Manchester United legend Gary Neville has revealed his sadness over Newcastle United's current plight.
Newcastle announced on Monday they will be parting company with Rafa Benitez at the end of the month following the expiry of his contract with the club.
The Magpies said in a statement that they were unable to come to an agreement with Benitez. The Spaniard's ambitions and the club's ambitions were seemingly way apart in regards to transfer budgets and improvements to United's infrastructure.
The club are now looking for a new manager but face a backlash from angry supporters.
Benitez had managed to re-engage the fanbase, who had become apathetic after years of mediocrity during Mike Ashley's tenure as owner.
Now the Spaniard has gone, many are ready to boycott games until the ownership changes hands.
Neville was part of a Manchester United side that battled with Newcastle at the top of the Premier League table during the nineties and the noughties when Kevin Keegan and Sir Bobby Robson managed the club.
The Sky Sports pundit has regularly spoken about the raucous atmosphere at St James' Park during those times and the stark contrast to the atmosphere that greets him in the stadium now when working on Sky's Premier League coverage.
And the former Valencia boss admits the tension between the owner and the fans has saddened him over the last couple of years and insists Newcastle will not be successful while the current tension exists.
“There's always been that tension there over the last year or two in terms of would he stay, is he getting the support he wants? It's finally happened,” Neville told Sky Sports News .
“It's not a surprise. He's a manager with great ambition and a great track record. I think he's had enough. What will happen at Newcastle? Who knows. The owner has tried to sell it, but it has always been a mystery up there.
“I have always felt sad, to be fair, going to Newcastle over these last couple of years. I have always felt that there's never been the connection between the ownership, and the fans, the players and the manager. You always need that at a club if you want to be successful.”
