Newcastle can't just rely on Michael Owen
Michael Owen's return to the fray can only be described as a major boost for Newcastle United ahead of their crunch encounter with Hull City - but if the Magpies think that Owen alone can dig them out the huge hole they find themselves in at the moment we really are staring at the Championship.
Playing second tier football seems to become more of a reality by the game and is a worrying factor but with 10 games to go, it's all still in Newcastle's hands.
There were huge signs of encouragement in the game with Manchester United and if anything that was probably a relief - but you don't get points for encouraging signs in the Premier League - you get sweet FA for a good pass or a solid tackle or even going 1-0 up.
The hope, yet another one, is that Newcastle go to Hull and get something.
The reality is Newcastle need to go to Hull and win, hard to see when you have won just one of the last 10 games, hardly the greatest form.
Looking around the team there has been little to hang your hat on.
Hull won't mess about, they're an uncompromising side and sadly when Sam Allardyce and Phil Brown built Bolton, they didn't break the mould.
When we lost to Bolton a couple of weeks ago, it was because Wanderers were allowed to suffocate Newcastle.
That's the real danger going into this game too and Newcastle can't let it happen.
Owen can play badly and nick a goal or two, he has to do at least that at Hull.
Ironically, fans were glad to see the back of Alan Smith when he lost his place last season under Kevin Keegan and found himself benched.
This season they need his aggression, they need somebody to tell it how it is and whether you rate him or not, Smith tells it exactly how he sees it.
Already just a few games in players like Ryan Taylor and Peter Lovenkrands are seeing exactly how big the monster is at Newcastle and now they are tapped into it, keeping the club afloat is in their hands.
With local lads like Steven Taylor, Steve Harper and Andy Carroll also on board Newcastle have the basic framework of a team that can climb out of trouble.
But that still leaves many fans unconvinced.
The alarm bells are still ringing.
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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 we lost to Bolton a couple of weeks ago, it was because Wanderers were allowed to suffocate Newcastle.'
Allowed to suffocate what exactly Lee? There was nothing for them to suffocate because we are too poor a side to be afforded even that faintly damning praise.
I don't think anybody has that idea Lee, we've seen nowt of him hardly since he got here and I personally expect him to get a knock every time he plays. Yes he's lethal in the box, given ammunition so hopefully he'll stay injury free for the next ten games and repay the club with goals. I love the kid and hope he stays and gets his old form back, but I'm not holding my breath. Even Oba seems like he's a distant memory, what with all the other key players out injured all the time. I spat my beer out when watching the Liverpool game last night and Torres showed his 'heavy' strapping on his ankle. When asked whether or not he should've played on it, he said it was worth the pain to have the privilege to play in the champions league. I believe he also had a cortesone injection, the same as the 'real men' in the days of SuperMac and co. used to have week in week out. We seem to be cursed with a bunch of jessies who scream for a sick note for a broken flask. We really need the softies to do a Torres for the rest of the season, for the privilege of getting huge wages....and the small point of staying in the premier league...oh, and the magnificent fans.
I'd be seriously worried if Louvenkrands or Guttierez or Martins has to make way for Duff. Assuming Owen will start (which is a big if) maybe if Louvenkrands can tackle, we can play him at right back. Got to be better than Taylor. Either of them. And let's hope, please God, that Carroll is ahead of Shola when it comes to the bench.
You should change the title of this blog to 'Newcastle just can't rely on Michael Owen'.
Still we've got ameba, the man that the current set up seem hell bent on building a team around, oh joy.
very dodgy time indeed.we need these players to play every game now like a cup game.. this is it..
yes we need Owen but he'll need 2-3 games to get into the swing of it. Guthrie is as important. not sure why Duff gets so much stick for me hes giving it a good go. yes hes on loads of money but so are plenty of others..
we're in it now and we just need everyone firing.. get as many strikers on as poss and please leave SA on the bench uless we run out of keepers.
the defense now is going to be as important but goals win us games lets go out there and play like we should and get a few wins..
Will be interesting to find out how fit or rusty Owen is, but most likely he is no better than 80%. Also probably risks are going to be taken.
It seems like a toss of a coin whether it will be fourth time luck versus Hull? A 1-1 draw seems the most likely scoreline with a league record for bookings and each team ending up with 9 men. Boots will fly with qhite a few with Owen's name on them.
Overall it seems like Boro are now cast adrift along with WBA. It is getting hard to not imagine Toon slipping off the cliff as well. Good one King Kev for letting your little man ego get you off the park bench and come back to mess things up!
Of course this all opens up the door for the return od Super Shearer nd after a couple or so years of learning his trade Toon might eventually come back up with a decent team.
Sad Mackem Sebastian spouting your ill-informed anti-Keegan bo77ocks again.
Got nowt better to do, little man?
Restless Native completely agree with you about M. Sebastian T, anyone who has put our current plight down to KK, needs their heads submerged in sheep dip, with Ashley, Llambias and Wise at the front of the queue.
Lee you say the current regime are slowly learning from their mistakes, what have they done for you to come out with this, a pityful Q&A session, trying to blackmail fans into coughing money up, if they do not take their option up of the 3 year deal, because they understand the plight of peoples struggles in the current climant.( yeah their learning ok)
Top football pundit Llambias predicts we will get 46pts, ask him to share his wide knowledge of football and print were we are gonna pick up are easy victories and battling draws from to reach this.
Fact is Lee they have and will never learn, we will be relegated because of this.
if somehow we manage to get out of this we will see what ashley is again all about in the summer when, which i said on yout last matchday blog, Bassong will be sold in the summer, alomg with Oba, with the line, we are allowing this so joe can build for the future.
With or without Owen it,s dire, but had KK been allowed to MANAGE as managers should be , we would not be sweating on our premier future.
it's been said millions of times, fergie, wenger, benitez, o'neill, moyes, even bruce at wigan, pick their own players and look where they are, it's not rocket science, but LLambias knows best, the idiot can see into the future (46pts).
Im a toon supporter of over 45 years, through thick and thin. Im not being pessimistic, but I think we are finished already in the PL and preparing for CL footie next season. Big names will be awf in summer and new spine of team will be Harps, Taylor, Carroll and Lua Lua, plus some of these young talents we've been signing. Bring in a new YOUNG and talented upcoming manager and lets start over again. A geordie team, with geordie passion, and maybe even a geordie manager. Give the Club back to its supporters Mr Ashley if you have any plan for long term success. I for one have had enough of "trophy signings". Could this not be the ideal opportunity to get Shearer in for next season, with Beardo alongside him, if necessary move JK upstairs as a director and get rid of that poison dwarf DW. Either way even if we do avoid relegation do you honestly think the likes of MO, OM, Colly, Vids, Gutty, Barton, Smith etc are gonna stay?....