Is The Writing Now On The Wall For Newcastle United

kinaldo

Jazzy wrote: »

i dont get why toon fans wanted keegan to stay. he knew nothing of the modern game and did an average job at citeh.

i know, local lad yadayada but all the same, big sam could have made u a stable club

Keegan did a good job at Newcastle right up until he left, and a hell of a lot better than Allardyce after the mess he left.

Helix

Jazzy wrote: »

i dont get why toon fans wanted keegan to stay

because they tend to be a bit deluded

kinaldo

Helix wrote: »

because they tend to be a bit deluded

Maybe if you actually followed Newcaslte more closely you would understand. Most outsiders tend to be deluded. They remind me of the non-Liverpool fans who think Benitez isn't very good.

Helix

kinaldo wrote: »

Maybe if you actually followed Newcaslte more closely you would understand. Most outsiders tend to be deluded. They remind me of the non-Liverpool fans who think Benitez isn't very good.

why would i follow newcastle more closely tho?

i mean, newcastle fans are convinced theyre a huge, ginormous club steeped in all sorts of history who deserve to be at the top of the game for some reason

kinaldo

Helix wrote: »

why would i follow newcastle more closely tho?

i mean, newcastle fans are convinced theyre a huge, ginormous club steeped in all sorts of history who deserve to be at the top of the game for some reason

Yes, exactly. Well done.

Pepe LeFrits

Jesus, it's like groundhog day in here...

Daemos

It's amazing to look back at, in all honesty. About 2 months ago, the Racing Post tipped backing Newcastle to be relegated. They were 7-2 at the time. Now they're Evens.

LuckyLloyd

Charlie, you say that survival is the answer, followed by Ashley stepping aside and a decent manager coming in. And then a clearout of the deadwood and a proper rebuilding.

The problem is that I don't think the last few bits will happen - or fully happen - without the first bit being the kick up the arse of relegation. Realistically, you have gotten here because staying in the league has allowed the cracks to be papered over each year. You've been stumbling along, and this season is a culmination of gradual, year on year deterioration of the playing squad and front office staff.

If ye stay up, it's quite likely that you buy in one or two players over the summer, lose a couple - but essentially retain the core of what you have now. Move on Kinnear for another poor managerial appointment, and have Ashley bail on him sometime around the end of November when you are mired in the bottom six. And bam, there you are again in another relegation dogfight and with a bigger hole to dig yourself out of in order to get back to proper competitiveness.

Obviously, my vision may be too negative and ultimately incorrect. But you need a drastic turn of fortune for your club.

invincibleirish

LuckyLloyd wrote: »

Charlie, you may not wish to hear this - but relegation may be the necessary step back Newcastle needs to take before it can go two steps forward. At the moment you have a club which:

- has a squad earning an average wage way out of proportion with it's talent level;
- will be unable to sell on many of those players for acceptable sums / find teams willing to pay salaries that match their current deals;
- has a reputation as a poisoned chalice of a job where managers fail to receive the necessary time and backing to complete a project;
- has an inefficient and unrealistic ownership;

So long as you hang around the Premiership the opportunity and motivation to properly cure these ills will remain absent. Relegation would:

- require the club to slash the wagebill and offload players for the best price available;
- motivate a lot of the problem players to move on elsewhere in order to avoid Championship football and thus sooth their egos;
- force the club to stick with a manager for an 18 month+ period at leastin order to secure promotion;
- force the current ownership to either move on or drastically alter their approach to running the club;

I'd agree with the logic with this mindset but the reality for Newcastle Utd is the loss of their share of £1.7bn+ over next few years if they tumble out of the PL. That is a financial catastrophe. Forget about going all Derby in attitude to life in the Championship. They need to avoid relegaton Leeds Utd stylee.

Jazzy

kinaldo wrote: »

Keegan did a good job at Newcastle right up until he left, and a hell of a lot better than Allardyce after the mess he left.

no. he had a few good years at the beginning of the PL then lost it. the PL is TOTALLY different to wat it was then. keegan hasnt adapted. look at the article today about how liverpools scout system and stuff was redone under rafa. utd have been the leaders since pretty much day 1 of the PL, arsenal came on leaps and bounds under wenger. heck, even chelski (with the billions they have albeit) are a totally different club to wat they were in 96.

hate to break your heart, but keegan aint that good a manager. fergie put him to bed back in the 90's (when he peaked as a manager) and he has been out of his depth since (england job). its romantic to think of him as he was and watnot but at the end of the day, newcastle utd fc are in a farcical condition and kev was no where close to being the man to fix that. he didnt even have the bottle to stay (no matter how much you think wise and ashley are "evil").

sam allardyce got bolton into europe on a piecemeal budget and made them a strong and enduring PL side. so wat would u prefer... to be where u are now, or to be mid table and (heres the key word) stable.

just because he can sing doesnt mean hes a "messiah"

kinaldo

I'll probably cry my eyes out if, or rather, when, Newcastle are relegated. And then turn off football completely for a good 3 months.

At first I couldn't bring myself to entertain such a notion, even though it's been in the back of my mind since Keegan left. Only since the Bolton defeat have I started contemplating life in the Championship.

I imagine one of the hardest things will be adjusting to the random kick off times. The great lengths I'm going to have to go to just to see the goals, nevermind the games themselves, whilst everyone else is watching a Champions League game, as the Toon are fighting it out away at Plymouth or Swansea on a sodden pitch in front in half full stadiums.

Then I'll start to watch the Premiership less and less, and start recommending relatively unknown Championship players for the Premiership whom I'd never have heard of before.

And oh imagine the joy if we can go on a cup run and get to the 5th round, beating a team like Everton or Fulham along the way! Then we'll be asking ourselves if it's worth sacrificing the cup for a place in the playoffs.. or even just retaining our Championship status...

Yes, I'm starting to warm to the idea of relegation now.

kinaldo

Jazzy wrote: »

no. he had a few good years at the beginning of the PL then lost it. the PL is TOTALLY different to wat it was then. keegan hasnt adapted. look at the article today about how liverpools scout system and stuff was redone under rafa. utd have been the leaders since pretty much day 1 of the PL, arsenal came on leaps and bounds under wenger. heck, even chelski (with the billions they have albeit) are a totally different club to wat they were in 96.

hate to break your heart, but keegan aint that good a manager. fergie put him to bed back in the 90's (when he peaked as a manager) and he has been out of his depth since (england job). its romantic to think of him as he was and watnot but at the end of the day, newcastle utd fc are in a farcical condition and kev was no where close to being the man to fix that. he didnt even have the bottle to stay (no matter how much you think wise and ashley are "evil").

sam allardyce got bolton into europe on a piecemeal budget and made them a strong and enduring PL side. so wat would u prefer... to be where u are now, or to be mid table and (heres the key word) stable.

just because he can sing doesnt mean hes a "messiah"

Did you watch the football Keegan had us playing at the back end of last season, and continued at the start of this season at Old Trafford?

I presume not.

Did you not notice the massive transformation he made? That we had gone from losing to Derby without a shot on target, and scraping a point against them at home, to playing the best football we'd seen with same said players since Robson guided us to the CL back in 2002 and 2003.

kinaldo

Jazzy wrote: »

i dont get why toon fans wanted keegan to stay. he knew nothing of the modern game and did an average job at citeh.

i know, local lad yadayada but all the same

Keegan is a Yorkshireman.

aodea

going down is never good for a club players that are sold are not bought for value players that stay are on higher wages than a club in the championship can sustain, clubs can not attract the same kind of players and any young talent they have is available to premership clubs. Clubs dont need to go down to sort themselves out that has to be done in the premership. In my opinion Newcastle would be the type of side that spend when they go down to try get back up and this is a risky strategy.

For some clubs getting relegated wll take forever to recover from, Forest, Southampton, Coventry, leeds, sheff wednesday have not recovered so far and are either struggling in lower half of Campionship or in debt. The championship is a very hard division to get out of only a few clubs manage to bounce back occassionly such as sunderland, birmingham and maybe Wolves or WBA. Clubs like stoke have chamionship squads that have been slightly improved i dont have any prove players at newcastle would have the heart for the championship or even stick around. Loyalty does not stand for much and while you would love to see certain players at newcastle stay and try turn things round at the club cant see it happening wether they are in the premership or not.

Third_Echelon

kinaldo wrote: »

I'll probably cry my eyes out if, or rather, when, Newcastle are relegated. And then turn off football completely for a good 3 months.

At first I couldn't bring myself to entertain such a notion, even though it's been in the back of my mind since Keegan left. Only since the Bolton defeat have I started contemplating life in the Championship.

I imagine one of the hardest things will be adjusting to the random kick off times. The great lengths I'm going to have to go to just to see the goals, nevermind the games themselves, whilst everyone else is watching a Champions League game, as the Toon are fighting it out away at Plymouth or Swansea on a sodden pitch in front in half full stadiums.

Sounds like you really love the club alright? Couldn't be bothered supporting them if they get relegated?

And its not as though the toon have been setting the champions league alight in a long time either

kinaldo wrote: »

Then I'll start to watch the Premiership less and less, and start recommending relatively unknown Championship players for the Premiership whom I'd never have heard of before.

And oh imagine the joy if we can go on a cup run and get to the 5th round, beating a team like Everton or Fulham along the way! Then we'll be asking ourselves if it's worth sacrificing the cup for a place in the playoffs.. or even just retaining our Championship status...

Yes, I'm starting to warm to the idea of relegation now.

It could broaden your football knowledge beyond the premier league :pac:

kinaldo

Third_Echelon wrote: »

Sounds like you really love the club alright? Couldn't be bothered supporting them if they get relegated?

And its not as though the toon have been setting the champions league alight in a long time either





It could broaden your football knowledge beyond the premier league :pac:

Excuse me where did I say or imply I could ever not be bothered? As it stands, I have the 4 Irish TV channels, so tell me where am I going to see Championship goals, on a CL night. Do think the pubs will be showing them?

And yes, I could broaden my football knowledge beyond the Premiership, Spain, and Argentina... cheers.

Smegball

Newcastle will get a result against Chelsea at the weekend I think.

Third_Echelon

kinaldo wrote: »

Excuse me where did I say or imply I could ever not be bothered? As it stands, I have the 4 Irish TV channels, so tell me where am I going to see Championship goals, on a CL night. Do think the pubs will be showing them?

And yes, I could broaden my football knowledge beyond the Premiership, Spain, and Argentina... cheers.

Well if you only have the 4 Irish channels, it sounds like you have to go to lengths to see them now anyway.. When they get relegated you could move to Newcastle perhaps?

Its always good to broaden one's horizons...

DSB

kinaldo wrote: »

so tell me where am I going to see Championship goals, on a CL night. Do think the pubs will be showing them?

In a football stadium.

kinaldo

DSB wrote: »

In a football stadium.

2 or 3 times a year if I'm lucky.

DSB

kinaldo wrote: »

2 or 3 times a year if I'm lucky.

Thats purely your own choice. Well I assume anyway, maybe with this level of unemployment I shouldn't be making such assumptions.

kinaldo

DSB wrote: »

Thats purely your own choice. Well I assume anyway, maybe with this level of unemployment I shouldn't be making such assumptions.

No you're right, I'm a terrible fan.

kinaldo

Third_Echelon wrote: »

Well if you only have the 4 Irish channels, it sounds like you have to go to lengths to see them now anyway.. When they get relegated you could move to Newcastle perhaps?

Its always good to broaden one's horizons...

Yes I do go to some lengths actually, and I was merely contemplating a harsher reality for us than the bleak one that already exists.

Thanks for your imput though.

mormank

arent you guys forgetting that newky play the pool in the run in!! with all this talk of a pool title challenge we have to fail sensationally somewhere kinda like we did at boro. newky could easily bennefit from the famed pool slip ups!!!

noodler

Yeah, the old you don'y go to see them so you're not a real fan accusation is a bit rich on an Irish soccer board-lets be honest.

Hate to see them go down, obviosuly don't want Duffer in the championship and there are no assurances a club would go for him. Still don't think relegation would be a good thing. I am sure the Geordies would stay faithful and fill the stadium irregardless but its too much of a risk that a newly structured squad would come back up.

mormank

duffer would get plenty of offers from PL teams if newky went down..watch this space

DSB

noodler wrote: »

Yeah, the old you don'y go to see them so you're not a real fan accusation is a bit rich on an Irish soccer board-lets be honest

I don't see how.

therecklessone

I know there's often an uncontrollable urge to start the "real football" debate on every thread in the forum, but before we lost sight of the thread topic, I think the OP was talking about Newcastle going down.

noodler

DSB wrote: »

I don't see how.

Well, use your imagination? How many Irish fans of the EPL go over every week? Not saying its feasible to do so either.

Playing the "don't go to games" card with fellow Irish fans seems a bit rich.

Anyway, Newcastle won't have that problem in the Championship. They'll fill every game

DSB

noodler wrote: »

Well, use your imagination? How many Irish fans of the EPL go over every week? Not saying its feasible to do so either.

Playing the "don't go to games" card with fellow Irish fans seems a bit rich.

Anyway, Newcastle won't have that problem in the Championship. They'll fill every game

Well it was me who made the accusation, and why would I want to go over to England every week to watch football when I can go a few miles down the road to watch Shels. So its not rich at all, unless you've a twisted notion that every Irish football supporter supports English clubs.

MementoMori

mormank wrote: »

duffer would get plenty of offers from PL teams if newky went down..watch this space

I don't know though. A lot could depend on the financial situation - he is 30 years old already and has two years left on his Newcastle contract at pretty tasty wages apparently. If he is on 50k pw he stands to earn £5.2m over the next two year at Newcastle.

From a financial viewpoint I don't know if there would be many PL teams wiling and able to put together a package that would entice both Newcastle and Duff to agree to a transfer. He's be a damm handy player for Newcastle to have in the Championship. From an Ireland pov it probably wouldnt be the best situation but I could see Duff remaining at Newcastle if they did go down.

In other news ....

Premier League - Angry Toon fan fails to get banned
Eurosport - Thu, 26 Mar 12:35:00 2009

A disgruntled Newcastle United fan has failed in a bid to get himself banned from St James' Park by invading the pitch.

Kevin Southerton, 26, ran on to the field after Djibril Cisse scored for Sunderland in February's Tyne-Wear derby.

He told police who pursued and arrested him: "I hope I get banned. I'm sick of watching this."

Although Newcastle magistrates could have imposed a three-year banning order, they opted to fine him £200.

Defence solicitor Liz Dunbar said her client had acted impulsively and no longer wanted to be banned.

"Clearly, that was something said in the heat of the moment when he was very upset at the performance of Newcastle United," she said.

"I don't know very much about football but I understand he isn't alone in that feeling at the moment.

"Nevertheless, he has clearly changed his mind about that."

Newcastle lost 3-1 at home to Arsenal on Saturday, a result that left them languishing in the relegation zone.

http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/26032009/58/premier-league-angry-toon-fan-fails-banned.html

noodler

DSB wrote: »

Well it was me who made the accusation, and why would I want to go over to England every week to watch football when I can go a few miles down the road to watch Shels. So its not rich at all, unless you've a twisted notion that every Irish football supporter supports English clubs.

Okay, the accusation from one Irish EPL fan to another then.

I thought it was fairly obvious.

You're a saint though.

DSB

noodler wrote: »

Okay, the accusation from one Irish EPL fan to another then.

I thought it was fairly obvious.

You're a saint though.

Why thank you:)

Bounty Hunter

If Newcastle went down id like Villa to get involved in the Newcastle Fire-Sale:

Martins or Owen: would be much welcome signings

Guitterez/Bassong/Coloccini/Steven Taylor: most likely join other sides but would bring real competition to their positions.

The whole Xisco situation confuses me at Newcastle too, they obviously learned nothing from Luque

x in the city

Alot of the Newcastle players would be actually very good for a proper run club.

Could see alot of their players snapped up once they are doomed, which will be very soon...

Charlie

I cannot help but feeling incredibly angry whenever I think of just what a mess this club has become.

:mad:

therecklessone

Bounty Hunter wrote: »

The whole Xisco situation confuses me at Newcastle too, they obviously learned nothing from Luque

Different bunch of people involved, innit?

monkey9

Bounty Hunter wrote: »

If Newcastle went down id like Villa to get involved in the Newcastle Fire-Sale:

Martins or Owen: would be much welcome signings

Guitterez/Bassong/Coloccini/Steven Taylor: most likely join other sides but would bring real competition to their positions.

The whole Xisco situation confuses me at Newcastle too, they obviously learned nothing from Luque

You should change your username from Bounty Hunter to Vulture :P

MementoMori

Bounty Hunter wrote: »

If Newcastle went down id like Villa to get involved in the Newcastle Fire-Sale:

Martins or Owen: would be much welcome signings

Guitterez/Bassong/Coloccini/Steven Taylor: most likely join other sides but would bring real competition to their positions.

The whole Xisco situation confuses me at Newcastle too, they obviously learned nothing from Luque

Owen is a very interesting one. His contract is finished this summer so he's available on a free. I'd imagine though that with the WC coming up, he will be looking for a decent team where he is pretty much guaranteed to be an automatic first eleven pick when fit. However given his injury track record I cant see any club willing to rely heavily on him so it's quite a tricky one.
I wonder if there is a possibility of him signing a one year contact if Newcastle stay up?

Bounty Hunter wrote: »

The whole Xisco situation confuses me at Newcastle too, they obviously learned nothing from Luque

Can you clarify here? I don't follow.

MementoMori

monkey9 wrote: »

You should change your username from Bounty Hunter to Vulture :P

Sssh - depending on what happens with the Liverpool owners, we could be joining into the possible picking over the corpse.

Bounty Hunter

Well similarily to Luque Xisco was bought when they really didnt need a forward (Luque signed at the same time as Owen) they already had Martins, Owen, Viduka, Smith, Caroll and more upfront it was in other areas they needed to invest. Since Xisco's arrival last Summer he like Luque (when not injured) has became more a member of the reserve team squad than the first team squad and if Newcastle go down i would imagine he would want o move away from Newcastle (probably back to Spain) again like Luque.

im not a Newcastle fan tho so i might not have it fully correct here

MementoMori

Bounty Hunter wrote: »

Well similarily to Luque Xisco was bought when they really didnt need a forward (Luque signed at the same time as Owen) they already had Martins, Owen, Viduka, Smith, Caroll and more upfront it was in other areas they needed to invest. Since Xisco's arrival last Summer he like Luque (when not injured) has became more a member of the reserve team squad than the first team squad and if Newcastle go down i would imagine he would want o move away from Newcastle (probably back to Spain) again like Luque.

im not a Newcastle fan tho so i might not have it fully correct here

Ah fair enough - I just thought there was some further special incompetence involved as opposed to the mere standard stuff along with what you listed above.

monkey9

MementoMori wrote: »

Sssh - depending on what happens with the Liverpool owners, we could be joining into the possible picking over the corpse.

Indeed! Valencia and Newcastle are turning into the Moore St of football

It hurts me to say it as I genuinely like Newcastle but with the fixtures they have left I cannot see them avoiding relegation. EVERYTHING that could have gone wrong for them this season has gone wrong too.

Good luck anyway though Toon!

Charlie

Just thought I would give this thread a bump, with a smashing article from Today's Mirror. It sums up so much about Newcastle United, the fans, and the myths that surround us.

For anyone around here who has been happy to stick the booth in over the last 6 months, I implore you to read the below piece.

Why the Premier League needs Newcastle to stay up

Alan Shearer's appointment as Newcastle boss may not yet have saved the Magpies, but it seems some old battle lines have been re-drawn.

On Tyneside, there is no doubt that Shearer has united the club for the final six games. He's given renewed focus on the terraces and, until the end of the season at least, he has calmed an incendiary situation and given United a chance of escaping relegation.

But outside the region opinions seem divided. About the former No9 and his merits as a boss. About Newcastle United and its fans.

So perhaps it is time for a bit of myth-busting about Newcastle United, as this crazy season reaches a climax.

Here are a few theories punted by some observers in the last two weeks, that rile the local faithful the most:

a) Geordie fans think they are the special ones: special club, special fans. They think they have a divine right to be in the top flight, and be successful - but they're not really a big club.

b) The club is run on the basis of tapping into the sentimentality of fools. One former legend or big name after another is trusted with reviving the teams fortunes, and reviving hope on the terraces, instead of finding a proper coach and sticking with him long term.

c) Shearer is a dour egotist who has only taken the helm to pocket a huge bonus if they stay up, and to walk away blameless if they go down.

I admit that Newcastle deserve almost all the muck thrown at them this season. It's been an awful season to watch unfold - one that Les Ferdinand described last week as the most "mad, crazy and chaotic in the history of football".

Owner Mike Ashley has stripped the club of its dignity (and a good few talented players), made stupid appointments and bad investments, and given the circumstances it will be a miracle if United pull through. The criticism will be hard, unremitting and deserved.

But some charges don't add up. What riles the most is the mocking tone that seeps through from some quarters that somehow what Newcastle United, Alan Shearer and its fans stand for is a bit sad these day. That there is something that's wrong with what the club is all about.

I have never heard Newcastle fans claiming to be more special than the next club. Or that they are more loyal or more deserving of success than others. Instead I hear them marvelling at the noise at Anfield, and even Stoke last weekend. Expressing appreciation for the job David Moyes has done at Everton.

I see 50,000 turning up every week to watch an ailing club who have not won anything for 40 years. I see regional tribalism at its magnificent best, especially among the away supporters.

Advertisement - article continues below »

I see a fan base passionate about its local community and ready to defend its place in the world, whether that be their football club or the merits of living and working on Tyneside.

I live in a city consumed by the state of its football team. Its only football team. And everywhere you turn it is the main subject of debate.

I see the same passions down the road at bitter rivals Sunderland, even though the two sets of fans, who regionally and economically share the same concerns and wishes, will never see eye to eye.

In my book, that is what supporting a club is all about.

Senitimental? What is wrong with finding a playing icon like Shearer - who taps in to and understands the Geordie tribalism - and making him boss? Likewise Sir Bobby Robson. Local heroes who can galvanise a city.

And what about that often posed accusation - Shearer can't lose, he's doing it for the money? No chance. He doesn't need the extra million quid. He doesn't need the aggravation.

But when he looked from the outside at the desperate situation Newcastle were in, he couldn't walk away once asked to help out.

He's stepped into the storm and is trying to guide a team he hasn't bought, for an owner he has criticised, out of a dire league situation not of his making. That doesn't sound like a cushy ego trip to me.

Newcastle bring more than most to the Premiership table. They are way more entertaining to cover than the top four.

The ups and downs, the extremes of emotions, the chaos. But also the precious good times. Like being one goal away from the Champions' League quarter finals, 20 minutes away from the UEFA Cup semi-final. (It's easy to forget both happened in the last five years)

The Premier League will miss Newcastle if they go down. For the madness, for the black and white hordes, for the big personalities and because - love or loathe them - the club is box-office.

Despite the way they have been run this season, the neutral should be praying they remain part of the top flight circus.

It's worth noting, the journalist who wrote this article is Simon Bird, the man JFK called a 'cnut' for allegedly being anti-toon. :rolleyes: This bloke is so much more tapped into the club, than Kinnear, Ashley, or Llambias could ever dream of being.

That_Guy

Hard to find any hope from anything going into our last games of the season.

If we do go down and it's looking extremely likely I just hope that we do not end up like Leeds. I know they'll most likely come back up to the Championship but I just don't want to see us end up like them.

It's a dark time for our club and we need to try and claw are way out of this unholy mess but it just doesn't seem likely at this stage. We're a in such a shambles.

If we can somehow survive this relegation battle then we really need to take a good hard look at ourselves. I was expecting enormous things for us this season with Keegan starting fresh as manager in a brand new season from an opening day that really brought hope to all Newcastle fans.
Now look at us. Keegan-less, Kinnear in and out and now Shearer in. I mean what could the odds possibly be on this happening to our season. I had us down for a UEFA Cup place this season but again my dreams and positivity in our club has once again been shattered.

Sunday will decide our fate I reckon. If we cannot beat Spurs then we're gone surely. Two away games in succession do not help our cause. Our fans have managed to sell out all of their allocated seats and fair play to them. We do need all the support we can get at away matches but we're on a slippery slope and we need to halt it pronto.

kinaldo

We will beat Spurs.

everdead.ie

Spurs concede hardly anything at home reckon you'll have to work hard to shut them out if you want to earn a point.

That_Guy

kinaldo wrote: »

We will beat Spurs.

I honestly wish I had confidence as high as yours but Spurs are a much better side than our previous opposition.

The only hope I have is that we've a decent record against them and that might carry through but looking at the performances lately of our players we'd be lucky to get the draw.

Chardee MacDennis

that article doesnt really disprove any of the 3 points but the first, and thats not even done well.

1. its not that newcastle fans think they're special (and tbh 50,000 fans showing up to watch Newcastle is amazing) but that they think they are a big club. they are not, financially they maybe in the upper half of the premier league but in terms of players and results they finish where they belong. the reason people think newcastle supporters believe they are a bigger club than they are is not from what they say but what they do. I personally thought the fans treatent of Allerdyce became disgusting, they seem much too eager to turn on managers thinking they deserve to be higher up the table.

2. the club is all about taping into the sentimentality, the Shearer appointment screams it. while it may work and keep Newcastle up, you cant deny it isnt sentimentality. It would be like United hiring Cantona as their manager, he's not qualified for the job.

3. Shearer doesnt need the cash, true - but that doesnt mean he isnt there for his ego. see here:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/blog/2009/apr/05/alan-shearer-newcastle wrote:

[Shearer] admitted he had taken the job because a friend had said to him how would he feel if he didn't take the job and Newcastle managed to stay up.

i dont think the premier league would miss newcastle if they went down, and it may the only way they are going to sort their squad out and cut the fat, obviously as a liverpool fan i would miss the games at st. james' but its nothing they dont deserve....