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End is near for sorry Souness


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By George Caulkin

Newcastle United 0 Blackburn Rovers 1

 

 

 

 

GRAEME SOUNESS WAS IN THE media hall at St James’ Park, talking about priorities; family first, then work. He was facing darkened windows, which prevent curious supporters from gazing in, but do not deflect noise. As he spoke to journalists composing obituaries for his career, vowing to battle on “until someone tells me different”, chants of “Souness out” threatened to suffocate his words.

While several hundred Newcastle United fans mutinied outside, Souness accepted a cuppa from Kath Cassidy, the stadium’s long-serving tea lady. He embraced her, inquired about her health and, when his press conference petered out, chatted to her in private about illness and medication. In the circumstances — a decent man flailing in untenable conditions — it is a gesture worth noting.

 

After Saturday’s defeat by Blackburn Rovers, Tyneside delivered its judgment. At a club where instability is ingrained, where there are more trophy signings than trophies, where misfortune has ripped apart a small squad, where foundations have been laid in quicksand and self-preservation is the culture, scapegoats are not obvious, but a culprit has been found.

 

The perception is that Souness is finished at Newcastle, a perception that has become entrenched since they went out of the Carling Cup with a whimper against Wigan Athletic in November. Afterwards, a local newspaper with close ties to the chairman, Freddy Shepherd, ran a story headlined “Souness on the brink”. The Scot was furious, but there could be only political consequences to his fractured relationship with the Evening Chronicle.

 

With Michael Owen, Scott Parker, Steven Taylor, Stephen Carr, Shola Ameobi, Emre Belözoglu, Craig Moore and Kieron Dyer injured, Souness has, understandably, made repeated reference to his limited resources. On Thursday, Shepherd appeared on the club’s website demanding less negativity. Names were not mentioned, but it was a dig at his manager; the two men are sparring, albeit in code.

 

Here is the context. Since the match against Wigan, Shepherd has concluded that Souness should leave, but having stretched the club’s finances to sign Owen, Newcastle can barely afford the £5 million it would take to dismiss the coaching staff. Resignation would solve that problem, but as Souness is at pains to reiterate, “that can never happen”.

 

So Shepherd, who appointed Souness 16 months ago, is in a quandary. Having won two of their past ten league fixtures, Newcastle are drifting. When does he pull the trigger? From a skinny field, is Sam Allardyce, apparently restless at Bolton Wanderers, the best replacement? Some of Shepherd’s colleagues believe so.

 

It is understood that Shepherd’s opinion has hardened and, in the meantime, the team are seeping confidence and the crowd has grown tired of mediocrity and excuses. If the Wigan match was not the tipping point, was the game against Blackburn? Is it this weekend’s FA Cup tie away to Cheltenham Town? Is it the closure of the transfer window, when there is a ready-made excuse to deny funds to a new appointment? Or is it the end of the season?

 

Players read newspapers, gossip and sense vibes. “As far as I’m concerned, everyone is behind the manager, even if it may not look like it in terms of results,” Lee Clark, the midfield player, said. That, of course, is the salient issue. Blackburn were fit, bullish and had the benefit of luck when a handball by Morten Gamst Pedersen propelled an ugly effort from Shefki Kuqi across the line.

 

“We have to get some points or we’ll be in a dogfight,” Alan Shearer said, and the Newcastle captain will have a role to play in the coming days. In Glenn Roeder and Peter Beardsley, Shepherd employs caretaker-management material. There was no meeting between Shepherd and Souness yesterday, but the manager is effectively out; everything else concerns timing, dignity and priorities.

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Seems we've been at this stalemate for a while, i just wish the fatman would make up his mind and let the beheading commence!

83209[/snapback]

 

It was the FatMan who made the choice in the first place. He's as incompetant and as guilty as anyone else at that club.

 

We'll never win anything with unstability and with these fools in charge will never have stability.

 

He's looking for a scapegoat, but he should go too.

Edited by NewJerseyMag
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Seems we've been at this stalemate for a while, i just wish the fatman would make up his mind and let the beheading commence!

83209[/snapback]

 

It was the FatMan who made the choice in the first place. He's as incompetant and as guilty as anyone else at that club.

 

We'll never win anything with unstability and with these fools in charge will never have stability.

 

He's looking for a scapegoat, but he should go too.

83215[/snapback]

 

Shepherd was panicked into a rush appointment, he should have sacked Bobby during the close season and took time to appoint a proper manager but he didnt, he stuck by Bobby and could tell early on it was a wrong move so he made a bold decision which backfired.

 

To say he should go just because of Souness is, well quite frankly laughable.

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Seems we've been at this stalemate for a while, i just wish the fatman would make up his mind and let the beheading commence!

83209[/snapback]

 

It was the FatMan who made the choice in the first place. He's as incompetant and as guilty as anyone else at that club.

 

We'll never win anything with unstability and with these fools in charge will never have stability.

 

He's looking for a scapegoat, but he should go too.

83215[/snapback]

 

Shepherd was panicked into a rush appointment, he should have sacked Bobby during the close season and took time to appoint a proper manager but he didnt, he stuck by Bobby and could tell early on it was a wrong move so he made a bold decision which backfired.

 

To say he should go just because of Souness is, well quite frankly laughable.

83220[/snapback]

 

Poor choice of words there Pud!

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I absolutely hate it when the media is still labeling Souness with the attributes "sorry", "scapegoat" etc.

As much I am furious about the implications of people being fickle and the lack of stability. Newcastle had demonstrated stability for over a decade with two succesful managers enjoying long spells. The spells of three others were rather short because they were absolutely disastrous. And nobody can accuse Newcastle for seeing a scapegoat in Souness and being fickle. Souness was/is not given not enough time but he was given too much time. He should have got the sack already in the summer because there been to many signs for him just not being a proper manager, i.e. lacking the abilities in coaching, tactical decisions, man managment etc. Instead of listening to the propaganda spread by the tosser and his allies people better watch a collection of games and performances in the recent 16 months and they would see why the sacking of this idiot is long overdue.

 

Monday morning rant over.

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As someone stated the other day, it's a mexican stand-off. Souness won't resign and Shepherd won't sack him.

 

As a result, the people who are losing out the most are the very people who are filling their pockets - the fans.

 

Fat Fred has a decision to make here, either he boots Souness out (preferably) or he comes out and backs him publically. Sitting in the stands with a face on him which looks like a bulldog chewing on a wasp is doing no good what-so-ever. Neither are these snippets saying "we mustn't blame injuries and Europe is still possible"...

 

He's side-stepping too much IMO.

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I'm holding a "Souness In" demonstration outside SJP tonight at 6pm. There's only me going so far, so if anyone fancies it, I'll see you there. There is a joining fee of one chocolate bar per person, payable to me.

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I'm holding a "Souness In" demonstration outside SJP tonight at 6pm.  There's only me going so far, so if anyone fancies it, I'll see you there.  There is a joining fee of one chocolate bar per person, payable to me.

83238[/snapback]

 

He`ll be gone by then..

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I'm holding a "Souness In" demonstration outside SJP tonight at 6pm.  There's only me going so far, so if anyone fancies it, I'll see you there.  There is a joining fee of one chocolate bar per person, payable to me.

83238[/snapback]

 

He`ll be gone by then..

83240[/snapback]

 

"Souness back in" then! :(

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I'm holding a "Souness In" demonstration outside SJP tonight at 6pm.  There's only me going so far, so if anyone fancies it, I'll see you there.  There is a joining fee of one chocolate bar per person, payable to me.

83238[/snapback]

 

:(

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I'm holding a "Souness In" demonstration outside SJP tonight at 6pm.  There's only me going so far, so if anyone fancies it, I'll see you there.  There is a joining fee of one chocolate bar per person, payable to me.

83238[/snapback]

 

I'll drive you there if you want. Then reverse over you when you get out.

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I'm holding a "Souness In" demonstration outside SJP tonight at 6pm.  There's only me going so far, so if anyone fancies it, I'll see you there.  There is a joining fee of one chocolate bar per person, payable to me.

83238[/snapback]

 

I'll drive you there if you want. Then reverse over you when you get out.

83248[/snapback]

 

Severe tyre damage tbh. :(

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I'm holding a "Souness In" demonstration outside SJP tonight at 6pm.  There's only me going so far, so if anyone fancies it, I'll see you there.  There is a joining fee of one chocolate bar per person, payable to me.

83238[/snapback]

 

I'll drive you there if you want. Then reverse over you when you get out.

83248[/snapback]

 

Severe tyre damage tbh. :(

83249[/snapback]

 

Your spare tyre?

 

In all seriousness, I'll be at SJP anyway to take part in your process. Well, not eactly in SJP, more like by a window on the 14th floor of the old S&N building...

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After Saturday and the coments that Fat Fred made last week I am really begining to think he will actually go this week.

 

We simply cannot afford to let this clown carry on any longer and any payoff that we have to pay can surely be netted off against how much relegation would cost (or at very least the half million we get per league position).

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Seems we've been at this stalemate for a while, i just wish the fatman would make up his mind and let the beheading commence!

83209[/snapback]

 

It was the FatMan who made the choice in the first place. He's as incompetant and as guilty as anyone else at that club.

 

We'll never win anything with unstability and with these fools in charge will never have stability.

 

He's looking for a scapegoat, but he should go too.

83215[/snapback]

 

Shepherd was panicked into a rush appointment, he should have sacked Bobby during the close season and took time to appoint a proper manager but he didnt, he stuck by Bobby and could tell early on it was a wrong move so he made a bold decision which backfired.

 

To say he should go just because of Souness is, well quite frankly laughable.

83220[/snapback]

 

I agree, considering the vast majority of fans were happy with the 3 managers before him , but appear to have forgotten this

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we're the laughing stock of the country. We've had Keegan and Bobby stabilise the ship however we cant afford to keep getting it wrong in between. If we sack Souness now, then i cant see us having many options if any at all to replace him. I think Shepherd says too much to the media and other managers can see that. Boro are in worse position than us yet i dont hear Gibbo using the Gazzette to mouth off about McClaren. Its a very sorry position we are in and i dont see it getting any better in the short term. But we cant just sack the manager then think about what we're going to do afterwards. The last time we did that, we ended up with Souness. The caretaker situation of Glen Roeder fills me with dread.

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we're the laughing stock of the country. We've had Keegan and Bobby stabilise the ship however we cant afford to keep getting it wrong in between. If we sack Souness now, then i cant see us having many options if any at all to replace him. I think Shepherd says too much to the media and other managers can see that. Boro are in worse position than us yet i dont hear Gibbo using the Gazzette to mouth off about McClaren. Its a very sorry position we are in and i dont see it getting any better in the short term. But we cant just sack the manager then think about what we're going to do afterwards. The last time we did that, we ended up with Souness. The caretaker situation of Glen Roeder fills me with dread.

83357[/snapback]

 

I can't for the life of me think how it will be any worse that what is happening at the moment.

Since Souness arrived he has taken a team that was playing poorly and turned them into a bunch of players that just go onto the field each game going through the motions without having any clear plan of they should be doing and not caring at all.

 

I know it's a poor idea to sack a manager without having a replacement lined up but the unfortunate fact is that we have waited too long and he is harming us with his very presence. If nothing else installing Roder and Pedro as caretakers might get the fans behind the team because the current air or apathy and indiference will count against us if we do get involved with a relegation battle with the likes of West Brom, Birmingham and Portsmouth because their fans are at least fully behind their teams.

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Saunders: Souness is staying

 

Newcastle assistant boss Dean Saunders insists manager Graeme Souness has not even thought about leaving the club.

 

The Guardian newspaper claims Souness and his coaching team will be fired by chairman Freddy Shepherd on Monday.

 

But Saunders told BBC Sport: "The papers have been saying Graeme's on his way for the last three weeks. We'll just keep going on as normal.

 

"He's at the training ground now and it's business as usual. We're busy preparing for our next game."

 

BBC Sport

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Saunders: Souness is staying

 

Newcastle assistant boss Dean Saunders insists manager Graeme Souness has not even thought about leaving the club.

 

The Guardian newspaper claims Souness and his coaching team will be fired by chairman Freddy Shepherd on Monday.

 

But Saunders told BBC Sport: "The papers have been saying Graeme's on his way for the last three weeks. We'll just keep going on as normal.

 

"He's at the training ground now and it's business as usual. We're busy preparing for our next game."

 

BBC Sport

83379[/snapback]

 

"They understand that we've not got our full team out. We had eight players who would be in the starting line-up who were on the sidelines against Blackburn.

 

Hmm, we still had the likes of Given, Boumsong, Babayaro, Solano, Luque and Shearer in the team. Are we allowed to play with 14 players?

 

I hate the drivel the tossers are coming up with. They are either completely out of touch with the public opinion or just taking the piss.

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I don't normally do this, but sometimes it's good to stir the shit; colleague of mine was supposed to be having a meeting with an NUFC board member. Guess what, his secretary has just rung up to cancel saying 'something important that he can't get out of has just come up.'

 

Stirring the shit is good sometimes. :(

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I don't normally do this, but sometimes it's good to stir the shit; colleague of mine was supposed to be having a meeting with an NUFC board member. Guess what, his secretary has just rung up to cancel saying 'something important that he can't get out of has just come up.'

 

Stirring the shit is good sometimes.  :o

83395[/snapback]

 

Toontastic exclusive tbh :razz:

 

:(

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Seems we've been at this stalemate for a while, i just wish the fatman would make up his mind and let the beheading commence!

83209[/snapback]

 

It was the FatMan who made the choice in the first place. He's as incompetant and as guilty as anyone else at that club.

 

We'll never win anything with unstability and with these fools in charge will never have stability.

 

He's looking for a scapegoat, but he should go too.

83215[/snapback]

 

Shepherd was panicked into a rush appointment, he should have sacked Bobby during the close season and took time to appoint a proper manager but he didnt, he stuck by Bobby and could tell early on it was a wrong move so he made a bold decision which backfired.

 

To say he should go just because of Souness is, well quite frankly laughable.

83220[/snapback]

 

I agree, considering the vast majority of fans were happy with the 3 managers before him , but appear to have forgotten this

83351[/snapback]

 

It's not just the appointment of Souness though, is it? There are other decisions he's made (outlined in another thread) which have undeniably contributed to the reverse of this club's fortunes...

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