Newcastle United manager Alan Pardew has said that owner Mike Ashley does not understand how football works which causes him to make bad decisions.

The St James' Park faithful seem to be split on the issue of the Magpies supremo, who took over the club in 2007, and Pardew believes that another investor is the only way that the North-East outfit will be able to compete at the top of the league.

"Mike is a strong character who has been a success in his whole business life and is a genius in that world - but when you come to football the logic doesn't quite fit," he told Sky Sports News.

"He loves football but he sometimes can't understand how it works and it confuses and upsets him, and when he is upset he does things that aren't brilliant for the football club.

"That's just Mike and he has funded the club, made sure we have no debt - other than to himself - and supported me, but unless we get a billionaire from deepest Russia we are probably not going to be able to compete with the likes of Man United, Man City and Chelsea, which is what our fans want."

Newcastle are currently 11th in the Premier League with three wins, a draw and three defeats from seven games.