Coverage for the week of the 3rd - 9th April 2006

It’s all smiles again isn’t it?  Well sort of.  Admittedly we’re always looking over our shoulder in the tf bunker (some more than others perhaps) but we genuinely have a chance to at least salvage some pride from the ashes of another disappointing season with our run-in.  And it has started well, for a change.

We begin the week with more reaction to our well deserved win over Spurs.  (Article) (Article)  Generally the usual standardised reports the dailies seem to club together to put out but with the odd dissenter seemingly more interested in Spurs failings without David Pleat’s golden boy, Ledley King, rather than concentrate on any improvement in performance that we may have had.  (Article)

What was the key to our revitalised attitude?  The early goal helped of course (Article), so did a back four that looked organised for once (Article) and a fair shift from the Fenham Eusebio (Article).  Roeder put it down to The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (Article) or something like that.  It is all a little bitter sweet (Article) however, as we all sit and think about what could have been.  Story of our NUFC supporting lives isn’t it really?

The main driving force behind the win was Lee Bowyer.  Finally looking like the player we have seen all too little of in a black and white shirt, giving Davids a going over (in a footballing way of course) (Article).  Almost one year on from their tête-à-tête in the now infamous Villa game it is interesting to see where Bowyer and Dyer are now.  Bowyer, seeming now keen to stay at NUFC (Article) cynically one would suggest because his agent can’t get him back to London, put in arguably his best performance for NUFC, earning praise from Alan Oliver (Article), Bobby Moncur (Article) and Lee Clark (Article) to name but a few.  And about time too like.  Dyer meanwhile didn’t even make the squad.  Left out as a “precaution” (Article).  Hmmm.  Given how much time, money and effort we’ve given them and how little return we have had from the pair of them I have to ask are they worth it?

You could ask the same question of a certain diminutive striker as well.  Not that that is keeping him out of the news of course.  As long as everyone, including England’s number 10 himself (Article), is reassured that he’ll be fit for the World Cup that’s alright then.  (Article) (Article)  Feeling guilty? (Article)  I should bloody hope so.  We’re down to “he’ll be fit for the last game and we’ll give him an England “B” game to prove his fitness” now.  (Article=)  He’ll never be a cheat apparently (Article).  Funny that because we feel more than a little cheated, if not wholly surprised, here at NUFC.  Rest assured though that his future is at NUFC.  IT must be the case because FFS says so (Article) (Article).  Oh dear.

Also uncertain of his future is Glenn Roeder.  (Article)  Our manager search continues.  Martin O’Neil returned to pole position as Ken Baldwin left the street and became favourite to get the England job (Article).  Was it just me that thought that story was something to do with a prognathic Makem goalkeeper when I saw the headline?  Of course by midweek bets were off as a sighting at Fulham had MoN off there (Article).  Bit greedy that considering they have a manager already.  Then we hear MoN is another manager who doesn’t have all the qualifications after all (Article) but some sort of dispensation would be made for him.  Yet again we see this one rule for one and another for another that seems to permeate English football.  Yet for once we could stand to benefit.

Whoever does come in has a rebuilding job on their hands.  You’ll have seen Nobby Solano’s excellent interview already most likely but he is right to say we need some investment over the summer (Article) and how.  So with the season’s close looming there’s plenty talk about the futures of those at the club already.   Lee Clark has been told he has role to play in some capacity already (Article), which is well earned in my opinion.  Though under whose instructions I have no idea.  Nor do I know who is authorising scouting missions on potential targets such as Dirk Kuyt.  (Article) (Article) (Article)  All very strange. Amady Faye could well be on his way back to Portsmouth (Article) and good luck to him with that.  Boumsong meanwhile, missing from the win over Spurs, was linked with a move back to France (Article) (Article) or even Rangers by the weekend (Article).  Cut our losses and move on would be best for all concerned really.

Sticking with centre backs, Jonathan Woodgate continues to be linked with a pay as you play type return to SJP (Article) and Craig Moore says he’ll see his (lucrative) contract out and will consider a return to OZ next summer (Article).  Fellow Australian and potential future member of Celebrity Fat Club, Mark Viduka was coy when linked with us yet again.  (Article)  The potential duel between these two was the opening talking point in the build up to our trip to Beastville and their derby match.  (Article)

It’s a funny fixture with funny people.  I’ve always had problems myself looking on it as a true derby game, no matter what anybody else thinks.  (Article)  Working amongst them these days though did make we want it just that little bit more.  Certainly the players were up for it.  Ramage (Article) (Article) (Article), Nobby (Article), Elliott (Article) all leading the battle cry as Shay Given prepared to make his 400th appearance.  (Article) 

The early post match reaction, as we kept a great run at the Smogside going, was typically pro Boro, as keeping Steve McLaren sweet remains the objective it would seem.  Plenty of excuses little afforded to us when we’ve had fixture pile ups in the past.  Tiredness and the need to rotate the squad as much to blame according to some. (Article) (Article) (Article)  Never mind our playing them off the park for 70 minutes.  And if they were THAT tired how come the praise for their “late rally”.  Idiots.

So to finish this week a further article that will no doubt boil your piss.  It’s actually from last Sunday’s paper which I must have missed.  It’s a bilious anti-Shearer monologue by Lynn Truss, who for me should stick to writing books about punctuation.  (Article)  Ironically her latest book is about rudeness in modern society.  She would do well by practicing what she preaches.  What’s the betting she’s a Man U fan as well?

NM