Diary of a Fan

In a widely expected move, but still one that manages to make us look even more ridiculous as a club, we've finally parted company with Sir Bobby Robson. First let me just note that I think most fans, including his critics, at least respect the man. He's steered us through some difficult times, not always well perhaps but better than those armchair critics could have managed. Something was going to give. As this is football that something was always going to be the manager. The problem is the timing. With a day left until the closer of the transfer window and the team in obvious desperate need of reinforcement the obvious move is not to sack the manager. The club has been in disarray since the end of last season (if not longer). The time to go was close season, with the dignity deserved by the man who came as close as anyone to leading England to World Cup victory since 1966. Having made the decision to give it one last try then, if you're going to change your mind, at least wait until the transfers, if any, are done. Or even, shock horror, give him a chance to turn it round. Apparently dropping Shearer to the bench really is the rope to hang oneself with.

In the mad world of Newcastle United, a club already in a total mess, we haven't solved anything. Now we don't even know who's deciding if Shearer's playing---unless of course it's Shearer himself. Sir Bobby may have lacked some control of the dressing room but his departure doesn't take the in fighting and lack of commitment with it. The results which have led to Sir Bobby's departure are not entirely his blame. We seem to have a board which, if it didn't directly undermine him, seemed to be unable to clearly communicate. He's had to deal with a bunch of prima dona players who can't shut up in public (that's true of the club as a whole though; someone always ready to feed tidbits to the press. It's no wonder that Sky seemed to know more about Rooney bids than did Robson who had just seen his team play a match). And Rooney to us? That must be the joke of the season. To play for who exactly? When we seem to be stuck now with what we have what are we meant to do when the defence seems unable to perform a basic task such as hoofing the ball clear down field never mind anything approaching cultured defending?

I suppose in the end I'm simply sad that Bobby couldn't live out the dream of making his final act taking his home town team to the glory they crave. I think the hurt evident on his face was more that of a Geordie wishing he could have done better for the toon than anything else. And what now? Will Shearer get his chance at that dream? Maybe he'll have to. It's difficult to imagine that anybody qualified would actually be crazy enough to take up the role. I hope it doesn't come to that. Only Newcastle could have such high aspirations and then consider a man with so little coaching experience that he's fresh from gaining his badges. Anybody else would laugh it off and go looking for someone who knows what they're doing. Who would I have? Don't know; nobody being linked springs out. Not Shearer (at least not by himself). I suppose O'Neill can be tempted from the easy life in Scotland he may be the best of a bad bunch. But basically I'm shaking my head wondering how we always seem to end up like this. My CV's in the post to Barrack Road.

(@23:08)

The slow motion implosion which this club seems determined to subject itself to continues. Having started off in the worst way with a goal against in five minutes, we actually found ourselves leading at half time. We couldn't cling on to that lead though---not by a long way.

This is just another bizarre game in what is becoming an impossible to comprehend season. Shearer (rightly I think) left on the bench for Kluivert's first start. But Bowyer back on the right, where he played so badly last season and a position about which we'd assumed the management had seen sense. Carr, made captain (why not the more obvious choice of Butt, who's leadership skills in midfield have at least been evident, or even Given the seasoned professional). The much maligned Dyer, so protected by the management despite his ridiculous refusal to play and inept performances when he does get the chance, was (thankfully) no where to be seen within the 16 who could take part. Meanwhile off field we still engage in a bidding war with Manchester United over a talented (but still relatively unproven) striker while it is plain to everyone that we desperately need some defence.

We could once again bemoan our luck. A goalkeeper deliberately handles the ball outside the area to prevent Bellamy going through to have an empty goal to put the ball in, yet that is deemed not a clear goal scoring chance. Only the referee can understand why he dislikes us that much. Villa's fourth goal was deflected in but hey, so what, they could easily have been more up by then anyway. If good teams make their own luck then one can't help believing that we're making our own appalling fortune.

If the ball found its way to our box then panic met it. We were singularly unable to perform a simple clearance, let alone defend the attentions of a striker. Yes, we did on occasion play some pretty stuff of our own and Kluivert justified his inclusion. Villa must be berating their defence as much as we ours for the second goal though, O'Brien wandering around the box totally unmarked (judging from his actions at the other end he doesn't like to be too near opposition players). In the end we shipped four goals against. All the good (and it's only good at times and very rarely brilliant) attacking in the world won't save you if the opposition can out score you with that ease.

Will somebody tell me if Ameobi has supposedly turned into a winger. He keeps coming on to play in strange positions. Are we trying to do an inverse Henry?

There is a lot of rhetoric about how far the club has come. We've got precisely nowhere. Turn on the floodlights and the rain, and replace Villa with some red and white striped shirts, and it's all too familiar. Capitulating to a team we should beat, with nothing but an air of frustration that we're not as good as we think. Belief is a good thing to have but you can't run around a football pitch thinking you're good; you've got to show it too. Once you've gone forty-some unbeaten games then you are excused the arrogance some of our players exhibit but not till then (and how remarkably humble and quiet Arsenal are with that achievement---their supporters may gloat but the team just gets on with winning).

We have time off now, though obviously not for good behavior. The transfer deadline looms in front of us. There is still time to fix things. There is still time to deal with whatever cancer it is which seems to be devouring this club. But if things continue much longer in this rich vein of relegation form then that time may be running rapidly out.

(@11:08)

The draw for the UEFA Cup has been made. In order to make our way into the new fangled group stage (presumably this is an effort to make the UEFA cup resemble even more a poor man's champions' league) we have to overcome Israeli side Hapoel Bnei Sakhnin. Who, I hear you cry. Good bloody question--though we'll probably still struggle to beat them.

(@14:08)

When we don't have the ball we at times look a complete shambles. We can't hold a two goal lead at home. When they forget themselves, which is all too often, the defence looks like it doesn't know what day it is. I know, let's buy a striker.

£20 million bid for Rooney. At least it shows ambition. The only trouble is it's difficult to understand why he would want to join a team who can't win a game never mind a trophy. Not only that, but the only player currently really on form, and incidentally once of our opponents tonight, decides to publicly announce in a post match interview that, should we get our man, he'd have to consider his position. The fact he decides to say this in public, on live television is just typical of Newcastle. We seem to have the worst PR machine in the world. If we can make ourselves look foolish, or wash our linen in public, then we will. Bellamy has a point though. We already have two strikers on the pitch (granted it's Shearer's last season but still) and another two sat on the bench. We have at times had all four on the pitch. The problem a lot of fans have is understanding why we don't take our twenty million (or 23.5, or however much it's up to by now) and spend it on some central defenders.

Anyway, there was a game tonight, between episodes of the soap opera which is the Toon. Norwich were promoted last season as first division champions (that brings back memories, the only cup I've seen us lift...) That doesn't, with all due respect, make them premier class. Given the problems of the past week or so, we really needed a win. Of course we didn't get it. It seems to be turning out worse than last season. Now we're losing away and drawing at home.

The first half was fairly even. While Norwich were playing well, it that does tell you how poor we seem to have become. Our ex-player Huckerby should have scored near the start, the inability of our defence to concentrate (and the seeming inability of our players to stay on their feet, both this game and the last) once again evident. At the end of the half it was their ex-player who gave us a barely deserved lead, with a shot fortuitously bobbling its deflected route into goal. We'd actually had one chalked off for the ball being dubiously ruled to have went over the byline, but we really could have little complaint had we went in level.

Having got the lead we should have come out second half on fire and ready to rush through a weak Norwich defence. Instead we struggled again. Like the first half Robert was playing his vanishing role, while Dyer---given his chance to impress in the on position he'll agree to play in---failed miserably to impress. Butt looked good again but (ha) he was being given plenty of opportunity to demonstrate his defensive qualities. In short we weren't on fire. We were barely warm.

Robert finally did something, in delivering the corner for Hughes to head in the second. That should have killed the game. That it didn't is probably partly down to Norwich replying so quickly. That even the ultra reliable Given made a mistake somehow feels symptomatic and unsurprising. Yet it wasn't all the bad luck of that mistake. It was the fact you almost expected Norwich to be able to come back.

Once they had their goal we again fell into the sort of team we were against Spurs, virtually incapable of putting a couple of passes together. We were made to look better than we were simply by Norwich stretching themselves in search of the equaliser---which inevitably came.

The number of draws last season was bordering on the ridiculous, but at least they tended to be away. Now they're just every game, when we're lucky. It has to get better than this. Sir Bobby will argue that we could have had 9 points from these first three games rather than the 2 we have (and indeed we did have other chances in this game, yet you just knew what the result would be---where as with good teams you just know they will win...). I think even he knows that's a smoke screen though. It's certainly never felt like we've been robbed of points all that much.

So where now. Well, Aston Villa. More to the point there is less than a week before the transfer window closes until January. If we end up with Rooney and a centre back or two it could be one of the great coups. If we end up with Rooney but no defenders it will look like one of the most foolish transfers, on the part of both parties, ever. Let's hope he comes, the defence comes, the win at Villa comes and the next entry talks about the resurgent, inspiring, brilliant Newcastle we dream of.

(@22:08)

It has been a difficult week for the club. What would have settled thing nicely would have been a home victory against a team which weren't exactly threatening the highest reaches of the table last season. Instead, though not surprisingly given that this is Newcastle United, the problems just seem worse as we capitulated to a first home defeat of 2004. The fact we really should have won this game doesn't help---it just seems to show how nothing ever quite goes right for this club.

For the first half we essentially controlled the game; the ball just didn't end up in the net. Paul Robinson was given plenty of opportunity to show why some, myself included, believe he should be the first choice England keeper. Bellamy was a constant threat and the protective presence of Butt seems to have given Jenas the freedom to be a threatening attacking force (the whole Dyer situation and his desire to prove his worth in that central midfield position won't have hurt either). We were somewhat unfortunate to go in level (and yes it is a worry that again I'm talking about our poor luck). That was the good bit, Newcastle as we hope they are---possibly not at the best but certainly not bad. Then came the second half.

It could be that we were just getting into our stride again when the goal came but certainly after that goal we weren't the team of the first half. It was quite some goal from Atouba, cutting in from the left to finish when the danger seemed well contained. It must be noted that the warning had been there in the first half, not so much in terms of quality of shot---his previous efforts had been badly off target---but in the fact that he had been getting the opportunity to make those poor attempts. The goal seemed to mark the point where we completely forgot how to play. Robert, who had done little in the first half other than cross and take corners badly, did even less than that. His ineffectualness seemed to rub off on Milner on the opposite side of the pitch as he vanished. The first half threat had always been mainly Jenas's strong running and Bellamy. The running stopped and Bellamy rarely found the space or service of the first half. We had a few semi-chances, mainly balls floating aimlessly over the box, but were never the first half team.

A triple substitution quarter of an hour away from the end smelt of desperation for something to come off more than anything. In fact the shape of the team was broken even more by it. Perhaps it is time to consider putting Kluivert on for Shearer or Bellamy a bit earlier, rather than ending up with three or four strikers getting in each others way. It made little difference.

Fortunately there is another chance when Norwich visit on Wednesday. We need to win that one, against a team fresh enough from promotion to still be considered lower league. The club has to move on this week, away from the events of the last few days. A mid-week victory would help achieve the right mind set for that. Let's hope for one, eh.

(@21:08)

Once again Newcastle United manage to display the complete lack of ambition within the club. The number of truely world class players at the club can be easily counted even by those with missing fingers and one of them just went through the exit. The reason for the sale seems to come down to: Well, it's Real Madrid, and they asked nicely. Bollocks. What should happen is Real say, "Is Woodgate available?" to which we say "No, fuck off". Instead we said "Oh, yes, here. Anything else sir?"

It's been argued that this is actually a good bit of business. Er, no. £4.4 milliion profit on a player of Woodgate's talent (remember, he was considered something of a bargain when we brought him from cash strapped Leeds). Let's consider if that really is profit. Discounting even the wages he's since been paid, it almost certainly isn't. Ignoring cup competitions and concentrating on the league, Woodgate started 18 games for us last season. Now, assuming that he saved us a goal a game (and given the state of our defense without him I contend that's not such a wild claim) he gained us an extra 12 points. Twelve less points would have seen us 15th, more or less in the relegation dog fight and losing much more in prize money than any alleged profit. Even just losing half those points, surely realistic, would see us 11th, still no profit when one considers that's not a european place. No, this isn't good business. This is fucking terrible.

I've seen it said that we're better off without a player who has spent so much time on the treatment table. Would we be better if we'd got rid of Shearer when he had his major injuries? Those same people tend to defend Bellamy. And of course, Real would sign a player who they think will only be available a third of the time...

There are certainly other factors in this sale. Perhaps Woodgate was unhappy at the club--disappointed at the lack of Champion's League qualification and the training regime and the in fighting. But fuck it. He was under contract, if we just say no Real never get to speak to him. Perhaps we need the money to pay for fucking Dyer's wages (I bet unhappy Woodgate, had he been fit, would have played right wing if asked). But that price is way too low.

I really can't remember feeling this disappointed and angry with the club in a long time. The only way out of this one is to take the millions, add some more, and buy someone else truely world class. Otherwise we're left with a defensive shambles and can watch those points disappear. Fuck.

(@13:08)

Towards the end of this match, with a couple of minutes left, I was half planning this entry in my head. I was also worrying I'd have to change it---it seemed almost inevitable that we would throw the result away. I was going to talk about luck; I suppose I still am. That post would have went something like this: It is undeniably true that to be a top team, in any division, you need your share of good fortune. It can be argued that good teams make their own luck but sometimes it has to start from somewhere. In the opening moments and minutes it looked like we might just get that bit of luck to set us on our way. While some were undoubtedly still taking their seats (you've paid the money, the teams are on the pitch, the excitement and tension are almost touchable---what is it with you people who think it's OK to wander in minutes late?) we had quite a chunk. If it hadn't been the first minute of the first match of the season Elliot's clumsiness in the box may have been handball and we could have been one down. As it was, he got away with it. Then the opposition decided to gift Bellamy a chance and, following on from preseason form, he for once managed not to fluff the lines. But that's no longer the entry, for the gods do not smile on the Toon for too long--ever. They just like to use us in their big cosmic joke of a dice game. So the luck I was going to talk about seeing us on our way came back to haunt us, of course--this is Newcastle. Dyer slips at the worst moment. The linesman decides that a player diving in front of the keeper isn't really interfering and hey, if you handle the ball into the net, what the hell. On another day it would have been disallowed. On another day Jenas would have sealed it.

Enough of luck. Let's try some analysis. In fairness the result was probably about right. Both teams had periods of pressure. Neither keeper made that many saves. Our makeshift backline looked more organised than the first choice had for most of last season. That has to be encouraging for when players become available again. It was undoubtedly helped by man of the match Butt though. In fact, at two and a half million, it must look on that performance that he really was a summer sale special bank holiday deal. A replacement for Speed maybe, but is it possible he's better? Maybe.

We were injury plagued, conjunctivitis and other more normal ailments taking their toll. But we didn't look too bad. Milner and Carr linked well on the right. Milner (who's first few touches had me worrying he was going to have a stinker but came on) must practice his crossing though. Too many times, especially during the first half, he found ample space on the right only to deliver harmless balls to the Middlesbrough defense. The potency down the right also helped disguise the anonymity (barring long range free kicks) of Robert on the left. Bernard was more prominent than he.

At the cutting end it was as you were, Bellamy and Shearer playing alongside each other in the strikeforce which, when fit, was so potent last season. And of course it worked, a goal each. More noticeable was the introduction of Ameobi, especially when that resulted in three strikers being on the pitch. One might surmise that Kluivert is still not match fit, for surely he would have been a more obvious choice. The conspiracy theorist will note who he did eventually replace. Maybe he and Shearer can't (or won't?) play together. Ameobi to be honest did alright, adding a dynamism which had faded by that time, and winning the penalty for Shearer to score what should have been the winner. By that point the game had already become ragged and stayed that way. Boro attacked even more and we broke. Kluivert nearly converted on his proper debut, and one must wonder if it was his outstretched leg which put Jenas off what was a sitter. That miss cost as, with a certain feeling of inevitability, we let the lead slip a second time in the final breaths of the game.

The goal, as mentioned, should not have stood. But as captain Shearer pointed out post match, the defense still shouldn't have allowed it to be scored. Last season we were incapable of actually winning away and far too likely to turn victory into a draw. The pattern has begun to repeat and must be broken quickly or it will once again cost us league position.

(@22:08)

Yes it's a terrible headline. Newcastle announced today that they have agreed a deal with Spurs for Stephen Carr. We have been linked with several world class right backs over the summer, and now we've bought Carr. To be fair he's an international but many fans, myself included to some extent, will be disappointed that he's hardly a name on the world stage. He is better than what we have however (no offense to Hughes but he never has looked a right back). And �2 million seems quite a fair price. It doesn't give the impression that our defence is suddenly going to be so much tighter though, which is what we wanted.

The dealing for the summer seems to be done. We've brought in a couple of world class names, but both Kluivert and Butt can hardly be described as in form. Will it move us forward (or rather upward)? It gives us a fighting chance of fourth place, but it would be a surprise to everyone if it got us any higher. Sadly yet again our best chance of actually winning anything seems the semi-lottery of a cup, competitions we notoriously trip over in.

The season is less than a week away (assuming enough players are free of the conjunctivitis symptoms in time for kick off). Haway the lads.

(@21:08)