Newcastle ‘United’ as one big, happy family?
Posted on November 25th, 2009 | 4 Comments |
Having rid ourselves of some inflated-egos following the drop, we hoped for some solidarity this year. Unity in the camp and everyone pushing for the same things and nobody better or more deserving than anybody else. That way everybody would have each other’s back and we’d be a ‘team’ again instead of just individuals who happened to be wearing the same shirt and kicking in the same direction on a Saturday.
One thing we probably didn’t expect after relegation though was for this to be much fun for the players. Although some of us tried to see opportunity in adversity and treat it like an adventure, we didn’t expect a beaming squad of player at the prospect of capped wages and capacity crowds lower than five figures. However, Steven Taylor has gone on record to say that it’s all smiles around the training ground at the moment and it sounds like life couldn’t be better for the young defender. He said:
“I’m loving it. It’s just a totally different mood about the place. We’re going into training now and having a right good laugh. We know when we have to be serious, but we also know that it’s good to have a joke as a group of lads.
“The banter is absolutely fantastic on the training ground, and it hasn’t always been like that in the time I’ve been at Newcastle.
“We’re all mingling in together as a group, and we know how to take each other, whereas a few years ago you might have got some people forming their own little groups.
“There’s none of that now – everyone’s together and everyone gets involved. I just wish the public could see what we were like on the inside of the dressing room now because I think it’s something to be proud of.
“We’re loving it, and it’s a real honour for me to be playing with this group of lads. I feel really lucky.
“As team-mates, we know we’re going to back each other up. Last season, I’m not sure we had that as much. But I think now, with this squad, there’s a real sense of spirit.
“The coaches have been absolutely fantastic in terms of keeping it together because it has been difficult for everybody. But now we know we have a manager in Chris and it’s all settled. That’s what we want. We’re looking after ourselves and Chris is doing a great job.”
One thing we’ve all been quick to accept is that winning is sometimes going to be ugly at this level, although there hasn’t been much pretty overall during the campaign. However, teams have proved that they will be up for it when they play us and that we have to be on our guard for that.
On that note, Taylor had this to say:
“Questions were asked when we lost at Blackpool and Scunthorpe, but I think we’ve answered them fairly convincingly. We’re a different side this year – we’re more together. We have to stick together in this league because it’s tough.
“Teams are going to keep coming and throwing everything at us, but I think we’ve shown we can handle that. We can pass the ball, but we can also do the dirty side of things as well.”
After a disappointing start to his Newcastle career, Coloccini has improved tenfold this term, whether that is wholly or partly down to the quality of the opposition is debatable, and whether some of his poor displays last season were down to not adapting to the game:
“It’s nice that there hasn’t really been the chopping and changing in defence this season. I feel like I’ve got a decent understanding with Fabricio now and long may that continue. We work well together in training, and I think that shows on the pitch.
“Hopefully, we can continue to build on that.”
Amen, to that Mr Taylor. That will involve continued endeavour from the players and we need to see this togetherness throughout the campaign, particularly when it’s cold, dark, the odds are against us and it looks like it could go pear-shaped. And if we’re stuck together for the forseeable future, it would be nice to think Big Mike is thinking the same way as us, and that we’re all pointed in the right direction.
Anybody else find it a coincidence that player unity is so apparent in Joey’s absence?
NUFCBlog Author: bowburnmag
bowburnmag has written 234 articles on this blog.
More drum-banging…..
I really do wish players would shut up and get on with it. All this its “a great set of lads” and “we’ve shown we can do the dirty stuff” is a little too close to what players were saying before matches last season….. when the performance didnt match the words beforehand.