Big Sam bites the bullet
After weeks of speculation Sam Allardyce has become the eighth Premier League manager to leave his club and I must admit I'm stunned.
I really thought for the first time in ages they would stick with Allardyce, ignore all the "sack him" chatter and give him a bit of time to settle in and start making an impression.
The Magpies are 11th in the table and are hardly in any relegation danger but suddenly the club have dropped the bomb and given him the flick.......sorry he left by "mutual agreement". Total madness.
What is even madder is that Alan Shearer is the Toon fans' favourite to take over, a man with no club managerial experience. The club will leap from one frying pan into another. If they appoint Shearer he'll be out on his ear by the summer for finishing 11th, his legend status will be in tatters and the club will begin the hunt all over again.......tedious.
Newcastle United are a club weighed down by the very thing that makes them great - their fans. Their ridiculous expectation pressuries the club's board into far-too-regular kneejerk reactions. Here is a message for the blood-thirsty Toon Army: Your club is not a 'sleeping giant'. You've won no trophies in 52 years. Forget Jose Mourinho, you deserve Steve McClaren and his brolly.
By Scott Allen
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AFTER ALL THE PREDICTIONS AND BULL SH*T WE GET ABOUT NORTH EAST CLUBS TAKING THE PREMIERSHIP BY STORM AND HOW BIG OF CLUBS THEY ALL ARE,CAN SOMEBODY EXPLAIN TO ME WHY THEY ARE SO CALLED BIG CLUBS? IS IT BASED ON MASS? BECAUSE THEY HAVE THE HEAVIEST FAT BARSTEWARDS AS SO CALLED FANS? NEWCASTLE, SUNDERLAND AND MIDDLESBOROUGH ARE JUST MAKING UP NUMBERS IN THE PREM LEG. I THINK THE THREE CLUBS SHOULD MERGE TOGETHER AND THEN AND ONLY THEN THEY MIGHT HAVE A REALISTIC CHANCE OF BEATING THE LIKES OF STOKE PRESTON AND DEFINITELY BURNLEY. AND ON A PLUS WE CAN HAVE TWO MORE CLUBS FROM THE NORTH WEST IN THE PREM LEG. DOES ANYBODY HAVE ANY SUGGESTIONS OF WHAT THEY COULD CALL THEMSELVES? MAYBE NEWSUNBOROUGH OR MIDDLECASTLELAND OR WAN***S FROM THE NORTH EAST. WHO IN THEIR RIGHT MIND WOULD WANT TO MANAGE NEWCASTLE? LIVE THERE? EAT A DIET OF LARD AND LARGER? AND THATS JUST THE WOMEN, THE BLOKES EAT DRIPPING AND OFFAL AS WELL. OH BEAUTIFUL ENGLAND YOU SHOULD BE FOREVER GRATEFUL FOR THE NORTH WEST CLUBS AND CULTURE.
Posted by: cass | 13 January 2008 at 08:10
Posted by: cass | 13 January 2008 at 09:22
Bill,
If Newcastle fans are so concerned about Sam being implicated in the "Bung scandal" Why on earth are they now after Harry Redknapp as their new manager? I have to agree with you that his departure will be no great loss to Newcaste as you don't keep a manager long enough to find out if he can turn your team around, maybe your next manager should be Little Sam as he turned a decent Bolton side into a shambles like Newcasle, Bolton were a shambles until Big Sam arrived and he made them into a decent side with a fraction of the budget that he could have at Newcastle if he was given the chance.
Posted by: Ady | 11 January 2008 at 19:27
WHY SHOULD ANYONE BOTHER TO GO THERE WITH UNHELPFULL PLAYERS AND SAD FANS NEW MANGER NEED CLEAR OUT TO GET LOYALTY THEN YOU COULD MAYBE SEE SILVERWEAR. SEEN SAME PROBLEM WHILE PLAYERS RULE SHEARER GOOD PLAYER NOT ALLWAYS GOOD MANGER KEANO STRUGGLING
Posted by: derek holmes | 11 January 2008 at 12:08
It is quite amazing how those people who do not pay to watch Newcastle United all of a sudden become experts on the managerial ability of Allardyce. To date what has he won in the Premier League? He was big fish in a little pond at Bolton. He swaggered up to Newcastle in his gum-chewing style and immediately put his own personal restrictions on how long it would take him to produce a winning team. His record in the last eight months is abysmal, added to which he is being paid a fortune to supposedly turn a club around. In footballing terms the club has gone backwards since his arrival. The long ball - kick and rush style - which suited him and his team at Bolton (with pathetic support) does not suit the demands of the punters at St James Park. They, because they pay money to come through the turnstiles, are entitled to rebel when they see a new Manger (with a heavy baggage of hangers-on and "back room staff") playing a brand of football which is regressive to say the least. When the contributors to the discussion feel so passionate about him having to be allowed time to settle in, what about the huge salary he was being paid to be relatively unsuccessful? Similarly the staff who he brought with him will have to be paid off to get rid of his useless and ineffectual entourage. Allardyce has shown arrogance since his arrival in Newcastle at the expense of the hand that has fed him, i.e. the 52,000 who turn up to watch his team underperform every home game. Please, stifle your stupid comments and get into the real world. This is the man who publicly said he could "tame" Joey Barton. Where is Barton (an expensive Allardyce buy) now? Have most people forgotten that Allardyce was implicated in alleged bung activities whilst at Bolton. He huffed and he puffed about taking the BBC to court for character assassination. No court case has emerged, leaving one wondering about the accuracy/or not of the Beeb's interesting programme on the taking of bungs in professional footbal in this country. I wonder now, where Allardyce rests his head in his next post. I fear it might have to be a Championship side! His departure will be no real loss to the Magpies!!
Posted by: Bill | 11 January 2008 at 11:40
Newcastle is not a sleeping giant.Just having a gigantic slip (sleep)
Posted by: gavros | 10 January 2008 at 21:17
"Newcastle" a sleeping giant! NO they are in a COMA and the Fans are like ZOMBIES if they think that any Manager can turn their team around in half a season, instead of the fans calling for the manager to be sacked they should take a closer look at their players who show NO respect for the Fans, Take a look at your Sicknote players maybe it is time that they were put on statutory sick pay like normal people, do you think they would spend as much time in the treatment room then I Don't think so. You should now be shouting for the resignation of the board and begging Sam to return, If Sam was so bad WHY did the Newcastle fans give him and the team a standing ovation after the last game, Oh I wonder if it could be that the fans finaly saw a glimmer of hope that things were on the up SO the board sacked the Manager to make sure their was no hope.
Posted by: Ady | 10 January 2008 at 21:02
Newcatle wanted to be a new manchester united, arsenal, chelsea or liverpool..but they have problems with this...although they have a big stadium and passionate support..they can only buy players from big clubs in england that have problems..injurys..sentances..form, ect...a new manager is not going to help the geordies unless ashley his money to buy a new 1st team...
Posted by: stuart hensby | 10 January 2008 at 20:56
stupid club stupid fans toon toon blah blah no one will want the job as all the thick heads sing hero hero then its zero zero oot oot oot change the record and give some one a chance someone like stevie wonder shearer is a leg end but is not the man for the job
Posted by: jackie hassard | 10 January 2008 at 20:20
omg i cant belive what newcastle are doing, sacking the man who should be manager of england all because of a rough start to the season? wtf. if they gave allardyce 2 seasons, the first one would be him getting used to things and the players getting used to his methods and the second season would be a great season for the between 5th and 8th, like i say wtf are they doin!!!!
Posted by: m80 | 10 January 2008 at 20:19
Heard tonight that Keegan was in Newcastle today. A little late for Christmas shopping?????
Posted by: Steve | 10 January 2008 at 19:13
This Geordie reckons we may as well have Ant and Dec for what good the rest of the season will bring....
Posted by: Eddie | 10 January 2008 at 18:01
Only one man - Kevin Keegan.
Posted by: Gordon Robinson | 10 January 2008 at 18:00
What happened to Sams 4 or 5 year plan? Its the Toon army's fault. No manager in their right would go to newcastle. You go there with a great career, then come away with it in tatters.Sleeping giant? They've not won anything in 50 years so how can they put all that expectation on managers? Alan Shearer won't become manager cos he knows how fickle the fans are. Its going to take a lot more than 20 odd games to make newcastle good.
Posted by: Carl Carey | 10 January 2008 at 17:35
Newcastle fans need to get real - it's taken the mighty MON at Villa 18 months to get them to a level just below the big 4. Their impatience means that any successful manager will look at Big Sam and wonder if it's a job they want to take on. Unlikely that Harry will move from the South - would you swop living at Sandbanks for the NE?
Possibilies - Mark Hughes but unlikely - more likely to be the next Man U manager. An outsider - Adie Boothroyd - has done fantastic job at Watford - he's young, hungry for success and ambitious.
Posted by: bigbadbyro | 10 January 2008 at 16:25
Whoever gets the job is on a hiding to nothing Newcastle have had more managers than most people have had hot dinners. Good luck to all you Newcastle fans you are going to need it.
Posted by: Peter | 10 January 2008 at 15:27
I cannot believe the Newcastle jinx has struck again. Allardyce was the right man for the job. Look at the most successful clubs in Football, they have a consistency and faith in their manager. Newcastle are a big club and could achieve great things but not while the club is being run in such a shoddy way. Newcastle should get Martin Jol as their new manager to take them to where they need to be.
Posted by: Man City Fan | 10 January 2008 at 13:43
big mistake sacking sam at this time of the season, damage done bring back sir bobby in a temporary position to overlook the transition and selection process of the next manager, who must have a strong jaw and a strong mental approach along with a proven record in the game.Martin Jol may fill the bill
Posted by: raymond mullen | 10 January 2008 at 12:35
Newcastle - a big club? A sleeping giant? What a joke - last Championship 1927 - last FA Cup 1955.
Only the NE fans think this club is a "big club".
Come to Merseyside or Manchester if you want to see Big football clubs.
Still, at this rate you will be "big club" - in League Two!
Posted by: jeff | 10 January 2008 at 11:33
We are missing the point,after years of bad signings,has beens and misfits and the usual suspects....it matters very little who we get as a manager,we need a hatchet man to clear out the deadwood.
Posted by: Nomsky | 10 January 2008 at 10:53
I feel so sorry for the Newcastle fans. How many times in the last 7 years have they had to endure the manager being sacked. Sam Allardyce will be back but his treatment at the hands of the media and the club have been shocking. If Shearer is that good as a manager why hasnt he proved it at a lower level. I agree i dont think he will be the answer, Jose would be a good shout. But club need to take a leaf out of Bill Kenwrights book, it takes time not six months maybe not a yearby which i think sam would have got this right. Look at Ferguson he didnt bring Utd instant success. As one of the previous comments says the Player brought in by Sam are questionable but they still havent performed. And for Ashley to sit with the fans!!! What is he trying to acheive? get the fans to blame the manager not him... GOOD LUCK TO NEWCASTLE AND THEIR SUPPORTERS for the sake of their club i hope the next manager is given more time to get things straight. I have sympathy for the newcastle fans being an evertonian we have had many a dark day, infact i can remember some fans screeming for MOYES last season, the same fickle bunch now praising him to the hilt. Steady progress brings long term rewards.
Posted by: Phil Davies | 10 January 2008 at 08:33
good wrong man for the job. long ball narrow play siuts bolton but not the toon. Buying barton what a joke he will spend more time inside than on the pitch. big sam for the mackems. please not shearer. lets get a big name who can get a team to play football. o'niell, ranari or jose outside bet the wee man from celtic
Posted by: mick | 10 January 2008 at 01:45
A complete disgrace. there isn't a man on earth that can deliver what newcastle want. The impossible job working with challanged individuals owen and Barton to name just two. It's all so easy to blame the manager, look at the guys who don't perform week in week out on the pitch.
Posted by: Burnley Mark | 10 January 2008 at 00:35
What a surprise - anybody with an ounce of sense would have realised that Alan Shearer (who lead past player discontent against previous managers) was being groomed for the managerial position at Newcastle.
Can he do it, that's a totally different question - I would say not. He might find out what it's like being on the other side of the fence from rebellious players.
Posted by: meddyg | 10 January 2008 at 00:28
i have to say that today and what i have heard about sam is a disgrace. no person deserves to be treated in such a degrading manner. i have been born and bred in newcastle, travelled the world and always come back to my home and a football team that is the heart of it. 6 months is it that they give a top manager to turn a failing club around!!! how many more managers. alan shearer give me a break, player yes manager i don't think so....harry redknapp... the speculation is rife but one thing is for sure no one person can turn the club around in months so i'll await the sacking of yet another manager in the summer. the owner i think needs to sit in his box and not with the fans. right now im ready to trade my town shirt in to mr ashley until he can begin to treat the club, players, managers and FANS with respect AND NOT LIES! it will be in the post mr ashley!!!
Posted by: jo | 10 January 2008 at 00:16
The writing was on the wall the day the club changed ownership. Big Sam was appointed by the previous board and "inherited" by the current regime. His signings have under performed, or been downright disastrous ( ie Barton). The teamplay has been so poor - "Awful" as he has described it himself. Big Sam had the time in the summer to get things the way he wanted them. All this talk of giving him time a la Wenger and Ferguson is out of date now. Footie is BIG business now and Results are EVERYTHING. Mort and Ashley realise this. They had to choose between letting him having more money to spend this Jan or to cut losses and invest in new management. Fans can accept being a mid table team, if we just could play with some style and be entertained. Under SA we had neither. SA was caught out of his depth. Now we know why he did not get the England job. Personally would love to see Jose M have a crack. If he cannot achieve success for the Toon who else can??.....( Please not Harry Rednapp, another involved in questionable transfer dealings and police investigations)
Posted by: Ivor Clark | 10 January 2008 at 00:13