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Luke Edwards is Chief Sports Writer of The Journal and uses his blog to give a unique and entertaining insight into events at Newcastle United and Sunderland.

As well as football, Luke also regularly takes a wry look at the biggest sports stories from across the North-East and beyond. From cricket to rugby and basketball to boxing, some are criticised and some are praised.

Sometimes provocative, sometimes laugh-aloud funny, but always interesting Luke Who's Talking also gives you the chance to interact with Luke and have your say on all the major sporting issues.

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Newcastle Reality Check

Posted by Luke on December 4, 2006 2:37 PM | 

It was all rays of sunshine and optimism from me regarding Newcastle United last week but, as strange as it may seem given the Magpies’ progression into the knockout phase of the Uefa Cup and the lack of a game last weekend, I feel things are clouding over again.

There probably isn’t any need to get depressed or upset - it might just be something to do with the fact winter has arrived with a gale over the weekend - I just think everybody at St James’s Park could do with a sharp injection of reality before they lose it at the office Christmas Party and descend into what is loosely known as the Festive season.

Well, let me tell you something, it ain’t going to be very Festive if the Magpies are still stuck in the bottom five by the time Manchester United herald the start of the New Year and the opening of the transfer window at 5:15pm - good for NYE hangovers, but otherwise a stupid time to play football - on January 1.

Maybe it’s just because it’s Monday and I’m the only journalist working on the sports desk today, maybe I didn’t get enough sleep over the weekend, maybe I’m annoyed Leyton Orient only got a draw at Torquay in the FA Cup - (average carrot of Southampton in the next round as well), possibly I’m just a doom and gloom merchant with a serious personality problem on a come down while suffering a pre-30s life crisis.

Or perhaps I’m just one of life’s realists, an independent observer of a football club which swings from crisis to unbridled optimism like a bisexual swings from Arthur to Martha!

For me, Wednesday night’s game against Reading at St James’s Park could be the pivotal moment in Newcastle’s season. Win and I confidently predict - maybe you should avoid reading my previous entry - that Glenn Roeder’s side will pull well away from the drop zone, strengthen the squad in January and, possibly, now this really is optimistic, mount a serious challenge for silverware in a cup competition!

But, lose to the Royals, and those heavy grey clouds will be back, draining the good spirit and confidence gained from the draws at Arsenal and Frankfurt and the home wins against Celta Vigo and Portsmouth. Newcastle will stay in the bottom five or six throughout December and then get stuffed by Manchester United on New Year’s Day.

They will sign a load of over-priced rubbish in the transfer market and go out of both the Uefa and FA Cups in the next round, launching a sustained period of fans protests which lead to Roeder’s dismissal.

Freddie Shepherd will finally realise he isn’t a Geordie hero and isn’t wanted. The Belgravia Group will finally take over and then announce they are selling the ground to build a new leisure complex, moving Newcastle’s games to an out of town site somewhere near Carlisle.

See, I told you I wasn’t in a good mood.

It is worth pointing out at this stage that there is some semblance of reason in my rant - the fixture list.

Newcastle will have had all their easy home games by the turn of the year. Wigan Athletic, Charlton Athletic, Sheffield United, Fulham, Portsmouth, Reading and Watford. At the moment, they’ve won just two of them!

In 2007, Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United, Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur will all travel north, while Newcastle will have to travel to all of the other relegation candidates. Far from ideal for a side which needs to drag itself away from trouble.

Oh and the world is going to end soon as well!

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Comments (2)

True Mag wrote...

Been on the happy pills I see!

You've point about the fixture list is a valid one though. The cup competitions are going to be our only salvation this season.

If Roeder and Shepherd think the discontent has disappeared they are sadly mistaken, it's still here, we're just trying to help the team get out of the trouble they are in.

We have to beat Reading and Watford, then try and get something on the road. The key thing now is that the team are playing with a lot more confidence and actually play like a team.

Like the bit about Arthur and Martha and you're right, things can quickly swing back to the protests we saw last month.

In fact, I'm not entirely sure that's a bad thing. This club needs a change of onwnership and direction if it is ever going to challenge at the top again

Posted by: True Mag  | December 5, 2006 10:42 AM

Little Lord Fauntleroy wrote...

Steady on old bean. Newcastle mounting a serious challenge for silverware? Can I have some of those tablets that have made you so delusional? Most of the blog was pessimistic, with good reason(!!??), but that overtly optimistic piece has stunned me!

Anyway, what else do you expect from a club surrounded by nothing but hills and beautiful rolling countryside?

Freddie will dip his hands into his pocket for more expensive signings. However, just coz they're expensive, doesn't mean they're gonna be any good, does it Obafemi? Newcastle's scouts can't be exonerated from blame either. Those same scouts who told recent Football Icon winner Carl Magnay that he wasn't any good before he wins a lucrative contract with Chelsea. The same scouts who, even though they were told that Boumsong was not good enough, still advised the board that he'd be a good acquisition.
Of course, Shepherd will have to sell Milner to Villa to finance such deals, but I will seriously kick his fat derriere if he does.
Tough fixtures coming up, but we knew at the start of the season we'd have to play everyone twice, so let's just get on with beating the rubbish and surprising the top teams.
Vive la revolution!!

Posted by: Little Lord Fauntleroy  | December 5, 2006 11:34 AM

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