The days for romantic stories in The Premier League have well and truly gone.
I say this in view of Alan Shearer’s first game in charge of his beloved Newcastle.
The neutral would have been tickled pink if Shearer had returned to sensationally knock over Chelsea at St James’ Park, as Shearer’s mission begins to preserve The Magpies’ Premier League Status.
But these fairytales flicker gently now and have done so ever since Kevin Keegan shook Manchester United to their foundations before losing an epic title race, and the late Sir Jack Walker bought his way to a championship title with the help of a wily Kenny Dalglish at Blackburn.
Football has moved on dramatically since those days with the big four of Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal the settled order of nature.
These four are head and shoulders above the rest with the funds and pulling power to have annexed the upper reaches of the league for some time now.
Their domination has not been an overnight sensation it has been through the fruits of their labour which means the likes of a Newcastle will need to look at a long-term plan.
A one-off upset against the big four is doable but not on a regular basis and Newcastle never looked like toppling Chelsea.
Shearer named an attacking line-up for his managerial bow and such thinking can only be founded on a solid defensive foundation which is not the case at Newcastle.
Shearer is a managerial rookie and this was borne out by the sight of his assistant Iain Dowie, substantially further down this often rocky path, offering words of advice to his boss during the game which put into perspective just how raw Shearer really is.
This is another reason why the expectations surrounding the former Newcastle striker must be tempered by a touch of realism in the North East.