Emmo’s Blog

April fool’s day normally brings out a few tricks on the radio and newspapers but in the early hours of April 1st I thought Talksport had played the best one in years.
A few moments into Ian Collins’s late show the breaking news was that Alan Shearer was to become what seemed like Newcastle’s 37th manager this season.  It may have been April 1st but amazingly this was no wind up.

This is what Toon Army fans have wanted since the fiasco of Kevin Keegan, Dennis wise, Joe Kinnear and Chris Houghton. OK so Dennis Wise hasn’t had a go on the Newcastle management merry go round ride but his appointment caused King Kev to walk so ill include him. I just can’t understand why this (Shearer) appointment is so welcomed by the Toon.

I truly do not know what Newcastle United’s chairman Mike Ashley is doing in appointing sofa pundit Shearer as manager. Just because you appoint a legendry player as manager doesn’t mean success. The failures of players as managers far outweigh the success’s.

Ashley only needs to cast his eye over the North East to see that Middlesbrough and Sunderland are fighting relegation after employing ex-players as managers. Keane didn’t play for Sunderland but it was his first managerial job. He did excellently in his first season getting them promotion from the Championship but struggled in his 2nd season, his first in the Premiership and was sacked in his 3rd.

Gareth Southgate, the man who for some reason didn’t have to take his coaching badges to get the job has constantly seen his side flirt with the drop since his appointment. This season it looks as if that flirting will turn into a full blown affair with the Championship. Borough have won only 1 in 13 games (against Liverpool no less) and that is relegation form.

It’s no surprise that the top 4 teams in England have managers that have learnt their trade in the lower leagues. Only Ferguson was a successful player but he cut his cloth in Scotland. He did wonders at Aberdeen and eventually after 5 poor seasons turned it round at United. Both Benitez and Wenger were never good footballers and knowing this studied the game for years managing teams out of the top flight before being ready to take a job with a top club.

Due to his dicky ticker it was obvious that Kinnear could never carry but what does Alan Shearer bring  to the Newcastle table other than his popularity among supporters? Not a lot. Shearer hasn’t even been coaching a youth or reserve team. I doubt half the players at Newcastle have never even met Shearer. Some, especially the foreign players, may not even know who he is. The players Shearer played with have long gone as Newcastle have brought in expensive flop after flop in the last few seasons.

To confirm this totally bizarre arrangement it’s also been announced that Shearer is bringing football expert and coach Rob Lee to assist him!!!  Lee is Shearers golfing budding and just because they are best mates doesn’t get you 3 points on a Saturday afternoon. Like Shearer, Lee has spent most of his time since retirement as a pundit. Shearer can’t bring in any players due to the window now being shut and has 8 games to save them from the drop. He has to use the same players that the other managers had to use and all with no expertise in football management. He has his work cut out.

Of course Shearer has nothing to lose. He will always be a legend for Toon fans and they won’t be relegated due to these remaining 8 games. They are already in the bottom 3 on the strength of the 30 previous awful performances. The only strength Shearer may have is getting the best out of the forgotten man Michael Owen. But he still has to work with Martins and Amoebi and that’s a lot of training and time they don’t have to get them firing on all cylinders.

I really feel that Newcastle have a chance of being relegated. Shearers first game is against Chelsea (home) and they still have to play Liverpool, Spurs and Villa all away. The vital games if they are to survive are the home games against Middlesbrough & Portsmouth. If they are still struggling then the away game at Stoke will be their biggest game of the season.  You just can’t see where a run of form is going to kick in for them. They have been awful on the road this season and have taken some beatings at home as well so every game looks difficult for them.

I think Mike Ashley has to take a lot of blame to take for the state of the club. Hiring and firing at will causes no stability at the club. Players all always coming and going and I can’t remember Newcastle’s last good signing?
Ashley is certain to go at the end of the season but if the club is relegated then he won’t get a good price for the club. But the damage will have already been done by then. The “Cockney Mafia” will have bled the club and supporters dry leaving them facing trying to get back into the big time and that’s not easy. Just ask Charlton and Southampton supporters who are facing a 2nd relegation in 3 years.

As a Liverpool fan some of you may wonder why I have done this piece on Newcastle. The reason is that they contributed to 2 of the greatest games I have ever seen. The two 4-3 games in the 1990s are amazing and Newcastle played their part in that. Also I think every neutral football fan wanted them to beat Utd to the title in 1996. They were 12 points clear and blew it. I don’t think the club has ever truly recovered from that. Who knows where they would be now if they were Champions that year? Would they have been a Blackburn, one season wonders or would they have gone on to greater things? No one will ever know but even as a massive LFC fan I would have “loved it, loved it” if they had won the title that year.