Before the Moans and Groans…
By Nick Raynor
April 17 2005
OK, we didn’t play well against Manchester United, but people should not start moaning about Souness yet.
So we’ve hit some shaky form – The UEFA Cup was our only real route to
But against a team like Manchester United, and considering our poor form, low morale and numerous injuries and suspensions, anybody really EXPECTING us to win needs to wake up.
There is no denying it – We we’re poor against Manchester and I’m sure the moans such as ‘I want Bobby back’, will start coming in but remember back to 2004; people we’re not pleading Robson’s case them when we lost to Villa, sold Solano, failed to sign a new defender after selling Woody.
Consider this year, a year of consolidation, and a chance to get things sorted out. The team has taken a new shape this season and I’m sure people will be going and coming in the transfer window.
Souness has not been bad this season. OK, he was not everyone’s first choice for the job but we had few options available to us.
You may remember at first how we had all sports of players arguing with Sir Bobby and Souness did stamp that out. Bellamy left, Robert stopped mouthing off (for a short while), and Dyer eventually worked his way into the fans good books again.
Souness already had a poor league start when he took over but got us to the quarter-finals o the UEFA Cup, semi-finals of the FA Cup which despite not winning any silverware, proves we have cup ambitions and can challenge when the squad is strengthened.
Souness convinced Shearer to stay on. You we’re all singing his praises then and in just 2 weeks people have started criticising him because of poor form.
He signed Boumsong who is quality and Babayaro who has played OK when not injured. We beat
I would hardly blame him for Dyer and Bowyer fighting and I know we are trying to move on but let’s face it, that fight has really damaged our season. Morale was on the floor and if those 2 had never had a fight and both started against Manchester United today, I am confident we would have had a lot more attacking options.
Numerous injuries did not help the cause either and Robert once again opening his loud and obnoxious mouth has probably ended his career on Tyneside because he CANNOT keep damaging the team like this! He looked totally uninterested at times today and I am NOT HAPPY with him at all. His free-kick early on today nearly went out for a throw-in it was so off target and his corner didn’t beat the first man. Nearly all Man Utd’s attacks came from the right because Robert was letting Gary Neville past him leaving Babayaro 1 on 2 with Neville and Ronaldo.
YOU ARE
In the summer, we need one more quality centre-back and then at full strength we will have a solid defence. Carr, Boumsong, Mr. X and Babayaro. The midfield is OK for now as when we are playing somebody with an attacking sense we will do better than with Faye and Butt (Bowyer, Dyer OR Jenas).
Upfront we need somebody to partner Shearer because Ameobi, despite being the better striker, will not do the job for us and Patrick Kluivert has just been disappointed. Personally, I would love Bellamy and Shearer because Bellamy was ON FIRE with us and is at Celtic, but Souness and Bellamy are both stubborn men, and I doubt we will see Bellars in black and white again.
OK that’s my post-match rant over and done with but I swear I will punch and beat the living daylights out of anybody I see moaning about Souness and saying he should go. Souness has done his level best this year and it is certain individuals at the club who have stopped our drive for success.
Damn it! I can’t blame the referee for today’s loss, he was quality…