Newcastle are a club that have a number of talented players, why do you think they’ve underachieved?
Some fans may argue injuries, pure bad luck and a loss of form are the reasons for our failure, but it boils down to terrible decisions made by the club’s hierarchy. The decision to appoint John Carver as interim boss sums it up perfectly. Another cost cutting move made by Lee Charnley that has backfired, in typical Newcastle fashion. Newcastle have dropped seven league positions since his appointment and they now face a nerve-wracking final day where they must beat West Ham to secure their safety.
The biggest concern heading into the final day is how lacklustre our performances have been in recent weeks. With just one point in our last 10 games, scoring against West Ham seems unlikely, let alone winning. So, it’s fair to say that our fate really lies in the hands of Manchester United on the final day.
Alan Pardew wasn’t taken to by the fans, despite several seasons where he met his targets, why do you think this is?
At the time of Pardew’s appointment, there was a sense of unrest wringing around St James’ Park as fan favourite Chris Hughton had been axed just weeks into their first season back in the Premier League. The decision to appoint Alan Pardew as his successor was an unpopular, with less than 2% of the fans wanting Mike Ashley’s affiliate. Due to his close relationship with the controversial owner, Newcastle fans were always sceptical of Pardew and just saw him as another ‘yes-man’.
Pardew did meet his top ten target twice in his tenure with the club but relegation battles and dismal runs of 5 wins in 24 games saw the Geordie faithful grow frustrated with the former Charlton boss. His departure suited everybody involved – Pardew moved to a club where he’ll have much more freedom to manoeuvre in terms of transfers and cup competitions; Crystal Palace replaced Tony Pulis with another competent manager capable of keeping them up; the Geordie faithful finally saw the back of Mike Ashley’s yes-man and, of course, Mike Ashley got his money.
John Carver hasn’t exactly lit it up at Newcastle, what went wrong there?
Mike Ashley has a history of making ill-advised decisions and appointing Carver has been the worst to date. Not only has it been a shambles on the pitch but off it, Carver has been an embarrassment – accusing players of deliberately getting sent off; admitting the players aren’t listening to him; claiming he’s the best coach in the Premier League and even trying to fight Newcastle fans (for the second time this season).
Although the excitement of Alan Pardew’s departure was short-lived due to Carver’s appointment as interim boss, his performance at the reigns has been so dire it seems virtually impossible for Lee Charnley to appoint him on a permanent basis.
What would relegation mean for the cub?
Many expect Mike Ashley to sell the club if they are relegated but, with an average attendance of 43,000 the last time Newcastle were in the Championship, I’m not so sure. He definitely will not be happy with this season’s performance regardless of our fate so the futures of Lee Charnley, John Carver and his coaching staff are definitely in doubt.
Ashley will almost certainly cash-in on all our prized assets if we were to suffer the drop, and I assume he’d emphasise the importance of developing youth in an attempt to cut costs.
How will Newcastle approach Sunday’s game?
Well, Carver has encouraged the players to watch wrestling rather than football this week, so I’d expect a few RKO’s out of nowhere on Sunday. Joking aside, Carver will be looking for his side to get on the front foot, retain possession and cause West Ham problems early on, in an attempt to relieve pressure.
What is your biggest weakness?
Well, where do I begin? We have so many! Crisp packet hands in goal; a distinct lack of leadership; no passion; the same sub-standard centre halves we had when we were in the Championship five years ago; John Carver as manager and, for some unknown reason, an incompetent Ryan Taylor in centre midfield. Our biggest weakness has to be our defending from set pieces – we are absolutely woeful. Despite having a defensive minded manager for the past four years, our defence is an absolute shambles – whip some crosses into the box and mistakes just come about.
What do you think of West Ham’s season?
West Ham made a promising start to the current campaign with Diafra Sakho and Enner Valencia scoring freely. The return of Andy Carroll was where it began to go wrong for the Hammers as Sam Allardyce elected to revert back to his old tactics which failed to emulate the success of Sakho and Valencia ahead of the midfield diamond. Although the season has tailed off, Europa League qualification is still a possibility making West Ham an attractive prospect for potential candidates – European football; new stadium next season; decent core and some exciting individuals; as well as very few restrictions in the transfer market.
Who is the key man for Newcastle on Sunday?
Rolando Aarons. He is expected to start on the bench, following a lengthy spell on the sidelines, but his impact will be far greater than that of any of the players who start the game. Rolando’s pace and willingness to run at players causes constant problems for opposition defenders, and he is more than capable of delivering that killer final ball.
Finally, a score prediction?
Newcastle 2 – 1 West Ham
