Newcastle United – News Roundup – 10 August 2009.
Posted on August 10th, 2009 | 20 Comments |
It’s all looks like sheer press invention to me but let’s have brief look at O’Leary’s management career anyway.
O’Leary managed Leeds from 1998 until 2002, getting two top 4 finishes, a UEFA Cup semi-final and a Champions League semi-final, all on a budget of £100m over 4 years.
He then managed Villa from 2003 until 2006, lifting them 10 places to get a 6th place finish in his first season.
Unfortunately – maybe due to the severe spending restrictions imposed by owner Doug Ellis – O’Leary’s next two seasons with Villa weren’t so good as he only managed a 10th place finish and, in his last season, a 16th place finish, narrowly avoiding relegation.
I’m not sure what to make of the prospect of O’Leary at Newcastle. I guess my main concern is that he doesn’t seem to operate too well on a tight budget and I suspect he’d have to operate on an extremely tight budget under Ashley, possibly even no budget at all if his appointment’s after the transfer window closes.
However, I’ve seen no direct quotes from O’Leary, Ashley or Llambias about who the new manager might be or whether Ashley will actually keep the club. As I understand it he’s flying back from Hawaii to discuss the situation with Keith Harris today. It says a lot about Ashley’s lack of enthusiasm for the club that he wasn’t at our first game of the new season, preferring instead to sun himself on the beach, possibly confusing Greenpeace in the process.
Obafemi Martins has had a bit of a pop at the Newcastle situation. According to Sky Sports he said:
“I was left with no option but to leave Newcastle. The place had become a total shambles.
“No one seemed to know what was going on. The club was just left to drift after relegation and the worst thing was there was no communication with the players.
“The players were hoping that Alan Shearer would get the manager’s job, but the people supposedly running the club didn’t seem capable of making a decision.
“And with no manager and most of the top players wanting out, I felt I had no future there.
“It is sad to see how the club has gone downhill in the last couple of years.
“There is absolutely no direction. The players are demoralised by the lack of leadership and I just can’t see things getting better.”
Same old same old. I mean, he’s right but I think Ashley’s got the message now – he’s just not doing anything about it at the moment.
“Geordie hero Shearer back as Newcastle boss ‘within days’,” cries The Mail in a headline. “But only if owner Mike Ashley is willing to accept a £70million offer for the club from Geordie businessman Barry Moat,” they continue in the article. What an annoying newspaper.
The club reports that Harper seems okay after getting Ameobi’s errant hoof to his head. Apparently he was checked by a hospital as a precaution but travelled back with the team.
Also on the club site, Chris Hughton praised the team after their 1-1 draw with West Brom:
“I think on the balance of chances it was a fair result,” said Hughton.
“It was certainly an entertaining, end-to-end game.
“I was delighted with the players’ response after going in 1-0 down at half-time.
“They came out for the second-half and got the equaliser they deserved and after that we had West Brom on the back foot.
“We had a couple of good chances to take the lead and on another day I think we would have left here with three points.
“But let’s not forget that Tim Krul has made some outstanding saves at the other end.”
That’s it for now. It should be an interesting week though – I expect this sale saga will come to an end, at least for this season.
bowburnmag is back on home soil after a 7 hour car journey home on his own ending at midnight. The family got to stay for another days holiday. Outrageous!! I need another holiday already.
I see we’re still in the same pickle then?
Is it just me or did the 1-1 draw not just epitomise the apathy around the club? It wasn’t like they could have given us a sparkling win to get our hopes up nor was it a hiding so no justification to **** and moan any more than usual. Just about managing to scrape a draw seems fairly in keeping with the current situation. Neither forwards or backwards. The swines!
Reet, fortunately I have to busy myself with catch-up graft so won’t have to think too much about ‘the situation’ this morning. Who knows, by then we might be sorted!!??!!