Pod On The Tyne: an independent NUFC podcast

As Newcastle's executives prepare to report to a delegation of the majority owners we're primarily concerned about coming up with tabloid-style puns.
Foremost among the departments presenting to Chairman Yasir Al-Rumayyan, you may think, will be the coaching, talent identification, and transfer sections. Squad building conducted last summer continues to have a significant effect on the pitch.
No more so than in attack. Big money was spent on Yoane Wissa and Nick Woltemade and, while the german has ten goals, neither has settled in. So much so, that young forward Will Osula has taken the centre-forward starting spot. Will he keep it for the crucial visit of Brighton?
Thanks to The Athletic's German Football Correspondent Seb Stafford-Bloor for his contributions this week and love from us all to Chris and the whole Waugh family.
To donate to the Tiny Lives charity for Chris's running challenge, please click here.

Please enjoy this Extra Tyne episode with our compliments; we hope you will support the great work of everyone at The Alan Shearer centre. For more information, go to https://www.alanshearerfoundation.org.uk/.
George Caulkin has been training to run the London Marathon on behalf of The Alan Shearer Foundation. To find out more, he recruited the man himself as a personal tour guide before sitting down to reflect on 20 years of work and what Alan would like to achieve next.

Eddie Howe's rather dramatic team selection brought about a lively start from Newcastle at the Emirates Stadium (what might we be saying had Will Osula buried his opportunity in the first minute?!).
But, ultimately, this was another defeat. No shame in losing to a team locked in a title fight, you might think, but Arsenal were up against themselves as much as Bruno & co.
Bruno brought quality, purpose, and drive back into the midfield. With four games left to stave off the (still quite remote) relegation worries, we'll need a more tangible improvement next time out.

Newcastle United's Premier League form has nosedived; actually, it's worse than that, it has come to an abrupt halt, set itself alight, all the wheels have fallen off, and it's sitting in the middle of the runway covered in soot.
The situation feels impossible, the damage irrepairable; but is it? We break the club up into three areas of investigation; the ownership, the manager, and the team. Then we try to decide whether each of them can be fixed or needs replacing.
With a trip to Arsenal this weekend something will have to change pretty sharp-ish or Saka-absence, nervous Emirates, sudden unexpected heat-death of the Universe, there's nothing that can save us from a serious beating.

We've already asked for reactions, resets; we've asked about the manager, the players, the executives. We've asked "where do we go from here?", and "is Europe still do-able". Today, we asked "can Newcastle be relegated?"...
St James's Park may have reached resignation levels with this team in its current incarnation. The problem is, there are five games to go.