It's Time For A Takeover
You are normally more interested in sales after Christmas, but every single Newcastle United fan will be hoping the St James's Park clear out happens before the Festive season gets underway.
Before I go into too much detail, I'd like to point out Newcastle were dreadful against Wigan at the weekend. The first 45 minutes were as bad as any of the dross we've had to sit through this season and even in the second-half, United only really started to get on top of things after Emmerson Boyce was incorrectly dismissed for a second bookable offence.
If I'm being positive - and I do try you know - the point was enough to lift the Magpies out of the relegation zone, but with a trip to Chelsea next weekend they will almost certainly be back in it this time next week. Depressing stuff and if we didn't really need the point hammered home, Newcastle, as things stand, are relegation material.
It was a weekend when Roy Keane answered some questions about his Sunderland side with a 2-1 win at Blackburn, but there are more question marks than ever surrounding Newcastle United, questions interim manager Joe Kinnear hopes will be answered by Mike Ashley at a meeting in London - where else - after the rather nerve-racking trip to Stamford Bridge on Saturday. I wouldn't bet on it though.
I have some sympathy for Joe. He has done his best in difficult circumstances, but this cannot continue indefinitely. Either the club is going to be sold in the next few weeks or it isn't. If it is, fantastic, great, whoever comes in has got to be better than the present mess and we can start to focus on signing the players the club's so desperately needs in January.
If it isn't then give Joe a contract until the end of the season and let him get on with managing the team, rather than acting as some sort of vague mouthpiece for the Ashley regime, passing on information he has heard second hand about takeovers and time scales. If anything, he only succeeds in confusing things even more than they already are.
Certainly Michael Owen is confused. I spoke to a well-placed source after the game on Saturday and Owen was furious about being left on the bench for so long against Wigan and I can see his point of view.
I'm not normally in favour of big name players spitting their dummies out when they don't get straight back into the side, but when you have just seen Obafemi Martins and Shola Ameobi deliver one of the most inept 45 minutes from a strike pair I've ever seen, I think Owen was justified to feel a little annoyed.
In the situation Newcastle are in, you can't really afford to leave your best player on the bench until the last 20 minutes or so and it is no coincidence that Newcastle suddenly offered a credible goal threat once he had stripped off his tracksuit.
I just hope - and this is just a conspiracy theory and nothing more - that there is not a deliberate attempt to P off Owen ahead of the January window so that they can sell him for a few million quid rather than lose him for nothing at the end of the season.
Whatever the situation with his contract, Newcastle need his goals. Let's not forget this is a player who has scored six goals in 11 games this season, of which only six have been starts. In his short time on the pitch Owen had three chances, although granted, he should have scored the first. As Kinnear said himself after the game, priceless!
And what about Titus Bramble? He was excellent at the back for Wigan and scored the equaliser, out-jumping Ameobi - who he'd put in his pocket for most of the afternoon.
I know plenty of you didn't like him and he certainly tried everyone's patience during his four years on Tyneside, but ultimately, it's worth pointing out that he played in a considerably better Newcastle team than this one week in, week out. Then again, so did Andy O'Brien and Olivier Bernard!
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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.
Blah blah bla, you are such a bore, please find another job its obvious you have no talent for writing.
Blah Blah blah, find another hobby, it's obvious you have no talent for insults!
In contrast to the previous poster (have you ever heard the phrase if you have nothing good to say say nothing at all) I have to say youve hit the nail on the Head with this blog entry Luke.John Gibson eludes to it in his piece on the banter website as well.We are rudderless sailing through dense fog on the tyne at the moment,getting nowhere fast.Unless we get new owners we will either go down or run it very close.Hopefully the phrase that its always darkest just before the light comes applies as I cant remember it being this dark since circa 88/89-and if memory serves we actually played better away that year!!dark days
After Saturday's result, I honestly believe that we are destined for the drop if Ashley doesn't sell in enough time for the new owners to invest heavily in January.
If Ashley is still in charge come January, I just cannot see him and unWise delivering the players we need to keep us safe.
I also think JFK's impact will be short-term. He's fine to galvanise us a bot while we muddle through to the turn of the year. But he's not the man to lead us longer-term.
The only solution is Ashley out and a high pedigree manager in; someone who is capable of attracting some great players to the club in January and beyond.
After Saturday's result, I honestly believe that we are destined for the drop if Ashley doesn't sell in enough time for the new owners to invest heavily in January.
If Ashley is still in charge come January, I just cannot see him and unWise delivering the players we need to keep us safe.
I also think JFK's impact will be short-term. He's fine to galvanise us a bot while we muddle through to the turn of the year. But he's not the man to lead us longer-term.
The only solution is Ashley out and a high pedigree manager in; someone who is capable of attracting some great players to the club in January and beyond.
The lack of communication not only with the fans but also the players, is making things worse. Ashley seems to be gambling on the club being sold at the right price but what will happen if the club isn't sold and we are left with this squad of players and our wonderful new manager?
It looks like JK likes to play a big man up front, in our case the wondrous Ameobi, leaving a straight choice between Martins and Owen. Owen must think he has joined a lunatic asylum, this is now his fifth manager, who thinks wacking the ball up to Ameobi is tactical nous.
I'd like to see Zoggs play, either through the middle or in place of Duff, and Owen of course with Martins.
By the way Luke, your writing here is pertinant and well expressed.
There is still plenty of talk about new owners, Shearer becoming manager, etc, etc, but it would seem most likely that nothing much will happen any time soon. Nobody in business, and certainly not Americans, is looking for opportunities to throw money away. Unless Ashley gets realistic and accepts much less than he initially wanted for NUFC then he will never sell!
There is still plenty of talk about new owners, Shearer becoming manager, etc, etc, but it would seem most likely that nothing much will happen any time soon. Nobody in business, and certainly not Americans, is looking for opportunities to throw money away. Unless Ashley gets realistic and accepts much less than he initially wanted for NUFC then he will never sell!
Michael Owen is well known for unremarkable come backs after injuries.
I think Joe was right to keep him on the bench for so long.
He does have a great knack for getting into scoring positions though. Especially when there is an England match that he's not included in.
It's okay wishing for a new owner.
I've done that for 10 years and look where that got us.
I'll wait and see who the new owner is and what plans he has for the club, before falling for that one again.
One thing is for sure, the club is likely to end up with more debt and be foreign owned for the first time in it's history, on the takeover, if it happens.