If Sports Direct owner Mike Ashley thinks he's being badly treated after his "mauling" (ho, ho) from Labour leader Ed Miliband over his retail company's "Victorian practices" and zero hours contracts, then he must surely know that is as nothing compared with the utter disdain for the multimillionaire shown by tens of thousands of loyal fans of the football club he owns, Newcastle United.
Unwittingly, over the past year, Ashley has handed some local newspapers in north-east England something rarely seen in the media industry in 2014: a circulation boost.
How has he managed to achieve that? By that most Victorian of practices, banning those newspapers whose coverage is either not fawning enough or which dare to criticise him in some manner.
Doling out bans on newspapers is a trusted, but tired, tactic of football moguls who either don't have an argument, or have long ago lost it. It may seem a little old school, but many still believe that if you're a sports hack and you haven't been banned from one ground or another, you're not doing your job properly.
So last year, when Newcastle's local papers did their jobs and reported on fan protests over Ashley's handling of the club over issues such as having the payday loan company, Wonga, emblazoned on the proud black and white striped shirts, the club's owner issued bans that have not yet been rescinded.
Anecdotally from sources at Trinity Mirror's regional newspaper group, banned titles such as the Chronicle have seen sales soar, as Ashley has driven them on to the moral high ground and the club's fans have rallied to the titles.
The public pressure and bad publicity appears to be working. Only today has it been announced that Wonga is a gonna from the club's replica shirts in kids' sizes (though not immediately... Sports Direct must have a lot of old lines to knock out first).
How has he managed to achieve that? By that most Victorian of practices, banning those newspapers whose coverage is either not fawning enough or which dare to criticise him in some manner.
Doling out bans on newspapers is a trusted, but tired, tactic of football moguls who either don't have an argument, or have long ago lost it. It may seem a little old school, but many still believe that if you're a sports hack and you haven't been banned from one ground or another, you're not doing your job properly.
So last year, when Newcastle's local papers did their jobs and reported on fan protests over Ashley's handling of the club over issues such as having the payday loan company, Wonga, emblazoned on the proud black and white striped shirts, the club's owner issued bans that have not yet been rescinded.
Anecdotally from sources at Trinity Mirror's regional newspaper group, banned titles such as the Chronicle have seen sales soar, as Ashley has driven them on to the moral high ground and the club's fans have rallied to the titles.
The public pressure and bad publicity appears to be working. Only today has it been announced that Wonga is a gonna from the club's replica shirts in kids' sizes (though not immediately... Sports Direct must have a lot of old lines to knock out first).
Scudamore: unwilling to act on Newcastle United's bans on national newspapers At a meeting with some national sports editors this month Richard Scudamore, the head of the Premier League, expressed concerns over the continuing bans on local newspapers. But those imposed on the nationals or their staff reporters elicited a mere shrug.
The usually all-powerful Premier League is apparently content to allow its member clubs to ignore the requirements of their side of the media bargain under the licences it issues.
This is not suddenly acquired impotence by Scudamore or the Premier League. For two decades, they behaved like the three wise monkeys when it came to disciplining the almighty Alex Ferguson for refusing to fulfil his required media commitments with those outlets that had displeased him, most notably the BBC.
In Newcastle's case today, one newspaper appears immune from Ashley's ire. That's The Sun. The Currant Bun has a lucrative multi-media deal with Newcastle to show online clips and highlights.
And therein lies Ashley's vision of a media future, where it is not just broadcasters who pay football for media rights. Ashley - and he is not alone - wants all newspapers to pay for access to the press box and training ground. The Premier League's inaction over the bans on national titles from St James' Park only helps to bring that day a little closer.
The usually all-powerful Premier League is apparently content to allow its member clubs to ignore the requirements of their side of the media bargain under the licences it issues.
This is not suddenly acquired impotence by Scudamore or the Premier League. For two decades, they behaved like the three wise monkeys when it came to disciplining the almighty Alex Ferguson for refusing to fulfil his required media commitments with those outlets that had displeased him, most notably the BBC.
In Newcastle's case today, one newspaper appears immune from Ashley's ire. That's The Sun. The Currant Bun has a lucrative multi-media deal with Newcastle to show online clips and highlights.
And therein lies Ashley's vision of a media future, where it is not just broadcasters who pay football for media rights. Ashley - and he is not alone - wants all newspapers to pay for access to the press box and training ground. The Premier League's inaction over the bans on national titles from St James' Park only helps to bring that day a little closer.
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