The near 18 month delay for the Newcastle United takeover, has proved it was enough time for Richard Masters, the EPL and the Septic Six cartel, to get their ducks firmly in a row.
This is in regards to curtailing any aspirations that the Newcastle United owners might have had, with regards to making NUFC a national and European footballing force, sooner rather than later.
When the likes of Bruno Guimaraes, Alexander Isak and Anthony Gordon were signed, how many of us really knew the potential impact of, or even heard of PSR?
I bet the aforementioned players hadn’t.
They came here with high hopes that they were going to be plying their trade in a team on the cusp of doing special things.
This is where the story gets sadder.
After over two years of tearing it up in the Prem and reaching a cup final, Newcastle United seemingly ran into a brick wall.
Now another 18 months on and I have the impression that Alexander Isak, who I have often described as our very own Rolls Royce, may have become unsettled and be having itchy feet.
Self-entitled Arsenal’s media friends have been relentless in linking Isak with the Gunners for what seems like an age.
A few months ago I would have been aghast at ‘Ice Cold’ Alex leaving Newcastle United but times change quickly in football.
If he was to move to the dreadful Arteta’s club anytime soon, they’d better be prepared to break the bank.
Having paid over £100m for the overrated Declan Rice in 2023, it shouldn’t be hard to negotiate a much higher fee for Isak should Arsenal come knocking.
This whole Isak scenario may be a red herring anyway, as far as United are concerned. He is under contract for a while yet (ED: Until end of June 2028).
I also think that this will definitely be Bruno Guimaraes’ last season at St James’ Park.
At the end of the season he will have given us three and a half years of his life. I want him to quickly get back to his best so that we can enjoy the time he has left at the club.
I mentioned recently that I believe we will have a quiet January transfer window.
If anything, we need to be moving on the likes of Trippier, Wilson and Almiron if at all possible.
The summer should see Jacob Murphy put up for sale and at this moment I wouldn’t rule out the club listening to offers for the two Joes, also Harvey Barnes.
The team is unbalanced with too many left-sided players, and Eddie Howe doesn’t get a pardon from me on this score.
There has to be a bloodletting and overhaul of the first team squad, no matter what we may do from here to the end of the season.
My hope is that Paul Mitchell has now been here long enough to have grasped the enormity of his task, and that we are somewhere near confirming the appointment of a more than capable CEO, to replace the unfortunately stricken Darren Eales.
What goes on next summer is going to be pivotal in the way our club plan to move forward.
I tend to agree with many when they say that this current Newcastle team have stagnated, and that Eddie Howe’s tactics have become stale.
Eddie has seven months in which United can still go on to have a very good season and his future will also then be reviewed.
As I also said recently, I’m wishing this fine and honourable man all the very best from now until then.
No matter what, I want Newcastle United to have purchased young and hungry personnel by the time next season starts.
We are now only the rest of this Winter and next Spring and Summer away, from kicking off a new phase in the club’s recent history.