I sent a tweet (a short post on the microblogging site www.twitter.com for the uninitiated) on Sunday saying I was delighted Newcastle United had been relegated from the English Premier League. I should have known it would cause a mild stir so I've decided to follow up with a more detailed post here.
Alison chided me on Facebook for my scant regard for the many loyal and disappointed fans in Newcastle. I can imagine how they feel - I remember my anguish as an 11 year old when Cardiff City were relegated to the third tier of English football for the first time since 1947. And I have a soft spot for Newcastle: I was thrilled when Kevin Keegan took them to the brink of the Premier League title in 1996. But there comes a time when the fans' loyalty becomes a curse rather than a spur to success: appalling owners like Mike Ashley can mismanage the club to their hearts' content without fear of plummeting gate receipts.
The 2008/09 season was a classic example of how not to run a football club. After Kevin Keegan was forced out of his second spell as manager, three other managers led the Magpies to relegation. It's hard to blame Alan Shearer, who only took over at the beginning of April, for the club's fate. But Ashley has no excuses. Just weeks after appointed Keegan as manager in January 2008, Ashley destroyed the so-called messiah'sauthority by appointing Dennis Wise as director of football. Keegan's departure after eight months was marked by fans' protests, but Ashley's bizarre performance continued with the hiring of Joe Kinnear.
Can Shearer follow Keegan's original success with Newcastle in the years after 1992? We simply don't know if he has what it takes to be a great manager. But one thing is certain: change is desperately needed in the boardroom at St James' Park. I'd love to see the club owned by the fans. That way, all that passion could be directed at bringing the club its first trophy for 40 years.
PS: why do football managers keep referring to 'the football club' in interviews? (As in 'it's a massive blow to the football club' after they've led their team to relegation.) It sounds as if they're disassociating themselves from their team and club.
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