A Blessing In Disguise
Firstly, let me just say, that Harry Redknapp’s decision to stay at Portsmouth rather than become Newcastle United’s new manager is a blessing in disguise for the club.
Secondly, let me just say, the decision to sack Sam Allardyce without making sure who his replacement would be, other than the vague suggestion from ‘arry’s camp that he was interested, is the first major blunder of the Mike Ashley/Chris Mort era.
However, let’s us draw a line under that now. Yes, the new people at the top have made a bit of a mess of the process of replacing Allardyce. Yes, their first choice to replace him was a dubious one to say the least, but the point is, Redknapp isn’t coming and someone else is.
Who that person is remains to be seen. I’ve already nailed my colours, trousers, shirt, tie and underpants to the Jose Mourinho mast. However, I’m willing to unnail them if I have to. I’m a pragmatist, not a romantic.
My desire to see the Portuguese at St James’s Park is based on the simple fact that he is the outstanding candidate for the job. His appointment, however, is, if I’m being honest to myself and you, an unrealistic one considering he can have the pick of the top jobs in European football and that he is, we believe, prevented from managing another English club this season as part of his severance package from Chelsea.
Nevertheless, if I was Mike Ashley - and obviously I’m not as the only millions I have are bacteria in my stomach - I would have been straight on the phone to Jose, offered to make him the highest paid manager in Europe, a massive transfer kitty and sold him the job as the toughest he could take in world football. Even then, he might not take it, but at least I’d have asked.
Where Ashley and Mort are going now is unclear. It seems to be there are three main options:
1) Go for someone like Mark Hughes. Decent track record, an up and coming manager who is believed to want the job - mind you sources close to Redknapp said the same thing until Saturday morning. He is also a strong character. Problem will be, if he is successful, he will be one of the favourites to replace Sir Alex Ferguson at Old Trafford, a job he wouldn’t be able to turn down.
2) Appease the romantics and appoint the “dream ticket� of Alan Shearer and Kevin Keegan, even if it is far from certain the two men would work together and shared jobs rarely work. It would be a wonderful story and it might just give the club some momentum and the city it’s feel good factor again.
3) Look at the best candidates based on experience and CV and give them an offer they can’t refuse. AZ Alkmaar’s Louis van Gaal is my new favourite in this category, as Marcello Lippi is too defensive and cautious for me.
Martin Jol is another possibility but if the former Tottenham director Paul Kemsley has as much influence on Ashley as we are led to believe, this would be unlikely. It was Kemsley who is credited with starting the anti-Jol movement at White Hart Lane last season when they finished fifth.
In the meantime, while we all want to know who is going to be Newcastle’s next manager, there is the small matter of an FA Cup replay against Stoke this week to consider. A tie which is worth an estimated £1.4m, as that is the amount the Magpies will receive in gate receipts if they play Arsenal in the next round.
And it is up to the players - and nobody else - to make sure Newcastle do not suffer another humiliation to be sniggered and laughed at by the rest of the nation. Too many of them went through the motions against Manchester United, too many didn’t want to know when the going got tough and too many decided they were playing for themselves.
No manager or not, Newcastle’s collection of international “stars� should have enough about them to beat a Championship side at home, no matter how awkward they maybe. They desperately need to restore some semblance of professional pride after the mauling at Manchester United and Wednesday night is the chance to do it.
The rest of the country will be waiting to see them fail. For once, let’s make sure they are left disappointed because I’ve had enough of having to listen to friends telling me Newcastle are a joke.
I should also add here that, while Newcastle fans were left smarting at their 6-0 thumping at Old Trafford, Orient lost 4-0 at promotion rivals Nottingham Forest. Not a good weekend.
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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.
Luke, your not crazy!- Well. . .?
There’s a link, that many people seem to forget, a link that with a better chairman at the helm at the time, might have had the foresight to do just what you crazy mind suggests- Appoint Jose Mourinho!
The link I’m referring to is of course, Sir Bobby Robson, someone who could bend Jose’s ear and sway him on to Newcastle’s radar.
He simply is the best manager in the world, time will prove that, he’s 42 and he’s already got two Premier League titles, one UEFA cup, one Champions League and a host of the piddley cups that we as Newcastle fans would die for.
Some reading for anyone with time on their hands, is Mourinho- Anatomy of a Winner, written by London based hack, Patrick Barclay, someone I actually do think talks more sense than a lot of the other’s ‘daarn that neck ov the woods’ it goes into depth about what shaped the man himself and the highlight that springs out to me is, there are an awful lot of brilliant managers around, that had either poor or non-existent playing careers- Jose is one of them.
Ferguson, Mourinho, Wenger, Benitez, Houllier are never going to appear in a footballers elite book, but they have what it takes to excel where they couldn’t with their football boots.
Now if you were to say ‘Mourinho wouldn’t touch Newcastle United with a barge pole’ or ‘Newcastle United are so far under Mourinho radar’ etc, etc, I wouldn’t argue, but the simple fact of the matter is, it could appeal to his ego, no trophies for decades, plenty transfer funds, decent squad already in place, adoring fans, just win a trophy and your knighted up here.
Even if we went to him with a offer, ‘Come to us for a few years- if your not happy in a couple of years time, we can let you go to one of those ‘Big clubs’ you talk about‘ (Barcelona, Real Madrid, etc.)
Now that might not go down well with some people, getting a manager and already thinking about the next one, we’ve done that to death, but if Mourinho were to walk up Northumberland Street and dare I say it, Win Something, he may even grow to like it or at very least then Alan Shearer might be ready.
If I were Chris Mort, I’d put the offer to him at the very least, just out of Morbid curiosity, rather than being a rejection junkie.
The fear with me is, Harry Redknapp was first choice, you don’t go up in quality do you? you go down, and Redknapp hardly inspires me, where to next?- Bruce?- His stock is only actually floating because he’s a Geordie, Hoddle?- Hardly going to get the disabled Toon fan through the door, McLaren?- Scares the proverbial out of me just uttering that one, Hughes? Not a bad idea really, when you see the other candidates.
Houllier is a proven winner and entertains, Jol is a tricky one, as I never liked him, but he has top 6 pedigree, my dark horse for the job is a great little bloke, little being the key word, Gordon Strachan, but he’s got a job for life at Celtic and probably won’t shift. Picture it, Gordon Strachan would fit in the Newcastle dug-out, not just size wise.
After all that debating- My top five for the job then:-
Jose ‘Special One’ Mourinho
Gordon ‘Wee One’ Strachan
Gerard ‘Oui One’ Houllier
Mark ‘Sparky One’ Hughes
Ottmar ‘Can’t think of a nickname’ Hitzfeld
PS:- Anyone wanting to buy that book- Jose Mourinho Anatomy of a Winner can do so, priced at a ‘Special’ £3.99 at ‘The Works’ Bookstore- Now there’s a plug!!
Paul
Note From Luke
I cannot believe you've put Gordon Strachan in your top five. Tut tut tut
To have winning mentality any club must have a healthy dressing room.
Jose finaly failed because the dressing room in Chelsea was just a mess which he created and eventually reflected on performance of world class players.
Note From Luke
Five trophies in two years....
But Luke - Jose doesn't play fluid attacking entertaining attractive football ! How dare he even be thought of being approached ! At least that's what a significant number seem to be maintaining, and I'm categorically not one of them. (Same apparently applies to Herr Hitzfeld and Houllier).
I'm painfully aware of the difficulties of us landing a top manager but....has Ashley even APPROACHED one? Does he even know who say van Gaal is? Yes we are way down the pecking order of clubs at the moment but for many, money still has a habit of persuasion in football and presumably Ashley has a few bob.
Underpants aside, Jose would TRANSFORM Newcastle United (I'm sure the club shop would be doing commemorative black n white g-strings within 3 years) - yes without the most attractive brand of football but I rather fancy silverware as a more than adequate form of entertainment. I'm not for a moment trying to argue that attractive football is bound to not bring success (Ferguson, Wenger, Rijkaard anyone) but I think I could settle for a period of success without the so-called entertaining brand - regardless of who's the manager.
Regardless of the rejection, it must be asked what the heck Mike Ashley was doing chasing Harry Redknapp as his NO. 1 target with such pace and certainty? Where's the necessary ambition and consideration?
Unless his actual No.1 target(s) had declined and then Ashley turned to HR, fine, but I don't think that was the case at all.
And if Ashley thinks Hughes is going to be able to deliver the football and success he seems intent on bringing to Newcastle United, he is most likely going to be waiting a fair while.
I'm not confident we'll get past Stoke at all (yes smell the despondency) but I think beating them would give a significant and very important boost of confidence to the players (the days are trickling away if we're going to get any new ones) going into a hugely important match against Bolton - lose that, and we really would be in deep trouble.
Luke - my concern is that any good manager is strong willed and Ashley's record in business shows he cannot work with anyone who has "balls of steel" as he describes his own mentality. This has been shown by Sports Direct problems from sacking, resignations and an inability to get respected businessmen onto the board even though it a massive company and the appointments well remunerated. Even his friends have turned posts down.
For some reason even businessmen who are good at senior delegation, find it hard not to interfere when they take over football clubs and Ashley has now declared he intends to do exactly that (a bit of a slap in the face for Mort!). This makes me worry about how someone like Jose M would work with Ashley. One good thing is that now there can be no excuses as we know Ashley is running the whole show - lets hope that leads to success but as you rightly say, his first act has been unconvincing and looks like petulance rather than sensible business handling of management change.
Note From Luke
I've never trusted anyone who says they have balls of steel. Imagine the problems at airport security! Apparently, the quotes attributed to Ashley in the News of the World were not strictly true - or some of them from Ashley at all. He is, I'm told, still going to sit with the fans and allow Mort to run the club
I still reckon Rafa Benitez is worth a punt. He's won trophies, bought some class players (and a few duds) and is currently at odds with his Directors.
Forget the dream ticket of Keegan and Shearer, it won't work, too much ego. Or the Special One, Newcastle will not appeal, he'll want Spain or Italy. And not Hughes or Bruce or Redknapp or McLaren, they are not better than Big Sam, just different. Nobody seriously thinks Hoddle, do they?
Maybe Van Gaal but not Jol, Spurs reject.
Note From Luke
Liverpool have to sack Benitez first!
Believe me, if Mourinho WANTED the job, you would have to be an idiot not to appoint him.
I think there’s a horrible trend in football at the minute, whereby usually Rich owners seem to want to either sack, or at least undermine, good (And successful) managers- take Rafa Benitez, the whole scenario surrounding him is a farce, he’s won the UEFA Champions League, a few cups and the owners want him out- Crazy!
Look at Tottenham, two top five finishes in the bag and he has a poor couple of weeks and he’s sacked, after the squad lost complete respect for him, why? Because the board spoke to Juande Ramos, while Jol was still in charge- Thank you VERY much!
And on to our mate Jose- He’s won two League titles, a few cups and despite what anyone says- I believe he would have won the Champions League with Chelsea within two more seasons, WITHOUT idiotic interference with the board buying players he didn’t want.
Mike Ashley has been away in Hong Kong and my hope is he’s spotted a new Arsene Wenger, much like Arsenal did, Arsene was kicking around in the pointless league’s of Japan in 1996- so it shows that you don’t necessarily have to look to Premier League experience or high profile stature for long term success.
I’d love a raw, young manager to be un-earthed, but sadly with Ashley and Mort not being football people, they don’t really know what to look for do they? To them Arsene Wenger in 1996 was probably just some French peasant, wasting his time in Japan. Lets be fair, that’s what I thought, when he was unveiled- How wrong can one be?
I’m warming to the experience of Houllier actually, he seems to tick all the boxes. Romantics will go for Keegan and/or Shearer, but that isn’t what I want at this moment in time, Shearer’s time will come, but at the minute we need a very, VERY astute manager, Keegan and/or Shearer are not it.
However having just seen footage of Alan Shearer walking through an airport, much like they did with Keegan yesterday, I think the media especially should keep their noses out and wait for a story breaking, rather than trying to manufacture one, following people in their private lives is bang out of order.
Paul.
note From Luke
Yeah, Sky Sports, take note...
Let's not forget his stint at FC Porto either aye. 2 league titles, a UEFA Cup and...the Champions League.
Mourinho had Chelsea playing superb attacking football in his first 2 seasons, especially the second, although 4-3-3 with Drogba/Crespo/Cole/Robben is a bit different than Viduka/Martins/Owen. Wheels came off a bit last season, when it appears players arrived without his authority (Shevchenko).
As others on here are saying, at least offer it to the guy - if he's not interested then move on to any one of a number of Dutchmen, preferably Van Gaal. Redknapps's decision could turn out to be the luckiest piece of business Ashley has never done.
Note From Luke
Sadly, it looks as though Jose is out of the picture from what Chris Mort said today about not being able to attract managers who want to be in the Champions League.
Why do Newcastle have to go for a big name? I think Paul Ince would be a good manager, he has proved his worth in the lower leagues with 2 clubs and has more experience than Keegan had or Shearer has? Redknapp and Hughes will not leave jobs where they are safe for the managerial ruin that Newcastle has been in the past.
Note From Luke
You'd get on with my brother Carl, that's who he suggested.
‘Good morning Mr, Shepherd half a dozen eggs is it?’, ‘that’ll be £35.99p please!’
Does Graeme read this Blog? Off-subject I know, sorry! But I thought it was a very interesting interview with Graeme Souness! ‘professional agitators’ wasn’t my phrase but he has certainly highlighted one of the problems I have been banging on about for a long time, to be precise the interference from the ‘press corps’ who attempt to manipulate opinion in order to manage the club themselves!
This ‘vote’ thingy by the your sister paper sort of exemplifies what is going on, I think that without a shadow of a doubt the way they (and others) are leading a push for their own man as opposed to the best man would have had the ear of lesser chairmen than. Mr, Mort (hopefully)!
An interesting revelation about the Luque valuation of £2m is much nearer the mark, what on earth was Shepherd up to? Couple that story with what Luque said and it looks like there is a story and a half about to be sold by Shepherd in his autobiography and scope there further investigation! I’ll wait for the serialisation rather than hand any more money over to the blighter!
Note From Luke
I've been telling the Luque story for years, but nobody ever believed me. I even wrote it once and had the usual round of threats from FS about banning me! Souness did want Anelka and Boa Morte, he said it all at the time. However, if he's such a hard man, why didn't he go public at the time and say the chairman was trying to sign players he didn't want.
As i humbly suggested on Blog on the Tyne-the obvious & only choice is Jose Mourinho & failing that Gerard Houlier.The Toon needs a manager who has won stuff not another also ran,otherwise what was the point in sacking Big Sam!
Note From Luke
You have strayed from Chronicle territory into The Journal. John. Never go back, we're far more civilised and entertaining here! Actually, just read both!
Luke, it is a pleasure to read an article that does not fawn on the NUFC hierarchy no matter what they do. To me it seems sensible to secure a replacement before you sack the manager. I'm also with you about Mourinho, on the basis that if you don't ask you don't get. It could appeal to him to be the saviour who brings success where so many have failed. Martin O'Neill was my choice before Sam was appointed, too late now.
Note From Luke
Thanks you very much Sue for your kind words. I wanted Sven before Sam and O'Neill before Roeder. Doesn't look like we're going to get Jose now though following Mort's comments about not being able to get the best managers who are after big Champions League jobs in Spain and Italy
As far as I know, no one has mentioned our Russian friend Guus Hiddink. Has he been offered an extension by Russia, if not he would be free in the summer after the Euro. I am sure Mort & Ashley could negotiate with the Russians so that he could share the job just like he did with PSV and Australia.
He´s my top candidate along with Van Gaal, Mourinho and one Mr Shearer. I do not fancy Jol, like someone said - never liked him.
Go get our man in Russia.
Note From Luke
I'd be happy if he arrived, but I don't think he would be allowed to job share. Louis van Gaal does it for me, presuming Mourinho is out of the running, after the job he has done at AZ Alkmaar.
GIVE SHEARER THE CHANCE: There is little chance of getting Mark Hughes, unless he is promised lottery winner money! Remembering that half the people on the planet saw the 6-0 second half misery on tv last Saturday. Magpie fans really cannot expect that any top manager will want the job. A case of Wise Old Harry, I suspect! Honestly the way things are heading Toon are on the way to oblivion. Big Sam could never do a decent job because he never understood the problem. Newcastle is where players who are not quite good enough (or too old) to make the top grade go to be well paid and to party. Most evidence suggests the same applies to worn out managers (old Bobby and old Sam snoozing on the bench during training). Nobody can do a good job until the basic problem is sorted out and it becomes a serious football club rather than a social club. The best thing will be to give a totally untested person like Shearer the manager’s job. At least we would all find out whether or not he really can do more than be a 20-20 rear-vision tv pundit. Either he will surprise just about everybody, or do what is expected and win relegation. If he fails during the next few months nobody will blame him and surely he would win promotion next season and gain some experience along the way. My guess is that in about 12 more games from now it will all come down to which of Boro or Toon or Birmingham go down with Derby and Fulham. The whole season will likely come down to whether or not something like 35 to 37 points is enough to save the Toon Army from trips to places like Colchester next season. Only fools would now think a top half finish is a realistic prospect, but it might be for Sunderland the way they played on Sunday. Next I’m looking at how exactly one gets to places like Stoke, Coventry and Ipswich, as well as Colchester from Newcastle!
I wonder if it was the language criteria that ruled out ‘Arry’ and did he run away when he realised that there was very little support amongst the fans?
We got of the train a Central and saw a crowd gathered around a news crew who were looking for the peoples choice, the lights shone on the gathering and a chant went up ‘Jo-ce’, Jo-ce’ the reporter turned to the camera and said ‘well there is the answer from the toon army’, ‘they want Hughes-ie’ do we really need someone who can speak the language, or someone who can get a message through?
Talking of messages, the post from Sebastian Thirlwell Smith was originally on the Daily Mirror Forum by a poster called CanadianCat. Now why would a Sunderland fan want Shearer to manage Newcastle I wonder?
Bit of mischief making methinks!
Note From Luke
By the sounds of his name, he's still the poshest person we've ever had on this blog so I say welcome. I just wish he'd leave a few comments on my Sunderland entries as well. There a bit sparse.
There are elements of the media who will simply ignore the facts to suit their own agendas. One those at the moment is the campaign for Shearer and/or Keegan, ignoring the fact that most fans I've communicated with, either on this blog or elsewhere, want another appointment as manager. It's also why the Jose Mourinho thing has never really been talked about at national level!
First of all, may I have a say on Sebastian's negative comments.
I'm sure I speak for many people when I say Shearer is not right for the job. We don't want him now. And talk of being relegated is just plain silly. Too many doom & gloom merchants around at present.
We need to give the board our backing and trust that they'll appoint the right man. From what Chris Mort has said, they obviously understand what we want. Whether they can bring it to us remains to be seen, but at least they're making the right noises.
In the meantime, we need to get behind the team and ensure that we play our part in helping them get through a very tricky tie tonight. Imagine what people like Sebastian will say should we lose?
Player confidence is low and they need us on form as much as we need them on form at the minute.
It may sound like a Joey Barton-esque call to arms to get everyone singing from the same hymn sheet but I make no apology for it.
After all, the dedication and loyalty of the fans is how the board will try and sell the club to any prospective new manager.
P.S. Deschamps is now being mentioned as bookies favourite.... I'd be happy with that!
What does anyone else think?
I have to agree, mostly, with Theo as I feel much the same way. Sure it will be great to watch the rollercoaster take off and we may have some good results initially, but long term stability? I don’t think so. Nufc owe KK a massive debt for what he has done in the past, but that was a long time ago.
He is quoted last October as saying “I haven’t watched a live game since my last game at Man. City and I can’t even remember what game that was now� hardly a man with his finger on the pulse, who can rush out and get the players needed to strengthen the teams during the last days left of the January transfer window!
He was found to be tactically inept at Man City and Fulham and by his own admission as England’s manager when he said with great honesty “I really just feel a little bit short of what’s required�
Will he bring with him a world wide scouting system? And what about his decision in his last reign to get rid of the reserve team to save wear and tear on SJP pitch? I have been supporting NUFC and watching football for over 60 years and that was one of the craziest decisions I can ever remember.
What is hardly in dispute that during the last ELEVEN years the Premiership has changed immeasurably teams that used to languish in the bottom half of the table such as West Ham, Blackburn, Man City Everton etc have had a massive influx of money and are now able to compete much better than before, also look how much money Arsenal, Chelsea, Man Utd and Liverpool have to spend in the transfer market (Are you listening Mr Ashley). Even relatively poor teams such as Wigan now know how to play tactically in order to survive in the Premiership.
The only salvation I can see is if that KK takes Alan Shearer as hisNo.2, Shearer’s name always seem to polarise opinion on Tyneside but what is not in dispute that because of his role in MOTD not only does he see more football than most but its his job to analyse all teams in the Premiership and top European teams, which gives him a priceless insight into who and what is available in football.
Life in general and football in particular is all about opinions (more so in the Geordie Nation) these are mine and are honestly held. If anyone wants to slag me off then please go ahead but don’t be disappointed when I don’t respond.
My love for NUFC remains undiminished!
Rothley Bill
Note From Luke
You are perfectly entitled to your opinion and there are question marks as to whether Keegan will ever manage to recapture what he once had at SJP because the game has moved on so much since then. He has already admitted in the past that he is tactically flawed and that will not have been helped by three years out of the game. However, he can have backrrom staff around him who are more tactically aware.