Despondent R Us
Newcastle United have almost smacked out every ounce of enthusiasm left in the Toon Army this season but still 1,800 fans will make the trip to the Hawthorns hoping to see their side turn the corner.
Empty seats next season are in the post after the complete disaster laid on by the United board this season with Championship football also in grave danger of making an unwanted combination.
There will always be a hardcore when it comes to supporting Newcastle United and scenes such as those in the early 1990s seem certain to follow a campaign in which the Magpies top brass have been too slow to respond to even the most obvious problems.
Whether it has been through stubborness or through lack of knowledge of how to run a football club, won't really matter to Newcastle fans when they are stuck in the Championship.
So far all we can gather is that Newcastle United don't want or can't seem to communicate with their fans (underlined by lack of representation at this week's NUSC meeting or even a letter to apologise for not attending) and that the days of spending money are gone - plus the infectious figure of Kevin Keegan was chewed up and spat out by a system that works only in the realms of fanasty.
So if it is safe to presume that Newcastle aren't buying top notch players - then we can kiss goodbye to playing in Europe again under this regime.
And put up with mid-table Premier League mediocrity at best because if you don't put your hand in your pocket these days in the top flight the big guns will make sure you are outpriced out of even the top six.
Mediocrity goes hand in hand with "running a sustainable business" and mid to low table finishes or Championship football goes hand in hand with winning sweet FA, all of it uquates to lack of ambition and is a far cry from the "sky's the limit" attitude of Sir John Hall and KK.
In short, that means that Newcastle United - a club of great tradition with one of the best stadiums in the country and the best fans - is being put to shame by teams like Wigan, Fulham and Hull are showing Newcastle how it is done.
So much for Dennis Wise's policy of bringing in top youngsters for the future - Fabio Zamblera - one of the first signings of his new dream was offloaded back to Italy this week through the back door on a hush hush basis.
Then you have the mystery surrounding super Xisco who hasn't moved off the bench during a striker crisis that resulted in Shola Ameobi being "forced" to play against Sunderland.
Then you have Nacho Gonzalez.
Remember him?
It seems United can't, a loan signing that from Valencia that has hardly figured but worse still hardly even been mentioned in terms of how his comeback from injury is going.
A reluctance to scrap the two-tier management system is also eating away at fans who want to see straight talking from a manager who calls the shots.
It might work on the continent and it might work in business terms but it doesn't work in footballing terms.
And once again it seems to highlight a lack of knowledge on running a football club.
Going into West Brom, heads are down, hope is dying and United could end the weekend rock bottom.
Despondent isn't the word Shay.
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
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Lee Ryder - Proudly born and bred on Tyneside, the Chronicle's chief sports writer has followed the fortunes of the club over the last three decades as a Toon fan and football writer.
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When's the Q&A happening? Is someone going to get the answers we fans deserve? Lee, do not let DL, DW, MA off lightly.
The two tier management structure would be fine if everyone was aware of their responsibilities from day one, and each tier closesly liased with the other. And they weren't cretinous oafs, obviously.
Well summed up Lee. i've watched Newcastle since 1962 and it has been a roll-coaster ride but I've never felt this stark sense of futility before. Ashley and his crew are exhibiting absolute contempt for the fans the region and the heritage of the club but this should come as no surprise because he has treated his investors in exactly the same way. There is no light at the end of the with the present regime just more cost-cutting and the descent into mediocrity or worse . We can only pray that there is somebody out there that appreciates the intrinsic worth of Newcastle united and steps in to save us before its too late.
To be honest I've lost all hope. The fiercly burning fire lit by SJH and KK 15 years ago is well and truly out now and I can't even be bothered to go to the match anymore and watch dross. I can't wait for this season to end so I can pack in my ticket and forget all about NUFC in the present and just remember the good times because I doubt they will ever return.
MA is only in this for financial profit, if we have a good team or not, if we win anything or not, he couldn't care less, so why should we care ?
The business plan for next season is now announced.
Ashley more hands on but spending nowt.
Kinnear two year contract but out of his depth.
Wise costing the club ã1.2mil. to stay in London and be Ashley's mate.
This my friends is the dream team, and all yours for a ã500 season ticket.
Well Ashley I reject your plan, and after 63 years I am off, and you will never get another penny off me.
I just hope that Ashley's new hands on approach and taking more interest in the running of the club includes reading this blog from time to time. I agree with everything that's said above.
We must keep on supporting the team however and I have a sneaky feeling we may take all 3 points tomorrow, which would be a big morale booster. We need to win as looking at our forthcoming home games we aren't going to get much there unless we show a dramatic improvement - we have to start picking up points away or we've had it.
Shay and Lee are right on the money. Anybody wanting to talk Newcastle into a great club at present must be working for the REGIME!! We need a new owner and a fresh start asap.
Agree with all the comments so far, but I am not working for the REGIME! And I for one now say, we have 14 more games to keep us in the league, so we need to get behind the lads with 110% support and try and be a 12th man at every match, home or away.
No more point moaning, or complaining, it is still our club and we must do everything to keep us in the top tier of English football. Then in the summer we can hope and prey that someone can buy the club and start to turn it around again.
Until then, lets hope Nolan, Taylor and Lovenkrads can help start to turn things around on the pitch?! Without sounding negative, I doubt it!
Howay the lads!
Gents the air is full of gloom and who can blame us. The bids for players on dealine day where at best bluffs to say 'we tried'. No one wants to come to the club..why easy Mike Ashley and his crowd, even his best mate weasel wise is jumping ship. JK is no better and now they want to give him a long term contract (another cheap option), you can see by his body language in interviews he aint got a clue, why do you think he didn't have a job!!
However, despite all of the above, I put this to you my fellow Toon army colleges, none of the above is the problem. We may think we have many problems but we actually don't! Yes we are losing players, but they could be replaced, Yes there is a lack of cash, but that is not always an issue if you know where to look for the bargins, even Ashley owning the club is not a bad thing.. our problem is simple 'Ashley genuinely beleives he knows how to run a football club'. Lets give the guy credit he has put cash into the club, but for a football club to make money it has to be run like a football club and not a sports store chain and you need a special kind of guy to do that. Ashley needs to realise that the more his unquailifed hands get involved the worse it will get. He needs to get someone in who will turn to him and say "it maybe your club and cash but I know how to run it and you don't! I wont tell you how to make a sports store make money if you dont try to tell me how to do the same with a footbal club.
If he can finally accept that thinga have to be a cartain way, as in retail then the club will change over night. The club wont be back where we want it to be but it will be 50% of the battle won getting there
Lee - am I right in thinking that the Q+A session with Llambias we were promised was scrapped? Is this the NUSC meeting you talk about above? What happened there? I'm assuming no excuse has been given by him - not that I'd believe it anyway..
Ryton Mag you talk about the fire lit by SJH and KK 15 years ago.
Well let me tell you that is an aberration in the history of Newcastle United. What we are witnessing now is only the return to the days when the club was run by people who cared little for the fortunes of the club as long as 30,000 paid to watch every week. Long before my time top players like Hughie Gallagher, Len Shackleton and Bobby Mitchell were sold at the peak of their powers and, of course, value. Even Joe Harvey was forced to sell every gem he unearthed. Well I remember the days of "If Suddick, if Pop Robson, if Supermac goes we go too".............we still turned up. Then it was "If Waddle, if Beardsley, if Gazza goes we go too"..............we still turned up. Now itâÂÂs "if Keegan goes we go too" and we still turn up!!!
Well my excuse is that after 30 years of the Seymour - McKeag regime I finally didn't turn up and it took me 10 years to get a new season ticket - its paid for so I'll turn up. But come the close season my excuse has gone AS HAS EVERYONE ELSES.
The longer we dither the longer the club will be prey to anyone, not just Ashley, who realises that a tidy profit can be made by running a Premiership/Championship club with a guaranteed gate of 30,000 without challenging for honours
.
The very nature of our support means that we attract the kind of owner who is prepared to take a small profit for no risk
I for one will not dither when the renewal notice comes through the door. Not this time, the lessons of the past have been learned. Every seat occupied in SJP to support the dross that this kind of regime are prepared to churn out is another nail in the club's long term ambition. Only when the club reaches the change or die mode will it change If it takes me 10 years to get a new season ticket I may not be here when it happens! But if it means that my kids and grandkids get to see a club run by people of the vision and competence to maximise its potential then so be it
I'm not sure if the blank cheque policy is an absolute nessesity. We've been chucking money at hype players from overseas for years and never works if the core of the side isn't already there. Lets hope signings like Noland and Taylor provide bottle where they lack in ability. Watching David Moyes' Everton the other night gives me some hope for the future. Although traditionaly (largely enforced through budget) a prudent manager he's managed to assemble a team of players who will run through brick walls for him. How many players do Everton sign from promoted, championship or Scotish teams? Lescot, Jagyelka, Cahill and Arteta have all been great signinings and form the back bone of their team. Fulham, Wigan and West Ham are having good seasons but it's teams like Villa and Everton who are 'showing Newcastle how it's done'. Martin O'Neil is not going anywhere so we've missed that one but has David Moyes mabey taken Everton as far as he can? Joe Kinnear is not the man to be handing a three year deal to. If the current mob want to redeem themselves in any way they should banging on Moyes' door from now till summer with the promise of total controle in transfer dealings. Stop me if i'm wrong.
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