For as long as I care to remember we’ve lurched from one controversy to another affecting all levels at the football club, right from management to playing staff.
I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve wanted to ground to swallow me up when it comes to NUFC. Remember the Fake Sheikh? How about the Bowyer/Dyer scrap? More recently there is Ashley’s antics to consider and then there was the whole Joey Barton Twittergate which was amusing, briefly, before it became a bit of a circus. In fairness there are many more I could have mentioned but sometimes things are best left in the past!
For the moment though this appears to not be the case. I’m going to discount our owner from the equation as he has the ability to shake things up very quickly, but in terms of the playing side of things I’m struggling to recall a more professional outfit.
Of course the highlight of this has been the revelation that Yohan Cabaye came straight back from international duty and returned to training a day early with the game against Tottenham firmly in his mind. That kind of commitment should be applauded and should set the standard at our football club.
Joey who?
It doesn’t end there though. We seem to have a group of players who are able to act professionally on and off the field which in itself is an achievement. At the moment I’m not on red alert wondering when the next player outburst is going to be or wondering who our striker is going to thump next.
A player can’t get in the team? Fine, no problem. They’ll bust a gut in the reserves to prove a point. It’s all rather, well, pleasant.
Add to that a professionalism on the pitch which has seen us rise to 4th in the league table and joint top of the Fair Play table and you can maybe start to see what I’m getting at.
Much was made at the start of the season about this new group of players. For me my only criticism was that we seemed to be changing things too quickly and I worried about the destabilising effect that may have had. I shouldn’t have been concerned.
If the players carry on doing what they are doing then the results will stack up. They seem to work for each other and get along which will help things when we eventually hit a slump in form. It will happen,but the professionalism of this squad should mean that a bad result gets forgotten about quicker.
As you may be able to tell, I’ve been pleasantly surprised by it all.
Have you?
Yes without doubt. Long may it last.
taken4mugs(Quote)
Quality article and one that definitely roasts food for thought. It is refreshing to read as we all know, this is something that the club has lacked of late. Although that is down to some individuals as opposed to the club as a whole. Never thought I would say this but I’m beginning to warm to the current regime. Long may the Toon Renaissance continue. HWTL
skipwallsend(Quote)
BTW, long time reader, first time poster. Eeh, its like night owls saying that ha ha
skipwallsend(Quote)
Agree with the article. Still a little niggle about how certain players might react to either being dropped or not getting in the team to begin with [HBA Ryan Taylor etc] Having said that Pardew needs to impress on the whole squad [entire club?]that getting results will benefit them all in the long run, and if changing playing personnel to suit a particular opponent then so be it. Raylor may need to accept that he may not be suited to handling players like Gareth bale and he may need to move aside let in Santon. Equally HBA etc should understand that it isn’t sensible to risk him against cloggers like Wolves etc. They seem to be ok but I still worry about when things go a little awry….part&parcel of being a Toon supporter i suppose!
JoeSoap(Quote)
We’ve definately got the most professional squad i’ve seen in a while and that’s why we’re sat in 4th. We had a bit of luck at wolves but that’s it really. We’d still be in 4th if that ended in a draw.
Lawro’s been spouting his mouth off that we’ll lose this weekend. Just like every other game we’ve had this season, makes it more sweeter when we turn them over.
Thing is though if we win this weekend no doubt the media will put another ‘lucky’ spin on it…. starting with spurs’ injuries. 👿
Balls.
I firmly believe we earned the right to be in our position. 😆
Nobby(Quote)
Lawro always says we’ll lose – he’ll probably predict that Wigan will beat us next week at St. James
The Hig!(Quote)
It’s easy to forget just how much hard work these footballers put in over the years to reach the position they’re in. It’s always nice to see players like Cabaye, Ba, etc who work so hard to get better. It’ll only help the rest of the squad and the club in general. If everyone is looking to improve, this club is going in only one direction. Up.
hydeous(Quote)
It was Ashleys policy that targeted the right players, with the right character at the right price.
Credits where credits due. I always find it obtuse where the good things done by Ashley and the board are described as luck, and the bad things as horrendous decisions (hindsight firmly in hand)
Stardust(Quote)
Like the rest of the media talking heads, Lawro has a vested interest in keeping the likes of Newcastle in their rightful place …..outside the top 4 or 6. Listen to Liverpool and the **** about splitting off the TV rights….this is what the establishment want so they can milk more & more money from a European super league……..they’ll destroy English football if they get their own way. It’s brilliant when clubs such as the Toon, Everton Blackburn [ afew years back] and Aston Villa etc upset their cosy little set-up. Even Spuds to some extent are unwelcome and the powers that be would prefer to see Arsenal back where they ‘rightfully belong’
JoeSoap(Quote)
A good well earned win over Spurs will put some decent daylight between us and fifth place – especially if the Pool are beaten which is more than likely.
The media (and Lawrenson) could then all go and stew in their own juice for a while.
And with a home game against Wigan to follow they could all be feeling pretty sick by the end of next week..
taken4mugs(Quote)
Agree with stardust… 1st time for everything 😉
Nobby(Quote)
I’m really liking what I’m seeing this season. I had grave doubts after the QPR game when we were totally outplayed (apart from the moment when if Best could kick a ball properly he would have scored) but the next week I was totally elated by the style of play at Villa. The attitude is first class. Players like Cabaye, Tiote, HBA are totally committed to their football. There is nothing else. Remember Benny turning up to watch Gateshead. Love it!
georgio(Quote)
Nobby 😆
Stardust(Quote)
Yeah good article. Its refreshing to see we dont seem to have any troublemakers in our squad. We could be half way towards safety on 20 points by the time we get to november. That is fantastic.
The_59_Sound(Quote)
Atleast Frankie Dettori picked us right? **** I hate Lawro.
Brendan(Quote)
Stard,
“It was Ashleys policy that targeted the right players, with the right character at the right price.”
He gambled. He signed players who had contract clauses or injury question marks hanging over their heads. the credit goes to Carr and Pardew. They will have identified targets knowing that Ashley likes to gamble and a bargain, Ashley’s only ‘policy’ as you put it, is not spending any more money on the club until he recuperates his losses.
Regarding football and personalities he doesn’t have a clue stardust so don’t make me laugh. He knows about counting pennies and that’s it. He isn’t the footballing mastermind you make him out to be.
Some have worked and some haven’t. You can’t say that HBA or Gosling have been excellent signings for us. HBA has appeared in 6 competitive games and Gosling less. Marveux still hasn’t done anything competitively either so we’re on about a 50/50 split when it comes to signings in my opinion.
Moreno(Quote)
Moreno – no doubt we’ll never see eye to eye but you could be right there. These new signings may be world beaters – we’ll see, but I’d rather take a chance on Santon, HBA, Marveaux and Abeid than hang around waiting for last season’s dross (Best, Raylor, Simpson) to improve 10%.
georgio(Quote)
@16. Whilst agreeing with most of what you say, It might be worth noting that as far as club owners are concerned, I’m not sure Ashley is any wose than most of the others. That John Henry bloke at liverpool seems like a complete idiot in footballing matters, and no doubt ManCiteh’s and YouNited’s are just as bad. the roman-russian seems to be on par with Tony Blair, and it’s long standing knowledge that club chairmen don’t have a clue about football…remember Cloughie’s comments. So really all we can expect from an owner\chairman is a good head for business to keep the club solvent and up to now given the way footy seems to be going…Ashley appears to be doing the right things! [whether by accident or otherwise…jeez i wish i could make a billion quid by mistake!]
JoeSoap(Quote)
Georgio,
Fact is though, last season’s ‘dross’ of Raylor and Best, have won us 7 points this season and more than likely kept us in the cup.
(Best scored both against Fulham, equalized against Villa / Raylor vs Makems and the league cup)
I’d prefer that than players sat on the physio table…
Moreno(Quote)
Joe,
True. that’s why Llambias needs replacing with someone who knows how to run a football club.
Moreno(Quote)
I hope we beat Spurs and then Wigan. Having a bit of success, even for a little while would be so nice just to put Lawro and all the other spiteful tw*ts in their place. For some reason most of the media revel in putting us down and calling us delusional.
If they came on boards like this they could see that most fans are happy with a little bit of success but are far from getting carried away. As pundits and journalists, you would think they might go a bit beyond reading the Chron or watching a few kids outside the ground. They know fan blogs exist, so why not read a few to see what fans are saying rather than trot out the same old cliches?
I have said this before but on the football 365 website, 3 of the 7 journalists had us down for relegation and if you went through the rest of the press I bet about 40% would have us relegated – in a league with Blackburn, Wigan, West Brom, Norwich, Swansea, QPR, Bolton, Sunderland.
What do they have against us?
GS(Quote)
Moreno….maybe rather than sacking Llambias, [I think he’s more of a mate,[spy] than an employee]. they’ve decided to bring more ‘football’ people at lower levels. The 3 coaches Pardew, Carver & Stone seem to be doing a cracking job. Carr the scout is unbelievable and did I read they’d brought Bob Moncur on board to handle PR?
JoeSoap(Quote)
Dunno about Moncur, but I do know we have Wendy Taylor as a press officer. Fittie. I’d nibble her turds.
Enjoy your dinner 🙂
toonsy(Quote)
None of these football people at lower levels have any say on how to run the club though do they?
I am not praising Ashley for bringing in coaches that should have been there in the first place. Hoots went without a coaching team an assistant for a long time
Moreno(Quote)
“Hoots” 😡
I heard Hoots solved third world hunger and rescued puppies from burning houses in his spare time such is how wonderful he is. I still get stars in my eyes now as a result of the sunbeams that flowed from his behind and I hold him responsible for my hayfever smelling of flowers and new born babies all the time 😆
toonsy(Quote)
anyone got pes 12,im bored sh1tless with fifa 12..
hitman(Quote)
OT I suppose.
I just remembered Perch is still in the squad.
We do have decent cover at centre back, don’t we? Williamson and Perch? Williamson should be back sometime now. It’s the full back positions where we don’t have cover, we need a right back and a striker who’s better than our current lot.
Even more OT
When do you guys have dinner? Isn’t it the meal in the night? and what the heck is ‘Supper’? 😛
I was pretty surprised to hear that the standard office hours in the USA start early (around 7) and finish early. These are cultural differences you don’t think about I suppose.
hydeous(Quote)
Toonsy good read mate and a lot of good points made.
I agree the team are doing brilliant and there seems to be a real good feel good factor around the club atm.
But as I have said before I will await the enevitable bad run to see how professional the team is.
IMO it is a lot easier to go about the day to day things when your unbearen and on the crest of a wave, but when your going through a bad run it is so much harder, but all good solid teams can cope with it, shake themselves down and get on with it.
I think its important that we as fans need to realise that we will hit a bad run as all teams do at some point, as I have a bad feeling that while things are rosie most fans are loving it and find it easier to get behind the team, But if you are prepared for the bad run its easier to stay behind the team, and not turning on them, in that way the team should find it easier to cope with it knowing that the fans are behind them.
Big Dave(Quote)
Hydeous, we do have decent cover at cb. It’s still not great cover though. Sorry to bring it up again, but I am still disappointed and perplexed that Kadar has sort of failed to develop
AndrewT(Quote)
Its great that we a quietly going about our buisness week in week out with out kickinng up any fuss like the old days. When i seen that Cabaye got an early flight home it just made me love him even more he is fast becoming my favourite player at the toon.
At the start of the season i thought we would be fighting for 8th/9th spot which i thought then was very doable. Now we are 7 games in we are in the strongest position we have been in for a number of years and i dont see why we cant aim for the Uefa cup spot (5th and maybe 6th not sure?). We have no pressure on us to succeed this season and that might work in our favour.
Plus we are still in the Carling Cup with a good draw to go even further. lets not forget who won it last year so i am quietly confident of winning it 😀
and even if none of this happens and we only finish in 8th/9th spot then thats still a great season imo
N.Irish Toon(Quote)
Great point big Dave. If we are prepared for the slump in form, we will react to it better. Most of us are planning on losses to manchesters and Chelsea in a row, but I don’t think that would be classes as a loss of form, but merely a loss of points against very strong opposition.
The slump in form will come when we can’t quite get a result against Everton, Villa, Bolton, Swansea, etc. We need to be prepared for that too, I think.
AndrewT(Quote)
Toonsy, we are actually joint bottom of the fair play table, mind you. 🙁
Toon@Jer(Quote)
Good article. It is such a pleasure having a “professional” club. I am not naive enough to think things can’t turn southin a moment, but it is really nice to have the lunacy put to bed for awhile.
I think Pards’ management style has a lot to do with all of this. He seems to treat the lads fairly and communicate well with them. The players seem to really rate him and will give him effort as a result
MDS(Quote)
Moreno@19 – I understand what you’r saying and it’s undoubtedly true BUT, are you genuinely saying you’d prefer a fit and ready HBA and Santon to Raylor and Best?
georgio(Quote)
Just need to get shot of Nile Ranger now and then we are sorted 🙂 Good article Toonsy, it is refreshing to have such a determined group of lads that work for each other and dont chase the media 🙂
Shamrock(Quote)
[email protected]’t that be the other way around? 😉
richietoon(Quote)
Richie – thanks for that. Been a long day mate and thank fck it’s Friday! Also apologies Moreno, I’m not trying to start a duelling feud, I just love good talented footballers and for me those two wouldn’t even make the bench. Roll on Sunday!
georgio(Quote)
toon@jer – Tgats where we want to be mate. Its a reverse table 🙂
toonsy(Quote)
GEORGIO
October 14, 2011 at 14:46 (Edit)
Moreno@19 – I understand what you’r saying and it’s undoubtedly true BUT, are you genuinely saying you’d prefer a fit and ready HBA and Santon to Raylor and Best?
You obviously don’t understand what I am saying. Or you just didn’t read it properly.
I said “I’d prefer that than players sat on the physio table…”
and you then said “are you genuinely saying you’d prefer a fit and ready HBA and Santon to Raylor and Best?” (obviously the wrong way round)
How the chuff did you deduce that from what I said?
Moreno(Quote)