QPR are in the rare position this weekend of welcoming a club nearly as ludicrous as them to Loftus Road. We caught up with LFW's regular Tyneside correspondent James Harrison for the latest on Mike Ashley's reign of terror at Newcastle.

A club that's had nearly as bad a season as QPR. Why has it gone particularly badly for Newcastle this season?

JH: The club is rotten from top to bottom.

Apathy has spread from the management to the players and now, crucially, to the fans. It's not so much this season as a series of seasons. If you were told you didn't need to try in your job but you could still take home the same wage, you wouldn't care about being the best would you? Doing everything on the cheap (or not signing anyone at all) means we could now sign literally anybody and the fans would be happy.

That sort of atmosphere and attitude breeds mediocrity. I'm still waiting for us to sign a replacement for Leon Best - make of that what you will. In terms of players, the lack of leadership from captain Fabricio Coloccini (who I heard speak for the first time in seven years on Match of the Day last Saturday) and the team's awful discipline (especially that of Papiss Cisse) are key factors in our position in the table.

Given that Alan Pardew has gone on and done well at Crystal Palace, is there an acceptance that the huge campaign to remove him from Newcastle was misguided or unfair?

JH: I think most Newcastle fans saw Pardew as a variable they could get rid of (as opposed to the squad or owner) and campaigned for change.

I still see him doing the same stupid tactics - like free kicks hoofed into the area from the halfway line and playing a stupidly high defensive line - but I am quite jealous of the attacking play he has instructed Palace to play. Had he done that at NUFC he would have been a massive hit. It's almost like after several transfer windows of being denied attacking players, at the first opportunity he made sure his new squad had about 15 forwards.

It couldn't just be Pardew's fault, just like it's not all John Carver's fault. How could it be with the squad we have? Dive-bombing after Christmas has happened in the last three seasons and much of the media have forgotten Pardew's record here to fit their narrative. Many opposition fans have used Palace's performances to trot out the "deluded Geordies, think they deserve Champions League, always pining for a Geordie manager" bullshit but there's a massive chance that we'd still be here even with Pardew. Many people have conveniently forgotten how bad we were prior to beating Spurs in late October.

We wanted a new manager, we got a poor Pardew clone. That's not to say Pardew was good, just that he wasn't as shit as Carver.

Do John Carver's results not prove it's not Pardew's, or indeed any manager's, fault that Newcastle are struggling? Or does Carver have to shoulder some responsibility?

JH: Carver was never going to work and most fans knew it. He's a fish out of water. He claims he is his own man but his tactics and preferred players are exactly the same as Pardew's. I said at the point he was appointed that he was in a win-win situation. If he keeps us up, he keeps the job "nice work John, job done". If we go down, nobody else would touch us, he stays by default. But the choice is clear: if we stay up and keep Carver we will go down next season.

Who has been linked with the manager's job for next season, who would you like to see, and will it make much difference?

JH: I'd like to think a decent manager would come in, take one look at Mike Williamson, Yohan Gouffran, Gabriel Obertan etc and decide to play the reserves instead. Maybe all we need is someone who will play some new tactics.

I want a foreign manager with fresh ideas who won't run away from the continental set up. We've been linked with Jocelyn Gourvennec (who was seemingly photographed with Lee "Penfold" Charnley at St James' Park recently), Christophe Galtier, Remi Garde and Paco Jemez.

I've been impressed with what Galtier has achieved with St Etienne with little resources but I think his defensive approach might not be popular with the fans. I would say Garde would be the best fit.

Any light at the end of the tunnel? Or will it always be like this while Mike Ashley runs the club?

JH: Fat boy Ashley is the source of all our problems.

From the thousands of Shite Direct signs around our club to being sponsored by Wronga, the values of the club and the community who follow it are not represented at all. Recently the club threw out a number of framed photos of Sir Bobby's squad into a skip. It's only a matter of time until we're playing in blue and red stripes.

Our last hope was probably Labour winning the election as they had some good ideas on football club ownership. Cameron and his cronies back Ashley's shocking business practices so there's no hope of the government changing things.

I think it is a problem with our national sport in general; is it really favourable to be bankrolled by a foreign despot with a dodgy record on human rights? I'm not too comfortable with that. It could be a case of better the devil you know. The game is moving further and further away from its traditional audience and its pounds not points that matter.

As long as Ashley is picking up his dirty cheque from the Premier League for simply turning up, he's happy and we're stuck with him.

Maybe relegation would help shift him.

What can the fans realistically do about all this?

JH: Not renewing season tickets helps but the ticket receipts (even with a 52,000 stadium) are small in comparison to the Premier League TV money. Get on to your local MP, stop buying Sports Direct crap, dare to take banners into the ground (maybe advertising local sportswear stores), don't buy the Wonga branded shirts every season, stop buying programmes and food at the match. Basically let's make Ashley feel uncomfortable.

Stand out performers and weak links?

JH: I'll be here all day if I talk about weak links so let's mention the good.

Ayoze Perez has pretty much kept us going on his own through both his goals and sheer work rate. He kickstarted the run (after being included due to injuries almost as an afterthought) in November which counts for most of our points. He was a bargain and I'd be amazed if he isn't sold this summer. He's the one thing that has given Newcastle fans something to shout about.

Jonas Gutierrez has been fighting since coming back whilst Janmaat and Colback have been really solid signings. I'd like to highlight Dummett should only be a squad player but has been sorely missed since he has been injured.

The rest are shite.

Short medium and long term aims for the club?

JH: Don't get relegated. Get a decent manager and squad. Ashley out.

The Twitter @loftforwords, @mrbeast06

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TacticalR added 11:23 - May 16 Thanks to James. In April Newcastle were described on the Guardian Football podcast as the epitome of 'mid-table existential ennui'. Nice. Since then it's been the epitome of relegation ennui.
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