IT wasn't a fog, it was more like a dense black cloud which hovered over the Tyne on Saturday night.
For if crashing to a third straight Premiership defeat wasn't bad enough, then losing star striker Matt Jansen in the process felt like the ultimate kick in the teeth for everyone connected with Blackburn Rovers.
Now Graeme Souness faces the prospect of entering the most hectic fortnight of the season without his star striker.
And, unless he can get a quality replacement in quickly, then all Rovers' previous good work is in grave danger of being undone while Jansen recuperates from his ankle injury.
So if ever there was a time for the real Ciccio Grabbi to stand up then it's now!
When Grabbi winged his way into Ewood in the summer, expectations were understandably high.
Here was a man who had received his football education at Juventus -- one of the top club sides in World football.
And he arrived in England with a proven scoring record, having bagged 20 goals in Serie B last season.
It looked a sound bit of business on Souness's part and the thought of him and Jansen working in tandem together up front was a mouthwatering prospect.
But what promised to be a marriage made in heaven is now threatening to come apart at the seams unless Grabbi can rediscover the necessary desire to make a success of his time in England.
I can see what attracted Souness to him in the first place because in flashes this season he's shown what a good player he can be.
Okay, the goals have hardly been flying in but then bad players don't get those chances in the first place and anyone who has seen Rovers play regularly this season cannot deny the fact Ciccio's certainly had his fair share.
However, English football is not just about talent, it's about hunger, desire and the will to win.
And if Grabbi wants to extend his stay at Ewood then now is the time to prove he has what it takes to repay the faith Souness has shown in him.
Yes, he's had his problems on and off the pitch and moving to a new club in a new country is a traumatic experience -- particularly when that coincides with the arrival of a new baby.
But all that is history now and it's time to forget the fact he has yet to play a full 90 minutes or that he's only scored one Premiership goal.
Of the current options available, Grabbi represents Rovers' best chance of goals over the festive period.
And it needs the fans to put aside their growing frustrations and get behind both Ciccio and the team over the next couple of weeks.
Given the right backing from the terraces, he still has the tools necessary to make a go of it in the English game and it's amazing what a difference a couple of goals would make.
Let's not forget Aston Villa's Juan Pablo Angel encountered similar problems last season and look at him now.
The next three games against Charlton, Sunderland and Derby are all massive six pointers and we need at least two wins to ease the pressure as we prepare to enter the second half of the season.
Rovers have made great strides under Souness over the last 12 months and now everyone -- both players and fans alike -- needs to pull together to ensure that becomes a lasting legacy in the years to come.
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