Tomorrow is the first home game of another Premier League season for Newcastle United. This year is my 25th year of being a season ticket holder at St James Park and I have to say that this is the least excited that I've ever been ahead of a new season.
A heady mix of the tripe of last season, letting a number of players go, a lack of any signings and all amongst the laughable appointment of Joe Kinnear. It's a mix of circumstances that has lead to me to feel totally dis-illusioned at the start of another campaign. The result and performance at Man City didn't exactly help the other night either as it sounds like we were rubbish.
I'd love to think that it was just me that felt that way, but it appears I'm not alone as my almost as long standing season ticket holding mate is just as despondent as me. The only positive is that we're still going for a pint tomorrow lunchtime ! It'll be good to see him and have a catch up on the summer and speculate on what on earth is going on at St James Park.
So what exactly is going on at St James Park ?
The answer seems to be bugger all, with the exception of Joe Kinnear seemingly spending lots of time in bars and I've got no idea where Graeme Carr fits in and it looks like Alan Pardew has been totally undermined as well. I've always been of the opinion that if you prepare for something then it'll go well, but if you leave things until the last minute and panic, then it all turns to shit. The same must apply to football, so for me, logic would be that you finish the season and you've already got your transfer targets picked for next season. You then go an sign them early and get a full pre-season programme in with them so that they are settled into their new environment both domestically and on the pitch. You then hit the ground running at the start of the season and everything in the garden is rosy.
However, this is Newcastle United, so we appoint a complete pillock to look after transfers and leave it until the end of June/early July and then leave it a couple of weeks to then come up with what the strategy for signings will be. Meanwhile, other teams are out there and signing players whilst we're still not even on the bus to the stadium, let alone in the starting blocks. So yet again, the Toon are left behind in the race and I expect it will be last minute panic buys, if we make any purchases at all. It wouldn't surprise me if we didn't sign anyone as I think that they're still a shambles behind the scenes and no-one will come as they won't want to play for them and they certainly won't soften any deals by offering loads of wedge to get them. You look at other teams and the likes of Southampton, Swansea and Norwich have all made quality signings of decent players and for fairly substantial fees too - why on earth are Newcastle not in the mix for some of these players and how is playing for Norwich more attractive ? (no disrespect to Chris Hughton either as I still think he was treat badly at the Toon too)
It just seems to have an air of inevitability about it, that it's going to be a bad season. I'd love to be wrong, really love it, using the Keegan words, but I can't see it happening. My prediction is that we'll continue the awful start, people will get on Pardew's back and he'll either be sacked or walk away and then the Joe roller coaster will take a turn and he'll get the Manager's job - you can just see it happening.
Despite the doom and gloom, I'll still be there tomorrow and will ball and shout as ever to cheer the lads on, but there's only so much we can do.
The hierarchy at St James Park need to get their fingers out and quick or they'll feel the consequences in the only way that Mike Ashley understands - through his takings as that's all he's bothered about & whilst that's not a bad thing in most businesses, with football and Newcastle United in particular, this is not an ordinary business.
Time will tell, time will tell !
A heady mix of the tripe of last season, letting a number of players go, a lack of any signings and all amongst the laughable appointment of Joe Kinnear. It's a mix of circumstances that has lead to me to feel totally dis-illusioned at the start of another campaign. The result and performance at Man City didn't exactly help the other night either as it sounds like we were rubbish.
I'd love to think that it was just me that felt that way, but it appears I'm not alone as my almost as long standing season ticket holding mate is just as despondent as me. The only positive is that we're still going for a pint tomorrow lunchtime ! It'll be good to see him and have a catch up on the summer and speculate on what on earth is going on at St James Park.
So what exactly is going on at St James Park ?
The answer seems to be bugger all, with the exception of Joe Kinnear seemingly spending lots of time in bars and I've got no idea where Graeme Carr fits in and it looks like Alan Pardew has been totally undermined as well. I've always been of the opinion that if you prepare for something then it'll go well, but if you leave things until the last minute and panic, then it all turns to shit. The same must apply to football, so for me, logic would be that you finish the season and you've already got your transfer targets picked for next season. You then go an sign them early and get a full pre-season programme in with them so that they are settled into their new environment both domestically and on the pitch. You then hit the ground running at the start of the season and everything in the garden is rosy.
However, this is Newcastle United, so we appoint a complete pillock to look after transfers and leave it until the end of June/early July and then leave it a couple of weeks to then come up with what the strategy for signings will be. Meanwhile, other teams are out there and signing players whilst we're still not even on the bus to the stadium, let alone in the starting blocks. So yet again, the Toon are left behind in the race and I expect it will be last minute panic buys, if we make any purchases at all. It wouldn't surprise me if we didn't sign anyone as I think that they're still a shambles behind the scenes and no-one will come as they won't want to play for them and they certainly won't soften any deals by offering loads of wedge to get them. You look at other teams and the likes of Southampton, Swansea and Norwich have all made quality signings of decent players and for fairly substantial fees too - why on earth are Newcastle not in the mix for some of these players and how is playing for Norwich more attractive ? (no disrespect to Chris Hughton either as I still think he was treat badly at the Toon too)
It just seems to have an air of inevitability about it, that it's going to be a bad season. I'd love to be wrong, really love it, using the Keegan words, but I can't see it happening. My prediction is that we'll continue the awful start, people will get on Pardew's back and he'll either be sacked or walk away and then the Joe roller coaster will take a turn and he'll get the Manager's job - you can just see it happening.
Despite the doom and gloom, I'll still be there tomorrow and will ball and shout as ever to cheer the lads on, but there's only so much we can do.
The hierarchy at St James Park need to get their fingers out and quick or they'll feel the consequences in the only way that Mike Ashley understands - through his takings as that's all he's bothered about & whilst that's not a bad thing in most businesses, with football and Newcastle United in particular, this is not an ordinary business.
Time will tell, time will tell !
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