As yet another abject FA Cup performance has seen the end of Newcastle's season in January - unless something wildly unexpected happens and the Magpies manage to claw their way into a European berth against Paul Merson's supposed "judgement" - fans can be forgiven for expecting more misery, or worse very little of anything at all.
Whoever comes in to replace Alan Pardew will have to make sure that the fanbase - a notoriously volatile lot - don't get wind of the season being entirely dead, or apathy might breed poor performances, particularly if an uninspiring interim manager is brought in until the end of the term. They could go some way to distracting from the lack of anything to play for beyond survival by giving fans some goals to cheer about.
Right now Newcastle face a striking crisis: Papiss Cisse is off to the African Nations, Ayoze Perez can't carry an entire team and everyone else is currently hopeless. With that in mind, the Magpies need to strengthen their options in this transfer window, because without goals there's literally nothing to get excited about, and more importantly less chance of pulling in TV money and prize money for a respectable league finish.
So who could they target?
14. Seydou Doumbia
The 26-year-old Ivorian will have a high price tag, further boosted by his three recent goals against Manchester City in the Champions League. An international team-mate of Cheick Tiote, Doumbia is fast and a good finisher - attributes that should make him a success in England. However, if Doumbia became available for an affordable price, the Magpies will have a lot of competition for his signature.