There's an old cliche about the North East - and in particular Newcastle fans: "the expectations are far too high up there." Media personalities who'e sat on panels every week for years still trot out the same garbage as if any fan, regardless of where they are from should be forced to temper their desires because of reality. That's not how fanaticism works for one, and secondly, it's also not reflective of the reality of about 80% of Newcastle's Premier League history (and even beyond that).
By virtue of being considered one of the most passionate and committed fan-bases in the country, and apparently because of an inherent desire to see the team do as well as possible (and not merely to survive), the Toon Army are labelled delusional, arrogant and vicious. As if regular European qualification turning into mid-table mediocrity and relegation and then apathy over cup competitions was something that should be taken lying down without so much as a grumble.
The reality of Newcastle United is that for too long it was run terribly (which is partly why Mike Ashley's austerity hurts so much), and too many under-qualified, misplaced managers were hired for way too much money and almost ran the first team squad into the ground. Among the motley crew of failures and disappointments have been international footballers, legends labelled new messiahs and glorified coaches. And while Alan Pardew walked away with at least some dignity intact, there is a strong culture of sacking at Newcastle that has a lot more to do with the pedigree of managers than fan expectations...
10. Alan Shearer
Rating: 1 April 2009 - 24 May 2009
Played: 8
Won: 1
Drawn: 2
Lost: 5
Win %: 12.50
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Hailed as a messiah, Shearer's inability to stop the rot and salvage something from a disastrous season saw his beloved Magpies relegated to the Championship. Whether he will ever returns is unsure, but it looks unlikely.