WITH supporters who are among the most passionate in the world, Newcastle United should be a force to be reckoned with.

The sad truth, as those frustrated supporters know all too well, is that the club is one of football's great under-achievers.

Kevin Keegan managed to rouse the sleeping giant from its slumbers briefly but a succession of managers have come and gone since then without success.

The time has come for change. Not just at management level but at the very heart of the club because Newcastle United is treading water.

Sir John Hall's decision to sell-up marks a sad day in many ways because he is an honourable man who brought a new vision to the club.

But top flight football is going through its latest financial revolution. It is no longer enough to have millionaire backers. It is now about billionaires following the lead of Roman Abramovich at Chelsea and - like it or not - clubs have to be able to compete at that level or accept being also-rans.

Sooner or later, a club like Newcastle United was bound to attract such a suitor and retail entrepreneur Mike Ashley has raised the stakes dramatically, days after chairman Freddy Shepherd said it was an impossible club to buy.

We hope his investment proves to be the catalyst for a successful new era at Newcastle United. It is a club which deserves to compete at the highest level - and the time has come to move on from the frustrations of the recent past.