Well, they say it's the hope that kills you.
On Monday, the very worst was confirmed with the news that Rafa Benitez won't continue as Newcastle manager beyond his contract expiry at the end of the month.
The last few weeks have been a rollercoaster of emotions with the simultaneous will-they-won't-they sagas of both Benitez and Newcastle and Newcastle and Sheikh Khaled taking a multitude of twists and turns.
With Rafa officially out of the picture now and the takeover beginning to look like just another mirage in the desert, things are Sunderland Til I Die-bleak again at St James' Park.