Freddy Shepherd has urged Newcastle United fans not to boycott the club.

Some sections of Toon supporters stayed away from Sunday's 3-1 home loss to Tottenham as an act of protest against owner Mike Ashley but former chairman Shepherd believes it is not the best way to go about things.

Billionaire Ashley is wanted out by the majority of Magpies members but according to Shepherd, there must be a better way to get around the situation.

"I'm really worried, but I think a boycott's not going to be the answer. I don't think it helps anybody," he told Sky Sports News HQ.

"We need to get behind John Carver and the team. Doing a boycott isn't going to help that team. They're lacking confidence and they need every supporter behind them."

Shepherd was also full of backing for Ashley to make plenty of alterations at St James' Park in the summer in order to revitalise the ailing team.

"Mike Ashley's a very clever guy," the ex-Toon chief added. "There's no doubt about it - he's a great businessman, so he knows what he's doing.

"I think in the summer you'll see a big change in Newcastle because he'll not want his assets to depreciate, so I'm confident he's going to come out in the summer and spend some money and get some players in."