dbsweeney 0 Posted March 17, 2009 Share Posted March 17, 2009 First, the good news (and, given last weekend’s results in the North East, that sentence was not easy to type). Newcastle United are in a mess. On face value, it might not sound like particularly good news, but there is a context here. Is there anything worse than being in a mess? How about being in a mess and not knowing it? Or, more pertinently, being in a mess and ignoring it? Newcastle are both too good to go down and too bad to stay up, but embracing reality has never been a theme of Mike Ashley’s tenure at St James‘ Park. It is exemplified by a failure to bolster a squad which was already short of quality and numbers when he bought the club and by (rare) public statements which have utterly misjudged the gravity of Newcastle’s long-established decline. Exhibit A: Ashley in Newcastle’s matchday programme on December 28th: “If, like me, you like a gamble now and again, then what price a flutter on us reaching that top six?” Exhibit B: the team’s performance against Hull City on Saturday. Brittle confidence, no guile, few options and, after the sales of James Milner and Charles N’Zogbia in the last two transfer windows - forget the circumstances - no pace. As previously written here, Ashley is now impotent. Unless he takes steps to bring in a(nother) temporary manager - and the club are adamant that, as things stand, it is not a realistic possibility - he has little power to alter Newcastle’s situation. He cannot make signings (even if he wanted to), and has no ability to rouse players. All he can do is watch and squirm. It is the players who matter. On too many occasions this season, they have melted away in the face of adversity - and it cannot be denied that in spite of all the distractions, they have underachieved - but all hope is not extinguished. In the boardroom it may be different, but there are individuals within the dressing room who accept the perilous nature of Newcastle’s position and are steeled for it. Nicky Butt recently gave an interview with Football Focus, only a small portion of which was shown on television (the full 13 minute version can be viewed here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/f...us/7943614.stm). While he spoke about his own career, the midfield player also gave the most candid appraisal of Newcastle’s tribulations from anybody within the club in recent memory. It is well worth watching. Butt admitted that Newcastle have “gone backwards in the last couple of years,” that they “need someone to come in and change the whole club,” that “stability” was a fundamental requirement. He surveyed his side’s results. “We think we’re too good to have to work hard,” he said. “You can’t do that in the Premiership. You’ve got to give 100 per cent in every game.” Butt’s commitment and endeavour were palpable at the KC Stadium, but seeing something for what it really is and acting upon it is not easy; before it is too late, others must follow his lead. Change hurts, but it is needed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OTF 6397 Posted March 17, 2009 Share Posted March 17, 2009 Butt is right in what he says, that we have at times thought we were too good to work hard. Butt though is well off the pace himself, so him working hard usually just means that his tackles are a little harder. When the game is run with any sort of pace he can't keep up with it - I think regardless of effort. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JonGoodwyn 1 Posted March 17, 2009 Share Posted March 17, 2009 Its all very well players talking the talk, saying they need to put more effort in - but wheres this effort? This interview was from before the hull game but it was same old yet again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duo 0 Posted March 17, 2009 Share Posted March 17, 2009 He got us a point on Saturday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kitman 2188 Posted March 17, 2009 Share Posted March 17, 2009 I've become immune to the wafflings of players in the press. It's always the same - "we know we've let our marvellous fans down, next time it will be different, there's a great spirit in the camp etc etc" - and it changes absolutely nothing. If you'd listened to Ameobi's interviews over the years you'd have thought he was a world beater, not an underachieving championship standard striker. Shut up and get it done on the pitch, says I. If the players aren't giving a 100% it's down to those players to pull their finger out, and it's down to the management to drop them, motivate them or sell them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trophyshy 6469 Posted March 17, 2009 Share Posted March 17, 2009 I've become immune to the wafflings of players in the press. It's always the same - "we know we've let our marvellous fans down, next time it will be different, there's a great spirit in the camp etc etc" - and it changes absolutely nothing. If you'd listened to Ameobi's interviews over the years you'd have thought he was a world beater, not an underachieving championship standard striker. Shut up and get it done on the pitch, says I. If the players aren't giving a 100% it's down to those players to pull their finger out, and it's down to the management to drop them, motivate them or sell them. Absofuckinglutely amen They can all fuck off, every single one of them. Unless they show some genuine fight, which I have not witnessed yet, they are fucked and deserve to go. The Feckless Millionaires led by the Impotent Billionaire. Shame on you all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom 13915 Posted March 17, 2009 Share Posted March 17, 2009 If you'd listened to Ameobi's interviews over the years you'd have thought he was a world beater, not an underachieving championship standard striker. If he's a championship standard striker it would be fair to say - for a lad that has scored at Camp Nou in the Champions League - that he has overachieved. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Park Life 71 Posted March 18, 2009 Share Posted March 18, 2009 Title of the thread says it all really. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kitman 2188 Posted March 18, 2009 Share Posted March 18, 2009 If you'd listened to Ameobi's interviews over the years you'd have thought he was a world beater, not an underachieving championship standard striker. If he's a championship standard striker it would be fair to say - for a lad that has scored at Camp Nou in the Champions League - that he has overachieved. More like he's won the bloody lottery Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaddockLad 14949 Posted March 18, 2009 Share Posted March 18, 2009 If you'd listened to Ameobi's interviews over the years you'd have thought he was a world beater, not an underachieving championship standard striker. If he's a championship standard striker it would be fair to say - for a lad that has scored at Camp Nou in the Champions League - that he has overachieved. I'm going to be laughed out of this place but.......he must've been close to an England call up around then....Erikson was regularly naming just Owen,Heskey and Vassel in his squads...The Fenham Eusebio was banging them in for the under 21s as well at the time,Anfield,Leverkusen etc etc.....he was at least as good as Darius fuckin Vassel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manc-mag 1 Posted March 18, 2009 Share Posted March 18, 2009 I've become immune to the wafflings of players in the press. It's always the same - "we know we've let our marvellous fans down, next time it will be different, there's a great spirit in the camp etc etc" - and it changes absolutely nothing. If you'd listened to Ameobi's interviews over the years you'd have thought he was a world beater, not an underachieving championship standard striker. Shut up and get it done on the pitch, says I. If the players aren't giving a 100% it's down to those players to pull their finger out, and it's down to the management to drop them, motivate them or sell them. Eamonn to that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Kelly 1117 Posted March 18, 2009 Share Posted March 18, 2009 If you watch the whole interview it's interesting to note that he says something about hoping that someone will come in in the summer and change things. Not sure if he meant owner or manager but I didn't get the impression he was talking about players. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ewerk 26876 Posted March 18, 2009 Share Posted March 18, 2009 If you'd listened to Ameobi's interviews over the years you'd have thought he was a world beater, not an underachieving championship standard striker. If he's a championship standard striker it would be fair to say - for a lad that has scored at Camp Nou in the Champions League - that he has overachieved. I'm going to be laughed out of this place but.......he must've been close to an England call up around then....Erikson was regularly naming just Owen,Heskey and Vassel in his squads...The Fenham Eusebio was banging them in for the under 21s as well at the time,Anfield,Leverkusen etc etc.....he was at least as good as Darius fuckin Vassel Wasn't he called into the England squad when they were playing at SJP but had to withdraw due to injury? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snake 0 Posted March 18, 2009 Share Posted March 18, 2009 If you watch the whole interview it's interesting to note that he says something about hoping that someone will come in in the summer and change things. Not sure if he meant owner or manager but I didn't get the impression he was talking about players. Simon Bird has picked up on that too http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/columnists/s...15875-21207934/ I liked this bit (put in here link to my original news piece on Tuesday - but make sure it links to the North east edition piece which had all the quotes in) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimbo 133 Posted March 18, 2009 Share Posted March 18, 2009 If you watch the whole interview it's interesting to note that he says something about hoping that someone will come in in the summer and change things. Not sure if he meant owner or manager but I didn't get the impression he was talking about players. Simon Bird has picked up on that too http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/columnists/s...15875-21207934/ I liked this bit (put in here link to my original news piece on Tuesday - but make sure it links to the North east edition piece which had all the quotes in) At the core of the question is whether Mike Ashley has any sort of clue what it takes to run the club, and make it a success. Actions so far, and his few words suggest not. Remember the words Ashley wrote to bring in the New Year in his programme notes on December 28? "If, like me you like a gamble what price a flutter on us reaching the top six?" That statement went totally against what everyone was witnessing at St James's Park. Is Newcastle's plan based on blind optimism and a bunch of yes-men talking up their chances? Instead a place in the bottom six is guaranteed, and possibly one in the bottom three. Being an owner you've got to see the problems coming before they manifest themselves in disaster. You've got to build real hope, not fantasy for the fans. How can the man charged with rebuilding Newcastle spout such unperceptive rubbish, less than three months ago, and be believed again? Well said Mr Bird Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nyff 0 Posted March 19, 2009 Share Posted March 19, 2009 Anyone made a "talking out his arse" joke yet? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manc-mag 1 Posted March 19, 2009 Share Posted March 19, 2009 Anyone made a "talking out his arse" joke yet? Post #9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nyff 0 Posted March 19, 2009 Share Posted March 19, 2009 Ah shit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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