Ashley has been seen everywhere recently, wearing his Toon shirt with Alan Smith's number on the back. Everywhere in Newcastle from the Bigg Market to the Quayside.
On each occasion he bought everyone in each bar he visited a drink and left tips of £500 for the staff.
Credit Where It's Due - Shepherd Did Get The Beers In!
Mort: "It is a conscious decision to be fan-friendly.
"It is not to compare ourselves with the old regime. Every football club in the country will do things differently.
"It is not to compare ourselves with the old regime. Every football club in the country will do things differently.
"I am not saying the old way was wrong and our way is right. But from my point of view and with my personality, I would rather build up a relationship with the fans.
"The entire city was ready for us to come in and we have been delighted to do that."
I have a past history with Freddy Shepherd, and we go back a long way.
Two hilarious scenes in Stevenage train station (after our FA Cup tie when he threatened to throw me on the train line) and outside Bradford City's ground (when he made an arse of himself getting out of his taxi and we had words).
There have been other incidents of note, but one thing I can always say about Muttley and Dastardly (Freddy and Douglas Hall) ... no matter how much we didn't get on ... they always got the beer in!
One incident when a handful of us travelled over to Italy for an Anglo-Italian fixture with Lucchase. We stayed in the same five star hotel as the players, on top of a mountain, and beer was £5 a pint. And this was a long time ago.
But the pair coughed up for every fan to have a pint. And they have done many times since.