Newcastle United hero Rob Lee has slammed club owner Mike Ashley over his treatment of the Toon fans.
Lee is shocked by Newcastle's admission they won't focus on the Cups next season.
"Newcastle fans are incredibly loyal - far and away the best in the country for continually backing their team - but they're not stupid.
"The club have effectively said the cups don't matter, so what's the point in turning up? They'll surely stay away and I wouldn't blame them one bit. What I'd like to know is, if they're not going for the cups, what are they going for? Are they going for the title? Of course not.
"There are very few teams with a realistic chance of winning the League and Newcastle aren't one of them. So what's left? Staying up, it seems. Judging by what they are saying, that is the extent of their ambition and I find it truly shocking. I just don't understand it.
"They've killed the season before it's even started. These fans have got nothing to look forward to and that can't possibly be right. You've got to give fans like Newcastle's some hope and excitement and the fact is they can win one of the cups. Wigan and Birmingham have both shown it is perfectly possible and the argument from Newcastle's board that they both went down just fills me with despair.
"If we are comparing ourselves with Wigan Athletic and Birmingham City, then we have got problems. That's not meant as a cheap shot against those two clubs, but we are talking about Newcastle United and 50,000 Geordies filling the ground every home game."
