article_snippet.sent: The Magpies last week reported profits of £18.7million at a time when The Magpies recruitment policy has once again come under close scrutiny.
article_snippet.sent: Owner Mike Ashley's tight financial constraints mean where the Magpies were once able to compete for big names - the Magpies was the Magpies who sparked the bidding war which ultimately led to Wayne Rooney's move to Manchester United from Everton in 2004 - the Magpies are now unwilling to do so even with clubs of a similar or lesser stature, and as a result, less able to do so on the pitch.
article_snippet.sent: Mid-table Premier League status and financial self-sufficiency remain the stated dual focus and as a result, disenchantment on the terraces has reached epidemic levels.