Another sad day for Newcastle United
It was the day that most Toon fans were hoping to see Alan Shearer put his side through their paces and begin to get his teeth into the tough fight ahead to make sure Newcastle United are able to compete in the Championship next season.
Instead, Chris Hughton and Colin Calderwood attempted to lift spirits for a set of disillusioned Toon players who really don't know whether they are coming are going.
Departed stars Michael Owen, Mark Viduka, David Edgar, Cacapa and Nacho Gonzalez are long gone while five stars who have been on international duty have been handed an extra week off.
One of those putting their feet up for a while longer is Sebastien Bassong, a player who wants out but might face a struggle.
Had Shearer been in charge he would have probably been talking to Bassong about his future now.
With his future unclear he could well be sold be the current regime with Mike Ashley just having coughed up £10million of bonuses and transfer instalments.
It has to be questioned just which players want to be here at the moment and you could probably count them on one hand.
Without Shearer's or presence or any other potential new manager, players are simply going through the motions.
As for discipline and respect for Hughton and Calderwood?
Well Oba Martins turned up 20 minutes late at the club's training HQ in Benton.
The start of a new era?
You're having a laugh.
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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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This is one of the most limp articles at the paper you claim to be a newcasatle supporter but alas you have no bottle in condemning the useless rabble at this club.
Ryder's reply: I actually support Newcastle not "newcasatle" and if you read back through these blog entries and some match reports from last season you might see that we have actually had our fair share of pops at the "useless rabble" at this club.
But clearly you can only judge the entire situation on this one blog entry, which is actually an account of the first day back in training and not an overview of the state of this once great club.
It's a bit like complaining to National Express about the ferries running late.
all these people who say Shearer is not the man for the job, what a load of crap, fergie, wenger, benitez, moyes, o' neill, moyes, who not have stood a cat in hells chance of keeping us up with the players Alan had at his disposal, what he will do if and wenever he gets the job, will be to clear the merceneries and deadwood out and bring the players he knows will do a good solid job for HIM.
Even if he does not manage to get the job before the transfers window shuts, the lad has to be given as much time as he needs to get this club running like a football club should be run, from top to bottom, without idiots wingeing, if we lose a few in a row, to start with.
it's got nothing to do with him being another messiah, Shearers 100% genuine and will without a doubt become a class act as a manager, just as he was a player.
its about time someone looked into that parasite Ashleys buisness dealings, the man is a crook 100%, maybe the chronicle needs to start to do some digging into his buisness affairs instead of printing the same old rubbish day in day out about what former players think.
I suspect things are coming to an end behind the scenes.
I've been told that Ashley has told business partners of Sports Direct that his association with NUFC is coming to an end very,very soon.
Assets worth £100m aren't sold overnight.
Note for the local papers-
It doesn't help wen you whip the fans up into a frenzy by saying things like Shearer is meeting Ashley in London and the takeover saga is coming to an end, when clearly you have about as much info as the general public!
Note for Stuart - That story didn't come from me and clearly you think you have more information than anyone else so I look forward to seeing if you are right.
"Stars"?
Ha'way man Lee, bit desperate isn't it, suggesting Shearer could have persuaded Bassong to stay - his head was turned towards the back end of the season and he was already heading for the exit door. The only player certain to stay is Harper and even he needs replacing by a younger keeper.
Ryder's reply: Not as desperate as your use of Wearside terminology.
Howay man.
Its so hard bacause as fancs there is nothing we can do but sit and wait. If the new season starts and still there is no new owner maybe there should be a mass boycott of the match. Its on tv anyway so i cant imagine even a half-full house.
H'way (spelt phonetically - that's posh for 'the way you say it'!) man, I never thought I'd see the day when a toon player would come out and say "the opportunity to join Burnley was just too good to turn down"! No offence to Burnley, they play some lovely stuff and deserve their place in the Premier League, but that quote alone shows you how bad things have gotten!
try being a supporter over here in the US...all I get anymore are jabs and sneers from the other "soccer" fans. At the pub they laugh at me when I'm tipping back the brown bubbly, asking me if I'm drinking "relegation beer". I've been waiting for weeks, staying optimistic that Shearer will be appointed and that everything will be okay and then each week goes by and I'm crushed because each week this paper keeps telling me that "things will be sorted by the end of the week" or that "Shearer will be appointed by Friday". Bullocks. Rubbish!
ok, let me first say, that Alan Shearer was my fav player ever for newcastle, and still is the best signing we made, but i have a few doubts that he is the man, that can get us out of the championship, yes he would be great to of learned under a manager, and taken us on in the premier league, but there are nagging doubts for me.
I have to laugh when Lee goes on about how he introduced a new era, whole different culture in his 8 weeks, but in the same breath forgot to say he could only gain 1 win, the guy is just human, he is no miracle worker, or some saviour, if he was, we would of stayed up, he couldn't motivate better performances from many 0f the players, and frankly we surrendered our status pretty easily.
I think we need someone who know's the championship, and what needs to be done to get us out quick, but all this ashely business has stopped any chance.
If the club are facing a 9 million payout to KK, why not just approach him, and ask him to come back and bring the club, back to its former glory, he is the man, who i feel, would take us back up quickly
There is really only one complete plank on this site Lee and that's this Widden idiot.
Considering he can't spell properly himself and doesn't know when to use caps lock he must have nothing better to do with his time.
There's only one Lee Ryder!
Hey widden, if you think this is the darkest hour in the clubs history you are obviously a glory fan or too young to remember that we nearly went down to the THIRD division in 92
we also nearly went out of business and before that we were ran by gordon mckeag who didnt have a clue
get a grip or get a life you moron
In your reply to dave on July 1 you use the phrase "once great club" to describe NUFC. Im just wondering to which events in the clubs history you are referring when you use that term?
To me, "great" can be attributed to clubs who have actually won something significant in the (recent) past, (i.e. Man Utd, Barcelona, AC Milan...) and I think that using this term to describe NUFC is pushing it a little isnt it? Im sure that in no ones mind (other than a few deluded fans), is Newcastle deemed a great club.
Unless of course, the "once" to which you are referring is 1904-1910, when the league title was won 3 times?.... Just a thought..
Lee - I appreciate the point you are making and how desperately you want AS back etc, but I think such overt criticism of Houghton is devicive and unhelpful. The bloke is clearly in a situation that he is probably less happy about than the rest of us.
I know you didnt mean any malice - but by all accounts the lad is a nice unassuming guy - and this shambles is probably taking its toll on him more than anyone.
They players should be outed and shamed for taking the p*55. Why doesnt the chronicle print graphs of which players turn up for training and the times they are putting in at the "office". Lets shame them in to action !!!!
Why all this continuation of if Shearer ws here ? The only reason Shearer is not there is because NUFC won't offer him a contract, despite the fact that the club has already made him richer than any of the geordie faithfull could dream ?
Speaking from experience (as a SAFC fan I have experienced relegatation a "few" times) This is a golden opportunity for a new era, start a fresh and flush all of the rubbish away that has tarnished the club for years. (although credit to the guy suggesting Keegan comes back - makes a lot of sense).
Best thing for NUFC is to forget about messiahs and crack on with the new era !
Best of luck lads the Derby days were the highlight og me year (even when we got beat, although not the 1-4 game that was horrible)
And Lee I know your wondering why a mackem fan would want to read your column and post, well bonnie lad you crack me up, keep up the good work !
Well what a lot of sense (from John). KK has done it in the Championship before with 3 clubs now, surely it would make sense to strike a deal with an experienced manager (rather than pay him off, let him finish the job) and start a Newcastle revolution again!
Alternatively, Ashley needs to confirm with the potential buyer who they want as Manager and if it's Shearer, then make the appointment as time is running out.
It can't get any worse that the shambles we are in now...can it ??