Embarrassed Butt playing for pride

Mar 29 2008 by Luke Edwards, The Journal

When an unflappable character like Nicky Butt starts to worry, you know you are in trouble. Chief sports writer Luke Edwards talked to the midfielder about the pressure of a relegation battle.

NICKY Butt is what is known in the armed forces as a grizzled veteran, a seasoned campaigner who has been there, done that and got a hundred different T-shirts to show for it.

At Manchester United, Butt experienced and thrived under the pressure of expectation as Premier League titles, the FA Cup, League Cup and the Champions League were taken on and conquered.

At Newcastle, Butt has taken plenty of flak and desperately dodged the sniper fire during a poor first season at St James’s Park before he won the battle for hearts and minds on Tyneside.

And on loan at Birmingham City, as he tried to escape the problems he had created at Newcastle the season before, Butt fought in and lost a Premier League relegation battle.

At 33 and with 14 seasons of top-flight football behind him, there is not a more experienced played in the Newcastle dressing room and there is not a character better equipped to deal with the emotional strain of playing for a club that can make a roller-coaster ride seem like a pleasure boat trip.

But even Butt has struggled this season; struggled to deal with a run of three months without a league win, struggled to deal with another season of managerial upheaval and struggled to come to terms with the fact that a squad tipped to make a European challenge has instead found itself fighting for survival.

“It has been as tough for me as it has for anybody else here,” said the midfielder, whose form over the last two years has made the memories of a disastrous first season at Newcastle a distant memory. “We were starting to feel sorry for ourselves because we were wondering when the first win was going to happen. I don’t think I’ve ever been through a tougher period in my career. All due respect to Birmingham, when I was on loan there they didn’t have the players we have. At Newcastle there are some top-quality players and we are scratching our heads trying to work out why we are where we are. Is it a lack of effort or ability? But I think in the last month, we’ve given it our all.

“The reality was, that when you sat in the dressing room and looked around at the players who were your team-mates, you knew that if we kept working hard it would come eventually.”

That first win came at home against Fulham last weekend, although Butt’s sense of relief has been quickly replaced by a determination to ensure one good week does not distract the players from the fact they should be ashamed by the season they have had. “It has changed for us in the last couple of games, but we can’t be over-confident, we can’t now think, ‘One win and we’re okay now’,” said Butt, who was rewarded with a new two-year contract just before Christmas. “We’ve got a lot of pride to play for and we have got seven games left to make sure we get out of trouble and start climbing the table.

“This club should not be where it is and we are embarrassed by it, to tell you the truth. We’ve won the first game under the manager and hopefully we will kick on from there. We can’t get carried away though with one win. It could quickly all come crashing down again if we think we’re safe. The reason we are where we are is that we haven’t been good enough, despite the quality players we have got. It’s plain and simple, we haven’t played as well as we should do and that’s why we’ve been in trouble.”

It is that sort of straight talking and honesty, as well as his tenacious presence in front of the back four, which has convinced Butt’s fifth manager in four years at Newcastle, Kevin Keegan, that the former England international is a pivotal figure both on and off the pitch. He said: “What you get with Nicky is leadership and experience. He’s been there, done it and that is an assurance almost. When you see him in your team and you talk to him, you’re not having to explain how the game is or what’s going to happen out there.

“You’re more or less having a conversation with someone who knows what’s at stake. He’s been excellent. He’s like Michael Owen, he’s not one of those who shouts or bawls. But I see those two and Geremi, with all his contacts with the French guys, as the three players who have started to knit things together as a club.”

Despite entering the twilight of his distinguished career, the fire of desire still burns brightly in Butt and he will surely be part of Keegan’s ambitious plans to revive the club next season. It is a prospect which excites him, but after so much turmoil since he arrived on Tyneside, Butt also knows a period of stability is needed before the Magpies once again challenge the best in the country.

He added: “It’s been difficult changing managers. I’ve been here four years and I’ve had five different managers, which is unbelievable really. When I first came here I said it was a massive club to come to, and it still is for those who hopefully come in the summer. It just has not happened for the club for some reason or another.

“Whether it is a change of manager or the change of personnel with players coming in and out, we have never had a settled period. I do believe with Kevin now manager, given time, he’ll get it right.”