It is not easy being a Newcastle fan, as another summer just brings rain, false dawns and broken promises.
The club is in the process of a takeover, but the fans have been sold this dream before. Admittedly, this buyout from the Bin Zayed Group has gotten further than others that came before it, but the supporters know current owner Mike Ashley could pull the cord on the sale at any time.
Rafa Benitez’s contract is up at the end of the month, which complicates the situation as there are no signs of any players being brought to St James’ Park until after the takeover is finalised, leaving the club in a state of limbo. Even if the transaction is completed within that timeframe and the new owners persuade Rafa to stay on as boss, that may only leave them four weeks to transform the squad.
The bigger problem is if the club reaches July and the deal has fallen through, which could leave the club in a terrible position. It would probably have meant Benitez has walked away, and it would probably mean the club has probably not signed any players and possibly worst of all, Ashley is still the owner.
In this scenario, it may mean Newcastle are starting the new league campaign managerless and with pretty much the same squad as last season, although without Salomon Rondon, who was on loan at St James’ Park from Championship side West Brom.
The day the Sun broke the story of the Middle-East company attempting to buy Newcastle, the club’s supporters were excited and allowed themselves to dream. However, being a Newcastle fan is never that easy, and instead of dreaming about Neymar and Messi playing in the famous black and white, another relegation battle could be the more likely, and without Benitez working his magic the club would probably not survive.