Long are the days of the Magpies being perched upon the top of the league. The illustrious shirt numbers of the likes of Alan Shearer and Paul Gascoigne are now being donned by Joelinton and Jonjo Shelvey. This renowned fall from grace has been a very complicated one, leaving an aura of failures and incompetencies wafting through St James’ Park. Although their slight uptake of form in the last 5 games has left them clearer from the drop, low table mediocrity is nothing that Newcastle are new to, having had a constant battle with underperforming for the majority of the last few seasons. Even during Rafa Benitez`s stay, the club was riddled with uncertainty and discomfort that became so familiar under Mike Ashley`s ownership. Stripping back the overwhelming emotion and justified anger of the Newcastle fanbase, we delve into what has really happened to this once top club, and where does the blame lie?
Second-class Squad
When you take a look at a Newcastle starting line-up at any time in the last few years, rarely does a set of players strike fear into an opposing team. Throughout last year we have seen teams have comfortable games that were largely viewed as training practice against Newcastle`s bright spark between the sticks, Martin Dubravka. With 140 saves last season, the most out of any goalkeeper, this gem alone raised Newcastle up a few positions in the table giving them a smoke screen of a finish in 13th place. Despite this impressive stat, it is also telling. Why did the Newcastle keeper face so many shots? The answer is an uninspiring defensive line that has the ability,(or lack thereof) to be carved open by slight hints of danger or averagely impressive play. This dreadful reality is compounded by the injury of Dubravka back in August of last year. Despite Karl Darlow being an impressive replacement, and one that would be fitting for many Premier League teams, he is not enough to hold Newcastle strong as the team dives further into danger.
Some teams manage to counterbalance an underperforming defensive strategy with talent up front that can scrape 2-1 victories from the jaws of defeat. This was the purpose of NUFC spending big on their record signing back in 2019. Hoffenheim striker Joelinton cost the magpies a reported £40million, which would give Newcastle the forward presence that hasn’t been felt for years. This turned out, not to be. Allen Saint-Maximin was another big money signing that showed bags of promise during his initial introduction to the Premier League. His talent is undeniable, and has led multiple teams, such as Aston Villa, to be invested in gaining the french winger. Similarly to Dubravka however, every silver lining has a cloud. The attacking talisman has missed the majority of this season due to a groin injury sidelining him at a time he is most needed.
This, however, shouldn’t put Newcastle at a drastically low advantage. Many teams have seen star talent fall injured this season. It has resulted in many younger and less used talent shining through and proving their worth. It has made players dive deeper into finding the fight needed to make up for lost quality, a mindset that seems to have evaded the North Eastern team. With many players, such as Jonjo Shelvey and Sean Longstaff branded as lazy for their performances this season, there aren’t many players in the squad that should be able to escape such branding. The bar is low and is lowering, while occasionally spending £40million here and £20million there doesn’t seem to be doing the trick.
A Coaching Collapse
The jury is well and truly out in regards to Steve Bruce at Newcastle United. The fans have had enough. Watching Newcastle week in, week out has become an outright chore due to the style of play in which the coach chooses to play. With top players vastly under-performing, the entire reasoning behind these gruelling performances can not entirely be placed on Steve Bruce, however, when players downtools, it is up to the manager to be either the boot up the backside or the inspirational lift. On multiple occasions we have seen communication between the players and the manager flounder. This recently came into the public spotlight after a bust up with Newcastle midfielder Matt Ritchie, where the player branded Bruce ‘a coward’, echoing the cries of Newcastle fans. Is Bruce a bad manager? Well, he has proved his ability in past positions at the likes of Birmingham City and Hull City, raising their expectations and keeping them in the Premier League where most people believed this to be unlikely. However, when raised expectations of comfortable league positions, while playing attractive football, Bruce seems to become exposed. His time at Newcastle, as well as some other Premier League teams has been shrouded in boring football and disinterested players.
In the grand scheme of things, Steve Bruce is not a bad football manager, however, as time goes by and the critiques pile up, it seems his time at the football’s highest level is finished.
Objectionable Ownership
At the very top of this dysfunctional pyramid is the man that irks the ears of Newcastle fans everywhere. Mike Ashley, the owner. The most unpopular man at St James` Park is never far from any conversation about the current turmoil of Newcastle United. In 2007 when Ashley first took over the majority share of Newcastle United, Magpie fans saw him as a saviour to a club that had financial troubles under the previous ownership. After paying off large debts the club had racked up over the years, Ashley spent his time mixing with the fans by watching games from the stands and even drinking in local pubs after games. So what is the issue? Well, the Newcastle owner soon discovered that running a club involved more than just drinking and having a good time.
After his initial purchase of the club did not take into account the late payments to previous sponsorships northern rock and previous transfer fees, reality was starting to settle about the task he had in front of him. Shortly after, his breakup with the fans unravelled. In 2008 Dennis Wise, the man Ashley hired to be the director of football at the club, arranged a meeting with the then much loved manager, Kevin Keegan. The manager claimed that Wise became too involved with team matters, leading to Keegan storming out of said meeting while vocally projecting he had been sacked. This led to a drastic turn in opinion from Newcastle fans against the owner, leading to Mike Ashley releasing a statement not too long after claiming he wanted to sell the club, seemingly coming to terms with the concept he was not prepared to run the club he so desperately loved.
Multiple attempts have been made over the years to sell the club, however, one thing that Mike Ashley is not short of is stubbornness. The determination to receive a substantial amount for the club, potentially wanting money back for what he has put in over the years. While all these financial debacles follow the owner, continued disappointments with managerial appointments causes further discontent between fans and players, having a trickle down effect on the entirety of Newcastle United
The Inevitable
Over recent weeks, Newcastle’s form has taken a sudden upturn. 7 points in their last 6 games is very respectable for a club trying to breakaway from relegation danger, and if continued could leave them comfortable on the final day of the season against Fulham. However, a club the size of Newcastle United, along with the wealth of their owner, should not be fighting a relegation battle in so many seasons over the last decade, having gone down twice in that time. Relegation over the next few seasons will be inevitable and with the club in such a state of disrepair, coming back up might not be so easy.
The last failed sale of the club was to the Saudi royal family, yet it was supposedly rejected by the Premier League, despite their claims of being impartial. However, it has been reported future attempts are still on the table. If this deal was to eventually happen, it could start the process of a massive rebuild at Newcastle United. Would relegation make it easier for such a deal to go through considering the Premier League would not be able to reject the offer like last time? Would the endless amount of money be the only way to tackle the ownership, managerial and squad crisis and give the club the revamp it needs?
The Angry Spectator 