In recent days Newcastle players have been unhappy with their owners new bonus structure. The multi millionaires are a bit upset that Ashley has moved the goal posts and demanded a meeting with the owner to straighten it out. Of course the Newcastle fans have taken this opportunity to have another go at the man who has bankrolled them out of his own pocket for the last 10 years. Newcastle were on the brink of going out of business when Ashley stepped in and invested heavily. It isn’t appreciated.

To placate this situation Ashley has promised a staggering £20m in bonuses if the under performing players can win the FA Cup.

Ashley spent a small fortune last year giving Rafael Benitez free reign to build a squad capable of getting back into the Premier League. He did that but his signings didn’t really have Newcastle’s future in mind and now they are back on the Premier League the fans and manager are demanding even more money from their owner to rebuild the squad once again.

Signings like Dwight Gayle who were instrumental in getting the club promoted are now deemed not good enough.

Benitez can do no wrong in the eyes of Newcastle fans despite his seemingly inability to get the basics of man management right. Newcastle actively tried to offload Gayle over the summer and as there were no takers and Newcastle failed to bring in a replacement they are now stuck with a player who knows he isn’t wanted. With only Joselu as a recognised striker to replace him, Benitez seems to have shot himself in the foot.

It seems no one is ever happy at Newcastle. The fans aren’t happy, the players aren’t happy and the manager isn’t happy. Ashley’s firm stance with his transfer budget this summer has privately seen Benitez spit his dummy out and he is apparently looking for the nearest exit from Newcastle. There is a strong indication that once Slaven Bilic vacates his position at West Ham, Benitez will be on his way to London. That could be as early as this week if West Ham fail to beat Huddersfield tonight.

Newcastle fans will no doubt be disappointed this morning as they managed to beat Swansea 1-0 to make it two wins in a row. It’s difficult to moan about the owner and the lack of squad investment when they keep winning. I’m sure they will think of something to have a go at Ashley about over the next few days though.

Paddy Power are offering 5/2 on Benitez to be the next West Ham manager.