Wallace

After everything that has been said since Saturday and I have yet to hear of one person (excluding Mackems) say that he should keep his job, it seems incredible that they will allow him to take training tomorrow. The fact that they have not issued a statement backing him shows at the very least his job is under threat and that they have doubts. If they let him continue, there is no way he can recover any credibility (what's left of it) after this delay. They have had 48 hours to make a decision and ascertain interest from potential managers to be able to draw up a list. I know Charnley moves very slowly but they cannot afford to waste time. And even if Leicester is a write-off, getting a manager in ASAP to get to know the players and perhaps get a positive performance out of them next Monday, would give a new manager something to build on for the derby.

Shearer's column in The Sun. http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/football/6981522/Ten-games-to-go-Newcastle-fans-cant-stomach-another-90-mins-of-this-rubbish.html

Could be wrong here but I bet they have two ways in the sneaky f***ers Underground escape tunnel? They can just drive directly into the ground so will not necessarily be seen. However, chances are a board meeting will be held away from SJP if Ashley is attending.

I was told that when Shearer was manager, we had a lot of players injured and he told them they had to do extra rehab etc in the afternoons and their injuries suddenly cleared up. As you say, some players will pick up "injuries" when a team is doing badly because they don't want to play.

If they keep him, they are sending out a message to everyone that they are happy to be relegated so I would be surprised if we picked up many more points this season. It will give huge encouragement to Sunderland and Norwich.

He wasn't really - they had Pardew lined up for a couple of months and were waiting for an opportunity to sack him but he strung a few results together which delayed things.

Where's this being reported? I've also read that in the last day or so.

Redknapp won't save us - relegations with Southampton and QPR. Redknapp was brought in to save Southampton and got them relegated. Also relegated QPR.

I wonder what it will take for Ashley to realise that his way of running the club is a recipe for disaster. If he carries on like this, it will only get worse.

Can't stand Pearson. Always understood that he was the dressing room source who used to leak negative stuff to the media to undermine Keegan. Cannot remember where I got that from but every time I hear his name, I am reminded of it.

He has to go. No point sticking with him and thinking he is the man to get them back up - he has already proved that he couldn't do that with Derby. Getting someone decent in now - if only on a short-term appointment will give them a chance. However, I have no confidence in their choice of manager as there is no-one who will be involved in the decision who has the knowledge of what is required.

Sack him and we have a small chance of staying up. Keep him and we are definitely down.

That was part of his remit when he was given the job - to improve players. Ignoring the dross, have any noticeably improved?

Agree and I can't see how comments like that will help in motivating the players.

http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/steve-mcclaren-opens-up-newcastle-10993987 A Lee Ryder article but McClaren implying its the players fault. He added: “I am experienced. We know what’s right and what’s wrong. We know there is work to do and what not to do. Generally we have been successful when players have that ambition. “We suffer when players don’t want to reach those standards and don’t want to put the work in to reach that. We always set standards and have a culture and environment which we know can produce success.

Every other club would at least try to get the best man available. We won't even bother.

25% off being fully "consistent". I bet that percentage is far higher if you add in the U21 and Youth teams.

And this is why the club is in the mess it is - terrified to make a decision in case it is the wrong one. They are never proactive and always wait until it is too late to have an effect.

We are only in the bottom 3 on goal difference so not adrift yet. If we stick with McClaren we are down but potential managers will see we have some decent players - certainly better than Norwich and Sunderland albeit not necessarily in attitude - and think we are worth the risk. But whether any decent manager would be prepared to take us on, who knows.

http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/newcastle-united-news-live-bournemouth-10988649 With a 75% loss ratio Newcastle United have been failing for a year - but so is McClaren 12:25, 4 MAR 2016 OPINION BY MARKDOUGLAS Steve McClaren is failing as Newcastle United head coach - he may not survive a damaging defeat to Bournemouth Steve McClaren is not responsible for the structural and management failings that have led Newcastle United to the Premier League precipice for the second time in two seasons – the third relegation fight of the last four years and fifth of the Mike Ashley decade. Despite the froth of last week’s Fans Forum, the stark reality is that Newcastle United have been failing on the pitch for a year now. Across all competitions, they have won seven, drawn six and lost 29 of 39 games since March 4, 2015. That’s a staggering loss ratio of 75% – which speaks of deep problems at the heart of the club. Those failings are matched off-the-field where there are structural flaws and prevailing attitudes that have been allowed to go unchecked and unaddressed for much longer. McClaren cannot be held to account for the ill-will that many Newcastle fans feel towards the leadership or the mistrust of the decision-makers that is deep-rooted among the support. Nor can he be fully blamed for a recruitment process that has not supplied the team with the balance or quality that it requires – or an Academy system that has not produced back-up for the first team in sufficient numbers of late. He is not accountable for Lee Charnley’s judgement over the last 23 months either. When Charnley took control of Newcastle on April 4, 2014, the club were ninth in the Premier League. No Newcastle United MD has ever had more to spend than over a six-month period. The unique chance to change course that presented itself with the managerial vacancy in the summer has been wasted. He has tried, but too many calls have sent United backwards. McClaren is not responsible for the sorry state that United find themselves in as they paddle furiously towards a Premier League life-raft. But he has barely improved it one iota either, which is why defeat to Bournemouth at the weekend would surely remove any serious debate about whether he is the man best equipped to take United forward. Tactically, McClaren was found wanting yet again at Stoke. Away from home – where United have scored fewer than any other team in the entire football league – Newcastle have neither a plan nor a system to win matches. That goes for games against the best – Chelsea and Manchester City have thrashed Newcastle this season – and the lesser lights – where caution against West Brom and Stoke has been punished. McClaren says it is a process but there is no evidence of progression. He is still experimenting; still getting things wrong. Yoan Gouffran has not been the answer to any sane Newcastle question for 15 months, yet he returned to the side in place of Andros Townsend – hardly a like-for-like swap. Players look as puzzled as the supporters. Talk of squeezing more from less – the reliance on McClaren’s coaching ability – has been exposed by results that show a side managing to look far less than the sum of their parts. In an era where his message matters, McClaren’s platitudes speak of a man who has lost touch with the stark reality of the situation. Mention of character, progress and deserving more after anaemic displays is woefully inadequate. The positivity mantra that has been encouraged by some of those in McClaren’s backroom staff does not stand up to scrutiny. And neither does McClaren’s record, unfortunately. United’s insistence of keeping him in charge despite several junctures where they might have made a change – most notably in December – may end up costing them dear. It has already cost them a season. Bringing in someone new would not solve the long list of issues that have left McClaren hamstrung, players feeling fatalistic and supporters despairing about the direction of the club. But it might prevent the most avoidable relegation. Those long-standing issues will only be removed with real, significant change – in attitudes and personnel. Realistically, everything about the decade that has passed tells us that it will require Mike Ashley to leave for Newcastle to move beyond some of those road blocks. But even a United with the problems that Ashley’s leadership bring should not be 19th in the Premier League. For that, McClaren must carry the can.

I might have gone if it was at SJP but too much hassle to get down there when I am not that bothered about England. Should be a boost for the city though as most fans will stay in Newcastle.

The problem is who you need now is not necessarily who you would want to be manager next season. And of course, there is a more limited choice because some managers either won't want to risk a relegation on their CV or want to wait until the Summer when there will be more options for them. Also some managers need time to implement their ideas (a pre-season) and we need a manager who will make an immediate impact. For managers who want a Premier League job, there are limited options and we have to be (or should be) one of the more attractive options. How many Premier League jobs are likely to be available in the near future (excluding the elite teams who will only target certain managers anyway)? The downside is Mike Ashley and the restrictions he imposes on any manager and the low wages he offers. When will they realise that the manager is the most important person? Get the right one and one who will have the respect of the players, then a lot of the problems would be resolved. The ideal scenario would be the short-term appointment of a top manager with the incentive of a large bonus and then go all out for someone like a Pellegrini (if he is generally interested) in the Summer. The downside of a short-term appointment is will he get the players playing if they know he won't be around beyond the end of the season. My fear is that we will end up with someone like Nigel Pearson (their decision based on the fact that he kept Leicester up last year) and he may give them a kick up the backside in the short-term but I think he would be another bad appointment that would inevitably fail.

The only inspiration the players need is a Steve Black 2-hour special Steve Black was at Sunderland and QPR when they both got relegated.

It's as if they know the club has no ambition and has been selling itself as a stepping stone... Exactly. They know they won't be here for more than a couple of years at most so why should they care. If we get relegated, they will be off anyway.

I think if they create a closed super league for the top European clubs - it will just become an entertainment package and not a sport - like the Harlem Globetrotters. Players will want to play in it because of the money. It will appeal mainly to the international TV audience but I think in countries like this, it would lose its appeal very quickly - but then we are not the target audience. I hear them say it will be easy for supporters to still follow their team away because it is so cheap to travel around Europe now. Travel and accommodation costs would soon soar and you have to be a lot more organised that just jumping into the car on a Saturday morning - I am sure the novelty would wear off for a number of supporters in time - even those who could afford it. And how will clubs feel about finishing near the bottom of the league - all these elite clubs will no longer be able to win every week? Such clubs will probably have even less of a connection to their communities because it won't be long before they will want them to play games all over the world so even their home supporters may not get to see them that often. The football clubs will just be operating under a brand name. If that is what they want - because their owners just want to make more money - well that is up to them but if that is the path they choose, then they should no longer take part in their domestic competitions. They will complain of too many games and will want to cut the number of teams in the league, get rid of replays, the league cup, introduce a winter break etc - just to suit their own agendas and make them stronger. Why should everyone else dance to their tune. If they want their own league, then they can clear off and let the rest of us get on with it.