A GIANT mug – synonymous with a certainsports retailer – emblazoned with a farewell message to Mike Ashley has been unveiled outside St James’ Park ahead of this afternoon's game between Newcastle and Tottenham.

Bookmakers Paddy Power have created a four-metre-high 'farewell gift', featuring the words "Goodbye Mug" to make the first Newcastle game since Ashley sold up to a Saudi Arabia-backed consortium led by Amanda Staveley.

Ashley is the head of Sports Direct, whose large novelty mugs have become a key branding product.

A Paddy Power spokesperson said: "We wanted to give ex-Newcastle owner Mike Ashley a send-off befitting a man of his footballing fortitude. And when we got to thinking about him, the first thing that sprang to mind was a massive mug!

"With Newcastle fans regularly expressing their disappointment over a lack of investment in the squad throughout the Ashley era, we’re proud to reveal that our mug is probably the most expensive item to be unveiled at St James’ Park in quite some time."

After the initial unveiling at the stadium, the mug will do a tour of Newcastle before being 'left to brew' at Paddy Power’s retail outlet on Newcastle’s Clayton Street. 

There, the bookmaker will run an in-store mug amnesty, where fans can trade in their old Sports Direct mugs for a free replica 'Goodbye Mug' to take home.