There have been lots of reasons put forward this season to explain why Newcastle United is in the mess it’s in, but where does the majority of the blame lie? You, the reader will establish that with a good old fashioned vote.
At the end of last season Mike Ashley stood in front of the Sky television cameras and promised to ‘bolt the horse to the cart’. He promised Cup runs, investment in the team and that he would not leave until we had won something or qualified for the Champion’s League. Well here we are 9 months later having spent £80 million in the transfer market and yet the club sits in the relegation zone having been dumped out of both Cups in the earliest rounds. He also chose to trust Lee Charnley with the running of his club – not to mention his long term neglect of the club and blatant use of the institution that is NUFC as a Sports Direct advertising tool (for free). He has to be included in the list of candidates for this vote, but maybe he does not deserve the blame this time – as he did invest and I’m sure he will be as shocked as the rest of us by our current situation?
From the board we have Lee Charnley, thrust into the controller’s chair despite no history in football other than being club secretary. He does not seem to be a bad transfer negotiator, but bypassed a lot of top managers to snare Steve McClaren in what must go down as one massive mistake.
Then there is Graham Carr. His position on the board is unusual for a scout and it can be argued that he has far too much influence on Charnley. He seems to decide who we sign and not the manager, at least up until the winter window just passed – and bizarrely for a football man he has constructed a lopsided squad lacking depth and quality in almost every area of the pitch. Why have we not signed enough quality defenders for so long?
Steve McClaren (now also known as the Grin Reaper) has managed to take £80 million pounds of investment and oversee a squad constantly languishing in the drop zone all season, getting smashed time and again away from home and having the 2nd worst goal difference in the league. He repeats the same old tired rubbish after every loss and continually extends his own time frames from which fans can judge him on. He displays very little tactical forethought and makes questionable team selections.
I don’t even know why Bob Moncur is on the board or what he brings to the club? Is he taking up a space that somebody could actually be useful in?
Then there is the playing staff itself. ‘Captain’ Fabricio Coloccini displays no leadership skills of any kind and is past it as a PL defender. Why the Grin Reaper awarded him with an extention and retained him as Captain is anybody’s guess, but by signing that contract when he knew he was a spent force, he has guaranteed that our club struggles on with an immobile and gutless figure at the heart of our defense and squad in general.
Florian Thauvin came with a big price tag and big wage increase. He had a responsibility to apply himself every day and instead turned into a shrinking violet at the first sign of hard work. Carr should have done a better job of scouting him, but that does not excuse his lack of heart and application. That money could have gone on another area of the pitch.
Several other players seem to be ‘fair weather’ players. Happy to turn it on at home with the crowd behind them but can’t be bothered to put their bodies on the line when on the road, rolling over and allowing opposition teams to tickle their belly while the goals fly in at the wrong end of the pitch. Sissoko has created the most chances for us and has the most assists. Wijnaldum has the most goals, but they go missing on away days. Why is that? Is it tactics, the players or both? I will call these players the ‘homers’.
Mitrovic came in with a heavy price tag and a lot of responsibility for one so young. But he also came in talking about being the next Alan Shearer. He has failed to deliver. Is he one the main reasons for our poor form this season or was it poor planning by our board to pin all our goalscoring hopes on a young man that had never played at this level before? Is he applying himself enough?
How about the back room staff? Ian Cathro came in with a growing reputation. Steve Black is supposed to be a genius motivator and Paul Simpson is the Grin Reapers right hand man. What have they actually brought to our game? The team seems to lack confidence and basic defending skills. What do our coaches do?
Then there is the medical staff. Why is it we seem to always be top of the injury list, from both recurring injuries to long term injuries? Is it training methods, treatment methods or no methods at all? What does our club not do that most other clubs do?
Pick your 3 main offenders below;
[poll id=”91″]
For me Elliot has proved he’s good enough. If Krul was to come back next week he’d be on the bench. Grin Reaper would no doubt bring back Krul to keep him happy.
Stuart79(Quote)
Rags reporting that SM has got two games to save his job,what a lot of ****,what a great chance we had 18 days to bed a new manager,suppose they have to sell their **** and for the bookies to make a few quid
Icedog(Quote)
The three main reasons are Mike, Lee, and Steve……
GeordieTwo(Quote)
Some important questions for the FF meeting:
1. Why is it always egg salad sandwiches? Especially with green onion? They give me indigestion.
2. Who told Wally he knows something about football? It was Lee wasn’t it? Admit it and accept the shame now Lee…..
3. Who told Wally he could say we would finish top 8 this season? Do I have to force it out of you Lee?
GeordieTwo(Quote)
Ice – I’ll believe it when I see it mate. The ****** should have been sacked on Sunday!!.
What manager goes walking off down the tunnel when his side concedes a goal so early on?! – some message that sent to the players that like!!.
Sharpy17(Quote)
As I see it Mike now has only two realistic options if we survive the relegation battle.
1. Admit he isn’t cut of for football club ownership and sell up.
2. Sack the entire management team from Charnley on down and start over. Hire a very experienced football man who is not one of his chums/flunkies/yes-men and truly step aside. Leave it to the man with the football background. And it had better be somebody decent, not Joe Kinnear disguised as Derek Llambeezee.
GeordieTwo(Quote)
Ashley must be getting worn down by owning this football club by now. He’s got to be thinking he’s botched it up again despite expecting the money thrown at the hapless ones to bring him plaudits.
Troy Stavers(Quote)
I see Chris Hughton is doing a good job at Brighton. He took over when they were 21st and now they are fourth.
Good luck to him.
Troy Stavers(Quote)
Brighton are now 3rd.
Gateshead won and are now 6th
Troy Stavers(Quote)
He doesn’t look worn down Troy mate. He just looks comfortable and wealthy. And smug. And condescending. I hate that look. 👿
GeordieTwo(Quote)
Why hasn’t Steve tried 4-4-2 more often if at all? None of our strikers can make a go of it alone. Mitro is too slow but can hold the ball up, Perez is too small but is quick. Hey what about trying 4-4-2 or 4-3-1-2? Even push Townsend up beside Mitro? I would think Cisse will come off the bench for his first few matches back. We need goals Steve. We know we’re going to concede but what about changing formations away from home? And we don’t have the players to pull off the 3-5-2 by the way Steve.
GeordieTwo(Quote)
jeff stelling @ 84
whilst reading the footy results one seems to have slipped through the net..
kilmarnock 1 rangers 2
roy cropper(Quote)
Roy 😆
richietoon(Quote)
Haha
Shamrock(Quote)
To be fair though, Clarke watched this one from the stand and let the interim manage r take the game.
Shamrock(Quote)
Tbf it doesn’t really matter how well he does there (and I hope he does do well), Schteve won the title in another league…nuff said!
richietoon(Quote)
The only manager Ashley (or his cronies) have been decisive with was Hughton, the one who actually achieved his pre season targets…
CC(Quote)
TBF Lee Clark was always a total irrelevance to NUFCs current situation. Troy may as well have been discussing the odds of Wee Jimmy Kranky getting the Newcastle job.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Toon hero Rob Lee has slammed his former club for their January transfer activity.
He said: “The two players they’ve bought, Townsend and Shelvey, I like them but if you look at it, they weren’t essential buys.
“It’s like going to get your groceries and you see something and think, ‘I wouldn’t mind that’.
“But we need a goalscorer, we need a leader at the back, a centre half and a left-back
“We’ve got Rolando Aarons playing there at the moment. He’s just a young kid and that’s not his position.
“For a club the size of Newcastle, that’s ridiculous really.”
Pretty much what we all sai d at the time. Can’t believe the press and pundits have been so slow so spot the window failings and McClarens shocking ability as a manager.
Shamrock(Quote)
Strange that Clark and Stuart Pearce aren’t mentioned in the bookies odds for next manager.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
They probably are somewhere if you look right down the list, The comedy bets alongside Robson Green & Gazza
CC(Quote)
I liked Hoots, was sad to see him get sacked.
kimtoon(Quote)
No new thread from me today. If anybody else writes anything let me know and I’ll throw it up when I get 5.
Shamrock(Quote)
At least The Chronicle columnists are saying what their “journalists” (apart from a bit of a niggle from Chris Waugh) are not. First Bernard, then Rob Lee and now “Toon Legend” Mick Quinn are pointing out the obvious:
http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/newcastle-united-not-prepare-properly-10902934?
I wait with baited breath for Ryder’s reports from Spain. He is the chief sports writer so he has to get first dibs on this latest junket. When he was on the US pre-season tour the quality of reporting went up 10-fold.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Mourinho seems to be getting a lot of stick in the press. Say what you like about his negative tactics but he set his teams up for the teams he was about to play. Contrast this with Steve who set NUFC up exactly the same way to play West Brom at home as a resurgent Chelsea away. That is either naive or stupid, or both.
You can bet he wont be playing Aarons at left back against Stoke, but why did he need to be told?
Mourinho employs someone specifically to scout the opposition and to prepare a report for him. He started out doing this himself. Do we have someone looking at the opposition’s strengths and weaknesses? Probably Cathro since he is the one with the clipboard?
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Are they in Spain now? effing cold here at the moment…hehehe
richietoon(Quote)
I do find it funny man Utd muppets thinking Mourinho will be really attacking unlike Van Gaal
They blatantly haven’t bothered watching his teams down the years too
CC(Quote)
I don’t like Fat Sam’s tactics but at least he HAS tactics. We are not Barcelona, we cannot play the same way against every team.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Seems the voting expired before I could cast mine – but I would have voted for Schteve x3 anyway soooooooo…
Newkie(Quote)
Bookies favourite for the job is Rogers…
Also sad to report that some of my mates are wanting us to get a good thumping against Stoke so The Grin Reaper gets the chop!
Stuart79(Quote)
Squad for Spain:
http://www.nufc.co.uk/articles/20160217/magpies-en-route-to-la-manga_2281670_5351842?
Cisse, Mitrovic and Mbemba aren’t in it.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
So Mitro is injured?
Newkie(Quote)
I agree with Rob Lee. His so spot on. Poor Aaron’s, made to look like a fool by Steve McClaren. At least the fan’s know where the real fault lies. I hate Steve McClaren and his captain Colo. I wish the pair of them would just **** off.
Terry(Quote)
Colocini get’s paid 60 grand a week for being the worst defender I have ever seen. It’s an insult. He should be fined all his wages and get nothing. Boomsong and Bramble were nowhere near as **** as Colocini 👿
Terry(Quote)
too much more of the stress that he is under & his ginger tuft is gonna be gone for good – so if he has any kind of emotional attachment to it then he better walk sooner rather than later.
i reckon he knows that he’s well out of his depth & if ash offered him any kind of pay-off he’d snap his hands off.
fingers crossed x
roy cropper(Quote)
Not going to happen Roy.
Georgio(Quote)
georgio
he doesn’t look far from cracking.
roy cropper(Quote)
i can see a six month sick note being slipped under charnley’s door after we get beat at stoke.
roy cropper(Quote)
ICEDOG
I saw Shola stepped in when he was the best option. It wasn’t his fault that he wasn’t a better player, it wasn’t his fault that nobody better came through the youth and it wasn’t his fault that the club didn’t sign anyone better.
He was a backup and stepped in when needed. Remember when he played under SBR for ages with a painful hip that needed an op? He gritted his teeth, delayed the op and played for us. Other players simply wouldn’t risk their own health or go through the pain barrier and would have had the op.
It’s not his fault he wasn’t world class and he deserves respect. Howey, Watson, Batty, Kitson, Barton…all pretty limited players in terms of natural ability in my opinion, but all made big contributions.
I respect any player who pulls on the black and whites and tries hard for this club. I’ll defend any player that does that.
ToonDarnSarf(Quote)
SHAMROCK
The problem with players like Lee giving their opinions on our squad, is what coaching experience does he has? Where is his expertise in knowing the balance of a squad and identifying the weaknesses that it has? Newcastle legend for sure, earned the right to make his opinion but it doesn’t hold any more weight than any other ex-pro in this case. When they speak about the spirit of NUFC, they get that 100%, but tactics and player selection from a man who has never managed? Nah.
Plenty of other clubs have put in makeshift full backs. The fact that Dummett, Haidara, Colback, Mbabu and Anita were all injured and all 5 have some experience of playing left back is ridiculous! And extremely unlucky.
We desperately needed a player to control the midfield and if nobody at the club was going to do that, we had to sign a player like Shelvey.
It’s disappointing we didn’t get the guy from Spain as it looks like he could have covered left back and centre back…
ToonDarnSarf(Quote)
TDS: Colback was available to play left back at Chelsea and Steve played Aarons instead who had a total of 1 and a half games in that role and is a winger. I know it might sound like I am being wise after the fact but I thought it was a mistake at the time and the only reason I ddn’t say so is because I was out watching the match.
We got lucky that West Brom didn’t press Aarons but it was obvious that Chelsea away were a different proposition. If Steve playes Aarons at left back against Stoke I will 1. think he is an idiot, 2. think he wants to be sacked.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Again TDS: Colback wasn’t injured, he played the second half. And we had Saivet who could have come on in midfield so saying Colback was needed there is not an excuse. And we were 3-0 down so it would have been an ideal time to see if Saivet had any metal as a defensive mid.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Also TDS: talking about Rob Lee and his lack of experience when you should be talking about Schteve and his 20-odd years of experience and he still got the tactics and selections wrong 🙂
Eric Sykes(Quote)
I mean you should be berating Schteve for making basic mistakes with all of his experience and not questioning Rob Lee for pointing out the obvious.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
ERIC
Colback wasn’t fully fit for 90 mins I believe. A manager can’t get every call right and it’s obvious that didn’t work. And I agree, Aarons will surely not start against Stoke!
But as I say, McClaren can’t get every call right. I’m not impressed with what he’s done so far at all, but Lee isn’t necessarily right either. I just don’t think it’s helpful to slate our signings when we’re in a tough position.
Only reason to sack McClaren is if we have someone better to come in or if we have nothing to lose.
ToonDarnSarf(Quote)
Rob Lee’s a legend. His spot on. We need a leader in the back four. You don’t need to be a manager to see that. Most fan’s and commentator’s take this into consideration when you keep getting beat on a regular basis. Colocini is well past it. His not a leader. You never see him barking order’s at the defence. He comes out and apologie’s to the fan’s and say’s we wont get relegated. Who’s he trying to fool ? We needed defender’s who can actually defend. We haven’t got that. Ashley put up the money so this season so why hasn’t the defence been addressed. Thauvin, Saviet would have been the money to strengthen that area. Not good enough.
Terry(Quote)
Rob Lee actually said we signed good players, just in the wrong positions. We were warned in December that they would not recruit for the defense because the Steve said he was happy with what he had.
I understand there was a defensive crisis, but that is not solved by playing a winger at left back. That was “hit and hope” tactics. Much better to play Colback there or even Lascelles as at least they have played defense before FFS.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
ERIC
I don’t agree that we didn’t need to sign Townsend and Shelvey. I think we desperately needed someone to control the midfield and we needed to have threats from both flanks rather than everything going via the right. I also think we did try to sign the guy from Spain but another club came in at the last minute.
It’s not down to McClaren to fix years of poor transfer policy within 2 windows. I don’t blame him for that. I do blame him for not getting enough out of the squad though.
ToonDarnSarf(Quote)
Why do we keep buying midfielder’s when we need to address other area’s ❓ I just don’t get it. Thauvin and Saviet do we really need them ? We signed Doumbia who needs to work on his fitness for the next six months.
Terry(Quote)
TERRY
**** right we need a new centre half. We signed Mbemba in the summer but who could we have brought in in January??? Getting someone decent from another PL team is next to impossible and if we got someone from abroad…well he’s not exactly going to be a top player coming to a relegation battle is he??? And he would quite possible need time to work out the PL.
I’m not saying I didn’t want a commanding centre half, I’m saying it was next to impossible to get one who would improve on what we had.
Talk of the likes of Huth and Shawcross would be silly. Why would players like them leave mid way through a successful season to join us. So who else?
Summer signing. Has to be. Colo to play certain matches, Taylor should go as he just can’t stay fit for long enough to help us.
ToonDarnSarf(Quote)
TDS: the club said they were happy with the defense until the last day of the transfer window when they tried to sign a left back. Bad planning, and how can they possibly be happy with our centre backs? We have 5 of them and all of them rolled into one would produce half a player – when not injured 🙂
Rob Lee said he was happy with who we bought but not the priorities.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
TDS: we got Townsend and Shelvey who are very good players so there may have been a possibility to get a centre half?
Eric Sykes(Quote)
I am not toitally disagreeing with you TDS, you are just directing your criticism at the wrong people. You shouldn’t be slagging Rob Lee you should be wondering what the F Charnley and Schteve were thinking when they said they were happy with the defense in December and then did nothing until the 11th hour.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
ERIC
Clubs often come out with stuff like that and don’t mean it. Partly so they can negotiate better deals with selling clubs and partly so that the players feel that the manager fully supports them. They’re like children these football players…fragile…
Mbemba is the only centre half I’m currently happy to see starting and he needs more experience. But I don’t think we could have signed better than Colo or Taylor in the window for what we need for the rest of the season. Summer…100% I’ll be steaming if we don’t sign a centre half in the summer.
I would suspect the likes of Cisse, Taylor, Goofy will all leave. Maybe Haidara too, not sure. Need a proper left back, a centre back to play with Mbemba (Colo and Lascelles as backup) and a striker to play with Mitrovic. Though not sure where that leaves Perez…
Not simple.
ToonDarnSarf(Quote)
ERIC
A possibility…but both Shelvey and Townsend have fallen out with their clubs for different reasons. That’s why we got them. Also, a centre half who isn’t fully match fit? Dangerous…
I’m just saying that I don’t think Rob Lee is an authority in this matter.
ToonDarnSarf(Quote)
TDS we could of got a defender from Spurs, Manu, Arsenal or even Chelsea that doesn’t get picked every week. Who’s good but just wants to play first team football. They may not want a permanent move but those players are out there if you look hard enough. Let’s not forget the euro’s coming up in the summer.
Terry(Quote)
Is there any chance of the club getting rid of Siem De Jong in the summer. He hasn’t lived up to the hype.
Terry(Quote)
TERRY
Can you name me a decent centre half from Spurs, Man U, Arsenal or Chelsea who you think they would have let go, who would have wanted to join us and who you think would have improved our squad?
ToonDarnSarf(Quote)
TERRY
Agree on SDJ. But again, I only see the point in getting rid of a squad player like him if we’re going to have someone to replace him. Ideally I’d like to see young players coming up and displacing players like him in the squad.
ToonDarnSarf(Quote)
TDS at the top of my head I can’t think of a top club that would let one of their best reserve defender’s go. Look at Chelsea for example, they’ve loaned 32 players out this season. Surely two of those players have to be better than Colocini. I don’t expect them to be perfect. Middlesbrough are having a great season and loaned a CB from there. It just goes to show there are players out there on loan that are better than our players.
Terry(Quote)
The loan route is a very good way of seeing what a players like before you buy him. Especially where Carr’s concerned.
Terry(Quote)
TDS: If it was all a feint by management to not show our real intentions to get a defender then it didn’t fcking work did it 🙂 We didn’t get one, and you can’t tell me that in the whole of Europe and South America there wasn’t one centre back better than Lascelles 🙂 🙂 🙂 Even if we paid double what they were worth that would mean we didn’t have to rely on an unfit – and soon to be injured if history is a judge – Steven Taylor.
What Rob Lee was saying is not that we didn’t sign decent players, it is that we didn’t get our priorities straight. That is down to Steve and Charnley. They warned us in December and they were true to their word because they didn’t go after defenders until it was too late.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
The Grin Reaper said the best piece of business in the summer was getting Colo to sign an extension! You should have known then it wasn’t going to be a very successful relationship with McClaren and NUFC.
Stuart79(Quote)
I agree with Eric.
Terry(Quote)
I also think Rob Lee might know a bit more than a pencil pushing accountant club secretary.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
I don’t think de Jong is fully fit and don’t know if he ever will be again. We will have a big task offloading him unless he proves his fitness. He might he another Marveaux/Marcelino?
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Our backups for Coloccini and MBemba were/are:
Taylor – unfit and an injury waiting to happen
Lascelles – Championship and a penalty waiting to happen
Dummett – our current 1st choice left back and out injured almost as much as Taylor
Good – always injured
So, if our captain can get a 5 yard head start from an average speed player (Costa) in a 12 yard foot race and lose then I think we might have prioritized a centre half in January. I think that is what Robe Lee AND EVERYBODY ELSE is saying.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Dead right Eric. Total stupidity not bringing in even a journeyman CB.
TDS mate you don’t half get a lot wrong. It was for Roeder not SBR that Shola played through his bad hip.
Georgio(Quote)
TDS – again “Also, a centre half who isn’t fully match fit? Dangerous…”
Wasn’t dangerous playing Taylor then?
Georgio(Quote)
TDS, We apparently tried to loan Kieran Gibbs from Arsenal on the last day of the window but it was felt too late in the day by the gunners. So yes had we acted a bit earlier there was a chance of a decent defender.
kimtoon(Quote)
I see all this **** about there being nobody available in January and having to pay over the odds but that pales in comparison to relegation. You cannot tell me that we couldn’t go to Italy and offer to double one of Fiorentina’s or Lazio’s centre-back’s wages and they wouldn’t come? Give me a fckin break Graham Carr and Lee Charnley. They decided what we have is good enough and they are wrong.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
And don’t tell me the Serie A CBs are not PL ready. They hack lumps out of each other every game.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Sorry to pollute the blog with things relevant to NUFC and not to discuss Lee Clark and Stuart Pearce.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Rob Lee & Beardsley are my 2 favourite toon players of my time supporting the club. But I have to disagree with him a bit on this one.
IMO if we get the chance to sign players of the quality of Shelvey, Townsend and Gini for example, we have to sign them coz those players don’t become available to us all too often.
The priority (IMO) should have been getting rid of the deadwood and making those improvements Lee is referring to.
They should have got rid of the likes of Saylor & Willo and replaced them with quality.
They should have got rid Cisse & Gouffran and replaced them with quality.
The 3 midfielders are all better than what we did, so that can’t be wrong. But not upgrading the ***** in defence and attack, that’s what was wrong.
Sharpy17(Quote)
Sharpy: I always think it is good to get an upgrade in any position but our lot do not seem to be able to walk and chew gum at the same time so they should have been focusing on our greatest need. Actually, they could have done both but as I said they cannot walk and chew gum at the same time.
Eric Sykes(Quote)