Cardiff City manager Neil Warnock believes Mike Ashley has become an easy punching bag for Newcastle United fans for his perceived lack of investment in the squad.
Newcastle manager Rafael Benitez was believed to have received assurances of availability of the funds required to strengthen the squad ahead of the summer transfer window.
But it became clear soon that Benitez would have to ship out players first before he could sign anyone and Newcastle were again left scrambling for players towards the end of the window.
Ashley has again come under fire for not refusing to invest adequately, but Warnock believes a lot of it is hype as he doesn’t see how much more Newcastle could improve this season after finishing tenth.
He feels the Newcastle owner has become an easy subject of attack for the fans and a ready-made excuse for the team’s failures.
Asked about Newcastle’s lack of strength, Warnock said in a press conference: "I think that’s a bit of hot air.
“If you look at their squad and their players, they’ve improved from last year and they finished 10th last year.
“So I don’t know how much more they could improve.
“I think that’s a bit tongue-in-cheek and I think Mike Ashley is an easy target ‘let’s blame him'."
Cardiff will host Newcastle on Saturday in their first home game of the season.
