After both Newcastle United and Aston Villa were relegated into the Championship last season, the two were expected to battle at the top of the league.
While life in the second tier has been far from plain sailing for the Toon Army, the continued struggles of the fallen Midlands giants is in stark contrast to the optimism created by Rafa Benitez on Tyneside.
Parallels were naturally drawn between the two clubs, with both sides boasting Champions League winning managers.
Still, Villa’s decision to axe Roberto Di Matteo has seen Steve McClaren mentioned as a possible replacement.
Considering the bad blood between the two sections of supporters, such rumours have come to the delight of Toon fans on Twitter.
The former England coach endured a nightmare spell in charge of the Magpies last season and the notion of him landing the job at Villa Park is a hilarious one for the club’s support.
With that in mind, here are SEVEN of the best Newcastle fan reactions to the McClaren-Villa rumours.
