"Sir Jim Ratcliffe's thinking is, 'We're Manchester United and we should be able to do precisely what we want when we want and irrespective of whatever contract Dan Ashworth has agreed,'" he told talkSPORT. "In any industry, including the chemical industry, which Jim Ratcliffe originates from, if you have senior executives in your business that will change the direction of your business when they go to a competitor, you put a lockout clause in there. It's a standard form.
"Because it's la, la land football, Jim Ratcliffe is somehow suggesting that it should be different. Newcastle United did their job and the fool of a technical director signed a contract which he now doesn't like.
"If Newcastle said, 'Actually, we don't feel like paying you this month.' 'What do you mean you don't feel like paying me?' 'We just don't.' 'But I've got a contract, you've got to pay me'.
"Now you've got a contract which goes the other way. You've got a notice period you silly sod. You've got to stay with it or negotiate your way out and the way you're going to negotiate you way out is not sending emails to your current employers prejudicing your existing position so they get exasperated by it. It's behaving properly and then getting Man United to pony up the money that you're apparently worth."