Newcastle suffered their second 3-0 home defeat to Sunderland in successive seasons, only this one came in the same week the club sold their best player and didn't replace him.
Beleaguered technical director Joe Kinnear has still not signed a player since his appointment in June, and although the Magpies are eighth in the Premier League table, the fear amongst supporters is the supposed lack of ambition could trigger a mid-season collapse.
Yohan Cabaye left for Paris Saint-Germain last week and the closest Newcastle got to replacing him was a failed bid for Lyon's Clement Grenier.
One fan became disheartened by the defeat on Saturday ripped up his season ticket and threw it at manager Alan Pardew during the game. He wasn't the only one who was furious with the scoreline...