Hmmm....Results, please?
Look, I'm not going to be one of the fickle Newcastle fans who start calling for the manager's head the minute a string of bad results come our way. And I fully realize that the man's only been in charge for a week or so and that is just NOT enough time to completely turn a side around. And I fully understand that the last two games have both been against Arsenal, one of the top sides in the league, AT EMIRATES, which is practically impossible to pull results from. And I know half of our squad has either been injured, suspended, or on African Cup of Nations duty for the entire time King Kev's been at the healm. And I'm literally the first guy to tell you that the football we've played since his arrival is LEAPS AND BOUNDS better to watch than the muck that we displayed under Big Fat Sam.
But scoring a goal would be nice, no?
There are some good things:
We've played some good footy against Arsenal, the team who usually teaches class on the football pitch about playing the ball quickly on the floor, and playing beautifully. We went into Emirates and didn't try to draw with them, we tried to attack, we went forward, we risked exposing ourselves at the back. Unfortunately, that's exactly what we did and we got battered, 3-0, twice in four days. So no, that doesn't feel to rosey. But we gave it our all, and everybody in world can see that we're a reinvigorated side, and when we play some teams who AREN'T the best team in the world, we might just score a goal against them.
We've got some easier matches coming up(but not really), with Middlesboro first at home, then Villa away(tough), then Man U at home. It's a good progression of matches, where boro is a real litnus test. If we can't get 3 against boro at home, we've got some problems. Then, Villa away will be a real test, as they've been playing really well recently. Then, obviously Man U is a tough one, but it's at home, and we typically get up for big teams(ehem....except for maybe Arsenal).
We've been picking up some fantastic back-room guys, some really respected football men. These kinds of people have been badly needed, as Mike Ashley and Chris Mort are both business men, brilliant as they are, but without the necessary knowledge of the game to take us far enough. We've been looking at some great young talent, and signing some, and there's hope that we'll get a great young prospect in Gilles Barnes from Derby in the next 24 hours, before the winter window closes.
The bad news:
We've still got players away on African duty, and it looks like Nigeria is going to progress so that means Martins won't be back for another week - at least.
The players we have JUST ARENT GOOD ENOUGH. Just look at our midfield. Butt is crap. Look. He just is. Over and over and over and over again, he plays poorly in the middle. The guy can't live off of his fairly positive Man U reputation until he's 70. He passes crap, he shoots crap, he gives away way too many fouls, he doesn't track back, he rarely marks men (his only real job) good enough, the list goes on and on. Milner can't pass into the box to save his life. N'Zogbia doesn't have a good position that he can stay at for more than a game, because he's the only player good enough to fill in for anybody on the pitch. Duff is decent the the man has no right foot. Literally. He's got a big lead weight hanging off of his right leg which he puts a shoe on just for shits and giggles. Barton is a criminal. Full stop. Emre is the only chance we have at creativity but he apparently doesn't like to play the game, since he gets so many match bans. It seems like when there's the slightest opportunity of a chance, something else goes wrong and throws the whole thing out of balance.
But look - if we Geordie supporters can stay behind this damn team for once, in a couple years we're really going to have something exciting to be cheering for, and I really believe that. Mort is setting some wicked foundations for a new era at Newcastle United Football Club, and all we need is patience to see it through. Oh - and we need not to be relegated. That would help. A lot.
Here's a little line from a song by Glen Hansard, called "When Your Mind's Made Up" which can be found on the beautiful "Once" soundtrack, which reminds me a bit of what it's like to be a Newcastle supporter:
So, if you ever want something
and you call, call, then I'll come runnin'
to fight-and I'll be at your door-
When there's nothing worth running for.
But scoring a goal would be nice, no?
There are some good things:
We've played some good footy against Arsenal, the team who usually teaches class on the football pitch about playing the ball quickly on the floor, and playing beautifully. We went into Emirates and didn't try to draw with them, we tried to attack, we went forward, we risked exposing ourselves at the back. Unfortunately, that's exactly what we did and we got battered, 3-0, twice in four days. So no, that doesn't feel to rosey. But we gave it our all, and everybody in world can see that we're a reinvigorated side, and when we play some teams who AREN'T the best team in the world, we might just score a goal against them.
We've got some easier matches coming up(but not really), with Middlesboro first at home, then Villa away(tough), then Man U at home. It's a good progression of matches, where boro is a real litnus test. If we can't get 3 against boro at home, we've got some problems. Then, Villa away will be a real test, as they've been playing really well recently. Then, obviously Man U is a tough one, but it's at home, and we typically get up for big teams(ehem....except for maybe Arsenal).
We've been picking up some fantastic back-room guys, some really respected football men. These kinds of people have been badly needed, as Mike Ashley and Chris Mort are both business men, brilliant as they are, but without the necessary knowledge of the game to take us far enough. We've been looking at some great young talent, and signing some, and there's hope that we'll get a great young prospect in Gilles Barnes from Derby in the next 24 hours, before the winter window closes.
The bad news:
We've still got players away on African duty, and it looks like Nigeria is going to progress so that means Martins won't be back for another week - at least.
The players we have JUST ARENT GOOD ENOUGH. Just look at our midfield. Butt is crap. Look. He just is. Over and over and over and over again, he plays poorly in the middle. The guy can't live off of his fairly positive Man U reputation until he's 70. He passes crap, he shoots crap, he gives away way too many fouls, he doesn't track back, he rarely marks men (his only real job) good enough, the list goes on and on. Milner can't pass into the box to save his life. N'Zogbia doesn't have a good position that he can stay at for more than a game, because he's the only player good enough to fill in for anybody on the pitch. Duff is decent the the man has no right foot. Literally. He's got a big lead weight hanging off of his right leg which he puts a shoe on just for shits and giggles. Barton is a criminal. Full stop. Emre is the only chance we have at creativity but he apparently doesn't like to play the game, since he gets so many match bans. It seems like when there's the slightest opportunity of a chance, something else goes wrong and throws the whole thing out of balance.
But look - if we Geordie supporters can stay behind this damn team for once, in a couple years we're really going to have something exciting to be cheering for, and I really believe that. Mort is setting some wicked foundations for a new era at Newcastle United Football Club, and all we need is patience to see it through. Oh - and we need not to be relegated. That would help. A lot.
Here's a little line from a song by Glen Hansard, called "When Your Mind's Made Up" which can be found on the beautiful "Once" soundtrack, which reminds me a bit of what it's like to be a Newcastle supporter:
So, if you ever want something
and you call, call, then I'll come runnin'
to fight-and I'll be at your door-
When there's nothing worth running for.
posted by darkred at 6:56 PM
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