Carver: Having no superstars is one reason for our success

Posted on October 7th, 2011 | 36 Comments |

John Carver talks about the attitude of the Newcastle United squad.
Right attitude
Newcastle United Assistant Manager John Carver talks about the squad’s attitude and how it has helped us get off to a good start this season.

Team harmony, attitude and understanding is worth points. I’m not sure how many points it’s worth but sometimes teams that are ‘together’ and have the right attitude can get points against teams that might be ‘better’ on paper.

Attitude was something Chris Hughton was big on when he was Newcastle manager and it seems that Alan Pardew is following suit. Few players have any complaints – or at least none that they voice – and most are enthusiastic about competing for places and have only good things to say about their team-mates and the club in general.

Assistant manager John Carver has been talking about the bonds formed within the squad and says:

“It helps that we’re winning, of course it does. When you lose, that is the first time your team spirit is really tested but there is a good atmosphere in the group.“

Carver quotes an example of the team bonding thusly:

“We got delayed on Saturday because of the plane and we sat in the lounge and the staff are having a chat.

“We can hear a noise and they’re all playing Mario Kart! It’s great because there’s a bit of spirit and togetherness. There’s Peter, who came on as sub, and he’s running the show. It’s all part of why we’ve had a decent start.”

Carver goes on to say that it’s important that there are no ‘bad apples’ within the group. Maybe Joey Barton’s renegade Twittering labelled him as a ‘bad apple’ and maybe that’s why he was released on a free transfer.

Carver also stresses that the club is keen not to import any ‘bad apples’ either and that a player’s attitude is a big factor in whether or not Newcastle attempt to recruit them. Big egos are something the club can do without according to Carver:

“Maybe the fact we haven’t got superstars is one of the reasons for the good start.

“When we did have superstars, maybe some of the younger players were reluctant to step forward. Maybe now we haven’t got that, they might blossom because of it.”

Yet – if the press is to be believed – we’re still keen to recruit Modibo Maiga. If I was trying to maintain a good attitude and wanted to avoid big egos, I don’t think I’d be chasing a player who’s prepared to go on strike to get his own way.

But, as I often say, what do I know?

NUFCBlog Author: Hugh de Payen I'm a baby-boomer of the punk rock persuasion, currently exiled in Somerset for crimes committed in a previous life where locals keep trying to poison me with something called 'scrumpy'. Hates sprouts, coat-hangers, Cilla Black, ornaments, Steven Seagull movies and 50 Cent (he's not worth 10). Hugh de Payen has written 634 articles on this blog.

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Posted on by Hugh de Payen in category: Alan Pardew and Chris Hughton and Interviews and Joey Barton and John Carver and NUFC Team Spirit & Attitude and Peter Lovenkrands , with tags: , ,
Comment on this post

36 Responses

  1. This is Class! If we truely are signing players on there attitude then maybe I’ll give Pards a ring!, I’m really canny so I must be a shoe-in!… maybe not.

  3. Nobby:

    if you spent your time correcting poor grammar and spelling on blogs, you wouldn’t have any time for anything else.

  7. completely agree that where better off without a icon in the team, because when we have in the past we rely on them too much. Owen was one and even Shearer although at-least Shearer stepped up! i think also us going down was a plus because it gave us the fans a reality check and made us realize where no longer that team of the 90’s. There’s not as much pressure on the team and its starting to show, but word to the caution, it could all change when where beaten and we will be but hopefully they will pick them selves up and dust off and get straight back into it. I think after November we will see because it looks daunting, man city away, man utd away followed by chelsea at home. Then we’ll see!

  10. Getting back to the article above. I think what Carver is getting at is that we don’t have the big mouths and big egos now running over everyone else. Coloccini said much the same thing.

    We do have potentially great players in Cabaye, Tiote and Ben Arfa.

  11. Interesting thread line, I was looking at the England teams and conjecturing as to whether we have players who could be picked for them. The Only possible contender for the full team would be Saylor with Simpson as an long shot. Quite a few U21’s though, although first team action would be helpful, SammyObei is one who springs to mind?

  14. Agree with 13. In fact, there’re more in the team. Any international is a superstar in my books, but I know what he means

  15. On one hand I agree with your ‘reality check’ analysis Chox, but on the other, being in the top 8 breeds success and expectations from all: The players, the fans, the opposition. Really, are the Evertons of the world better than us? Consider it.

  16. “Yet – if the press is to be believed – we’re still keen to recruit Modibo Maiga. If I was trying to maintain a good attitude and wanted to avoid big egos, I don’t think I’d be chasing a player who’s prepared to go on strike to get his own way.”

    Ben Arfa went on strike at Marseilles to force his move to the Premiership.

  17. No big ego’s ?
    Gotta be the first team in history, to be without big ego’s.
    Hey i want guys with big egos and the ability to match that ego on the pitch.
    I also want superstars, not average players, what the f**k is Carver talking about, he looking to build an average team ?
    As for Miaga, he appears to want to come here and like HBA, he’s not your average player, good !, don’t want no average players and the bigger the ego the better.
    Point is every team has it’s problems with players, whether about playing time, wages, playing out of position, well you all know what i’m talking about.
    That’s why we have managers.
    And if any of you have’nt got it by now, primarily it’s about MONEY, shocking i know, but believe it folks.
    No! not about the club, but there’s also ego, some looking for a bit of silverware to show for what is a fairly short career.
    If you still believe the guy who scores a hat-trick,who on being interviewed, exclaims, it’s not about me , its about the team, then you need help!

  18. chuck,
    i think you’re confusing id with ego mate.
    The prerequisite amount of ego is required like a backbone to stand up, but when it starts to get in the way of teamwork, get rid.
    No ‘I’ in team.

  20. i’m a pyscho-babbleist,

    id is the opposite of ego & a certain amount (i’m typing slowly) of ego is useful, rather like a back-bone is useful to stand up, but, if said ego grows to a point where it becomes a problem (the id), get rid of that particular player because it will spread or fester.
    Decoded!
    It’s a team sport not an individual event.
    ;)

  21. Clint:

    I think you are confusing Freud with someone who didn’t just make sh*t up. Ego is a useful term, but the rest of his babble is nonesense – “penis envy” c’mon. His patients were all coked up whores, and I think he may have been partying with Titus as well.

  23. Yeah, coca cola.

    Still, one could question the “veracity” of his findings when in Freud’s terms his subjects were “off their heeds” at the time.

  24. Er…No!
    :)

    Everyone was ‘off their head’ back then, it was the only way to be.

    Pep.si please.
    :)

  25. CLiNT FLiCK says:
    October 8, 2011 at 8:19 pm

    “Coke was prescribed for every little ailment back then GS.”

    Heroin was originally marketed by Beyer for coughs and you used to get cocaine tooth drops. Both were popular for keeping the bairns quiet, though the cocaine would probably make them a little more hyperactive. The soldiers in the early part of the first world war were all like Keith Richards on a bad day too.

    You can’t do that sort of thing any more though. It’s political correctness and health and safety gone mad if you ask me! :-)

  27. “Mrs. Winslow’s Soothing Syrup was an indispensable aid to mothers and child-care workers. Containing one grain (65 mg) of morphine per fluid ounce, it effectively quieted restless infants and small children. It probably also helped mothers relax after a hard day’s work. The company used various media to promote their product, including recipe books, calendars, and trade cards such as the one shown here from 1887 (A calendar is on the reverse side.).”

    http://wings.buffalo.edu/aru/preprohibition.htm

  28. You didn’t say whether you believe Freud’s Cr*p.

    And why doesn’t Rory Delap get a yellow card for time wasting every time he takes a throw in? The public needs to know these things!

  29. worky,
    aye
    :)
    They liked handing out ‘whizz’ in ww2 n’all.

    GS,
    aye, i knew that, though only ’til the early 20th century, also why was PEP.SI called PEP.SI, there used to be a full stop in the form of a copyright logo on the can.
    ;)

  31. The famous coka cola ‘curves’ on the can in white are even based on the shape of coca leaves.
    ;)

  34. Jimmy Greaves used to like more than a few pints and a sniff of Amyl by his own admission before he ran out on the pitch, and he’s arguably England’s greatest postwar hitman.

    It certainly would be a “fanny old game” if you were pissed and on Amyl Nitrite Greavsie. :-)

  35. Jung was almost as mad as Freud, although he did come up with a few interesting theories. I just don’t get how much you can learn anything from the interpretation of dreams and think most of their stuff is useless.

    A pickle is sometimes just a pickle. It baffles me that psychotherapy has caught on to the extent it has.

    I did give up smoking by hypnosis so there certainly are things that I don’t understand about the human psyche. I just think Freud especially is weird and crazy.

  36. worky…Greavesy probably doesn’t remember too much about his career as his brain is probably fried by now… :roll: