THE Theatre Royal's autumn season gets underway next month with a production that examines the limits to which human endurance can stretch.

Mired in tragedy, the First World War drama promises unrelenting action, emotional turmoil and a frank portrayal of the central character's ability to cope with the challenges that are thrown his way.

Poignantly, it is called "Journey's End".

A few hundred yards up the street, another journey has brought its main protagonist to a very different stage. Only time will tell if that, too, is about to end.

When Sir Bobby Robson returned to his native North-East in September 1999, he was supposed to be setting himself up for the most glorious of farewells.

The prodigal son going back to his roots after a career spent charming the whole of Europe. The serial trophy winner clinching silverware for the club who had forgotten how to win.

But, today, that image lies in tatters with Robson edging towards the St James' Park exit door not so much in a blaze of glory as a maze of disbelief.

Newcastle United has always had a reputation for drama but, even by the club's own bizarre standards, the last two months have left everyone scratching their heads.

The chairman has reportedly fallen out with the manager, the manager has had a number of run-ins with the captain, the captain threatened to leave after being substituted for a striker, a midfielder was booed by his own fans because he wants to be a striker, another striker threatened to leave this week if Robson signs a forward from the money he got from selling a defender, who no-one really knows if he wanted to sell in the first place.

Confusing? And that's before you even consider the effects of a virus outbreak that threatened the sight of five first-team players or a calamitous start to the season that has seen Newcastle fail to win any of their first three games.

Is it any wonder that, with their share price continuing to fall, the only stock that applies to Newcastle at the moment is preceded by the word laughing?

There are numerous strands to the soap opera currently playing out at St James' but by far the most important and, therefore also most damaging, is the deteriorating relationship between Robson and chairman Freddy Shepherd.

Shepherd laid his cards on the table when he was asked if there was any chance of Robson being retained as Newcastle manager when his current contract expires at the end of the season.

His one word answer - "no" - could not have been any shorter. But it still spoke volumes.

Shepherd was effectively admitting that Newcastle were planning for a future that did not include Robson, and all of his activities since then must be understood in that context.

While it would be wrong to suggest that Shepherd has been signing players behind his manager's back, it would be fair to say that he has adopted a strictly hands-on approach to this summer's transfer activity.

Robson's response to questions about the intricacies of the deal that took Jonathan Woodgate to Real Madrid revealed plenty.

"You'll have to ask the chairman about that," he said at the time, before his grasp of the Wayne Rooney situation on Wednesday night suggested he was far from au fait with the latest developments in that saga either.

The two biggest figures at the club might not be singing from different hymn sheets, but they are certainly struggling to find the same key and, as in so many organisations, tension at the top is permeating right down to the bottom.

Kieron Dyer's training ground outburst was borne of frustration at what he perceives to be Robson's unwillingness to play him in his preferred position.

But it also highlighted a blatant lack of respect that cannot be beneficial to a club desperately needing to recover from yet another poor start.

Why should players such as Dyer bow down to a manager whose time is almost up? Manchester United and Southampton know all about the perils of a boss marking time - Newcastle are also finding that managerial instability is the root of multiple evils.

At the moment, it is difficult to predict how things will end. Robson could decide that enough is enough and walk away with his head held high - few Newcastle fans would blame him if he did.

But the United boss has never been a quitter. He took England to the World Cup semi-final despite knowing he was on the way out and moved upstairs at Barcelona after being replaced by Louis Van Gaal.

He may well dig his heels in and continue to defy everything that is being thrown at him.

The only thing that is certain is that May really will mark his journey's end. The danger is that everything that happens before then will tarnish what has gone before.