Mine’s a double, says pub landlord
HE jokes he’s the one Mike Ashley Newcastle United fans like. And he counts some of NUFC’s biggest legends among the punters at his pub.
Since February 2008, Mike’s name has been above the door at Gosforth High Street boozer The Blacksmiths Arms.
“The other Mike Ashley came just after – there were a lot of rumours going around he had bought the pub,” jokes the NUFC-mad 60-year-old.
“It was a good laugh for everyone. But the good thing is, people see me as the goody!
“But you still get the lads coming in saying ‘when are you going to spend some of your money?!”
And it is something the Toon fan wishes his namesake would do more.
“You just think if he had brought in four £10m players this summer, Rafa Benitez would have got the right ones,” adds the former season ticket holder.
“A lot of the customers complain about not breaking the transfer record since Michael Owen, but that isn’t the problem. “But he had to invest.” Following brief spells at pubs in Felton and another near his Whickam home, the ex-North Tyneside council worker – disillusioned with Government cuts – had a third crack at running a pub.
It proved third time lucky. “I absolutely love working for myself – being a landlord is tiring but it is really good fun,” he said.
“But the best thing is the banter with the lads. I played cricket for years and helped run football teams, and absolutely loved the banter and it is something you can carry on when you run a pub.”
And there are a few famous faces. “When Nobby Solano is home, he brings the lads in here,” says Mike.
“He brought Celestine Babayaro in, and Joe Allon comes in all the time.
“He’s brought Nikos Dabizas, and we have had Chris Waddle... it is great when they come in, and what’s great is the lads who come in for a drink don’t pester them.”
He added: “But we have one band who plays who are dead keen to get Nobby up to get him on his trumpet!”
Music, like footy, is the lifeblood of the traditional pub. While other venues might be experimenting with stocking dozens of gins, the Blacksmith’s hasn’t changed much since Mike took the helm. The formula is simple; good beer, sport on the TV and live music on a Friday night.
And he says while the venue has changed little since he took over, the High Street has. Mainly for the better.
“When I first came, people would talk about the bar they were off fighting in on a Friday night,” recalls the dad-ofthree.
“What used to happen was the Kenton lads coming down to fight with the Longbenton lads, but that’s all gone now. I think the first year was a bit difficult and we had a few people in who we realised we could do without – so we lost them.
“From there I think it has become a much more vibrant place rather than for someone looking for trouble.” His biggest problem is no longer violence – but the cost of getting some sport on the TV. His “extortionate” bill’s almost doubled in five years. But he says: “If you don’t have it, you won’t have anyone in.”
However, Mike also has an issue away from the pub. In recent years, he’s been treated for cancer. Unfortunately, it is back. But with a smile on his face he’s fighting it. This week he started treatment. He’s told his locals his doting assistant Vicky may be making most of the decisions for the next few months as he takes a sidestep.
She doesn’t seem to mind. “He’s the best boss – he’s absolutely no bother,” she beams.
Mike admits that when you own a pub, there’s little point trying to keep anything like illness a secret.
“When I go to hospital, you bump into someone you know and they will ask what are you doing here,” he admits. “It is the difficulty of being a landlord!”