A poisoned chalice?

[Scottish Mag 3]

Every time the vacancy at Newcastle United has been discussed the words 'poisoned chalice' are mentioned. Well, you can forget that.

 

Managing the Magpies was a privilege for me and it should be for any manager who is given the chance to take charge of a football club where the password is passion.

 

I have been lucky enough to work in two of football's greatest hotbeds — Liverpool and Glasgow — where football is almost a religion, but both are divided cities: Liverpool or Everton; Rangers or Celtic. In Newcastle there is just one side.

 

In a way it is like a throwback to years ago. Even in the close season, they drive around in their black and white strip and nearly everywhere you go the debate is about football.

 

In most other big cities, there are now other distractions and the game is not all-consuming like it was years ago. On Tyneside football is still king.

 

The attendances are unbelievable and the yearning for success is endless. There can be nobody in the city who doubts the affiliation of the supporters to the club. It is a total identity. They love one of their own as their allegiance to Kevin Keegan and Sir Bobby Robson showed, but I didn't have difficulty relating to what they wanted. The Geordies will take to anybody who can bring them success, but first you have to decide what constitutes success.

 

Keegan didn't win anything, but he was rightly deemed a success because the team were close to relegation from the second flight and he masterminded promotion. And, at one stage, he took them to a 12-point lead in the Premier League.

 

There is an intense expectation and, if you look at Newcastle's points total since the Premier League started, they are fifth only to the 'Big Four'. When we talk about success, are we quantifying it only by the number of trophies on the sideboard? Over the last 10 years they have been in two FA Cup finals and in the Champions League. I took them to Wembley and into Europe. When we beat Barcelona at St James' Park in 1997, with Faustino Asprilla scoring a hat- trick, the atmosphere was electric; it was an unbelievable night.

 

The man who can win them a trophy is going to be lauded to the skies and it doesn't matter whether he is a Geordie or a Cockney, or what type of football he plays.

 

I don't know whether the fans are more demanding than they are at Anfield or Celtic Park, but there seem to be a number of other things within Newcastle

 

United that the manager has to handle.

 

There are distractions — a lot of stuff that comes out at St James' Park that isn't in the public domain at other clubs. They should conduct much more of their business in-house.

 

The trouble seems to come when the fear factor makes its way into the dressing room. It's a chicken and egg situation: are the supporters going to inspire the team or do the team have to inspire the fans? This is certainly a time when they have to get behind the players and push them forward.

 

The next couple of games are tricky. They are away to Manchester United tomorrow and then they should win their FA Cup replay against Stoke. But after that they come up against Barclays Premier League leaders Arsenal. One door opens and another one slams in their face.

 

When I left St James' Park in 1998 — I took over from Keegan in January 1997 — I said the job offered a fantastic opportunity. Since then a few managers have come and gone. It is a smashing place to live, Newcastle folk are great people to be around and the club's facilities are second to none.

 

I am not sure Sam Allardyce's demise was purely about results; they have 26 points and are 11th in the league, which is not embarrassing. The new people came in after Sam had been appointed and perhaps they wanted their own man to buy players in the transfer window. I just hope the next manager is given time because there clearly needs to be an overhaul.

 

Sam has said he had no regrets going there and neither did I. The only regret I had was that it came to an end.

[Craig 6302]

Good article and I think he's spot on with the chicken and egg theory. The players need the fans to inspire them just as much as the fans need the players to inspire them.

 

Interesting note about the stuff coming out of SJP that isn't in the public domain at other clubs. Along the same sort of lines that we were shouting about for years about Fred blabbing to the media far too much. And that's coming from an ex-manager!

 

Considering the way he was fucked over in the end, he's not bitter at all and you have to respect him for that.

[Dr Kenneth Noisewater 0]

Where is that from? Much more eloquent than his usual grunts to the media.

[RlCO 0]

Good article and I think he's spot on with the chicken and egg theory. The players need the fans to inspire them just as much as the fans need the players to inspire them.

 

Interesting note about the stuff coming out of SJP that isn't in the public domain at other clubs. Along the same sort of lines that we were shouting about for years about Fred blabbing to the media far too much. And that's coming from an ex-manager!

 

Considering the way he was fucked over in the end, he's not bitter at all and you have to respect him for that.

 

I think he means players, agents and staff just as much as Fat Fred, going what I've heard from past players etc.

[Tom 13845]

Deffo helped by a press agent in writing that like...

[LeazesMag 0]

Excellent article, and epitomises how far forward the club has came, and how attractive a job it is to people inside the game.

 

And make no mistake about it, despite what some people say, the professionals know that this is one of the real top jobs, with huge rewards for success.

 

I know that Dalglish fucked up Keegans team, through trying to change too much too soon, but of all our ex managers that succeeded Keegan apart from Bobby Robson, he's the one I look at and think " I wonder if he should have had longer"

[JawD 31]

Excellent article, and epitomises how far forward the club has came, and how attractive a job it is to people inside the game.

 

And make no mistake about it, despite what some people say, the professionals know that this is one of the real top jobs, with huge rewards for success.

 

I know that Dalglish fucked up Keegans team, through trying to change too much too soon, but of all our ex managers that succeeded Keegan apart from Bobby Robson, he's the one I look at and think " I wonder if he should have had longer"

 

Nice to read a good article from someone who knows the club and not some southern hack looking down from their ivory tower. You are right about KD though, trying to change things too quickly. That was ultimately his downfall.

[Super7 0]

Excellent article, and epitomises how far forward the club has came, and how attractive a job it is to people inside the game.

 

And make no mistake about it, despite what some people say, the professionals know that this is one of the real top jobs, with huge rewards for success.

 

I know that Dalglish fucked up Keegans team, through trying to change too much too soon, but of all our ex managers that succeeded Keegan apart from Bobby Robson, he's the one I look at and think " I wonder if he should have had longer"

 

I thought at the time he should have had longer given his previous track record but I think the football was just too much of a contrast directly after Keegan. Compared to what we have watched the last few years it probably wouldn't seem so bad!