Dr Gloom 22535 Posted January 2, 2008 Share Posted January 2, 2008 a few of my southern mates are alaways having a go at newcastle's fans, arguing that we are too fickle, impatient and expect too much success. i argue in return tthat we should be acheiving more when you consider the size of the club in terms of the fan base and the money spent on players. what do you think? do you blame the plans for playing a part in our lack of success? The trouble with Newcastle is not Allardyce - it's Newcastle By Richard Williams Three cheers for Gareth Southgate's suggestion that if his old England team-mate Alan Shearer really wants to manage Newcastle United, he should come straight out and say so. For in the absence of an outright declaration or denial of interest in the job, many will continue to wonder about the inspiration for the rumours of dissatisfaction with Sam Allardyce's performance among the senior pros in the Magpies' dressing room, or for columns such as the one published in yesterday's Daily Telegraph in which Alan Hansen blew a resounding fanfare for his Match of the Day colleague. Tomorrow sees Allardyce's Newcastle entertaining Sven-Goran Eriksson's Manchester City, and there will be few home fans who do not take their seats at St James' Park comparing the way things have worked out for the two managers since their arrival at ailing clubs in time for the start of this season. The most obvious contrast, of course, is between their respective fortunes in the league. City, who finished 14th last year, currently stand fifth, breathing down the necks of the big four, whereas Newcastle, after ending a place higher in May's final table, now lie 11th, which may be better than last year but is by no means the scale of improvement the Englishman was employed to achieve. After reporting for work on the Monday after the end of last season, Allardyce had the whole of the summer in which to restock his squad. Probably handicapped by the arrival of a new owner, Mike Ashley, in July, he ended up spending £25m on nine players. Eriksson, who joined City on July 7 and had only a month in which to make new signings, got Thaksin Shinawatra to endorse cheques worth just over £40m for his eight new acquisitions. Whereas not one of Allardyce's buys has been a great success, the Swede's new men formed an immediately effective blend with the players he retained from City's existing ranks. But there are more ways of reviving an underachieving club than exploiting the range of contacts that allowed Eriksson to capture the underrated Elano, for instance. Allardyce's method, which involves replacing an approach based on emotion and spontaneity with one rooted in the dogged appliance of science, requires a change of culture and will inevitably take longer to bear fruit. In his way, Allardyce is an English Mourinho. His abrasive personality automatically limits his appeal to the public, and his brand of football requires fine players to subjugate themselves to his tactical demands. But he was popular enough at Bolton, where his achievement could reasonably be compared with that of Mourinho at Chelsea, given the disparity between the resources available to them. The trouble with Newcastle at the moment is not Allardyce. It is Newcastle. In terms of loyalty and enthusiasm, the St James' Park fans constitute a chairman's (or a finance director's) dream. Their sheer neediness, however, makes them a manager's nightmare. To expect a sighting of the green shoots of recovery in mid-winter, with a new head gardener in charge, is to indulge in the ridiculous impatience that led the club to sack Sir Bobby Robson at the very time when Shearer could plausibly have been introduced as a Malcolm Allison to the old man's Joe Mercer. There is no evidence to suggest that putting Shearer in sole charge now would guarantee the Toon Army the success they crave, since he is too grand to have considered serving an apprenticeship at a lower level. For him, it is Newcastle or nothing. Which at least means that if he does not get the job this time, come the end of the season - or the one after that - he will still be watching the creosote dry on the garden fence while awaiting the arrival of the BBC's limo. One more reason, then, to postpone a judgment on Allardyce until his methods have been given a fair trial. And if Newcastle's fans cannot see the sense of that, they need their heads examining. http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/sport/2008/01/...wcastle_is.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Asprilla 96 Posted January 2, 2008 Share Posted January 2, 2008 blah blah blah.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jusoda Kid 1 Posted January 2, 2008 Share Posted January 2, 2008 Obviously hasn't seen one of our games this season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tribal 0 Posted January 2, 2008 Share Posted January 2, 2008 In his way, Allardyce is an English Mourinho. Yeah, ok. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peasepud 59 Posted January 2, 2008 Share Posted January 2, 2008 To expect a sighting of the green shoots of recovery in mid-winter, with a new head gardener in charge, is to indulge in the ridiculous impatience However when your new head gardener insists on tarmacing the flower beds and planting daisies in the water feature then you know theres a problem Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meenzer 15870 Posted January 2, 2008 Share Posted January 2, 2008 I'd say we're more clingy than needy. And possibly borderline passive-aggressive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RlCO 0 Posted January 2, 2008 Share Posted January 2, 2008 In his way, Allardyce is an English Mourinho. Yeah, ok. he's mourinho (dull football) without the success/trophies What is success for Bolton? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gemmill 47111 Posted January 2, 2008 Share Posted January 2, 2008 I can see some truth in what he's saying tbh. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr Gloom 22535 Posted January 2, 2008 Author Share Posted January 2, 2008 In his way, Allardyce is an English Mourinho. Yeah, ok. he's mourinho (dull football) without the success/trophies What is success for Bolton? league cup? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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