Ashley plans Magpies shake-up sky sports. Prospective Newcastle owner Mike Ashley is reported to have asked all the current members of the board to resign. Reports emanating from the North East suggest sports tycoon Ashley is planning a major boardroom reshuffle once he completes his takeover at St James' Park. Ashley is closing in on his £133million takeover of Newcastle after recently increasing his shareholding in the club to 77 per cent by buying chairman Freddy Shepherd's stake. With Ashley now poised to gain control at St James' Park, he is ready to make changes in how the club is run. The 42-year-old wants to shake up the board as part of his bid to take the club into private ownership. Ashley is believed to have met some of the club's board to discuss his plans and he has reportedly written to directors asking for their resignations. The billionaire is thought to want to replace the current board members with his own people and the changes are expected to be confirmed as soon as next week.
