NEWCASTLE UNITED RELEGATED
Newcastle United were tonight relegated from the Premier League, without even kicking a ball.
Fitting perhaps, that the latest twist in the depressing reign of Mike Ashley should be us dropping out of the top flight as a result of Sunderland winning a game and making themselves safe at the same time.
To add insult to injury the new TV deal that kicks in next season will lead to a bigger gap than ever between the ‘haves' and 'have nots'. We are now firmly in the group of have nots! And whilst we will now watch on as the best thing to happen to our club for many a year (Rafa Benitez) has no choice to be part company with our club, those around us, lesser clubs in my humble opinion, will push on to bigger and better things.
The inexplicable appointment of a second rate manager, McClaren, was never going to be enough to paper over the cracks of years of non investment in the first team. Even the £79m spent this season would not be enough to make up for that. Just 2 points in our opening 8 games should have sent a clear signal to those who run our club. Things wouldn’t get much better from there in the league as Newcastle would spend most of the season in the relegation zone.
And despite the rhetoric form Mr McClaren about the cups being priority there would not even be any ray of light here either. One win against Northampton all we had to show for ‘taking the cups seriously’.
Crazy and defiant comments from our then manager, including him turning on our fans for pushing the team forward would follow before on 11th March the Board (one that Shhteevie sat on) would find enough was enough and give his the bullet.
The unbelievable appointment of Mr Rafa Benitez would follow, one outstanding decision amongst so many terrible ones, finally giving us hope. But with only 10 games left in the season it was never going to be enough even for someone of his calibre. And despite a draw against our local rivals to finally stop one humiliating run followed by our best run all season of 2 wins and 3 draws in 5 games most recently, our fate was tonight sealed.
Exit stage left Benitez and those few players worth their wages, and who’d blame them. Enter more uncertainty, overseen by an incompetent and ill formed Board. What is it they used to say……It’s never dull at Newcastle.
We’ve said it before, we’ll say it again. WHAT A MESS!
Let the postmortem commence. I however, am going to the pub!
