It's been a winter of discontent in the north east, with Newcastle's premature Champions League exit preceding a terrible run of form that has finally dampened the feel-good mood Eddie Howe had generated at St. James' Park. Their downturn in form has been so sharp that there are even murmurs that the hugely-popular manager's job is on the line.
Since bowing out of Europe, Howe's side have been sent packing from the Carabao Cup and suffered three Premier League defeats in a row. The early part of December wasn't much better, as the Magpies lost to Everton and Tottenham in consecutive games by a combined aggregate score of 7-1. Lose to Manchester City on Saturday and last season's fourth-place finishers could even find themselves in the bottom half of the table after the mini-winter break.
But would it be the right decision to abruptly part company with the man who has lifted the gloom and brought so much happiness to the Geordies? GOAL breaks down the situation...