Newcastle’s search for Rafa Benitez’s replacement looks no closer to being resolved, with just nine days until the first game of the Premier League Asia Trophy in China.
The Chronicle reported the club are in a “race against time” to get the situation sorted before they fly out, and if they do not, Ben Dawson and Neil Redfearn will take charge for the games.
Fans are rightly worried about the perceived lack of urgency in getting a new man installed, and with the transfer window closing in exactly one calendar month from the time this article is written, those concerns are legitimate.
Another worry is what many fans see as a nightmare scenario of no manager being appointed, and Dawson and Redfearn taking control on a longer-term basis.
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But how likely is that?
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Well, there is as much talk about high profile names distancing themselves from the job – with Steven Gerrard reportedly the latest of those – as there is of interest in it, and it should yell from the rooftops that all is not deemed right at the club, by those involved in the game.
That should tell Mike Ashley everything about his running of the club.
So it is not too far a reach to think that the status quo will remain in China, and should Newcastle perform decently in their pair of games, the club may be inclined to put the the reserve coaches jointly in place for the start of the season.
It is enough to send shivers down the spine.
But for those that think id will simply not happen, just look back to John Carver, or even Chris Hughton, after the familiar ‘Benitez-esque’ treatment of Alan Shearer.
The summer – along with the majority of the last decade – has been utterly shambolic, and fans will deem nothing as unthinkable under the dynamic duo running our club.
Unfortunately, if it does play out that way, then most fans will see nothing other than relegation looming in May.