Newcastle United have been relegated. After almost 20 years in the top flight of British football, the once impressive and glamorous Toon Army are toast. Their fall from grace was heard across the football universe today and Chairman Mike Ashley, his executive team and even the players can point the finger at themselves for this disaster.
Were any of them aware that it’s a privilege and not a right to play in the Premier League? Their arrogance was intolerable to observe. They made some bad decisions. They screwed it up. They are to blame and now it’s the fans that will pay the price. Instead of relishing an encounter with Manchester United, Liverpool or Chelsea next season, they can look forward to playing teams like Preston North End, Doncaster Rovers and Plymouth Argyle. And to make it even more painful, Newcastle’s bitter rivals Sunderland survived being relegated which means they get to play Premier League football again next term. That’s rotten.
I’ve never felt the pain of my team being relegated and I can’t imagine there is anything worse to experience as a fan of football. To lose the elite status of being a Premier League team is not only gut-wrenching, but it also costs your team millions and can set them back for years to come. There is no guarantee of an immediate return. Just ask Leeds United, Charlton and Southampton fans. It’s got to hurt worse than a punch from Mike Tyson circa 1986. It’s got to hurt worse than a root canal. It’s got to be the worse pain in the world.
The sad thing for Newcastle fans is not even their hero Alan Shearer could save them from the drop. He probably feels the same pain as they do today. Perhaps it’s a little easier for Shearer though. A nice family holiday in the Bahamas or Bermuda will help ease the pain of relegation. But what will the hard-up Newcastle supporters do to erase the memory of the 2008-09 season? My guess is they’ll dust themselves off, buy a new shirt and start talking about how they are going to return to the Premier League. Football is in their blood. Football is their life. Football is Newcastle United. But who will lead them? Shearer? Or will King Kev return? Let’s hope for the fans sake, the club makes the right decision…
It is sad for the Premier League to lose a club such as Newcastle United, but as a Spurs fan i’m happy they are down, we never do well up North and it’s one less team to travel up to.
They should keep Shearer but they need to clean out some of the rubbish in their team if they wanna come up. It is a tough and long season in the Championship, as teams like Reading have found that out.
They really did have a bad team this year didn’t they? And Michael Owen never quite worked out for the Magpies. Do you think Owen is finished? Does he still have legs in him? Can he play at the top level for another great club?
Hopefully a team like Newcastle will bounce back. And whoever is manager that brings them back will be a hero.