As Newcastle United’s illusions of grandeur were shattered by Yakubu’s 85th minute header and the travelling supporters smashed the watching Freddie Shepherd’s reputation with chants of “Shepherd Out” on Sunday afternoon some chav scum was putting a brick through the rear window of my car!
I have decided it was a Middlesbrough supporter, or some loser from the town anyway, but I suppose it could have been an angry Newcastle fan after the final whistle. When you see your team lose a local derby they should have at least taken a draw from, it can play havoc with your anger management.
But it wasn’t what I needed after watching a Newcastle defeat which has cranked up the pressure on manager Glenn Roeder, as well as his chairman and it wasn’t something I needed to be sorting out on my last night of freedom before I go into hospital for a rather painful operation. More of that, though, later.
Roeder might have felt some sense of relief when the fans vented their spleen at his boss during the final five minutes of the Tees-Tyne derby, but Newcastle’s manager also knows that when the chairman starts to feel the heat, he sweats and looks to find a sacrificial lamb - the manager.
It is not the first time in recent history that travelling Newcastle supporters - what might be called the hardcore - have called for the removal of the board. It happened two years ago under Graeme Souness during a Uefa Cup game in Holland against Heerenveen, but the dissent was drowned out by two goals from Lee Bowyer and Alan Shearer which gave the Magpies victory.
Newcastle went on to equal the club record for successive victories and the angry mood went with it, at least until Souness’ side crashed out of the Uefa and FA Cups in four heartbreaking days a few months later. A sudden slap in the face which begun the long and drawn out process of Souness’ sacking eight months later.
There is no question that the mood is on the verge of turning ugly once more, although whether it is open revolt at the moment is doubtful. There were chants for Shepherd to go on Sunday, but they were from a section of the away support, albeit a large one. Until there is massed and sustained demonstrations, they will be written off as the actions of a vocal minority. It remains to be seen whether the level of disillusionment has reached such an extreme level.
However, as long as Newcastle keep under-performing, the tension will increase and a victory against Portsmouth in the Carling Cup on Wednesday night looks vital. Lose, at home, in a competition which represents the club’s most realistic chance of silverware this season and it might just be the spark which lights the powder keg under St James’s Park.
The Pompey game is then followed by two winnable home games against two of the teams keeping Newcastle out of the relegation zone, Charlton and Sheffield United.
Roeder will be looking at these next three games with some optimism. All our against average teams, are at home and, if all three are won, the pressure will lift. Shepherd will be looking at them equally closely because more under-achievement spells trouble for him and his manager.
Newcastle are going to struggle to finish in the top six in the Premiership this season and the way things are going they are going to struggle to finish in the top half of the table. Can’t keep clean sheets and can’t score goals is not a good recipe for success.
But they can enjoy some cup runs, in the Uefa, Carling Cup and FA Cups. Remember, Middlesbrough were terrible in the Premiership last season, but they reached the final of the Uefa Cup and the semi-finals of the FA Cup and that was enough to get their manager, Steve McClaren, the England job!
Oh yes, my operation. Yes, I’m afraid I’m going to be off line for a couple of days while I am sliced open in a rather delicate area of my body. I won’t go into details, because it will bring tears to your eyes and I’m sure you’ve cried enough this weekend after the Boro defeat.
Oh, sorry, if you’re a Sunderland fan you will have been crying with tears of joy, but as I always say, I’m not getting involved in regional rivalries!
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