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Newcastle United's summer set to go from woeful to disaster with the appointment of Steve Bruce
People will use different terms to describe how Newcastle's summer has gone so far, but it's clear they will all have one thing in common.
However you put it, their efforts during the off-season have been nothing short of a disaster.
With 23 days until the transfer window shuts, there's been no new faces in the famous black and white stripes, and the squad is in a considerably worse position than before.
Ayoze Perez has left for Leicester in a £30m deal, while fellow strike partner Salomon Rondon is set to join former manager Rafa Benitez at Dalian Yifang in China.
That's 23 goals in the Premier League that need replacing, and the current situation shows why that is unlikely to happen.
Hoffenheim's Joelinton seems to be one that is a potential incoming, but with a huge £40m price tag, you wouldn't hold your breath given a distinct lack of spending compared with their top-flight rivals in recent years.
Even with the signing, it's a big ask for a player with seven goals in the Bundesliga last season to step up and put himself among England's top scorers if he is to replace the goals absent from Perez's and Rondon's departures.
Newcastle's first deal will be their worst though. Paying £4m to Sheffield Wednesday for Steve Bruce to become their new manager is as bizarre as it is unbelievable.
Sky Bet: Newcastle 9/4 for relegation from the Premier League in 2019/20
The St. James' Park faithful will go from watching a team led by a serial winner, a man with both European cups, alongside titles in Italy and Spain on his CV, to one ran by a Football League journeyman taken from a mid-table side in the second-tier of English football.
Compare the two histories and the contrast is obvious. For Newcastle though, success won't be expected, and the nerves will kick in when a man who oversaw relegations at Birmingham and Hull is at the helm.
What Bruce does have to his advantage is excellent people skills, with his relationship with the media a stand out compared with the majority of other managers across the 92 clubs.
That could help him when it comes to dealing with managing director Lee Charnley, who he is likely to have more day-to-day interactions with.
He'll need to be incredibly persuasive in order to get those higher up to agree to a boost for the transfer kitty, particularly with the number of new faces needed.
Not only do new names need to come in to replace Rondon and Perez, but they are another striker light with Joselu's departure. Hardly the most prolific forward, but it leaves them even shorter on numbers.
Both full-back positions need additions, with Matt Richie out of position on the left while DeAndre Yedlin and Javier Manquillo were unable to establish themselves as the preferred starter on the right.
Mo Diame featured in 29 Premier League games last season, the majority of which were starts, and yet he has left to join Qatar's Al Ahli, while Kenedy is back at Chelsea. That's two areas of midfield lighter, with the impact from Diame's departure likely to be bigger than expected.
The worrying thing is that suitable replacements in these areas are unlikely, and Bruce is bordering on delusional if he thinks the funds will be available to sign significant quality.
What makes it truly worrying is that these signings are needed just to match last season, not to make improvements.
Standing still is the best outcome that can be hoped for here, but we're likely to see a club go backwards, both in individual quality and team performance.
Bruce should be backed nonetheless, he'll be aware of the mammoth task ahead and you can't blame a man wanting to add his hometown club to his wealth of experience.
He could have handled the situation at Hillsborough better, although it should be no surprise that a former Sunderland manager, who has also been in charge of Sheffield United, Sheffield Wednesday, Birmingham and Aston Villa, taking the job at Newcastle can be perceived as a distinct lack of loyalty.
It is understandable to see the frustration felt by the one of the most loyal sets of supporters in England. Newcastle seem to be stuck in a loop which sees no progression.
The club has been in a constant cycle of disappointment since Mike Ashley's arrival in 2007, With Alan Pardew's efforts in 2012 the anomaly as they secured European football with a fifth-placed finish.
Sky Bet: Newcastle 9/4 for relegation from the Premier League in 2019/20
The Magpies' severe lack of investment has seen them drop down the standings, with a top-nine Premier League finish absent since that Pardew campaign.
The only times of joy have seen the Championship trophy lifted twice, although that was in a division below where Newcastle should permanently reside.
The worry for Newcastle should be that more loyal fans will continue to walk away, but given the direction the club are seemingly going in, you question if that's really an issue that is at the forefront, if anywhere, of discussion.
Odds correct as of 17/07/19