London  - Mike Ashley insisted on Sunday that he has no regrets about buying Newcastle United, despite having put the club up for sale.

The British sports goods entrepreneur Ashley bought the club for 134 million pounds (200 million dollars) in May 2007, and immediately cleared debts believed to total around 100 million pounds.

"I've made mistakes, sure," Ashley told the News of the World paper.

"But do I regret buying Newcastle? Absolutely not.

I had a fantastic year owning a fantastic club. It really was like someone fulfilling their boyhood dream. Up to a point, I enjoyed every minute of it."

Ashley has attempted to instil a prudent transfer policy, which - along with alleged interference from executive director (football) Dennis Wise - led to friction with manager Kevin Keegan, who left the club in August.

Joe Kinnear was appointed in his place, but after 12 points from his first 10 games, Newcastle were in the relegation zone going into Sunday's Premier League game at Portsmouth.

The fans' backlash seems to have lost some of its ferocity, but Ashley is still keen to sell.

"I have not had a single credible bid," he said. (dpa)