IF you spend long enough as a journalist, you tend to form certain suspicions when people won't provide a straight answer to a straight question.
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And after a conference call last Thursday with Football Australia's powers-that-be, this columnist was left with the distinct impression that for all the positive spin, there was very little in the way of substance that might provide reassurance for Newcastle Jets fans.
My Newcastle Herald colleague James Gardiner and I were able to address three questions to FA chief executive James Johnson and Paul Lederer, the Western Sydney Wanderers owner who is also the new head of Australian Professional Leagues, the collective body formed by the clubs to run the A-League.
Our questions were specific. The answers were vague.
Gardiner asked how a proposed financial "safety net" to support the Jets for an interim period between owners would work.
He also inquired as to whether there was any chance that the club's Chinese owner, Martin Lee, would have his franchise licence rescinded, given that he has not spent "one penny" on his A-League team in the past 12 months, according to Newcastle CEO Lawrie McKinna.
Johnson replied that any suggestion the Jets might be in danger of folding "doesn't sit well" with FA.
"They're an important market, an important club," he said.
"It's a historical club for the Australian game, and I can say from Football Australia's point of view ... the APL is not going to let them down, and neither are we. We're going to work together with the APL to ensure that we find a way in which Newcastle Jets not only survive, but thrive."
Lederer, a multi-millionaire entrepreneur, then chipped in with his two cents' worth.
"Newcastle is a very important area," he said. "Very, very sports-minded, very parochial. It's been a great area for us [the A-League], and APL will definitely not let it go.
"It just can't happen. Cannot happen. In one shape or another, Newcastle will have a team hopefully forever."
Then it was this columnist's turn in the hot seat, and I asked Johnson whether FA were well advanced in negotiations with a potential buyer, or buyers, to replace Lee, or whether they were still searching for interested parties.
"I'm not going to go into the details, because it's a confidential commercial negotiation," Johnson replied.
"But what I can say is there have been ongoing negotiations, between several negotiations.
"It's been an ongoing priority for Football Australia ... we are quite a way down the path in finding an ownership model that will allow the Newcastle Jets to continue this year.
"There is no risk at all, that I see, with Newcastle Jets not being in the league. I'm very confident that we'll find a solution with APL along these lines."
And with that, I was "muted", and the next journalist stepped up to the plate.
When I sat down soon afterwards to transcribe the recording, it confirmed what I suspected.
Despite their optimism and platitudes, neither Johnson nor Lederer offered any tangible details.
To be fair to them, the video hook-up was arranged to announce the so-called "unbundling" of the A-League and the code's new governance structure.
Johnson and Lederer could perhaps argue that it was neither the time nor the place to be discussing Newcastle's predicament.
But the thing is that FA have had ample opportunity to answer our questions, yet it would appear the Jets have more chance of signing Lionel Messi than the Herald has of speaking to head office.
Both Gardiner and myself have requested in recent weeks to interview Johnson by phone.
On each occasion, FA have replied (politely and respectfully) with an emailed statement.
Unfortunately, the emails, like Thursday's video conference, don't really answer the questions we have been asking.
And without wanting to stand accused of jumping to conclusions, here's my theory, based on more years as a newspaper reporter than I care to remember.
I reckon the reason FA have been unable to provide little more than patronising, generic statements is because that's the best they can come up with.
If there was actually a genuine candidate to buy the Jets, why wouldn't they confirm that, without revealing names?
And as for the so-called financial "safety net", by which Newcastle would apparently be relying on handouts from other clubs struggling to break even, I've read fairytales that would appear more plausible.
If all the clubs are now united as a collective, it hasn't stopped Lederer's Wanderers from signing coaches Carl Robinson and Kenny Miller, striker Bernie Ibini and goalkeeper Noah James (on loan) - all of whom were under contract to Newcastle for this season.
"I just ask that you be patient," Johnson told Gardiner.
From my experience, people are more likely to remain patient if they are kept well informed and believe a situation is under control.
Anyone who accepts that is the case with the Jets has more faith than me.
In stark contrast to running a professional football franchise, talk is cheap.
