Good Article written by Norman Hubbard-ESPN
Given his visible unease when confronted by a microphone or a camera, Glenn Roeder cannot be described as being at ease in the spotlight
Even by his own standards, however, the Newcastle manager has been a little prickly recently. Once a centre-back, he has been on the defensive on a wide range of topics. Some - such as Michael Owen's comeback date - are inexplicable; thus far, it is hard to find fault with Roeder's management of an injured player.
But others reflect badly upon Roeder. Damien Duff's rumoured move to Sunderland brought the implication that the winger has failed at Newcastle, and Roeder was the manager who authorised a £5 million fee, aided by Newcastle's typical largesse when paying wages.
Criticism of Scott Parker, appointed captain by Roeder, may have been viewed as a barely-veiled dig at the manager himself.
Yet the sphere where there is greatest scope for censure is in the results, an area where Roeder's responsibility is clear.
Newcastle may now be found in the upper half of the Premiership, but they have only just managed to extract themselves from a relegation battle, albeit one that Roeder never admitted they were a part of. Reaching the last 16 of the UEFA Cup, where elimination is often harder to secure than progress, hardly qualifies as a triumph. Newcastle's European campaign may have occupied eight months and involved opponents from nine nations, yet it merely served as a lengthy distraction.
Moreover, defeat to AZ Alkmaar, a team with a fraction of the budget of their own, highlighted two perennial weaknesses: outside the elite of the big four, Newcastle's spending power may be matched only by Tottenham - though, given the weekly remuneration of Duff and Parker, the Magpies can be more generous than the Londoners; and the defence.
Were there a direct correlation between expenditure and achievement, therefore, Newcastle, and not Bolton Wanderers, whose manager Sam Allardyce was overlooked when Roeder was appointed, would occupy fifth place.
Injuries and the debilitating effect of an interminable number of UEFA Cup games can only explain so much (how much effort is required to overcome Levadia Tallinn?). Yet Newcastle, despite a historical preference for cavalier football, are a team with two Premiership goals in as many months.
Another long-time trend is for dubious defending. Their failure to reach the last eight of the UEFA Cup can be attributed to it. Within 40 minutes of the match at St James' Park, Newcastle had a 4-1 advantage. Conceding once in the second half there and twice in Alkmaar the following week ended their participation.
A scapegoat was immediately identified: Titus Bramble has not been spotted since. Yet, nearing the end of a five-year contract, does it qualify as news that Bramble is error-prone?
It was a second competition Newcastle departed reflecting on the failure of their back four. The 5-1 FA Cup defeat to Birmingham City qualifies as a humiliation. It came during the transfer window. Roeder's adherents argue he was reluctant to sign substandard players in January, yet recruits need not have been exceptional to improve the Newcastle rearguard.
In any case, a more serious omission was neglecting to bolster his defence last summer. Since Jonathan Woodgate joined Real Madrid in 2004, Newcastle have only paid a fee for one central defender, and Jean-Alain Boumsong appears to have deterred them from buying others, although quiet American Oguchi Onyewu was borrowed. Instead, marquee players, such as Duff and the sporadically brilliant Obafemi Martins, have been brought in.
With 17 goals, recruiting the Nigerian, though prone to utterly insipid performances, ranks among Roeder's achievements. So does the revitalisation of Nicky Butt and the continuing development of Steven Taylor. Antoine Sibierski, unwanted at Manchester City, can be classified as a qualified success as a short-term signing while, as a makeshift right-back, Nolberto Solano has proved more popular than usual incumbent Stephen Carr.
But on the debit side, there are some questionable selections. James Milner, a rarity in retaining his fitness all season, must be a contender for the club's Player of the Year award. However, he was left an unused substitute in Alkmaar. His eventual restoration to the team brought four points from two games, against Sheffield United and Newcastle.
Then there is Emre, seemingly bound for the exit. Roeder's botched attempt to brush allegations of racism against the Turk under the carpet failed and his Newcastle career may end on the bench. Albert Luque has neither been offloaded nor involved, another reason why Newcastle's outlay is not reflected on the pitch.
Emre looks to be headed for the exit.And while Owen has been unavailable all season, they have a mere 34 goals in 32 Premiership games. Exclude Martins, and it is a miserable return. Nor do some of the performances rank as an improvement: the capitulation at Charlton angered Neil Warnock (for its impact on the relegation battle) as well as Roeder. Losing at home to Manchester City was as bad.
It means Roeder's is a record that is open to interpretation. To what extent do the mitigating factors explain the underachievement? How much is the culture of the club the problem? Roeder has claimed failure is 'stitched into the badge' at Newcastle. That doesn't necessarily make him the man to unstitch it, however.
There are those who believe Alan Shearer's outstanding finishing and execrable punditry qualify him to manage Newcastle, and a suspicion that Freddy Shepherd is among that number.
There is also the probability that, given Shearer's sabbatical on television and Shepherd's description of Roeder as 'an honorary Geordie', that the Newcastle manager will retain his post for the start of next season. But it is little wonder that Glenn Roeder appears uneasy.
http://soccernet.espn.go.com/columns/story?id=420464&root=england&cc=3888
