Why a potential Saudi takeover holds no issue for many Newcastle fans

Billy Cann was a season-ticket holder at Newcastle United for 35 years before he decided he'd had enough.

He had been watching his team since 1969 but when owner Mike Ashley sacked Chris Hughton in 2010 the 63-year-old decided not to renew and many fans have since followed.

Their issues are numerous, but chief among them is an owner who they feel does not match their ambition.




"I don't want to give Mike Ashley any more of my cash," Cann tells BBC Sport en route to a goalless draw with bottom-of-the-table Norwich City for which he has borrowed a ticket.

That is why news of a potential £340m takeover featuring Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund has been greeted on the streets of Tyneside with excitement rather than any moral outcry.