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Easter
weekend. Traditionally a time when fixtures come thick and fast! The
Easter fixture list was always seen as pivotal for those with
interests at either end of the league tables. This year, however, a
combination of an early Easter and a somewhat misplaced World Cup
qualifying week has lead to a dearth of top-flight football and in
many ways one of the quieter weeks in the news for NUFC.
Not that it’s been totally quiet. It will never be that when it
comes to our lot. The weeks started with a post mortem of the
Portsmouth game and in particular the apparent madness of the nearly
festively appropriately named referee Matt Messias. (Article)
and (Article)
All I ever ask is for a referee to be consistent. If he’s bad and
consistent then usually I’d say it would even out over a game. It’s
when they go off on one and you just don’t know what to expect from
them that chaos reigns. Mind you as this Times piece rightly
questions, who would be a referee these days anyway? (Article).
Portsmouth was yet another game when we’ve taken the lead and lost
it. The thirteenth by my possibly incorrect reckoning and that
simply is not good enough. |
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I know
it’s a game at the end of a pretty gruelling period and mental and
physical fatigue must have played its part as the manager points
out. (Article)
However it is this coupled with our poor away form, which we must
address if we are to bridge the gap back to the fight for Champions
League places. John Gibson makes this point very well and how many
of our remaining games do you think we will take maximum points
from? (Article)
What puzzles me is away from home in Europe this year we’ve been
perfect, literally. If we can bring that form to the league we’d be
fine. And how come when Benitez does this at Liverpool he’s given
the excuse that his style simply suits European football better
meanwhile we just get berated for being shite?
Anyway the international call-ups meant World Cup duty for many of
our squad. One not called upon was Nicky Butt. (Article)
Given a rest and allowed to travel to Dubai instead. Nicky Butt has
been a bit of a mystery this season. He certainly hasn’t had the
impact I think any of us and indeed he would have liked. My feeling
is that Man U knew that his hamstring injury was a bad one and took
the money while they could. I think we’ll see better from Butt next
season when he is fully fit, just like I think we are seeing more
from Bowyer now he is finally over his ankle and hip problems that
dogged him last year (playing in the right position helps too
like…). I do think though that The Journal’s own Mrs Dyer, Luke
Edwards, was more than a little harsh with this article about Butt.
(Article)
Another one not called was Patrick Kluivert. Marco van Basten seems
to know what he wants as Dutch manager and that does not seem to
include their all time top scorer. Puzzling though is exactly how
bothered is Kluivert by this? Initially he was being quoted as
“retiring” from international football and wanting to concentrate on
his club career with NUFC. (Article)
and (Article)
Later in the week however he denied this saying “words had been put
in his mouth.” (Article)
Another footballer being misquoted? Surely not? And, cynically, I
wonder how much of this change came as a result of Souness deciding
this week that all contract talks are on hold until the end of the
season? (Article)
This certainly is an interesting decision, but in my humble opinion
the right one. Concentrate on playing the games and seeing what we
can do, then there’s plenty of time to talk after. Also there’s a
bit of carrot and stick mentality there, win us something you may
get more when its time to negotiate.
Our players on international duty have also made themselves very
available for quotes this week too. Dyer thanking Dean Saunders for
helping towards his revival (Article)
and the obligatory praise from his other half at The Journal (Article).
However it’s two unlikely lads that I’ve been most impressed with
this week. Firstly, Aaron Hughes coming across as ultra professional
and the extremely affable man he is in both these pieces (Article)
and (Article).
He is an asset to our club as a player and a person. The second
player that has impressed me with his words this week is Jean Alain
Boumsong. He comes across as a measured man, considering his words
carefully, both before (Article)
and after (Article)
the France – Switzerland game. I don’t think this one Frenchman who
will allow himself to me misquoted the way so many seem to be.
It wouldn’t be a quiet news week without the odd bit of transfer
speculation though would it? This week’s possibles were blue-lipped
badge kisser Alan Smith (Article),
Michael Owen (Article)
(how much mileage will they get out of him being at St James’ for
the Azerbaijan game I wonder?) and Deportivo’s Cesar (Article).
We’ve heard all these before and will again before the season’s out
most likely. I suppose coming up with something original would
involve doing some work. At least though it reflects that our
horizons remain broader than having to feign excitement at the loan
signing of a geriatric journeyman from Leeds. Its so much more than
a division away isn’t it?
Our friends the LMA have banged on this week about how poorly paid
their managers are in relation to the players (Article).
“No-one forces them to do the job” and contracts should be honoured
they say. This is true but remember this is the same LMA who are
happy to back SBR in his fight to get various “bonuses” they claim
he is entitled to, despite the club still paying SBR his salary as
we speak, and the same LMA who were happy to stand back and let
Steve Bruce manipulate his way out of contracts on two separate
occasions! They want their cake and they want to eat it too.
Football management seems to be one of the only jobs where you are
well rewarded for failure. I know what would happen to most of us if
we were sacked for poor performance and I bet that wouldn’t include
the paying up of one’s remaining contract value.
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Heeda-Ache! 
