BIZARRE as it may sound, can Donald Trump be the unlikely source of salvation for the Newcastle Jets?
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The outrageous United States president is perhaps unfamiliar with the Jets, Newcastle or the A-League, although presumably he is aware of the existence of Australia, given that he hosted Prime Minister Scott Morrison at a White House dinner last year.
But one of Trump's most controversial policies has unwittingly and indirectly affected this city's long-suffering soccer franchise.
Trump's trade war with China was perhaps of no great interest to Newcastle's round-ball aficionados until it was reported, almost 18 months ago, that it had impacted on Jets owner Martin Lee.
Lee, of course, is a Chinese businessman, and the share price of his Ledman Group empire tumbled by more than 50 per cent after Trump imposed a 25 per cent US tariff on Chinese consumer products.
In the space of five months, Lee's personal fortune had apparently been halved. Suddenly running a professional soccer team in Australia had become an expensive hobby.
At the time, Lee had owned the Jets for two seasons and pumped close to $10 million into the club, including a $5 million acquisition fee.
Speculation surfaced that he was eager to sell the Jets, or alternatively form a joint venture with other investors, but instead he has continued to fund the operation, apparently on a reduced budget.
It's hard to be critical of Lee, who has spent an estimated $15 million during the four seasons he has owned the Jets.
But what has become increasingly obvious is that the club will struggle to match the capital-city teams until it is competing on a comparatively level playing field, financially.
This season the Jets are in danger of collecting their second wooden spoon of Lee's tenure. They could also finish last in the W-League, which would make for an embarrassing quinella.
Average home-crowd attendances this season (8287) are at their lowest point in 10 years, and Newcastle are the only team in the A-League without a major sponsor's logo on their home kit.
Yet in Lee's second season, when the team featured quality attacking players such as Andrew Nabbout, Roy O'Donovan, Ronny Vargas and Riley McGree, the Jets hosted a grand final and were unlucky to be beaten 1-0 by Melbourne Victory after an infamous video-referee howler.
In the process, crowds as big as 18,156, 19,131 and a record 29,410 flocked to McDonald Jones Stadium.
The obvious conclusion is that when the Jets are winning games, fans clamber to board the bandwagon.
When they are languishing at the wrong end of the points table, there will be plenty of seats at the stadium without bums attached.
Lee is presumably hoping that a change of coaches can transform the team's fortunes, after the recent decision to sack Ernie Merrick.
But if he is unwilling, or unable, to invest in bolstering his squad, the new coach will still have the odds stacked against him from the outset.
It was instructive that the man who is considered Newcastle's preferred candidate, former Welsh international midfielder and Vancouver Whitecaps manager Carl Robinson, flew out last week to conduct due diligence on the club.
My understanding is that many of the applicants were happy to accept the position, sight unseen, no questions asked. They just wanted a job.
Robinson, alternatively, assessed the facilities and the team in action.
No doubt he made inquiries about the club's financial constraints. It would be a big decision for him to come out and relocate his young family from Canada.
Some people might not be willing to take such a risk if there was any concern about a club's bank balance.
The next coach appointed will be the fifth since Lee took charge. Who would want to take on such a hazardous role unless assurances were given that the roster will be reinforced?
All of which brings us back to President Trump, who earlier this month signed the first phase of a new trade agreement with China.
"This is the biggest deal anybody has ever seen," he declared at the time.
Some tariffs will apparently remain in place, at least until a second phase of the deal is signed. Other tariffs have been scrapped or halved.
How this relates to Lee's business, I honestly can't say. But Jets fans can only hope it helps ease any fiscal pressure he may have been feeling.
Lee has already spent a fortune on the Jets, as Con Constantine and Nathan Tinkler did before him. Since the A-League's inception, the Jets have been a bottomless money pit.
The Wests Group, however, have shown since taking over the Knights that it is possible to run a profitable football franchise in Newcastle.
For the Jets to do likewise, they'll need to be consistently successful. One good season in a decade is nowhere near enough.
In football, like most things in life, you get what you pay for. If Donald Trump can help Martin Lee pay a little bit more, Jets fans will no doubt be much obliged.