Has Joe Kinnear made us forget the real problems at Newcastle United?
Posted on June 18th, 2013 | 69 Comments |
Things like a sixteenth placed finish, Alan Pardew’s abysmal tactics and even more abysmal excuses have all been completely forgotten. Forthcoming delights such as the arrival of Wonga and all the opprobrium that will bring have been completely forgotten too, all because of a few interviews from Joe Kinnear as Tyneside finds itself once more in the grip of “Kinnearophobia.”
Is it pure genius?
Strangely, the “local” Mirror Group media, the Chronic and the Journal, have seemingly abandoned their usual sycophancy to the current regime, and have happily been laying into Newcastle United’s new Court Jester at every opportunity. It’s almost as if they’d been given the go ahead to be as brutal as possible by Newcastle United’s Managing Director, Derek Llambaisie Llambias.
Personally, I do not share the antipathy to Kinnear held by many fans, and some of the stuff has been shameful, like the headline in another Newcastle United blog which read “Gan On Kinnear – Have Another Heart Attack!.” I’m not as horrified at his appointment as some claim to be and have alot of respect for what he has achieved in his football career in the past.
However, in his own words, he has come “to find players that will improve the club.”
In the midst of Newcastle United’s awful season though, that is the one area where the club where the club were actually doing rather well, even despite the involvement of Kinnear’s predecessor as Director of Football (according to Kinnear in his last Talk Sport interview anyway), Derek Llambias. Our chief scout, Graham Carr, who was arguably Chris Hughton’s greatest gift to the club before he was sacked. Alas, he never got the chance to bring in Steve Clarke as his assistant too. So, we are left with Ashley and Llambias to make the recruiting decisions again. Incidentally, it’s interesting to see Hughton taking a similar approach to the one he started at Newcastle in his current job with Norwich City chief scout, Ewan Chester, another scout he recruited for his knowledge of the European market amongst other things. But I digress…
Getting back to Newcastle United, did Alan Pardew shoot himself in the foot with his constant prating about lack of players, then the “inexperience” of those new players when they belatedly arrived?
Or was it is the exact opposite?
I was also listening to another interview on Talk Sport today, not the notorious Joe Kinnear one I linked to above but another Talk Sport interview, this time with the Mag’s Mark Jensen on Kinnear’s return. At one point in that interview he said:
“I think that he’s probably the big beneficiary in terms of the relationship with the fans with his appointment is Alan Pardew. Alot of people turned against him at the end of last season but certainly, I think he’s got pretty much everybody’s sympathy with this appointment.”
Well not mine particularly as he was the primary author of our misfortune last season with his antediluvian tactics. Some might blame injuries for the club’s poor season too, something which has been a regular bugbear for Newcastle United even pre Pardew. Despite that though, I would say that Pardew’s highly physical “kick and rush” football with the concomitant groin and hamstring strains was the protagonist for quite a few of those injuries. They are things which need to be replaced next season rather than constantly hoping that more players will cure the problem. But anyway, Jensen’s words started me thinking…
Have all the problems which existed pre Kinnear really been swept aside now with the appointment of Kinnear? Has the potty mouthed one taken all the opprobrium from Pardew, from Wonga, and possibly even from Llambias in one fell swoop? Have some fans been fooled into using Kinnear as the lightning rod for all their angst and fury, or am I just a conspiracy theorist?
Probably not, but I think it’s an interesting thought nonetheless.
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Thanks Worky for the constant food for thought. My view on Kinnear is very open-minded. I think he focuses more pressure on Alan Pardew to get good results and I doubt Pardew exactly relishes that more intense focus, but it can do us no harm. For all his lack of educashun, Kinnear does bring a light-heartedness to the club and, personally, I find that refreshing after Pardew’s indulgence in faux-seriousness and phony intelligence. Let’s see what happens in 2013/14. If it’s not going right by Christmas, Mike Ashley’s going to be getting very hot under the collar. Let’s see – and enjoy the ride!