Newcastle fans are not happy and it seems that there is frustration already building up – and we suppose that’s not too surprising when you think what our fans have gone through this year.
It’s been a complete nightmare with our results in the 25 league games played this year and we have 15 points and over the last 17 games we have only one win.
I wish I hadn’t written that down – now I feel even worse.
Steve McClaren – we will not panic
Steve McClaren has said this after the game on Saturday:
“ I can understand the fans` reaction. We are just turning things around and I think the majority of fans understand that.”
“Like we have said to the boys in the dressing room, it`s not a crisis, it`s not a time to panic – it`s too early, and we`d never do that anyway.”
“No matter where you are at what stage, we`d never do that, we have too much experience to know that.”
“Like I`ve said to the players, we have got to stick together. We are going to get a lot of criticism and that can be flying from not just media, but also fans.”
“In that dressing room, we have got to stay tight, we have got to stay calm, we have got to stick together.”
“I know and they know and we know deep down there`s a lot to do, a lot to work on and you don`t do it talking about it, which we can`t do.”
We are getting into a bit of a mess at the start of this season, and starting to dig ourselves into a hole.
But we can surely pull out of it with the players we have, although we cannot linger at the bottom for too long because you can get into a habit of losing games.
When that happens it becomes very difficult to start winning games again because the players have lost their confidence.
Another season fighting relegation is not what we were expecting this season – that’s for sure.
Comments welcome.
99 comments so far
Tinman
Sep 21, 2015 at 3:10 PM
Comment #1Maybe he will reconsider after two defeats in the next two league matches? Never say never
Ibizatoon
Sep 21, 2015 at 3:11 PM
Comment #2Don’t dwell on it Steve, but let’s hope not talking about it doesn’t mean that we’re not acknowledging the problems.
Accept the problems, deal with the problems, then move on from them. You can’t just skip the first steps.
I do understand part of his job is to not allow the pressure to become too much for the players. However, part of the clubs job is to manage the fans too. I’d say the cracks are starting to show on that front. I’d say they are with the players too.
Try some honesty, it brings togetherness rather than causing further divides, divides which should be pointed out had nothing to do with McClaren, but they are there.
barkel
Sep 21, 2015 at 3:20 PM
Comment #3Honesty Ibiza? That’d be some laugh!
Tsunki
Sep 21, 2015 at 3:22 PM
Comment #4PANIC? WHAT PANIC??
bettyswallocks
Sep 21, 2015 at 3:23 PM
Comment #5If there are individuals in the dressing room causing rifts and giving off negativity then that is a huge problem.
Mc.did hint that there were things to sort out behind the scenes and he needs to address these problems asap. I think Cisse needs to feel like the main man and idolised to produce his best. He has looked very poor and uninterested and could be making his disillusionment known along with Tiote.
Playing second fiddle to Ba affected his game as has being behind Mitro .
Ibizatoon
Sep 21, 2015 at 3:24 PM
Comment #6Barkel…Hey, people are looking to try something new, why not some honesty 🙂
Tsunki…I don’t even know the meaning of the word.
Bobbybee
Sep 21, 2015 at 3:25 PM
Comment #7Before I leave, Ibiza. How can you sit there and say you don’t advocate booing and demo’s, when you thought – for some bizarre reason – that I was half the problem for refusing to give up my ST in support of some half baked policy you agreed with? You advocated booing less then a page ago ffs. Make your mind up eh? At least I’m consistent with my beliefs and how I support the team – which is getting off my arse and supporting the team in person. If anybody believes that booing the team helps in any way at all, then they’re simply wrong. It doesn’t and there’s evidence to support this fact. Souness once said that Newcastle have 20k fans and 30k customers who demand instant success. I always thought is was probably the other way round numerically, but either way, he wasn’t far from the truth.
Tsunki
Sep 21, 2015 at 3:26 PM
Comment #8Well said Sage previous article regarding Cisse any nore.. It should be obvious his heads down, who knows for what reading but it might be because he’s been scuppered by lack of support. He did the busting a hug to make something for himself thing, but all he got was abuse for being offside so much. I think he knows the ball isn’t coming his way and he can’t be bothered any more.
Now Coloccini is being hammered and it almost looks like the blog is going to carve a statue of the prophet Toonbotherer. All this because he’s had a run of games in which, as usual nobody has done well. Tough being a CB when you are constantly exposed by the lack of midfield cover.
Tsunki
Sep 21, 2015 at 3:28 PM
Comment #9Any nore? How did my phone change “previous article” to “any nore”?
Tsunki
Sep 21, 2015 at 3:29 PM
Comment #10Oh no wait, I got that right, my phone decided to put the “any nore” in all by itself. Thanks, phone.
Ibizatoon
Sep 21, 2015 at 3:33 PM
Comment #11Bobby…I am pleased you managed to fit in one more post on what a great fan you are.
Actually, I didn’t ask you to give up your ST. What I asked was for fans to take a stand and show that it could be done.
Not indefinitely. The idea was to try and bring change.
But we can’t do that!
What I advocated was the fans having a voice, rather than saying all they should do is be silent of cheer.
I also went on to say that I don’t think the players need to be our focus, nor should they be receiving the brunt of our displeasure via booing. Don’t let that get in the way though.
Are you incapable of discussing other ways forward without taking offense and bringing how one should support their team in to?
I’m not looking to fight with you. I keep making the point that whilst appearing to be a reasonable poster, you sure do throw out some pretty loaded comments about real fans etc.
As I said on the previous, if your plan hinges on all match attending fans to keep the faith, then you might need to re-think.
Talk about a half baked policy.
Let’s also not forget, there are more than 50,000 Newcastle fans.
Ibizatoon
Sep 21, 2015 at 3:36 PM
Comment #12silent or cheer is what I meant, but being silent of cheer is what happened for a while.
Tsunki…Technology is conspiring against us. Either that or fat fingers.
Ian Toon
Sep 21, 2015 at 3:37 PM
Comment #13Bobbybee- I agree with your earlier comment on booing and abuse. Taking that argument to it’s conclusion, booing a player seems so much worse than merely shouting incoherently with frustration, because one is a deliberately personal attack and the other a reaction to a particular incident during the game.
The same can reasonably be applied to posters who come onto the blog with their major objective to abuse a poster rather than engage them in debate. The random compilation of a list of posters you don’t agree with is simply puerile.
Ibizatoon
Sep 21, 2015 at 3:40 PM
Comment #14To engage in debate, does one not need to be able to hear out an alternative view point?
There is no debate when one side is only saying, I’ve bought in to 3 windows, so anything that happpens from now to then is irrelevant.
Again, not a direct quote, but seems to be where we end up.
Blackley and Brownlie
Sep 21, 2015 at 3:45 PM
Comment #15Bobbybee
This three windows rebuilding programme has started very badly. I would not give old man Carr any more money to waste. It’s a Carr crash waiting to happen with him at the recruitment wheel, even if Makro is shouting from the back seat.
I’m not sure what Makro can bring to recruitment in any event when it’s not his main focus. Has he shown great recruitment skills previously?
toon kk
Sep 21, 2015 at 3:45 PM
Comment #16Release 80% of our squad and start over with eager players that actually want to play for Newcastle.
Ibizatoon
Sep 21, 2015 at 3:47 PM
Comment #17Blackley…Nothing new to add, but I liked your use of “Carr crash”.
Tsunki
Sep 21, 2015 at 3:50 PM
Comment #18In an ideal world ( ha ha ha yes I know) Mr Mac should be endowed with more autonomy on transfers owing to the slip shod incompetence of the ongoing arrangement of Charnley tasking Carr to scout players for McLaren to bang into the irregular holes holes the squad. In an ideal world, he should be able to point out the obvious “Right, that does not work at all -still- and if you really don’t want to play Leeds next year, here’s who I need”. In an ideal world, of course. 😐
bettyswallocks
Sep 21, 2015 at 3:54 PM
Comment #19Blackley………who do you suggest handles recruitment then?
Tsunki
Sep 21, 2015 at 3:55 PM
Comment #20Ibiza I’ve been trying to figure out how to work “love Lee jubb Lee” into a script but it just isn’t happening. Suggestions on a postcard please to :-
Welshgeordie
Somewhere on holiday at the minute,
Wales.
I think it would do Mr Charnley a lot of good if he signed his morale-boosting report emails off with ” Love, Lee” though. 🙂
Blackley and Brownlie
Sep 21, 2015 at 3:56 PM
Comment #21I see so many fans identifying Aarons as the answer. I love to see a good left footer. They bring a different dimension to a team. But young Aarons is very raw. He’s shown next to nothing. His passing, creativity, delivery and reading of the game is poor. He has a little bit of trickery that I don’t believe even he fully trusts. He just looks like a complete rookie with quite a bit of pace. If he were to get a run of games, my belief is that he’d very quickly fall out of favour. Why do so many think he’s good enough? What have you seen? Thauvin is much more ready but the more I see of him, the more I think he’s not worth half what we paid.
Ibizatoon
Sep 21, 2015 at 3:58 PM
Comment #22Tsunki…Don’t get me started on Lee’s letters.
It’s only Monday!
Wandering Geordie
Sep 21, 2015 at 3:58 PM
Comment #23Iv stayed tight lipped and ot posted as frequently butthis is the way I see this…. This prediciment we are currently in reminds me of Van Gaals appointment last season where the Mancs were a complete shower.Now before you say we how can you compare?, What I am saying is that I think we will come good but we will have some very dissapointing results..I am sticking my neck out and predicting a turnaround in the next 5 games…..Patience
bettyswallocks
Sep 21, 2015 at 4:02 PM
Comment #24Recruitment is probably the most important ingredient now to be successful.
A lot of big spending clubs such as Spurs and Liverpool have wasted fortunes without repercussions for the shopper. Then clubs like Swansea, Watford and West Ham seem to have spent wisely.
There weren’t many on here saying we had spent unwisely before the first game only that we needed more investment . Maybe we have just got completely left behind due to years of miserly behaviour when others were quietly improving. If that is the case then we need to spend again or go down. Simple as that.
Ian Toon
Sep 21, 2015 at 4:04 PM
Comment #25With a new manager coming in I didn’t have high expectations immediately. Just the sense of progression over time would be success compared to the stagnation of the last few years. Players performing without fear would make such a difference to the side and indirectly to the fanbase. Pardew’s time here suggests that Macca is virtually unsackable. Ashley has shown that he’s slow to pull the trigger. A bare minimum of staying clear of relegation will guarantee his safety from the boot. I viewed Macca as someone who wants to make his mark on the club, who sees the need for a long-term project to achieve that . Hence the root and branch undertaking.
We haven’t performed at a satisfactory level for years. We haven’t just become a poor team. The difference is that the so called experts have decided that promoted teams are to good to go down. It’s early doors be patient- it helps if we can start winning at SJP. Fans do make a difference – just think back to the West Ham last game of the season.
Adidas.
Blackley and Brownlie
Sep 21, 2015 at 4:08 PM
Comment #26Betty
The man charged with selecting the team on a match day should be the head of the recruitment team. We should spend our first tranche of any transfer kitty on recruitment and scouting. That’s why it’s so important to get the best manager possible, someone with a track record of identifying player talent. I wouldn’t trust Charnley or old man Carr to identify that man.
Ashley recognises the buck stops with him. But Ashley doesn’t appear to have a clue. I’m all for Ashley leaving but only if there’s a credible alternative waiting in the wings. There’s no point trying to undermine Ashley because it just harms the club.
bettyswallocks
Sep 21, 2015 at 4:10 PM
Comment #27NUFC Chief Recruitment Officer………… Blackley in.
bladeuser
Sep 21, 2015 at 4:12 PM
Comment #28Pc sheep brigade please don’t boo it’s not nice Pathetic fans what do u want
Fans to do applaud them off after losing not once but time and time again in other country. S they would get a lot worse than boos if u do not want to boo then don’t but don’t tell people who do what u think they should do as it’s got f@@@ all to do with u
Just carry on applauding your hero.s off into the championship then wonder where they p@@@ off to while u hand over your money again to cashley
ASHLEY OUT
S Mac out soon
terencelim
Sep 21, 2015 at 4:13 PM
Comment #29Ashley OUT.
Blackley and Brownlie
Sep 21, 2015 at 4:14 PM
Comment #30Private companies are in competition with each other all the time. The ones that are managed the worst are the first to go to the wall. It doesn’t matter how big the brand. You can’t take your eye off the ball for a minute.
Tsunki
Sep 21, 2015 at 4:17 PM
Comment #31Aye Ashley Out! 🙂
Bobbybee
Sep 21, 2015 at 4:19 PM
Comment #32Got a moments reprieve. Ibiza, you change like the weather. You did accuse me of being part of the problem simply because I refused to boycott. To deny it now says so much about you. You also agreed with booing – how quick the change. Everybody there has a right to boo if they so choose. They pay their money, they do as they see fit. Boo away, just don’t expect it to do any good. I’ve lived all over the country, from Aldershott in my army days, to Notts, Chesterfield and Keighley in more recent years, yet I have always managed to get to support the lads regardless of the travelling involved. Am I proud of that? I am. Do I expect everyone to show that sort of commitment? It’s their choice, not mine. Do as you see fit.
Ian, if you care to look back, you’ll see that every time I post anything, ibiza has to disagree. I seldom respond to his posts unless it in response to mine, because I got bored with him the minute he said I was part of the problem becauae I refused to give up my ST to support his agenda, which I don’t agree with. It’s easy for the likes of him to sit miles away and contribute nothing to NUFC except to diss real, match going fans – who pay good money for his abuse. He may well be a fanatic about the toon, despite his opinions, but he is not a supporter because that title is for match going fans – those who support the team. If supporters wish to boo, what can I say? Other than it doesn’t help. People sitting miles away, telling me that I, someone who has bothered to get off his arse for fifty years, including when we were really bad, am not a real fan or I would be boycotting the games, can go f@ck themselves. If my loyalty upsets people, I honestly couldn’t care less.
bettyswallocks
Sep 21, 2015 at 4:20 PM
Comment #33Iantoon….. Players playing without fear is exactly what’s required. The problem is the cost of relegation is an all consuming consideration and creates fear and over cautious football. Once the losing streak sets in, the fear is all too prevalent.
stuart no9
Sep 21, 2015 at 4:24 PM
Comment #34bobbybee—— instant success ?? 1968 since our last trophy . not really instant is it?? 47 bloody years .
LGFUAD21
Sep 21, 2015 at 4:27 PM
Comment #35Ibiza in response to earlier.
Derby had the right players for all positions and more balance to them.
They had proper wide forwards.
Will Hughes for creativity and some players that would get stuck in.
We are just a train wreck on so many levels.
Munster Mag
Sep 21, 2015 at 4:29 PM
Comment #36Ibiza, finally people are beginning to see my point of view about Carr that I have been banging on about for ages. The Telegraph lists him as “guilty” today. I appreciate that he doesnt have an open chequebook and the players he chooses are not always hin fitrs cloice, but many other clubs buy good players without daft money, and choose good managers to mould teams. Sadly i think we will be bottom 6 unless Mitro , or someone , starts getting goals, The weaker teams have improved with good scouting for pacy players, and throw their nets to south america and elsewhere, and choose managers from a broad pool. I feel Carr has already plotted who we will be buying in the next 2 windows. I believe his influence stopped us looking beyond SMC and engaging fully with continental managers. He has an inordinate amount of influence at the club I have no doubt that he will continue to invest in guys like Thauvin ( sorry but that boy is not quick enough, so i hope he has other tricks) , Anita, Santon etc instead of players that guys like Pardew knew were needed. Every purchase is a gamble, but we have ended up with a sack of attitude problems, slow mo’s and general crap.
Ian Toon
Sep 21, 2015 at 4:30 PM
Comment #37Betty – Yes. The fans can help at SJP. Macca also needs to show he can get more from the players who underperformed last season.
Munster Mag
Sep 21, 2015 at 4:33 PM
Comment #38Bobbybee, I remember the flirt with Div 3 so well, pinned to a radio in south london when the screamer went in v Portsmouth, and managed to get to the Grimsby game the night we were promoted. My first live game was Spurs away in London. Lost 4-0 i think, Waddler killed us. Geordies aal awa , and one half pissed Irish student starting songs. An nnn and an e and a wubbleyew C….:) Great memories, but i am very fearful for now, Funnily enough, Mitro could become a real club leader if he cops on, even though he is a 20 yr old headcase 🙂
Belfast
Sep 21, 2015 at 4:34 PM
Comment #39Oh it’s the way you tell them Skunki…..
Munster Mag
Sep 21, 2015 at 4:34 PM
Comment #40…along with god knows how many other games in crap english towns! 🙂 I dont think the Toon Arny existed then as a name ??