Alan Shearer, Ricky Sbragia And A Miracle Needed?
Gary Lineker summed it up as well as anyone on Match of the Day over the weekend. Yes, thanks Mr Perma-Tan, you're right, it was another miserable day for North East football, so why don't you head back to the sunbed and your Trophy girlfriend half your age and leave us to get on with worrying about it without your smug grin irritating everyone!
You see what the stress of a double relegation battle has done to me. I've even resorted to lashing out at my boyhood hero, the man whose posters used to cover my bedroom wall as a youngster, whose admiration for is about the only thing I have in common with Michael Owen.
Blimey, this is getting worse each week isn't it? With seven games left to play the only good news for Newcastle - and vica versa - was that Sunderland lost.
As unthinkable as it was at the start of the season when Kevin Keegan and Roy Keane gave the region's two biggest clubs kudos, respect, excitement and ambition, it is looking increasingly likely that one of them will be joining Middlesbrough in the Championship next season.
This isn't a battle for regional supremacy, this is a battle for survival, a fight to the death and someone is going to be so badly wounded they could take years to recover.
Sunderland are better equipped for relegation if only because all of their players will be forced to take a 40% paycut if it happens, but what will happen to Ellis Short if he is asked to increase his investment in a club which can no longer even offer him top flight football?
The American may simply disappear and the Black Cats will be back at square one, all of the work done in raising the club's profile by Keane effectively wasted because Niall Quinn decided to be loyal to Ricky Sbragia.
The Irishman has done wonders for the club and is rightly considered to be one of the most popular chairman in English football, but if Sunderland go down much of the blame will rest with him because of the decision to replace Keane with a nice guy but unproven manager like Sbragia.
As for Newcastle, they have had to turn to an unproven manager to have any hope of staying up. Alan Shearer's first game in charge was a massive anti-climax. The atmosphere was subdued and the performance was little better, Chelsea cruising to a predictable win rather than surviving the expected Magpie torrent.
Yet, before we all start worrying about the so-called Shearer effect - or rather the lack of it - this is a game Newcastle would have lost seven times out of ten whoever the manager was and whatever state of health they were in.
Anyone remember Keegan's despondency at the end of last season when the Blues cruised to an equally easy win and Newcastle were actually playing well back then?!
What happens at Stoke next weekend is the real test for Big Al. He has a week to get a grip of the players, get their heads up and get them organised into a unit capable of travelling to the Britannia Stadium and getting something.
The way results went last weekend, a win is needed and needed badly. It doesn't need a miracle for the new manager to get that result - it just seems like it at the moment!
As for me, I'm off to smash my Gary Lineker 48 Goals for England video into little pieces before enjoying a week's holiday to calm down!
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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.
Hi Luke,
I was also surprised at the lack of atmosphere at SJP, maybe its because Shearer wanted his appearance to be low key.
Must say that Collo appeared as bad as Shambles, but Duff`s back pass to him was terrible and duffer seems to be getting off scot-free.
Only good news was the Mackems losing as well. Got to have a big win at Stoke, and hope our neighbours lose again!!
ya man!! i hope shearer can emulate sir bobby when he first took over- lost to chelsea on his first game but engineered to a 8-0 victory against shef wed.
well.. we really need the win and a big won too!
and hopefully sunderland lose too!!
Howay the lads!!