After 10 tumultuous years Mike Ashley throws in the towel - but Newcastle's future still remains unclear

From the early honeymoon days to the Kevin Keegan saga and pints at the Emirates, Ashley has left his mark at Newcastle but his departure has been long overdue

Newcastle United and Mike Ashley will finally cut ties with one another (Getty)

So now it is official. After a decade of the most tumultuous of relationships, Mike Ashley has served papers for divorce, again.

It is not new that the owner of Sports Direct has sought to sell a football club he bought in a moment of impetuosity back in 2007.

Back then it was all about the romantic black and white stripes and the Toon Army marching around Europe. Newcastle were a big club with a big stadium and big ambition, even if later, more forensic studying of the books would reveal a bank balance struggling to match the lavish lifestyle.

Tyneside's beloved football club was in debt when the then-unknown Ashley agreed to buy the shares of Sir John Hall during three days of breakneck negotiations at Freshfields, a law firm, in London.

Ashley was not even there, and the late Freddy Shepherd, the then-chairman and man running St James' Park at the time, was laid up in hospital with pneumonia. He did not fight the takeover - he admitted later there would have been a battle if he was not ill - and Ashley, an unknown who had made a fortune floating his sports shop business, had his football club.

He had a new manager in Sam Allardyce and a support ready for something different. It may have been a largely loveless marriage, but the honeymoon was good. Ashley went in a supporters’ minibus to away games at Sunderland and got pictured (unwisely) chugging a pint at the Emirates. He bought everyone at the Bigg Market night club BluBambu a pint and his chairman, Chris Mort, who was from Freshfields, got up on stage and sang the Blaydon Races.

That all needs remembering, for once Harry Redknapp backed out of an agreement to succeed the sacked Allardyce (players had been to see the board to say they did not like the direction of the team under the former Bolton manager), chaos unfolded and it has rarely been anything but acrimonious since.

The managerless Ashley went for Kevin Keegan as his get out of jail free card, and the plan backfired so spectacularly that he was successfully sued by the most important figure in Newcastle’s modern history for constructive dismissal.

Keegan was told players were arriving that he had never heard of, and the dilution of the power in the dugout - Denis Wise, Tony Jimenez, Derek Llambias and Graham Carr all had the owner’s ear for periods - began and did not stop until the arrival of Rafa Benitez, when a second relegation was on its way.

Newcastle’s support and its owner weren’t even living together by then, never mind spending time in different bedrooms.

It will be overlooked that Ashley took care of a debt he himself said was around £80m (£50m had to be spent to clear the mortgage facility of the redeveloped ground within 60 days of the Halls selling). But he added to the debt with reckless campaigns that twice ended in demotion. The excitement of Europe and cup finals and lavish spending under Shepherd ended, and in ten years the most noteworthy action on the pitch revolved around two Championship campaigns and a rare foray into the top ten, when Alan Pardew led the club to a fifth place finish.

Ashley's decision to employ Kevin Keegan ended in controversy (Getty)

That summer Newcastle bought only Vurnon Anita, and senior players went to see the manager to tell him what the city of Tyneside thought: an opportunity had been missed. The club would never be so high again under Ashley.

Alan Shearer had an eight game run in charge before the first relegation, and is still waiting for the promised phone mail from the club owner. There was the disastrous attempt at renaming St James’ Park, and slapping the controversial payday lender Wonga on the front of those cherished black and white stripes was without thought.

The club stated its policy was not to prioritise the cups anymore, and on that front at least, there was success. Newcastle have not got past the fourth round of the FA Cup since Ashley took over. In keeping with the unpredictability of the owner, it was his call to Jamaal Lascelles last month that sorted a bonus dispute and ended with a financial carrot of £20m should they lift the trophy this season.

Ashley said his early days at Newcastle were the best of his life (Getty)

Ashley, as has been confirmed, might not even be around to fund that operation, if he gets his wish. He wants out fast, and to that end has offered a potential buyer the option of deferred payments to fund the purchase.

It is said he wanted £400m, and it has been said he has knocked that down to £380 million, but that has never been confirmed. By the time the sums were added on what he paid and the debt he cleared (plus that which was self-inflicted) Ashley has said the club has cost him £250m.

The inside of the stadium has long since looked like Ashley's Sports Direct HQ. For that global advertising space he has paid nothing. From his side, there has never been interest charged against his loans to the club (another went in following relegation).

Ashley has made his presence felt at St James' Park (PA)

At some point in all of this, there is the possibility that Ashley wanted the Newcastle support to love him. His recent television interview on Sky Sports revealed little, but he spoke of that honeymoon period. “I can tell you the early days at Newcastle were some of the best, fun days any male adult can have,” he said. “In the crowd, going mad, it's a dream.”

Bad advice cost him that support. The relationship has had toxic periods. Getting Benitez appeased much, but even then there was fallout in the summer over a lack of spending.

Throughout much of the fighting, with managers and supporters, has been a desire for Newcastle to be self-sufficient. It was never going to be about his money buying players.

To that end, there was an element of defeat in today’s statement and the door is truly open for his successor.

It leaves a major conundrum, that being if anyone actually wants to buy the club.

Despite much recent rumbling, there has been nothing of serious note on that front. Ashley is going, but quite when, nobody still knows.