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When former Chairman Freddy Shepherd
appointed Sam Allardyce as manager of Newcastle United last
summer, I was cautiously optimistic. The previous manager Glenn
Roeder had done a great job alongside Tommy Craig, Terry McDermott
and Alan Shearer following the departure of Graeme Souness, but as
with Souness, it became very clear very quickly that he was not
the man to take the club forward on a long term basis.
So, enter Allardyce. Months earlier, the
Midlander had been courted as a potential England manager and in
my view, he was more suitable to that post than Steve McClaren,
who ended up with the job and then the sack.
He was remembered as a big, somewhat
lumbering centre half, known as a man who was keen to try new
things, a keen advocate of the Pro-zone statistics, sports science
and nutrition. He brought in his own men both behind the scenes
and on the pitch and there were signs that things were working.
In pre season, David Rozenhal looked like a
strong, assured central defender, proven goalscorer Mark Viduka
arrived, as did Joey Barton, Habib Beye and Alan Smith as well as
Abdoulaye Faye and Brazilian defender Claudio Cacapa. The season
began with a great 3-1 victory at Bolton Wanderers, Allardyce’s
former employer and then moved on. Slowly and steadily at first
and then picking up a succession of points with decent wins
against the likes of Everton and a struggling Tottenham Hotspur in
a game that proved to be Martin Jol’s last as manager.
After the Tottenham game, a journalist said
that the performance was reminiscent of the days when Newcastle
were challenging for trophies and Allardyce said that he wanted
Newcastle to play winning football, rather than sexy football. In
the end, he did neither and the Tottenham game was probably his
high point at the club. The best start to the season for many
years went on to become a rapid decline into mid table mediocrity.
Undone by a late goal at Reading, blitzed by
3 goals in 4 minutes at home to Portsmouth and outclassed at home
by a Liverpool side whose 3 goal winning margin would surely have
been more than doubled if Fernando Torres had not been so
unfortunate in front of goal.
True, it is a massive task to turn Newcastle
into a side that will win games on a regular basis and he did need
more time. But the question is, what was he going to do with that
time and how was he going to improve the team. His tactics were
obviously either alien to his players or not to their taste. His
team selections and deployment of players was sometimes confusing
and the tactic of hitting a long ball to the strikers worked at
Bolton, but the delivery at Newcastle was poor and the midfield
never close enough to pick up any ball on the rare occasion it was
won.
The poor form continued. Robbed by a poor
decision at Chelsea, unable to muster a shot of any description at
Wigan and then losing at home to Manchester City were poor, yet
all too predictable outcomes. On the positive side, a battling 1-0
win at Fulham with Joey Barton scoring his first goal with a late
penalty was a bonus, but we needed a late goal from Viduka to
spare our blushes with a 2-2 draw with bottom of the table Derby
County, denying them a win double over us this season and yes,
they have not beaten anybody else this term.
Last weekend, we battled away for a 0-0
against Stoke in the FA Cup and the replay beckons, although a
trip to Arsenal is hardly a reward for victory, but it would be a
financial boost for the Potters.
Whatever has said at the football club will
stay at the football club, or at least it should. Sam gets a big
payout to soften the blow of receiving his P45 and will probably
head off for a holiday in the sunshine before resuming his career
elsewhere.
Harry Redknapp was the owner’s choice to
succeed Allardyce, but he rejected a move away from Portsmouth and
his life on the Sunny South coast of England. He looks to have
made a shrewd move if the first game in the post Allardyce era is
anything to go by. A 6-0 reverse at Manchester United, despite
having gone in at half time at 0-0. I suppose that rules caretaker
manager Nigel Pearson out of the running for the vacancy.
So, who will get the job? Mark Hughes is
favourite, followed by the likes of Alan Shearer and Martin Jol.
Who do I want to get the job? I don’t honestly know. I certainly
don’t want Steve McClaren.
What I do want is somebody to sort out our
defensive frailties, get shot of the players who shouldn’t be
there or don’t want to be there and will play football which
involves passing along the ground to team mates, attacking the
opposition, working hard for each other and having shots at goal.
Whoever that may be, I wish him every success.
Editors Note: Since writing this
report Kevin Keegan has been confirmed as the new Newcastle United
manager. We'll have a full update on this exciting development
soon. |