It’s a slippery slope from here for Utd

The next phase of the crisis that is Newcastle United begins this week, with the start of the Football League season. The club is some way from rock bottom, despite the trials of the last year. Starting life in the Championship, there is still some way to fall.

Newcastle have no owner, in the sense that the man who owns the club is desperate not to, and no manager, because Chris Hughton, who is taking care of team matters in the absence of a permanent appointment, is almost certain to be relieved of his duties once the club is sold. Everyone knows this. Hughton does not buy players, because Mike Ashley, the owner, will sanction no further transfer expenditure, and he has no say in sales because all players at Newcastle are available at a price set by the executive.

The death of Sir Bobby Robson was his final, unwitting, gift to the club he loved because it briefly allowed a sense of unity to build between Newcastle United and its disaffected supporters, but the images from the day revealed an uncomfortable truth. As the Newcastle players gathered at St. James’ Park to lay a wreath of memorial it was apparent that this was a club without direction.

They stood in jeans and trainers, T-shirts and casual jackets. It looked wrong. This was supposed to be just a normal day at training, so suits and ties would not have been available, but there should have been someone with the authority to order the wearing of Newcastle tracksuits demonstrating professional respect. A news bulletin showed Roy Keane, the manager at Ipswich Town where Robson was so successful, standing with supporters in a minute’s silence and it was plain that this was a man in charge. The players were not at the club – there was a friendly match that night – but Keane and his staff wore Ipswich training uniform and chief executive Simon Clegg had located a suit.