Mike Ashley tried to balance the books rather than chase glory at Newcastle.

United goalkeeping legend Shay Given reckons the Sports Direct tycoon should sell up and not try to make more money.

Given, who was forced out by the Ashley regime after 354 appearances on Tyneside, feels the owner has repeatedly caused himself and the club problems in his decade in charge.

Ashley announced on Monday that he was trying to sell up, for a price in the region of £380m.

Given feels Ashley came in wanting to be loved by the fans... (
Image:
Getty)
...but the way he ran the club ensured that the opposite happened (
Image:
PA Wire)

Given writes in his autobiography Any Given Saturday , which comes out this week: “Newcastle United will be around a lot longer than Mike Ashley will.

“I don’t actually know why he bought the club, to be honest. Legend is, he just bought it on a whim — to show he was a billionaire and could do what he wanted.

Given made over 350 appearance for Newcastle, but was sold under Ashley (
Image:
Daily Mirror)

“I think he wanted to be liked by the fans but at the end of the day, he’s a businessman and he still has to make money out of Newcastle United. It’s his club and he can do what he likes with it ultimately.

“Despite all that, I just think that if you buy a club, you’ve already got money.

“Why worry about making any more? Why are you trying to balance the books? I don’t know.

“Maybe that’s over-simplifying it. But, to me, you either buy a club and accept it’s going to hammer your wallet — which is a price worth paying for glory — or you don’t buy a club and balance your books.

“You can’t do both.

“From where I was standing, Mike Ashley tried to do just that, it gave him and the club problems and I think he’d sell up in a heartbeat if he could.”

front cover of Shay Given's book Any Given Saturday

* Shay Given, Any Given Saturday: The Autobiography, Trinity Mirror Sport Media.

Hardback and ebook available — on sale Thursday October 19, pre-order now from Amazon orsportmediashop.com .

Follow@No1shaygivenon Twitter for book tour dates .

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