Steve Harper: Newcastle United “dying slow and painful death”.
Posted on July 13th, 2009 | 24 Comments |
“It’s an awful situation which we cannot do anything about as players. The sooner it is resolved the better for everyone because we can start again.”
Harper then added:
“All we keep hearing is ‘Next few days, next few days, next few days’. Everybody – fans, players, staff – wants it resolved so we can rebuild this football club because we are in an awful state at the moment.
“We want it to be done and dusted so we know where we are and where we are going because at this moment the football club is dying a slow, painful death.
“We have to soldier on, but the sooner the better for everyone concerned – and most importantly for Newcastle United.”
Reflecting on the great catastrophe of last season, he went on:
“What happened last season was desperately, desperately disappointing.
“Just when you think there is an opportunity for this club to put itself right, this happens.
“For five or six years now it has been a gradual, slow implosion. It’s happened now and just when you think there is an opportunity to get it right, build and get straight back up, the opposite happens.
“A lot of fans have come up to me and said ‘In two or three years, it might be a blessing that it (relegation) happened’. Obviously everyone is very disappointed that it happened, but if something good comes out of it and the club rebuilds then maybe I can see that point.
“At the moment the club is not rebuilding – it is in a state of limbo and it is no good for anyone. We just want to get this club going back in the right direction and the situation is very, very frustrating for all of us.”
Harper then went on to praise Chris Hughton for his calm during these uncertain times:
“It is a unique and awful situation but we have to soldier on. This time of year is about getting as fit as possible, getting through games like this with no injuries, which we have managed to do,” he said.
“Getting a result helps and we have had a good week. We just need things to be resolved next week now – that is what we’re all hoping. As players we continue our preparations for August 8 this morning. That has to be our focus.”
Well, yes, as Steve says, the club is undoubedtly in a state of “limbo”, though it was inevitable that the sale of the club was going to take several weeks with matters like “due diligence” and several other hurdles to overcome. It was always going to seem like much longer than it actually is too, due to the media interest and seemingly endless made up stories that always seems to surround Newcatle United.
It is arguable however that despite the current malaise which Harper speaks of, which undoubedly exists with such a ‘lame duck’ at the helm, it is also better to avoid ‘acting in haste and repenting at leisure’ regarding new ownership. It is also arguable that despite the current, understandable frustrations of both the players and the fans, the big problem is not necessarily that the sale is dragging on longer than it needs to, but that the sale is happening at completely the wrong time in the first place. Having written this however, it is hardly as bad as the timing of Ashley’s first sale attempt, which set in motion a disastrous train of events which led to us having no less than FIVE managerial changes in one season. This created a lack of consistent leadership, and our current situation outside the Premiership.
Blame of course has been spread in many directions, the players, the managers, the discipline, and of course, more than anyone, Mike Ashley and his cohorts, Derek Llambias, and the now ex Director of Football, Dennis Wise. Whoever’s fault it was, including a significant section of the fans for pressuring Ashley into his stupid decision to sell the first time; It is imperative that the RIGHT owner is found, rather than simply anyone who isn’t Mike Ashley, and has £100 million burning a hole in their pocket.
NUFCBlog Author: workyticket
workyticket has written 1091 articles on this blog.
Pah, my ‘feel-good’ post is about as popular as Mike Ashley!! I was hoping for some inspirings stories to lift my spirits.
I’m pretty busy at work so I haven’t been able to contribute as much as I’d like but it seems like everyone else is much the same. Either that, or just too fed up with NUFC at the moment ot bother talking about it.
Hardly surprising.