On an afternoon where relegation became a very close reality, Newcastle were outclassed in every department in a deserved 3-1 defeat to Bournemouth. Boos echoed St James’ Park at the end of the 90 and the fans had every right to vent their disappointment.
In 2016, we’ve played 10, lost 7, won 1 and drawn 2. It’s clear that this kind of form is far short of the requirement in a relegation scrap. This season away from home we’ve scored 6 goals. That’s the lowest tally in all four divisions of English football. During the last calendar year we picked up 7 wins, an unacceptable number for a club that thinks they deserve to be in the top flight. And now, the club is drifting to its most humiliating relegation ever.
But, no one should point the finger at the owner for our struggling form this season. Yes, the way the club is from top to bottom is totally wrong, yes many of Graham Carr’s recent recruits have been hopeless and yes Lee Charnley is not the suitable man to run our club on a day to day basis. But HOW can we be so poor after £82million of investment since Steve McClaren came in?
I’m sorry Steve. You can be excused no more. You said judge me after 10 games. Well, its been 28 games and we’re only getting worse. You’re managing a team that’s going to to be playing Sky Bet Championship football next season unless we see a miraculous upturn in Newcastle’s form.
Since the infamous La Manga trip we’ve not even seen an improvement in our performances. I don’t buy what he had to say in midweek about being sick of the sight of Jack Butland; we tested him once and that was in added time after Perez and Doumbia had been brought on. He set the team up for a 0-0 draw, something which was never going to work with both Mbemba and Coloccini missing. Yes, the players haven’t been good enough but I am completely baffled by McClaren’s team selections. He got it wrong at Stoke on Wednesday night and then went to a new level with the XI against Bournemouth. Yoan Gouffran’s selection was pointless and every single Newcastle fan would know to bring on Ayoze Perez and Seydou Doumbia before Emmanuel Rivière.
Never should Newcastle United fans have the pleasure of seeing Emmanuel Rivière play from the start in a Newcastle United shirt again. Especially when both Mitrovic and Doumbia were both on the bench. One fan even described the Frenchman as looking like a fan who’d won a competition to play in the Bournemouth game. Lastly, does McClaren have an issue with Seydou Doumbia? The man’s a Champions League proven striker, so why did we sign him if he’s never going to be played?
These decisions I outline are all entirely down to Steve McClaren. The man’s out of his depth and he looked like a rabbit caught in the headlights in yesterday’s post match interview. ]
McClaren doesn’t seem to be able to motivate this dressing room even though we are on the verge of relegation. Something must be seriously wrong when the players are coming out with their own statement backing the manager. To me its a false show of loyalty to the public. The senior players are thought to be wondering why a run of form such as this hasn’t put McClaren out of his job. He’s seems to have lost the dressing room and I believe only a fresh face can stop the inevitable from happening.
Lee Charnley wake up and smell the coffee. Sack Steve McClaren.
