Newcastle United face West Ham United at St James’ Park on Saturday after losing their opening two league games without scoring. With the euphoria of promotion a rapidly receding memory, tensions behind the scenes are escalating and the squad look ill-equipped for the Premier League. So how has it come to this, why is the “cold war” between Rafael Benítez and Mike Ashley intensifying?
Surely it cannot be true the manager and owner rarely speak, let alone meet?
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