Ashley legacy put to test in cup tie

Aug 26 2009 by Stuart Rayner, The Journal

This evening Chris Hughton will turn to the youngsters earmarked as the bedrock of Mike Ashley’s Newcastle, reports Stuart Rayner

TONIGHT ought to be a very significant night in deciding Mike Ashley’s legacy to Newcastle United.

In reality, it will be anything but. It is very hard to imagine Ashley being remembered as anything other than the bungling businessman who ended the Magpies’ 16-year membership of the Premier League.

But believe it or not, when Ashley first took the reins, it was with a plan in mind and tonight’s League Cup clash against Huddersfield Town will be an acid test of a key element of it.

Ashley bought out Freddie Shepherd believing one sensible way to cut corners was scaling down on the expensive Hollywood signings his predecessor was so fond of in favour of identifying young talent first, and snapping it up before it reached the shop window. In essence, while Shepherd wanted his club to be a down-market Real Madrid, Ashley aimed to be the poor man’s Arsenal.

Two years on, the fruits of those labours – overseen for much of that time by the unfailingly unpopular Dennis Wise – are beginning to be seen.

Five youngsters are expected to be given their chance tonight against a team led by the man many see as a future United manager, Lee Clark. Of them, Tim Krul had played first-team football (once) before Ashley’s arrival, and Ryan Donaldson and Kazenga LuaLua came through an academy long since established.