Coverage for the week of the 19th - 30th April 2006
 

Reet another load to pack in so I’ve made a policy decision this week.  I’m not going to bother you with the match reports because mainly they are pretty much the same (bar Louise Taylor’s obviously – does she ever go to a game I wonder?) and you know where to find them.  Also there are 3 main talking points over the last week and a half or so and it seems to make sense to take care of them first and see where we go from there.

Dominating the start of the week and a bit’s coverage were further tributes to Alan Shearer as his injury brought his playing career to an early close.  The tributes came from a wide section of the footballing community.  This associated with NUFC: current caretaker boss Glenn Roeder (Article), former team-mate John Beresford (Article), “legend” Supermac (Article) and former boss and long time friend Kenny Dalglish (Article).  From the England set up Sven had praise for the man he probably wish he could still take to the World Cup (Article) and Sir Trevor Brooking talked about the “ultimate pro”. (Article=).  BBC colleague Alan Hansen was equally generous with his comments (Article) whilst Sir Alex Ferguson showed what REAL football people are all about in praising Shearer’s courage to follow his heart in rejecting Man Utd (Article) (Article).  It’s just a pity the majority of Mancs that are keen to pass comment are blinded by arrogance to this.  Case in point (Article).  Interestingly there has been little comment from another famous footballing knight.  Curious.

The football writers also showed that they aren’t all bluster, well some of them anyway.  The pick for me being Henry Winter (Article) and Patrick Barclay (Article).  Frank Malley (Article) and Damien Spellman (Article) were the best of the rest imho, their columns on Sportinglife.com joined by a top 10 goals (Article) and a magic moments section (Article) which are also worth a look, even if it is to disagree. 

News followed that Shearer was to take a complete break for “at least a year” (Article) but that FFS said he could have “any job he wants “ when he wants to return (Article).  An interesting comment when you consider where we stand with regard to finding a permanent manager.

But that’s the thing isn’t it?  Just where do we stand?  And should we be surprised that the only people making NUFC look vaguely professional in appointing a manager are the English FA?  Should we be surprised when this is, after all, the chairman who was happy to have 6th choice last time and who was keen to give Dyer his fat contract extension?

Prior to the West Brom game we were being told that it was definitely “Roeder’s last game”.  (Article) 100% (Article).  We are then told Roeder has been granted an extension (Article) with England interviews cited as a “special case” (Article) amidst discussion about the rights and wrongs of various licences/badges (Article) (Article). 

Speculation then began to mount that pending permission from the FA Roeder was to be appointed permanently (Article) (Article) (Article) with the Evening Chronicle leading a premature charge that it was all done and dusted (Article) (Article) (Article) only for this to be denied by FFS (Article) (Article).  By the end of this week there is now talk of a 2 tier team to get around the rules (Article) (Article) with Houllier’s name cropping up yet again (Article) and Roeder now keen to have a job that he has been saying for ages he didn’t really want (Article).  He’s medically fit and everything (Article) (Article)!!  It’s just a big fucking mess, admittedly not quite as big or as embarrassing as the FA’s but a mess none the less.  Too many unanswered questions, too many ifs buts and maybes and far too many games within games for my liking.  And then there’s the Shearer factor which is just bizarre and may be the making or breaking of any future deal with anyone other than Roeder.  Do anything simply or efficiently?  Not at NUFC.  And we wonder why we constantly fuck things up ON the field?

Michael Owen meanwhile was the centre of the final main issue of the past week and a bit.  And it’s just as messy.  Before the West Brom game we were being assured that he’d “make the bench for the Birmingham game”. (Article)  Only for him to be actually named in the squad on the eve of the West Brom game.  (Article) (Article)  He even went through a farcical “fitness test” before the match only to be declared, surprisingly, “unfit” and eventually make an appearance against Birmingham a week later.  And walk off with a limp.  Cue World Cup related madness and hysteria (Article) (Article).  Predictable? Of course.  But it’s OK, honest (Article).  Not that we give a toss about the World Cup like, all we want to see is him raring to go and fully fit in a Black & White shirt next season, which he says he will be (Article) (Article) (Article).  Honest!  Though whether or not that is because Liverpool want Bellamy now instead of him and can get him for half the price (Article) would be pure speculation on my part of course.

Also playing “should I stay or should I go?” is Emre.  How many times do we see him declared “fit and ready” (Article) (Article=) only for him not to even make the bench?  Meanwhile his agent is double taking, playing the English media off against the Italian press it would appear (Article).  Stay if you want, fuck off if you don’t.  Simple as that, just don’t take the piss.  We have enough people who do that.

Speaking of which Kieron Dyer’s season is over.  Nice work if you can get it on his hourly rate.  He’s off to see if he needs surgery now (Article).  Though what a world-renowned knee specialist will do with his hamstrings is anyone’s guess (Article).  Hat’s off to the BBC’s website and their cutting edge journalism this week as well for suggesting that Dyer shouldn’t go to the World Cup because he is injury prone.  (Article).  Incisive that.

Contrast both of the above to Shola Ameobi who is playing against medical advice (Article) and Lee Clark delaying a hernia operation to make sure he is available until the end of the campaign (Article) and it begins to make you wonder it really does.  We really need to be looking at not just the player but the person before we allow any manager, whoever we end up appointing, spend any more of OUR hard earned in the close season.

I’ll leave you this week with another message for Simon Crabtree, this time from Roy Collins (Article).  Of course what Mr Collins forgot is Simon Crabtree has no cock.  I’m just glad I could clear things up.

NM

SIMON CRABTREE HAS GOT NO COCK