Hello dear reader! It’s been quite some time since I’ve written, with no good excuse to give you. To be honest, I think the reason I’m writing today is that I have come down with Covid-19 again, and without the ability to leave this room I’m in, there’s not much else I can do! So I thought I’d spend some time to check in again, provide an update on some of my thoughts regarding Newcastle, so that we have a more enlightened view than Jeff’s on this website.
Eddie Howe
Eddie Howe gets the first slot in my update, because honestly, this all comes down to him. The players added (which will get to) have been immense, and are key to our 3rd place status, but Eddie came in on day one and completely changed the attitude of the team from top to bottom. Steve Bruce was a bad tactical manager, but was also a bad leader of training. Eddie instilled a rigor that the team badly needed, and it’s one of the things we’re lauded for now that we’re flying. On top of that, he’s remained calm in all of this turbulence. He’s a calming figure on the sidelines, and indeed the training ground, and that’s needed for these young boys who keep hearing how they’re the “bad guys” of the league now. They have come together around Eddie, and are a family, who are able to keep the positive vibes going when there are so many detractors around the league. Tactically, he knows what he wants to do, he is creative in how he gets it (see Joelinton for example) and once he finds the formula, he doesn’t change it. His formation has ALWAYS been the same since day one, and his lineups are following suit – even if a good player comes back from injury and a less prolific player has taken his place to great effect, he will not bring the original player back unless there’s a reason to do so. See Alan St. Maximin for this example. Alan is a difference maker on the pitch, but if the team has broken records for longest unbeaten streak, why change that? To be honest, it’s not gone over well with Alan, and I think we’ll see some anger out of him – but from Eddie’s perspective, it’s all about the team, not one player. And if ASM can’t understand that this winning team is greater than him individually, he can move on.
The Players
To go through every player will take days, so I’ll quickly highlight a few.
Miggy Almiron – the obvious place to start. He’s been Eddie Howe’s biggest victory, and has proven that even players at the highest level NEED TO BE COACHED. I’ve said this for years, and I always pointed to Mourinho’s time at Manchester United as proof. If a manager can’t coach and improve players, the team will languish and go backwards. Eddie has shown that he can take a player like Almiron, tweak his runs, tweak his shooting in training, and unleash a monster. We’ve all always loved Miggy, and his resurgence (not even bringing Jack Grealish into this) has been probably the thing that’s brought the biggest smile to my face all season.
Sven Botman – In all of the new signings we’ve brought on, Sven probably gets the least discussion. But I think he’s quietly proven himself to be the most important signing so far for the new regime. Our defensive record is the best in the league, and we’ve always had a problem finding a center back pairing that’s consistent. Sven is strong, capable, easy with the ball, and just always puts in a shift when needed. He’s the rock of our defense – almost robotic in his consistency – and our defense has been the reason why we haven’t lost games. I’ve never seen this many clean sheets from NUFC, and Sven is a huge reason why.
Bruno Guimaraes – Another new signing – this one who gets ALL the headlines – and usually its justified. Again, Bruno isn’t flashy, he doesn’t crave attention, he just goes about his business and improves the team game in and game out. He has the ability to transition his game from defensive to attacking, he tends to quietly slip around the middle of the pitch and distribute quickly and effectively (the quickness is something we’ve been missing for a long time). But I’ve been most impressed with his desire to defend – he has this habit of celebrating after a big tackle, and is ALWAYS back whentheother team is pressing – something you’ve not seen from Newcastle central midfielders in a while.
Nick Pope – Nick Pope. Of Burger King Twitter fame. Just look into it. This guy’s a legend.
There are stories and chapters to be written for every one of the players who contribute on this team, and hopefully I’ll go into them more in the coming weeks and months – but I have Covid and my fingers are tired.
The Team
So, you add the management and the players together, and you get THE TEAM. The season actually started pretty slow, where after an easy win over Nottingham Forest, we couldn’t lodge another victory all through August and September. A horrible refereeing display at Liverpool saw us lose our first match, and besides that it was just a bunch of hard-fought draws. But then October happened. 6 games, 5 wins and a draw, 16 goals for and 3 against. I don’t think we’ve ever had a better October, and this catapulted us into the top 4. November kept on going, with 7 points out of a possible 9, and now, 3 matches after the World Cup break, we still haven’t lost. We need to start scoring goals again after a couple 0-0 draws, but all is well, and our defense is IMMENSE. We’ve played the Top 7 teams and have only lost 1 match. What’s funny is that when you’re 3rd in the league, you look at matches like Aston Villa and Crystal Palace, and you think they look easy. So we have to now take our good start, and not get cocky and restful, and win the matches we should win. I think we’re also quite thin on our bench, which is noticeable when guys like Jacob Murphy come on in matches – he’s a great, industrious player whom everyone likes, but there’s ZERO finish on his balls, and he just isn’t as good as a top-3 side needs him to be – especially if we get a couple injuries in the 2nd half of the season, and he starts more regularly. So, I think that we need to strengthen in January, or we’ll drop down to 5th or 6th or 7th – which wouldn’t be bad, honestly! We’re all dreaming of a quick return to the Champion’s League now that we’re in 3rd, but I don’t think any of us would have demanded that at the start of the season.
SOOOOO….we go into the business end of the season with some SERIOUS potential, and excitement. I’m having more fun watching this team than at any time over my 20 years of following the Toon, and I can’t get enough.
Howay the Lads, and let’s beat Sheffield Wednesday today, and get serious about a Cup run!
A quick note about Friday’s VERY important win vs. Wolves. I wasn’t able to watch the game, but listened to most of it on the radio. After watching the highlights, Newcastle looked very dangerous, very creative, and very attacking. But hearing everyone describe the match, it sounded like a drab affair, with very little enjoyment by either team. You could have fooled me – but either way, I don’t think any Newcastle fans really care – the three points were enough to make me happy! We are now on 34 points, which is 10 above Burnley, who sit in 18th place. With only 7 matches to go, we are well and truly safe. I don’t see Burnley getting 10 points out of their last 8 matches, but even if they do, we’ll grab enough points to secure our safety. Another quick side note – Burnley’s run in is MUCH easier than Everton’s, so Frankie really needs to be careful. Relegation is truly on the cards if they don’t get some luck. But my point is, we’re safe, we’re strong, and we can all sit back a bit easier and enjoy the last seven matches of the season.
Which gets me to my point.
The last seven matches of Newcastle’s season are VERY important – not for us, mind you, but for a few of the teams we’re playing. Our next three are Leicester at home, Palace at home, and Norwich away. We might be able to officially, mathematically relegate Norwich if the numbers work out – we’ll just have to see. But the following two matches are HUGE. Liverpool at home on 4/30, and Man City away on 5/8. After today’s wonderful 2-2 draw, only one point separate those two clubs. It’s going to go down to the wire with them, and Newcastle get to play them both. Of course, if we can steal points away from either one of them, it’ll be a miracle – but possible with our current form. Even if not, there’s a chance that this season will come down to goal difference, so if we get a drubbing in either of those games, that will truly matter to the season. On the 16th of May we get Arsenal, who might still be fighting for 4th place with Spurs (I don’t think so, but maybe). And then the final match of the season could be a HUGE one – Burnley away. The way it is looking, Burnley and Everton will come down to the wire for relegation – and if we beat Burnley, we could seal their fate. If we lose, Everton might have us to blame!
This season has been a roller coaster for us, and I’m happy with how it’s turning out. But I’m really excited for the last 7 matches – as Newcastle will have a huge say in a number of clubs’ fortune this season. HWTL!
The season is getting on now, and since I last posted, Newcastle have completely turned their fortunes and their season around. The mood is completely different after going 9 matches without a loss, and we head into the “Evil Empire Derby” today looking up, and not down the table. We’re 2 points off from 11th place, and with the number of matches we have left, a top-10 finish is actually possible. Now, I’m not really interested in the final place in the table, but am exceedingly happy that we’re in a position that gives us some comfort, so we can focus on quality rather than scraping out points. But we’ve got the MANAGER OF THE MONTH on our side, so we know we’re walking into this one prepared.
I actually think we’ll lose this match today, as I’ve predicted for our last 9 matches. Wink, wink. But Chelsea have been playing great lately, and it’ll be a tough on at Stamford Bridge – the last match at home before their sanctions start to kick in. The crowd will be right behind them, so our traveling support will have to do their thing and help our boys out.
Joelinton is fit, Bruno has a taste of starting, and Chris Wood is off his goose egg. I think we have set ourselves up nicely for a surprise, but I don’t want to get ahead of myself. We’ll need to hold our midfield VERY well, which is why Joelinton’s participation is important. Their wing backs are terribly dangerous, which means our wide players will do a lot of running today. That being the case, I hope we don’t start ASM, but bring him on as a super sub early in the second half.
Alreet I’m off, let’s hope for another good performance from the boys today. HWTL!!
Okay guys, Newcastle won the winter transfer window, or at least that’s what I keep hearing. But that doesn’t put points on the table. Let’s take a look at what we’ll do now, after we added five players, and with the slate of matches coming straight at our face.
Schedule Analysis:
Chapter 1: We better get some points here:
Everton Home
Villa home
West Ham away
Brentford away
Brighton home
Chapter 2: It’s getting dark…
Chelsea away
Palace home
Spurs away
Wolves home
Leicester home
Norwich away
Chapter 3: Turn out the lights, the party’s over…
Liverpool home
Man City away
Arsenal home
Burnley away
Chapter 4: Wild Card: Postponed Replays…
Everton away
Southampton away
So, above, I’ve separated the chronological schedule into three chapters – and what you notice is that our schedule gets increasingly difficult as time goes on. Which is VERY bad news for us, since we have five new players who we don’t know how to get the best out of. I’m not going to go match for match, but talk about each chapter as a whole.
Chapter 1: We better get some points here. 5 matches, all winnable, but of course we won’t win them all. We currently have 15 points, and while it’s typically said to shoot for 40 for safety, in three of the last four years, 36 points did the trick, and I think this year will be the same. So I’ll keep 21 points in my head as the “magic number.” From these first 5 matches, with 15 available points we need to shoot for 10. That’s 3 wins, 1 draw, and 1 loss. The most obvious combo would be Everton, Villa and Brentford all wins, Brighton at home as a draw, and West Ham away as a loss. Three wins in 5 is something we’ve never done this season, and they are coming QUICK. So that will be tough, but with our new quality, we should be able to set our expectations higher for this team.
Chapter 2: It’s getting dark….We have 6 matches in this chapter, so that’s a total of 18 points. If we get 10 from the first chapter, that means we need 11 more. I’m going to say we need 7 points in this chapter. That could come from wins against Palace at home, and Norwich away. A draw against either Leicester or Wolves could get us to 7 – we could even beat that number if we remain consistent.
Chapter 3: Turn out the lights, the party’s over….Only 4 games left in the season, and 3 of them are against top teams. Per my previous estimates, we’d need 4 points out of these 4 games. By now, our players will understand each other, and can pull off an upset, potentially. So the Burnley game will be a MUST WIN for us – and it might be a relegation Cup Final for all we know. It’s away at Burnley – never an easy place to play – so we might want to start keeping an eye on our goal differential. But that still leaves us needing a draw against City, Liverpool or Arsenal.
Chapter 4: Wild Card: Postponed Replays…I took ZERO points from these two games because I don’t know where they will fit within the schedule. So these will act as fluff around the outside of our strict requirements to stay up…if we don’t hit 10, 7, or 4 points in the previous 3 chapters, we have these TWO matches to make them up. Everton and Southampton are both very possible victories – especially if they’re played at the end of the season and these teams are comfortably mid-table. However, the same could be said for all of our competitors’ games in hand.
So this is just one way to look at it, but if you do, I think it’s possible. Honestly, this first chapter will be VERY hard to achieve 10 points, so we must start out strong against Everton. So now, how do we manage to get these points??
There’s a lot being said about our new signings, and how to use them. Of course, we all wish we had gotten another central defender and striker. But I think the recruitment team did a very good job this January window, and obviously we can’t blame a lack of spending. Now, as I’ve said before, the pressure is ALL on the players. They’ve never had that pressure before, knowing that the owners did all THEY could, so now the players need to respond. It seems like the players have always knew they had a good excuse for playing poorly, which they did. But now, not so much, so let’s go get them, boys.
Here’s how the lineup shakes out for me.
Howe will want to play a 4-3-3, as he is wont to do. So starting with the four defensive players, I think it should be obvious to say the three signings should immediately start. Trippier on the right, Matt Targett on the left, and Dan Burn in the middle. The final central defender will either go to Lascelles or Schar, and I don’t think Howe will bench his previous captain. So that makes it:
Targett – Burn – Lascelles – Trippier
In midfield, we know that Guimaraes will take over the center spot. I think Joelinton needs to play, so I’ll put him on the left. On the right, I’m going to begrudgingly give it to Ryan Fraser, so we can get some service to Wood (more below) but this could be any number of players. Honestly, this was one position that no one really talked about us strengthening in the transfer window, but I always have seen it as a problem.
Joelinton – Guimaraes – Fraser
In attack, I love the idea of Wood being the target man up front, but we MUST learn how to play that way. Obviously ASM needs to play as he’s the only goal supply this season, and I think he needs to forget being a winger, and make strong runs into the middle. On the right, we need another scoring threat – which we don’t have many of – so I’d say either Murphy or Willock until Callum Wilson is fit. He could slot in on the right and get deep inside in attack. This will be a very difficult task for Howe – trying to find the best positions for some of our players who find their roles already filled.
St. Maximin – Wood – Murphy
Honestly, I’m not too happy with this team, and if it were me, I’d prefer a 4-2-2-2 with Joe and Guimaraes at the back, then Richie and Fraser on the wings (Richie is good if not required to play defense) and ASM and Wood pairing up as dual strikers. ASM cannot cross the ball! So I want to get him out of a position that requires that role. He’s been horrible as a striker because he can’t play there on his own. But with Big Woody next to him, I think he could absolutely terrorize defenses.
So there you have it – Can the 4-3-3 that I outlined get 26 points in the remaining matches? It’ll be VERY tight, and my bum isn’t ready for squeaking. But I think it’ll come down to the wire this season.
Today is possibly the most important day in the last 15 years of Newcastle United’s history. This January’s transfer window has been impressive and frustrating simultaneously, and it all culminates today, with Newcastle being on the top of every update list throughout the country and the world. The excitement that DLD brings has escaped us Newcastle fans for a VERY long time, and I’m just so excited to have such an interest this year – the tingling that comes with rumors and signed deals is one of the best parts of being a football fan.
So, let’s get down to business. I’m going to keep updating the blog as we go throughout the day. First, we’ll summarize the deals that are already done, so we know where we stand at the minute.
Kieran Trippier – Came in at the VERY beginning of the window for 12 million pounds. He’s been with us for a couple games now, and has shown his skill and leadership ability. He hasn’t transformed the club, as we’re still losing, but has shown the gap in class that our players have, compared to England internationals. At only 12 mil, I rate this transfer a 9/10.
Chris Wood – After our first match with Trippier, it was clear that we absolutely needed a striker, with Callum Wilson out with an extended injury. We pulled the release clause for Wood’s deal, which saw him come in for 25 million pounds. Now, this is far too much money to pay for a player of Wood’s quality, but 1) it was the only way we could get him quickly, without haggling, and 2) it took Burnley square out of the equation. Of course, they wouldn’t let him go as they lined up a relegation battle with us, so this was a tactical move – plugging a hole quickly and hurting one of our opponents. Because of that, I give it a 7/10.
Bruno Guamaraes – This was a prolonged transfer, but finally officially went over the line over the weekend. We paid 33 million pounds for him, only 8M more than Chris Wood! From what I’ve seen and read, this kid is a present and future superstar, and fills a huge problem area that we’ve had. My immediate reaction to him is that he’s a MUCH better version of Jonjo Shelvey – a central midfielder who sits in the pocket, distributes, gets forward, and plays good defense. I’ve heard he’s a great resource in the locker room, and has what it takes for a relegation battle. There are a couple questions, really only about his ability to translate his skills to the Premier League, which is the case for all international stars, particularly when they come from South America. But all in all, I’m so excited for Bruno to come and help us stay up, I give this 9/10.
10:54 AM ET: So, that sums up where we are. We currently have a few deals that are close, some rumors that fluctuate and so on. But the primary rumors are as follows:
Dan Burn – Central/Left Defender from Brighton. Born and has always supported Newcastle. As tall as a tree, I think 6′-7″. I’m hearing the clubs have agreed, and Dan has now agreed. This will fill the MOST important hole we have – Central Defense. So this one is VERY important.
Matt Targett – A left back who may/may not immediately start. Some backup will be very well received, but he’s probably around the same level as Manquillo. Stay tuned!
Hugo Ekitike – Young Striker from Reims. Tall and skinny with some nice moves, and a bit of an attitude – he reminds me a bit of Aubameyang, so if we get him, we need to make sure he stays focused on the club. But after seeing some YouTube clips of him (dangerous, I know), I’m not pretty excited to see what he can do. I can see him having a big problem translating his skills to the fast and physical Premier League, but he will have time to develop with Callum and Wood in front of him.
Jesse Lingard – This is the big question mark. Obviously a great player, he needs to play well to stay in the England team, and would work well in our team. But what is Man United demanding? This one will be fascinating today.
Dean Henderson – Two teams can only loan each other one player max, so if Lingard doesn’t work out, we might take Henderson on loan. Not sure if he’d walk on in front of Dubravka, but some competition would be good for everyone. Woodman is hoping to go out on loan to get more playing time.
That’s where we are now – I’ll try to keep this thing updated all day! HWTL
11:12: No real update, but I just couldn’t finish the day without saying how hilarious it is that Paul Merson absolutely hates Newcastle, and tries to delegitimize them and their business at every possibility. Of course, he has nothing good to say about any of their deals – even Trippier – but if Lingard comes then OH YEAH it’ll be a wonderful window. I expect more from a professional pundit than I can get from any loser down at the bar. “He on Manchester United and England team. He good. Get him.”
11:15 – update on Hugo Ekitike – NOPE. Commercials as soon as they go to Newcastle. THE INEQUALITY CONTINUES
11:31 – Everton are paying up to 40 MILLION for Dele Alli?? That’s a lot of money for someone who hasn’t been able to make a starting lineup for nearly two years, and has played himself OUT of the England team. I’ll take my Bruno Guamaraes any day of the week!! HWTL!
12:58 – As soon as I go out to run an errand, something big and BAD happens. Ekitike is OUT! The boy wasn’t emotionally ready for the bid to come in, apparently, and he’s still young, so didn’t want to leave his home club and family with such a quick decision. It’s fair, and you have to give the guy some credit, but it’s a blow for Newcastle. Now they’re turning their attention to Jesse Lingard to get his loan deal done before the close of this window. Apparently it’s between us and West Ham, so it’s a HEAD TO HEAD CLASH!
1:24 – Matt Targett loan deal is done! So our defense has taken a massive step forward today. But now I’m seeing that the Lingard deal will NOT happen. I have a feeling that it might have something to do with Greenwood’s future being “in doubt.”…That’s not great news for our attack, and I’m hoping that we still have one rabbit left in the hat…More coming…
2:46 – Meetings are picking up and they’re getting in the way of my Deadline Day…I see Auba’s loan deal to Barca actually went through. Wow!
I’ve forgotten to rate the Targett deal. I’m happy we got a little back-up for our defense, along with some good competition. However, I don’t think he massively improves the quality of the club, and it’s in a position where we actually have a few options. What it might mean, though, is that somebody like Dummett could come in to CB in a pinch. So, the flexibility is helpful. 6/10.
I’ll have to go into a few meetings and will be back out at 5pm ET – just in time for a frenetic last hour of the window. Here we go!
5:24 – Alright out of meetings and Keith Downie giving an update on Sky Sports…sounds like we’re done for the night, as he’s summarizing all transfers. He correctly summarized it as a disappointing transfer deadline DAY after a positive transfer deadline MONTH. Dan Burn is STILL not announced officially, but should be soon. Targett is done. We’re all disappointed that we didn’t get another attacking player today.
Now they’re giving Shay an opportunity to give his opinion – which of course we all respect. He’s mentioning how Newcastle need to stay up first, and then we can take the next “massive” step. I agree with him – as I’m sure most supporters do – I don’t want or need an immediate flip of a switch from relegation fodder to the Galacticos…
Now they’re asking “is it fair?” Give me a break! What isn’t “fair” about a new owner coming in and buying players in the January window? I’m constantly surprised at the low level of discourse in the sports journalism department.
7:56 – Window has been closed for a couple hours. At the end of the night, Newcastle finalized their deal with Dan Burn, which was a fantastic addition. Signing for his boyhood club, he’s a proven defender in the Premier League, and fits the BIGGEST hole that we have had all season. He’s a huge center back and will definitely help us. Is he Diego Silva? Not even close. But he’s an English player who will play his heart out for survival, and has been through these scraps before. In some ways, he’s better than Silva. 8/10.
Let’s be honest – if you would have asked in December if I’d be happy if we brought in these five players, I would have snapped your hand off taking it. On the night, it feels a little disappointing with what happened between Ekitike and Lingard, and not bringing in any additional attacking options. So just like up above, disappointing deadline day, but a very successful window.
Trippier, Wood, Guamaraes, Targett and Burn. We filled holes that we had, we diversified our purchases, we turned down some clubs who were trying to extort us, and we now have a team that, in my opinion, should be able to stay up. The owners did their part, which is something I haven’t been able to say in the past 15 years. Now, it’s finally up to the players. Think about that – for the past 15 years, the players have been off the hook. They know that the whole city hates the owner, he doesn’t spend money, he doesn’t update the training facilities, he doesn’t spend anything more than the bare minimum. Now, it’s the opposite – imagine the mindset of the players when they think “well, now I know that if I don’t perform, I will be replaced.” Before, they could skate by without repercussion for years. No more.
So, our defense has been solidified – nay – remade, with Trippier, Targett and Burn. Our midfield has added one of the most expensive single players in this transfer window. Our attack has a target man again – something we haven’t had since Andy Carroll was still Andy Carroll. We have tools, we have weapons – now it’s up to Howe to make them work together and click. That will be the magic that we need to stay up.
I’m going to give this window an 8/10. That’s possibly a bit generous, but a 7 or even a 7.5 feels harsh. I appreciate these owners, what they’ve done so far, and what they’ve done in this window. I’ve got an anticipation that I haven’t had in YEARS. But, if you look around the bottom of the league – we aren’t the only team who have strengthened. It’s been a real sign of intent from a lot of clubs, including Everton and Burnley. I do think we can, should, and will stay up – but it won’t be easy.
It just seems that there could be no more “Newcastle” story possible than what’s happened over the past few days. Don’t get me wrong, it’s nothing that the club can’t overcome, but we’ll just have to wait and see if they do.
It’s a new era. A new owner has come in, we’re wealthy but made to wait for transfer windows to actually make changes to the squad. But the owners get rid of Bruce. They bring in Eddie Howe, who the entire fan base is excited about – a real manager with real ideas, who is young, energetic, exciting, intelligent. He speaks well, he shows his management skills in multiple media appearances, this guy is exactly what we’ve been missing. (I won’t go into how embarrassingly wrong the national media got the fans’ reaction to the appointment – AGAIN.) Wor Flags is on top of their game, they’re preparing a huge monument to Eddie Howe. Lee Charnley is FINALLY gone. We have two weeks to prepare for the first match, since it’s international break, and OBVIOUSLY not a lot of Newcastle players are on their national teams. Our next match, Howe’s FIRST match, is at home, against a struggling Brentford side, whom we have a chance at beating. All things are going our way, up until and even AFTER Howe’s Friday, pre-match conference. And then….
COVID.
Of course. The football gods just couldn’t give this to us. They couldn’t give the Geordies a perfect weekend. It wouldn’t be Newcastle if something devastatingly bad happened just moments before the weekend kicked off. It was a kick in the pants, blew the wind out of our sails a bit.
But now, we have to see how the boys will react. I have read that Howe will be Zooming each one of the players before the match individually. That makes me think he has already formed strong relationships with them, which doesn’t surprise me in the slightest. It also makes me think that he has to call them because he actually has something to tell them. Do you think Steve Bruce would have bothered to call the players before the match? To tell them what, exactly? “Make sure you eat a big breakfast before the game?”
Part of me wants to think that the boys will play harder for this win now that Howe can’t be there. I’ve only been digesting what the media has been feeding me, but there does seem to be a very strong sense of togetherness in the squad now. I have a feeling that we’ll see a change in the style of play, a change in the attitude (which in all fairness, was good under Bruce – he was a likeable guy, and he kept the dressing room together – that’s the one positive thing I think most fans would say about his management abilities) but most importantly, we need a change in result.
Paul Merson, that smug prick who defaults to crapping on Newcastle, has said that if we don’t get 7 points from the next 4 matches, we’ll go down. I don’t think he’s wrong. Our next four matches are against Brentford, Arsenal, Norwich and Burnley. There’s a world in which we could get 9 or 10 points out of that, so 7 is very doable. But that means today is basically a “must win.” After those four matches, we run into a terrible portion of our schedule where we play Leicester, Liverpool, Man City, Man United, and Everton. If we don’t erase our deficit and even create something of a pad, we might be as good as relegated before March even begins. So these next four matches are as crucial as November matches come.
And we have to play the first two without our new “talismanager” on the sidelines. It’s the most Newcastle thing that could have happened. But this is a new Newcastle, a Newcastle who isn’t afraid of what’s ahead of them, and who have not only the passion, but the cohesion and plan to take it on. HWTL.
Today’s match was another disappointing loss, after we held Chelsea, an obviously far better side than ours, to no goals after halftime. We had very little of the ball in the first half, which was to be expected, and they had a few chances that probably should have gone in, so in effect, we were a bit lucky. But all in all, the boys played well, they played hard, and importantly, they still had wind to keep up with a Chelsea side that were strong, fast, and even without their two top attacking players.
On 64 minutes, there was a bit of confusion, when Graeme Jones wanted to bring on 2 new players, as did Teuchel. But for some reason, Chelsea made their changes and Newcastle didn’t. I’m certainly not saying that it has anything to do with our giving up the first goal, but it was strange enough to make me wonder if any of the players were mentally not right at the time of the goal.
But the game does come down to a very obvious 10-minute spell where we gave up three poor, avoidable goals. Did we deserve to lose the match? Yes. And these three goals show that the Newcastle players – vaulted at times for their tight defense – as an example, in the first half – go through spells of disobedience and exhaustion. I will go through each of the goals.
1-0: James scores a belter from the far right side, leaving Darlow with little chance. But there was one glaring reason why Reece James was able to set up such a beautiful goal – because he had a load of time to himself. You can see that as the buildup was happening along the left wing, James stayed very wide on the right. Ryan Frasier was caught absolutely napping in the middle of the pitch, as the cross came in, and Ritchie tried to clear it out. I want to blame Ritchie for it, but the reality is that James was Frasier’s responsibility, and he was nowhere near him when the ball fell to his feet. James was able to take three touches before crushing it in at the far post.
2-0: James scores a nearly identical goal, this time after Almiron has come on for Frasier. This is depressingly similar, but this time the pace of the buildup was faster, and through the middle. Almiron had just pressed forward and was now slow to get back, not even close to the defensive play which, as a box to box midfielder, he must be prepared for. Almiron sprinted back to defend James in duress, but was winded after his first shot was deflected back to him, and then provided James with plenty of time for him to easily slot home his second.
3-0: A penalty was set up by a nice, but very simple run by Kai Havertz. It’s the oldest play in the book, with a flat back 3, Havertz set up shop just inside the left central defender. Lascelles was facing the wrong way, and as soon as he realized this, he back-pedaled to make up for his lack of vision. Obviously, this created a gap between him and the right central defender, to where Havertz immediately made his run. Because Clark (the worst defender on our team, from what I can tell) played him onside during his run, he was straight in on goal, and Darlow very clearly fouled him in the box.
These three goals were simple for Chelsea. The first two, mistakes by two different players in the same position, were due to a lack of speed and positioning by our wide midfield players. The third goal was due to a very nice pass by Chelsea, and a slight mistake by Lascelles. These “slight” mistakes are all you need when you play in the Premier League. Newcastle are not drilled well enough in defense, they’re not fit enough to maintain their composure in the second half, and they’re not passionate enough to defend with vigor and aggression. This doesn’t even mention how poor they are with the ball, so poor that any discussion of offensive tactics is irrelevant. I wish we could talk about why Newcastle play a formation best suited for a controlled build-up, when we don’t have the right players in positions suited for possession, but the reality is that we have the ball for so little time, they can’t even get into any designated shape. If the goal is to counter-attack in a 3-5-2 formation, then the players will need to know the difference between a counter-attacking long pass and a “hoof,” which clearly they do not, and ASM, our best player by a mile, will need to learn to pass the ball when necessary and stay in the position his role dictates.
There’s such a long way to go with this team, it’s hard to describe. I know Graeme is saying all of this to his team, and far more intelligent and nuanced direction. But if our players can’t even grasp the notion of a basic shape, then we have no hope. Brighton next week – the same Brighton who matched up very well against the closest competitor to the team who destroyed us today. Graeme Jones had always gotten a pass with Brucey around to blame. And I do give him credit for ratcheting up the fitness and training regiment of this team. But next week will be his third week in charge (if another manager doesn’t come in by then – I don’t even want to get into that) and if we don’t look A) better organized and B) different somehow, his luster will have completely come off by the final whistle.
Basically a week ago, we were down in the doldrums, the numb of being a Newcastle supporter as dull as ever, the pain so ripe from a vacant owner, a clueless manager, a frustrating squad, and a decision that we, as Newcastle supporters, seemingly had to make on a daily basis: How long can I keep this up? Seriously, the past fourteen years had gotten progressively worse, and as we all looked at this relationship that we had with the club, we all knew that it was getting looser and looser, and all because of one man. And that man wasn’t Steve Bruce.
Sure, there were days when we’d score a goal and draw at home, and we’d feel like there might be hope. We heard the occasional news story about the takeover “still having hope” and we all thought, “Well, good thing I still have those cans in the refrigerator, but honestly who really believes any of this shit anymore?” We were sure that even though we’d have the occasional spark of joy that we once had so often, in general, the club, and our love for it, was on life support. Mike Ashley, in his efforts to ring every last penny out of the club for himself that he possibly could, had ruined our club, smothered our dreams, and turned our club into a zombie – simply walking along, dead, vaguely looking for any brains they could eat.
It’s so hard to write something down that encapsulates every emotion and every thought I’ve been feeling and thinking over the past week, month, year, fourteen years. It’s impossible. But I want to try to give my take on the takeover, and what I REALLY want to do is to try to do it without cliche, and get to the bottom of some assumptions that a lot of people have glossed over during the past week, when our club quickly went to the laughing stock of world football to the wealthiest, most evil club in footballing history. Settle in, grab a glass of red (or ale) and try to stay awake through it all. Either that or go watch this. Or this. Or this. Or this. Or this. (Seriously, watch that last one. Mint.)
So, Are we Evil Now?
Newcastle United were bought by a Sovereign Wealth Fund owned by the Saudi Arabian monarchy. This is the reality. Now, we Newcastle supporters need to decide if we can still be supporters of the club with this new reality. I have struggled a lot with this – not only lately, but during the entire 18 months of “almost takeover.” We all know of the atrocities committed by the Saudi Arabian state. It’s not just the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, which is horrendous and inexcusable. It’s also their unjust punishments including torture, it’s their systematic discrimination against women, it’s their bigotry towards the LGBTQ community, it’s their lack of any real fair press, it’s many things. And the most unfortunate thing for us is that the man in charge of these atrocities is really also in charge of the PIF, who is the majority owner of Newcastle now. So we’re REALLY close to that. There can be no denying that they are “bad guys” and we are now owned by “bad guys.” Does that make Newcastle United “bad guys?”I know people who have stopped supporting Newcastle because of this development, and I absolutely respect their decision and understand their sentiment. I can’t condone mostly anything that the Saudi Government do to their people and how they run their country. It honestly makes me sad to know that we’re owned by this group, and I wish it wasn’t the case. But now I have to choose – Do I want to continue supporting the club that I’ve supported for nearly twenty years? The club who have guided me through learning about international football and helped me develop a love for this sport? The club who has created numerous memories for me like:
Being at St. James’ Park with my father for a match on April 15th, 2018 to see a 2-1 win vs. Arsenal
Watching Cheick Tiote(RIP) score a belter to equalize against Arsenal in the 87th minute after coming down from 4-0 at halftime with my 8-month old son sleeping in my arms
Watching with pride as our side, already relegated, beating Tottenham 5-1 on the last day of the season, with the fans singing Rafa’s name the entire match, and hearing Rafa talk about how that environment, the love from those fans, was the reason why he knew he should stay and fight with us in the Championship.
None of these moments are evil. The highest highs in this sport is when the game transcends sport, and effects you on another, more human level. I have had many of these moments as a Newcastle supporter, and they are what tie me to the club. There have been FAR more lows than highs in my 20 years of support, and each low has made me question the time, money and effort I expend in following this team. And as I look back on all these years and moments, I realized: I didn’t follow Mike Ashley. I didn’t buy Mike Ashley shirts (even though my money went to him…) I didn’t connect with Mike Ashley. I connected with the club, the team, the athletes, the fans, the stadium, the atmosphere. These days, I connect with Jeff on this blog, and in the countless texts we write in commiseration. I connect with my friends here in DC who watch the matches with me every weekend, being the only fans in the bar, or the only Newcastle fans in a sea of our opponents’ fans. We have fought to hang on to this love, and we each have our own reason for it, but it’s there, and we’re all dedicated to our club – not the owners of our club. I would assume that every other fan feels similar – Chelsea fans don’t support Chelsea because of Roman Abramovich, and sure hope that Manchester United fans don’t support their club because of those weasels the Glazers. (Although I do know one Leicester supporter who loves the Foxes because of their owners, and more power to them, because those guys are KINGS. RIP Khun.) We all love our clubs because of a personal history we have with them, and people come and go (players, managers, owners, tea ladies) but the CLUB is who we support. I also love the Cubs, the Bears, the Bulls, the Blackhawks, and the Fighting Illini, and there are positives and negatives for all of these teams – but I’m there with them, and I always will be.
As an American, non-native to Newcastle, supporter, I have another layer of questionability towards my sustained support of the club. Nothing is holding me to them. I have no family ties. I have no geographic ties. I literally MADE A DECISION at some point, as most American fans do. I wish I had a natural connection to some team, but when I got into football, I didn’t. So I chose Newcastle (and I think I’ve written about my decision in a previous post, but can’t remember). There were reasons, but more than that, there was a feeling. And now, they’re a part of me, just as the Cubs and Bears are a part of me, and they have been a part of me for the past fourteen years of shite, and I can’t just turn it off because a new owner came in. So if this makes me evil, then I guess I’m evil. But I don’t think it does. I don’t think it makes ANY Newcastle supporter evil. If anything, it makes the Premier League evil, as they are the ones who allowed it(they allowed it because the Saudis did a deal for more TV money through BeIN sports, and nothing more. Yes, that was the reason why it was held up – it had NOTHING to do with humanitarian rights, it was all about TV money), they’re the ones who have allowed it before (UAE), they’ve already proved that they’re only interested in money, and the owner’s and directors test is a FINANCIAL test, not a humanitarian one. Should this be changed? Yeah, probably. If it’s changed, and our owners get kicked out, will I be upset? Not necessarily. Again, I don’t need to be the richest team in the world, I just want a team who competes and invests in football.
But now everybody thinks we the fans are evil, and as far as I can tell, it’s for either one reason or another: because the owners are evil, or because now we’re really, really god damn wealthy. I want to go one by one, quickly:
Evil:
Newcastle fans can’t control who owns their club, just like Chelsea fans can’t control being owned by a Russian gangster, Man City can’t control being owned by a different ethically questionable middle-eastern government (sound familiar?), Man United and Liverpool can’t control being owned by…shudder…Americans.
Do any fans feel connected to their owners? (Besides Leicester fans.) I don’t know what it’s like to be a support of any club besides Newcastle. I know that when Sir John Hall owned the club, we weren’t supporters because of him. When Freddy Shephard took over, we weren’t supporters because of him. When Mike Ashley bought it, we weren’t supporters because of him. It’s the CLUB we support, not the owners.
The phrase “sports washing” has gotten thrown around a lot lately, and I see why. The fact is that the atrocities continually being committed by the Saudis have gotten more attention over the past week than they have in the past year. If they want to double down on their evil, they’d retract, like North Korea. Looking outward, becoming more open and public and involved – I don’t see how that, in and of itself, can be a bad thing. Exposing your weaknesses…Either we, as “the good guys” either turn our back and reject them, or we try to give them a seat at the table to change. The Premier League has already accepted money from Abu Dhabi, China, Russia, etc – so how is Saudi any different?
I haven’t heard any Newcastle fans making excuses for the Saudi owners. But I have seen some of them make light of the atrocities, and even make some pretty bigoted jokes towards some of their cultural traits, which is just stupid. I can still be proud of the football club that I’ve supported for 20 years, and I can be proud of my history supporting the club. But I’m always going to be honest with myself and others about the owners’ negative traits. I hope that Newcastle supporters around the globe will do the same.
Wealthy:
The Top 6 clubs who are upset by this takeover are morally bankrupt. They don’t have the right to weigh in on what is best for the Premier League or any of the clubs, because if it were up to them, they would have already left the Premier League in the dust, for their own profits. Maybe this has a little something to do with why they were interested in that super league??
Jurgen Klopp recently said that this takeover is the same as the Super League that was just roundly rejected by fans. That has to be one of the stupidest comparisons I’ve ever heard, and is disappointing coming from him. The Super League idea was a conscientious attempt to rid certain clubs of any risk by removing them from the competition that exists in club football. This takeover is exactly the thing they were trying to protect themselves from. They know, that as a member of the “chosen few,” they are not immune from other clubs pumping as much (or more) money into a club as they do, and they realize that it’s just that simple. Money is everywhere, and any club can come in, be bought, and kick them off the top of the mountain. Newcastle has done just that, and they’re scared. This takeover was done in the same manner that all other takeovers happened – a new owner, more wealthy than the last, came in and bought the first guy out. That’s it – they’re all the same. This one just happened to have been done by a group that is FAR more wealthy than the current owners of other clubs, but in theory, there’s nothing different about it. Sorry Jurgen, you’re just going to have to try harder now. (Or come to Newcastle.)
None of the big clubs’ owners are poor, and none of them spend ALL the money they have on the club. They can all spend more than they do. Just because Newcastle are 11x richer than Man City’s owners (hehehe) doesn’t mean we’ll spend 11x the amount on players, or mean we’ll be 11x better automatically. It only means that we’re a part of their “exclusive” club, and we’re VERY happy that they’re upset about that. But the reality is that Newcastle aren’t automatic winners because of this, it just means they’re part of the club. From here, we’ll have to buy well, develop the system, and become a good, quality football club if we want to compete at the highest level with all the rest. Just like PSG and Man City have done. Is anyone angry that Man City has brought the best manager and some of the best players in the world to England, and made the Premier League the best football league in the world? Nope.
We’ve got our club back
I’m not a fan of this statement, and I don’t agree with hit every time its uttered by a Newcastle supporter. I know that there actually WAS a time where we HAD our club – when Newcastle United was actually united and owned by a collection of local individuals. For over a hundred years, Newcastle were a publicly traded company, owned by a mixture of shareholders, until Sir John Hall and Freddy Shepherd bought a majority share of the club in 1997. Ever since that, we’ve never really liked the owners, and have never had a real say in what they did with the club. But the winds in football were changing in the nineties, and we were able to compete and play in Europe due to their buying power. The fans’ relationship with the club changed at that point – much as all fans’ relationships with their club changed during that time. Manchester United went through a very similar transformation. Man U still operates on the stock market, but it’s not as though shareholders have a say in what happens. If that were the case, Oly wouldn’t be around anymore, surely.
Anyway, when Mike Ashley came in in 2007, we supporters were actually thrilled. Shepherd had leveraged the club well beyond his means, and we were getting strung out due to irresponsible purchases (Hello, Michael Owen) and something had to change. Mike Ashley swooped in, wore a kit to the matches, drank with the fans, promised to spend big and get us back into Europe, and we all thought things were looking up. But just because an owner HAS money doesn’t mean they will spend that money on the club, and Mike Ashley made a point to prove that to the world. The rest is history – pocketing money from transfers, not investing in players, not investing in facilities, not putting a hierarchy in place, going silent on social media, pinning “Sports Direct” signs up throughout all Newcastle buildings, selling off property around the stadium…the list goes on and on – he didn’t have the best interests for the club in mind. It because clear, very quickly, that he was out to make money for himself, and damn the club and the fans.
So, now that Mike Ashley’s gone, (good riddance) the fans have sung a common refrain of “We’ve got our club back.” But do we? We have another owner who has come in, more wealthy than Mike Ashley, and has created a new dawn. Do we have the right to be optimistic and happy to see a fresh face? Yes. Has Amanda Stavely said all the right things so far, to make us believe that they will run the club in a better fashion, with winning as the priority? Yes. But let’s not think that “We” as fans have any say in what goes on in the process. We can do what we’ve always done – create fan groups, be vocal in the media, stitch flags and banners that express our opinions – but beyond that, we’re still at the mercy of our owners.
It’s Not About the Money
Mike Ashley is a rich man. But while he owned Newcastle, that didn’t automatically turn into investment, let alone success. Mike decided that for him to personally make money, the best route was to go low: limit spending, and keep whatever payments there were. And there were plenty: ticket sales from one of the most loyal fanbases in the country, jersey and merchandise sales through his own Sports Direct stores, television deal money which has become the bread and butter of Premier League owners. None of that ever got put back into the club. He starved the club of any investment beyond that absolute bare minimum to keep us limping along in the Premier League (so that he could get the financial benefits of being in the Premier League) and never attempted to try to win anything greater than that, because it would have required additional investment.
So when we were purchased by the wealthiest owners in all of global professional sports, of course this is exciting for Newcastle fans – but we’ve already been taught that money doesn’t always buy success. It’s about the structure of the club, the ambitions of the club, and particularly the owner and their team, which defines success. Mike Ashley was never about winning, he was just about making profits for himself. So the takeover has more to do with seeing the back of Mike Ashley than it does with the front of the Saudi team.
Newcastle fans want a club who will compete at whatever level they are at. We don’t need to win everything, we certainly don’t need to win IMMEDIATELY. We simply want a team with ambitions which match the level that we’re at and the ability of the ownership. Mike had the money to build a winning team, he just chose not to. Now, we have owners who have enough money to win Champions League titles, so this will eventually become our ambition. We know it won’t happen overnight, and frankly, I don’t want it to. But I do want a club who is well-run, who will purchase players better than we have with the money that we make from being in the league (and more), and who continually wants to improve the on-pitch product. Period. That’s what a football club is. We’re not a paper company. We’re not here to buy something for a dollar and sell it for two. We’re a football club, and being a football club means that you want to win AT FOOTBALL. And that’s what we want in our future.
The Curious Case of Mike Ashley and the Disappearing History
One of the more frustrating and numbing parts of Ashley’s reign was how he paid zero respect to the honor and proud history of the club. No matter what Arsenal supporters say, Newcastle United are a huge club. We’re a huge part of the city of Newcastle and we mean a lot to all those hard working Geordies who are well known for their hard work and warm hospitality. Newcastle have been in the top 10 of top flight points since 1911, and have never left it. (I might be wrong, but I think only Liverpool can say the same.)
Even in recent history, Newcastle were “the Entertainers,” led by Kevin Keegan, Terry McDermott, and of course, the great Alan Shearer. We were in the Champions League as recently as 2003 (We lost 2-0 and 3-1 to them, but THE LEGEND Shola Ameobi scored a goal that no Toon supporter will ever forget).
Alan Shearer is the all-time leading goal scorer in the Premier League. When the club were about to get relegated, Mike Ashley hired him to get the fans off his back, when he wasn’t ready for the task. We went down, Shearer and Ashley got into an argument, and Ashley completely turned his back on Alan, and cut official ties with him. When Shearer had a statue erected outside of St. James Park, it wasn’t just outside the park, it was beyond the property line of the park. Mike Ashley wouldn’t support its purchase, and wouldn’t even allow it to be installed on the grounds. It was Freddey Shepherd’s estate who funded the statue, and Newcastle United never even commented on it.
When Kevin Keegan took charge for the second time in 2008, he had a tough start, but eventually kept the club up with the help of my boy Obafemi Martins. The next season (shortly after another disappointing transfer window – sound familiar?) he either left or was sacked, and the fans, who loved King Kev, protested at the ground. Keegan effectively sued Newcastle United on the grounds of unfair dismissal, citing numerous purchases of players that Keegan did not support or sanction, but was pushed through by Ashley and then director of football, Dennis Wise. These deals included the signing of Nacho Gonzalez (remember him?), Xisco (another winner) and a rejection for Bastian Schweinsteiger (who of course, went on to Chicago Fire fame soon after). Keegan ended up winning that court battle, and was awarded £10MM.
These are two very good examples of how Mike Ashley has either ignored, or willfully harmed Newcastle United’s relationship with its history and heros. Alan Shearer is a man of great integrity, who is known for his level-headedness and love for Newcastle, and while he is struggling with the morality of the new owners, he has never let anyone think that he’s not THRILLED that Ashley’s gone.
Steve Bruce
Oh, boy. Steve Bruce. The big talking point. I honestly don’t know where to start on this one, but I want to cover it, once and for all. I don’t think Brucey will be around Newcastle for too much longer (although he WILL be in the dugout tomorrow) so I want to be sure I say my piece before its too late.
Steve Bruce is a good man. He’s a nice guy, he has a LOT of friends all over the sport, and from everything I can tell, he’s just a great dude. I would LOVE to hang out with Steve Bruce, get some pints, share some stories, and hear how he has taken this whole thing. I have a hunch that Steve Bruce hates Mike Ashley even more than we do, because he knows him better, and knows EXACTLY how inept and evil he is. I believe Bruce when he says he loves the club, I’m absolutely sure that he does. (Even though why IN HELL would a Newcastle fan manage Sunderland? That’s a stain, Steve. A stain on your house.) But when his tenure at Newcastle does come to an end, I have a feeling that after a long vacation, away from the media, Steve will come back with some ZINGERS about Mike Ashley, and we fans might end up feeling a bit bad for how harshly we’ve treated him over the years.
Let me make one thing very clear: NEWCASTLE FANS DON’T HAVE IT OUT FOR STEVE BRUCE. The national English media seem to think that he’s done something personal to us, and we don’t judge him fairly. Either that, or they think Newcastle fans are so diluted to think that we always “deserve” better or something. Maybe they think that we aren’t smart enough to see a good manager when one comes along. They think that he’s a solid Premier League manager who “knows how to keep teams up” and we should be happy that he’s managing us. All of this is incorrect, and I’m so tired of hearing the national media 1) take the piss out of Newcastle supporters who want him out and 2) support him without actually highlighting any facts. The reality is that since he’s such a great guy, all the pundits are his friends (rightfully so) and they want to see him happy. I get that, but you guys have a job to do. DO YOUR JOB. Call a spade a spade, and hold him to the same standards you hold everyone else to. When Nuno came in to Tottenham and lost two games in a row, the media was already saying he couldn’t handle the spotlight.
The reality is that Steve Bruce is not a good manager. We need to look at the facts, and they’re pretty clear.
Steve Bruce’s career winning percentage is 37.6%. Pep Guardiola’s, by contrast, is 76.31% – over TWICE that of Brucey’s.
Steve Bruce’s time at Newcastle has yielded his WORST EVER winning percentage from any of his managerial tenures. He’s only won 29.4% of his games at Newcastle, so he actually did more harm to us than he did to Sunderland. Take a look at this Shields Gazette Article for more detail on this.
Out of his TEN jobs in mangement, he’s resigned 7 times, almost each of these times having failed to meet expectations. He’s been relegated twice, and has won zero trophies. He’s left on good terms with only two of his clubs, the latest being nine years ago.
I don’t mean to rub it in or disparage Steve Bruce. And I WANT to like the man. I WANT him to do well in Newcastle, because every fan would love to have a hometown manager who does well. But the fact is, he’s had his chance, and he failed. He continues failing us, and he WILL continue failing us if he gets more opportunities. This season has started in the worst possible way, with zero wins taken from some very winnable games. Now, we have a REALLY tough schedule coming up, and I have no hope that Bruce can take this team and make winners out of them. Here are my list of comments on the manager, in succinct, bullet-point format, so we’re not here all day:
He doesn’t know his best eleven
He doesn’t know his best players
He doesn’t know what lineup he prefers
He plays players out of position CONSTANTLY
He never substitutes in time before the game is already gone
He makes terrible, confounding substitutions during games
He plays a negative, overly defensive style of football
He doesn’t know how to transition from the negative football when he does have a good attacking player
He doesn’t support the club when speaking to the media
He can’t convince Mike Ashley to spend money on players (this one is not really his fault)
His signings are ineffective
He continually starts players that don’t seemingly deserve to be starting
He talks about how he’s just trying to do enough to stay in the Premier League, without any further ambition
The Newcastle supporters who are hopeful for his sacking are not out to get him, they’re just informed. They pay attention to every match more than the national media do, and they know every little thing that Steve Bruce does and says. And after that entire body of evidence, Newcastle supporters across the board have, in unison, demanded his removal. But Mike Ashley won’t listen to Newcastle supporters, and that makes us EVEN MADDER at Steve Bruce – because it almost seems like they’re in cahoots. Of course, they aren’t, but sometimes it seems that way.
As I said before, the reality probably is that Steve is just doing the best he can. He’s not a good manager, and he probably knows that. But he’s not going to quit, and I credit him for that. He’s also not able to buy the players he wants because Ashley is so cheap – so you can’t blame him there. If he’s not given players, and he isn’t a good manager, we’re going to lose – just like we have been. But honestly, wishing for his removal, and hurling personal insults at him are two different things, and I wish that some Newcastle fans would just back off the man and leave him his dignity. He’s earned it by not talking behind the club’s back during his tenure – because we all know he probably wants to spout off about Ashley even more than we do.
Bruce is going to get his 1,000th match in management tomorrow vs. Tottenham. That makes me happy because he’s a good guy, and he’ll get that honor leading out his boyhood club. But it also makes me angry because he doesn’t deserve to be in that job, and it might lead to yet another loss. But let’s not let it spoil a day where we should be celebrating and looking optimistically toward the future.
Summary
I love Newcastle United, as anyone who knows me knows. I’m a fan of sports, a fan of football, and this is my club. I’ve lived through fourteen years of pain, disappointment, and being the butt of many, many jokes. There have been so many times where I’ve asked the question “Why am I supporting this team?” and the reason always was that 1) I can’t STOP supporting them, and 2) I knew that the clouds would someday pass, and we would become the team that I fell in love with. Well, that time has come, and I hope that a great future lies ahead for our football club. I hope that we find success on the pitch so that all the other supporters feel happiness and togetherness, and we create great football for the world to see. Am I happy about being owned by an evil regime? Of course not, and I wish we didn’t have to jump out of the frying pan just to land in the fire. But you know what? Of course this would happen to Newcastle.
Hey all! It’s another EXCITING transfer deadline day in the English Premier League! All of the intrigue, the drama, the BIG BUSINESS that these teams do to try their hardest and boost their club to achieve the absolute most in this wonderfully competitive league is always a joy to watch! EVERY CLUB, including (of course) Newcastle, is grinding it out, trying to one-up their rivals and it all comes to a boiling point on the last day of August. So here we go, you Maggies! This season, just like them all, is going to be really competitive, when we go up against some of the best teams in the world of club football. So we all know that Mike Ashley and Steve Bruce and “the boyz” (LOLZ) are pounding those Red Bulls to give it their all!
So, I won’t waste another minute, before getting into all the exciting MEAT!! Below is the exhaustive list of all the players I think Newcastle will bring in before the door shuts on deadline day, to make our team as competitive as possible with all the other clubs!
Welcome back to the blender, everybody. It’s been a short summer, with the Euros bridging the gap between seasons. I really enjoyed the Euros, particularly seeing when my boy, Graeme Jones, got camera time next to Gareth. I also imagined how Joelinton watched the Euros – probably similar to me, on the couch, wishing he was on the pitch. I think Joelinton and I have a lot more in common than one may initially think. But to the Newcastle.
Basically, the way I read my hopes for this season is as follows: Since the only positive transfer news we made over the summer was to stitch our team back together as it was at the end of last season, (Goodbyes to Andy Carroll, who, I think, is now on a Sunday League team, and Muto, we never even knew ya) by purchasing Joe Willock in a long term deal, my hope is that we can pick up and push on from where we finished last season. If you remember from my end-of-season post, we finished quite strongly in the spring. My theory for this is that we had Joe Willock who filled the hole of productive attacking midfielder who can actually finish a ball, combined with the team beginning to crystalize around Graeme’s “concepts,” combined with our first team finally getting healthy at the same time. (You do have to give Bruce a bit of credit that Covid was harsh on our team last year. Some might say it’s part of the manager’s job to keep his crew educated and healthy, but these circumstances were a bit different last year.)
Graeme came in in January, and after a few weeks, you could see a different energy in the team. Bruce had always done a good job of keeping the team together as a unit, but Graeme was able to take that emotional positivity and turn it into tactical positivity. The addition of Joe Willock’s positivity put the keystone in the arch, and we had a very positive close to the season.
Then summer came, and a bunch more talk about the takeover happened. This time, I don’t think anyone really believed any of it, but nevertheless, it distracted our club enough where no business was done. (A new stat came out showing how Ashley is – far and away – the least invested manager in the Premier League over the last ten seasons. It’s all just so sad.) The one piece of business we did do was an important one – to bring Joe back on a long term deal, rather than a loan. So now we have the band back together, Graeme has a summer of successful international coaching (and garnering of respect from many of the best players in the world) under his belt, we have a more-or-less healthy club, (looking at you, Dubravka)(by the way, Dubravka got a RAW DEAL with that goal he let in at the Euros. Was it a good goal? Absolutely not. But I don’t think many of the critics thought much about how disorienting and geometrically complicated that situation was. I give my boy credit, and I stick with him. If that goal dissuades other teams from offering a boat load of money for him, that goal could be the best thing that could have happened to Newcastle for this season.) and I think there’s no reason we can’t regain the form we finished last season with.
This season, the obvious difference will be having the fans back in the stadiums. As many people pointed out last season, for Newcastle, this might be a problem. If we start strong as I mentioned, our fans will get behind us, and it could push us on to make us tougher for other teams than they can imagine. But if we get into a funk, boy, those home fans can be hard on the team, and many of these young players will be negatively affected by it. Couple that with the growing hatred for the owner and the associated hatred for Steve Bruce (I believe that if Bruce was the manager under a different owner, he wouldn’t be hated nearly as much) we could have a very big challenge on our hands.
So long story short, my prediction for this season is that we are not going to light the world on fire. But if we play like we did at the end of last season, that might be enough to put us mid-table, and if we stay healthy and fixtures fall right, we could be in the 9-12 slots, taking positive steps. Howay the Lads!!
(By the way, Everton visit Newcastle on February 9th, 2022. This will be the first time that Rafa comes back to SJP, and there will be fans filling the ground. This also comes at a time when NUFC are typically in a post-holiday funk, and confidence is at its lowest. Bruce better PRAY that our fans aren’t on his back at this time, or there could be a very nasty scene. Personally, I’m not looking forward to that match.)
The Newcastle Review 