West Bromwich Albion 1, Newcastle United 1
Aug 10 2009 by Luke Edwards, The Journal
EVERYTHING changes at Newcastle United, but so much stays the same. Where there is a familiar sense of frustration surrounding a takeover, there is at least some semblance of progress on the pitch.
In normal circumstances, a point away from home against a side you took six points off last season would hardly cause a ripple of excitement, but these are far from normal times at St James’s Park.
With manager-in-waiting Alan Shearer forced to fend off questions about his position before watching from the relative comfort of a makeshift BBC Television studio at The Hawthorns, Newcastle are in as big a mess this morning as they were on Friday evening.
Takeover talks will continue today between Tyneside businessman Barry Moat, but for now the deadlock remains. I have been told it will be broken in the next 48 hours, but we have heard this before and have every right to be sceptical. However, given the fact the transfer window shuts in a fortnight’s time, common sense says it has to be. Significantly, while reports David O’Leary will be appointed should the takeover collapse were denied by managing director Derek Llambias yesterday, the Ashley regime will appoint a manager if the Moat deal folds.
Nobody has appeared willing to take responsibility for their actions at United this summer. Mike Ashley has responded to relegation by trying to sell the club. Llambias has blamed everyone but himself. Five of the club’s senior players – Sebastien Bassong, Habib Beye, Obafemi Martins, Michael Owen and Mark Viduka – simply could not wait to leap from the sinking ship.
On Saturday against West Bromwich Albion, however, we saw the first positive response from those who have not only been left behind, but also in limbo. When they went on their summer holidays back in May after that dreadful day at Aston Villa, the players expected to return to find Shearer waiting for them, stick in hand to beat them into shape in pre-season. They could have waved to him on Saturday and some have been in regular contact with the former Magpies skipper, but ultimately they have been left to try and sort out the mess themselves with whatever help they can get from coaches Chris Hughton and Colin Calderwood.
Yet, if the Newcastle squad looks hopelessly ill-equipped to mount a promotion campaign in terms of numbers, we have at least been given cause to believe they will give everything trying.
There is a core of players in that dressing room who care. There is a core of players in that dressing room who have pride in their performances and in themselves. There is a core of players in that dressing room who will roll up their sleeves and fight for the shirt on the back and the crest on their chests. There is a core of players who really have found strength in adversity and that is, realistically, all we can ask for until the turmoil at boardroom level is ended.
