Newcastle managing director Derek Llambias was last night facing fresh anger from the club's fans after being recorded apparently making disparaging comments about Alan Shearer, Kevin Keegan, and Andy Carroll.
Llambias and the club's owner Mike Ashley provoked outrage this week when they announced their intention to sell naming rights to the club's St James' Park stadium.
Now Llambias has allegedly been exposed making contemptuous, expletive-ridden comments about Shearer and Keegan, two of the club's most celebrated icons.
A report in the Sunday Mirror said Llambias' tirade came during a drinking session in a bar in the city and was recorded by onlooking fans.
The report claimed Llambias described Keegan as unable to cope with pressure and claimed the appointment of Shearer as Newcastle manager in 2009 as a mistake because there will "never be a right time" to appoint the former England striker.
It also said Llambias dismissed former Newcastle manager Chris Hughton as too indecisive.
Llambias' alleged views on Carroll, who became the most expensive English footballer of all time when he was sold to Liverpool for 35m in January, are likely to enrage the Anfield club.
Llambias is quoted saying he put the telephone down on Liverpool when they offered £30m and later insisted that the full £35m fee be paid in one instalment as Newcastle exploited Liverpool's desperation to sign a replacement for Fernando Torres, who leaving for Chelsea.
The report claimed that when Llambias was asked by a fan what Carroll's true value was he replied: "**** all".
