When young children in the Netherlands are growing up they are told the story of the little boy who puts his finger in a hole in the dam to stop the valley flooding.
For Newcastle United that little - or not so little as it happens - Dutch boy was their 18-year-old goalkeeper Tim Krul.
Krul's heroics on his debut against Palermo in the Uefa Cup gave Glenn Roeder's side an unexpected and memorable victory against the joint leaders of Serie A.
The problem is, just like the boy with his finger in the dam, Krul's expoilts could only offer a temporary respite.
Just as the boy with his finger in the dam realised he could not plug all the gaps that were appearing and stop the valley below from flooding, neither can a backs-to-the-wall European victory fill in the gaping cracks in Newcastle's squad.
Saturday's home defeat to a spirited, but limited Sheffield United, has sent a tidal wave of anger and frustration crashing over Shepherd's defences.
Before my operation and enforced sick leave I wrote in the Journal that Newcastle had three games to surpress the growing revolt at St James's Park.
Home games against Portsmouth, Charlton and Sheffield United were all winnable and if Newcastle matched expections chairman Freddie Shepherd and his manager Glenn Roeder might have been able to ride out the unrest.
Two weeks later and Newcastle have managed to win just one - the Carling Cup game against Portsmouth - and have failed to beat two of the teams keeping them out of the bottom three. In that respect, the Magpies' slide into the relegation zone is fully deserved.
Given the size of the demonstration after the 1-0 defeat to Sheffield United the powers that be at St James's Park cannot dismiss the discontent as the actions of a vocal minority. They must sit up and take notice because they are slap bang in the middle of a major crisis.
But what happens now. Will Shepherd sack Roeder just five months after claiming he had given the fans the man they wanted as a manager to save his own skin? Roeder was Shepherd's fifth managerial apppintment, will the fans give him the opportunity to make a sixth?
Will a cup victory over Watford this week, coupled with the Palermo victory, keep Roeder in a job until he can strengthen his squad in January?
Will the club limp on lamely waiting for a takeover bid to come?
Whatever happens, I've got two words which will send shivers down the spine of everyone of a black and white persuasion. Leeds United.
Finally, Roeder has proven my point about Albert Luque. The Spaniard, who is a striker in a squad hopelessly short on options up fronts, scores the vital goal in Sicily and impresses with his overall attitude. His reward? Dropped.
I'm afraid that is a poor man management decision which, given the futile attempts of Giuseppe Rossi and Damien Duff on Saturday night, has come at a high cost.
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