Mike Williamson is a good lad, and he’s been under-estimated as a player by most fans in his time at Newcastle, since he joined us for £1M from Portsmouth just over four years ago – and Mike is also down to earth and tells things as they are.
Mike Williamson – no excuses
And that’s exactly what the 6’4″ defender has done today, as he has been interviewed, and he says there are just no excuses for the display on Wednesday night when we were ripped apart 4-0 by Tottenham and there seemed no fight or spirit in the side at all – and that’s never good.
This is what big Mike said:
“We’ve let the manager down, we’ve let the club down, we’ve let the fans down and we’ve let ourselves down,”
“Sometimes, the fans can be a little bit unfair but you can’t say that over the past few games. They are justified. We completely understand their anger and upset. Believe me, the players in there are feeling exactly the same.
“Every now and again when it is necessary, the manager tears into us and there needed to be some harsh words said because he felt it wasn’t good enough from the players out there on the pitch.”
“It might have come across to the fans that there was no heart and that’s a disappointing thing but what we have had at this club in years gone by, is a reaction and so when things like this do happen, the lads pull together.”
“We have players missing. A lot of quality missing. But the fact is that we need the fight, the spirit and the quality.” “For the next week and a half, we’re going to have to work on that and make sure that we do get a good reaction from this difficult period because the lads really are hurting.”
“We have let the manager down. We have let the fans down and we have let ourselves down so it is all about getting back to the basics now.”
It would have been interesting to hear what Alan Pardew said in the dressing room, but some of our better players like Moussa Sissoko, Tim Krul, Papiss Cisse, Ben Arfa and others have all under-performed in the last month or so.
And it doesn’t give us a good feeling about our strength in depth either – because when the big players like Colo, Tiote and Remy are missing we are simply not the same side – and that’s got to be worrying.
But the only thing Alan Pardew and the players have to do is to get back on track – get back to basics – and fans need to see a fully committed performance from all Newcastle players against Aston Villa a week on Sunday.
That’s simply the minimum requirement.
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105 comments so far
IITianToon
Feb 14, 2014 at 12:44 AM
Comment #41kets You are joking man! Santon may have good ball skills, but he could not stop one, I repeat ONE attack from his side. Have you ever seen him stop a cross coming in from his side. I am sorry but he just does not have the mentality of a defender.
Ketsbaia9
Feb 14, 2014 at 12:47 AM
Comment #42Santon, Debuchy and Remy have been our star players this season. Gouffran did well against Spurs in both games.
IITianToon
Feb 14, 2014 at 12:47 AM
Comment #43@BandB You got attacked? Pathetic, even by the blog’s standards. Hope you have a nice Valentine’s day! xD
jeff
Feb 14, 2014 at 12:48 AM
Comment #44cant help but agree with kets.santon could play anywere.would like to see him in the false 9 role actually a la surez
Ketsbaia9
Feb 14, 2014 at 12:48 AM
Comment #45Gouffran is a great team player. Great signing. We still need 10 more.
Ibizatoon
Feb 14, 2014 at 12:48 AM
Comment #46IITian…I couldn’t work out whether that was a bad pass from Cisse and no effort from Benny or just no effort from Benny, either way the commentator was spot on when he said that it summed up our performance.
IITianToon
Feb 14, 2014 at 12:49 AM
Comment #47@Kets Debuchy and Williamson have been our best players this season, besides cabaye. Remy looked great from the LW, has looked too selfish ever since moving to CF, even when he has scored.
Ibizatoon
Feb 14, 2014 at 12:49 AM
Comment #48Gouffran isn’t a bad call actually.
An honest hard working pro. Jonas but contributes to the attack.
IITianToon
Feb 14, 2014 at 12:51 AM
Comment #49@Ibiza Really I dont get it. I chase a ball even though I am an amateur zero talent guy. And these guys are PAID millions to do that. I dont care how bad your manager is, how bad your owner is. If you love football, you never stop playing and looking for the ball.
IITianToon
Feb 14, 2014 at 12:53 AM
Comment #50I think some psychological counselling for Cisse isnt a bad idea. Worked wonders for the Indian cricket team during the World Cup when they were down and out at one point. Just an idea!
Ibizatoon
Feb 14, 2014 at 1:01 AM
Comment #51IItian….Completely agree. Even at 3-0 down, with little time left, you keep going…No excuses, not even loss of limb!
As for counselling, I would like to agree, but looking at the state of our club I fear it would turn in to a never ending affair with everyone at the club involved and they’d never play any football. Actually, would that be such a bad thing? 🙂
bettyswallocks
Feb 14, 2014 at 1:01 AM
Comment #52BandB
You are entitled to your input however you choose to word it.
However I sometimes feel that the burning issues which are the ambitions and worries for the future of our club, you sometimes overlook in your efforts to produce the best rhetoric.
Here s hoping you are true to the cause.
NewcastleMole
Feb 14, 2014 at 1:08 AM
Comment #53Who reads to riot act to the manager though?
When we had the ball they were on us straight away given us no time on the ball.
When they had the ball we generally sat off and contained them.
That was the difference. And Pardew should of seen that and we should of passed it short and made the ball do the work make them chase it and in the 2nd half when they start to tire we pile on the pressure.
They has 1 less day to prepare plus they were playing away at a ground they’d not won at for 10 Years. Words fail me.
NewcastleMole
Feb 14, 2014 at 1:24 AM
Comment #54@IITianToon #50
psychological counselling?
Isn’t that just a fancy way of motivating your players. And isn’t that something the Manager should be doing anyway?
Look at Mourinho he gets in the head of his players and he can manipulate them how he sees fit to ensure victory.
Pardew has the opposite effect he seems to have an ability to de-motivate players he can turn good players into poor players. Pardew strikes me as some one who is very egocentric and wants to be the one who gets the credit.
ilovetoon8788
Feb 14, 2014 at 3:07 AM
Comment #55Nothing has changed it terms of passion from the players since the derby humiliation.
The current crop of players are an embarassment.
Tinman
Feb 14, 2014 at 3:22 AM
Comment #56Pards is horrendous.
Take LB for example.
Dummet is 3rd best
Santon is 2nd best
Haidara is best
Yet the order is Santon, Dummet, Haidara.
He has no idea
mattyNUFC
Feb 14, 2014 at 3:30 AM
Comment #57What’ll be most interesting to see is who starts the next match.
What’s that saying about beating a dead horse?
all my money saylor still starts (not that I think MYM is significantly better, be he’s definitely about him). Will marveaux finally have a chance? His quality is there for all to see….whether you like his ‘tracking back’ or not
god****it why can’t this clown just be gotten rid of ffs??? we can’t help ashley. We can definitely find a manager to work within these very strict confines who can at least give us something worth our time to watch. Spurs were awful yesterday…nothing good about them and we still lost 4-0. appalling.
theartfuldodger
Feb 14, 2014 at 3:33 AM
Comment #58THIS APPEARS TO BE MORE OF PR.
WASNT THIS TEARING INTO, DONE AFTER SUNDERLAND DEFEAT. And what was the result – defeat to chelsea and spurs.
NOW THAT ITS VILLA UP NEXT AND REMY TIOTE BACK THEY TRYING TO MAKE PARDEW LOOK GOOD.
As if Pardew made them look good.He is the great motivator. He sorts everything out.
Had it been arsenal or mancity,neither the manager nor players would speak so much.
mattyNUFC
Feb 14, 2014 at 3:34 AM
Comment #59hahaha, santon in the false 9 role???
He should take up a place on the bench until a manager is brought in who will play him consistently on the right. He’s gone downhill incredibly quickly since the beginning half of last season. why is it all our players have done that under AP???????????
ffs. i’m so so so tired of even thinking about this club any longer.
theartfuldodger
Feb 14, 2014 at 3:40 AM
Comment #60If you want to set a target Pardew, beat villa by scoring 3 goals.
1-0 is not the great mother of improvements.
valle
Feb 14, 2014 at 4:41 AM
Comment #61Very good article… I hope Ashley sells up soon. http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/director-of-football-gone-best-player-sold–rudderless-newcastle-are-left-drifting-towards-trouble-9127231.html
valle
Feb 14, 2014 at 4:45 AM
Comment #62Regarding player of the season… Debuchy all the way. Gouffran have become to selfish in the final third and goes for the shot instead of the obvious pass and Santon? You have to be joking!
thai-mag
Feb 14, 2014 at 5:21 AM
Comment #63when Pardew and Williamson say the team is going back to basics, can anyone tell me what that means exactly,
cyprus
Feb 14, 2014 at 5:26 AM
Comment #64Good article V. Here’s a good quote, what AP was saying 6 weeks ago:
“People keep talking about the Champions League, and there’s always no mention of us,” said manager Alan Pardew. “I have a wry smile. Great, write us off.”
valle
Feb 14, 2014 at 5:34 AM
Comment #65Cyprus… Yes, and one thing I took note of was the info about how Ashley were persuaded to buy Cisse for 9 mil and was then furious for not reaching the champions league. Just goes to show how unrealistic he is, thinking a 9 mil investement in 1 player is going to be enough to make certain and it also shows how tight he is and how much trouble AP is in.
cyprus
Feb 14, 2014 at 5:56 AM
Comment #66You are right, but MA ain’t leaving soon. Something must be done now, or we’ll pull off a ‘miracle’ and actually end up in trouble. So, if we lose 1-2 next games, something must be done about AP. I may be wrong but it seems he’s out of his depth. Solution: Promote him (!) to DOFooty, and hire a Laudrop, Hoddle type. They’d jump at the opportunity. And MA wouldn’t need to make a big pay off. And, we’d weave it in a way that AP saves face.
Jeff from Benwell
Feb 14, 2014 at 5:59 AM
Comment #67Spurs still have a realistic chance of a top 4 finish
We don’t
No managerial input is going to change those facts.
Simples
Santon03
Feb 14, 2014 at 6:05 AM
Comment #68pardew is going to see out his 8 years contract, he will not resign, because he’s waiting to be sacked.
If he resigned then he would not get compensation.
cyprus
Feb 14, 2014 at 6:10 AM
Comment #69I wonder how many teams will follow NUFC’s stability model and give out 8 year contracts 🙂
theartfuldodger
Feb 14, 2014 at 6:17 AM
Comment #70Pardews PR nonsense agitates the players more.
“We should replace a player like cabaye” turning to “well I dint say this season”
He must look like a douche bag in front of the players…
Its better if someone else does the PR and Press work..and Pardew if asked says “well we dint do well in the transfer market”
catchy in norway
Feb 14, 2014 at 6:20 AM
Comment #71mike Williamson has basically just became Pardews puppet . nearly everything he said is the things pardew has said in recent weeks,
at no point has pardew came out and said , yeh that one was me, I mean Jesus he came out a few days before the Chelsea game shouting about how he was trying something different , that went wrong,
you have to ask yourself , when it comes to training , what do they do?
still don’t look fit
still struggle to pass to each other
don’t know where the final third of the pitch is
it’s like pub football,
he looks at his squad
right your tall , up front or defence
you your gifted but I don’t like you , on the bench
you , your left footed , your right wing , cut in and shoot
all ov you , just shoot
scout
Feb 14, 2014 at 7:05 AM
Comment #72Agree with the comments above about the training sessions. But we have hardly any goals from midfield. Tiote scores when Hayley’s comet appears, Anita is long sighted, sissoko is out of position and ben arfa just runs round like a headless chicken.
Cabaye was goals with Remy. Without them two playing were cannon fodder. Spend some money FFs were useless
scout
Feb 14, 2014 at 7:10 AM
Comment #73Palace have a better left winger than us in ince, least he’s an out and out winger. Surely they can find someone who can run a ball past a full back and cross it. We have no one on either side.
We’re far to predictable it’s like shelling peas even Poyet figured it out.
firebug666
Feb 14, 2014 at 7:15 AM
Comment #74I have to agree with catchy, Williamson has just read AP script. Maybe because Williamson has been doing well this season, (compared to his other seasons) and a lot of fans have got behind him they have decided to use him to try and sell us some drivel, hoping he may be more believable than AP.
Lilongwe Geordie
Feb 14, 2014 at 7:24 AM
Comment #75“Believe me” – I’d be more inclined to believe people if they stopped trying to reinforce the fact that what they are saying should be believed.
sparky55
Feb 14, 2014 at 8:08 AM
Comment #76“The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits.”
sparky55
Feb 14, 2014 at 8:09 AM
Comment #77“Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”
sparky55
Feb 14, 2014 at 8:12 AM
Comment #78IT’S OFFICIAL…even Einstein thinks Pardew is sh!te
clinath@ed
Feb 14, 2014 at 8:15 AM
Comment #79Lil….it’s when they say “trust me”, you know your in trouble…!
Transfer Sage
Feb 14, 2014 at 8:20 AM
Comment #80catchy
This hatred to Pardew has been building up over 3 years now, 3 exactly….is this because he didn’t reply your valentines card you sent?
It all makes sense now.