Snake 0 Posted January 19, 2009 Share Posted January 19, 2009 Eye Of The Storm By Luke Edwards on Jan 19, 09 11:58 AM I kept my head down last week and waited to see if Newcastle United were capable of riding out the storm. Instead, like doomed sailors caught in the Perfect Storm, they have sailed right into the eye of the tempest. The wind of protest are howling again and the waves of discontent are once more threatening to smash the club into smithereens. These are troubled times for a most troubled football club. Quite why there have still been no new signings made by the Magpies is a mystery, but it is hardly one which would keep a super sleuth like Sherlock Holmes perplexed for long - let alone me! It's quite simply really, the club is in a complete and utter mess. Newcastle are in dire straits, they are stumbling around in the brown smelly stuff which drops out of a dog's backside. Oh look come on they're firmly and squarely in the sh...... (language moderation needed due to family nature of Journal Live website!) There is no transfer strategy, there is no long term planning, there is no communication or clarification from owner Mike Ashley or managing director Derek Llambias and, more importantly, there is very little money to spend and little idea how they should spend it. Newcastle have known since September 1st that they would have to strengthen the first team squad this month and rectify the horrendous mistakes which led to Kevin Keegan's departure, but they still appear to have been caught with their pants down when the transfer window opened. Instead of considering the impact a batch of new signings will make, Newcastle fans have instead spent most of the New Year worrying about who wants to leave. What a sad, sorry state of affairs. The latest disgruntled employee - other than an increasingly irritable Joe Kinnear - is Steve Harper. Now Harps is always pretty frustrated because he's constantly having to play second fiddle to Shay Given, but this is different. Offered a new contract in December, Harper still hasn't signed it and could well be on his way to Tottenham. Spurs have made an enquiry and, from what I'm told, Steve wants to go. With Given also publicly revealing his unhappiness with the way the club is being run and the direction it's heading, Newcastle could go from the Premier League team with the best pair of goalkeepers to one which is forced to play Tim Krul as they look to avoid the disaster of relegation! Perish the thought. Tim isn't a bad goalkeeper, but he isn't anywhere near the same standard as either of these two. No, Mike, this isn't what we thought you meant when you said "let's drive this club forward together in 2009." You have paid us some lip service with your New Year's address in the match day programme, but please tell me, I'm dying to know, precisely what else have you done? Troubled waters but not a bridge in sight. I'll keep saying it until I'm blue in the face, actions speak louder than words and you have done nothing to win back the respect or acceptance of those whose club you own. You may not be in charge of the day-to-day running of the club, but you appointed the people who do and, as far as I can tell, they failed you in the summer and they are failing you now. With no new signings made and with constant confusion surrounding intended targets, that, I'm afraid, makes you a failure as well. As for Kinnear, he grows weary. He tries to be positive about the support he is receiving behind the scenes, but he is a manager with a small injury-ravaged squad who must feel like he is banging his head against a brick wall in terms of trying to secure the financial backing he needs to strengthen the squad. No wonder he keeps contradicting himself! The cracks in the relationship are starting to appear and it appears to be only a matter of time before everything comes crashing down on top of him. It's all very good blaming everyone else for a 3-0 defeat at Blackburn, but at the end of the day (to use a well worn football cliche) he is the man in charge of a team which has won just two of its last 13 games! The buck always stops at the top. There are two weeks left of the transfer window, two weeks when Newcastle will not be distracted by the FA Cup, two weeks to resist the departure of any players and two weeks to bring in the left-back, right-back and creative midfielder they have needed since the end of last season. It's time to get things right or face the consequences. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JawD 99 Posted January 19, 2009 Share Posted January 19, 2009 Aye, just been reading that. We need it though. Then again, I dont think you can buy the Journal/Chronicle in London..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hadrian 0 Posted January 19, 2009 Share Posted January 19, 2009 its about bloody time . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Craig 6701 Posted January 19, 2009 Share Posted January 19, 2009 Cracking piece of journalism - and hopefully it'll find its way into Ashley's office Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kid Dynamite 7312 Posted January 19, 2009 Share Posted January 19, 2009 The best thing Kinnear could do for all concerned is to walk out and tell the press exactly why Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheMoog 0 Posted January 19, 2009 Share Posted January 19, 2009 If only the national newspapers could be this on the ball!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Face 29 Posted January 19, 2009 Share Posted January 19, 2009 This isn't what we thought you meant when you said "let's drive this club forward together in 2009." You have paid us some lip service with your New Year's address in the match day programme, but please tell me, I'm dying to know, precisely what else have you done? Troubled waters but not a bridge in sight. I'll keep saying it until I'm blue in the face, actions speak louder than words and you have done nothing to win back the respect or acceptance of those whose club you own. Quality, but this bit in particular resonates. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Face 29 Posted January 19, 2009 Share Posted January 19, 2009 The national press think we're going down too btw.... http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog/20...e-middlesbrough Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ewerk 31592 Posted January 19, 2009 Share Posted January 19, 2009 The national press think we're going down too btw.... http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog/20...e-middlesbrough I don't think that a blog from a trainee journalist quite qualifies as the national press. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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