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Newcastle United: Tension and uncertainty on Tyneside

By Durim Halimi

NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 11: General view outside the stadium prior to the Premier League match between Newcastle United and Manchester United at St. James Park on February 11, 2018 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)
NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 11: General view outside the stadium prior to the Premier League match between Newcastle United and Manchester United at St. James Park on February 11, 2018 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images) /
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Uncertainty is they key word associated with Newcastle United this summer as several questions remain unanswered.

Newcastle United announced the arrival of Ki Sung-yueng on Friday, but the club still has a lot of work to do this summer. Newcastle are in a complicated situation as the club’s owner wants to sell and walk while Rafa Benitez demands more funds.

Yet another inactive summer transfer window is underway for the Magpies and this is creating a toxic environment on Tyneside. The Toon Army are recognized as the most vocal and passionate supporters in England, but their patience is being tested this summer.

The transfer window opened on May 17th and Newcastle have only spent a net total of approximately £4 million on two players. While the permanent transition of Martin Dubravka and the signing of Ki Sung-yueng are welcomed, the club must spend more money.

In such a competitive transfer market, even clubs that are relegation favorites next season are breaking club transfer records. For Newcastle United, the record signing remains the signing of Michael Owen back in 2005. With today’s standards, even mediocre players have an asking price of close to £20 million.

With that being said, Rafa continues to pursue quality players in the market with a blind budget. The Spaniard and club supporters want Mike Ashley to understand that he must break the bank to upgrade the current roster.

Tension on Tyneside

The relationship between Ashley and the Toon Army has always been nonexistent. However, now it seems that the club’s most fervent supporters are striking a major blow to the owner of their beloved club.

The deadline for purchasing season tickets has been extended into the first week of July. This is not a good sign for Ashley’s regime as the club will struggle to maintain top attendance ratings at St. James’ Park.

There are two major reasons why season tickets have not been selling well. Firstly, prices for tickets have gone up. The club announced that season ticket prices have increased by ten percent. Secondly, some fans are fed up with the regime that is hindering the potential success of Newcastle.

In the eyes of some supporters, the best way to hurt a bad owner is by keeping their pockets empty. It will be interesting to see if Newcastle can end up selling all of their season tickets or if they will have to extend the deadline yet again. It is an unfortunate situation, but the rapid arrival of new players would surely solve the problem.