Mark Viduka Could Keep Newcastle United Up
Alan Shearer has already made one significant breakthrough as Newcastle United manager and it has nothing to do with his first point at Stoke - he has managed to get Mark Viduka off his backside and into some sort of vague shape as a footballer.
Viduka is an infuriating player. He is so laidback he may as well lie down. Some would be less kind. Some would say the Australian is an uncommitted waster who is just happy to pick up his money - just shy of £80,000-a-week at Newcastle - and do as little as possible for it.
He is a notoriously difficult character to fathom and in terms of commitment, can give off the impression he would rather be on the beach back home in Australia than playing Premier League football. Yet, when all is said and done, Viduka also happens to be a supremely gifted footballer.
The challenge of trying to get Viduka on a football pitch, let alone get the best out of him, would test the patience and man management skills of even the most experienced manager.
Kevin Keegan managed it last season - a spell Viduka described as among the most enjoyable of his career - but it has never been easy for anyone and, hampered by an Achilles problem, the 33-year-old began the season injured and has pretty much been content to stay that way ever since.
Shearer, though, has got him back on his feet and has got the positive reaction Newcastle so desperately need.
It is probably no coincidence that Newcastle only started to play well under Keegan when Viduka returned to the side and the formation shifted to a bold 4-3-3. Who's to say the former Leeds and Middlesbrough man cannot do something similar for the Magpies over the next six games?
Viduka has started just one game this season. One game, that is worth repeating don't you think?! A startling statistic even at a club where expensive, injury-prone flops have always seemed to be in vogue!
He will not get a new contract at the end of the season because of it - something which hasn't helped motivate him I'm sure - but if Shearer can get him right in the head, and nurse his fitness between now and the end of May, the Aussie's leaving present might just be Premier League safety.
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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.
Is this a real newspaper or just a community project thing?
Will Viduka help keep United up? - in a word No
In a word ...No. The vague shape you refer to is a barrage balloon and Viduka has the touch of a rapist and the speed of a sinclair C5. I suppose if you stuck him on the top of a totem pole he may just nod one in for you and you could then all use the pole to bow and scrape to the "messiah". Vidukas unhealthy interests in "pie- floaters" and determination to stay unfit and drawing his brass says it all. he wont keep Newcastle up nor will anyone else.Get used to it.
mark viduka!? who? can't remember him ever playing for newcastle..? you say he had a good run for keegan last season? you're telling us keegan was here too? luke are you making this whole thing up? you'll be telling me next shay given has left and shearer is back... hahahaaha
Hey Ho – lets go!
Unfortunately, it seems that these ‘messiah types’ aren’t all they’re hyped up to be, or perhaps the effects of ‘delusory magical proficiency’ are finance dependent!
It has to be said that this is one hell of a strange football club, as without any extra advertising rights and sales form European football we’re still at the ‘top table’ of world’s richest clubs, even after a succession of megalomaniac owners had conspired to do the impossible and relegate us!
Due diligence wasn’t on the ‘to-do list’ for Sir John Hall when he sold our birthright to a Tottenham Hotspuds fan who filled the clubs administration with Chelsea season ticket holders and lifelong fans Lambias and Wise!
But hey, there is hope, were all revved up and we’ve still got Viduka, who can save us, and that nice Ameobi has signed a new twenty year contract, perhaps Ashley can sell some of those plastic seats that will be empty for the next few years to an up and coming ambitious side like Milton Keynes Dons, and maybe let out level-seven as a storage facility to himself for unsold sports direct merchandise, whatever, hey, the Ororobus was assured of a good meal, and all that is left is the burp!
The fat bloated Wapping monster ravenously feasting on our eyeballs was assured of a flatulent feast, so at least Ashley is flavour of the month in the land of jellied eels!
Hey Luke, just like to highlight a quote from your Spurs match report
'It is a chilling, stomach-wrenching thought, but should Newcastle fail to beat Pompey, they will be all but relegated and a proud, once mighty, football club will be on its knees.
The mighty fall and when they do, it tends to be with an almighty crash.
The reverberations of Newcastle’s topple from power will be felt throughout the whole of English football.'
Now I know you've got to write all that stuff to keep the readers happy but that's the attitude thats made Newcastle into a bit of a joke to football fans everywhere else in the country.
Just a couple of questions and points.
When were you last mighty? You nearly won the league in the 90s. You haven't got any power to topple from. 'The reverberations will be felt throughout the whole of English football.' No they won't.
Until you lot stop behaving like Barcelona and playing like Barnsley you're going to have a problem. Having said all that I still hope you stay up.
Perry AVFC
barnsley are better than us
The reverbarations will be felt because people like you will be laughing so much! For a club which isn't very big there is a hell of a lot of outside interest in what happens at SJP would you say?!
As for proud club, don't think you can deny that's true. As for mighty, well, it's not so long ago that they were playing in the Premier League Group stages - the last club to do so outside of the Big Four.
Look, I'm not even a Newcastle fan, but if they go down it will be one of the biggest football disaster stories of the last decade.
Hi Luke, you must like a good laugh.
I bet your sides split writing this little piece. I can recall some Boro supporters writing on this blog that we will pay big time from taking their injury-prone Aussie. How right they were - this big fat Aussie has even made Moans look like a good buy in comparison.
After matching the last two games, I am afraid it does not look great for us. Stoke players efforts to close down the gaps, be first to every ball was an inspiration to amny smaller club. To get a point there was a miracle, so how come we looked so poor against a rubbish Spurs team. Reckon its us or Hull City now - shame as they lit up the league earlier this year.