NEWCASTLE Jets fans have seen enough crises over the years to have a fair idea what one looks like.
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And the vultures circling their club in recent days would appear a telltale sign.
First came the news that Brisbane Roar are trying to sign would-be hip-hop singer Joey Champness, despite the fact he has two seasons left on his contract with Newcastle.
Then came the remarkable revelation that Jets coach Carl Robinson, not even a dozen games into what was supposed to be a three-and-a-half-year deal, has been negotiating with Western Sydney Wanderers about jumping ship, along with assistant coach Kenny Miller.
Exactly why Robinson is considering bailing out is unclear, because the former Welsh international midfielder has not responded to interview requests.
But it would seem fair to assume that, since joining the Jets in February, Robinson has conducted due dilgence on both the club and the A-League in general and formed the opinion that the grass might be greener elsewhere.
The Wanderers have spent three seasons as play-off spectators, but along with Sydney FC, Melbourne Victory and Melbourne City, they remain one of the competition's genuine heavyweights.
With a new state-of-the-art training complex, strong fan base and long-term financial security, they are surely an attractive proposition for any A-League coach.
The Jets, in contrast, face a seemingly endless challenge to remain viable and compete against rivals with far more lavish budgets.
The big question is how much longer they can continue to do so.
Newcastle's owner, Chinese businessman Martin Lee, has been trying to offload the club for more than 12 months now and a number of parties have expressed interest, only to kick the tyres and move on.
Maybe a suitable replacement will emerge, Lee will recoup some of the estimated $15 million he has pumped into the Jets in the past four years, and we'll all live happily ever after.
Or maybe this whole business is starting to head the same way as the tenures of Con Constantine and Nathan Tinkler, which ended in tears, and insolvency.
It would be nice, given the uncertainty, for Football Federation Australia to provide some clarity or reassurance for long-suffering Jets supporters.
Perhaps a simple statement along the lines of: "The Newcastle Jets are a foundation A-League club, a key marketplace, and there is no reason to doubt their future in the competition."
Instead, when the Newcastle Herald contacted FFA on Wednesday, little more than a "no comment" was forthcoming.
The Novocastrian faithful can only hope that no news from head office is good news.
Nonetheless, it's hard not to reach the conclusion that Robinson has spent enough time sniffing the breeze to decide other options were worth exploring.
If, as expected, he exercises a get-out clause in his contract to join the Wanderers, the Jets will be back in a familiar position - searching for a new coach to oversee a rebuilding operation.
The team Robinson had assembled, who delivered seven wins and three draws from his 11 games at the helm, are rapidly diminishing. Dimi Petratos, Abdiel Arroyo, Wes Hoolahan, Matt Millar and James Donachie are plying their trade overseas, while Joe Ledley (and the aforementioned Champness) appear unlikely to return.
Whether all of this amounts to a full-blown crisis - or just an untimely setback - should be apparent sooner rather than later.
