THE best way of putting it was always to say Newcastle United had hope however long they had Rafael Benitez. In the seemingly endless war against owner Mike Ashley and his era of austerity on Tyneside, Benitez was a beacon, a shining light who reminded fans what the club was and could be; a giant in the Premier League.

All of a sudden, though, that hope is gone. After a summer of silence, nerves and frustration, Newcastle announced that once his three-year contract expires on June 30, this Sunday, Benitez will leave the club. 

Failure to renegotiate a deal with a man who, despite his Champions League-winning pedigree was not only willing, but actively looking to remain in place at St James’ Park, is unforgivable and beyond anything that has gone before. 

In reality, his demands were never going to be met, however reasonable they were; during his three years working for Ashley, his constant desire for ambition and improvement throughout the club, from the culture to performance in the boardroom and on the pitch, were a constant thorn in the side of a man whose only desire is to save and make money, even if it keeps everything in a state of flux. 

The decision to part ways came earlier than many expected, with Benitez not fully informed of the statement, but the fact it was made isn’t a shock.

Where Ashley and Benitez were furthest apart was with transfer funds and how they’d be spent. 

But now isn’t the time for a post-mortem, it is a time for reflection. 

It was said he represented hope, because even with his hands behind his back, he was able to help the Magpies grow. 

The question was often asked what would happen if Benitez received the backing he deserved and, with continued speculation over a takeover, that dream looked like it could become reality, but now it is dead in the water.

Yet it wasn’t just on the pitch that Benitez’s impact was felt, in fact it was perhaps more important off it. His greatest asset was that he cared enough to mend the fractures created over Ashley’s long reign. 

He made the fans fall in love with the club again, getting involved with the local foodbank that collected on every match day, giving fans all the time they wanted and making clear his love for the city and the community, as well as the potential of the club. 

Almost every fan had their own personal Benitez moment, one they would cherish for the rest of their lives; that was the mark of the man and his legacy.

Almost overnight, the feel-good factor, or at least the ability to support Newcastle United in spite of Ashley, has gone. 

With that, so has the security blanket, the cast-iron guarantee that everything would be alright in the end. 

The worst thing is the distinct feeling that, over his time at the club, they didn’t really want to keep him; promises were false, and he wasn’t loved. Rather than reading as if they had done all they could to make sure the man they didn’t deserve didn’t walk away, the statement had the feel of a club bitter at the fact they had their bluff called, and that blamed him for not working with them.

The truth is that Benitez was the glue holding everything together, taking the heat off those who were so stubborn and arrogant that they didn’t even come up with a Plan B in place for this exact scenario. 

Now he’s gone, the cracks will soon reopen, deeper and more exposed than ever. If Ashley doesn’t know what he has lost, it will be made patently clear to him very soon. 

Fans are protesting, players aren’t arriving, and time is ticking until pre-season, the closure of the transfer window and the start of the Premier League against Arsenal.

Newcastle is now in a state of mourning, refusing to even contemplate the future. 

This, at best, is an opportunity missed, at worst it is the tipping point for civil war that has been years in the making. 

Benitez is gone, and with him so has the club’s identity. 

Now it must battle similar feelings of doom and gloom to find one again, but it’ll be far from easy. 

Attention has to turn to finding a replacement, and even though the takeover could still go ahead, finally ending the wider misery, any new manager will enter the job with one huge disadvantage: he isn’t Rafael Benitez.