North East football is another year older, but I'm none the wiser. Just when I think I've worked it out, Ashley goes and sacks Hughton. Or Sunderland go months without a win. Or Gordon Strachan turns out to be a great, big dud. But I've really enjoyed the last 12 months. Some bits more than others mind.....
HEROES OF 2010
5. STEVE BRUCE. Started the year on the crest of a slump. Then recovered. Told a big fat lie about not doing much business over the summer. Broke the transfer record again. Then carried the can for Sunderland's worst derby day in 50 years. But Sunderland's recovery from their Halloween hell has been impressive. Steve Bruce is making progress.
4. KEVIN NOLAN. The leader of the pack. Influential, responsible, clever and effective. Brilliant in the Championship and then reassuringly effective in the Premier League. His place in the hearts and the history books is assured after his hat trick in the Derby.
3. DARREN BENT. The first 10 months of his calender year were terrific. His debut season at Sunderland was virtually perfect, on and off the pitch. He should have gone to the World Cup, although was probably best off out of it. Then @DB11TT went back on twitter and picked up where he left off at the start of the new campaign. Things have gone a bit wonky since then though. An injury and a barren spell meant the year didn't finish on a great note. But how does the old saying go ? "Form is temporary, class is permanent."
2. ANDY CARROLL. In January he was just another championship striker with everything to prove. By the end of the year he was an England International, the hottest property in the premier league and a recurring theme in the nightmares of defenders accross the land. As long as he sorts himself out off the pitch, the sky is the limit.
1. CHRIS HUGHTON. Just for a moment, think what might have happened without him. Take a few seconds to think of what he achieved with very little money and very little actual managerial experience. Remember how his players fought for him to get a new contract and how they mourned his departure. Smile as you recall his often bland press conferences, which were short on soundbites but long on dignity. Then shake your head once more at the madness and unfairness of it all. Chris Hughton's not perfect, but he did a great job at Newcastle in sometimes awful circumstance. He left with his head held high and he'll always have Halloween.
VILLAINS OF 2010
5. KRIS BOYD. It turns out the Scottish Football reporters were right. They were never convinced that the SPL's record goalscorer had an all-round game that stood up to scrutiny. Boyd stands accused now of being football's ultimate flat track bully. Put him in the best team in Scotland and he'll score goal after goal against whatever rubbish rocks up at Ibrox. Put him in the 19th best team in the championship and you get very little.
4. LEE CATTERMOLE. Well, he's just a villain isn't he. A pantomime villain. He's not had a bad year, just a notorious year. Three red cards in 2010 and there could have been many more. The yellow is almost a given in every game and you can usually see it coming before he does. He's got the makings of a great captain, but only if the penny drops, because it's no use being the heartbeat of your team if you're never available to play for them. Encouraging signs on that score towards the end of the year.
3. DARLINGTON FC. Do you remember Ryan Kidd ? I don't blame you if you don't. Perhaps you were on holiday for the 11 days in June when Ryan Kidd was manager of Darlington before deciding that, on second thoughts, he just didn't fancy it. But Ryan Kidd sums up the Quakers 2010. A year that was stupendously, ridiculously awful. The sins of the past meant relegation was inevitable. Banishment from the Football League was the ultimate punishment, but the Quakers very own managerial merry-go-round provided a grotesque sideshow. Staunton failed, Davey two-timed and Kidd just ran away. The fans didn't deserve it and nor did the chairman and after a rocky start, hopefully Mark Cooper can lead them to a brighter 2011. It can't be any worse.
2. MIKE ASHLEY. It's his football club and Mike Ashley will do exactly what he wants to do with it and he doesn't care, not even a little, what you or I think. Not only that, he's never, ever going to explain to you or I why he drops these bombshells, because it's his football club and he doesn't care what you think about his reasons anyway.
1. GORDON STRACHAN. Occasionally very funny. From time to time quite profound. But mostly unpleasant, sarcastic and a bit of a know-it-all. Except it turns out he didn't know it all. He was given the platform and the resources to pull Middlesbrough out of the hole the club had fallen into. But he just kept on digging. He didn't take the money, so he left with his reputation as a man intact. But as for his reputation as a manager, that's in tatters.
MATCHES OF 2010
5. WHITLEY BAY 6 WROXHAM 1. Haway the Bay x2. This time with more goals and a genuinely emotional finale as Mark Taylor, one of the boys of 2009, was ushered up to collect the FA Vase as he battled Motor Neurone Disease.
4. NEWCASTLE UNITED 2 NOTTINGHAM FOREST 0. The best team in the championship beat the third best team in the championship in a fine match at the end of March and Tyneside breathed a sigh of relief as they realised the job was done and the nightmare was almost over.
3. CHELSEA 0 SUNDERLAND 3. Blimey. Who saw that coming ?
2. SUNDERLAND 3 SPURS 1. Bonkers game at the SoL as Benty scored twice against his old club and also managed to miss two from the spot before Zenden wrapped it up with a screamer and we all left wondering what Harry Redknapp's wife is like at taking penalties.
1. NEWCASTLE UNITED 5 SUNDERLAND 1. Whether it brought you joy or pain, it was the one game that will be talked about for years to come. Two extremes of performance collided on the same day to produce the most one-sided ass-kicking in a generation. Sunderland fans suffered, but at least their team quickly recovered. Newcastle fans went out and bought the DVD.
I present the sport on ITV Tyne Tees and Border. Once, I was question number 3 on the picture round of the quiz at the Blue Bell in Fulwell. My mother was so proud.
Thursday, 30 December 2010
Thursday, 16 December 2010
A Room with an Alan
It could have been Alan Partridge walking into that press conference and no one would have been that surprised. Once the chaos button is pressed at St James Park, anything can happen. But it wasn’t Alan Partridge, it was Alan Pardew, sitting by himself and taking responsibility for a mess that he hadn’t created. He wasn’t like Partridge at all. One week, one win and two press conferences later, it’s time to give credit where credit’s due. Alan Pardew has managed to create a good first impression out of what appeared to be a no-win situation. He handled his first press conference with as much dignity and honesty as was possible given that he was wearing dead man’s shoes. He didn’t dodge the Chris Hughton issue and he gave everyone an interview during an exhaustive media schedule. And here’s something you probably didn’t know. He CHOSE to sit by himself at the top table. He wanted to take the questions because he wanted it to be HIS press conference, not a chance for the media to throw stones at the Newcastle United hierachy. Brave, if nothing else. Throughout it all he never came across as arrogant or self-possessed and he was unswervingly polite. If there was a message he was trying to get across it was simply that this was not his fault. He didn’t sack Chris Hughton and he didn’t force anyone to give him the job. As an out of work football manager, what was he supposed to do when offered a premier league gig ? All Alan Pardew did last week was convince Mike Ashley to give him a five and a year contract and then win his first match in charge. As for the vague smell of “Cockney Croneyism” wafting in the background, well I don’t really buy that. Whatever else Ashley is, he’s definitely a shrewd businessman and the idea that he’d give the job to someone just because he was Derek Llambias drinking buddy just seems beyond ridiculous. So it’s time to move forward and what we're left with is a new manager who’s launched a successful charm offensive during his first seven days. But this is all about the charm so far and not about the offensive. Alan Pardew’s been nice. He’s shaken everyone’s hand and, it’s worth repeating, he’s won his first match in charge. Of course just because he comes across as a decent bloke doesn’t mean he’s going to be a great manager of Newcastle United. But the point is that there’s no reason to assume he’s going to fail either. He may not be who you wanted, but he’s here now, you’re all stuck with each other and you might as well make the best of it. Alan Pardew walked into that room last week, not Alan Partridge, and seven days on it’s going fine. Lots of football managers are like Partridge actually. Pompous gasbags who are blissfully unaware of their own problems. But this one isn't. He’ll never be Alan Shearer, but he’s no Alan Partridge either.
Wednesday, 8 December 2010
The Admirable Hughton
It's often said that life at Newcastle United is the stuff of great drama. A theatre of the unpredictable, and occasionally, the absurd. You couldn’t make it up. You couldn’t write it. Oh, but you could. In 1902, J.M.Barrie wrote a play called “The Admirable Crichton”. If Newcastle United’s former manager - a cultured, intelligent and civilised man - ever chances across a revival of this work, he may allow himself a wry smile. Very briefly, the play is about a loyal and resourceful butler who works for an aristocratic family. Crichton’s purpose was to serve, but due to extraordinary circumstances he became, for a while, the leader. He and the family were shipwrecked on a desert island and Crichton was the only person who knew how to keep them alive. He did a fine job as leader, but eventually they were rescued, the status quo returned, Crichton went back to service and eventually, so as not to cause any social embarrassment, he left the family. Does this ring any bells ?
Chris Hughton became Newcastle Manager by accident. He was the last man standing after the dreadful relegation from the premier league. Alan Shearer never got a phone call, no decisions were taken during the uncomfortable summer of 2009 and when the new season rolled around they needed someone to pick the team. So the club turned to the Admirable Hughton and asked him to keep them alive after they were shipwrecked in the Championship. And he flourished. He was the loyal, resourceful man who knew what was required in these extraordinary circumstances. He united a fractious group of players and encouraged a strong sense of collective responsibility. Newcastle United enjoyed a successful, uplifting season, winning the Championship at a canter. The Admirable Hughton had rescued Newcastle United. They were back in the premier league and the status quo had been restored. No one should be surprised at the events that have unfolded since then.
Rememner, once the status quo was restored, the family no longer needed the loyal and resourceful servant to be their leader. They wanted someone more appropriate to their social status, so as not to cause embarrassment. So the Admirable Hughton was cast aside in favour of a bigger name, a more experienced manager, or a more appropriate drinking buddy.
The football argument is that the Admirable Hughton was JUST a coach, NOT a manager. He was the perfect man to steer a superior squad through the Championship badlands, but now they're dining at the top table again, Newcastle require someone used to mixing with the aristocracy. If you absolutely must stretch the point to it's limits, you can maybe, sort of, see something in that.
But the Admirable Hughton's achievements offer a very persuasive counter-argument. There was promotion, silverware and redemption. This season has touched perfection at St James Park (you know what day I mean) and while there have been bad days, the league position and the points-to-games ratio were absolutely fine. Added to that were the unseen elements, the factors that don't show up on the stats sheet. The unity of the dressing room and the one-for-all-all-for-one spirit. The vague and unusual feeling (illusion) of stability. There must be a danger that at least some of that will drain away.
But it's up to the aristocracy in this particular version of the drama. It's up to Mike Ashley. It's his club and if he thinks the loyal, resourceful Admirable Hughton has served his purpose, then the rest of the family just has to accept it and move on. Those are the rules of the game. They're always the rules of this game. It's sad, but don't dwell too long on the moral argument, the idea that the Admirable Hughton is a good man and deserves so much better than this. That argument is absolutely 100% true. But there's no such thing as a moral argument in this game. Time to move on.
The Admirable Hughton leaves with his head held high and with his reputation significantly enhanced. He will always have a place in the hearts and the history books at St James Park.
Chris Hughton became Newcastle Manager by accident. He was the last man standing after the dreadful relegation from the premier league. Alan Shearer never got a phone call, no decisions were taken during the uncomfortable summer of 2009 and when the new season rolled around they needed someone to pick the team. So the club turned to the Admirable Hughton and asked him to keep them alive after they were shipwrecked in the Championship. And he flourished. He was the loyal, resourceful man who knew what was required in these extraordinary circumstances. He united a fractious group of players and encouraged a strong sense of collective responsibility. Newcastle United enjoyed a successful, uplifting season, winning the Championship at a canter. The Admirable Hughton had rescued Newcastle United. They were back in the premier league and the status quo had been restored. No one should be surprised at the events that have unfolded since then.
Rememner, once the status quo was restored, the family no longer needed the loyal and resourceful servant to be their leader. They wanted someone more appropriate to their social status, so as not to cause embarrassment. So the Admirable Hughton was cast aside in favour of a bigger name, a more experienced manager, or a more appropriate drinking buddy.
The football argument is that the Admirable Hughton was JUST a coach, NOT a manager. He was the perfect man to steer a superior squad through the Championship badlands, but now they're dining at the top table again, Newcastle require someone used to mixing with the aristocracy. If you absolutely must stretch the point to it's limits, you can maybe, sort of, see something in that.
But the Admirable Hughton's achievements offer a very persuasive counter-argument. There was promotion, silverware and redemption. This season has touched perfection at St James Park (you know what day I mean) and while there have been bad days, the league position and the points-to-games ratio were absolutely fine. Added to that were the unseen elements, the factors that don't show up on the stats sheet. The unity of the dressing room and the one-for-all-all-for-one spirit. The vague and unusual feeling (illusion) of stability. There must be a danger that at least some of that will drain away.
But it's up to the aristocracy in this particular version of the drama. It's up to Mike Ashley. It's his club and if he thinks the loyal, resourceful Admirable Hughton has served his purpose, then the rest of the family just has to accept it and move on. Those are the rules of the game. They're always the rules of this game. It's sad, but don't dwell too long on the moral argument, the idea that the Admirable Hughton is a good man and deserves so much better than this. That argument is absolutely 100% true. But there's no such thing as a moral argument in this game. Time to move on.
The Admirable Hughton leaves with his head held high and with his reputation significantly enhanced. He will always have a place in the hearts and the history books at St James Park.
Friday, 19 November 2010
Aussie DNA
He was born in Shotley Bridge and raised as a sportsman by Durham County Cricket Club. But Paul Collingwood has Aussie DNA.
I’m not casting doubt on his family tree, I’m paying him the ultimate compliment, because Paul David Collingwood - Colly, Shep, Brigadier Block – plays cricket like an Australian. This man fights, scraps and battles. The harder it gets, the more he likes it. In the heat of battle, there's fire in his eyes. Others shy away from those moments. Collingwood embraces them.
Old pro's delight in saying he's not the world’s most naturally talented cricketer. But my god he works hard at it. His graft has earned him an impressive record at test level to go with his peerless stats in the one day game. He's not the captain of this England test match team, but he is it’s beating heart when the chips are down.
His team has a genuine chance of returning home with the Ashes this winter. But no one's going to convince me we go into the series as favourites.
This England team really does inspire optimism. Many of our leading cricket writers and experts predict Andrew Strauss and his men will win this series and win it well. This Australian team is in steep decline according to the sport’s chattering classes. They are there for the taking.
But I just don’t buy it.
This is the Australian cricket team, at home, in the Ashes. This is tough. They're not what they were, because they've lost their miracle workers, but they will fight, scrap and battle, every day, from the first ball to the last. Their home record is formidable. Their home record in the Ashes is unblemished since 1987. And they’re hurting.
They’re hurting because the rest of the world is gleefully writing their obituary. They’re hurting because they want the Ashes back. They're out to regain, not retain, and they still have some extraordinary players. The old warrior Ponting may have one last golden series left in him. Michael Clarke is a class act. Mitchell Johnson is a genuine spearhead for their bowling attack. Don’t gloss over the supporting cast either. Shane Watson could step up with bat or ball. Michael “Mr Cricket” Hussey is capable of a glorious Ashes swansong. Ben Hilfenhaus will try and do what Glenn McGrath once did and nag away outside the off stump and Doug Bollinger is the sort of fair dinkum Aussie who might just have the series of his life. So don’t write them off.
But don’t fear them either. I think our batting line up will at least match their batting line up and I’ll take our bowling attack over theirs, because we’ve got Swanny and they’ve got a Warne-shaped hole that they can never, ever fill.
Basically, I reckon our team's better than their team. But most of our team haven’t played an Ashes series in Australia before. It’s the hardest series for any English cricketer, because of the history and because of the sheer bloody-minded belligerence that will come at you every single day.
Which brings us back to Paul David Collingwood. He could be the key. He won’t bow down. He won’t give up. He will probably need to step up when the heat is on, maybe more than once, and produce one of his classic innings – the obdurate, patient, brave knock that either saves, or wins, a test match.
England will retain the Ashes, but not necessarily by winning the series. A nail-biting draw is my prediction. It might just go down to the last test, maybe the last session. If that’s the case and if England are batting, I want Paul David Collingwood, of Shotley Bridge, County Durham, out there in the heat of the battle.
I’m not casting doubt on his family tree, I’m paying him the ultimate compliment, because Paul David Collingwood - Colly, Shep, Brigadier Block – plays cricket like an Australian. This man fights, scraps and battles. The harder it gets, the more he likes it. In the heat of battle, there's fire in his eyes. Others shy away from those moments. Collingwood embraces them.
Old pro's delight in saying he's not the world’s most naturally talented cricketer. But my god he works hard at it. His graft has earned him an impressive record at test level to go with his peerless stats in the one day game. He's not the captain of this England test match team, but he is it’s beating heart when the chips are down.
His team has a genuine chance of returning home with the Ashes this winter. But no one's going to convince me we go into the series as favourites.
This England team really does inspire optimism. Many of our leading cricket writers and experts predict Andrew Strauss and his men will win this series and win it well. This Australian team is in steep decline according to the sport’s chattering classes. They are there for the taking.
But I just don’t buy it.
This is the Australian cricket team, at home, in the Ashes. This is tough. They're not what they were, because they've lost their miracle workers, but they will fight, scrap and battle, every day, from the first ball to the last. Their home record is formidable. Their home record in the Ashes is unblemished since 1987. And they’re hurting.
They’re hurting because the rest of the world is gleefully writing their obituary. They’re hurting because they want the Ashes back. They're out to regain, not retain, and they still have some extraordinary players. The old warrior Ponting may have one last golden series left in him. Michael Clarke is a class act. Mitchell Johnson is a genuine spearhead for their bowling attack. Don’t gloss over the supporting cast either. Shane Watson could step up with bat or ball. Michael “Mr Cricket” Hussey is capable of a glorious Ashes swansong. Ben Hilfenhaus will try and do what Glenn McGrath once did and nag away outside the off stump and Doug Bollinger is the sort of fair dinkum Aussie who might just have the series of his life. So don’t write them off.
But don’t fear them either. I think our batting line up will at least match their batting line up and I’ll take our bowling attack over theirs, because we’ve got Swanny and they’ve got a Warne-shaped hole that they can never, ever fill.
Basically, I reckon our team's better than their team. But most of our team haven’t played an Ashes series in Australia before. It’s the hardest series for any English cricketer, because of the history and because of the sheer bloody-minded belligerence that will come at you every single day.
Which brings us back to Paul David Collingwood. He could be the key. He won’t bow down. He won’t give up. He will probably need to step up when the heat is on, maybe more than once, and produce one of his classic innings – the obdurate, patient, brave knock that either saves, or wins, a test match.
England will retain the Ashes, but not necessarily by winning the series. A nail-biting draw is my prediction. It might just go down to the last test, maybe the last session. If that’s the case and if England are batting, I want Paul David Collingwood, of Shotley Bridge, County Durham, out there in the heat of the battle.
Tuesday, 2 November 2010
5 thoughts on 5-1.
1. OLD VALUES TRUMP NEW SYSTEMS. How do you win a Derby ? You drink in the atmosphere and you thrive on it. You let the occasion propel you to a higher level of performance. You let the wonderful, visceral, tribal noise fill your heart and soul and inspire you. Newcastle United did all of this on Sunday. You absolutely MUST NOT be afraid of it. You absolutely MUST NOT retreat into your shell and hope your team mates will get the job done for you. You absolutely MUST NOT allow the game to pass you by. Sunderland did all of that on Sunday. It meant the much-anticipated battle of the formations was completely irrelevant. Tactical anoraks were wondering if Sunderland's modern 4-5-1 would confuse and frustrate the Magpies more straightforward 4-4-2. But it just didn’t matter in the end and anyway, Newcastle’s formation was slightly looser than it looked, with Barton, Guttierez and, crucially, Nolan all encouraged to roam.
2. YOU CAN’T WIN A DERBY WITH KIDS. Who were the best players on Sunday ? For me, it was Nolan, Barton, Ameobi and one other. I’ll come to that name in a moment. But the other three were totally in control of their emotions. They embraced the occasion, but they didn’t play the occasion. They sized up the opposition and played cleverly, managing the game for Newcastle in crucial areas of the field. Nolan and Barton are aged 28. Ameobi is aged 29. Compare and contrast with Sunderland. 6 members of their starting 11 were aged 23 or under and not one of those players had a game they would want to remember. I admit, it’s not a hard and fast rule, largely because the other name on my list of the best players on Sunday is 21-year old Andy Carroll, who was simply immense. But you get the point, Sunderland didn’t have enough old heads in key positions. Newcastle did. Steve Bruce admitted as much in his post-match press conference.
3. GIVE THAT MAN A CONTRACT, BUT DON’T WORRY TOO MUCH IF HE DOESN’T GET ONE YET. Chris Hughton has done a remarkable job at St James Park and the tittle-tattle last week was shameful really. The rumours about him losing his job were a new media/internet creation rather than a story with genuine substance. It’s ridiculous to suggest his job should be under threat. On the back of Sunday’s result there’s been a big emotional appeal from fans and players to get the contract situation sorted out. It’s a persuasive argument and it really does feel like a good time for the men upstairs at St James Park to give their manager what he deserves. But these are the Ashley austerity years at Newcastle. Money isn’t splashed around Gallowgate as freely as it was ten years ago. Hard bargains are driven with agents, players and managers. The club have already said they’ll renegotiate Hughton’s deal at the end of the year and they might well feel there’s no need to bring that timetable forward. They’re also fortunate that Hughton is a manager almost without ego, so they know he’s unlikely to rock the boat. Especially when everyone in the boat seems pretty happy right now.
4. DON’T THROW THE BABY OUT WITH THE BATHWATER. BUT CONSIDER CHANGING THE BATHWATER. The only credit Sunderland took from Sunday is that they were very honest in their response to it. They adopted a mea culpa approach. They had no choice really. It was a terrible day for the Black Cats and there were no excuses given for their performance. There must be a reaction to this, but they must be careful not to over-react. The system that has served them well for two months was ripped apart and gigantic flaws were exposed. But that doesn’t mean they should abandon everything they’ve done up to now. The Black Cats have played some very good stuff so far this season and they’ve got to trust themselves to put this right. The fans need to trust them too. Personally I think it’s now time to get Asamoah Gyan into the team, as Darren Bent is far too isolated up front. But it’s up to Steve Bruce. He has to make at least one change next weekend with Titus Bramble suspended, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he was considering another 4 changes. I don’t think he’ll abandon the 4-5-1 system completely, but a little shake up might be good therapy for everyone right now.
5. BEWARE DERBY DAY FOOLS GOLD. It’s not just three points. It’s not just another match. It IS a special occasion which offers a big payoff in terms of emotion and good will. It IS about pride in your team and your city. It definitely IS about lording it over the neighbours if you win and taking it on the chin if you lose. But it’s unlikely to define your season. Newcastle aren’t definitely going to run roughshod over the premier league just because they put five past Sunderland. The Black Cats aren’t definitely going to suffer a huge crisis of confidence and get drawn into a relegation battle. The emotional high of a Derby win can make it seem like everything. But it’s only 1/38th of the premier league season and Newcastle haven’t cracked it just because they hammered their nearest and dearest, just as Sunderland’s campaign isn’t a complete write-off because of this one result. Two years ago Wearside dined out on a famous Derby win at the Stadium of Light and considered it a launch pad for future success. About six weeks later Roy Keane had gone, they were back in the bottom three and back to square one. I don’t actually think the players or managers on either side will get carried away with this result, but there is a danger that the fans will. The nature of the result means it'll be talked about for years, but in terms of the long term progress of both teams, it's unlikely to mean that much. It’s different in the short term though. Newcastle fans are absolutely entitled to revel in their glory this week and Sunderland fans just have to take it on the chin. Those are the rules of engagement on Derby Day.
2. YOU CAN’T WIN A DERBY WITH KIDS. Who were the best players on Sunday ? For me, it was Nolan, Barton, Ameobi and one other. I’ll come to that name in a moment. But the other three were totally in control of their emotions. They embraced the occasion, but they didn’t play the occasion. They sized up the opposition and played cleverly, managing the game for Newcastle in crucial areas of the field. Nolan and Barton are aged 28. Ameobi is aged 29. Compare and contrast with Sunderland. 6 members of their starting 11 were aged 23 or under and not one of those players had a game they would want to remember. I admit, it’s not a hard and fast rule, largely because the other name on my list of the best players on Sunday is 21-year old Andy Carroll, who was simply immense. But you get the point, Sunderland didn’t have enough old heads in key positions. Newcastle did. Steve Bruce admitted as much in his post-match press conference.
3. GIVE THAT MAN A CONTRACT, BUT DON’T WORRY TOO MUCH IF HE DOESN’T GET ONE YET. Chris Hughton has done a remarkable job at St James Park and the tittle-tattle last week was shameful really. The rumours about him losing his job were a new media/internet creation rather than a story with genuine substance. It’s ridiculous to suggest his job should be under threat. On the back of Sunday’s result there’s been a big emotional appeal from fans and players to get the contract situation sorted out. It’s a persuasive argument and it really does feel like a good time for the men upstairs at St James Park to give their manager what he deserves. But these are the Ashley austerity years at Newcastle. Money isn’t splashed around Gallowgate as freely as it was ten years ago. Hard bargains are driven with agents, players and managers. The club have already said they’ll renegotiate Hughton’s deal at the end of the year and they might well feel there’s no need to bring that timetable forward. They’re also fortunate that Hughton is a manager almost without ego, so they know he’s unlikely to rock the boat. Especially when everyone in the boat seems pretty happy right now.
4. DON’T THROW THE BABY OUT WITH THE BATHWATER. BUT CONSIDER CHANGING THE BATHWATER. The only credit Sunderland took from Sunday is that they were very honest in their response to it. They adopted a mea culpa approach. They had no choice really. It was a terrible day for the Black Cats and there were no excuses given for their performance. There must be a reaction to this, but they must be careful not to over-react. The system that has served them well for two months was ripped apart and gigantic flaws were exposed. But that doesn’t mean they should abandon everything they’ve done up to now. The Black Cats have played some very good stuff so far this season and they’ve got to trust themselves to put this right. The fans need to trust them too. Personally I think it’s now time to get Asamoah Gyan into the team, as Darren Bent is far too isolated up front. But it’s up to Steve Bruce. He has to make at least one change next weekend with Titus Bramble suspended, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he was considering another 4 changes. I don’t think he’ll abandon the 4-5-1 system completely, but a little shake up might be good therapy for everyone right now.
5. BEWARE DERBY DAY FOOLS GOLD. It’s not just three points. It’s not just another match. It IS a special occasion which offers a big payoff in terms of emotion and good will. It IS about pride in your team and your city. It definitely IS about lording it over the neighbours if you win and taking it on the chin if you lose. But it’s unlikely to define your season. Newcastle aren’t definitely going to run roughshod over the premier league just because they put five past Sunderland. The Black Cats aren’t definitely going to suffer a huge crisis of confidence and get drawn into a relegation battle. The emotional high of a Derby win can make it seem like everything. But it’s only 1/38th of the premier league season and Newcastle haven’t cracked it just because they hammered their nearest and dearest, just as Sunderland’s campaign isn’t a complete write-off because of this one result. Two years ago Wearside dined out on a famous Derby win at the Stadium of Light and considered it a launch pad for future success. About six weeks later Roy Keane had gone, they were back in the bottom three and back to square one. I don’t actually think the players or managers on either side will get carried away with this result, but there is a danger that the fans will. The nature of the result means it'll be talked about for years, but in terms of the long term progress of both teams, it's unlikely to mean that much. It’s different in the short term though. Newcastle fans are absolutely entitled to revel in their glory this week and Sunderland fans just have to take it on the chin. Those are the rules of engagement on Derby Day.
Wednesday, 27 October 2010
It's in the eyes
I looked two proper Middlesbrough fans in the eyes on Tuesday Evening. There was a twinkle. This is the one. This is the man. This is the messiah. Tony Mowbray is Boro’s Shearer. The absolute embodiment of all that the fans hold dear about their club. He has more chance than anyone else in the whole world of unravelling the mess at Middlesbrough. Mowbray looms large over the history of the club. The modern history at least. He was the local boy who got chucked the captain’s armband at Boro's darkest hour. The team he led is rightly revered by the supporters. It seems to me that for Boro fans of a certain age, the Bruce Rioch double-promotion boys are the favourites, the ones that meant the most. Even taking into account the Carling Cup winners and the UEFA Cup finalists. That’s probably because it was a Lazarus tale. A story of a club coming back from the brink. Well now Mowbray’s back and Boro are on the brink again. It’s not the same as the days of the padlocked gates at Ayresome of course, but it still feels like the club is teetering on the edge of something deep, dark and nasty. It’s 4 years of steady decline. It’s the decaying squad that McClaren left behind. It’s Southgate, battling so hard, but struggling to swim against the tide. It’s Strachan, misjudging everything during a miserable 12 months. They’ve come full circle and they’re now in danger of slipping back into the depths that Tony Mowbray helped them escape from a generation back. So what better time for the man from Saltburn to once again switch on the light that burns in his Boro heart. It’s perfect. Almost too perfect and, of course, everyone must realise that there are no guarantees. No divine rights, even for football’s righteous men. He’s inherited problems and they are legion. But if anyone can do it, Mogga can. It’s in the eyes. I looked in his eyes on Tuesday as well. He wants this to work as much as the fans do. Call it destiny. Call it closure. Call it unfinished business. It was in the eyes. Tony Mowbray will have the encouragement and the support of all who carry Boro in their heart. If willpower can move mountains then Mogga is halfway to the moon already.
Tuesday, 19 October 2010
Goodbye Gordon.
“It’s been bloody awful”. Not my words, Steve Gibson’s words, as he summed up the last two or three years at Boro and particularly, the failure of Gordon Strachan. And failure it was. Complete failure. Underachievement on a grand scale. “We got it wrong” added Gibson. Yes Steve, yes you did. But you shouldn’t burn for that. The Middlesbrough Chairman’s heart was, is, and will always be located in the right place. Strachan SEEMED ideal. It all SEEMED like a good idea. It just didn’t work out and sometimes that’s the way it goes. The outgoing manager still had the support of the majority in the dressing room and some of his players, especially the ones he signed, will miss him. But many at the club will not miss Gordon Strachan. Nor will the media and crucially, nor will the fans. His parting gesture will come to be seen as the best thing about his reign. Waiving his right to compensation was a magnificent, magnanimous gesture from a strange and interesting man. It saved the club millions and it proves Strachan has great integrity. He held up his hands, admitted he couldn’t work out why it had gone wrong and decided he didn’t want to be rewarded for failure. That’s great. Well done. But it doesn’t solve any problems.
Cards on the table at this point. I witnessed first hand Strachan’s awkward, condescending and sometimes downright rude dealings with the media. I received some surly and unhelpful responses to questions that I considered reasonable. But I never really got both barrels. So I’ve got no axe to grind in that respect. I just felt he didn’t trust, or believe in, the whole process of press conferences. As a seasoned football man he’s entitled to his opinion. But it was naïve to think that it didn’t matter. Rightly or wrongly, fans nowadays form their opinions about a football manager based on what they see, hear and read in the media. That opinion, that relationship is important. But Strachan didn’t care. Or maybe he just didn’t get it.
It’s not the only relationship he got wrong. Steve Gibson praised Strachan for all the hard work he did behind the scenes during his year at the club. Fine. But with the benefit of hindsight he didn’t put much effort into original thought. His time at Celtic was constantly referenced. His playing staff was gradually transformed into a Park Head tribute band. He seemed to think that if it worked at Celtic, then of course it would work at Middlesbrough. The pressure of working for the Old Firm was a familiar theme, as if he was saying that Boro was a walk in the park after navigating the mean streets of Glasgow’s football culture. But Middlesbrough’s not Glasgow. Boro aren’t Celtic. The fans share a similar passion, but they support their teams and experience their football in a different way. What works in one place won’t necessarily work in another.
It didn’t work. I thought it would. But it didn’t. Strachan never connected with the fans. He never filled the Riverside with a sense of enthusiasm and he never assembled a team capable of winning on a regular basis. Now he’s just another footnote in Middlesbrough’s chapter of decline. From the high tide mark of Eindhoven and the UEFA Cup final, the fall has been painful and rapid. The appointment of Gareth Southgate was a leap of faith that, in the end, didn’t work out. The appointment of Strachan was supposed to rip out the problem pages and write a new manifesto. But it’s only made things worse. Your next appointment Mr Gibson, now that really is important.
Cards on the table at this point. I witnessed first hand Strachan’s awkward, condescending and sometimes downright rude dealings with the media. I received some surly and unhelpful responses to questions that I considered reasonable. But I never really got both barrels. So I’ve got no axe to grind in that respect. I just felt he didn’t trust, or believe in, the whole process of press conferences. As a seasoned football man he’s entitled to his opinion. But it was naïve to think that it didn’t matter. Rightly or wrongly, fans nowadays form their opinions about a football manager based on what they see, hear and read in the media. That opinion, that relationship is important. But Strachan didn’t care. Or maybe he just didn’t get it.
It’s not the only relationship he got wrong. Steve Gibson praised Strachan for all the hard work he did behind the scenes during his year at the club. Fine. But with the benefit of hindsight he didn’t put much effort into original thought. His time at Celtic was constantly referenced. His playing staff was gradually transformed into a Park Head tribute band. He seemed to think that if it worked at Celtic, then of course it would work at Middlesbrough. The pressure of working for the Old Firm was a familiar theme, as if he was saying that Boro was a walk in the park after navigating the mean streets of Glasgow’s football culture. But Middlesbrough’s not Glasgow. Boro aren’t Celtic. The fans share a similar passion, but they support their teams and experience their football in a different way. What works in one place won’t necessarily work in another.
It didn’t work. I thought it would. But it didn’t. Strachan never connected with the fans. He never filled the Riverside with a sense of enthusiasm and he never assembled a team capable of winning on a regular basis. Now he’s just another footnote in Middlesbrough’s chapter of decline. From the high tide mark of Eindhoven and the UEFA Cup final, the fall has been painful and rapid. The appointment of Gareth Southgate was a leap of faith that, in the end, didn’t work out. The appointment of Strachan was supposed to rip out the problem pages and write a new manifesto. But it’s only made things worse. Your next appointment Mr Gibson, now that really is important.
Tuesday, 12 October 2010
Goodbye predictable, hello volatile
When will this fog clear ? It's the middle of October and I can't see the shapes on the horizon. It's exciting, but also a little scary. Goodbye predictable, hello volatile. Where are the certainties ? Where are the reliably good and the regularly awful ? Apart from the matter of who’s going to win the premier league title, which already appears screamingly obvious (Chelsea), it's suddenly a lot harder to second guess where this thing's going. Which certainly makes a change. By now you can usually pick out at least one nailed-on certainty for premier league relegation. The resoundingly hopeless newcomers or the crumbling institutions heading for financial armageddon. But the usual suspects are suddenly lurking in the shadows. Liverpool are this year's Portsmouth, no one's putting their hand up to be this year's Burnley and so the landscape is shrounded in uncertainty. The promoted sides are all doing rather nicely in their own different ways and so the soft, established underbelly of the Premier League is looking nervously over it's collective shoulder. Someone's got to go, and if you can't even rely on Blackpool then who can you rely on ? Wake up and smell the risk and reward, because someone's going to do very badly out of this and someone's going to do very well.
It could be our lot, for better or worse.
Sunderland have done good business so far despite a brutal fixture list. But it's all very well standing up to the heavyweights, the Black Cats need to prove they can knock out the lightweights. Bossing Man United around is lovely, but why can't the same group of players take the initiative against West Ham ? Or Wigan ? Or West Brom ? Answer that question and Steve Bruce will have cracked it. But it's a two part question, because first he has to unravel his tactical puzzle. The players clearly enjoy the whole 4-5-1 thing, but sometime soon Bruce has to work out how to fit his record signing into the starting line-up. Clubs like Sunderland don't pay the thick end of 15 million for an impact substitute, so Gyan's going to have to play. 3 at the back anyone ?
Newcastle are, of course, the poster boys for the rollercoaster ride and it's reassuring that the Magpies have been gloriously unpredictable. They've basically won the hard ones and lost the easy ones. Sometimes it's seemed ridiculous that they were ever relegated in the first place, sometimes they look like nervous newcomers who don't know when to stick and when to twist. Like the neighbours, they'll be doing some thinking about tactics. The tried and tested 4-4-1-1 is working brilliantly away from home, but they've got bogged down at St James Park. Chris Hughton could change the system, or just switch players around within the same system, but he knows they can’t afford to lose too many home games. He had a tactical ace up his sleeve, but sadly it's a card he might never get to play. Hatem Ben Arfa was a mysterious little sprite who was all set to become the new darling of the Gallowgate. But not now. Think what you like about the circumstances in which the Frenchman's leg was broken, but basically it was just a crying shame. Ben Arfa may still represent the future, but it's the here and now that matters for Newcastle United.
Life's just as unpredictable in the Football League. Especially at Middlesbrough, who are currently searching for reasons to explain their failure to launch. The optimism of August has been replaced by the uncertainty of October and because they were scorching hot pre-season favourites, every bad result seems a whole lot worse. I have no explanations for this, except to say that it's more evidence of the decline of Scottish Football. But that's just a cheap shot and it doesn't really explain anything. Something's up. Something's wrong and Gordon Strachan needs to locate the problem and solve it. Quickly. Crowds are drifting away, the promotion race is taking place somewhere else and the manager's position is coming under mild scrutiny. He's not bothered about that of course, because Mr Strachan genuinely doesn't care what the media thinks. But at the moment most of us think his team should be doing better, and I bet he agrees with us.
Life's deliciously unpredictable over in Cumbria where Carlisle are starring in their very own Ugly Duckling story. The unheralded Blues are threatening to blossom into a beautiful swan. I saw them dismantle Hartlepool the other week and they were really, really good. Greg Abbott rolled the dice in the summer and freshened up the squad. He's also freshened up the way they play and they've even coped with the departure of Old Father Time (Ian Harte). The table says they're promotion contenders - the manager urges caution at this stage. But a good start has put steam in their strides, they've got some serious fans behind them and a land of opportunity opening up in front of them.
Hartlepool need to make their mind up, about a lot of things. For a start they've had a Caretaker Manager for too long now. All a caretaker can really do is keep things ticking over. Mick Wadsworth's been doing a fairly decent job of that and if he's their man then why don't the club just give him the proper job title and let him get on with it ? It's probably going to be a bit of an uphill struggle this year, but there's no need for them to get relegated, as long as the owners decide where they want to go and who they want to get them there.
So when WILL the fog clear ? I'm not sure, but I'll hazard a guess that it might happen round about four o'clock on Halloween Afternoon as Newcastle United and Sunderland return to the dressing rooms at St James Park. Trick or treat ? We'll see.
It could be our lot, for better or worse.
Sunderland have done good business so far despite a brutal fixture list. But it's all very well standing up to the heavyweights, the Black Cats need to prove they can knock out the lightweights. Bossing Man United around is lovely, but why can't the same group of players take the initiative against West Ham ? Or Wigan ? Or West Brom ? Answer that question and Steve Bruce will have cracked it. But it's a two part question, because first he has to unravel his tactical puzzle. The players clearly enjoy the whole 4-5-1 thing, but sometime soon Bruce has to work out how to fit his record signing into the starting line-up. Clubs like Sunderland don't pay the thick end of 15 million for an impact substitute, so Gyan's going to have to play. 3 at the back anyone ?
Newcastle are, of course, the poster boys for the rollercoaster ride and it's reassuring that the Magpies have been gloriously unpredictable. They've basically won the hard ones and lost the easy ones. Sometimes it's seemed ridiculous that they were ever relegated in the first place, sometimes they look like nervous newcomers who don't know when to stick and when to twist. Like the neighbours, they'll be doing some thinking about tactics. The tried and tested 4-4-1-1 is working brilliantly away from home, but they've got bogged down at St James Park. Chris Hughton could change the system, or just switch players around within the same system, but he knows they can’t afford to lose too many home games. He had a tactical ace up his sleeve, but sadly it's a card he might never get to play. Hatem Ben Arfa was a mysterious little sprite who was all set to become the new darling of the Gallowgate. But not now. Think what you like about the circumstances in which the Frenchman's leg was broken, but basically it was just a crying shame. Ben Arfa may still represent the future, but it's the here and now that matters for Newcastle United.
Life's just as unpredictable in the Football League. Especially at Middlesbrough, who are currently searching for reasons to explain their failure to launch. The optimism of August has been replaced by the uncertainty of October and because they were scorching hot pre-season favourites, every bad result seems a whole lot worse. I have no explanations for this, except to say that it's more evidence of the decline of Scottish Football. But that's just a cheap shot and it doesn't really explain anything. Something's up. Something's wrong and Gordon Strachan needs to locate the problem and solve it. Quickly. Crowds are drifting away, the promotion race is taking place somewhere else and the manager's position is coming under mild scrutiny. He's not bothered about that of course, because Mr Strachan genuinely doesn't care what the media thinks. But at the moment most of us think his team should be doing better, and I bet he agrees with us.
Life's deliciously unpredictable over in Cumbria where Carlisle are starring in their very own Ugly Duckling story. The unheralded Blues are threatening to blossom into a beautiful swan. I saw them dismantle Hartlepool the other week and they were really, really good. Greg Abbott rolled the dice in the summer and freshened up the squad. He's also freshened up the way they play and they've even coped with the departure of Old Father Time (Ian Harte). The table says they're promotion contenders - the manager urges caution at this stage. But a good start has put steam in their strides, they've got some serious fans behind them and a land of opportunity opening up in front of them.
Hartlepool need to make their mind up, about a lot of things. For a start they've had a Caretaker Manager for too long now. All a caretaker can really do is keep things ticking over. Mick Wadsworth's been doing a fairly decent job of that and if he's their man then why don't the club just give him the proper job title and let him get on with it ? It's probably going to be a bit of an uphill struggle this year, but there's no need for them to get relegated, as long as the owners decide where they want to go and who they want to get them there.
So when WILL the fog clear ? I'm not sure, but I'll hazard a guess that it might happen round about four o'clock on Halloween Afternoon as Newcastle United and Sunderland return to the dressing rooms at St James Park. Trick or treat ? We'll see.
Thursday, 9 September 2010
What do you think of it so far ?
It’s a fair enough question to ask and it’s a fair enough time to ask it as we padlock shut the transfer window, put away our unexpectedly new England shirt and prepare to resume battle on the home front this weekend. So then, how’s the North East and Cumbrian football season looking so far ?
NEWCASTLE UNITED: Exceeding expectations.
It stands to reason that one result doesn’t make a season. But sometimes it kind of does. Newcastle’s six goal annihilation of Villa certainly comes into that category. It was perfect in every way and breathed life into the idea that Newcastle’s strengths in the Championship will also prove to be strengths now they’re back in the premier league. St James Park looked every inch the fortress. Andy Carroll looked every inch the new Geordie number nine. Kevin Nolan looked every inch the wily old campaigner with speed of thought to compensate for any lack of speed on the ground. Newcastle looked every inch United. One result doesn’t make a season, but one giant-sized confidence boost can go a long way and some interesting and thoughtful business in the transfer window can only help. So far, so good.
SUNDERLAND: Coping with expectations.
The Black Cats start to the season could have been better, but it could also have been a lot worse. As they kicked off against Manchester City, they had one point from two games and no senior striker to partner Darren Bent. A couple of hours later they had 4 points after a thoroughly uplifting win over the Premier League’s nouveau riche and by close of business on August 31st they had, arguably, one of the most exciting and ambitious signings made by any English club this summer. Steve Bruce claimed at the end of last season that he was aiming for stability. That was a little red and white lie as it turns out. He’s made many, many changes again this summer and he will live or die by the success or failure of those alterations. The centre forward upgrade is the key. Cashing in on Kenwyne Jones and putting all the eggs in an Asamoah Gyan-shaped basket was a bold move. The Ghanaian could become a superstar, or he could become a cautionary tale of World Cup fools gold.
MIDDLESBROUGH: Absolutely not living up to expectations.
They were favourites to win the Championship before a ball was kicked, yet they’re 16th in the table with just the one laboured win after four games. They haven’t hit the ground running, in fact they’ve barely hit the ground at all. Gordon Strachan has assembled a grizzled cast of experienced campaigners - an Old Firm Dirty Dozen if you will – but so far the chemistry isn’t right. He’s got the marksmen, but no one to load the bullets. He’s got a strong spine, but it all gets a bit flabby down the sides. He’s also been very unlucky with injuries. But that luck will surely change and Strachan is more than capable of sorting out the chemistry problem. Middlesbrough had the players to win that division before a ball was kicked and they still do now. No one gets forever in football, but give it time.
CARLISLE UNITED: Exceeding expectations.
It was hard to judge quite what expectations were at Brunton Park, but Carlisle are definitely exceeding them. They’ve emerged from a summer of much change looking leaner, meaner and fit for purpose. A good start has given them belief and confidence. The new arrivals look better or at least as good as the men they’ve replaced. In Francois Zoko they have a player with cult-hero written all over him and in Greg Abbott they have a manager who is growing in stature all the time. Let’s not get carried away yet, because they’re in the pond with some very big fish this season and Ian Harte’s departure represents a big loss, but let’s give credit where it’s due and remain cautiously optimistic.
HARTLEPOOL UNITED: Living up to expectations. But not in a good way.
They were favourites to go down before a ball was kicked and despite a notable Carling Cup win and a brief dead-cat bounce, they’ve not really calmed the supporters fears. It’s hard to blame the players, who are doing OK, and who must have been aware of the unrest around the club long before Chris Turner held up his hands in frustration and walked away. It’s hard not to blame the owners, who offered Turner little or no encouragement in his attempts to upgrade a squad that only just survived last season. There’s an awful feeling of a business being run-down and mothballed. Mick Wadsworth knows the ropes at this level though, so he’s a capable caretaker who will probably get the full time job. He could yet make a silk purse out of this sow’s ear of a situation.
NEWCASTLE UNITED: Exceeding expectations.
It stands to reason that one result doesn’t make a season. But sometimes it kind of does. Newcastle’s six goal annihilation of Villa certainly comes into that category. It was perfect in every way and breathed life into the idea that Newcastle’s strengths in the Championship will also prove to be strengths now they’re back in the premier league. St James Park looked every inch the fortress. Andy Carroll looked every inch the new Geordie number nine. Kevin Nolan looked every inch the wily old campaigner with speed of thought to compensate for any lack of speed on the ground. Newcastle looked every inch United. One result doesn’t make a season, but one giant-sized confidence boost can go a long way and some interesting and thoughtful business in the transfer window can only help. So far, so good.
SUNDERLAND: Coping with expectations.
The Black Cats start to the season could have been better, but it could also have been a lot worse. As they kicked off against Manchester City, they had one point from two games and no senior striker to partner Darren Bent. A couple of hours later they had 4 points after a thoroughly uplifting win over the Premier League’s nouveau riche and by close of business on August 31st they had, arguably, one of the most exciting and ambitious signings made by any English club this summer. Steve Bruce claimed at the end of last season that he was aiming for stability. That was a little red and white lie as it turns out. He’s made many, many changes again this summer and he will live or die by the success or failure of those alterations. The centre forward upgrade is the key. Cashing in on Kenwyne Jones and putting all the eggs in an Asamoah Gyan-shaped basket was a bold move. The Ghanaian could become a superstar, or he could become a cautionary tale of World Cup fools gold.
MIDDLESBROUGH: Absolutely not living up to expectations.
They were favourites to win the Championship before a ball was kicked, yet they’re 16th in the table with just the one laboured win after four games. They haven’t hit the ground running, in fact they’ve barely hit the ground at all. Gordon Strachan has assembled a grizzled cast of experienced campaigners - an Old Firm Dirty Dozen if you will – but so far the chemistry isn’t right. He’s got the marksmen, but no one to load the bullets. He’s got a strong spine, but it all gets a bit flabby down the sides. He’s also been very unlucky with injuries. But that luck will surely change and Strachan is more than capable of sorting out the chemistry problem. Middlesbrough had the players to win that division before a ball was kicked and they still do now. No one gets forever in football, but give it time.
CARLISLE UNITED: Exceeding expectations.
It was hard to judge quite what expectations were at Brunton Park, but Carlisle are definitely exceeding them. They’ve emerged from a summer of much change looking leaner, meaner and fit for purpose. A good start has given them belief and confidence. The new arrivals look better or at least as good as the men they’ve replaced. In Francois Zoko they have a player with cult-hero written all over him and in Greg Abbott they have a manager who is growing in stature all the time. Let’s not get carried away yet, because they’re in the pond with some very big fish this season and Ian Harte’s departure represents a big loss, but let’s give credit where it’s due and remain cautiously optimistic.
HARTLEPOOL UNITED: Living up to expectations. But not in a good way.
They were favourites to go down before a ball was kicked and despite a notable Carling Cup win and a brief dead-cat bounce, they’ve not really calmed the supporters fears. It’s hard to blame the players, who are doing OK, and who must have been aware of the unrest around the club long before Chris Turner held up his hands in frustration and walked away. It’s hard not to blame the owners, who offered Turner little or no encouragement in his attempts to upgrade a squad that only just survived last season. There’s an awful feeling of a business being run-down and mothballed. Mick Wadsworth knows the ropes at this level though, so he’s a capable caretaker who will probably get the full time job. He could yet make a silk purse out of this sow’s ear of a situation.
Friday, 6 August 2010
The Return of the Big Three
“Time’s up for the big three.” I said that on the telly on Friday 22nd May 2009. At least one of the North East’s heavyweight trio was going to be relegated on Survival Sunday. As it turned out we lost two and the big three became a big one. Now look, I know that to talk of big threes and big ones is to invite tribal fury telling me that Club X will always be bigger than Club Y no matter what division they’re in. But just for now, let’s put all that to one side. Our football hotbed was in danger of going into deep freeze. Thankfully, it’s thawed out a bit since then. Newcastle United did a thoroughly professional job of winning the Championship last season and so now we’re back up from a big one to a big two. My hunch is that in 12 months time, the big two will be back up to a big three. Here’s why.
1. MIDDLESBROUGH WILL WIN THE CHAMPIONSHIP. Boro fans have had two rotten seasons to put up with. First there was the creeping pain of an inevitable relegation that they seemed powerless and almost reluctant to avoid. Then there was underachievement and reshuffle. But hopefully Boro fans will come to see these lean years as a necessary evil. A long road that will lead them back to better times. The McClaren era bled into the Southgate era and that whole cycle was coming to an end. Bringing in a pragmatic football man like Gordon Strachan was inviting fundamental change. That’s what’s happened and if we’re all honest, that’s what was needed. A new Middlesbrough will attack the nPower Championship this season. A tougher, more streetwise (more Scottish) Middlesbrough. They’ve beefed up the spine of the team with mature players and they’ve addressed the one big problem that gave Strachan sleepless nights from the moment he arrived – the forward line. Kris Boyd and Scott McDonald will score plenty of goals. Providing they can find some width from somewhere, Boro are worthy favourites to win this division, because they look strong and the rest of the teams look weak in comparison.
2. NEWCASTLE WILL NOT BE RELEGATED FROM THE PREMIER LEAGUE. Having proved they were far, far too good for the Championship, they have to prove they're good enough for the Premier League. Given what they achieved last season, and the manner in which they achieved it, let's go with the idea that the glass is half full. They showed guts. They showed personality and, as the character Jules said in the film Pulp Ficton, "Personality goes a long way". It's going to have to, because the money won't go far. The new austerity at St James Park means they're hunting for bargains this summer, young and old. So it's the promotion winning squad, slightly remixed. That should be enough to see them well clear of the bottom three, but there may be hard days to get through. Will they score enough goals ? Will the midfield, which dominated the Championship, be fit for purpose in the PL ? Defensively they were great last season, but can that unit survive the intense pressure it will come under in most PL matches ? That's all glass half empty stuff though and, as I said, I'm going with the idea that the glass is half full and that personality will go a long way. Long enough anyway.
3. WHATEVER HAPPENS TO SUNDERLAND, THEY DEFINITELY WON'T GET RELEGATED. Football's language of forward motion provides the script at the Stadium of Light. They need to be "moving on", "taking the next step", "making progress". OK, but quite how much progress they can make next season is an interesting question. Talk of a top ten finish is certainly reasonable, but talk of the Europa League might be a bit far-fetched. If we assume Chelsea, Man United and Arsenal are completely out of reach and Man City, Liverpool and Spurs are almost certainly out of reach, then in order to reach Europe, Sunderland are going to have to finish above Villa and Everton at the very least. It would take an almighty effort. It's not impossible, it just doesn't seem very likely and the transfer business hasn't set the pulse racing so far this summer. They should make progress, because the younger ones are more battle-hardened and there's no reason to think Darren Bent will stop scoring goals anytime soon. But progress won't necessarily mean a giant leap up the table. They just need to look more at home as an upwardly-mobile premier league side. Steve Bruce gave himself 6/10 for last season, but said it was so nearly an 8/10 campaign. I suspect he'll settle for a steady 7/10 this time round, and a cup run would be nice.
So the Big Three will be back this time next year, and I really hope Hartlepool will still be in League One. But I worry about them. The maths aren't good. A team that nearly got relegated + a few free agents = Another team that'll nearly (or actually) get relegated. I hope Darlington bounce straight back to the Football League, but I'm not holding my breath. Finally, I'd dearly love to see Sunderland, Newcastle, or even Boro, have a good run at one of the cups this year. Maybe, but probably not. Sunderland will certainly go for it, but I'm not certain how much either Newcastle or Boro will commit to the idea. The best thing about North East football though is that at least one part of what I've just said will be completely wrong. Something daft or unexpected always happens. That's why we love it.
1. MIDDLESBROUGH WILL WIN THE CHAMPIONSHIP. Boro fans have had two rotten seasons to put up with. First there was the creeping pain of an inevitable relegation that they seemed powerless and almost reluctant to avoid. Then there was underachievement and reshuffle. But hopefully Boro fans will come to see these lean years as a necessary evil. A long road that will lead them back to better times. The McClaren era bled into the Southgate era and that whole cycle was coming to an end. Bringing in a pragmatic football man like Gordon Strachan was inviting fundamental change. That’s what’s happened and if we’re all honest, that’s what was needed. A new Middlesbrough will attack the nPower Championship this season. A tougher, more streetwise (more Scottish) Middlesbrough. They’ve beefed up the spine of the team with mature players and they’ve addressed the one big problem that gave Strachan sleepless nights from the moment he arrived – the forward line. Kris Boyd and Scott McDonald will score plenty of goals. Providing they can find some width from somewhere, Boro are worthy favourites to win this division, because they look strong and the rest of the teams look weak in comparison.
2. NEWCASTLE WILL NOT BE RELEGATED FROM THE PREMIER LEAGUE. Having proved they were far, far too good for the Championship, they have to prove they're good enough for the Premier League. Given what they achieved last season, and the manner in which they achieved it, let's go with the idea that the glass is half full. They showed guts. They showed personality and, as the character Jules said in the film Pulp Ficton, "Personality goes a long way". It's going to have to, because the money won't go far. The new austerity at St James Park means they're hunting for bargains this summer, young and old. So it's the promotion winning squad, slightly remixed. That should be enough to see them well clear of the bottom three, but there may be hard days to get through. Will they score enough goals ? Will the midfield, which dominated the Championship, be fit for purpose in the PL ? Defensively they were great last season, but can that unit survive the intense pressure it will come under in most PL matches ? That's all glass half empty stuff though and, as I said, I'm going with the idea that the glass is half full and that personality will go a long way. Long enough anyway.
3. WHATEVER HAPPENS TO SUNDERLAND, THEY DEFINITELY WON'T GET RELEGATED. Football's language of forward motion provides the script at the Stadium of Light. They need to be "moving on", "taking the next step", "making progress". OK, but quite how much progress they can make next season is an interesting question. Talk of a top ten finish is certainly reasonable, but talk of the Europa League might be a bit far-fetched. If we assume Chelsea, Man United and Arsenal are completely out of reach and Man City, Liverpool and Spurs are almost certainly out of reach, then in order to reach Europe, Sunderland are going to have to finish above Villa and Everton at the very least. It would take an almighty effort. It's not impossible, it just doesn't seem very likely and the transfer business hasn't set the pulse racing so far this summer. They should make progress, because the younger ones are more battle-hardened and there's no reason to think Darren Bent will stop scoring goals anytime soon. But progress won't necessarily mean a giant leap up the table. They just need to look more at home as an upwardly-mobile premier league side. Steve Bruce gave himself 6/10 for last season, but said it was so nearly an 8/10 campaign. I suspect he'll settle for a steady 7/10 this time round, and a cup run would be nice.
So the Big Three will be back this time next year, and I really hope Hartlepool will still be in League One. But I worry about them. The maths aren't good. A team that nearly got relegated + a few free agents = Another team that'll nearly (or actually) get relegated. I hope Darlington bounce straight back to the Football League, but I'm not holding my breath. Finally, I'd dearly love to see Sunderland, Newcastle, or even Boro, have a good run at one of the cups this year. Maybe, but probably not. Sunderland will certainly go for it, but I'm not certain how much either Newcastle or Boro will commit to the idea. The best thing about North East football though is that at least one part of what I've just said will be completely wrong. Something daft or unexpected always happens. That's why we love it.
Tuesday, 20 July 2010
TEN THINGS I LEARNED FROM THE WORLD CUP
1. ENGLAND. RUBBISH. The fault lines running beneath the surface of the premier league for years and years were brutally exposed. One-dimensional young men, created by a one-dimensional academy system, playing one-dimensional football.
2. 4-4-2 IS HISTORY. No one plays this anymore. Except us. The days of rigid lines are gone, possibly forever.
3. JABULANI. Do you remember orange Striker balls ? 99p floaters from the news agents. They were great. Although as soon as they went in a rose bush, that was that. Strange to see their modern equivalent used at the World Cup.
4. STANDING STILL. IT DOESN’T WORK. Ask France. Ask Italy. Ask England.
5. VUVUZELAS. If that’s what South Africans want to do, then good for them. But please, don’t bring it over here. It makes every match sound and feel exactly the same. I like to hear what crowds are singing and chanting. I don't like the sound of angry bees.
6. THE SOUTH AMERICAN CON. Week One. South American teams light up the tournament. Week four. All European Final.
7. SIR ALEX FERGUSON. CRAFTY OLD FOX. Javier who ? Javier Hernandez of Mexico, scorer of two very impressive goals at the World Cup. That’s who.
8. 4-2-3-1. THE FORMATION THAT EATS ITSELF. The new fashion. Glass half full = set up to free your attacking players to flourish without rigid lines and boundaries. Encourages expression, movement and creativity. Glass half empty = Stick two borderline-psychotic defensive midfielders ten yards in front of your centre backs and kick lumps out of anyone showing any expression, movement or creativity.
9. GOALLINE TECHNOLOGY. Well, obviously.
10. WORLD CUPS AREN’T WHAT THEY USED TO BE. To be clear, South Africa as a nation did a great job of hosting it and I really hope there is a lasting football and social legacy for the country and the continent. But the football was mostly boring and that’s ultimately what a World Cup has to be judged on. It lacked a truly classic game. It certainly lacked a truly classic superstar. For me, it was only saved from utter mediocrity by Spain and Germany. Germany came and gave it a go and tried something different with mostly young players. Spain started slowly, but by the end they were head and shoulders above everyone else. Thank God they won the final after that vile display from Holland.
2. 4-4-2 IS HISTORY. No one plays this anymore. Except us. The days of rigid lines are gone, possibly forever.
3. JABULANI. Do you remember orange Striker balls ? 99p floaters from the news agents. They were great. Although as soon as they went in a rose bush, that was that. Strange to see their modern equivalent used at the World Cup.
4. STANDING STILL. IT DOESN’T WORK. Ask France. Ask Italy. Ask England.
5. VUVUZELAS. If that’s what South Africans want to do, then good for them. But please, don’t bring it over here. It makes every match sound and feel exactly the same. I like to hear what crowds are singing and chanting. I don't like the sound of angry bees.
6. THE SOUTH AMERICAN CON. Week One. South American teams light up the tournament. Week four. All European Final.
7. SIR ALEX FERGUSON. CRAFTY OLD FOX. Javier who ? Javier Hernandez of Mexico, scorer of two very impressive goals at the World Cup. That’s who.
8. 4-2-3-1. THE FORMATION THAT EATS ITSELF. The new fashion. Glass half full = set up to free your attacking players to flourish without rigid lines and boundaries. Encourages expression, movement and creativity. Glass half empty = Stick two borderline-psychotic defensive midfielders ten yards in front of your centre backs and kick lumps out of anyone showing any expression, movement or creativity.
9. GOALLINE TECHNOLOGY. Well, obviously.
10. WORLD CUPS AREN’T WHAT THEY USED TO BE. To be clear, South Africa as a nation did a great job of hosting it and I really hope there is a lasting football and social legacy for the country and the continent. But the football was mostly boring and that’s ultimately what a World Cup has to be judged on. It lacked a truly classic game. It certainly lacked a truly classic superstar. For me, it was only saved from utter mediocrity by Spain and Germany. Germany came and gave it a go and tried something different with mostly young players. Spain started slowly, but by the end they were head and shoulders above everyone else. Thank God they won the final after that vile display from Holland.
Monday, 28 June 2010
No fun. But no tears.
It would be nice if we could say it was fun while it lasted, but it really wasn’t. It would be nice if we’d won some new friends while we were there, but no one will miss us. We were a disappointment, an irrelevance and ultimately, an embarrassment. Goodbye England. Goodbye Golden Generation. Good riddance as far as the rest of the World Cup is concerned.
I didn’t cry although I do care. I wasn’t surprised although I was disappointed. I’d love to see England succeed, but like you, I have become conditioned to their failure. I refuse to waste my emotions on the men involved yesterday, but I do worry about those who’ll have to take up the baton tomorrow. I will continue to watch the World Cup and now I can actually enjoy it, without the overwhelming angst that goes with watching the three lions.
Please, please don’t waste your time cursing the lack of goalline technology and convincing yourself that we would have won the match if Frank Lampard had been correctly awarded his goal. That was a moment that embarrassed the World Cup and should humilate world football’s top man Sepp Blatter, who flatly refuses to discuss the issue. But it’s smoke and mirrors as far as England are concerned and if we are to ever move forward we MUST NOT use it as a sticking plaster to cover the problem. We were horribly exposed and totally outplayed yesterday by a nation that doesn’t do golden generations. Germany don’t fete and annoint a group of individuals and then continually forgive their failures and gloss over their weaknesses. Germany constantly renew themselves and make sure they turn up fresh and ready for every major tournament. We just order the suits and hope Lamps and Stevie G will sort it out in the midfield. In terms of organisation and attitude, they make us look like amateurs.
Which is exactly what they did on the pitch yesterday. Their tactics weren’t anything special, they were set up the way most top teams are these days in the Champions League. But they pushed and pulled England’s inflexible formation all over the pitch. We had no answers, in fact it looked as if we didn’t understand the questions.
As a nation we like to find someone to blame. Start with the manager if you must. I was disappointed with Fabio Capello’s handling of this tournament, but I’m not sure that making him the scapegoat is going to help. At least now he understands the scale of the problem. Let him try again. It’s his mess, he’s a decent manager, so why not see if he can fix it. Blame Wayne Rooney for his bafflingly annonymous displays if you want. Blame the defence for being awful yesterday. Blame the midfield for being just plain wrong and unable to cope with Germany’s elegant movement. Blame English Football for putting club before country and milking the cash cow of the premier league at the expense of the national team. Blame the Baby Bentley Generation who have the world handed to them on a plate and as a result cannot possibly understand the concept of responsibility. We can blame ourselves if we like, for the pressure we put on our brave boys with our huge levels of expectation.
Or just don’t bother. Now the bags are packed and the wool has been pulled from the eyes, just how far did we think we’d get with Gareth Barry as holding midfielder ? With Matthew Upson in the team ? Without a proper first choice goalkeeper ? With a centre forward who doesn’t score goals ? With one captain injured, one captain playing out of position on the left and one captain agitating for change and being horribly exposed for his lack of pace ? Our squad wasn’t really very good and nor were any of our performances. We like to think that we are less than the sum of our parts, but are we ? Perhaps that’s the sum total. That’s worth crying about. That’s worth worrying about. It’s what lies ahead that worries me. As the Golden Generation exit the stage, who will replace them and will they be any better ? There may be dark days to come, or maybe, just maybe, we will finally look ourselves in the mirror and decide whether we are serious about these tournaments and whether we are prepared to change things in order to help us succeed.
So there’s lots to talk about. But it can wait. Just sit back and enjoy the REAL football at the rest of this World Cup. It’ll be fun now.
I didn’t cry although I do care. I wasn’t surprised although I was disappointed. I’d love to see England succeed, but like you, I have become conditioned to their failure. I refuse to waste my emotions on the men involved yesterday, but I do worry about those who’ll have to take up the baton tomorrow. I will continue to watch the World Cup and now I can actually enjoy it, without the overwhelming angst that goes with watching the three lions.
Please, please don’t waste your time cursing the lack of goalline technology and convincing yourself that we would have won the match if Frank Lampard had been correctly awarded his goal. That was a moment that embarrassed the World Cup and should humilate world football’s top man Sepp Blatter, who flatly refuses to discuss the issue. But it’s smoke and mirrors as far as England are concerned and if we are to ever move forward we MUST NOT use it as a sticking plaster to cover the problem. We were horribly exposed and totally outplayed yesterday by a nation that doesn’t do golden generations. Germany don’t fete and annoint a group of individuals and then continually forgive their failures and gloss over their weaknesses. Germany constantly renew themselves and make sure they turn up fresh and ready for every major tournament. We just order the suits and hope Lamps and Stevie G will sort it out in the midfield. In terms of organisation and attitude, they make us look like amateurs.
Which is exactly what they did on the pitch yesterday. Their tactics weren’t anything special, they were set up the way most top teams are these days in the Champions League. But they pushed and pulled England’s inflexible formation all over the pitch. We had no answers, in fact it looked as if we didn’t understand the questions.
As a nation we like to find someone to blame. Start with the manager if you must. I was disappointed with Fabio Capello’s handling of this tournament, but I’m not sure that making him the scapegoat is going to help. At least now he understands the scale of the problem. Let him try again. It’s his mess, he’s a decent manager, so why not see if he can fix it. Blame Wayne Rooney for his bafflingly annonymous displays if you want. Blame the defence for being awful yesterday. Blame the midfield for being just plain wrong and unable to cope with Germany’s elegant movement. Blame English Football for putting club before country and milking the cash cow of the premier league at the expense of the national team. Blame the Baby Bentley Generation who have the world handed to them on a plate and as a result cannot possibly understand the concept of responsibility. We can blame ourselves if we like, for the pressure we put on our brave boys with our huge levels of expectation.
Or just don’t bother. Now the bags are packed and the wool has been pulled from the eyes, just how far did we think we’d get with Gareth Barry as holding midfielder ? With Matthew Upson in the team ? Without a proper first choice goalkeeper ? With a centre forward who doesn’t score goals ? With one captain injured, one captain playing out of position on the left and one captain agitating for change and being horribly exposed for his lack of pace ? Our squad wasn’t really very good and nor were any of our performances. We like to think that we are less than the sum of our parts, but are we ? Perhaps that’s the sum total. That’s worth crying about. That’s worth worrying about. It’s what lies ahead that worries me. As the Golden Generation exit the stage, who will replace them and will they be any better ? There may be dark days to come, or maybe, just maybe, we will finally look ourselves in the mirror and decide whether we are serious about these tournaments and whether we are prepared to change things in order to help us succeed.
So there’s lots to talk about. But it can wait. Just sit back and enjoy the REAL football at the rest of this World Cup. It’ll be fun now.
Friday, 25 June 2010
I'LL SEE YOUR OZIL AND KLOSE AND RAISE YOU GERRARD AND ROONEY
Momentum. It’s all about momentum. At least that’s what I’m going to tell myself between now and Sunday afternoon, because I have a hunch the momentum might be with England, not Germany. Oh, and it’s all in the head. I’ll be telling myself that as well because I think England (unusually) might be in a better state of mind than their old enemies on Sunday. So it’s all about momentum and it’s all in the head. Don’t get me wrong, I’m as frustrated as the next England fan about World Cup 2010 so far. USA was typically uninspiring England fare punctuated with a ridiculous individual error. Algeria was the worst, just the worst performance ever and deserved every bit of anger and bile it received in the media. Then Slovenia was OK. Just OK, nothing more than that, but there was evidence of the green shoots of recovery. Minus Robert Green of course. So there’s some momentum there. But what about the Germans you ask ? Have they not produced one of the best performances of the tournament so far ? Did they not top a group that looked a lot harder than England’s ? Well yes, and for that matter, yes. But with my £2 St George’s cross tinted spectacles on I’m choosing to look a little deeper at Germany’s campaign so far. They looked a well-drilled Teutonic winning machine against the Aussies, but all was not as it seemed. I was speaking to Sunderland goalkeeping legend Jimmy Montgomery the following day (about Rob Green’s howler) and he thought both of Germany’s first two goals were down to bad goalkeeping errors from former Boro man Mark Schwarzer. At that point in the game the Aussies had their best player, Tim Cahill, dubiously sent off. Fuelled by a sense of righteous indignation, the boys from Down Under continued to chase the game and Germany picked them off on the break for a couple more goals. Next up, Germany lost to Serbia. Yes, Serbia. Then they huffed and puffed to get the win they needed against a very limited looking Ghana team (and yes, I dearly wish England were playing Ghana and not Germany this weekend). As a team, Germany are decent. BUT THAT’S ALL. They don’t mesmerise like Argentina. They don’t have the balance and menace of Brazil. I don’t think they’ve got the flair of the Dutch. I think they’re about the same as England. In Mesut Ozil they have potentially one of the stars of the tournament and in Miroslav Klose they have a striker with World Cup credentials that can’t be ignored. But I’ll see your Ozil and Klose and I’ll raise you Gerrard and Rooney. THERE IS NOTHING TO BE SCARED OF. Has everyone forgotten we played them off the park and beat them in a friendly in Berlin less than 2 years ago, albeit with both teams fielding experimental line-ups. We can do this. Then there’s the strange case of Franz Beckenbauer having a pop at us this week. To recap, Der Kaiser said we had gone back to the dark ages with our football, then followed that up by saying we were stupid for finishing second in our group and we look tired and jaded. Now fair enough, if he watched the Algeria game, that was more pre-historic than dark ages. And fair enough, any scout tasked to watch Wayne Rooney during the competition is going to scribble down words like “tired and jaded”. But why fire up potential opponents like that ? I don’t understand. It makes Capello’s team talk easy and if there’s even the slightest chance that a single German player is lulled into a false sense of security, then it can only work in our favour. I’m probably overstating this, because I heard a German media bloke on 5 Live saying that Beckenbauer is still loved and revered for his achievements, but he’s now seen as a bit of an old eccentric and people take his outbursts with a pinch of salt these days. But anyway, it might be an advantage for us, so let’s big it up. I expect Capello to pick the same team (having finally found a winning formula, why change it ?) and I expect us to give our best performance of the World Cup so far. We’ve got some momentum now. We always play better against better opposition. I like the fact that the world sees us as the underdogs and, let’s face it, Rooney’s due a goal or two. It might be enough. I hope we, as a nation, can resist the war imagery over the next 48 hours and I believe we can win this football match. But if it goes to penalties, I’m leaving the room and going to stand in the back yard with a good stiff drink, because I just won’t be able to stand it.
Monday, 14 June 2010
Murphy's Law
We dreamt of a flawless, vibrant, intelligent performance. We hoped to lay down a marker so we could get up in the faces of the favourites and say "we are England and we are here to take your cup." But we didn't. Instead we found ourselves on the wrong side of Murphy's Law.
Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong.
Robert Green's ghastly error changed the nature of the match and made the headlines, but he wasn't the only problem on a night when all our chickens came home to roost.
We shouldn't get carried away though. It's not the end of the world (cup)and I'm sure we would have won if it hadn't been for Green's nightmare.
I didn't think the USA were causing many problems until that moment and I thought we were the better of two average teams who were both struggling to keep possession.
And then it happened. It's stating the obvious to say that it changed the game. But sometimes these things do fundamentally alter a game and sometimes they just send it down a wrong turn for half an hour.
This particular mistake changed everything. It energised the Americans and wasted what little confidence and rhythm we'd built up. By the end, we were grateful for the draw.
Now we're left to ponder all the same old concerns again.
We all worried about who would be in goal and with good reason as it turned out. For me, Green should go. A World Cup is not like a league season, where a player has time to play himself back into form. Its do or die, now or never and someone else should go in goal. Personally I would have picked Joe Hart for Saturday's game, but under these circumstances, the more experienced David James is perhaps the right man to take over now.
The centre of defence was already a concern after Rio Ferdinand's injury but we all talked ourselves into believing that Ledley King's fitness would hold up and that he would be an admirable replacement. That lasted precisely 45 minutes. To make matters worse, his replacement, the admirable Jamie Carragher, had a nightmare, especially against anyone with any sort of pace. So another new face is likely v Algeria. Probably Matty Upson.
The midfield was always going to throw up more questions than answers, due to the absence of Gareth Barry in the anchor role. But what we got was a real mess. Lennon wasn't as good as I hoped. Lampard was anonymous. Milner wasn't fit and I can't for the life of me fathom why it was scattergun Shaun Wright-Phillips and not the more intelligent Joe Cole who was summoned from the bench. Gerrard was good though, which was one of the few plus points. He took that goal really well.
Heskey was a plus and a minus. In one sense he did exactly what he was there to do, which was to be a pivot point for the attack. Sadly he also didn't do what he was there to do. He just doesn't score and it wasn't at all surprising that he blew his big chance in the second half. More importantly, the whole 90 minutes offered yet more ammunition to the TV pundits' theory that England need to play one up front in order to retain possession better. That one being Rooney, who was a bit off colour on Saturday. But please god there's more to come from him.
Worst of all, my previously unshakable faith in Capello was shaken a little, because he didn't have a good night either. He can't be held responsible for King's fitness and he isn't responsible for his goalie throwing one in. But he never got the midfield to work and he backed the wrong horses with his choice of keeper and with his substitutions.
On Sunday, Algeria and Slovenia proved there really is nothing to fear in this group, but the pressure has now been ratcheted up a notch. Especially in terms of topping the group and avoiding a likely second round date with the Germans.
Not a great start then, but not a total disaster either. We fell victim to Murphy's Law on Saturday, but we didn't lose and we really should still top this group. So we can still win the World Cup. But we still probably won't.
Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong.
Robert Green's ghastly error changed the nature of the match and made the headlines, but he wasn't the only problem on a night when all our chickens came home to roost.
We shouldn't get carried away though. It's not the end of the world (cup)and I'm sure we would have won if it hadn't been for Green's nightmare.
I didn't think the USA were causing many problems until that moment and I thought we were the better of two average teams who were both struggling to keep possession.
And then it happened. It's stating the obvious to say that it changed the game. But sometimes these things do fundamentally alter a game and sometimes they just send it down a wrong turn for half an hour.
This particular mistake changed everything. It energised the Americans and wasted what little confidence and rhythm we'd built up. By the end, we were grateful for the draw.
Now we're left to ponder all the same old concerns again.
We all worried about who would be in goal and with good reason as it turned out. For me, Green should go. A World Cup is not like a league season, where a player has time to play himself back into form. Its do or die, now or never and someone else should go in goal. Personally I would have picked Joe Hart for Saturday's game, but under these circumstances, the more experienced David James is perhaps the right man to take over now.
The centre of defence was already a concern after Rio Ferdinand's injury but we all talked ourselves into believing that Ledley King's fitness would hold up and that he would be an admirable replacement. That lasted precisely 45 minutes. To make matters worse, his replacement, the admirable Jamie Carragher, had a nightmare, especially against anyone with any sort of pace. So another new face is likely v Algeria. Probably Matty Upson.
The midfield was always going to throw up more questions than answers, due to the absence of Gareth Barry in the anchor role. But what we got was a real mess. Lennon wasn't as good as I hoped. Lampard was anonymous. Milner wasn't fit and I can't for the life of me fathom why it was scattergun Shaun Wright-Phillips and not the more intelligent Joe Cole who was summoned from the bench. Gerrard was good though, which was one of the few plus points. He took that goal really well.
Heskey was a plus and a minus. In one sense he did exactly what he was there to do, which was to be a pivot point for the attack. Sadly he also didn't do what he was there to do. He just doesn't score and it wasn't at all surprising that he blew his big chance in the second half. More importantly, the whole 90 minutes offered yet more ammunition to the TV pundits' theory that England need to play one up front in order to retain possession better. That one being Rooney, who was a bit off colour on Saturday. But please god there's more to come from him.
Worst of all, my previously unshakable faith in Capello was shaken a little, because he didn't have a good night either. He can't be held responsible for King's fitness and he isn't responsible for his goalie throwing one in. But he never got the midfield to work and he backed the wrong horses with his choice of keeper and with his substitutions.
On Sunday, Algeria and Slovenia proved there really is nothing to fear in this group, but the pressure has now been ratcheted up a notch. Especially in terms of topping the group and avoiding a likely second round date with the Germans.
Not a great start then, but not a total disaster either. We fell victim to Murphy's Law on Saturday, but we didn't lose and we really should still top this group. So we can still win the World Cup. But we still probably won't.
Monday, 7 June 2010
Yes. No. Probably not.
The pound shop car flags are flying and the time has come. Once again that most powerful epidemic, World Cup fever, has infected the nation. Experience tells us to be more realistic in our expectations this time, but we never really learn. At some stage the majority of the nation will be seduced by the idea that football’s coming home. All England followers will ask themselves two questions. At least we should ask ourselves two questions, but most of us will just get giddy with excitement after answering number one and not bother with question number two.
ARE ENGLAND CAPABLE OF WINNING THE WORLD CUP ? Yes.
WILL ENGLAND WIN THE WORLD CUP ? No. Probably not.
England are capable, because every dog has it's day. Forget what's happened in the past and just look at the squad. We have enough high level players to string together enough results to win one of these tournaments. Only the most blinkered England supporter would claim the squad is stuffed full of “world class” players, but phrases like “world class” are often misleading and unhelpful anyway. The bottom line is that England have enough Champions League players to form the basis of a decent unit. If we get the system right and we get on a roll and we get some luck and we grow in confidence throughout the tournament, then it can be done. Just look at Spain. Everyone thought they were a bigger bunch of underachievers than us until Euro 2008.
So why the negative answer to question two ? Oh so very many reasons. Some wounds have been self-inflicted, sometimes it’s been down to bad luck, bad decisions or bad judgement. Remember Penalties, metatarsals, red cards and wags ? The list is endless. When you consider the unseen factors like the nation's overwhelming and fierce expectation and the fawning self-regard of our “golden generation” of players, you wonder why we bother putting ourselves through it.
Because we might win.
That's the reason and that's the problem and that's also the beautiful temptation that keeps us coming back for more.
True, we haven't got the best squad of players in South Africa. But the best teams don’t always win. Italy weren’t the best team at the World Cup in 2006 and Greece certainly weren't the best team at Euro 2004. We just seem to lack the nerve for it, which is ironic for a nation that prides itself on a stiff upper lip. We can’t take a decent penalty when the chips are down. We can’t shake off our inhibition and play with freedom in the later stages. Or the group stages come to that. We’re unable to control our emotions and we often lose faith in what we are doing and how we’re planning to do it.
But this is where things might be different this time. It’s not the players, as they’re largely the same bunch of international underachievers who’ve been disappointing us for the last few years. It’s the Head Coach. Fabio Capello is a proper football manager. He knows how to win games, he knows how to win tournaments. He knows how he wants his team to play and he’s got the nerve to stick to his guns when the media and the masses are begging him to try something else. He knows Wayne Rooney is the key to everything and he knows he needs to construct his team to reflect that. He doesn’t give a toss for celebrity and wags and reputations. He knows there are better squads than his at the World Cup, but he knows that his squad are capable of beating every single one of them on their day. He has the strength of his vast experience and the courage of his convictions and if he thinks things work best when Emile Heskey plays, then Emile Heskey's going to play. He will have a plan B, but he won’t deviate from plan A just because the ranters on 606 are calling for one up front.
Of course that doesn’t mean England are going to beat Spain, or Brazil. Of course Capello is still at the mercy of fate. He won’t referee the games and he won’t take the penalties in the quarter-final shoot-out. But he won’t bow down and he won’t blink and god help me if Rooney fires, this might be our year.
But probably not.
ARE ENGLAND CAPABLE OF WINNING THE WORLD CUP ? Yes.
WILL ENGLAND WIN THE WORLD CUP ? No. Probably not.
England are capable, because every dog has it's day. Forget what's happened in the past and just look at the squad. We have enough high level players to string together enough results to win one of these tournaments. Only the most blinkered England supporter would claim the squad is stuffed full of “world class” players, but phrases like “world class” are often misleading and unhelpful anyway. The bottom line is that England have enough Champions League players to form the basis of a decent unit. If we get the system right and we get on a roll and we get some luck and we grow in confidence throughout the tournament, then it can be done. Just look at Spain. Everyone thought they were a bigger bunch of underachievers than us until Euro 2008.
So why the negative answer to question two ? Oh so very many reasons. Some wounds have been self-inflicted, sometimes it’s been down to bad luck, bad decisions or bad judgement. Remember Penalties, metatarsals, red cards and wags ? The list is endless. When you consider the unseen factors like the nation's overwhelming and fierce expectation and the fawning self-regard of our “golden generation” of players, you wonder why we bother putting ourselves through it.
Because we might win.
That's the reason and that's the problem and that's also the beautiful temptation that keeps us coming back for more.
True, we haven't got the best squad of players in South Africa. But the best teams don’t always win. Italy weren’t the best team at the World Cup in 2006 and Greece certainly weren't the best team at Euro 2004. We just seem to lack the nerve for it, which is ironic for a nation that prides itself on a stiff upper lip. We can’t take a decent penalty when the chips are down. We can’t shake off our inhibition and play with freedom in the later stages. Or the group stages come to that. We’re unable to control our emotions and we often lose faith in what we are doing and how we’re planning to do it.
But this is where things might be different this time. It’s not the players, as they’re largely the same bunch of international underachievers who’ve been disappointing us for the last few years. It’s the Head Coach. Fabio Capello is a proper football manager. He knows how to win games, he knows how to win tournaments. He knows how he wants his team to play and he’s got the nerve to stick to his guns when the media and the masses are begging him to try something else. He knows Wayne Rooney is the key to everything and he knows he needs to construct his team to reflect that. He doesn’t give a toss for celebrity and wags and reputations. He knows there are better squads than his at the World Cup, but he knows that his squad are capable of beating every single one of them on their day. He has the strength of his vast experience and the courage of his convictions and if he thinks things work best when Emile Heskey plays, then Emile Heskey's going to play. He will have a plan B, but he won’t deviate from plan A just because the ranters on 606 are calling for one up front.
Of course that doesn’t mean England are going to beat Spain, or Brazil. Of course Capello is still at the mercy of fate. He won’t referee the games and he won’t take the penalties in the quarter-final shoot-out. But he won’t bow down and he won’t blink and god help me if Rooney fires, this might be our year.
But probably not.
North East XI 2009-2010
Just a personal opinion, so don’t hate me.
I do appreciate that Sunderland were operating at a higher level than Newcastle United and Middlesbrough, but I think the Magpies’ success justifies their representation in the following team.
The formation is 4-4-2 because, well, we’re English, it’s what we always do and any attempt to do anything different will only end in tears.
GOALKEEPER - Steve Harper (Newcastle United) - Sunderland’s Craig Gordon gave some of the best goalkeeping performances I’ve ever been lucky enough to see this season and began to look proper world class. But Harper had an almost flawless campaign for Newcastle. He broke the club record for clean sheets, marshalled his defence expertly and he was one of the senior members of the dressing room committee that helped put the house in order last summer.
RIGHT BACK - Danny Simpson (Newcastle United) - Alan Hutton was excellent on loan for Sunderland, but Simpson’s season was a solid body of work. A very reliable player. Interesting to see how he goes in the premier league.
LEFT BACK - Jose Enrique (Newcastle United) - Crowd favourite, proper player and evidence that not everything Sam Allardyce did at Newcastle was wrong. The Spaniard had an excellent year and he could thrive in the top flight next season.
CENTRE BACK - Michael Turner (Sunderland) - Good, old-fashioned, no nonsense, value for money defender. If you want ball playing, beautiful game centre halves then look elsewhere. But if you want an aggressive, committed, brave defender – he's your man.
CENTRE BACK - Fabricio Coloccini (Newcastle United) - Found redemption in the championship. But while Dexter Blackstock, Shefki Kuqi and Alan Lee didn't cause him to lose sleep, the old nightmares are just around the corner. Never mind Rooney, Torres and Drogba, he needs to cope better with the likes of Kenwyne Jones, John Carew and Kevin Davies.
LEFT MIDFIELD - Jonas Guttierez (Newcastle United) - I still don't think there's enough end product, but he was one of the outstanding creative players in the Championship and he'll be in the Argentina starting XI in the World Cup, so what do I know ?
CENTRE MIDFIELD - Jordan Henderson (Sunderland) - Could’ve been Lorik Cana, who was a great signing for Sunderland, but who got bogged down in the winter. It would've been Lee Cattermole, had he stayed injury free and kept up the stellar form he showed at the start of the season. Instead it's a kid who came from the youth team and looked totally at home in a premier league midfield. Big things might happen for this one.
CENTRE MIDFIELD - Kevin Nolan (Newcastle United) - The Governor. Huge influence on the dressing room at Newcastle and huge influence on the pitch as well. The canniest, most streetwise player in the Championship last season. Truly intriguing to see how he does next year.
RIGHT MIDFIELD - Adam Johnson (Ex-Middlesbrough) - Yes, I realise I’m picking a left-footed Manchester City player and playing him on the right side, but everyone seems to like him on the right side these days and this is the only way I can get any Boro representation into the starting eleven. He's a true talent. Shame he had to leave. But I suppose he had to.
STRIKER - Darren Bent (Sunderland) - First name on the team sheet. A brilliant, brilliant debut season for the Black Cats record signing. Bent is a true predator and has been a huge success on and off the pitch for Sunderland. Don’t worry about the price tag because he’s worth every penny.
STRIKER - Andy Carroll (Newcastle United) - The whole package needs improving, especially off the pitch, but he had a real breakthrough season in the championship. He’s got a fierceness that I really like in a centre forward and he’s actually a really good finisher.
SUBSTITUTES: Craig Gordon (Sunderland) John Mensah (Sunderland) Lorik Cana (Sunderland) Barry Robson (Middlesbrough) Danny Guthrie (Newcastle United) Peter Lovenkrands (Newcastle United) Kenwyne Jones (Sunderland)
I do appreciate that Sunderland were operating at a higher level than Newcastle United and Middlesbrough, but I think the Magpies’ success justifies their representation in the following team.
The formation is 4-4-2 because, well, we’re English, it’s what we always do and any attempt to do anything different will only end in tears.
GOALKEEPER - Steve Harper (Newcastle United) - Sunderland’s Craig Gordon gave some of the best goalkeeping performances I’ve ever been lucky enough to see this season and began to look proper world class. But Harper had an almost flawless campaign for Newcastle. He broke the club record for clean sheets, marshalled his defence expertly and he was one of the senior members of the dressing room committee that helped put the house in order last summer.
RIGHT BACK - Danny Simpson (Newcastle United) - Alan Hutton was excellent on loan for Sunderland, but Simpson’s season was a solid body of work. A very reliable player. Interesting to see how he goes in the premier league.
LEFT BACK - Jose Enrique (Newcastle United) - Crowd favourite, proper player and evidence that not everything Sam Allardyce did at Newcastle was wrong. The Spaniard had an excellent year and he could thrive in the top flight next season.
CENTRE BACK - Michael Turner (Sunderland) - Good, old-fashioned, no nonsense, value for money defender. If you want ball playing, beautiful game centre halves then look elsewhere. But if you want an aggressive, committed, brave defender – he's your man.
CENTRE BACK - Fabricio Coloccini (Newcastle United) - Found redemption in the championship. But while Dexter Blackstock, Shefki Kuqi and Alan Lee didn't cause him to lose sleep, the old nightmares are just around the corner. Never mind Rooney, Torres and Drogba, he needs to cope better with the likes of Kenwyne Jones, John Carew and Kevin Davies.
LEFT MIDFIELD - Jonas Guttierez (Newcastle United) - I still don't think there's enough end product, but he was one of the outstanding creative players in the Championship and he'll be in the Argentina starting XI in the World Cup, so what do I know ?
CENTRE MIDFIELD - Jordan Henderson (Sunderland) - Could’ve been Lorik Cana, who was a great signing for Sunderland, but who got bogged down in the winter. It would've been Lee Cattermole, had he stayed injury free and kept up the stellar form he showed at the start of the season. Instead it's a kid who came from the youth team and looked totally at home in a premier league midfield. Big things might happen for this one.
CENTRE MIDFIELD - Kevin Nolan (Newcastle United) - The Governor. Huge influence on the dressing room at Newcastle and huge influence on the pitch as well. The canniest, most streetwise player in the Championship last season. Truly intriguing to see how he does next year.
RIGHT MIDFIELD - Adam Johnson (Ex-Middlesbrough) - Yes, I realise I’m picking a left-footed Manchester City player and playing him on the right side, but everyone seems to like him on the right side these days and this is the only way I can get any Boro representation into the starting eleven. He's a true talent. Shame he had to leave. But I suppose he had to.
STRIKER - Darren Bent (Sunderland) - First name on the team sheet. A brilliant, brilliant debut season for the Black Cats record signing. Bent is a true predator and has been a huge success on and off the pitch for Sunderland. Don’t worry about the price tag because he’s worth every penny.
STRIKER - Andy Carroll (Newcastle United) - The whole package needs improving, especially off the pitch, but he had a real breakthrough season in the championship. He’s got a fierceness that I really like in a centre forward and he’s actually a really good finisher.
SUBSTITUTES: Craig Gordon (Sunderland) John Mensah (Sunderland) Lorik Cana (Sunderland) Barry Robson (Middlesbrough) Danny Guthrie (Newcastle United) Peter Lovenkrands (Newcastle United) Kenwyne Jones (Sunderland)
Tuesday, 25 May 2010
40% better.
In an item I did on the telly the other week, I argued that the North East League Football season that's just ended was 40% better than the last one. The maths are fairly simple, which they have to be, because I’m not good at maths. But I thought I’d explain. Basically, it was a LOT better for Newcastle, better for Sunderland, but either the same or worse for Middlesbrough, Hartlepool and Darlington.
Newcastle United. BETTER. MUCH, MUCH BETTER
The Magpies season can be viewed in any number of different ways, but every interpretation reaches the same positive conclusion. At one extreme, you might reasonably say that Chris Hughton, Kevin Nolan, Steve Harper and the rest of them have saved the soul of a football club. At the other end of the scale, you might consider that essentially all Newcastle United have done is put right a terrible wrong. But either way, you have to conclude that they’ve done very, very well. Hughton’s quiet authority was the pleasant surprise of the year. The coalition of senior players set the tone and provided the solid backbone to the whole enterprise. Newcastle United became a half decent team again, but just as importantly, they became a team that it’s possible to admire again. They were defined by spirit, character and hard work. Old-fashioned qualities that haven't been associated with Newcastle United for some time. They deserved to win the Championship and the premier league welcomes them back with open arms.
Marks out of ten: 10. I could take a mark off for the “fight, what fight” incident that the club swept under the carpet. I could take a mark off for the balloon-bursting, post-season “No money, no comment” statement. But I’m not going to. Giving Newcastle United any less than 10 out of 10 seems churlish. They did as much as it was possible for them to do this season and they did it very well.
Sunderland. BETTER.
Great start + Saggy middle + Decent ending = 13th place in the premier league and no relegation worries beyond the middle of April. That is progress. It’s just not sexy progress. It’s just not as much progress as we were hoping for back in November. Ultimately it was a transitional season as a new manager put together a new squad. Darren Bent was the star of the show. His 25 goals kept the Black Cats out of trouble, but just as importantly he proved that not all young, English footballers are predictable and one dimensional. He proved to himself and hopefully to others that there is football life outside London and the North West. He embraced the region and the region embraced him. Bent wasn't the only success story either. Craig Gordon blossomed. Jordan Henderson sparkled. There’s a lot to work with and more money for Bruce to spend. The bleak midwinter was awful though and as a result, there will be tough decisions to make, in terms of who stays and who can go. But the foundations are now in place. Opportunity knocks at the Stadium of Light. That’s for sure.
Marks out of ten: 7. I asked Steve Bruce to give himself marks out of ten for his debut season as Sunderland Manager. He said 6. But I think he was being harsh on himself. I say 7, because as uneven as it was, there were some great memories along the way. The beachball. Man United away. Arsenal and Spurs at home, the latter of which was my favourite match of the season. Darren Bent becoming the new Superkev. Lorik Cana launching himself into ridiculous flying tackles. As Steve Bruce said, "It was so nearly an 8".
Middlesbrough. SLIGHTLY WORSE.
Everything changed, but not yet for the better. Boro’s campaign was defined by the decision to replace Gareth Southgate with Gordon Strachan. It was more than a managerial reshuffle. It was Steve Gibson's admission that an era was over at the Riverside and it was time to rip everything up and start again. The arguments about Southgate were mostly over the timing of his departure, rather than the decision itself and Strachan seemed a logical choice to replace him. But it was in the weeks and months that followed that Middlesbrough’s season drifted away from them. There was no “dead cat bounce”. Just the opposite. Their form collapsed and by the time they recovered, automatic promotion had gone and the play-offs were just out of reach. But what if this unsatisfying season was a necessary evil ? Clearly Strachan was less than enthusiastic about the squad he inherited and he set about rebooting it in January. That process is not yet complete and therefore this project can’t yet be properly judged. Time is of the essence though. The Teesside public have voted with their feet. Attendances have dropped alarmingly and Strachan and his team need to act fast to bring the fans back to the Riverside.
Marks out of ten: 4. That may seem harsh, but while Newcastle looked like a premier league team just passing through, Middlesbrough never fully came to grips with the championship. The big roll of the dice, the managerial change, did not bring instant results. Adam Johnson provided the sparkle, but his inevitable departure was the final signal that it was the end of an era. This was a deeply flawed, deeply unsatisfying campaign. But change on this scale tends to be painful and better times are surely ahead.
Hartlepool United. SAME
The same season as last time made different by an unexpected random factor that was thrown in at the very last minute. A Football League ruling that was brutal in it's timing, if not in it's substance. There are definitely two sides to the Gary Liddle story, but when all's said and done, Hartlepool selected a player who should have been suspended and ultimately they take responsibility for that. But why did it take so long for the verdict ? Stripping Hartlepool of 3 points just before the final game of the season changed the shape and context of the relegation fight for four different clubs. That was cruel and badly handled. But they survived and that's another little victory. Hartlepool provide a decent blueprint for small clubs competing at this level and every year they survive in league one is a year of achievement. But that's also a fundamental problem, because if you keep banging your head on the glass ceiling, the law of diminishing returns kicks in and Hartlepool had the lowest average crowd in League One this year.
Marks out of ten: 5. More of the same. No cup excitement to speak of this time either. In fact the only thing that really raised the pulse was Liddlegate.
Darlington. WORSE. OBVIOUSLY.
With the benefit of hindsight, they never had a chance. It just took too long to get out of administration and there wasn't enough time or money for a new manager to conjure up a new team. Colin Todd had virtually no players left over from the previous season and his replacements weren't good enough. Steve Staunton replaced Todd and tried his own hasty rebuilding job. But that didn't turn out much better. By the time Simon Davey arrived as the third manager of the season, the brief was no longer survival, it was resurrection. Darlington were relegated and that great, big, white elephant of a stadium will exist outside the football league next season. It's sad and it feels like a death in the North East Football Family.
Marks out of ten: 1. Half a mark because I think Chairman Raj Singh's heart is in the right place and half a mark for the appointment of Simon Davey, who might just be the right man for this beast of a job. But apart from that, forget it. A disaster.
Newcastle United. BETTER. MUCH, MUCH BETTER
The Magpies season can be viewed in any number of different ways, but every interpretation reaches the same positive conclusion. At one extreme, you might reasonably say that Chris Hughton, Kevin Nolan, Steve Harper and the rest of them have saved the soul of a football club. At the other end of the scale, you might consider that essentially all Newcastle United have done is put right a terrible wrong. But either way, you have to conclude that they’ve done very, very well. Hughton’s quiet authority was the pleasant surprise of the year. The coalition of senior players set the tone and provided the solid backbone to the whole enterprise. Newcastle United became a half decent team again, but just as importantly, they became a team that it’s possible to admire again. They were defined by spirit, character and hard work. Old-fashioned qualities that haven't been associated with Newcastle United for some time. They deserved to win the Championship and the premier league welcomes them back with open arms.
Marks out of ten: 10. I could take a mark off for the “fight, what fight” incident that the club swept under the carpet. I could take a mark off for the balloon-bursting, post-season “No money, no comment” statement. But I’m not going to. Giving Newcastle United any less than 10 out of 10 seems churlish. They did as much as it was possible for them to do this season and they did it very well.
Sunderland. BETTER.
Great start + Saggy middle + Decent ending = 13th place in the premier league and no relegation worries beyond the middle of April. That is progress. It’s just not sexy progress. It’s just not as much progress as we were hoping for back in November. Ultimately it was a transitional season as a new manager put together a new squad. Darren Bent was the star of the show. His 25 goals kept the Black Cats out of trouble, but just as importantly he proved that not all young, English footballers are predictable and one dimensional. He proved to himself and hopefully to others that there is football life outside London and the North West. He embraced the region and the region embraced him. Bent wasn't the only success story either. Craig Gordon blossomed. Jordan Henderson sparkled. There’s a lot to work with and more money for Bruce to spend. The bleak midwinter was awful though and as a result, there will be tough decisions to make, in terms of who stays and who can go. But the foundations are now in place. Opportunity knocks at the Stadium of Light. That’s for sure.
Marks out of ten: 7. I asked Steve Bruce to give himself marks out of ten for his debut season as Sunderland Manager. He said 6. But I think he was being harsh on himself. I say 7, because as uneven as it was, there were some great memories along the way. The beachball. Man United away. Arsenal and Spurs at home, the latter of which was my favourite match of the season. Darren Bent becoming the new Superkev. Lorik Cana launching himself into ridiculous flying tackles. As Steve Bruce said, "It was so nearly an 8".
Middlesbrough. SLIGHTLY WORSE.
Everything changed, but not yet for the better. Boro’s campaign was defined by the decision to replace Gareth Southgate with Gordon Strachan. It was more than a managerial reshuffle. It was Steve Gibson's admission that an era was over at the Riverside and it was time to rip everything up and start again. The arguments about Southgate were mostly over the timing of his departure, rather than the decision itself and Strachan seemed a logical choice to replace him. But it was in the weeks and months that followed that Middlesbrough’s season drifted away from them. There was no “dead cat bounce”. Just the opposite. Their form collapsed and by the time they recovered, automatic promotion had gone and the play-offs were just out of reach. But what if this unsatisfying season was a necessary evil ? Clearly Strachan was less than enthusiastic about the squad he inherited and he set about rebooting it in January. That process is not yet complete and therefore this project can’t yet be properly judged. Time is of the essence though. The Teesside public have voted with their feet. Attendances have dropped alarmingly and Strachan and his team need to act fast to bring the fans back to the Riverside.
Marks out of ten: 4. That may seem harsh, but while Newcastle looked like a premier league team just passing through, Middlesbrough never fully came to grips with the championship. The big roll of the dice, the managerial change, did not bring instant results. Adam Johnson provided the sparkle, but his inevitable departure was the final signal that it was the end of an era. This was a deeply flawed, deeply unsatisfying campaign. But change on this scale tends to be painful and better times are surely ahead.
Hartlepool United. SAME
The same season as last time made different by an unexpected random factor that was thrown in at the very last minute. A Football League ruling that was brutal in it's timing, if not in it's substance. There are definitely two sides to the Gary Liddle story, but when all's said and done, Hartlepool selected a player who should have been suspended and ultimately they take responsibility for that. But why did it take so long for the verdict ? Stripping Hartlepool of 3 points just before the final game of the season changed the shape and context of the relegation fight for four different clubs. That was cruel and badly handled. But they survived and that's another little victory. Hartlepool provide a decent blueprint for small clubs competing at this level and every year they survive in league one is a year of achievement. But that's also a fundamental problem, because if you keep banging your head on the glass ceiling, the law of diminishing returns kicks in and Hartlepool had the lowest average crowd in League One this year.
Marks out of ten: 5. More of the same. No cup excitement to speak of this time either. In fact the only thing that really raised the pulse was Liddlegate.
Darlington. WORSE. OBVIOUSLY.
With the benefit of hindsight, they never had a chance. It just took too long to get out of administration and there wasn't enough time or money for a new manager to conjure up a new team. Colin Todd had virtually no players left over from the previous season and his replacements weren't good enough. Steve Staunton replaced Todd and tried his own hasty rebuilding job. But that didn't turn out much better. By the time Simon Davey arrived as the third manager of the season, the brief was no longer survival, it was resurrection. Darlington were relegated and that great, big, white elephant of a stadium will exist outside the football league next season. It's sad and it feels like a death in the North East Football Family.
Marks out of ten: 1. Half a mark because I think Chairman Raj Singh's heart is in the right place and half a mark for the appointment of Simon Davey, who might just be the right man for this beast of a job. But apart from that, forget it. A disaster.
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