Joe Kinnear is thew new Director Of Football at Newcastle. and that’s the shock news today, after there was news earlier today, that he could be brought back to the club he managed for about five months during our relegation season.
Joe Kinnear – returns as Director of Football
The last time we had a Director of Football was when Dennis Wise came in during January of 2008, and the first thing he said was that he would work closely with new manager Kevin Keegan, but that didn’t happen, and a short nine months later Kevin Keegan had resigned because Wise had brought in a couple of players without telling the manager what he was doing.
Not good.
The news today is that Joe has been talking with owner Mike Ashley about a new role at the club for about three weeks, and we suppose Joe will be part of a reorganization at Newcastle.
We just hope the fans are told why the new reorganization, what problems it is supposed to be solving, and that the benefits are to the club.
This is what Joe said about Alan Pardew and his new job:
“I’ll sit down with Alan Pardew and talk to him about the strengths, weaknesses and what we need to be successful,” “I know I’ve got more knowledge than anyone at Newcastle as a football manager.”
“That’s not being disrespectful to anybody. And I know I will bend over backwards to do the best I possibly can to make Newcastle a better team than they are now. It’s glaringly clear where we need to improve, and it’ll be my job – my job – to go and buy these players to make Newcastle better.”
“I’m a good judge of players. I’ve got a bright head, I know a good player when I see one, and can get the right players in for us to be successful. There’s no other agenda here. And if I see players at the club right now who are not good enough, then I intend to move them on.”
“There are no issues whatsoever with Pardew. My job is quite clear: I’m Director of Football, he’s the manager. I’m not picking the team. That’s what the manager gets paid to do. I’m there solely to ensure he gets the best possible team out on the pitch.”
“T he tactics and the coaching are down to him. If he wants my advice on tactics and ideas, he can ask me. But he’s in charge of the team that is put out on the pitch.”
That first statement “I know I’ve got more knowledge than anyone at Newcastle as a football manager.” is not a good way to start – with Alan Pardew having been in management for 14 years now, but Joe has always been outspoken – and that hasn’t changed.
Joe was then asked who would have the final say on transfers – and when Dennis Wise last held the job the answer was that it was the manager Kevin Keegan – but it wasn’t.
This time Joe says he’s the one who will have the final say on which players come and go – and when asked who will have the final say on players this is what Joe said:
“It’ll be me. What I’m saying is, between me, Alan and Graham Carr, we’ll sit down and iron it out. If those two decide a player we’re looking at is not good enough, my ears will be wide open. It’s not a case of ‘like it or lump it’.”
“If a close decision is to be made, though, and we’re running out of time and it’s something we have to do, whether that’s adding meat or beef to the team, or pace in wide areas, or someone who can guarantee us 20 goals a season, I will buy those players.”
“I will take that chance once I’ve clarified that with Alan, that this is for the good of Newcastle.” “I’ll assess the transfer kitty with Mike next week once I’ve sat down with Alan first, find out what is wanted, who can be shifted out of the club – maybe we can get money back if we shift four or five of them – and then look at the targets.”
On his health Joe, which could be a big issue, said the following:
“I’m as fit as a fiddle now,” “I’m absolutely delighted with the situation. I’ve been working out in the gym, going for long walks, and I’ve lost a lot of weight – I’m in the best physical shape I’ve ever been in.”
“I’ve just been waiting for the opportunity to come back. I’ve turned down managerial jobs in the lower leagues because I felt I’d gone past that and I wanted to get my teeth into something in the Premier League. This is something I’m looking forward to.”
And from looking at the comments from fans – it seems there is some negativity about Joe being appointed.
But there’s no reason why the partnership between Pardew and Kinnear (and Graham Carr) couldn’t work very well – as long as there is good communication between the two of them and they remember to do what’s best for Newcastle.
That wasn’t the case with Kevin Keegan and Dennis Wise and it all blew up – and the end result of that was that we were relegated in 2009, and Joe had been brought in as the manager for five months of that time.
For the good of Newcastle we hope it will all work – and it’s certainly been shown at some other big clubs that it can work well – if the people in charge have good working relationships.
Of course what some pundits will no doubt say is that Newcastle now have a person who can step in for Alan Pardew – if we have a really bad patch again next season – but we wont say that.
What do you think?
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141 comments so far
Toonacious T
Jun 16, 2013 at 9:22 PM
Comment #121Joe Kinnear as Director of Hoofball – WTF? This is the blind leading the blind now. He had been waiting 4 years for a Premiership club to offer him a job and it turns out that only MA is mad enough to hire him. I’ve said it before and I’ll keep saying it- Newcastle United will win nothing under Mike Ashley- my mates who support ManU are texting me and taking the piss clean out of me. We are a laughing stock
Rotonda heights
Jun 16, 2013 at 9:24 PM
Comment #122ashton
no change there then!
gonufc (not Arf' bad)
Jun 16, 2013 at 9:24 PM
Comment #123What. The. Hell?
So now we have 2 awful long ball managers at the club…
If Kinnear is in charge of transfers then goodbye ambition. He’s literally in the pocket of Ashley so will do whatever he wants, which is presumably buy very cheap players and sell for a profit.
Yorkgeordie
Jun 16, 2013 at 9:25 PM
Comment #124So much for all the transfer rumours, obviously no players are being looked at and no moves will be made until JFK has talked to Pardew. And what a breathtaking show of man management to let all the ‘fringe players’ know their days are numbered. That will have half the team saying ‘does he mean me?’
Tsunki
Jun 16, 2013 at 9:26 PM
Comment #125Toonacious – you stole my thunder – I know religion is a no-no here but….
Let them alone: they are blind guides. And if the blind guide the blind, both shall fall into a pit.
aint that the truth 😀
Slatymag
Jun 16, 2013 at 9:27 PM
Comment #126Let’s wait for gambling debt rumours.
Maybe Kinnear spewed up in Sports Direct on a pyramid of Lonsdale trainers and couldn’t pay the damages.
It’ll all come out in the wash.
Schwefelberg
Jun 16, 2013 at 9:28 PM
Comment #127I got it!
Mr. Kinnear took out a vulture loan with Wronga and cannot pay back. Now he will be the team hot dog man and dressing room sweep!
Tsunki
Jun 16, 2013 at 9:30 PM
Comment #128I wonder if he will reinstate his old answerphone greeting 😉
stuart no9
Jun 16, 2013 at 9:35 PM
Comment #129so – we have a new manager. unfortunately hes worse than his assistant , haha, god help us next season- it just gets worse !
Munster Mag
Jun 16, 2013 at 9:40 PM
Comment #130Snowdoen, Ashley a canny operator ? Please expand….
Munster Mag
Jun 16, 2013 at 9:41 PM
Comment #131Im going to put money on us being relegated next season. I think this could get very serious.
Papiss9
Jun 16, 2013 at 9:44 PM
Comment #132after Kinnear works his magic this will be our team next season..
—————————-elliott————————————–
perch———willo—————taylor————–bridge
jonas——–cattermole———-spearin————-obertan
—————-ameobi————–c.cole————————
Stevenage Magpie
Jun 16, 2013 at 9:45 PM
Comment #133I think everybody likes Pards a little bit more than they did this morning haha
Also I’m not liking this new wave of Toon fans that have come through now. When I was younger everybody supported this club no matter what happened, through thick and thin, for better for worse! Toon Army for life! All this “I’m done with this club” crap is total bollocks. Mackams deser their club when things get tough, not us!.
GeordieTwo
Jun 16, 2013 at 10:00 PM
Comment #134Spot on Stevenage Magpie @133. We’ll be here supporting the club long after Ashley and his cronies are gone.
banjax
Jun 16, 2013 at 10:03 PM
Comment #135I think we need to give JFK a chance, especially after the run in we had last season and the fact that Alan Pardew (in my view) should have been sacked. I see this as a positive step forward for Newcastle and just may keep Pardew looking over his shoulder as well as the players who do not perform or who are not good enough to wear the shirt. What this does mean though, is that Cabaye will be sold at a silly offer to raise funds to boost the transfer kitty. Ashley is no mug when it comes to money, so let him take care of that and lets hope between them Pardew and Kinnear can bring in some much needed quality into the team.
lesh
Jun 16, 2013 at 10:17 PM
Comment #136Well said Stevenage. I’m confident that of those, and I say a lot, not all of those advocating boycotts, demos etc are younger folk who may not have any sense of worldly wisdom and see the bigger picture.
In saying that, I wish I could make sense of recent events other than to say that I think that Ashley’s realised that Llambias needs help in the football department.
Joe can be parked as quick as he arrived. I smell internal politics here and hope it’s sorted soon.
Sav
Jun 17, 2013 at 1:43 AM
Comment #137From the outside this looks like there’s been disagreement between Pardew and Llambias over bringing required players on time. Instead of fixing it, we’ve just stuck Joe in the middle. The sort of arrangement he describes (I supply the players and Pardew picks the team) is patently rubbish. We have faith in Carr and the manager is capable of saying ‘I need a striker who isn’t always offside’ or ‘I need a centreback who doesn’t ball-watch and can head the ball’ or’ I need anyone who can cross the ball and take a corner’ and Carr will put a list together of players outside the top leagues who are young enough to have resale value and we go after them in order of preference. What can JFK possibly add to that?
thevoiceofreason
Jun 17, 2013 at 1:59 AM
Comment #138Quite simply this is because lambais keeps f….ng up transfers. This appointment removes that aspect of his role and as its someone the majority of the fans would regard aaa worse than Pardew, he can get on with running the team. The less Lambais has to do with the club the better it is for NUFC
Hong Kong Pete
Jun 17, 2013 at 7:29 AM
Comment #139JFK has a very high opinion of himself and probably believes the cr*p, which is usually foul mouth cr*p, that comes out of his mouth,
Good example “I’m in the best physical shape I’ve ever been in” doesn’t say much for when he was playing for Spurs!!!
tynesidetommo
Jun 17, 2013 at 8:10 AM
Comment #140Can’t wait to see who JFK’s first signing will be. Might be worth opening a book.
dak76
Jun 17, 2013 at 9:40 AM
Comment #141is it the 1st April??….. WHAT THE F###!!
‘I’ve got more knowledge than anyone at Newcastle as a football manager’ and ‘i’ve got a bright head’….. this muppet is dilusional!!
Just when I thought we had the start of a ‘steady boat’ they drop this bomb shell and blow it straight outta the water!!.
Looking forward the the return of Micheal Owen and other second rate players….. The positivity of the summer and season ahead has just drained from me…