastle are second from bottom in the Premier League and have not won a league match this season. Asked his thoughts on protests and the threat of a fans’ boycott, Lascelles did not mince his words. “It doesn’t help,” he said. “We are footballers, we try to be as professional as we can. “Things around football, around the training ground, around games, we can’t control but you always hear little things and it creates a negative mess. “I’m not saying it’s the reason for us not winning games but if you’re always hearing negativity, it creates a bad picture.” Lascelles’ decision to sign a new six-year contract has been widely welcomed but his subsequent comments, describing Ashley as “a nice guy” and claiming fans’ protests affect the team, have been less well received. Lascelles, 24, who has been at Newcastle since 2014, knew the risks involved in issuing his call to arms, especially his verdict on Ashley, having met him for the first time at a local restaurant when Benitez, his staff and the entire squad were all present. “It is important everyone is together, especially when we’re right down at the bottom of the table,” said Lascelles. “The meal was really positive, seeing what he’s like as a man. “He’s a nice guy and just seems like a normal person. I know fingers are pointed at him but it was a positive meeting and if it could happen more, I don’t think that would do any harm. “If there are divides, it creates problems. If everyone at the club stopped the negativity and tried to form a unity, that would help. “When there are problems off the pitch, it does have an effect on players so it would help if everyone came together and put all that bad energy into positive energy, helping us get three points.” Lascelles is adamant he is not criticising the Toon Army, whose support he values. “I do understand all their frustrations,” he said. “But I know how powerful the fans can be and how infectious they can be when they get behind us.”