Newcastle the focus of football media again

This piece in the times today by George Culkin will strike all football supporters contemplating the forthcoming season. Newcastle are a particular focus for football writers because of the outstanding season they had in 2011/12 season where they finished 5th followed by last sessions where they just avoided relegation.

What will the 13/14 season bring. We will soon know.

Newcastle are teetering on a precipice George Caulkin July 18 2013 10:07AM     Here they go again. Here they go; back into Europe, back to prominence, back to a dark past they had just about scraped from the memory and forward into a strange form of limbo. Newcastle United are in Portugal for a week and The Times are there with them (for a bit of it, anyway), attempting to gauge that pre-season no-man’s land where fresh hope wrestles with old cynicism, at a club which defies easy definition.  It is the time of year when supporters veer between excitement and fretting when, for good or ill, the previous season is put to bed and the onset of the next one is peppered with newness. New players, new eras, new beginnings. Except at St James’ Park there has been little in the way of new and much in the way of fretting and, in the case of Joe Kinnear’s appointment as director of football, something familiar and troubling.  This should not be read as an immediate slide into negativity. It can be reported with some certainty – more of that to come – that Alan Pardew has returned to Tyneside in bullish form, having ridden out the maelstrom which came to a head at the end of a challenging campaign which tested him, his squad and the patience of many. Buffeted, perhaps, by Kinnear’s arrival, the manager remains determined to manage his way.  He has a good squad, does Pardew. Or, rather, he has some fine players. If the true worth of his resources lies somewhere between what happened last season and their previous, excellent, fifth-place finish, the top-10 of the Barclays Premier League is a realistic goal, but Pardew needs help and Newcastle require strikers. Two of them, certainly, and another, surely, if Papiss Demba Cisse’s relationship with the club disintegrates further.  Here, of course, is the heart of matters. Unlike every other club in the division, Newcastle have not signed a senior player. As good people on Gallowgate (and there are loads of them), struggle to make sense of the altered reality and perplexing hierarchy Mike Ashley has thrown at them, with Kinnear joining and then sharpish leaving on holiday, decisions have not been taken and buttons are unpressed.  Pardew (who is 52 today) recognises his own scope for improvement. His employers failed him a year ago when they pulled away from too many transfers, leading to a skinny squad and a scramble in January, and there were moments when some senior players shirked responsibility, but he knows he can do better, too. In a different way, he also knows that he must.  Because of the Europa League, the demand of Thursday, Sunday, Thursday matches, Pardew may have over-complicated things last year, thinking in terms of equations and preparation when he might have let the football breathe. He has studied other sports, consulted Faye Downey, the strength and conditioning coach, and revamped set-pieces, but his message will be a simpler one. He promises this summer will be Newcastle’s toughest ever.  This eagerness, this approach, this desire to rebuild things with fans, this willingness to let the Kinnear situation play out, the similar enthusiasm he sees in his players, is encouraging and it will be interesting to have a little insight into that in Braga. When the sun shines and ball thuds on boot you remember that there is nothing quite like football. Back so soon? What took you so long?  Yet there are concerns, too (and they run deep). Cisse’s reluctance to wear Newcastle’s Wonga-branded strip is a matter which should have been concluded much earlier than this. It takes us into an area of difficulty, an area of religious and ethical delicacy which is not easy to blag through (blagging is the founding principle of my career), but in basic sporting terms it leaves Pardew with a significant hole in his side.  Cisse’s absence from Portugal ensures another week will go by without him or any other out-and-out, experienced, frontline striker – ignoring Shola Ameobi, who is present but being pursued by Middlesbrough – participating in first-team training. Nor will he play in friendly matches against Rio Ave and Pacos de Ferreira and with the start of the season now a month away, this can hardly be described as ideal preparation.  Meanwhile, Darren Bent is sweating and waiting on his own at Aston Villa, a club who have exhibited their own peculiarities. Villa want some value for a player they have treated as anything but an asset, who returned to pre-season to find his dressing-room locker locked and who is now training with youth players and a few other exiles. He is Pardew’s choice (they worked together at Charlton Athletic) and has been for some time.  This is a personal observation, but Newcastle have one significant advantage in one particular battle. Rivals for Bent’s signature include Fulham, West Bromwich Albion and Crystal Palace and if the competition is one which features attendances, passion and potential then, all other things being more or less equal, the England international, once of Sunderland, would return to the North East.  Bent is keen to talk to Newcastle, Pardew has spoken publicly about his wish to sign him and Villa want rid. There has been optimism in recent days because the will is there – completion by next week has been mooted – but, at some point soon, something has to happen and, presumably, Kinnear is the man who must make it or derail it. They have another, French target (they have been linked with him before), but need to move.  Kinnear changes things; there are fears and theories, but we just do not yet know how. So while Newcastle are in Portugal, a country Pardew knows well and has always admired, his players perspiring and plotting, building up muscles which previously proved too susceptible, honing tactics and formations, they simultaneously teeter on a precipice. Let us be honest, they have been here before.

Tyne & Wear Derby 14th April 2013

In a previous post (http://wp.me/p26N3N-2n) at a time before Di Canio had been appointed, a fan poll suggested a near 40% of SAFC supporters were ambivalent about his appointment. This was clearly well before yesterdays game where, if the poll was re run, a significantly different perspective would be obvious. Such is the fickle nature of success starved supporters.Reading todays press and fans response on Twitter, it appears the Newcastle supporters are devastated about the loss. Why is this?, well, it’s partly because it was ‘the Derby’ and on that day nothing else matters but the frustration is also because Newcastle are not the  team  they were last year.

Until yesterdays match they were 17 points worse of than the same point in the season last year. The European campaign will have had a big affect on the performances this season but it was a distraction. Premier League success is the yardstick that most supporters want to see. It guarantees significant TV rights which is the vehicle for paying  high wages  for    players which in turn guarantees better players and hopefully consistent success. Consistency isn’t something Newcastle have had this season as against last years campaign. The 17 point difference is immense and will be worrying for many Geordie fans – has it been the Euro journey or was it simply that last year was one of these freak seasons like Ipswich had recently where they punched above their weight but were not able to sustain the level of football.

The derby yesterday was more than two North East rivals slugging it out. It was a survival battle for Sunderland and for Newcastle, it was another frustrating loss which would have been unthinkable last season. Now the Geordie faithful are looking over their shoulders at the bottom of the table. Although they are two points ahead of their rivals, Newcastle’s run in to the end of the season looks pretty tough with two tricky and away games they have a really tough game on their visit to West Brom who have had a great season. If they lose on Saturday, with a significantly inferior goal difference to their local neighbours, it will be another worrying issue for the Geordie faithful. If yesterdays disturbances in Newcastle were due to local fan frustration, its unthinkable what the fans will do to their town if they slump to a relegation spot.

New vacancy at SAFC

An ex Sunderland player thinks Ellis Short was wrong to sack Martin O’Neill at a critical point in the season. Thousands of fans now begin the speculation game as to who will get the Black Cats get out of the hole they have dug for themselves.

How different the picture looks now when compared to O’Neill’s arrival when he inspired the team to a great return from his first 10 games. What he and the fans would have given for the team to have that same points haul after the last 10.

One of the names touted for the role has already ruled himself out. Steve McClaren’s agent  is quoted as saying, “It’s obviously a nice position for Steve, but as I understand Sunderland have already got somebody in place,” Colin Gordon told BBC Sport. This suggests the post is already filled only hours after O’Neill’s departure. One fan’s forum seems to be suggesting a strong majority of fans favoring Paulo Di Canio to take up the helm. If this is to be the next appointment for Sunderland, it will be a controversial one as is the way with Di Canio.

At the time of writing, a small poll suggests a majority in favour but there is an undercurrent of discomfort suggested by the near 40% that would not be happy with the appointment http://www.rokerreport.com/2013/3/31/4167396/poll-would-you-be-happy-if-we-appointed-paolo-di-canio/in/3930833

Di Canio is a formidable character and nothing appears smooth running with him. He was a fiery player and he appears to have lost none of that self belief and drive, judging by his most recent dabble with management at Swindon. He is known as a difficult guy to get along with, with questionable ‘man management’ skills. With Di Canio it’s definitely ‘my way or the highway’ so he won’t suffer fools gladly. If Ellis Short feels shock tactics are what’s required, he’s will have the right guy in Paulo.

How ironic would it be if Sunderland go down as their former manager and the principle architect of the current Sunderland team, passes them on the way up to the Premier League by being promoted with Hull City!

If Sunderland pull of Premiership survival then Short’s intervention will be seen as a master stroke. If however, relegation results, then there will be no rejoicing from the Sunderland faithful. One imagines that wherever Martin O’Neill is watching the final game of the season, he won’t be rejoicing in Sunderland’s demise. The only rejoicing will be a few miles up the coast where the Geordie’s will no doubt be in raptures.

That’s assuming they don’t suffer the same fate!

What a strange game football is!

The North East’s football teams are suffering mixed fortunes at this point in the season when comparing this season with last season. Who would have predicted that in terms of current form, that Middlesbrough are arguably in the best shape! Based on last season’s performances it was always going to be a tough ask for Sunderland to get a good start given they couldn’t and still cant score enough goals. The acquisitions of Stephen Fletcher and Louis Saha provided some hope that this season would be more positive. Apart from the result at Fulham which was largely helped by a sending off for the home team, Sunderland still do not score enough goals. Its hard to see how another relegation dogfight can be avoided. 

If the fans at the Stadium of light started the season with some trepidation, imagine how the Newcastle fans must have been feeling about the new campaign. By anybody’s assessment, NUFC had  an outstanding season last year, culminating in a lofty league position with the reward of European football this year too. Many Geordie fans expressed the view that this was a ‘poison chalice’ as it would risk the team losing Premier League focus. Additionally, could it be that Newcastle could have another season like the last? The God of ‘footballing injuries’ smiled kindly on them last season. Newcastle didn’t pay the price of a spate of injuries to key players, as a result they were able to put out a consistent team with players who were in form and kept their form right through the season. However, this season is different with an injury list extending to 11 senior players is causing a problem for last seasons North East top dogs. Todays loss to a Southampton team who are lacking on confidence and form, will be worrying for all Geordie fans. This is not what they are used to and will come as a shock to many fans. Last seasons campaign seems a long time ago now. It will be key to get senior players back in the team and back  in form or else the magic that was last season will vanish into a very ordinary season.

Was last season a fluke? Time will tell!

The Terry and Cole saga – ‘improbable, implausible and contrived’

When asked, at a Chelsea F.C. press conference yesterday, if Chelsea had effectively lost the plot, De Matteo gave an honest answer but it was lame! He suggested that this was an isolated incident and had been dealt with. The Chelsea press officer had been asked just beforehand, if it was appropriate that Ashley Cole was Tweeting from the training ground derogatory remarks about the FA’s judgement on John Terry and of course, himself. At least the Press officer was able to muster a response which was honest in that he thought the Cole intervention was inappropriate. When will Terry and Cole learn that they are products of the rich spoilt prima donors club called Premier League football and should act like ambassadors? Most players in the PL do not act like Terry and Cole but  the high profile nature of their team means they are seen as ‘role models’ whether they like it or not. I wonder if they would teach this type of behavior to their own children. If their kids uttered the words ‘fucking black cunt’ to their class mates would these two think this was acceptable?  If you read the full text of the Regulatory Commission it is plain to see that the Commission were not convinced by the flimsy defense of Terry and the ‘supporting’ evidence from Cole. Cole has made himself look like a sycophantic mug who was ‘looking after’ his team mate and buddy offering pathetic comments like, ‘you can’t talk to JT like that’ like JT was the Pope or a Head of State visiting the Country.

Neither of these guys have great reputations within football but their latest escapade will ‘nail them’ in most impartial observers eyes. The Chelsea faithful will embrace them as if they had been members of the conquering Ryder Cup team returning from Chicago. However, the rest us will view this as another example of the egotistic hedonism which is the worst aspect of the amount of money these guys earn.

The BBC Reporter Dan Roan today summed up the case like this. “Terry can insist he’s innocent, he can appeal, he can play on, he can refer to his court acquittal, but, for many, this written judgement ensures his reputation will always be stained beyond repair.”

It can only be imagined, as a result of this fiasco, how many people will be describing Terry and Cole in a similar fashion to that which he subjected Ferdinand to?

John Terry and the FA’s case

John Terry has been charged by the FA using the same charge levelled against Luis Suárez after his confrontation with Patrice Evra. Terry has already stated in the media that he feels he has already been cleared of the charge in a Court of Law so why should he face another judgement by the FA rule-makers? Terry is clearly offended by the fact he must answer once again to the charge as demonstrated by his comments made after he announced his resignation as the England captain. Terry was cleared of a racially aggravated public order offence. JT admitted to using words “fucking black cunt” to Ferdinand but weakly suggested he was repeating words that Ferdinand had himself used.

Given that the FA require a lower burden of proof than did Westminster magistrates court, it is highly likely that John Terry will face a heavy sanction. In 2011 there were 473 FA disciplinary cases with a conviction rate of 99.5%. In the Suárez-Evra case, Suárez was found guilty on the “balance of probability”, a lower standard than the criminal standard of “beyond all reasonable doubt”

It would seem that JT ‘walked before he was pushed’ in announcing his resignation form the England Captaincy. This should not come as any surprise to supporters out side of the ‘Chelsea village’ as he has behaved in questionable ways on other occasions.

Past Controversies

In September 2001, Terry and three teammates were fined two weeks’ wages by Chelsea for an incident involving players and American tourists at a Heathrow airport bar in the immediate aftermath of the 11 September attacks.In January 2002 Terry, Chelsea team mate Jody Morris and Des Byrne of Wimbledon were charged with assault and affray after a confrontation with a nightclub bouncer. Terry was banned from selection for the England team for the duration of the case, though he was ultimately cleared of all charges. In the same month, Terry was fined £60 for parking his Bentley in a disabled bay. In 2009, Terry was investigated by Chelsea and the FA for allegedly taking money from an undercover reporter for a private tour of Chelsea’s training ground. The club responded that it was “confident that at no time did Terry ask for or accept money in relation to visits to the training ground.”  In January 2010, a super-injunction was imposed by a High Court judge preventing the media from reporting allegations that Terry had had a four-month affair in late 2009 with Vanessa Perroncel, the former girlfriend of Wayne Bridge, his former Chelsea and England teammate. The injunction was lifted a week later,and the British media – especially the tabloid press – covered the rumours in great detail in the days following. The News of the World and the Mail on Sunday subsequently printed apologies to Perroncel for breaching her privacy and stated that the story was “untrue in any case”.^[86] Perroncel maintains that the alleged affair never took place. The allegations led to then-England manager Fabio Capello removing Terry from the captaincy on 5 February 2010, replacing him with Rio Ferdinand. Terry was reinstated as captain the following year. 

It seems that controversy follows John Terry around which, some might say, goes with the territory given his high-profile occupation. However his expensive Lawyers ‘spin’ the FA case against him, it seems he will take a big ‘professional hit’ out of his Anton Ferdinand comments. This is the likely reason he walked away from his England responsibility as he would most likely have had it taken from him once again with no prospect t of another Lazarus like third coming.

Shearer to re enter premier league management?

Writing in the Times today, Gary Jacobs identifies Blackburn Rivers have designs on making Alan Shearer their new manager if Steve Kean is sacked. ‘If Steve Kean is sacked’! Surely its only as matter of time before this becomes a reality.

It seems that every Blackburn Rovers fans who cares to make a comment, comes out with the same line, he must go. To a neutral on this matter like me, this seems odd. Steve Kean may not be the most charismatic of managers but he seems to have done a decent job. Who else did Blackburn think they could get? The ‘minor league’ of Premier League management stock in the form of the likes of, Steve Bruce, Mick McCarthy and Owen Coyle may be possibilities but none of these have really done anything remarkable so far.

Kean’s fate is expected to be decided as early as tomorrow after talks with the club owners, despite the club being second in the npower Championship after seven games.

Shearer was part of the Blackburn side that won the Premier League title in 1995, scoring a record 34 goals, and he turned down a previous approach to return to his former club when Sam Allardyce was dismissed as manager in 2010.

Shearer was in charge of Newcastle United for eight games, picking up five points and failing to save them from relegation, in his only previous experience as a manager of a club in 2009. He left Newcastle at the end of that season and held what he described as “unsuccessful” talks about becoming Cardiff City manager last year.

The BBC pundit has previously blamed the Blackburn owners, the Venky’s, for the club’s malaise and has expressed sympathy for Kean in the summer. “There is only the owners you can blame really – they are the only guys you can look at and what disappoints me is that nobody really hears from them,” he said.

Kean, 44, has been under pressure from large sections of fans calling for his dismissal throughout his tenure since he replaced Allardyce. Blackburn were relegated from the Premier League last season and the fans continued their abuse of the Scot after the 2-1 home defeat by Middlesbrough on Friday.

Blackburn are also considering Tim Sherwood, the Tottenham technical co-ordinater, who looks after the development side at the club.

Will this move make Blackburn Rovers a force once again? Share your view.

Opening weekend of 2012/12 season

The opening day of the new season was anything but mundane. With Liverpool getting humped by West Brom and Swansea knocking five in against Mark Hughe’s QPR – this was as big a surprise as Joey Barton thinking he could get around his ban for last seasons idiotic sending off by serving his sentence in a non league club. Newcastle got a great win at home and no doubt will reignite the belief, amongst the geordie faithful, that last season was no fluke. A lot of people will be watching the ‘toon’ to see if they can repeat their 2011/12 achievement.

Sunderland v Arsenal FA Cup 18th February 2012

The ITV commentator, Peter Dury told me after the match that this game ‘was all about Arsenal’. He was apologetic about the comment but as a journalist he was expressing what he thought was a bigger story, i.e. the demise of Arsenal. This may be true but it undervalues what was for Sunderland, a very good performance. Martin O’Neil quite fairly pointed out that Sunderland had the benefit of no mid- week game unlike Arsenal. However, to dwell on this point would be a travesty because Sunderland were very good value for their win. Martin O’Neil continues his transformation of the legacy left behind by Steve Bruce. It’s interesting to notes that the recent improvement of Sunderland’s fortunes are all with the players brought in by Bruce. Reading a few Arsenal blogs this morning the true fans view of the nights events are contested by many others there at the game. The predominant view is that Arsenal were unlucky. Unlucky because they had ‘clear’ penalty decision’s go against them (Arsene  Wenger post match) . Here we assume it’s the Van Persie incident he means. Van Persie himself didn’t raise an eyebrow at the decision because he knew the defender got the ball. Van Persie himself is not normally known to be a ‘shrinking violet’ when it comes to complaining to referees.

The game itself was played out in front of a lowly 26,042. The Arsenal contingent probably made up 3,000 or so. It seems Wearside can’t get its fans out on a cold February night despite the revival prompted by O’Neil.  The consolation for Sunderland’s biggest rivals across the Tyne was that the stadium was ‘empty’ demonstrating the fickleness of the Sunderland fan base (as they see it) Whatever the reasons for the turnout, those missing dipped out on a great atmosphere and a valuable win for the home team.  The marauding Sessegnon was always a problem for the away defence and it seemed only a matter of time before the pressure paid off. It was Richardson who broke the deadlock in the first half with a McLean inspired own goal from Alex Oxlade Chamberlain I the second and it was game over. The delight of the Sunderland supporters was evident with the hope of a decent home tie in the draw that takes place today. They will be hoping their ex Manager, Peter Reid will conjure up a decent tie for them. What of Arsenal and the increasingly pressurised Wenger? Wenger was the now typical picture of frustration with arms raised in a holy gesture every two minutes and his berating of the fourth official. How the they must ‘love’ going to Arsenal where they know they will need ear defenders for 90 minutes to protect them self from Wenger. Arsenal supporters might have expected a big performance from their team after the mid-week capitulation in Milan. Some of the travelling faithful at the Stadium of Light would have travelled to Milan and seen a weak performance, hoping for amends last night. Sadly for them, this was not be. Too many of their ‘big players’ were too happy spraying ‘safe’ balls just inside the opposition’s half with no real result. Arteta in particular was guilty of this with the Arsenal supporters wondering when his quality would show. Arsenal were limp whilst the resurgent Sunderland were right up for this match. The result was fair on the night as Sunderland’s revival continues. Back to Peter Dury’s post match comment about the game being ‘all about Arsenal’. I am sure the 20,000 fans that did turn out at the Stadium of Light would like to disagree. For them it was definitely all about Sunderland and Martin O’Neil.

Newcastle keep rolling on 5th February V Aston Villa

Newcastle played a great game in overcoming Aston Villa today at St James Park. The win moves them into 5th place in the Premier League. What price would the bookies have given for this to be the case in February? Most pundits (and a lot of fans outside of Newcastle) wouldn’t have believed that Alan Pardew would have created a team that has withstood most challenges that have been thrown at them. The loss of  Ba and  Tiote was thought by many to be the real test of Newcastle’s resolve. The team coped admirably without two key players and added to their squad with Cisse and what a purchase this was from Pardew. The largest transfer fee in the January window appears to have been an inspired piece of  transfer activity in the window.

The game today was marred by what looks like a serious injury to the popular Ryan Taylor. No news has emerged as yet as to his injury but lets hope it looked worse than it actually was. So the Toon bandwagon rolls on to who knows where. You can see some fans dreaming of Europe. Can their season continue at the level that they are playing to at the moment?