What would it take to get the spark back?

[mrmojorisin75]

Living out of Toon now this is a big assumption but from what I do see of NUFC these days, what I hear from mates still there and what I read here it seems that despondancy & apathy reign at SJP; indeed hope has largely passed us by going in the other direction. 

 

Watching games has become a drain, almost a chore at times, due to a number of factors so my question is this - what would it take to get the life back into supporting NUFC?

(By the way I hate Spurs but I watched them play yesterday and couldn't help but notice that for two "similar" clubs the gulf in style of play and flair was frightening when contrasted to our game vs "Boro)

 

Some options we hear repeatedly, none of which are impossible, are:

 

Sacking the board?

A takeover?

A good run at the start of next season?

A spending spree bringing in flair players to add to the squad we already have?

A spending spree on defenders and midfielders?

A new manager?

Getting shot of Luque

Alan Shearer?

A cup run?

Relegation?

 

I have my own thoughts but I just wondered what the consensus was?  Or if there is one...

 

 

[Skirge]

Emre back in the team would give us the spark we need to set us off on a run, we are missing him so much, his drive and determination is what can create magic.

 

That or another protest, they always seem to up their game after a protest.

[BottledDog]

A positive takeover if possible. At the very least a managerial team that can get a group of players playing above themselves and playing positive football and with a philosophy about the clubs development you can buy into.

 

But forget specifics, ultimately most just hope for a situation where you can look at the club and come away feeling positive for the future, something that is almost impossible under the current set up.

[Skirge]

A take over could do harm than good though, nothing is for sure in football, look at Westham thier take over is a big part of thier downfall I reckon.

 

[BottledDog]

A take over could do harm than good though, nothing is for sure in football, look at Westham thier take over is a big part of thier downfall I reckon.

 

 

He asked what it would take and I did say we needed a 'positive' takeover, not just any old fat factory owner.

 

Christ, try and be a bit optimistic once in a while man Skirge.

[BottledDog]

I feel a hell of a lot more positive about the future of the club than I did a year ago. I still think Roeder is doing a good job, and the best part is, we are gradually becomming less of a laughing stock, and turning into a more respected, hard working team. Part of that is down to Shearer no longer being here (he added to the circus feel around the place).

 

I'm very willing to give Roeder until the end of next season, and if he finishes in a respectable position this year (between 7th and 11th I would count as respectable) and then improves upon it next year, I see NO REASON why he shouldn't stay longer. Getting rid will achieve nothing, and the signs have been there at times that we have good foundations in place.

 

Things that would improve our current situation:

 

- Emre back in the team.

- Getting more people in the box would help.

- A new LB.

 

 

 

You feel more positive now than a year ago when we were climbing up the table under a caretaker who according to Shepherd was to make way for a world class manager at the end of the season and slot back into a developing academy and reserve setup? Blimey.

 

At least I felt the club had a chance of attracting such a character back then, now I wouldn't be so sure. That doesn't strike me as a positive step forward.

[Skirge]

I used to be one of the most optimistic fans on here but slowly and surely and posiitives I had about the club are being killed off game by game. Thing is I do belive we have the players to play really well and I do not think its going to take  a massive change to get things going again. Thats why I do not want Roeder sacked or a take over, just need a spark and bit of self belief from the squd and our season could be saved. I am hoping that spark will come when Emre and Owen are back, those 2 players returning will up the nosie levels at SJP and that in its self can have a knock on effect onto the pitch.

[Colos Short and Curlies]

Bobby Robson

[toptoon]

I feel a hell of a lot more positive about the future of the club than I did a year ago. I still think Roeder is doing a good job, and the best part is, we are gradually becomming less of a laughing stock, and turning into a more respected, hard working team. Part of that is down to Shearer no longer being here (he added to the circus feel around the place).

 

I'm very willing to give Roeder until the end of next season, and if he finishes in a respectable position this year (between 7th and 11th I would count as respectable) and then improves upon it next year, I see NO REASON why he shouldn't stay longer. Getting rid will achieve nothing, and the signs have been there at times that we have good foundations in place.

 

Things that would improve our current situation:

 

- Emre back in the team.

- Getting more people in the box would help.

- A new LB.

 

 

 

You feel more positive now than a year ago when we were climbing up the table under a caretaker who according to Shepherd was to make way for a world class manager at the end of the season and slot back into a developing academy and reserve setup? Blimey.

 

At least I felt the club had a chance of attracting such a character back then, now I wouldn't be so sure. That doesn't strike me as a positive step forward.

 

I agree with Hindu Times, as long as we keep improving under Roeder, he should be given till the end of next season as he's laying strong foundations and once we are a little more settled with the likes of Owen and Emre we should be up there pushing for the top four. The only thing that pisses me off at the moment about Roeder is his team selection, i.e. against Wigan  and the fact he keeps picking Bramble who should have been booted out of Toon years ago.

[BottledDog]

I used to be one of the most optimistic fans on here but slowly and surely and posiitives I had about the club are being killed off game by game. Thing is I do belive we have the players to play really well and I do not think its going to take  a massive change to get things going again. Thats why I do not want Roeder sacked or a take over, just need a spark and bit of self belief from the squd and our season could be saved. I am hoping that spark will come when Emre and Owen are back, those 2 players returning will up the nosie levels at SJP and that in its self can have a knock on effect onto the pitch.

 

Well that seems pretty optimistic to me. 

 

I think the coaching staff (and players to a degree) are showing way too many deficiencies to believe that the availability of Emre this season (or Owen the next) would spark these damp squibs into life.

[NUFC06]

This season the spark will come with Emre and Owen returning to the squad

 

In general i think this club needs new chairman so takeover is the thing that will turn the spark into people's hearts

 

If the takeover is not possible bringing some top class manager is the other answer

[Guest smoggeordie]

I remember when we scored the second against Man City when we beat them 2-0, the Shearer 10 second goal match, Robert blasted over a cross for Bellamy to make it 2-0, the exact words that came out of Clive Tyldsleys mouth were: Newcastle on the break are unstoppable.

 

I wish we could say the same now.

[BottledDog]

I feel a hell of a lot more positive about the future of the club than I did a year ago. I still think Roeder is doing a good job, and the best part is, we are gradually becomming less of a laughing stock, and turning into a more respected, hard working team. Part of that is down to Shearer no longer being here (he added to the circus feel around the place).

 

I'm very willing to give Roeder until the end of next season, and if he finishes in a respectable position this year (between 7th and 11th I would count as respectable) and then improves upon it next year, I see NO REASON why he shouldn't stay longer. Getting rid will achieve nothing, and the signs have been there at times that we have good foundations in place.

 

Things that would improve our current situation:

 

- Emre back in the team.

- Getting more people in the box would help.

- A new LB.

 

 

 

You feel more positive now than a year ago when we were climbing up the table under a caretaker who according to Shepherd was to make way for a world class manager at the end of the season and slot back into a developing academy and reserve setup? Blimey.

 

At least I felt the club had a chance of attracting such a character back then, now I wouldn't be so sure. That doesn't strike me as a positive step forward.

 

I agree with Hindu Times, as long as we keep improving under Roeder, he should be given till the end of next season as he's laying strong foundations and once we are a little more settled with the likes of Owen and Emre we should be up there pushing for the top four. The only thing that pisses me off at the moment about Roeder is his team selection, i.e. against Wigan  and the fact he keeps picking Bramble who should have been booted out of Toon years ago.

 

Improving in what ways ffs?

 

Some of the fooball we are now playing is the most negative soul sapping shite I have ever witnessed. We have decent players playing well below their capabilities and a manager all to willing to blame anything but those players or himself. And yet the only problem you have with him is picking Bramble who (while may well be not good enough due to his propensity for the odd ricket) at least has had some decent games recently? Come on.

 

4th spot with Roeder if Emre and Owen stay at the club? Now there is some hardcore optimism.

[Delima]

I always prefer to blame to root cause rather than pointing fingers at the reluctant villain.

 

The team playing dully - Manager's fault.

Poor manager - Board's fault.

Money sucking, debt building, Geordie doggie girls, small clubs waste of space, I want to punch you board - Supporter's fault.

 

Ideally all the NUFC supporters should be good supporters like Delima ( ) and none like (no names here) Freddy lovers. But then NUFC is a privately owned public open institution who can't say no to any money paying supporters, so this is extremely unrealistic.

 

The vast majority of players give their best even if they are poor technically. You can't blame them for being selected into the team. I bet if Roeder asks me to play for him tomorrow I would say yes even though I can't even kick a tennis. So blaming players are stupid.

 

How about blaming the manager? Which medicore manager would turn down the chance to manage Newcastle United? If Shepherd asks me to do so, however much I despise this person, I would say yes. So again manager is an easy target of abuse.

 

The real problem lies on the board. Without a takeover we are hopeless. Once in a while good run will always happen. We could always hit jackpot after 5 or 6 managers. But a consistent good results can only happen if we have a good board.

 

Sack the board.

[AyeDubbleYoo]

I always prefer to blame to root cause rather than pointing fingers at the reluctant villain.

 

The team playing dully - Manager's fault.

Poor manager - Board's fault.

Money sucking, debt building, Geordie doggie girls, small clubs waste of space, I want to punch you board - Supporter's fault.

 

Ideally all the NUFC supporters should be good supporters like Delima ( ) and none like (no names here) Freddy lovers. But then NUFC is a privately owned public open institution who can't say no to any money paying supporters, so this is extremely unrealistic.

 

The vast majority of players give their best even if they are poor technically. You can't blame them for being selected into the team. I bet if Roeder asks me to play for him tomorrow I would say yes even though I can't even kick a tennis. So blaming players are stupid.

 

How about blaming the manager? Which medicore manager would turn down the chance to manage Newcastle United? If Shepherd asks me to do so, however much I despise this person, I would say yes. So again manager is an easy target of abuse.

 

The real problem lies on the board. Without a takeover we are hopeless. Once in a while good run will always happen. We could always hit jackpot after 5 or 6 managers. But a consistent good results can only happen if we have a good board.

 

Sack the board.

 

I agree with your conclusion, the board are to blame, but I still think Roeder is entitled to criticism/praise depending on how he performs his job.

 

If I was offered the chance to play for/manage Newcastle, you're probably right I would take it. But then when I messed it up I would have to shoulder some of the blame - my salary and acceptance of the position would require it. So if an average manager takes a job he can't handle, then I'm not going to feel sorry for him if he gets criticised.

[toptoon]

I feel a hell of a lot more positive about the future of the club than I did a year ago. I still think Roeder is doing a good job, and the best part is, we are gradually becomming less of a laughing stock, and turning into a more respected, hard working team. Part of that is down to Shearer no longer being here (he added to the circus feel around the place).

 

I'm very willing to give Roeder until the end of next season, and if he finishes in a respectable position this year (between 7th and 11th I would count as respectable) and then improves upon it next year, I see NO REASON why he shouldn't stay longer. Getting rid will achieve nothing, and the signs have been there at times that we have good foundations in place.

 

Things that would improve our current situation:

 

- Emre back in the team.

- Getting more people in the box would help.

- A new LB.

 

 

 

You feel more positive now than a year ago when we were climbing up the table under a caretaker who according to Shepherd was to make way for a world class manager at the end of the season and slot back into a developing academy and reserve setup? Blimey.

 

At least I felt the club had a chance of attracting such a character back then, now I wouldn't be so sure. That doesn't strike me as a positive step forward.

 

I agree with Hindu Times, as long as we keep improving under Roeder, he should be given till the end of next season as he's laying strong foundations and once we are a little more settled with the likes of Owen and Emre we should be up there pushing for the top four. The only thing that pisses me off at the moment about Roeder is his team selection, i.e. against Wigan  and the fact he keeps picking Bramble who should have been booted out of Toon years ago.

 

Improving in what ways ffs?

 

Some of the fooball we are now playing is the most negative soul sapping s**** I have ever witnessed. We have decent players playing well below their capabilities and a manager all to willing to blame anything but those players or himself. And yet the only problem you have with him is picking Bramble who (while may well be not good enough due to his propensity for the odd ricket) at least has had some decent games recently? Come on.

 

4th spot with Roeder if Emre and Owen stay at the club? Now there is some hardcore optimism.

 

To Clarify a point: We will NOT be pushing 4th spot this season (ffs that would be a miracle), but trying to get in the top 4 should be our aim for NEXT season for sure.

 

This season Everton are in 6th only 6 points above us that should be our optomistic aim (other than the UEFA cup), although 7th or 8th is a more likely realistic prediction given our form in the last few games. I feel (as do many others by the looks of it) a  fit Emre and Owen combined with the players we already have, plus a few summer additions (defenders hopefully) should have us pushing for fourth next year. If we are not improving next season then yes give Roeder the Boot, but we shoulden't pull the trigger to early unless we have a far better replacement, which to the best of my knowledge we do not have.

[BottledDog]

4th spot with Roeder if Emre and Owen stay at the club? Now there is some hardcore optimism.

 

To Clarify a point: We will NOT be pushing 4th spot this season (ffs that would be a miracle), but trying to get in the top 4 should be our aim for NEXT season for sure.

 

As well as a healthy dose of realism, you apparently also lack some basic comprehension.

[Northern Monkey]

Living out of Toon now this is a big assumption but from what I do see of NUFC these days, what I hear from mates still there and what I read here it seems that despondancy & apathy reign at SJP; indeed hope has largely passed us by going in the other direction. 

 

Watching games has become a drain, almost a chore at times, due to a number of factors so my question is this - what would it take to get the life back into supporting NUFC?

(By the way I hate Spurs but I watched them play yesterday and couldn't help but notice that for two "similar" clubs the gulf in style of play and flair was frightening when contrasted to our game vs "Boro)

 

Some options we hear repeatedly, none of which are impossible, are:

 

Sacking the board?

A takeover?

A good run at the start of next season?

A spending spree bringing in flair players to add to the squad we already have?

A spending spree on defenders and midfielders?

A new manager?

Getting shot of Luque

Alan Shearer?

A cup run?

Relegation?

 

I have my own thoughts but I just wondered what the consensus was?  Or if there is one...

 

 

 

What we need: (on no particular order)

 

1. New blood in the boardroom

2. A capable manager

3. Top-7 Premiership quality players

4. Getting rid of those who don't match (3) - ie. Baba, Sib, Shambles, Carr, Shola etc

5. A structured plan identifying where the club aims to be (on and off the pitch), and how we will get there.

[Minhosa]

I fully expect us to stumble over the finishing line this season, probably ending up in 12th position or somewhere around there.

 

In terms of short term (i.e: next season) I reckon the signings of a good couple of full backs, centre half and a Beardsley-esque playmaker would make a big difference and get the starting eleven geared up to win games, whilst playing good football thus giving us some spark back.

 

Medium term, we need some direction, planning and an investment strategy. In my opinion, Fred's had his chance and not delivered any of those.

 

A change of Chairmanship, via either natural succesion (i.e: He has one cornish pastie too many) or a takeover would suit me just fine.

 

We need that enthusiasm back that we had when SJH first took us on and appointed Keegan. The team and the area just had this amazing buzz.

[mrmojorisin75]

my two penneth on my own question goes as follows - i don't believe this chairman will walk, there won't be much money and the manager will stay until shearer decides he fancies it (or we get relegated)

 

therefore what i'd love more than anything to see (but i realise it'd NEVER happen) would be to sell/ship the following players: carr, bramble, moore, babayaro, butt, luque, duff, sibierski, ameobi, emre, pattison, ramage....owen/parker are possibles but we'd need a nucleus of experienced players

 

i'd replace them with a mixture of what we have at reserve/youth level presently and i'd use all of the transfer fees plus our usual summer budget to fill the squad with talented youngsters with potential from britain/holland/germany/scandinavia primarily (players from these foreign countries would more than likely settle in the north east better than a spaniard or a italian for example) and not one of them would be older than 22...

 

then i'd set off on a death or glory season with the bairns

 

i just don't want to see another 5-10m signing from chel$ki reserves on 50,000 a week....i don't want another luque walking through the door...i don't want another 10m striker on a 5 year contract

 

nothing would excite me more and get me behind the team than something like that - i feel SJP would get together and shout and sing for a load of kids playing their heart out....

 

it's pie in the sky bollocks i know but it would be fantastic to see, even if not on such a sweeping scale as i say here...sadly the alternative is almost certainly to be more "safe" signings from glenn in the window who'll cost so much we won't be able to fully address the gaping holes in our squad and will continue to play with no fire, heart or imagination 'cause they'll all be driving home in ferrari's (i know money and performances aren't directly linked but where is the hunger in our players; martins, milner, charlie, taylor, given and the bairns excepted?)

[Guest TheKingOfNewcastle]

I'd love to see that too mrmojorisin75, but you'd need a Wenger or a Scolari in charge rather than Roeder.

[Guest BooBoo]

Team performances at the minute remind me of Robsons first full season when we were pretty dull team who finished 11th. The two signings of Robert and Bellmay really fired the team and turned us into a much more attacking side who scored a lot of goals. It just shows how a couple fo players of quality in the summer and we could be back on the right road.

 

Having said that, the manager also needs replacing!

[bulivye]

my opinion is in part due to our "big club" mentality.  it's all well and good to think/believe we are (and for the record, i think we are), but on the pitch smaller clubs do a number on us with alarming consistency.  we rise to the occasion when we play one of our "peer" teams, Man utd, l'pool etc. which shows we can play with the big boys, but we always seem to play down to the level of teams that on paper are our inferior.  we need to either: lose the big club mentality and adopt a small club's never say die, 100% at all times attitude for every opponent, OR, play every game with the clinical, ruthless, cold-hearted efficiency of a true big club.

[Guest Morph]

The signing of Lee Kerr.

 

[Guest JamesD]

my opinion is in part due to our "big club" mentality.  it's all well and good to think/believe we are (and for the record, i think we are), but on the pitch smaller clubs do a number on us with alarming consistency.  we rise to the occasion when we play one of our "peer" teams, Man utd, l'pool etc. which shows we can play with the big boys, but we always seem to play down to the level of teams that on paper are our inferior.  we need to either: lose the big club mentality and adopt a small club's never say die, 100% at all times attitude for every opponent, OR, play every game with the clinical, ruthless, cold-hearted efficiency of a true big club.

I like this post a lot.  Supporters (at least on here) seem to think that just because its NUFC and a few years back we were a top side, we still are one, or should be preforming like one.  After robson's exit, and souness' mess, it will take some time to get back to where the club should be and people really need to be more patient.