FIRST the obvious. Well, obvious if you’re not Mike Ashley. St James’ Park should stay St James’ Park and 117 years of history should not be sold off like an overly-paid player seeking a new challenge.

With the exception of Ashley, and his managing director Derek Llambias, it’s safe to assume that there aren’t many who would disagree.

The idea of renaming St James’ Park provided a bit of fun for Sunderland fans, but they would have reacted angrily had Roker Park been given a more commercial feel.

St James’ is not a newbuild like the Emirates or The Northern Echo Arena.

It might have been given an expensive revamp over the years, but there is no way that it should be the subject of “offers for the naming rights” from next season.

Imagine Anfield, Highbury, Old Trafford, Ayresome Park or Victoria Park being tinkered with.

At no matter what level, there would be anger, frustration, fury among supporters. St James’ Park is no different.

It is not, however, completely unheard of.

Take Bradford City’s Valley Parade or York City’s Bootham Crescent.

In both cases the clubs were in dire financial straits when they opted for the sponsorship route.

But what has the game come to when two of the English game’s traditional grounds, big or small, become the Coral Windows Stadium – having already been known as the Pulse, Intersonic and Bradford & Bingley Stadium – and KitKat Crescent.

Since Ashley dropped the bombshell at the bottom of Tuesday evening’s statement declaring that the club was no longer for sale and that Chris Hughton had been made permanent manager, the names have been flowing.

Rather than highlight the best, and there have been a few, this is a prediction that Newcastle fans can rest easy.

While they are quite right to outline their anger towards the Ashley regime for their decision, which company in their right mind would opt to buy the naming rights to St James’ Park?

Two of the most obvious are the club’s kit manufacturers adidas or shirt sponsors Northern Rock; but imagine what it would do for their profile in the North-East if they took on the name.

Adidas would struggle to sell another Newcastle shirt on Tyneside out of protest, while Geordie fans would suggest there was very little northern about Northern Rock.

Ashley might need to come up with ways of moving the club “forward on and off the pitch” but if he is to stand any chance of succeeding he must see sense and turn away from this ludicrous decision.

He has enough troubles on his hands already. His wealth has halved to £700m in a year since taking over at Newcastle, while his Sports Direct business is at the centre of an investigation and a fraud inquiry after its rival JJB Sports highlighted price fixing at the two companies.

Having taken Newcastle off the market, even if he would still listen to offers, he needs the club to be a success. To be a success he needs the fans.

It is testament to the fans and the players that the Magpies have somehow managed to climb to the top of the Championship following months of uncertainty. Such a lofty position is unlikely to be kept if relationships deteriorate any further.

Ashley has been targeted for abuse sporadically during matches this season, which has had little effect on what Hughton has been able to lead his players to on the pitch.

If the atmosphere and tensions were to worsen, however, that could change. At a time when offpitch distractions should at least be put to one side until the end of the season, Ashley should have a rethink.

If he can do that, he might just find that by this time next year Newcastle are back in the Premier League, a more attractive proposition for investors and this sorry, sorry state of affairs is over.

For Newcastle to move forward in the long-term, Newcastle need Ashley out and Ashley needs to be out of Newcastle.

Tell the fans that St James’ Park will remain so, and they’re half way back to the Premier League. A failure to do that could end in negativity next May and that will be a disaster for everyone.

WELCOME back to football Gordon Strachan.

He might have only been out of the game for five months, but the little Scotsman’s first week in the North-East has been an experience.

We were warned he would not suffer fools gladly in the press pack and he hasn’t disappointed so far. BBC Look North’s Dawn Thewlis was the first to be given short and sharp responses at his opening press conference at the Riverside on Monday, while yesterday brought out his quick-wit again.

Asked by the Guardian’s Louise Taylor about his apparent “list of transfer targets” that was in his hand on Monday, he said: “Whose list? Who said that was my list? I might have been given that list by someone. It wasn’t mine.”

He was clearly not happy with those who revealed the news.

For now, I have not been targeted. Perhaps it’s just a matter of time.