Christmas may be another six weeks away but panto season seems to be an open-ended affair at Eastlands where the numbers auditioning for the role of lead villain far outstrip the availability of those qualified for the role of white knight.

It is almost 40 years since Johan Cryuff reacted to his transfer from Ajax to Barcelona for a record fee by remarking that he was “no longer a footballer, I am an industry.”

In GAA terms, we are well into The Twilight Zone.

Ten weeks and a day.

Crikey, but you really have to feel for Newcastle United’s long-suffering fans. Bad enough that ‘one of England’s biggest clubs’ hasn’t claimed a major trophy since the Fairs Cup in 1969 (we’re not of a mind to include the 1992/93 Division 1 title or the Intertoto Cup they ‘won’ six years ago) but how is it that one organisation can so consistently find new ways to generate so much negative publicity?