With Bradford, Reading and Middlesbrough all potentially looking forward to putting an FA Cup Semi-Final in their diary – Newcastle United must now surely be kicking themselves for not taking it seriously.
They say that time is the greatest healer, but with nearly half a century without any major trophy, Newcastle United fans will tell you that time is the biggest enemy of them all.
It has been a long time since Newcastle had anything to really get excited about, and the days of Kevin Keegan pushing them for a Premier League title now seems like only a distant memory.
As Keegan once famously said, every Newcastle fan would ‘love it’ if they could just even come close to tasting success once again.
The time of Keegan has long gone however, and with John Carver and Mike Ashley now at the helm, it seems like all the desirability of playing for the Toon Army has now been squandered.
St James’ Park is no longer what many people once perceived to be a fortress. The 1997 ‘Tino Asprilla hat-trick which helped the Magpies secure a 3-2 victory over Barcelona now even seems like just a dream.
Manchester City fans could also once tell you all about the wait for a trophy. As like Newcastle, Manchester City once had to suffer a prolonged period of time without any real hope.
Being constantly reminded by your ‘neighbours’ of how many years it has been without a trophy can be humiliating, but fortune has a funny way of favouring the brave, and in this case – it couldn’t be more true.
Manchester City celebrate winning the titleIf all of the Magpies hopes lie on getting bought out by a multi-billionaire, then maybe Newcastle fans shouldn’t get just too excited.
Mike Ashley and his band of merry men have promised to invest into the squad in the Summer, but this is something which the Geordie faithful has been told time and time again.
As Newcastle United look only to be going backwards in the league, Mr Ashley will not want to risk his investment from plummeting and perhaps some investment is likely to be made.
The law of physics suggests that Newcastle’s time will come once again, but it’s only a question of when.
If you asked any Newcastle fan, then the majority would tell you they’d happily take a relegation for an FA Cup – but I wonder how many Portsmouth fans would have said the same thing ten years ago?
People of the older generation will be very familiar with the black and whites of Newcastle lifting aloft trophies at Wembley, and they will be hoping one day soon they can share that feeling with their loved ones of a younger age.
It has been 46 years since Newcastle United fans saw their beloved Bobby Moncur pick up the Fairs Cup in 1969, and with no current manager and no real future prospects, many Newcastle fans are now wondering whether they will ever be able to paint Wembley way in black and white once again.
