Mort tells it like it is - Kneejerkers take note

[Guest hindu times]

Don't know if it's been posted but.....

 

http://www.journallive.co.uk/nufc/newcastle-united-news/2007/11/07/sam-is-at-united-to-stay-insists-mort-61634-20072351/

 

Sam is at United to stay, insists Mort

Nov 7 2007 by Luke Edwards, The Journal

 

NEWCASTLE chairman Chris Mort has assured manager Sam Allardyce that he is an integral part of his long-term plans for the club.

 

And he insisted owner Mike Ashley would not be pressurised into making any rash decisions to appease supporter frustration.

 

United’s embarrassing 4-1 home defeat to Portsmouth last weekend, which came just a week after a dismal performance in a 2-1 defeat at Reading, has put Allardyce under pressure for the first time since he arrived at St James’s Park in May.

 

But Mort has issued a strong defence of Newcastle’s manager as he argued Allardyce’s position was not under any scrutiny from the boardroom and suggested the former Bolton boss would have been a prime candidate to be Newcastle’s manager even if they had been in charge of the club when he was appointed by former chairman Freddie Shepherd.

 

“We are like any supporter, we lurch from one result to the next and we are affected by each game and how well we do,” said Mort, who is already in regular contact with Allardyce about potential transfer targets when the window opens in January. “But from our perspective we have to take a more long-term to medium-term view. We are not going to leap to any rash decisions. We are not going to entertain stories like the one we had on Sunday saying that we were going to get rid of Sam because we have lost two games on the trot. We’re not going to get into that type of mindset.

 

“We have a much more long-term view about building the club over a prolonged period of time so that the club can compete at a higher level. That is going to take time, but on and off the field we feel the club is moving in the right direction.”

 

Mort continued: “I think the Premier League, generally this season, seems to be more short-term inclined. There seems to be a real short-term thinking in the football business, which we want to resist. We absolutely want to hear what fans have to say, but we still take a medium and a long-term view, and we will not be swayed from that by two defeats on the trot, no matter how disappointing they may be.

 

“It doesn’t make accepting defeats any easier, especially when it’s a 4-1 home defeat, we’re both unhappy with those sorts of results, but we have to look beyond immediate results and think to ourselves, ‘Are we still heading in the right direction?’ We won’t get knocked off what we feel we need to do by short-term considerations.”

 

Allardyce is too resolute a character to have allowed the boos which soured Saturday’s game and the criticism which has been directed at him since to dent his self-belief. But there will still be a sense of relief that the men who became his boss when they suddenly seized control from Shepherd over the summer share his long-term perspective.

 

“Chopping and changing managers here hasn’t worked and the success stories at other clubs are usually connected with longevity,” added Mort.

 

“The Premier League manager is clearly in a highly pressured position, there are four who have gone so far this season, it’s a pressurised environment. But the guys who h ave brought success have clearly been there longer term, without doubt.

 

“The fact that Sam wasn’t our appointment and that Mike has lots of money doesn’t create any kind of problem for me. Sam is doing a great job, he’s developed a strong team around him. If clubs had been looking around for a new manager to recruit in the summer then I’m sure we’d all have said that Sam was one of the best you could get. I’ve no problems with that.

 

“Mike might get compared with other billionaire-type owners – he’s a very successful businessman, very demanding, very good at what he does – but that doesn’t work against us taking a medium to long-term view. He takes a long-term view, because he can.”

 

And Mort is adamant the volatile nature of football opinion on Tyneside will not distract him or Allardyce from what they are trying to achieve. He added: “I think we always had a sense that his club has an intense reaction to what happens on the pitch week to week. We have a club that has a massive following and the team and the club is a massive part of people’s lives in this part of the world.

 

“Because of that, there does tend to be a bigger swing in emotions. One minute it is full of optimism and we are going to qualify for the Champions League, then you lose two games and it’s, ‘Right, who’s going to be the next manager?’ The swings are incredible.”

 

[Chase]

The last few words do sum up everything really "The swings are incredible."

 

He's spot on in that respect as one minute everyone is optimistic and after a single defeat we are always downbeat and having to contend with the kneejerkers talking about relegation.

 

Changing managers constantly won't solve anything and for once I'm hopefully we sound like we have a long term plan, what that plan is I don't know but this speach fills me with alot more confidence than the old Shrinking Violets talk from Shepherd.

 

This time is sounds like we're under control.

 

We've pretty much got an almost new football club, not just new manager, new players because of the take over everything changes and things will take time to find even ground, people should be patient.

[madras]

lets be honest, most on here will be critical of allardyce but stop short of wanting a sacking . unfortunatly there has been a lot to be critical about.

[madras]

lets be honest, most on here will be critical of allardyce but stop short of wanting a sacking . unfortunatly there has been a lot to be critical about.

 

I wouldn't say alot to be critical about. Just teething problems I'm sure.

tactics at derby and reading, then on saturday are not teething troubles.

[madras]

lets be honest, most on here will be critical of allardyce but stop short of wanting a sacking . unfortunatly there has been a lot to be critical about.

 

I wouldn't say alot to be critical about. Just teething problems I'm sure.

tactics at derby and reading, then on saturday are not teething troubles.

 

I'll give you Derby and Reading, but Saturday was freak.

 

There was NOTHING Sam could've done about the first 3 goals. Once we were 3 nil down, the gameplan goes out the window.

you see 3 goals down, i see 2 goals down with an hour left,keeping the wingers out of position and not bringing another forward on till well after half time.

[Slugsy]

lets be honest, most on here will be critical of allardyce but stop short of wanting a sacking . unfortunatly there has been a lot to be critical about.

 

I wouldn't say alot to be critical about. Just teething problems I'm sure.

tactics at derby and reading, then on saturday are not teething troubles.

 

I'll give you Derby and Reading, but Saturday was freak.

 

There was NOTHING Sam could've done about the first 3 goals. Once we were 3 nil down, the gameplan goes out the window.

 

I aqree with that but I was worried how our plan couldn't adapt to albeit freak conditions - we were not exactly a potent attacking force on Saturday and for most of it our only plan was to launch high balls up to Owen and Smith who were taken apart by Campbell and Distin.  Granted Portsmouth are a very good team but we really didn't look like we could claw our way back into the game.

 

Allardyce couldn't do anything about the three goals - one great one and a couple of individual errors, however, the way we play going forward isn't exactly electric.  I don't know if thats down to the coaching, personnel or tactics, or a bit of all of them but in the end its down to Sam.

 

 

[pinkeye]

My only critisism of Allardyce would be the way that he sticks with players like Geremi and Smith regardless of their performances, granted Geremi was dropped on Saturday to the bench but, Smith played the full 90, maybe I should have put played into inverted comma's.....

 

He sees the players all week and makes his team selection based on their week of training plus, you would hope, the use of some tactical awareness regarding the opposition we face.

 

The long ball game must be something we train and practice with because I am certain if it wasn't what he wanted he would change the tactic mid game.  That does seem a little strange considering our front two / three are not blessed with great height....

[steve_69]

At the point we were 0-3 down Allardyce had to change things around.

 

I'm sure more of us would've accepted the defeat if, at that point, he'd brought on Martins, taken off a midfielder and tried to rescue something from a disastrous situation.

 

His reluctance to move away from his tried and tested way of doing things even when things are going down the shitter worries me, although i am pleased that the Chairman has given his backing.

 

Sacking a manager 9 games into his tenure is crazy

 

 

[Willow]

 

 

“Chopping and changing managers here hasn’t worked and the success stories at other clubs are usually connected with longevity” added Mort.

 

 

 

I wish the idiot fans would just have some patience and read this quote over and over. More likely they'll forget it by next week and spout on about how Mort and Ashley want Sam out and that patience is something they both don't possess...............its depressing but what can you do?

[80]

Good comments from Mort.

[Dokko]

lets be honest, most on here will be critical of allardyce but stop short of wanting a sacking . unfortunatly there has been a lot to be critical about.

 

This is about where i am with him.

 

He's got till the end of the season, and i hope he pulls it round, but ATM, this all just feels like another false dawn.

[junkhead]

lets be honest, most on here will be critical of allardyce but stop short of wanting a sacking . unfortunatly there has been a lot to be critical about.

 

This is about where i am with him.

 

He's got till the end of the season, and i hope he pulls it round, but ATM, this all just feels like another false dawn.

till the end of the season?

now, that's generous

[Guest alex]

lets be honest, most on here will be critical of allardyce but stop short of wanting a sacking . unfortunatly there has been a lot to be critical about.

 

This is about where i am with him.

 

He's got till the end of the season, and i hope he pulls it round, but ATM, this all just feels like another false dawn.

He's got until the end of the season to do what exactly? How high do we need to finish for him to keep his job in your view?

[Nobody]

lets be honest, most on here will be critical of allardyce but stop short of wanting a sacking . unfortunatly there has been a lot to be critical about.

 

This is about where i am with him.

 

He's got till the end of the season, and i hope he pulls it round, but ATM, this all just feels like another false dawn.

till the end of the season?

now, that's generous

I want improvements this season, nothing over the top. If he can't deliver that and there is a better manager available, I'll consider changing.

[Baggio]

lets be honest, most on here will be critical of allardyce but stop short of wanting a sacking . unfortunatly there has been a lot to be critical about.

 

This is about where i am with him.

 

He's got till the end of the season, and i hope he pulls it round, but ATM, this all just feels like another false dawn.

He's got until the end of the season to do what exactly? How high do we need to finish for him to keep his job in your view?

 

If we don't qualify for Europe I'd get rid, I think the board will too.

[Guest alex]

I think that's incredibly harsh and short-sighted.

[Baggio]

I think that's incredibly harsh and short-sighted.

 

I don't, I look at the appointments Man City and Spurs have made and I think we should be looking for a manager of similar calibre, not some small club manager with a small club mentality, if we continue with him we will never get where we want to be as he's not good enough.

[Guest alex]

I think that's incredibly harsh and short-sighted.

 

I don't, I look at the appointments Man City and Spurs have made and I think we should be looking for a manager of similar calibre, not some small club manager with a small club mentality, if we continue with him we will never get where we want to be as he's not good enough.

Sounds like you've written him off already.

[Mr. Snrub]

At the minute there's no way we're going to qualify for Europe next season, and that's all down to the manager.

 

We should have about 8 extra points at the minute, but terrible tactics have cost us, and by the time we're half way through the season we'll be even further off the pace.

 

If we don't finish in the top 8 he has to go, imo.  Which I suppose is me saying, at the end of the season he has to go.

 

It's such a shame being so negative after such a positive pre season, but I just didn't think Allardyce would come into this job as if he's managing Bolton again.  It's been said before, but he only knows 1 way to play and other teams have found him out.

 

 

[Taylor Swift]

He needs at least a couple of seasons. Honestly, anything shorter than that would be a disgrace. Unless we're in serious relegation trouble or anything of that sort, he deserves two seasons to turn us around on the pitch and probably more importantly atm, off the pitch. Anything less would be as Mort says, very short-sighted.

[Baggio]

I think that's incredibly harsh and short-sighted.

 

I don't, I look at the appointments Man City and Spurs have made and I think we should be looking for a manager of similar calibre, not some small club manager with a small club mentality, if we continue with him we will never get where we want to be as he's not good enough.

Sounds like you've written him off already.

 

I'm not impressed put it that way, I'd give him until then end of the season and see how he's done before making a decision, I think the football he's got us playing is on par with what we played under Dalglish and it bores me, add that to him being happy with a point away to some of the worst teams in the league and I've got little time for him.

[Taylor Swift]

At the minute there's no way we're going to qualify for Europe next season, and that's all down to the manager.

 

We should have about 8 extra points at the minute, but terrible tactics have cost us, and by the time we're half way through the season we'll be even further off the pace.

 

If we don't finish in the top 8 he has to go, imo. Which I suppose is me saying, at the end of the season he has to go.

 

It's such a shame being so negative after such a positive pre season, but I just didn't think Allardyce would come into this job as if he's managing Bolton again. It's been said before, but he only knows 1 way to play and other teams have found him out.

 

 

 

It's mind boggling that fans like yourself are only willing to give the manager 10 games to change his mindset! Fuck's sake man, he's been in one mindset for about 15 years and you expect all that to change in what? 2 months?

 

Give him some time. He's shown that he does realize the weaknesses we have in the team, and in time, I have faith that he'll show that he's very adaptive and will turn this club around. If we win the next couple of games what are the odds that you won't be concluding, already, after 10 games, that we won't be making it into Europe next season?

[Taylor Swift]

It is true that Allardyce does have a lot to answer for in terms of baffling team selection and negative tactics, but other than that, everything he's done has been really good. Just look at what he's done in the transfer window! We have a whole new defence, and apart from Beye who seems to need some time to adapt, who have all turned out to be astute signings. Zoggy's form has also improved massively from last year and he seems to be back on track again. And of course this is not mention everything that's gone on off the field (Clarkie leaving! ) and his new backroom staff. If we take the medium-long term view then we'll all see that we are heading in the right direction.

[Mr. Snrub]

Give him some time. He's shown that he does realize the weaknesses we have in the team

 

He hasn't shown that, though.  After the disasters at Derby and Reading he still said he'll play the same way away from home, concentrating on trying to stop the opposition from playing.  And if we can't do it against fucking Reading and arguably the worst team in Premiership history, we won't get many points on the road.

 

It's very hard to get behind a manager with such ridiculous thinking like that.

[johnnypd]

It took Robson until his third season to succeed, though he had a world class managerial record and we'd shown signs of progress in the first two seasons despite mid-table finishes.

 

I think one season is enough for Allardyce to have made an impact here, and to show progress, not just in the league but in other areas of the club like fitness, morale, scouting, the academy, youth acquisition and so on. so he can get away with a less than stellar league finish if he can show that the club as a whole is significantly better off than it was a year earlier, and that foundations have been put in place. for his 2nd season he'll have to show a pronounced improvement in both our football and our league position - get us competing for 5th place alongside spurs, everton, man city and the rest - if he doesn't then he can have few complaints if we look elsewhere. to sum up, he's got till the end of next season.