Steve Harper on the state of the club

[peasepud 59]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/.../.html?ITO=1490

 

After more than 16 years at Newcastle United, goalkeeper Steve Harper may have thought he had seen it all and lived through enough of the club’s trials and tribulations.

 

But Harper is just one of the many perplexed and frustrated members of the Newcastle squad who has been back for pre-season training for almost two weeks now.

 

Still there is no sign of their saviour, Alan Shearer, or any manager for that matter, and their agonising and prolonged sale drags on.

Steve Harper

 

Harper, who returned last season to reclaim the No1 shirt following Shay Given’s exit in January, has warned the once proud club is ‘dying a slow, painful death’.

 

And after their week-long training camp in Ireland and a 3-0 win over Shamrock Rovers, even the normally cautious and diplomatic caretaker manager Chris Hughton, the man put in temporary charge of team affairs for the fourth time by owner Mike Ashley, has admitted players are on the verge of revolt.

 

Hughton has been in contact with Shearer, who is patiently still waiting for news of his confirmation as permanent boss, but the man who led the club to relegation in May is having little or no influence in first team affairs, much to the chagrin of Harper and Newcastle fans who who will have noted Fraizer Campbell, one of Shearer’s close-season targets, has signed for neighbours Sunderland.

 

 

Harper said: ‘What happened last season was desperately disappointing but just when you think there’s an opportunity for this club to put itself right, build and get straight back up, the opposite happens.

 

‘We want it to be resolved so we know where we are and where we’re going because at this moment the football club is dying a slow, painful death. For five or six years now it’s been a gradual, slow implosion.

 

‘We’ve got to soldier on but the sooner the better for everyone concerned – but most importantly for Newcastle United.

Chris Hughton

 

Holding fort: Newcastle United caretaker manager Chris Hughton

 

‘A lot of fans have come up to me and said ‘‘In two or three years, it might be a blessing that relegation happened".

 

'Obviously everyone is very disappointed that it happened but if something good comes out of it and the club rebuilds then maybe I can see that point.

 

'But at the moment the club isn't rebuilding — it’s in a state of limbo and it's no good for anyone. We just want to get this club going back in the right direction and the situation is very, very frustrating for all of us.

 

‘To be fair to Chris Hughton, Colin Calderwood and the lads, we have made the best of what is a dreadful situation.

 

'We can’t do anything about it as players but it is awful and the sooner it’s resolved, the better for everyone because we can start again.

 

‘All we keep hearing is “next few days, next few days, next few days”.

 

'Everybody – fans, players, staff – want it resolved so we can rebuild this football club because we're in an awful state at the moment.

 

‘Everybody is in limbo — fans, players, staff. The players don’t know what’s happening, staff don’t know what’s happening, the fans don’t.’

Nile Ranger

 

Confusion: Nile Ranger can expect to start for Newcastle ¿ but none of their players are certain of the future

 

Newcastle came away with a 3-0 win against Shamrock Rovers, although they were playing a bunch of reserves and trialists because the Eircom League of Ireland side had more pressing engagements on Friday night, having secured an important 2-1 Eircom League win over Bray Wanderers which took them to second place in their division.

 

In a lively first half, Steve Harper was forced to make important saves from Padraig Amond and the impressive Slovakia striker Pavol Jurco as Kevin Nolan, Nicky Butt, Fabricio Coloccini and Damien Duff provided evidence that pre-season matches are vital to build up fitness, but not necessarily an indication of form.

 

 

But if the first half was Shamrock Rovers versus Shambles United, the visitors, who included Joey Barton from the start, improved after making 11 changes at the break.

 

Steven Taylor celebrated a goal within five minutes as if he had scored the winner to keep Newcastle in the Premier League before strikers Shola Ameobi and Nile Ranger - possibly Newcastle's first choice starters in a month - added the second and third in the last four minutes.

Alan Shearer

 

 

It was a rare victory for Hughton, who returns to the club's Newcastle base today, still hoping for news of Ashley’s sale.

 

But he admitted while he was just about able to keep the majority of his squad focussed at their luxurious base in the countryside at Carlton House, that could all change this week.

 

He added: ‘I do not sense any frustration among the players yet probably because we had the first week at the training ground and then we have been in Dublin.

 

‘The first four days were in Newcastle and that is usually quite a good time because they are catching up with each other, telling stories and it is normally quite a good time for the players.

 

‘Then it has helped coming away because we are away from Newcastle and we have been in a very very good training complex where we have just been able to concentrate on the quality of training and we have been shielded away from everything else.

 

'But I accept that might change from Monday once we are back in Newcastle.

 

‘It is one day at a time and we have already planned next week's schedule and we know at any stage that could change with any announcement that is made and a new manager could come in and that is all we can do until we are told otherwise.

 

‘Whatever is happening we have to prepare as a group for the start of the season.

 

'It will be a tough season in a tough league and the aim has to be to come up straight away and whoever is in charge that will be their aim. I am getting on with the job in hand and if there are other things going on I am not aware of them.’

[LeazesMag 0]

we are in desperate shit.

 

No leadership. No owner. No direction.

[Kitman 2207]

You know things are desperate when senior players can't even trot some vaguely positive cliches

[wykikitoon 21173]

 

I want to harmy myself, were FUCKED

[TheMoog 0]

I don't know why they bother playing players that can't be arsed to keep fit, should have just brought youth players on instead.

 

... we're doomed.

[9nufc9 0]

Nolan and STaylor have had their say as well.

[Acid 0]

It could have been different Steve, if only you saved that deflected shot.

Edited July 13, 2009 by ChriszyD