A Timely Tonic From Sir Bob
It is amazing what an away draw with Everton can do to lift spirits, but I'd also urge Newcastle United fans to take a look at Sir Bobby Robson's new book if they are looking for some light relief from the doom and gloom at St James's Park.
Helpfully - and when am I not? - we have published some extracts from Newcastle: My Kind Of Toon in The Journal today (Wednesday) and it is a timely tonic for Newcastle's many ills.
It has become fashionable to dismiss Newcastle's big club claims, in fact, it has become something of a blood sport given the rows, recriminations and endless turmoil which has dogged the club in recent months. It has also been all the rage to have a pop at Newcastle's overly demanding supporters and their unrealistic ambitions.
Well Bobby, the much-loved grandfather of modern English football, has delivered a persuasive and unanswerable riposte to the jibemongers (I've just made that word up)
Newcastle United were, at the height of the Kevin Keegan quit dispute last month a national joke, a joke people have only stopped sniggering about now that Tottenham and West Ham are experiencing their own managerial and ownership difficulties.
If my scan over the media this morning is correct, Spurs are going to be relegated and West Ham are going to have to sell all their players because of the credit crunch. I don't know about blowing bubbles, but they've certainly blown a few million quid! As for Tottenham, big club you know, big, big club, going to break into the top four this season.....
I've come over a little bit bitter and twisted there haven't I? I didn't mean to. What I wanted to say was, if anyone doubted the reason why Newcastle remains special and unique, they should take a look at what the great man himself has to say because it's inspirational stuff at a time when the football club, the city and the region has taken a bit of a kicking!
As for Joe Kinnear, well so far so good. Last week, the former Wimbledon boss was being written off as an out-of-touch has been with Tourette syndrome, but he has already proven to be a considerably better temporary manager than poor old Chris Hughton. One game in charge, one point in the bag.
Everton, of course, have had their own troubles this season and have not won a league game at Goodison Park, but there is always something encouraging about a side which comes back from two goals down to secure a point. Orient did the same thing at home to Scunthorpe at the weekend and I was, in football speak, well chuffed with that!
It shows there is spirit and determination rather than just words and, after the drama of the last few weeks, Newcastle and Kinnear will be able to spend the international break feeling fairly happy with life for a change.
Whether Michael Owen will concur with that I don't know. I doubt it. It's not so long ago that we used to disparagingly refer to Michael as EMO - England's Michael Owen - now he's just Newcastle's ex-England international.
I have to admit, I find it strange Fabio Capello has overlooked a striker who has scored five goals in eight games for a struggling side, but as Kinnear has said this week, his loss is definitely Newcastle's gain. No international games equals no international injuries.
This will probably be Owen's last season at St James's Park - he still hasn't signed a new contract and is highly unlikely to do so in the present circumstances - so Newcastle must hope they get the most they can out of him in that time. If he has a point to prove to Capello it can only be a good thing.
Finally, if any of you would like to email me your questions regarding Newcastle, Sunderland or sport in general, I will be hosting a live web chat on the Journal Live website on Friday lunchtime for an hour from 12:30pm. I think that basically means we can have an instant message style chat over the internet!
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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, With all the good will in the world towards Toon, I think you are very premature in saying "... a joke people have only stopped sniggering about now that Tottenham and West Ham are experiencing their own ... difficulties". It will take a lot more than a draw against the worst Everton team in 50 years to turn NUFC around. From what I saw I think it is more likely that Toon will be in a struggle with Everton than Spurs come next spring.
Still baffles me why Sir Bobby got the boot from Newcastle when the club and fans held him in so much respect. It wouldn't have anything to do with the apparently undeserved reputation of Newcastle fans for being "overly demanding" and having "unrealistic ambitions"?
Even as a Sunderland fan it is very hard not to have the greatest respect for this great footballing man despite his less than gracefull response to Newcastles 2-1 defeat at Sid James' Park.
Sir Bobby Robson........what a legend! Loved what he had to say about us in comparison to Chelski, he'll probably be ribbed for it but we know it's true. As for the 2-2 with Everton, well it's a start, I dont know about the rest of you but I was impressed by our passing and movement, have to say when I heard Kinnear had the job I feared a return to Sam Allardyce tactics. Hopefully with Spiderman and Beye back we'll start to string a few results together.
On another matter, is anyone else worried about this South African consortium? I cant believe some of the stuff I've read these last few days, hopefully there are some other interested parties out there, we need to spend some serious cah in January.
I was to sum Sir Bobby in one word it would be "Dignity".
If only the club had waited until the end of the season 96-97 season when Bobby would have been out of contract rather than rushing to sign Kenny Dalglish we may not be in the mess we are in now!
Note From Luke
You are so very right Scott! If only, if only....
I agree regarding Owen, he better player for us fit & refreshed than travelling the word for England.
A well deserved knighthood which afforded the privilege to graze his sheep on St James Park. Sir Bob was everyone’s batty old granddad, and he gave us a myriad of mirth. I look forward to George Caulkin epic, Mills and Boon account and its insights into his sacking by Sir John.
As I recall it was at a time when a lot of supporters thought he had lost the plot, well some of his players seemed to think it. Liberties were not so much ‘taken’ as stolen and kicked around with the genial old buffers good nature…the jibemongers were amongst us…this was an internal matter!
Only Commulus spoke his mind. Yes we all loved Sir Bob, his enthusiasm and dignity radiated like the core of a nuclear sub, his forgetfulness when discussing his team's names was humorous at first, but to many insiders he was acting like he owned the place and it was this that rankled them. His team's position wasn't in any serious danger but his tv blips added to the cringe factor to those paying his wages. I do believe that many of the fans felt that his er, health was waning so didn't make any real fuss about his sacking, rather the manner in which it was done. Overall, from my personal perspective, I don't think he ripped up many trees enough for a statue or an end to be named after him. I also believe that during his extensive glorious career as a manager, he never made any statement or attempt to make known just how ' black and white ' his blood really was. There were soundings made for him to come to our rescue, but apparently his loyalties lay with his contracts in the sun, and good on him for that. But if it were me, whose blood really is ' balck and white '. I would have payed up my contract, crawled back over fields of broken glass to manage my Toon. In his favour though, from what I've read of his book, he's spot on the money with his factual description of events surrounding KK's execution. As for us being the 'national joke', the only people laughing were mindless sheeple who devour every two syllabled word in the Red-Top comics. The loadsa money' Harry Enfield plonkers, the carrot-crunching gurners from middle England running around with their Man. U. Shirts and wellies, who gives a monkey's ? They'll be larfing too much now at their mortgages and their stocks and share prices to be interested in the Toon.
Note From Luke
Personally, I think Bobby fully deserves his bust at SJP for services to football. He did a remarkable job at Newcastle and I think it is foolish to try and downplay his love for the club. No, he didn't win anything, but he achieved more sustained "success" than a certain Kevin Keegan in a tougher Premier League. Had the team not suffered so many injuries before the Uefa Cup Semi-final second leg against Marseille -Woodgate, Bellamy, Jenas and Dyer all injured - they may well have won that competition that season. The reason things went wrong at the end was Freddie Shepherd announcing publicly that it was his last season, while also failing to sign the player his manager wanted following the third-place finish. If you remember only Lee Bowyer arrived on a free transfer!