Now That's Better Isn't It?
I initially described Newcastle's search for form under Kevin Keegan in Monday’s match report as like a drunk fumbling with his door keys, but what I really wanted to say was that it was like former Magpies midfielder Matty Pattison searching for his car keys in his underpants..
Either that, or Heather Mills stumbling around in a dark bank vault on one leg desperately looking for Paul McCartney’s missing £800m and the Tooth Fairy. Well, come on, she lives in a fantasy world doesn’t she?
You see, that’s the beauty of a blog, you can write pretty much what you want and I couldn’t resist a little reference to Pattison’s antics.
For those who have not heard, the now Norwich midfielder he woke up after a heavy night on the drink on a Sunday morning, thought he was late for training, stumbled into his car and was later arrested at Norwich City’s training ground wearing just his pants.
How funny is that? Well, not funny in the sense that he was drink driving and clearly has a problem with alcohol, but really, what a clown? However, having seen him waddle around the pitch during his brief appearances for Newcastle last season, the only thing I’d ask the police is, are you sure he was drunk?
But enough of drunk and slightly overweight South African footballers who were never good enough to play in the Premier League but somehow managed to get a game anyway and on to Newcastle’s win over Fulham.
Well, I bet everyone is feeling a lot better after the weekend, presuming, that is, if you didn’t go to Whitley Bay on Easter Monday to drink copious amount of alcopops on top of a belly full of Easter Eggs.
I must admit, I was pretty happy after the Fulham game. Newcastle thoroughly deserved the victory and, while far from a perfect performance, there was something refreshing about the way they played, despite the obvious pressure they were under.
Obviously, taking the lead after just seven minutes helps so well done Mark Viduka, but there were lots of reasons to be happy and, as you know, I’m not exactly one of life’s great optimists.
Firstly, regular readers will know he has been a target for my spite frequently this season, but Joey Barton probably had his best game for the club against the Cottagers?
He looked lively, energetic, won lots of tackles and - shock horror - managed not to pass it straight to the opposition again once he had won it.
It was finally the Barton we thought Newcastle were signing when he moved from Manchester City. Unfortunately, with two court cases hanging over him in the summer, he might only get the last seven games of the season to show he can maintain that sort of form before a little holiday at her Majesty’s Pleasure!
Then there was Geremi. He runs like a 40-year-old, but he can still deliver a decent cross and he broke up play a number of times in midfield simply by anticipating where the opposition were going to try and put it. It’s sad really, because I remember Geremi being a fantastic player when he was at Middlesbrough for a season, but it’s good to see that he still has something to offer.
I was also impressed with Jose Enrique and Nicky Butt, but of course the name on everybody’s lips - or at least in their vague thoughts - is Michael Owen.
Now, I don’t like to say I told you so, but I did predict at the start of the season when Owen was being slagged off by many fans that he would end the season as the club’s top goalscorer. His header last Saturday took him to eight for the season, one ahead of Obafemi Martins and how many of you would bet against me now?
The problem with Owen, however, is that, as soon as he starts playing well, doubts about his future emerge. If he’s not scoring he’s finished, if he is, he’s leaving. Newcastle can’t seem to win.
It will be interesting to see how his contract talks - his present deal runs out at the end of next season - pan out over the next few months.
He’s already on £110,000-a-week and I wonder if he’ll want a pay rise to sign an extended one? Will he insist on escape clauses like he did when he moved from Real Madrid? Or will he simply bluff and stall, let his contract whittle down and then sign a lucrative Bosman-style free transfer next January or force Newcastle to accept whatever offers they might get for him this summer?
Keegan has made it clear that the club must do everything they can to keep him and I just wonder whether, when Owen sits down with his advisors, there is anyone else he wants to go? I still can’t see any of the Big Four looking at him other than Liverpool, and Owen won’t like Rafa Benitez’ rotation policy.
He is captain at Newcastle and, tellingly, his relationship with Kevin Keegan looks strong. I noticed after Owen scored against Fulham that he turned to the bench and gave a clenched fist celebration to his manager. Little things like that tell me he and Keegan have become close and that could be crucial.
Of course, you know what will happen don’t you? Owen will be offered and will sign a lucrative four-year contract in the summer and then break his leg playing for England!
If that’s depressed you, sorry, but just think of Matty in his briefs trying to explain to police what has happened, that should make you smile!
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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, good article and a very important 3 points. Since I am one of those who had a spat with you about MO let me just say he surprised me and did very well. I would not yet crown him our teams lead scorer yet.To be fair to Oba and Viduka they did not have as many starts as MO and did not recieve the same support that owen got from managment and coaches. I would also like to add that the presense of Oba's pace/skill and Viduka's ability to score from unexpected positions have a lot to do for Newcastle's recent success.
So to summarize yes Owen has surprised a few fans, I still would wait till the end of the year to see if he is indeed our goal leader also would look at goals/minutes played ratio as true measure of success. Of course we have to face up to the issue that non of the coaches want to deal with (it seems KK has made his mind Owen is the main guy for him)what to do with Oba. For sure he is too talented to sit on the bench behind MO especially as there are many teams that would like to have him.
My gut tells me Oba and Nzogbia have over stayed in Newcastle by a year, they are gone next summer, they are at a stage of thier careers that they have to start regularly to reach the next level.
Note From Luke
I'm not sure Oba will leave, but if Newcastle can get the £10m they paid for him I reckon they will be tempted. As for N'Zogbia, I don't think he wants to be up here and I think that's why he isn't starting games anymore. It's a shame, but he's a funny character.
I've never had a problem with MO's goalscoring ability,this or any other season,my only reservation has been that NUFC is perceived by quite a few people,to be a mere stepping stone for him,in his quest to find a"big"club.
I may be wrong,but as a very shrewd man at the business table,he will have the club over a barrel in many respects,
when it comes to negotiating a new contract.
He'll not be the first to have done that though,will he?
Getting back to his goal tally,the new three man attack system may prove to be his and our saviour.
When Viduka scored early on,on Saturday,the Cottagers started to concentrate on him a bit too much,whilst worrying about Oba's pace,and coupling that with MO'S ability to seemingly drift back in to find himself with a good chance of getting a goal,left me with a bit more of a positive attitude for this and,hopefully,next season also.
Note From Luke
The ball will certainly be in Owen's court during negotiations and he has already shown at Liverpool that he will not be forced into signing a new deal. However, he is a little bit older, his children are also a little bit older, so settled in school, and that might have an influence on his decision as well. He's done a lot of work to win round doubters at Newcastle - I hope he doesn't ruin all that
It's very sad about Matty Pattison, but as you say, very funny as well. It would be great if a video of the incident appeared on YouTube! Imagine if he was wearing superman Y fronts!
As for the Fulham game, a good three points, but it is the combined effect of the Birmingham draw and that win, which has made everyone feel a lot more confident about our survival. It's amazing what a bit of confidence can do to players and I don't think anyone can question their work ethic at the moment.
Finally, how stupid was it to boo the decision to take off Martins on Saturday? Newcastle needed to tighten up at 1-0 and so it made sense to go to 4-4-2. Owen was the best player on the pitch and Viduka holds the ball up better than Martins. It was the right thing to do but some idiots decided to boo Keegan for taking him off. I like the kid as well, but let's be a little bit more clued up in the future please.
Luke
Once again I respectfully disagree with you on Owen. Yes he scored, but he also missed what should have wrapped up the game in the first half. A top striker does not do that in crucial games. And he was playing against Fulham! As for him "playing" the club for a big raise, the market will set his price. If he will be of value to anyone it will be to clubs not in the running for top honours in the EPL, Champions League, UEFA Cup. I have noticed, and I know you have, that Arsenal, Chelsea, Man U. and Liverpool are not interested. You know the saying about fooling some of the people some of the time, etc.
But on the bright side, wasn't that a superb goal by Viduka? Too bad he also is not doing that as often as he used to. Then again, the same can be said of many of us.
Note From Luke
All the best strikers miss chances Jac!
I find it shocking that Roy Keane transfer lists a player for turning up to training late a couple of times and Matty Pattison gets arrested for turning up 24 hours early, albeit a bit p****d, but come on George Best did that on a weekly basis didn’t he?
I wouldn’t be bothered either way if Owen stayed or went, I’m confident in Kevin Keegan getting in quality over the summer, If Owen can stay fit and get 20 goals, who am I to complain?
I’m a great admirer of Obafemi Martins and hope Keegan is the man to iron out his creases and sort his awareness and first touch out, then we will see a lethal player running at defences and frightening the life out of them.
I wouldn’t sell him Medan- here’s a prediction- If he stays 10 years- he will get near Alan Shearer’s 206 goal scoring record, if played regularly. I’d rather sell Owen for £5m than Martins for £20m.
I’m still not convinced Viduka is in it for the long haul and that a new direction could be the way forward up front, but we still need a powerhouse up there to hold the ball up and bring others into play.- interesting that Owen seemed to play behind Martins and Viduka against Fulham, maybe Owen should alter his game to play in the hole, he certainly can’t burst past anyone anymore.
The problem with the side is mainly the midfield but (Predictably) the defence, I’d like to see Newcastle sign Jimmy Bullard in the summer, he’d get a few goals from midfield and that’s something we’ve lacked since Gary Speed- I never thought I’d miss the free running of Keiron Dyer.
I hope we can get the best out of Joey Barton, because he’s the kind of player that top clubs need, an aggressive bugger of a player, I don’t condone most of the stuff, he’s alleged to have done off the field, but if he could get goals, he’d be a midfield engine in the mould of Roy Keane at Manchester United.
You mention Owen is the captain of the side Luke- but I don’t really like the captain being a striker, I’d prefer it to be in the middle, or at the back, now there are no candidates at the back at present, but in the middle, how about Nicky Butt or, a controversial choice- Joey Barton himself, that would put the cat among the magpies wouldn’t it?
The midfield is the one area we have got spectacularly wrong over the last two/three years - Alright, the defence is the area we have got SPECTACULARLY wrong- but a less obvious are is the midfield- which has a knock on effect on the back four- any old back four can be made to look better than it is, if you have a great midfield in front of them, which is why I hope things get sorted there first in the summer.
First and foremost, is Nicky Butt going to play every week next season?- doubt it! Is Joey Barton going to be in prison next season- Lets hope not. But in these two we have a future mainstay in Barton and obviously my choice as midfield general and a Nicky Butt who should be used sparingly next season.
If we could get Jimmy Bullard (Fulham are going down and I doubt he would stop) we could have Bullard and Barton in the middle- I would seriously consider dispensing with Emre, who I like as a player, but he doesn’t play- simple as that
In short- get the midfield and spine sorted and the rest will follow.
We may also see the back of Alan ‘Can’t figure out what to do with this spherical object’ Smith as he’s just pants and offers no drive in the middle.
Pants and drive eh? Can you guess what’s coming next?
Paul.
Note From Luke
I agree, I think Jimmy Bullard would be a very interesting signing for Newcastle and Sunderland come to think of it.
Luke - I agree that N’Zogbia looks resigned to leaving. I have to say that this does not concern me as much as I thought it would. He obviously has a handle with care tag attached. For me this season he’s looked part genius part Franz Carr.
Clearly now I’ve made that comment he’ll rampage to the next level and become a world beater as soon as he leaves the gates of St James’.
To Paul Patterson
If Oba played for ten years he'd be the oldest player to pull on the black and white stripes - as per the david moyes calender.
And Joey Barton - more reggie kray than roy keane i'm afraid. Do not let one game against fulham take the eye off the ball, he is bad news -always has been and always will. Get rid !
Just to clarify Paul, I am a great admirer of Oba being for years and long term believe we will get more our of him than MO, my point is that KK has made a decesion that MO is his main stiker and will build a team around him and I can tell you Oba would be stupid to stay and become bench player,that is the reason he left Inter Milan.It is not a matter of Newastle wanting to sell him becuase I am sure KK would like to have Oba stay as super sub but more Oba going to a team where he can grow and play more first team football.
In terms of your hope of KK ironing out Oba, I just cannot see it happen it is clear based on evidence so far the coach believes in building a team using EPL experienced players, I hope I am wrong as I would like to see Oba stay more than Nzogbia.
Hi Luke,
I like Owen, the goal against Birmingham showed his goal scoring quality, 3 defenders in front of him and he got to the ball first! Mind his goal against Fulham wasnt exactly a great header nor was the first half miss but his distribution and control playing behind Oba and Viduka was excellent.
Gerami surprises me, his great ball into Owen for the goal then his consistently terrible distribution when he has the ball out wide on the right.
Plusses on Saturday included Taylors form, he got everything in the air and distributed well and also Enrique looked the part.
We still miss Emre, I cant believe Barton will keep him out of the team, as if Saturday was his best game then it still isnt good enough, no pace and poor passing! It would have been interesting to see Zog replace him or Gerami for my money and Oba move to the right side.
Cheers
Mike
Sunny Sydney
Note From Luke
Not entirely sure I agree with you about Taylor Mike but never mind
Andrew- I think you’ll find Martins is about 24 and scored nigh on 20 goals last season in a poor side, if he does this for 10 years, he will be somewhere near Alans record, he just needs to iron out the erratic touch and positional sense, because he’ll run all day and the fans love him and he seems to love us, so I’d persist.
With regards to Joey Barton, I’ve been annoyed with him this season, far too sluggish and a lack of creativity is hampering the midfield, but with my reference to Roy Keane, Roy Keane never scored bucket loads from the middle but was more of an enforcer, whilst the more creative forces went and played (Beckham, Scholes, Giggs etc) we just need to find a Paul Scholes, we had one in Gary Speed, but time caught up with him.
Alex Ferguson had the nerve to stick with Keane and he won everything in sight- Roy Keane even came out and admitted he deliberately wanted to smash Alf Inge Haaland’s leg and he went and did it- how he was allowed to play football again is beyond me? Persist with Barton (Court case permitting) and we will see the rewards if we build a midfield around him.
Medan- I’ve never subscribed to the school of thought that the two small players (Martins and Owen) can’t play together, after all Andy Cole and Dwight Yorke blitzed defences for years together and they were tiny, it’s back to my original point, the midfield is the place to get sorted- Priority.
I’d like to see N’Zogbia stay as well but if he’s going to let something stupid like family ties down London get in the way then he’s best off away.
Finally Mike- I think you’ve had too much sun in sunny Oz (I’m a bit jealous of you though) because Emre will never keep Barton out of the side as Emre is never fit long enough to do so. We will never miss what we have barely had so far.
I used to like him, but you can’t build a side around a player who is never going to play more than two games in succession.
Main problem for Kevin- Find the new Paul Scholes!
Paul. (In Snowy/Sleety Newcastle)
Note From Luke
I think every PL manager has been looking for the new Paul Scholes for the last 15 years!
Great result on Saturday, can wear my shirt with pride - from all NUFC South African supporters Matty Pattinson is a half-wit and we are well rid of him.
Now get rid of the fat Aussie, Moan Owens and the Jailbird.
Said before Obe and Nzog are the future but KK needs to play certain first-teamers maybe its in their contracts. Pleased to see he dropped Alan Smith, but baffled how we cannot play Emre.
Agree with the comments that we need midfielders, not converted strikers.
Final comment Luke, how come I see a University of Liverpool advert at the bottom of my page !! From Sunny Durban.
Note From Luke
I have no idea, although I did turn down an offer from Liverpool Uni to join Newcastle Uni instead. The reason Emre hasn't been playing is that he is injured and I have to agree with Paul. I like Emre a lot but he is never fit long enough to have the impact on the team he should have. It will be interesting to see if KK gives him another chance next season or looks to get rid of him.
Spurs 1 NUFC 4!
Worth getting up at two in the morning to witness a really decent second half performance!
Geremi had his best game to date, Martins continued his decent run and MO scored again!
The recent press about KK being interested in Dawson is hopefully incorrect he looked dreadful - the free kick that Geremi scored from and the terrible jump that Owen turned him to open up a free shot inside the box did not endear him to me at all.
I thought Taylor was solid again (sorry Luke) and Butt was outstanding. On the down side, I really do not know how Smith gets a game even for last 10 minutes, he really is a liability. What happened with Zog is he injured
Cheers
Mike
sorry to hear KK is going to let N`zog go in the summer, am I the only moaner !! or is mourner ?
Note From Luke
I think everyone will be sad if such a talented young player leaves, but if his head isn't right - the phrase attitude problem springs to mind - then why keep him? I don't think Keegan has been very impressed with application or behaviour since he arrived at the club.