NEWCASTLE boss Joe Kinnear has been told to forget about embarking on a massive spending spree when he returns to work. Toon owner Mike Ashley is planning a series of belt-tightening measures after seeing his own personal £2bn fortune slashed in half since he bought the club almost two years ago. Ashley claims to have rekindled his enthusiasm, having recently returned to St James’s Park for the first time since Kevin Keegan quit. And he talks of an ambitious five-year blueprint designed to revive the Toon’s ailing fortunes. But that won’t mean Kinnear, who is recovering after heart bypass surgery earlier this month, is given the go-ahead to compete with the Premier League’s big spenders. The credit crunch has hit the sports magnate hard in the pocket and Ashley’s right-hand man Derek Llambias has made it clear the days when Newcastle splashed the cash are long gone. “The money’s there and we intend to spend it, but are we going to be another Manchester City? The answer is no,’’ he said. Ashley has already spent £250m since buying out Sir John Hall, his son Douglas and former chairman Freddy Shepherd but has imposed a £15m ceiling on his annual outlay. “Mike’s a billionaire and a very wealthy man,’’ said the Toon’s managing director. “Can he afford to do £20m a year? No. He’d be happy with £5m to £10m and that’s still a substantial figure in this day and age.’’ Kinnear, who hopes to return in April, has lined up several summer transfer targets but he will have to sell if he is to land all of them.
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