from .com, cba to format it
Fifty shades of
black and white
Where to start, after a week of open letters, frantic pleadings and general chaos concerning "our" club?
Regardless of the awfulness of that latest defeat, such has been the level of noise since then that our impatience for the first whistle on Saturday has grown - if only to stem the tide of farcical off-field pronouncements.
In some ways, failing to defend a first minute set piece is more credible and noble than making logic-defying quotes and press releases that add nothing to the situation, other than underlining that we're run by pygmies and our status as a national laughing stock remains intact.
Aside from the actions of other Premier League players, the only people who can resolve the situation are those who will be in the team on Saturday.
If there's one positive from the last few days, it's that those players kicked Carver & Co. out of their summit meeting / inquest. Hopefully that's proof of a better attitude and a belated assumption of responsibility.
To say that their efforts and commitment are determined by the level of backing from the stands though - and therefore an absence of that support is a justification for their failure - is both unacceptable and outrageous.
Be it Pardew's arm-waving, Taylor's fist pumps or the facile player tweets, gestures and sound bites have consistently come back to bite us on the backside.
The owner, managers and players have led by example - and what a belligerent, self-serving, unprofessional and inept example it has been.
The question has been asked in some quarters why an atmosphere equivalent to that generated by Leicester fans last week can't be created at SJP tomorrow.
Our own honest response is that too many previous calls to arms have been heeded - and then promptly thrown back in fans' faces by the indifferent displays of the players and the ongoing urine extraction of the owner.
There was no lack of support at Villa in 2009, thousands of supporters trekked across Europe more recently and even in January of this year over 4,300 fans made an illogical decision to follow the team to Leicester and have their noses rubbed in it. We stuck with it, they didn't.
Media claims that players have told their friends and relatives to stay away are all too convenient, when in reality the fact that those tickets now have to be paid for has contributed to a reduction in the entourages.
Like the previous unproven allegations of threats made against the owner's family, efforts continue to demonise the fans at every point - except when they might just happen to help them out....or take the blame.
If you want support, you have earn it. Show fans some respect by your actions, don't pay them lip service and demand their unwavering, unquestioning backing.
Don't expect continued poor behaviour to be excused by jottings on a sheet of A4 paper (use of the phrase 'three cup finals' particularly inapt, given the reluctance by the club captain to dirty his boots in any cup ties).
Stomping over every tradition in this club (it's arguable whether Carver remaining in post is a deliberate slur on Tyneside and its inhabitants), another intangible aspect of our backing is on life support - the 12th man.
The life has been sapped from fans, the antidote withheld in the name of financial prudence. We've gone too far off track for some who have walked completely, while others searching for genuine effort and commitment to applaud will be watching North Shields at Wembley instead.
That leaves those thousands who will attend out of a sense of duty, pride, habit, or curiosity. The supporting element has been squeezed out in favour of customers and consumers, a focus group replacing a fan base.
For every non-attendee though, there's someone registering a proxy protest vote by their presence in the ground, not quite a vigil, more bloody-minded stoicism.
That continued level of devotion is why the most audible response from Newcastle fans isn't "get out of our club" but rather "we told you so", expressed in a logical, reasoned and articulate manner, unless it's on Sky.
People round here know when they're being fed a line, they know when they're watching duds and they know that attempting to take short cuts will be found out - precisely because they've seen it all go wrong before.
Seeking to harness that faith while simultaneously pursuing policies that try to undermine it remains the single greatest folly of this administration.
Regardless of whether we stay up or go down, a change of direction and personnel on and off the field remains the main priority, if we're to avoid another relegation fight or gain promotion at the first attempt.
Otherwise we're just doomed to repeat this depressing cycle before an ever-shrinking and more aghast fanbase.
does 6 defeats in a row match pardews run?