Wor Flags' decision to boycott St James' Park this campaign was undoubtedly a painful one.
Responsible for a number of eye-catching displays which generated national headlines, the Newcastle United supporters group decided to down tools following the summer of discontent - vowing not to return until Mike Ashley sells up.
Disillusioned members have had to resist calls from fans on social media for a comeback - most recently for the FA Cup quarter-final tie against Manchester City.
However, the recent takeover developments which could bring an end to Ashley's turbulent tenure could also see Wor Flags make their return.
With a potential return on the cards for the popular supporters group, we decided to review their best St James' Park displays to date.
Here - with the the help of group member Thomas Concannon - is a countdown of Wor Flags' best displays so far.
10. 'Back in Black and White' (Newcastle United 0-2 Tottenham - August 13, 2017)
"It was the first time we had actually made the display ourselves. We had always wanted to do it.
"There was the 'Back in Black' message, and we also painted one saying 'This is the Gallowgate'."
9. 'United As One' (Newcastle United 3-1 Southampton - April 20, 2019)
"It was a different side of our displays. Most are based around the football, but this was more of a political statement.
"This was a different element for us, and it was nice to show we were open to all and to give our backing to the club's campaign."
8. 'Fight, desire, hunger, united' (Newcastle United 1-0 Crystal Palace - October 21st, 2017)
"This was a message of support for the club. It was kind of a dig at the national media element who gave the impression we're a deluded fanbase, and a club constantly in crisis.
"This is also when we introduced our Lascelles flag in the same style as our Rafa flag – captain and manager, united."
7. Remembrance display (Newcastle United 2-1 Bournemouth - November 10th, 2018)
"We've got someone in the group who has close ties in his family with a military background, and this was something that meant quite a lot to him.
"We incorporated the poppy into our display and the club, and it was a tribute to those of a military background who supported the club."
6. First display (Newcastle United 1-2 Huddersfield Town - August 13th, 2016)
"We basically purchased quite a few black-and-white wave flags and put them on seats. The photos looked fantastic.
"It was the start of the journey for us."
5. The 125th anniversary display (Newcastle United 2-3 Leicester City - December 9th, 2017)
"This was a huge display we needed lots of volunteers for. We worked alongside the club and incorporated old newspaper headlines to show the history of the club, and it just worked really well.
"The club put out black and white flags, it gave us some of the best pictures of our displays."
4. Rafa's Valencia quote (Newcastle United 1-1 Liverpool - October 1st, 2017)
"This was another kind of protest in a way. We believed Rafa - he was very vocal about how he wanted the club to progress and he felt it was being held back.
"He had similar issues with the board at Valencia and we decided to take that and put it on a banner to show our support."
3. 'Where there is unity, there is always victory' (Newcastle United 3-0 Chelsea - May 13th, 2018)
"We wanted to do something for it being the last game of the season.
"We wanted to fill the whole Gallowgate End with black and white.
"We got the banner made and it was just a cracking display. Everything worked - it blended in and worked really well.
"It was a good message and we spent ages arguing over which players were going on the banner. We spent a week trying to find a good picture of Martin Dubravka!"
2. Kevin Keegan's quote (Newcastle United 1-1 Burnley - January 31st, 2018)
"Things were getting a little heated again at United. Another transfer window was ending and nobody was coming in to buy the club.
"It was a quote that had been around for some time and we felt like doing it as a big display - almost as a protest - but in a fashion that was not too extravagant.
"It sent an effective message and we felt it put us on the map. We got a lot of press for it at the time."
1. We Are The Mags record surfer display (Newcastle United 2-3 Liverpool - May 4th, 2019)
"There's quite a few reasons that go along with why this was our favourite.
"The fact it was going to be a record breaker was a key one. The amount of money raised was another (around £17,000 for the flag).
"We also donated almost £4,000 to the fooad bank so there's quite a few reasons that it was the favourite."
"It was quite a special day all around."
