Probably too late for suggestions but Villarreal is a club I've been following for the last few years.
They seem to be everything that NUFC is not. Their chairman has the clubs best interest at heart. When the club was relegated, the owner sold some of his (admittedly large) share portfolio
When the club was promoted back to La liga the following season, the price of season ticket prices was halved
Last summer when many would have seen survival as a fair objective for the season, a number of shrewd signings have left them on the verge of qualifying for Europe
Now if we had the disadvantages they have (local population/TV money)....then we might have cause to act like 8th was an achievement and the cups were lethal to survival.