By Neil Langer
It was amusing (and disappointing) to hear Gary Neville’s comments on Sky Sports’ Monday night football earlier in the week.
He was almost excusing Man United’s defeat to Brighton by claiming the manager should have been backed in the transfer window.
Yet Newcastle’s draw with Cardiff was just an inexcusable performance and pundits never bring the lack of investment into the equation! If we’d got the Rondon deal done earlier and signed the number 10 and full back Rafa wanted, I’d like to bet things could’ve been different.
Yes we signed seven players and we have improved our squad, but I don’t see how you can defend Mourinho like he’s not been given money to spend on the players he wants over the years (he complains he wasn’t given a centre-back this summer yet his starting pair in Lindelof and Baily were HIS choices, costing him over £60m in recent windows).
Out of the two elite managers, I know who’s been backed less!
Cardiff was a bad day at the office and it is difficult to see any more points soon – with Chelsea, City and Arsenal next – but few would doubt that Rafa will turn it around.
Remember the days under Sam Allardyce, nine months in charge and a 33% win rate; Joe Kinnear’s six months in charge and a 22% win rate; Alan Pardew’s four years of mixed fortunes and 38% win rate; John Carver and a nightmare six months with 15% win rate and let’s not forget Steve McLaren’s nine months at the helm with a paltry 23%.
For the record, after a season in both the Championship and Premiership, and 28 months at the club, Rafas record is 48%.
He’s not just a manager, he’s an ambassador for our club, a club he wants to re-structure through ambition, yet he has probably had less financial backing than his predecessors.
He’s loved by fans and respected by players and perhaps the main reason why we all continue to look forward to the next game with optimism.
Stand by our man through thick and thin – remain UNITED!
You do make some valid points about Neville’s commentary but as an ex Manchester United player he obviously is more passionate about his old club.I have no idea if you have an ex player you feel shows the same passion for Newcastle United.
I think what Neville is trying to say that in this modern era of professional football where football teams are owned by rich arab states and international corporations that if you are going to compete with the mega rich then you have to at least try to compete at a level within whatever financial restraints you have
For Manchester United to continue to be the cash cow for it’s American owners then they have to compete on an equal footing in every competition they are in and win something to appease the fans
Newcastle have done remarkably very well considering the restraints placed upon them by the their owner,who i think would sell them tomorrow if he thought he was going to make a sizeable profit
Tom Bullweed(Quote)