Former Newcastle captain Tony Butterfield says the chances of finding a new Knights owner are dwindling by the week as the first grade continues to fall further into the abyss.

Writing for The Newcastle Herald, Butterfield believes that it will become mission impossible to sell the club if it ends up borrowing more money from the NRL.

“By the time our Knights play their second home game, the season will be nearly two months old (Round six versus Wests Tigers)” Butterfield wrote.

“By that time, there is a chance many casual or potential new Knights fans will have decided on their preferred mode of consumption – watching on TV.

“Comfort, cost and convenience, reinforced by the conditioned experience of the previous couple of months, won’t fill Knights bean-counters with much cheer unless the team can find a rich vein of winning form in a hurry.

“Why? Because the longer they go backwards financially, the more they will need to borrow from the NRL loan account to meet operating expenses. The more they borrow, the greater the quantum of inherited liabilities a reluctant new owner may be forced to assume.”