Some more of the Roeder interview is now online.

[BottledDog]

No excuses from boss looking to give team a backbone

 

Behind Glenn Roeder's desk in his office overlooking the plush green pitches of Newcastle United's training ground is written a phrase which he believes sums up the mistakes of the past and the challenges of the future.

 

It is a phrase Newcastle's manager gazes upon every day, a phrase which serves not only to remind him of the club's chequered history, but also to strengthen his resolve for what lies ahead.

 

Whether it is justified or not, Roeder is under pressure for the first time as Newcastle manager. As his unpopular predecessor, Graeme Souness, once observed as his own St James's Park regime began to unravel, you are never more than two games away from a crisis at Newcastle United.

 

 

Back-to-back defeats at Charlton and AZ Alkmaar - the latter doubling as the collapse of their Uefa Cup challenge - is more than enough to plunge the club into turmoil.

 

 

While Tyneside boils in recriminations and regret and bubbles with anger and animosity, Roeder retains a cool, calm and, as he is at pains to point out, calculated approach. He is not interested in trophy signings, he is interested in signing a team which will finally win some trophies.

 

 

"Newcastle always buy one star here, one star there, but they never buy a team'. I look at that every day - one star here, one star there, no team, no backbone," said Roeder, with another glance at the whiteboard.

 

 

It has a list of injured players on one side, the club's remaining fixtures on the other and, in the middle, a smudge of blue ink where Roeder had wiped away the names of the club's summer transfer targets.

 

 

Roeder makes no secret of what he feels is responsible for a poor first full season in charge - injuries But his list of targets is highly classified. It is also the list upon which his future rests.

 

 

Get the recruitment right in the summer and he will continue as manager. Get it wrong and he will gaze upon his whiteboard for the final time. Roeder's regular habit of falling back on the club's injury problems has started to irritate many supporters. While a manager may suggest he is not looking for excuses in a crowded treatment room, the constant referral to the issue is, nevertheless, viewed as an excuse.

 

 

"I want to be careful when I'm talking so I don't do something that I've never done, make excuses." said Roeder. "But the stats tell you we've had injuries that's been in double figures for six months. I can't legislate for that as a manager and the fans can't legislate for that either. I think the fans have been fantastic because the majority understand what has happened to us this season.

 

 

"In life, not just football, it's always the loud minority we hear. It's never the silent majority. The silent majority are the decent people in life. That's not just in football, that's in life, politics, everything.

 

 

"The silent majority understand the situation, but the loud minority don't understand how difficult it is.

 

 

"All the players who've had long spells out, their seasons haven't got going. You can't expect players who've been out for a long period to come straight back in and play at their best straight away.

 

 

"It's just impossible to succeed with a team which has had more than 20 different combinations in the back four. These aren't excuses, they are facts. The teams that do well have consistency.

 

 

"They don't have changes week in, week out, they play with the same 14 or 15 players in the league." Yet, for many supporters, Roeder's words are still nothing more than excuses for failure; a weak apology for a season which was destined to fail when two transfer windows opened and closed without the signings needed to strengthen a squad short on quality and numbers.

 

 

A left-back, a centre-back and a target-man were the obvious requirements, but Roeder and chairman Freddie Shepherd failed to land them in the summer, while only the inexperienced and unproven defender Oguchi Onyewu arrived on a loan/trial in January.

 

 

For all the talk of injuries, if the club performed better in the transfer market, the injuries would not have been so decimating.

 

 

"That doesn't just involve me," counters Roeder. "Last year, I had targets that I wanted and targets that I didn't get for a variety of reasons. I then didn't just panic and buy players I wasn't certain about. It would have been `here we go again'. Players on three or four-year contracts who in six months time are no use. I was gambling with my job, but I was gambling with my job for the good of Newcastle United, not for myself.

 

 

"We were looking at players who were fourth or fifth choice and we don't have fourth or fifth choices. We could have got players who were past their shelf life, because that's happened here in the past, players who are a name but that's all they are. As a result, we go into the summer with room to manoeuvre in the squad.

 

 

"The club, over the last ten years, has been built on signings. Supporters expect to read about signings. People say, `go on Glenn, sign anyone, make it a back page for the Evening Chronicle for one day'. In a few months' time they are saying `what did you sign him for'. It's not a computer game.

 

 

"I'm still working with a squad that isn't mine. I would expect to be judged when I have the players I've signed. We will go into next season with my team. I can't change everything in two years. It's like any new business, survive the first two years and then you're up and running."

 

Source = The Journal

 

"I'm still working with a squad that isn't mine. I would expect to be judged when I have the players I've signed. We will go into next season with my team. I can't change everything in two years. It's like any new business, survive the first two years and then you're up and running."

 

It's a fair sentiment and, as it looks likely that he will stay, I genuinely hope he is right. Good luck Glenn. He seems to realise that he still has a hell of a lot to prove for a lot of us.

[womblemaster]

think GR should be moved upstairs to director of football.

 

Then get proper manager in who knows tactics, and can inspire players.  GR may have an ability to organise but he lacks the ability to swing a game, hes too stilted in his thinking.

 

i predict another 12 months of mediocre crud, till gr leaves.

[Rebellious]

"It's just impossible to succeed with a team which has had more than 20 different combinations in the back four. These aren't excuses, they are facts. The teams that do well have consistency.

 

 

"They don't have changes week in, week out, they play with the same 14 or 15 players in the league." Yet, for many supporters, Roeder's words are still nothing more than excuses for failure; a weak apology for a season which was destined to fail when two transfer windows opened and closed without the signings needed to strengthen a squad short on quality and numbers.

 

Yet he still blames the players for his mistakes when things go wrong tactically. Some of them combinations have been his fault too.

[junkhead]

more deluded talk by the fearless one .. how boring

[KaKa]

One thing I appreciate about Roeder is the fact that he does recognise certain things about the club that other managers wouldn't admit in the past. i.e. the trophy signing problem where we have bought name players instead of building the squad. I am very happy to see that ahead of the window he is conscious of not repeating this mistake.

 

 

[BottledDog]

think GR should be moved upstairs to director of football.

 

Then get proper manager in who knows tactics, and can inspire players.   GR may have an ability to organise but he lacks the ability to swing a game, hes too stilted in his thinking.

 

i predict another 12 months of mediocre crud, till gr leaves.

 

Agree with most of that, but I'm still not at all convinced by the arguement for him to become our DOF.

 

I have to say, like KaKa I really like his talk about the future of Newcastle, of building a team, not just the odd star player, but so far it is all just that, talk. Surely that role of DOF is all about having the right contacts, the experience of top setups, and enough respect to keep the manager happy and the chairman on his toes. Im not entirely sure Roeder fits that bill.

 

[Mick]

Roeder virtually said all of this 12 months ago and look what has happened since, he hasn't got a clue, he's Souness Mk2.

[KaKa]

think GR should be moved upstairs to director of football.

 

Then get proper manager in who knows tactics, and can inspire players.   GR may have an ability to organise but he lacks the ability to swing a game, hes too stilted in his thinking.

 

i predict another 12 months of mediocre crud, till gr leaves.

 

Agree with most of that, but I'm still not at all convinced by the arguement for him to become our DOF.

 

I have to say, like KaKa I really like his talk about the future of Newcastle, of building a team, not just the odd star player, but so far it is all just that, talk. Surely that role of DOF is all about having the right contacts, the experience of top setups, and enough respect to keep the manager happy and the chairman on his toes. Im not entirely sure Roeder fits that bill.

 

 

At the moment it is just all talk I agree...but he has at least admitted that he didn't succeed in the last window and has said why. He recognizes also that if he fails in this window he will have no excuses and he will be judged on the state of the squad at the start of next season.

 

I just like where he is coming from and this is why I think he just about deserves this summer to get it sorted and if he doesn't then at least we will all know for certain that he has to go. At the moment though I feel it is to early to get rid of him as there is still a good chance he could get it right or at the very least get in the kind of players we need and build the kind of squad we ought to have.

[NUFC06]

The only thing that is going to get Roeder sacked is very bad run of games at the end of the season

If that doesnt happen he will be here next season

And although i think and i hope he will sign some good players in the summer i doubt he will do any different from this season

We will still be mediocre team playing mediocre football

[Yorkie]

Looking forward to seeing him with his own team. He won't cock up for a third time in the transfer window, it just won't happen. Good luck, Glenn.

[Guest smoggeordie]

Looking forward to seeing him with his own team. He won't cock up for a third time in the transfer window, it just won't happen. Good luck, Glenn.

 

What have you been smoking mate?

[Yorkie]

Just don't think it will. He'll have learnt from his mistakes, i reckon.

 

Can see two or three really pleasing signings coming in this summer.

[Guest]

Newcastle always buy one star here, one star there, but they never buy a team'. I look at that every day - one star here, one star there, no team, no backbone," said Roeder, with another glance at the whiteboard.

 

So rather than a couple of defenders you sign Damien Duff...rightio Glenn.

[Guest Mantis]

What is ironic is that the majority of fans thought Roeder had earned the right to the job off the back of his caretaker spell.  There was never anything to suggest he could do anything better than Keegan, Dalglish and Robson.

 

Chairman got what he wanted, a yes man grateful for his job at a big club.  Nice bloke, but was never destined to be able to perform the miracle required at NUFC. 

 

It is sad now that the tide has inevitably turned and those happy to see GR in post are now putting the boot in.  Interesting also to note that MON, the other big favourite is not pulling up any trees at Villa.

[Northern Monkey]

Looking forward to seeing him with his own team. He won't cock up for a third time in the transfer window, it just won't happen. Good luck, Glenn.

 

hahahahahaahahahahahaahahahahahahahaahahaha!!!!!!!!!!!!

[koven]

Newcastle always buy one star here, one star there, but they never buy a team'. I look at that every day - one star here, one star there, no team, no backbone," said Roeder, with another glance at the whiteboard.

 

So rather than a couple of defenders you sign Damien Duff...rightio Glenn.

 

You actually think he decided against a defender and went with Duff?

 

And who would you have played in left midfield for the months and months that Zoggy has been injured?

[Raconteur]

At the moment it is just all talk I agree...but he has at least admitted that he didn't succeed in the last window and has said why. He recognizes also that if he fails in this window he will have no excuses and he will be judged on the state of the squad at the start of next season.

 

I just like where he is coming from and this is why I think he just about deserves this summer to get it sorted and if he doesn't then at least we will all know for certain that he has to go. At the moment though I feel it is to early to get rid of him as there is still a good chance he could get it right or at the very least get in the kind of players we need and build the kind of squad we ought to have.

 

I have to disagree with the bold bit - he hasn't explained what went wrong at all, just fobbing us off with "for a variety of reasons". I know he's not going to come out and say something like "I really like Jorge Andrade but he didn't want to come to the north-east" or "Giles Barnes looks really good but Derby want daft money" but to suggest he has provided valid reasons just isn't the case.

 

More useless platitudes from Glenn, but what do I know - I'm part of the know-nothing vocal minority