December 2012 Archives
For a bloke who has won a lot of trophies with Manchester United, Sir Alex Ferguson doesn't half whine on a bit.
If you weren't staggered enough by Fergie's half-time antics at Old Trafford or if being bowled over by Mike Dean's decision not to do anything about it didn't irk you or the FA's stance to simply bury their heads in the sand about it, then Friday's Press conference should surely have been enough to have steam coming out of your ears.
But let's go back to the start of this sorry end of year tale of woe.
As the clocks ticked down at St James' Park, it looked like Newcastle United fans would be heading home for Christmas feeling down in the dumps as Queens Park Rangers threatened to frustrate them on their visit to Tyneside.
And the boos that erupted when Papiss Cisse was withdrawn just after the hour mark could have easily been a warm-up for worse to come with the game deadlocked against a side that can only be described as relegation fodder.
However, Shola Ameobi had other ideas.
The suggestion from Alan Pardew in recent days is that Newcastle United will bolster their squad in January following the Magpies' slide down the table.
To some Geordie fans it will considered a case of "too little, too late" while for others it will be viewed as "better late than never", either way the top brass at St James' Park have a big decision to make in January.
Do they want to simply solidify their place in the top flight or do they want to go places and really push on at the top end, with even the top six looking iffy as it stands?
Pardew himself has warned that United can not afford to stand still in the Premier League, but every day that goes by in January without a new signing could have a big impact on Newcastle's fortunes this season.
The stage was set, Alan Pardew's name was neatly etched on to an official UEFA name placard and the French media had turned up in their droves to hear from the Newcastle United manager.
The only problem was that Pardew and his players were sat on the tarmac at Newcastle Airport with nothing else to do but admire the snowflakes.
It was typical of United's luck this season and another example of being kicked while they were down.
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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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