IN A BLACK AND WHITE TOWN
As rallying cries for the dawn of a golden era go, “I am quite optimistic” is not “ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country”. It did not fit the “I think I am a special one” template set 22 years ago by Netflix’s latest documentary subject. Nor did Matthias Jaissle’s unveiling as Newcastle manager meet the pre-match billing of “fire” and “a rock star” that the club’s chief suit had promised the journalists in attendance. Though, considering the summer of tumult on Tyneside, it was a sensible path to take. Expectations among the Toon Army have certainly lowered since Geordies sunk Tin and donned tea-towel headdresses in celebration of Mike Ashley’s departure and the arrival of a consortium underpinned by the petrodollars of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund. As it turned out, Lionel Messi neither ended up mowing the pitch nor selling the pies.
