Steel barriers have been assembled around St James’ Park to keep supporters away. Were the Saudi-led takeover to fall through, such measures would not be needed.
The prospect of returning to a Mike Ashley-owned institution - so drained of ambition - is hardly an enticing one. They could throw open the turnstiles for free and still there would be a weariness to those who passed through.
And that is why events off the pitch are far more significant than anything that happens on it during the coming weeks for the club and its fanbase.
But the prospect of returning to a Mike Ashley institution is not an enticing one for supporters
For many, the thought of missing out on barrels of cash and investment from Saudi Arabia is not their greatest fear, it is the realisation of being left with a club they have long since come to resent and mistrust.