Plenty of superstitious Chelsea supporters on social media had doubts on their minds about the distant Newcastle United clash thanks to a bombshell news flash.
According to the Times, Newcastle are set to be taken over by Saudi-Arabian owners, putting an end to Mike Ashley’s controversial reign.
With Ashley out of the door, the Times claim Steve Bruce will also follow suit.
Bruce a buried boss
Bruce has very much divided opinion since he took over the Toon army in 2019.
Thirteenth and 12th placed Premier League finishes look pretty respectable on paper, yet it’s the manner in which they were achieved that’s had the Magpie followers squawking in despair.
Newcastle currently languish second from bottom, without a league win this season.
If Bruce is to get the chop, his predecessor will have just under a fortnight to remould the squad before domestic football returns.
Chelsea on the horizon
Permitted a new man comes in, their opening fixtures in the dugout look pretty dangerous.
St James’ Park awaits Tottenham Hotspur first, before an uncomfortable trip to Crystal Palace.
At the end of the month, Chelsea travel up north to potentially face Newcastle’s latest coach in command.
By the time Newcastle’s takeover has gone through and the new owners have had a chance to assess their options in the dug-out, it could well be that clash with Chelsea is their new boss’s first game in charge.
And that is making the standoff one that Blues fans had a bad spooky feeling about.
Not because it’s Halloween the next day, but due to the fear of the ‘fresh manager bounce’.
Here’s how they reacted on Twitter:
Blues do it best
Of course, like the zombies and ghosts running around on the 31st asking ‘Trick or Treat’, the new manager bounce is all make-believe.
There is little evidence to suggest such a phenomenon exists.
And what do the Chelsea faithful really have to worry about?
The Blues have only lost twice to Newcastle since 2015, facing three different coaches in that period.
Ironically, Roman Abramovich’s approach is arguably the perfect ‘new manager bounce’ model.
Out went Frank Lampard, in came Thomas Tuchel.
A few months later, Chelsea were champions of Europe.
So, if anything, the Newcastle enthusiasts should be the ones hoping for a treat rather than a trick.