chicago_shearer

Our recent history seems to be fairly common knowledge for a small club doesn't it?  In fact every journalist, pundit and failed businessman seems to have an opinion.

Even if Everton were interested in replacing Yakubu or Saha and could afford his wages, I just don't think Owen gains a lot by playing for Everton instead of Newcastle.  It isn't automatically going to get him back in the England picture or Champions League, he certainly won't get more money (or anything like it) and he would burn his bridges with Liverpool.

To be honest, he hardly needs the money anyway.  He'd be better off staying put and showing a little leadership in the squad.  If he feels frustrated with the lack of quality around him (as he should), if he wants to get back in the England team (as he should), he should bloody well sign a new contract and make it clear that he expects his manager and his owner to match his own ambition. 

He should take a pay cut.  A gesture to the management and the supporters.  It would be a great PR move for him, and it would give him leverage to demand changes at the club (like a captain should).  If he wants to stay, he should be angry with what has been going at the club, and he shouldn't be afraid to speak up.  I'd respect him more if he did. 

I still rate Owen, I like him as a player, but he has to understand his own situation.  Who is he going to sign for if he doesn't sign for us?  Not the top 4, who all have better and probably don't want him on anything like his current wage deal.  Villa, who won't pay his wages and might not need him either?  Spurs, who might not pay his wages either and are no better off than we are?  Everton, I doubt it?  Wigan?  Abroad, away from the horsies? 

Owen needs to start thinking realistically about his own career.  He should have an interest in staying and helping this club to improve. 

Is this Relegation-ometer being taken after every match?

 

Expect the only values to be either 10 or 1.

If we can't beat Stoke at home then a 10 is more or less justified.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/w/wigan_athletic/7759399.stm

 

Wigan want to cash in on Heskey.  Short term deal, better than Ameobi, adds strength up front that we lack, weakens a rival and will bag a few goals.  No time to get snooty, if we don't nab him then someone else in our position will and he'll score for them instead. 

 

Martins, Owen, Viduka, Ameobi, Smith, Xisco, Carroll for the two strikers roles

Small, small & weak & probably leaving, permainjured, s***, s***, probably leaving & s***.

But yeah, we need a CM too.  Desperately.  This isn't an either/or.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/w/wigan_athletic/7759399.stm

Wigan want to cash in on Heskey.  Short term deal, better than Ameobi, adds strength up front that we lack, weakens a rival and will bag a few goals.  No time to get snooty, if we don't nab him then someone else in our position will and he'll score for them instead. 

I don't think its quite the certainty it was a few months ago, because Kinnear has lifted the spirits at the club. People are giving him a hard time, but most good managers wouldn't touch us with a bargepole just now and he deserves a lot of credit for getting on with the job.

 

I'm not in the slightest bit bothered about the things he says in public. If anything, I think his rants are a good thing and could even be deliberate to promote a togetherness mentality, which is what is needed.

 

 

Good point, I think its about time a Newcastle manager used the bias and negativity in the press to the club's advantage.  If I were Kinnear I'd have every last one of these spiteful, negative articles like the match report in the Guardian pinned to the wall in the dressing room. 

What we need is some good old fashioned panic buying in January.  Or if not complete panic, at least a far greater sense of urgency than financial prudence.  Assuming Ashley is still prepared to invest in this club, money and reputation (what's left of it) are the advantage we still have over the others in the relegation fight.  It's what allows us to still attract players like Jonas, Coloccini etc.  There are no excuses for how thin this squad is on quality and numbers.  I'd be more than happy to pay over the odds for some top drawer talent that would still be out of the financial reach of Stoke, Hull, Wigan etc. if it gives us an advantage.  People may bristle at the idea of buying your way out of a crisis in January (Tore Andre Flo  ) but the needs need addressing ASAP.  If the choice is 5 more months of Butt & Guthrie in a relegation battle or taking a gamble in the transfer window, I'll roll the dice every time because spunking too much money on an experienced foreign merc that does a serviceable job in midfield is considerably less expensive than relegation. 

I would have put it much higher than a 4 if it had not been for the Villa match.  That lets me cling to the hope that there may be something like a decent team in there somewhere.  If we can get that team to show up 6 or 7 times before the end of the season then we will be OK.  A lot will depend on this Stoke result.  You can't muck about in fixtures like that, it is absolutely crucial we take 3 points.

http://www.thespoiler.co.uk/index.php/newcastle-relegation-predictor

 

I have us safe at 45 points, trusting on a good home record.

 

I have us going down and I think it's on the cards tbh.

 

yes, it is, if we don't start winning very very soon...battling draws are all well & good but they won't keep you up

I have us on 46. 

Wheyse Keyse at it again - who heard this chanting? She's obviously upset about Woyston.

 

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2008/nov/30/premierleague-newcastleunited

 

f***ing hell, she's obsessed.

At least she gave Bassong MotM.

The worst part of the article isn't the biased content, but her atrocious excuse for professional writing.  Loaded with cliches as well as the bizzare phrase "fleeting whiff of Islamophobia" which makes racially motivated chanting seem like a lingering fart. 

4.  Possible, but this is a critical time of the season.  The league table doesn't lie, there are absolutely no excuses and if we were a good team we would be higher.  But the strugglers will be separated from the mediocre over the next few weeks.  I think this team might be good enough to get out of the mess before it gets serious, but im not confident. 

If we don't beat Stoke, I'll bump that up to 6 or 7.  If you can't beat Stoke or Wigan at home then you deserve to go down.

I could see it being Forest with the Kinnear connection.  Those sort of fixtures seem to happen.  Just so long as it isn't a top 4 side I'll be happy.  Someone shit and easy would be nice.

Keegan never wanted to get Ameobi playing, there's a difference.

 

Another reason we're fortunate to be rid of him iyam.

 

This is Shola's year.

Every year is Shola's year.  We could sign a forward pairing of RvN & David Villa and Shola would still find a way to make an appearance at some point.  He is like life itself...he always finds a way.

Bolton, Fulham, Wigan occupying 7th, 8th and 9th. Mental.

 

Just shows you how a few wins can transform the season. Reason for hope.  

Currently 8 points between relegation and the CL spots.  It is guaranteed to be a lot more than that after the New Year, and we need to make sure we stay up close to mid table and aren't one of the sides that fall away.  The next few matches will decide whether this is another nail biter or a blissful return to mid table anonymity. 

The performance demonstrates the limitations of the players, not the limitations of the manager.  Taking off Oba, his only debatable decision, didn't exactly gift them the point did it?  We weren't playing well in the second half prior to that point.

 

I'm happy with the options in defence, but it's clear the squad needs some work.  I thought Guthrie, Butt & Zoggy did admirable, fairly competent jobs today, but that isn't good enough as a first choice.  Not in this league.

 

Disagree there to some extent. The only genuine weakness represented in the side today was in centre-midfield, from a positive point of view anyway. Zog and Jonas didn't contribute loads but they still beat their men and pushed the side forward.

 

I have absolutely no idea what tactic was deployed for Owen and i think we'd probably have nicked it if Oba had remained on the pitch with Viduka.

 

Owen might as well have not been on the pitch today. I'd be interested to see how many times he touched the ball, because he certainly didn't get any chances.

First and foremost I'd blame Owen for his poor game today, then Kinnear for keeping him on instead of Oba (although to be fair, Owen set up Viduka for our best chance of the match late on).

next week:

arsenal vs wigan

blackburn vs liverpool

man utd vs sunderland

bolton vs chelsea

 

big weekend for us, and we have to beat stoke. west hams next 3 games are liverpool, spurs and chelsea too  

  Didn't realize that.  Massive set of fixtures. 

The performance demonstrates the limitations of the players, not the limitations of the manager.  Taking off Oba, his only debatable decision, didn't exactly gift them the point did it?  We weren't playing well in the second half prior to that point.

I'm happy with the options in defence, but it's clear the squad needs some work.  I thought Guthrie, Butt & Zoggy did admirable, fairly competent jobs today, but that isn't good enough as a first choice.  Not in this league.

Wish we had Downing.

 

Prefer Jonas, tbh.

Wish we had a bigger taller striker like Carew or Berbatov

Not bad but not looking like much of a real threat upfront.

Bassong has so far made Alves his bitch

I'm going to be moving my 1 bedroom apartment into a rented truck that I'm fairly sure will be too small in the freezing cold and possible snow on Saturday morning and then driving 12 and a half hours.  But it just might end up being a more pleasant experience than this match. 

1-1 ht, 4-1 Chelsea ft. 

One thing for sure, Shearer would be on that line giving those lazy fookers some stick.  He's a solid fella and would take absolutetly no s***.

 

He can do no worse that JK.  I actually think he would do a good job and would have untold amounts of respect from the players, and fans.

I don't know how you figure that a recently retired player with absolutely no experience can't possibly do worse than someone with quite a bit of experience and success in the past.

 

I would not want to hire Shearer just for fear of the Keegan effect type situation. I just mean if he is a s*** manager that the people in charge of the club may be scared of sacking him or limiting his control/influence. I don't want the club to be stuck with a poor manager for five seasons just because his name is Alan Shearer. Frankly, I would like whatever manager we hire to have shown that they are a good (or at least competent) manager at some point during their life. This is why I would be against Shearer, though it wouldn't be the end of the world if he came.

I agree with you in part, but I think these are exceptional circumstances.  Having a manager that would be difficult to sack might be a good thing in the medium to long term (provided he is interested in staying in the first place....).  Stability is the most important thing, not instant results.  Chopping and changing is ruining this club.  The next guy needs to be given a 3 year contract that is actually worth the paper it is written on. 

It is rolling the dice with an ex-player, but I think it is warranted.  Better, more successful clubs and national sides have appointed managers with little experience (and some have done very well.)

Hurry up and do it then.  Money being available for transfers would be nice, but I'd settle for escaping relegation and the stability of knowing that our manager will be in his job in 3, 6 or even 12 months.

Shearer is someone most people can support, and you can no longer accuse Newcastle supporters of unrealistic expectations.  In the next 3-4 weeks the difference between mid table and bottom 4 or 5 is going grow by several points.  Just keep us up, and take things from there.  Think long term.

Reminded of when Leeds went down, wasn't that season typically a lot of draws when they should have won?

Ordinarily I would be very worried, but looking at the table there seems to be a few "big" clubs who could do a Leeds this year.