Anyone think we've progressed in the past 2 and a half years?

[Rich]

NE5 has said it on more than one occasion recently.

 

http://www.newcastle-online.com/nufcforum/index.php?topic=56672.msg1524096#msg1524096

[Unbelievable]

Our 2nd string side would probably beat that lot

 

Harper

Geremi Cacapa Edgar Kadar

Gonzalez Guthrie Smith Zog

Xisco Ranger

 

 

 

What makes you think that while our first string side is sitting "comfortably" just above the relegation zone?

Because, while normally a damn good indicator, the league position of a side who's spent half the year rudderless and in turmoil may not tell the whole story of a teams strength. 

 

I think, and would hope many would agree, that we're a better side than 14th. 

 

Besides, it's hardly as though that league position was accomplished with our first string side available for all the games.  If it was you might have had a point.

 

I still don't see how it could be claimed our current second string would beat that team whilst we are in the league position we are in. Of course we haven't always had our first team out, no team ever does. Injuries can't be used as an excuse (and we haven't even had many by comparison to past seasons) when we've known all summer long we needed to strengthen the squad as well as the first team.

 

In reality, we are a midtable quality squad with one or two players who could perhaps play in the top four teams, just like many of our midtable counterparts. After the disappointing summer transfer window we have had I think it's pretty arrogant to argue we should be anywhere else then where we currently are in the league table.

[Unbelievable]

NE5 has said it on more than one occasion recently.

 

http://www.newcastle-online.com/nufcforum/index.php?topic=56672.msg1524096#msg1524096

 

Not exactly the same as saying we have gone backwards 20 years in the space of a couple of months, is it? Besides, off the pitch he is probably right in terms of us being in the shit more than we have been for a long, long while. On the pitch it is quite clear we need heavy investment if we ever want to reach the hights we did just five years ago. We have gone backwards in a staggering way in recent years. Shepherd is partly to blame mainly for some uninspired appointments, Ashley hasn't exactly turned out to be the saviour we craved..

[Rich]

NE5 has said it on more than one occasion recently.

 

http://www.newcastle-online.com/nufcforum/index.php?topic=56672.msg1524096#msg1524096

 

Not exactly the same as saying we have gone backwards 20 years in the space of a couple of months, is it? Besides, off the pitch he is probably right in terms of us being in the shit more than we have been for a long, long while. On the pitch it is quite clear we need heavy investment if we ever want to reach the hights we did just five years ago. We have gone backwards in a staggering way in recent years. Shepherd is partly to blame mainly for some uninspired appointments, Ashley hasn't exactly turned out to be the saviour we craved..

 

You've misunderstood me, first of all: I initially posted that people have said we've gone back 20 years over the past few months, as in "over the past few months, people have said we've gone back 20 years" (talking about how recently I've seen it said, not how quickly we've regressed).

 

Also, even if your version was true that's one quote I found after simply searching "20 years" in the football forum amidst numerous server errors, forgive me for not looking harder at your request.

 

Obviously things haven't gone how we had all hoped over the summer, but it wasn't as big as a disaster as it was made out to be in some quarters from simply a player-for-player perspective of our dealings. Of course it wasn't up to the high expectations demanded by some (Keegan included, and myself to some extent), and as said in this very thread football isn't simply played on paper, but to say that the position we're in is not a false one after all that has gone on and after the good signs we've seen recently under Kinnear (of all managers) beggars belief.

[Mick]

NE5 has said it on more than one occasion recently.

 

http://www.newcastle-online.com/nufcforum/index.php?topic=56672.msg1524096#msg1524096

 

Not exactly the same as saying we have gone backwards 20 years in the space of a couple of months, is it? Besides, off the pitch he is probably right in terms of us being in the s*** more than we have been for a long, long while. On the pitch it is quite clear we need heavy investment if we ever want to reach the hights we did just five years ago. We have gone backwards in a staggering way in recent years. Shepherd is partly to blame mainly for some uninspired appointments, Ashley hasn't exactly turned out to be the saviour we craved..

 

Here's another quote, this time the weakest team since 1992 which is 24 carot horse shit.

 

http://www.newcastle-online.com/nufcforum/index.php?topic=57178.msg1555109#msg1555109

[Unbelievable]

NE5 has said it on more than one occasion recently.

 

http://www.newcastle-online.com/nufcforum/index.php?topic=56672.msg1524096#msg1524096

 

Not exactly the same as saying we have gone backwards 20 years in the space of a couple of months, is it? Besides, off the pitch he is probably right in terms of us being in the s*** more than we have been for a long, long while. On the pitch it is quite clear we need heavy investment if we ever want to reach the hights we did just five years ago. We have gone backwards in a staggering way in recent years. Shepherd is partly to blame mainly for some uninspired appointments, Ashley hasn't exactly turned out to be the saviour we craved..

 

You've misunderstood me, first of all: I initially posted that people have said we've gone back 20 years over the past few months, as in "over the past few months, people have said we've gone back 20 years" (talking about how recently I've seen it said, not how quickly we've regressed).

 

Also, even if your version was true that's one quote I found after simply searching "20 years" in the football forum amidst numerous server errors, forgive me for not looking harder at your request.

 

Obviously things haven't gone how we had all hoped over the summer, but it wasn't as big as a disaster as it was made out to be in some quarters from simply a player-for-player perspective of our dealings. Of course it wasn't up to the high expectations demanded by some (Keegan included, and myself to some extent), and as said in this very thread football isn't simply played on paper, but to say that the position we're in is not a false one after all that has gone on and after the good signs we've seen recently under Kinnear (of all managers) beggars belief.

 

I did indeed misunderstand you; witten language is a funny thing.. Apologies for that.

 

To address the issue at hand: do you really feel Newcastle United as a club have progressed in the last 2 and a half years? And where do you think we "belong" in the league? Not what should we aim for, but what should we expect from the current set up and playing staff?

[Rich]

It's a funny point in time to answer a question like this with the Interim Manager situation and the club effectively up for sale, but amazingly enough from a purely NUFC perspective I do think we've progressed, yes. I think the playing squad is of a higher standard, the club is on a better financial footing and that when the new owners/manager do come in they'll be starting from a stronger base than they would have done if this had happened 2 1/2 years ago.

 

While I do think we are better off overall, of course not everything has improved.

 

Attendances have dropped, the Keegan fiasco will be a stain on the club's memory for a long time to come, we're obviously still in limbo at the very current point in time and we've lost to Sunderland away for the first time in a long time. This is just a brief summary, obviously there's more to say on both the good and the bad, but I don't want to get into a post of essay proportions.

 

As far as "where we belong" in the league it's another question that - like you - I find even my own answer to be somewhat arrogant. However, this season I've been fortunate (unfortunate in some cases) to have been able to watch a lot more PL games involving other teams than I have in the past, which comes from having mates here at university who follow Hull/Liverpool/Man Utd/Middlesbrough/Arsenal/Spurs, etc. and which I think gives me a better perspective on how good we are and how good our competition is.

 

Now although you can never really accurately predict standings due to the massive number of inlfuencing factors on final positions (injuries, suspensions, signings, managers, club circumstances, momentum, etc.) I do get the feeling that we should be aiming to finish top 10 and with a shout of Europe, much like we did 2 1/2 years ago despite fielding what many would consider a woeful starting XI (which did take a point away at Birmingham, leaving us in a position to qualify for the Intertoto).

 

However, the main crux of the matter is that while I feel we have improved to a certain degree (certainly not massively) a lot of teams have overtaken us in that time as well, which is the real meat on the bone. It's all well and good that I think we have improved, but because I think a lot of clubs have taken real significant strides forwards (the likes of Portsmouth and Villa, etc.) and subsequently overtaken us... are we in fact worse off for not matching this progression ourselves?

 

It's all extremely complicated to judge, especially when simply comparing starting XI's!

[Unbelievable]

Good post Rich. Can't find much to argue with, so won't.