"Newcastle is a bigger job than England."
Truer words were never spoken in jest, Mick Quinn! At last, the day has come: Souey's out.
Okay, he had his problems with injuries. And speaking from TDH's vaunted statistical perch, any club can have a run of bad form. But let's face it, the Magpies have looked like dog food for weeks. Time for a little kick in the rump.
So, whom do we want? Well, it's a complicated question. With Uncle Alan already installed as assistant manager, this may not be a job that many of the big names would take. Whoever cops it will know that their days are numbered. The local boy will be taking over within a few years at most. (Of course, Uncle Alan needs to get his UEFA qualification first - yet another ridiculous labor market restriction imposed by Europeans.)
Is there an elder statesman out there who'd be willing to show the 200-goal man the ropes for a few years, whose name isn't Sir Bobby Robson, and who we'd actually want managing the team? TDH isn't so sure there is. I mean, come on, Jim Smith would be a disaster. Maybe, er... Jimmy Hill?
(TDH toddles off, head shaking in bemusement.)
Okay, he had his problems with injuries. And speaking from TDH's vaunted statistical perch, any club can have a run of bad form. But let's face it, the Magpies have looked like dog food for weeks. Time for a little kick in the rump.
So, whom do we want? Well, it's a complicated question. With Uncle Alan already installed as assistant manager, this may not be a job that many of the big names would take. Whoever cops it will know that their days are numbered. The local boy will be taking over within a few years at most. (Of course, Uncle Alan needs to get his UEFA qualification first - yet another ridiculous labor market restriction imposed by Europeans.)
Is there an elder statesman out there who'd be willing to show the 200-goal man the ropes for a few years, whose name isn't Sir Bobby Robson, and who we'd actually want managing the team? TDH isn't so sure there is. I mean, come on, Jim Smith would be a disaster. Maybe, er... Jimmy Hill?
(TDH toddles off, head shaking in bemusement.)
posted by Daniel Altman at 3:57 PM
5 Comments:
yeah, the time surely had come.
gotta say, though, Gullit may have had a point. The other day he was quoted as saying (paraphrasing):
"none of the coaches since I left have done well. It seems that I was right and no-one can prove me wrong. Others have tried to move him, but can't because he is so loved. The club cannot move forward until he goes."
No prizes for guessing who he was yammering about.
That smarmy bastard is dead wrong. Sure, he can say Shearer's an impediment now, with his age showing a bit and the club down on its luck. But six years ago? Come on, Shearer went on to score 25 or more in four of the next five seasons, plus 19 in the last campaign. I think Gullit's claiming just a bit more foresight than he's entitled too.
And really, does Shearer change Newcastle's style of play so much? He's a versatile striker who needs good service like anybody else. Without a decent partner, his job is that much harder. But look at how well he and Owen have played together. It was a productive combination, and hopefully it will be again before the season's over.
I agree with you regarding Shearer as an impediment to success. There have been far too many other reasons, including (but not limited to) a complete lack of a solid backline, on again off again players (Dyer anyone), and well I'll leave it there. Today's celebrations shouldn't be marred by the usual Newcastle strife.
As for replacements, who knows. I just pray it isn't Allardyce, Moyes, or O'Leary.
gosh O'Leary would be horribly appropriate - he's brilliant and spending good money on muppets (Seth Johnson?! you must be joking...)
re: Shears, it is true that there have been far too many issues to single him out, but I think the argument against him is less about his ability as a player and more to do with his influence in the dressing room and with the board.
Gullit's side was even more abysmal than Souey's. Not much more, I'll grant you. Gullit's massive ego clashed with Al's massive ego. And Gullit lost. He's just bitter about it. He was a failure as a manager in England, simple as that, and in particualr dropping shearer and playing an untried reserve player up front against Sunderland was just a pathetic display of petulance on his part. And dropping a local hero before a a game against their deadliest rivals just shows what he thought of us as fans. I was elated when he was sacked, as mush as I am with yesterday's binning of Souness. As the A.G. has pointed out, Bobby Robson didn't seem to have a problem with him and Shearer continued to bang in the goals in a pretty damn good Newcastle side. Ultimately Uncle Bobby couldn't take us that next step forward. Thats why he lost his job. Nothing to do with Shearer.
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