To be a fan of Newcastle was already tough, as their team complete a fourth season in a row at the bottom of the Premiership. And now they are being asked by the club’s owners Red Bull to take a leap of faith in a brighter future – but one that will take years to be fully realised.
Regular hammerings and the exit of 26 well-loved players this summer are testing those supporters’ loyalty, judging by a visit to Kingston Park for Saturday’s final home match of the campaign against Sale Sharks, even if the alternative was potential oblivion.
Season-ticket holders Simon Graham and Mike Crosby chatted to The i Paper pre-match, in the Tap & Tackle bar in the East Stand. The pair first started watching Newcastle in the 1990s.
“It has been horrendous and in the last two months it got really painful,” says Simon. “Against Harlequins in the last home game, you could have heard a pin drop. There is a couple who sit in front of us, and just after half-time she said ‘that’s me’ and got up and went, and her husband stayed about another 15 minutes, so she must have been sat in the car rather than watch.
Plans to redevelop the stadium are taking shape – but it will be a gradated process (Photo: The i Paper)
