McClaren Arrives At Newcastle

Newcastle United have a new manager and his name is Steve McClaren. Yes, the wally with the brolly is now in charge of my team. Happy Days. 

Now is it the inspirational appointment I was hoping for...well no. For me McClaren has plenty to prove and this is without doubt his last chance in the top flight. Does he deserve this chance? I would argue no, but then when we appointed Alan Pardew he had just be sacked by Southampton who were at the time in League One so we have such a precedent of bringing managers in from lower league clubs. Obviously, the powers that be think that McClaren is the man however I know that many fans will be sceptical and will, as I do, see him as a cheap option. Having said that I will give him my full backing to begin with and hope he has learnt from his failed time with England as well as his experiences at Twente, Wolfsburg, Nottingham Forest and Derby County. 

It appears he will be backed in the transfer market however I just hope they sign proven players. Yes, I am delighted that it appears the club is willing to spend £10million + on a player but he has to be the right player and I am certainly sceptical of spending such money on players from the Dutch, Belgian and French league. The problem at Newcastle at the moment is that we do not have time nor the luxury for players to 'settle' or 'find their feet'. We need players who will hit the ground running given the state of the squad. That is why for me Charlie Austin is a must. He fits the bill perfectly for exactly what we are looking for. 

For now though, I will be eagerly watching Newcastle's transfer activity as well as who McClaren brings into his backroom team. Hopefully the combination of the two will inspire positively and bring a feel good factor back to the club. I know it sounds a long shot but one can but hope. 

The start of the season is going to be vital. He needs a good start or he really will find himself in trouble and possibly out of a job by Christmas. The fans will back him and any new players at the start but patience has worn thin given the last few seasons and they will turn very quickly if they do not see the desired effort from the players. 

Hope springs eternal they say, well all I say is that they don't support Newcastle United. 

Newcastle United Face Judgement Day

As I prepare to sit and suffer through Survival Sunday, I am left disconsolate. The demise of Newcastle United over the past 4/5 months has been startling. I feared for them long before now, I citing back in February on twitter I thought they would be lucky to pick up anymore points. 

Now Survival Sunday is here and its brings with it the very real possibility that Newcastle United will be relegated form he Premier League. It is even with a sense of sadness that if they do survive today the fact that I will be celebrating such an achievement goes to show the current state of affairs at the club. 

How Mike Ashley has allowed John Carver to stay in this role for so long and oversee such results I will never know. He never should have been given the job yet alone allowed to stay this long. The fans are castigated by the national press over their treatment of Alan Pardew however upon his departure they wanted a genuine replacement, a new start, not to just have Pardew's backroom staff take over. The club needs to clear out all of the backroom staff and start a fresh in the summer no matter what todays result may be. 

I know the players are poor however there are a couple of very talented players and Carver's inability to motivate or organise them just shows his ineptitude even further. Players inability fans can stomach to an extend but lack of fitness, effort and commitment is unacceptable. As the banner read :

'We don't demand a team that wins, we demand a club that tries'

Nothing could better sums up the overriding feeling of all Newcastle united fans to the club from boardroom to boot-room. 

My hope is that this will happen and Ashley will show some ambition in getting a manager of some pedigree to take the club forward and give him the money to spend on proven players. There is no question the squad is woefully inadequate in many areas and I hope that this is addressed in the summer. Not that I believe that will happen for a second but we can live in hope. 

The following short poem sums up my current feeling towards Newcastle United. Inspired from the proverb - For want of a Nail. There are so many options of how to write this but as of this moment the biggest problem is the management and as such I have dedicated it to that. 

For want of a manager the ambition was lost;

For want of ambition the team was lost;

For want of a team the spirit were lost;

For want of spirit the points were lost;

For want of points, Premier League status is almost lost;

And all for the want of an manager.

Newcastle Sack Hughton

Hughton sacked with Newcastle 11th in the Premier League

Unbelievable. The soap opera that is Newcastle United. As a fan it really does leave you speechless. 

When I was in a lecture and my friends turned and told me the news I was in total shock and anger. Just as they were gaining some stability and the fans were maybe beginning to forget about Mike Ashley and his past decisions he has decided on what appears to be the ludicrous decision to sack manger Chris Hughton (above). The man took over the team when they were in turmoil and many were touting Newcastle to 'do a Leeds' and drop even further down the divisions. He stabilised the club, gained the backing of the players and gained promotion. Ashley can have no complaints. His remit was promotion and he delivered. With a few 'cheap' January additions such as Wayne Routledge, Leon Best and Mike Williamson he won the Championship with 102 points. Also over the summer with no serious money he brought in what he could. It is fair to say not all his signing I agree with and some have not really worked e.g Sol Campbell and James Perch however Check Tiote was a great addition and he was unlucky with Hatem Ben Afta getting injured as he is a quality player. Had he been fit and in the team I am sure they would have more points then they currently do. Newcastle currently sit 11th in the table and are on course for survival. I know this could change and there is a long way to go in the season but I feel this decision is rash.

The job he has done should not be underestimated. This season Newcastle have put in some terrific performances agianst Chelsea, Arsenal and of course the 5-1 beating of Sunderland. The form has dipped recently and the West Brom game was disappointing and was extremely poor. Nevertheless that was a one off very poor performance and even at the end I still had faith in him getting something next week against Liverpool. This man has done wonderfully well with what he has been given. Lets remember this is Newcastle's first season back in the Premier League so the aim is to survive. There was no real investment over the summer so he has players in the squad who really are not Premiership players yet he still gets results. Players such as Guthrie, no manager can turn him into a great player.

I suppose the departure of Colin Calderwood was a clear sign as he was allowed to leave and no replacement was made. Looking back this was the writing was on the wall, the board decision had obviously been made and they were waiting for one poor performance as an excuse to get sack Hughton and West Brom game provided that. 

Hughton deserved a new contract and the chance to keep Newcastle in the top-flight. As for this statement about the need for a more 'experienced manager' what is that about? No one is available and furthermore who would want the job after they see the way the board treats its mangers. Kevin Keegan and Hughton both treated appallingly and deserved much, much more. It is a sad day for the Toon and one I hope does not lead to Newcastle free-falling just as they did before and go back into the Championship. Mike Ashley hold your non-footballing head in shame. Even if Newcastle get someone in and go on to have great success this decision will still be wrong. I know many will say if the new guy comes in and does well all will be forgotten but for me this event will always feel wrong. 

I hope Newcastle can get someone in who will help them to firstly stay up and then continue this plan of the Newcastle board and Chief Scout Graham Carr of finding young talent such as Ben Arfa and Tiote for small fees. Hopefully Newcastle will remain in the Premier League for a very long time and maybe even challenge Europe and return to the great days of Bobby Robson and enter the Champions League. 

O'Neill would be great choice

Names that have been mentioned are that of Alan Shearer however I doubt this will happen. Martin Jol who I hope does not get it as he is not one of my favourite managers to put it politely. Alan Pardew is mentioned and is the bookies favourite however having just been sacked from League 1 Southampton is he the right man? For me I would love to see Martin O'Neill. For me he is a terrific manager and one who could help Newcastle. He is great with getting results with average player and looking at the Newcastle  squad that is what we are dealing with. His job at Villa was magnificent and Newcastle could do with a man like that however would he work for Ashley? He is a top manager who will have success again where ever he ends up. 

I hope the best for Chris Hughton. I am sure that he will be back soon as the job he has done at Newcastle will not go unrecognised. I am sure he will be back in management by the start of next season.