Newcastle United got off to a positive start today as they defeated Shamrock Rovers 3-0. Goals from Steven Taylor, Shola Ameobi and Nile Ranger sealed the victory.

You can see Chris Hughton’s response in the video below. Is it just me, or does he seem very coy when asked about next week and the game against Darlington?

The Telegraph are reporting that a deal for Newcastle United is imminent. The offer, thought to be in the region of £100 million, comes from a group of local investors.

The investors are due to meet with representatives of Mike Ashley tomorrow (Sunday), to facilitate a deal. There are thought to be four separate investors looking through the Newcastle United’s finances as a deal could be completed within a fortnight.

However, before we get carried away, and I hate to put a dampener on the situation – haven’t we heard all this before? Right now it’s all conjecture. Until the BBC and Sky Sports start reporting similar news, then the Telegraph may be on to something. But until then, it’s a wait and see game. Hopefully we’ll be doing more seeing than waiting come this time next week.

Quotes from the Sunday Times today attribute the Toon Chairman as wanting to sell NUFC at the nearest opportunity. I don’t think anyone would argue with his leaving the club at this point.

What people will argue about though is the timing. With Alan Shearer seemingly ready to sign on the dotted line if his requirements are met, any further delay on appointing a new permanent manager could see Newcastle seriously in trouble. With other Championship clubs already preparing for an arduous season, the longer we go without someone at the helm, the larger the job will be.

This is typical of Newcastle United though, and is the reason we are the nation’s laughing stock. This club is just crying out for someone to have a right good go at it and steer it in the right direction – but no, this is Newcastle where everything has to be done the difficult way.

It’s worth mentioning that Newcastle would be a lot more of an attractive asset if a certain investment was made (i.e appointing Shearer).