Toon squad to give pride

THE question of what ‘success’ means for Newcastle United is vexed.

A team that gives its all is the simple answer for many fans. A cup run? A top-10 finish? Top six?

For those of us who have memories of Champions League campaigns and then the decline, the answer is more complicated and frustrating.

Under Mike Ashley (below), there has been only one European campaign in 13 years – compared with 10 in the 13 years before he took over.

That’s where a generation of fans reasonably believe they should still be.

Massive club, yes, 21st richest in the world, according to last week’s new accounts, with a £153million turnover... ahead of Milan, Benfica and Ajax.

But falling behind in many key ways. When I started this job 20 years ago, Newcastle were on a par – and finishing higher – than Liverpool and Tottenham, on and off the pitch.

Now, Liverpool generate £500m a year – three times more than the Toon, with commercial income racing £200m ahead.

Massive club by attendance? Yes, despite 10,000 season tickets being up for sale last week, they still end up with 48,000 crowds, the seventh best in the league.

Top-four finishers? Yes, in terms of profitability, according to finance analyst @swissramble. There are few clubs run better, with profit in eight of the last 10 years.

Running a tight ship doesn’t create footballing dreams. But then spending hundreds of millions more – like Everton and Aston Villa – to finish a couple of places higher, is a huge risk.

So where does all that leave Steve Bruce and his squad?

Newcastle are no longer contenders. Economics dictate that.

But what St James’ Park could be is an enjoyable place to watch football again, especially with fans back.

Callum Wilson, Allan Saint-Maximin, Matt Ritchie... no trophies, but a squad that must give the huge fan base some pride back.