Is anyone else frustrated, annoyed and drained of all enthusiasm for this new-age Newcastle United in general? A team in which a win feels like it’s happened in spite of the mediocre set-up.
Youth players succeeding in spite of poor coaching and only in place due to the lack of squad depth.
A senior centre-half loaned out to a Champions League club, because of a former manager who misused him.
Out of the cups – they’re not a priority. Not pushing for Europe, as it’s a distraction. Most definitely not winning the league anytime soon.
The style of football lacking in any, well – style. Does ‘drab’ or ‘mundane’ count?
No signings in January, with someone like Sissoko or Cisse likely to go and no replacement brought in.
Winning 6 games on the bounce, followed up by losing 6 on the bounce and generally being so bi-polar.
No direction. No ambition. No spirit. The club a hollow shell of what it used to be.
All the while, one Michael James Wallace Ashley is laughing all the way to the bank. We hear about this £60,000,000 coming in from Sky TV coverage, with no idea where it’s being reinvested – if it is. The sporadic forum meetings with the fans give us no closer idea as to how the club is run. We all know these meetings are involuntary, and in an ideal scenario for them wouldn’t take place.
Last summer, on a spontaneous drive to Scotland due to a family bereavement, my dad and I had potential hours to talk about all sorts, one pressing matter being if we should invest in season tickets at Newcastle United. Driving from Camberley, Surrey up the A1 every fortnight, a 600 mile 10 hour round trip. The conversation lasted barely minutes, when we both reached the same conclusion.
The club’s not going to push to win cups, for Europe or to place overly high in the league. They’ll continue to sell their best players with sub-par replacements – if any. The manager won’t be sacked, regardless of how the poor results become.
So, what’s the point in putting in the time and effort to fork out £500-600 each on season tickets and however much on petrol each week for a club whom themselves have outright said they don’t want nor wish to try?
It’s completely true and soul crushing. I wish I was 23 back in 2001 because I’d never have hesitated at the idea of following Sir Bobby’s Newcastle United. Attacking, enthusiastic, determined, exciting football, played across Europe. Shearer, Bellamy, Robert, Dyer, Speed, Solano, Jenas, Viana, Shola. All such exciting talents, determined to always get forward. I was only 11 or 12 when Alan Shearer found himself twice putting his boyhood club in front at The San Siro. I’d have given up my PS2 to be there that night in a heartbeat.
I’m not saying it would take those sort of standards to persuade me to get a season ticket, far from it. However, I at least expect an owner whom puts in the effort for some format of success on the pitch, a manager that’s tactically aware of his surroundings, regardless of ‘being the king’ and having some god given right to do what he wants.
A team that fights to win every match and play for Newcastle United, not as a pit-stop to move on to the likes of Arsenal, Chelsea or PSG.
A club that does want to win cups when the opportunity has been there as much as it’s ever been, that does want to push for European places, or even win the league. None of these things necessarily have to happen, but I just want the ambition from the board and effort from the players to be there.
To those that still follow the club since the days of Sir Bobby and Keegan, I salute you. Maybe it’s because they know no better and have done so out of habit for 20+ years or so. However, I’ve heard many stories about people walking away from St. James’ Park, vowing not to return until Ashley and co have long gone.
It’s only been 2 weeks and I’m already sick to the back teeth of receiving texts off people saying ‘I told you so’, with Palace’s recent resurgence under Pardew.
Yes, they’re currently in the midst of their honeymoon period, and that’s fine. A new manager comes in and confidence initially improves, it happens all the time. There’s a reason Southampton, West Ham, Charlton and Reading fans haven’t mocked us for wanting Pardew gone, which will become abundantly clear to Palace fans eventually.
Pardew had to go, and thank goodness he has. He was another cog, which condoned the regime of mediocrity, and his departure was long overdue. However, this notion of us fans ‘hounding’ him out is outrageous. Amongst all the protests, Pardew maintained he would not walk away.
What did he do? He walked.
He wasn’t sacked, he wasn’t tied to a horse blind-folded, slapped on the arse and banished from Tyneside, he chose to walk. The owness is all on Pardew.
When a new permanent head coach is appointed, be it Carver, Garde or Ketsbaia, should that manager underachieve as badly or worse than Pardew, the fault won’t lie with the fans. It’ll lie with the owner not bringing in a suitable replacement.
Reach for the stars, lads.
