HOW DO THEY AVOID RELEGATION In SUCH A TOXIC ATMOSPHERE?

How do Newcastle avoid ‘doing a Sunderland’? The question has so many caveats, moving parts and other underlying issues that it’s almost impossible to state definitively what the club must do.

However, recent events have felt like a tipping point for the fanbase, and if the potential takeover fails to materialise, we’re likely to experience levels of toxicity not witnessed at St James’ Park since the early-90s nadir of Gordon Mckeag.

Aside from the obvious issues around the Magpies’ infrastructure and management, one of the most pressing matters is getting the supporters back onside. Yet while this seems to most people like a sensible move, Mike Ashley doesn’t think like everyone else, and the fans are seemingly his last concern.

Appointing an exciting and dynamic manager to replace Rafa Benitez would’ve been a good start. Though the club denied it, Sam Allardyce’s name was even mentioned before Steve Bruce got the gig, to little Geordie joy. Investing in some quality players with the club’s generated income would also help.

Depending how the summer sales go – and it didn’t start well, with the usual queue of asset-strippers warmly waved through the doors – Newcastle may need to replace not just Salomon Rondon and Ayoze Perez’s goals and work rate, but Isaac Hayden and Mo Diame’s industry and defensive abilities, Matt Ritchie’s graft and craft, and Joselu’s squad number. This won’t be cheap, and a lack of investment could lead to a relegation scrap before the clocks go back.

Building bridges with the fans and fixing the squad are only two of the myriad problems facing Newcastle United. The training facilities aren’t currently fit for purpose, as proven by the ice-bath wheelie bins and paddling pools used at the club’s Little Benton HQ. It’s an utter embarrassment for a Premier League club, and something Benitez had already pinpointed as a priority while he was in charge. In the club’s infinite wisdom, they decided this project wasn’t financially justifiable and shelved plans for a training ground refurbishment following their relegation back in 2016.

Unless something major changes in the summer, be it the ownership of the club or Mike Ashley’s attitude towards it, then the Magpies are nailed-on for a battle against the drop in 2019-20. The thing that infuriates fans the most is that they can all see what needs to be done to give Newcastle a new lease of life. They don’t demand a team that wins – just a club that tries.