Mike grins and bears it with United super-fan ‘Beefy’

Nov 13 2007 by Chris Robinson, The Journal

NEWCASTLE United owner Mike Ashley shows he’s a belly full of laughs when it comes to fan relations.

The cheerful billionaire flashed some flesh when snapped with super-fan, Beefy ahead of Saturday’s Wear-Tyne derby.

Mr Ashley, once described as “reclusive” before his takeover of NUFC, had no problems sharing laughs with onlookers at The Stadium of Light, Sunderland, moments before the game.

Beefy, real name Keith Roberts, from South Shields, said Ashley was only too willing to pose for the camera.

The father-of-two, who works as a tanker driver, said: “He was just one of the lads.

“He was just walking past in the ground on his way to his seat and I said can I have my photo taken with you.

“I lifted my top and he just said to me, ‘Well you’ve got your belly out then I’ll have to get mine out.’

“It was the first time I have met him. All I can say is he is a gentleman who is one of the lads and just so down to earth.”

Mr Roberts, 44, married to Debbie, 45, who lives with children Emma, 18 and Michael, 15, has lost five stone in the past eight weeks after starting on a diet.

But the snap may have never come about as he said stewards at the Stadium of Light warned him only minutes before that if he took off his shirt he would be removed from the ground.

He added: “He is someone the club needs, someone who will put money into the club and to push the game forward.

“Everyone was singing ‘There’s only one Mike Ashley,’ he was not a pick of bother and stopped for everyone.”

The tight-lipped retail boss, the 25th richest man in the UK, has often shunned the limelight.

But more recently he was snapped posing happily with fans in city centre nightclub Blu Bamboo buying revellers a drink and tipping bar staff £500. And Mr Ashley celebrated as much as anyone in the Newcastle end when James Milner’s equaliser earned an away point against Sunderland.

Mike Bolam, who runs fansite www.nufc.com where the photo can be seen, said Ashley looked as though he was happy to meet fans, adding: “He seemed to be having a whale of a time. He was in no rush to get away from anyone.”

The Journal will make a donation to the charity of Keith Robert’s choice for use of the photograph, taken by his friend Tommy Seales.