Newcastle United fans would have been hoping for a pain free summer for once, as they hoped for the club to land some big names in the transfer market while keeping hold of Rafa Benitez.

But, as we have all seen over the years with the Magpies, things are never quite straight forward for the Toon Army, and today has seen the Daily Mail report that manager Benitez is indeed set to walk away from the club in the coming weeks when his contract comes to an end.

In what is a miserable update for the club and it's supporters, Benitez seems to have finally come to the end of his patience with the club's ownership, and could now walk away scott free and into any role he sees fit in world football you would imagine.

Here in the Tavern, we simply cannot believe it has come to this for Newcastle, and we have a big fear that this could well spell the end for the club in terms of their Premier League status.

Benitez has had the ability in the last few seasons to set up his Newcastle team to get the right sort of results needed to secure their top flight status, but it has to be said, with the squad he has had at his disposal, it's almost a minor miracle he has managed to do so well.

The problem that will now await the club is that potential replacements will be turning their nose up at the thought of working under such a poor regime, while it's likely that there will be a massively sour reaction from the club's supporters.

It's once again just another knock back in the storied history of Newcastle United, and we can't help but think this could be one of the biggest blows the club has suffered in recent times.