Sheff Wed's fate provides reality check for Toon

Dec 26 2009 by Mark Douglas, The Journal

NEWCASTLE United’s domination of the Championship is not taken for granted at St James’ Park. Mark Douglas reports.

A RUDDERLESS fallen Premier League giant struggling to keep its head above water in the Championship, huge swathes of empty seats and a deep-seated discontent that threatens to tear apart a once proud club.

For any Newcastle United fans taking their revival for granted, this afternoon’s visit to Hillsborough is an appropriate staging point to reflect on the club’s renaissance under Chris Hughton.

United ride high while free-falling Sheffield Wednesday – goalless for six games and without a win in ten – continue to thrash about aimlessly in the Championship’s shark-infested waters.

Manager Chris Hughton already has one UN citation (for turning down big money to play in apartheid South Africa in the 80s) but if he completes the job of taking previously crisis-torn United back into the top flight at the first attempt, perhaps his conflict resolution skills will come to their attention again.

Not that Hughton is dwelling on the respective fortunes of two of the division’s bigger clubs. Clinical and unfussy, United’s renaissance has not been an emotional journey for their collected manager – just a project to be tackled with professionalism and hard graft.

It is not swashbuckling or romantic – and the United fans have still to put Hughton’s name to song in recognition of his achievements – but anyone doubting how essential it is need just ask a Wednesday supporter.

“I think that coming into Christmas ten points clear is more than I could have wished for at the start of the season,” he said. “That is more so because we were very much going into the unknown. We didn’t know what to expect.

“We got a feeling of the shape of things to come after the first game at West Brom when we come away feeling it was a very good result.

“The way the players have applied themselves has been magnificent. We thought that the spirit would be good and that we had a group of lads who would be determined to put us at the right end of the table but to be where we are now is beyond our initial expectations.”

Likewise, the fate of Wednesday is not something to dwell on. Although their predicament is dire, complacency is not on the agenda for a club that only appeared to realise they were in danger of going down when it was too late.

“Sheffield Wednesday aren’t having the best of times but the only way to address this one is the same way we have every other game,” he said.