Clearly lessons haven't been learned!

Get to work Joe! Generally speaking I'm one of those 'wait and see' guys when it comes to Newcastle United.

Despite overwhelming evidence which suggests I perhaps shouldn't be as patient I still find myself waiting to be pleasantly surprised only to be let down again and again.

Until now that is...

There is very little I can do to change what is going on at the club at the moment. I'm still waiting to come into the kind of money it would take to buy the club myself like I'm sure many others would do if they had the means and opportunity to do so.

Unfortunately writing this article, or any article in fact, won't change things either but it does at least give everyone a platform to express their views.

With the start of the season roughly one month away I feel that we are sleepwalking into disaster. That's not 'we' as fans, I mean 'we' as a club because unfortunately, as fans, we are unable to separate away from the club we all love and are tarred together with it and the decisions that are being made on behalf of all of us.

Lessons were supposed to have been learned from last summer where a lack of transfer activity cost us dearly and very nearly ended in disaster. Yes I get that some of the flurry of January activity was brought forward from this summer, but it shouldn't mean that our recruitment drive can sit back and relax.

There are positions that need filling, some more desperately than others. There was a chance to get players "over the line" before pre-season even began which is obviously the ideal time to sign a player to ensure they are fully settled before the season even kicks off. Any signings we make now will have to hit the ground running and if they don't they will feel the pressure. That's if we actually do make any signings for the senior squad...

We hear constantly about how good our transfer policy and scouting network is, but somewhere along the line something is going wrong as new players aren't materialising. Derek Llambias carried a lot of the can for it, but now he's moved on there seems to be little difference although I will, begrudgingly, concede that Joe Kinnear hasn't had a lot of time to weave his "magic" in his new role as Director of Football.

I'm just royally pi**ed off at the moment. If last season wasn't the kick up the backside those upstairs needed then what will it take? A good balance sheet is all well and good but it means little and will deteriorate quickly in the Championship.

Things need to start happening soon, not just for us fans, but also for the players and manager. A couple of notable first-team signings will lift the mood undoubtedly amongst fans, will show our current players that there is a motivation to improve as a club, and will also give Alan Pardew some tools to work with that he desperately needs at his disposal.

Sadly though I'm starting to doubt it will happen...