George Caulkin

[Chicane]

The state of this club 

 

Love Caulkin though, one of the very few journos worth reading imo.

[LV]

Grim reading that. What a mess we are in.

[Raconteur]

I love that one of Benitez's men has been told to go and chat to the only decent journalist in the region

[Eddy Chibas]

Limiting youth scouting to a thirty mile radius does kill of the obvious benefit of having a *Category 1 rated academy. Lets face it Sports Direct United isn't prepared to go out & scour the country for top domestic talent because it wants nothing to do with the board & lodging/relocation costs involved.

 

*pretty sure it was restored a couple of years ago, after Sports Direct United unveiled plans to build a new facility. In all honesty I wasn't that impressed with the schematics.

 

Do performances, or the accumulation of results annually/bi-annually, over a period of time affect this rating? I always knew that training facilities, or lack of, are evaluated. Surely this rating must be under threat when the club's academy set-up/infrastructure & results are up for review.

[Deuce]

Anybody have his most recent?

[Wallace]

Newcastle have become a shell of a club overseen by pygmies

Demotion had not only been coming, but was practically inevitable given failed strategies, says George Caulkin

 

George Caulkin | Northern Sports Correspondent

May 12 2016, 12:01am,

The Times

 

Mike Ashley blinked awkwardly into the camera and made a promise. “From this day forward, we will definitely be making our own luck,” the Newcastle United owner said, and although this was never how he imagined it, the prophesy was uncanny. They have spent big and badly, entrusted inadequate people with too much power, played with fear and acted too late. Now, for the second time under Ashley’s stewardship, they are relegated after Sunderland’s victory over Everton lasy night.

 

Twelve months ago, Ashley squirmed for a rare interview on the final day of the season, when Newcastle would beat West Ham United to retain their place in the Barclays Premier League, and said that he was “shocked by where we find ourselves”. He made reference to the club’s “very sound financial footing” but admitted: “It’s no good having the horse-and-cart scenario. And we may have the cart, financially, but we need to bolt the horse on.”

 

An uneasy, flawed policy — young players, usually from abroad, often with a chequered history — has now blossomed into calamity

 

And yet here they are again, reluctant to shake themselves free of mediocrity and unable to arrest a decline that stretches back for years and which, as Ashley conceded, leads to “my door”. In his determination to do things differently, he has never learned that a club is about people, whether the living, breathing souls inside a stadium, or those entrusted to make decisions. Newcastle have become a shell, overseen by pygmies.

 

In a season when Leicester City have shown the value of sound recruitment, Newcastle wasted £80 million. There is a thread that trails from Steve McClaren’s miserable spell as head coach — which should never have begun, let alone limped on for as long as it did — to Kevin Keegan’s resignation as manager in the autumn of 2008, when he argued that “clubs should not impose upon any manager any player that he does not want”.

 

In the early days of Ashley’s ownership, one of his subordinates said that he viewed the manager as “just another employee”, whose task was to improve footballers on the training pitch and yet, until Rafa Benítez’s belated appointment in March, there was little ambition or innovation. McClaren, John Carver and Alan Pardew all struggled along under the same restrictions as Keegan, without the authority to impose their own will.

 

An uneasy, flawed policy — young players, usually from abroad, often with a chequered history — has now blossomed into calamity. Florian Thauvin arrived from Marseille for £15 million and proved utterly unequipped to cope with the Premier League (he has since returned to his former club, on loan). In January, they signed Henri Saivet for £5 million from Bordeaux. He has started two games. Seydou Doumbia, on loan from CSKA Moscow, has not started any.

 

Worse, is the utter neglect of team-building. Above all else, Leicester are a team. To a lesser extent, so are Sunderland. Newcastle’s players, targeted by Graham Carr, the chief scout, have looked baffled and disparate, only showing any kind of cohesion under Benítez, left, when he was already wrestling with fate. They lost 22 league matches in 2015 and it was 20, when Pardew was manager, the year before. This has been coming. In private, Lee Charnley, the managing director, said that he would never have sacked Pardew, even though the manager’s relationship with supporters had collapsed. Carver filled a role that he was never suited to while Charnley waited for McClaren’s implosion at Derby County, before his arrival at St James’ Park with no ceremony aside from a meeting with “preferred” media partners. It was so small-time for a club that looms above the city.

 

“It’s doubtful whether anyone in a position of power on Barrack Road will do the decent thing but one person above all others should resign — the one who courted, chased and appointed Steve McClaren,” nufc.com, the influential independent website, said.

 

“There is a culture of failure at Newcastle United that runs through the club,” Michael Martin, editor of true faith fanzine, said.

 

“It has been a toxic culture that has infected every nook and cranny. This relegation has been years in the post.” Everybody remembers the season Newcastle finished fifth, when Pardew and Carr were lauded, but that was an exception. Other league placings since Ashley bought the club in 2007 are 12th, 18th, first (in the Championship), 12th, 16th, 10th and 15th, and they have never progressed beyond the fourth round of the FA Cup. But then, until Ashley spoke publicly last May, cups were not a “priority”, on Tyneside. The arrogance of that is still astounding.

 

If Benítez stays — he has been swayed by the warmth of supporters — the bitterness of relegation would be tempered, but Newcastle needs fumigating. Blinded by the poverty of their own talent, with no relegation clauses for players, they have, to return to Ashley’s interview, made their own luck.

 

“Definitely to win something,” the billionaire replied when asked to detail his ambition, but they could not even win against Aston Villa this season. Perhaps he meant the Championship.

 

Fancy the Championship?

 

Moussa Sissoko

Repeatedly spoken of his desire to play in the Champions League, but until Benítez’s arrival consistently failed to impose himself

 

Georginio Wijnaldum

Scored nine goals for Newcastle this season, but all of them at home. The Dutchman has disappeared when it matters

 

Fabricio Coloccini

Steve McClaren wanted a no-nonsense centre half, so Newcastle gave Coloccini a new contract, which typifies everything wrong at the club

 

Jonjo Shelvey

Has found himself out of the team since Benitez’s appointment, but the January signing has said he wants to stay

 

Daryl Janmaat

Once hailed as a future captain, Janmaat’s performances at full back have suffered and he has appeared disinterested

 

Jamaal Lascelles

One of few outfield players to emerge with credit, the young English centre half has proven to be an outspoken and honest performer

 

Numbers that tell the story

 

8

Top-flight campaigns out of past nine seasons when Newcastle have failed to reach 50 points

 

4

Position in Premier League’s average attendance table (49,619)

 

8

Managerial changes in past nine years

 

3

Times Newcastle have conceded at least five goals in a Premier League match this season, more than any other team

 

 

[TRon]

In private, Lee Charnley, the managing director, said that he would never have sacked Pardew, even though the manager’s relationship with supporters had collapsed.

 

Puts things in perspective. Relegation doesn't seem so bad when you consider we would still have the silver fox in charge if it was down to Ashley and his gimp.

[Guest antz1uk]

Interesting little interview with/about caulkin

 

http://thesetpieces.com/interviews/vox-box-george-caulkin/

[TRon]

I’ve been doing the job for 22 years now, and that’s far longer than when I was a supporter. I can’t tell stories about my youth which feature Sunderland, but I first reported on Sunderland when they were at Roker Park with Niall Quinn, who is one of the best and most important people I’ve known in football. Equally I’ve known Steve Gibson for over 20 years, and I will fawn over him in a way that even some Middlesbrough fans would blush at. You make friendships and build relationships, and these things become blurred – I can’t change my past, and wouldn’t want to, but when I retire I’m not going to rip my shirt off and have black and white stripes underneath, and stick my fingers up at Sunderland fans and say I was mocking you all along. This season I was desperate for Sunderland to stay up and desperate for Newcastle to stay up. Feelings don’t ever go away, but they become blurred and they change.

 

No real surprise tbh. He's the Times designated North East journalist so has to please everybody.

[relámpago blanco]

George Cuntkin.

[Ronaldo]

Is that why that short wannabe journo who used to post on here is a Mackem now?

[Yorkie]

Is that why that short wannabe journo who used to post on here is a Mackem now?

 

:anguish:

[Wullie]

Is he still kissing Ashley's arse like he used to on here?

[Yorkie]

Haven't spoken to him in a while tbh but the japes about his journalistic skills are ridiculous. He does more actual journo work than the majority of the North East based guys.

[Kaizero]

His stuff on the MLS for instance is some of the best out there tbh. Really enjoy reading his pieces on that league.

[Deuce]

His stuff on the MLS for instance is some of the best out there tbh. Really enjoy reading his pieces on that league.

 

If we're talking about Heneage, yeah I appreciate his work. Gave a very good interview on a U.S.-based footie podcast about NUFC's situation the other day, completely nailed it.

[Superior Acuña]

Who's that like?

Kristan Heneage? I'm just guessing him cos he covers MLS. He seems one of the better ones if so.

 

What was his name on here?

[Kaizero]

His stuff on the MLS for instance is some of the best out there tbh. Really enjoy reading his pieces on that league.

 

If we're talking about Heneage, yeah I appreciate his work. Gave a very good interview on a U.S.-based footie podcast about NUFC's situation the other day, completely nailed it.

 

[Wullie]

He's got a right little fan club like, probably the only journalist in the world who is completely untouchable on this forum despite the fact he's posted more utter shite about NUFC than the rest of them put together.

 

The way he used to defend Ashley and Pardew on here was absolutely reprehensible. He's done well for himself, no question. That says far more about the state of the people they allow into football journalism than it does about him.

[LV]

He's got a right little fan club like, probably the only journalist in the world who is completely untouchable on this forum despite the fact he's posted more utter s**** about NUFC than the rest of them put together.

 

The way he used to defend Ashley and Pardew on here was absolutely reprehensible. He's done well for himself, no question. That says far more about the state of the people they allow into football journalism than it does about him.

 

Are we talking about Heneage or Caulkin here? I'm confused.

[Kaizero]

He's got a right little fan club like, probably the only journalist in the world who is completely untouchable on this forum despite the fact he's posted more utter shite about NUFC than the rest of them put together.

 

The way he used to defend Ashley and Pardew on here was absolutely reprehensible. He's done well for himself, no question. That says far more about the state of the people they allow into football journalism than it does about him.

 

FWIW he did post some shit on here about Pards and Ashley, no doubt about it. My issue is I don't think that should bear any reflection on his actual body of work, which has been quite good compared to most other journos.

[Superior Acuña]

He's got a right little fan club like, probably the only journalist in the world who is completely untouchable on this forum despite the fact he's posted more utter s**** about NUFC than the rest of them put together.

 

The way he used to defend Ashley and Pardew on here was absolutely reprehensible. He's done well for himself, no question. That says far more about the state of the people they allow into football journalism than it does about him.

 

FWIW he did post some s*** on here about Pards and Ashley, no doubt about it. My issue is I don't think that should bear any reflection on his actual body of work, which has been quite good compared to most other journos.

 

What was his name on here? Never knew he had any connection with here, just read some decent articles by him.

[B-more Mag]

Nixon. Something else before that; I can't remember what.

[Deuce]

Here's the interview he gave yesterday, starts around the 12:00 mark:

 

http://www.howlermagazine.com/dummy-podcast-newcastle-asunder-plus-bobbys-red-card-george-trinidad/

 

[Raconteur]

Loved this part of the Caulkin interview:

 

And actually that sometimes makes it more difficult, because a lot of the time I’m dealing with fuckwit football clubs, and I’m continually writing about negativity, and I do eventually become concerned that corrodes me on the inside.

 

No Christmas card from Sports Direct for you, Mr Caulkin