Newcastle – BRITISH SOCCER {DIVA}

Not So Best XI…

It’s easy to compile a Premier League Best XI when you can choose from the likes of Sergio Aguero, David Silva, Robin Van Persie, Wayne Rooney, Didier Drogba, Papiss Cisse, Gareth Bale and Yohan Cabaye.

From Manchester City, to Newcastle, Arsenal, Tottenham and Manchester United, the top half of the Premier League table is dripping with talent and their silky skills make you salivate with delight.

But there are also some talented folks in the bottom half. In fact, this season more than ever, there are some players in the bottom half who wouldn’t be a bad investment for some of the teams at the top. If some scouts took a wee gander at what was going on beneath them, they could save on the travel budget!

Instead of the traditional Best XI, this season, we’ve put together our Not So Best XI. This selection of players make up a team that could perhaps qualify for the Europa League. Or some would argue they could easily get relegated. Chime in and let us know what you think. Better yet, send us your Not So Best XI so we can compare scouting notes!

Goalkeeper = Michel Vorm | Swansea

Manager = Brendan Rodgers | Swansea

Kit Colour = Home | All red | Away | All Black

The Return of Newcastle United…

In May of 2009, Newcastle United fans were in mourning. The owner, board and executive management team were in shambles and not even Alan Shearer, the ultimate Magpies legend, could save them from relegation to the Championship.

Despite the crash and burn events of 2009, Chris Hughton did manage to ferry the team back to the Premier League after just one season in football obscurity. And how was the then Newcastle United manager thanked by owner Mike Ashley? He was given the sack half way through the 2010/11 season. Newcastle United fans returned to mourning. Their club was once again being dragged through the football mud. And more horror was to come.

Mike Ashley followed up the sacking of Hughton by hiring Alan Pardew, which at the time, appeared to be a like-for-like appointment. Ashley continued to rip through the club by selling fan favourites like Joey Barton, Kevin Nolan and Andy Carroll. It seemed the team were doomed to fail again and a date with Championship football was a certainty for the Toon Army. Surely there would be no return from this for Mike Ashley or the team? Or would there?

The history of Mike Ashley as owner of Newcastle United did not instill any confidence in the fans that he was making decisions that were in the best interest of the club. But for once, the big man may have got it right. Furnishing Alan Pardew with the funds to bring in players like Hatem Ben Arfa, Demba Ba, Papiss Cisse and Yohan Cabaye, has all but erased the bad memories and given everyone belief that the return of Newcastle United could definitely be on. Fans can smell it, but dare they believe it?

Alan Pardew has a lovely blend of foreign and British talent which surely makes many Premier League fans envious. Liverpool fans especially must be wanting to kick their own club right now. Think of the money they have spent in the transfer market in comparison to Newcastle United. And think of the talent the Magpies acquired compared to Liverpool. Bet the Kop would exchange Stewart Downing, Charlie Adam, Jordan Henderson and Andy Carroll for any of those Newcastle United players right now. Yes Liverpool won the Carling Cup. Yes they are in the semi-final of the F.A. Cup. However, their league form has been woeful. Liverpool could have acquired Ba or Cisse but they didn’t. Newcastle’s scouting team should be credited for the talent they’ve seeked and acquired this season. And Alan Pardew should be a consideration for Manager of the Year.

Life hasn’t been this good on Tyneside since the 1995/96 season that showcased phenomenal talent like David Ginola, Les Ferdinand and Alan Shearer. And with only five weeks left of Premier League action, Newcastle United fans can finally believe the changes at the club have worked as they could also return to Champions League football for the first time in almost 10 years.

The return of the Toon Army is definitely on. The questions is, how long will it last? Hopefully, this chapter in Newcastle United’s history will go on for a good few pages…

It’s early days but…

Did anyone think Newcastle would thrash Aston Villa 6-0? Are Chelsea going to score 6 goals week-in-week-out? Is this Theo Walcott and Arsenal’s season to shine? Are Manchester City the real deal this time around? Do Manchester United look sluggish? Will Tottenham flounder after a stellar showing last season? Is it me or do Liverpool look pizazzless?

We all know the season rarely ends the way it starts. But I feel like I can make one prediction already. West Ham look woeful and unless they strengthen their team, they are toast. Their fans can look forward to life in the Championship if their first two games are anything to go by. Time to put some superhero power in those bubbles Hammer fans!

Everyone was blown away by Blackpool’s first game and they soon bounced back to earth after being tossed like a salad by Arsenal. Theo Walcott looked explosive and he sure feels like a man with a point to prove. It’s good for Arsenal that he’s started off the season that way. Let’s hope he can stay fit .

Manchester City have spent gazillions on some foreign imports but it’s the homegrown talent that look like the sharpest tools in the shed. Adam Johnson and James Milner could be the difference in that team this season and to see young British players flourish and play with such style is refreshing. I’m not rooting for City, but I am rooting for Johnson and Milner to do well!

Newcastle stunned Villa and perhaps even themselves with an outstanding home return to the Premier League. Is Andy Carroll finally the man to fill legend Alan Shearer’s shoes? He could be a winner for the Toon and England. Will be exciting to keep watching how he progresses.

Chelsea look sharp and ready to defend their title. So what’s new?

Manchester United look non-plus at this point. But the Red Devils always get off to a slow start. Perhaps this season is the type where no team can afford a slow start?

It seems you were all chicken to cast your stones and vote who you think will finish where. It’s time to put your footballs where your mouths are fellow fans. Check out the THIS IS IT post and plaster your predictions for the football world to see. What has caught your eye so far?

Thank goodness normal life has resumed once again…

Hello Premier League…

The Toon Army is back in the Premier League! Newcastle United clinched promotion before they even kicked a ball or a Sheffield United player last night. And it’s much relief after the nightmare of being relegated last season. What a difference a year makes.

Mike Ashley’s Newcastle reign started horrifically. We all know the story. He made some terrible decisions. Hiring Dennis Wise. Firing Kevin Keegan. The list goes on and on. He even tried to sell the club when fans got hostile which was scary for his family so he wanted out. But no buyers meant no deal and Ashley had to figure out a plan to save Newcastle. The club was on its knees. What a difference a year makes.

Despite the turmoil of their relegation year, it does appear as though Mike Ashley learned much from his hellish experience. Together with his executive team, manager Chris Hughton and the players, they banded together at the start of their Championship season and made a very important decision. As a group they would fight to get Newcastle promoted. And their inspiration? The same Newcastle United fans that passionately protested against their self-proclaimed football fan owner, Mike Ashley. What a difference a year makes.

Newcastle United fans are without question the most passionate fans in England. It doesn’t matter who their team is playing against, they will turn out in their thousands to watch. And when their beloved Newcastle hit rock bottom, they didn’t let them down. They sucked-up the whole relegation experience and they too made a decision to support their team in the pursuit to get back into the Premier League. Week after week 50,000 would show-up to watch Leeds, Cardiff City or Sheffield Wednesday. They watched and cheered with the same passion they would show against Chelsea, Manchester United or Arsenal. These same fans that were ready to walk away from the Mike Ashley years altogether made a U-Turn. What a difference a year makes.

When you scratch away at a club, whether it’s the owner, the players or the staff, deep beneath the turf lies the heart beat that keeps it all alive and possible. The fan. But in Newcastle’s case something unusual happened in their relegation season. The players, the owner and the staff stuck together with the fans to fight back. Sure a couple of players left to remain in the Premier League, but most however stayed which added to that strong heart beat that runs right through the club. We’re the first to point the finger at players for being greedy, but the likes of Kevin Nolan, Alan Smith, Jonas Gutierrez, Peter Lovenkrands and Fabricio Coloccini could have easily left but they didn’t. They chose to stay with the club that portrayed nothing but dysfunction to the world. They chose to fight for the owner and fans. What a difference a year makes.

Credit to Newcastle. I for one am delighted they are back. Hopefully Mike Ashley will do it right this time around in the Premier League. He will need to invest in players and build around the core that played so valiantly throughout their Championship season. The one question remains. Will Chris Hughton be given the big job? Who would have thought he’d still be standing at Newcastle United after everything that’s gone on? In football, anything is possible. The Toon Army can say hello again to the Premier League. What a difference a year makes…

Legend Robbie Fowler…

fowler They refer to him as God in Liverpool. To this day he is adored by the Kop and every other inch of Anfield. He is untouchable. He is one of their finest. And Robbie Fowler certainly is a Premier League legend.

Dynamic, inventive and sometimes controversial, Fowler was an incredibly gifted player who became a real football superstar with Liverpool during the 90’s. He was part of the glamorous “Spice Boys” gang that also included Jamie Rednknapp, Steve McManaman, David James and Jason McAteer. I didn’t think the label was deserved, but perhaps it was those shocking white suits they wore at the 1996 F.A. Cup Final that really ignited the media’s attention!

Most people thought this so-called “Spice Boys” team under achieved by not winning the Premier League title. And despite the tag he and his team mates received, nobody could deny the brilliance of Fowler in front of goal. He loved to hunt for goals and defenders were his prey. He would torture, twist and turn them embarrassingly inside out. He was one of the most natural finishers the Premier League has seen.

Although he never became a Premier League champion, Fowler still enjoyed the taste of victory and success by winning the F.A. and League Cup twice and he also won the U.E.F.A. and Super Cup respectively. From 1993-2001 he made 246 appearances for Liverpool scoring 122 goals. He scored twice in that famous 4-3 victory over Newcastle United, a match from the 1995-96 season which many refer to as “the greatest game every played.”

But in 2001, Fowler’s fairy tale with Liverpool came to an end. Following huge frustration at being left out of the squad and falling behind Emile Heskey and Michael Owen as a first choice striker, Fowler departed for Leeds. It was weird because you always expected someone like Robbie to stay at Liverpool his entire career. It didn’t seem quite right seeing him in a Leeds shirt. When he departed from Liverpool, Fowler’s career was never the same again. Following his time at Leeds, God then moved to Manchester City, then to Cardiff City and finally to Blackburn Rovers.

But like all fairy tales, there was to be a happy ending and he did return to Liverpool for one last season in 2006. Fowler walked away with a Champions League Runner-Up medal and on May 13th, in his last game for Liverpool, he would be given the captain’s armband. Just before the game would end, Fowler would be substituted to a standing ovation. At least he got to say goodbye to the Kop end the right way.

Following his second stint at Liverpool, Fowler’s overall record was 191 goals in 369 appearances. He is the 4th highest scorer ever in the Premier League. People say he should have played more for England too. He made only 26 senior appearances for his country, scoring 8 goals. For some reason he couldn’t quite nail down a regular place in the squad. This was debated across many newspaper columns for a good few years.

Regardless of his failures with England, Fowler has certainly left his mark on the game and an eternal foot print in the hearts of Liverpool fans. To this day, Fowler’s name is chanted by fans around Anfield as though he were still wearing that #9 shirt. He was an exceptionally talented player and very exciting to watch. Where do you rank Fowler?

Legend David Ginola…

David_Ginola_Caricature David Ginola played for four Premier League clubs including Newcastle United, Tottenham Hotspur, Aston Villa and Everton. He undoubtedly showcased his best football at Newcastle United and Spurs. The Frenchman loved being on the big stage and fans loved him. Especially women! He had flare, pizazz and personality. But he was also a great footballer.

Ginola had beautiful feet and he scored some really tasty goals when he was in his prime. He also played the game with a lot of passion and in 1999 was voted PFA Footballer of the Year while playing for Spurs. Ginola also won his only English domestic trophy with Spurs in 1999, the League Cup. Outside of English football he won the French league and cup with Paris St-Germain.

David Ginola must be one of the only footballers to have ever appeared in a shampoo commercial. The Frenchman was a legend for his looks as much as he was for playing the beautiful game. He glided up and down that wing with the wind blowing through his hair for 90 minutes every Saturday. When L’Oreal came calling, Ginola and his locks answered!

Some people may not put Ginola in the same category as a Cantona, Zola or a Bergkamp, but when you think of the great entertainers that have played in the Premier League, Ginola is top of the list. If Newcastle United had won the league in the 1995-96 season when they collapsed after leading by 10 points, then perhaps Ginola would be in the elite player discussion a lot more. For me, he is a Premier League legend…

He’s a blue devil now…

Join_us_280x390_845842a Here it is. The picture Manchester United fans didn’t want to see. Former United heroes Mark Hughes and Carlos Tevez proudly show-off the blue shirt of Manchester City to celebrate Tevez joining the team. If I were a United fan I’d be gutted. It would feel like someone just stabbed me in the heart. Of all the teams in all the land, did Tevez have to join City! What a dagger!

Carlos Tevez will be a superstar at Manchester City. He will be the main man. He will get everything he wanted at United and more. And Tevez wants to prove Sir Alex Ferguson wrong. Signing for City is a calculated move. It’s also a move about money of course, but why not twist the knife while you’re trying to make your point. Will Sir Alex regret this one?

United have now lost two world class players in Ronaldo and Tevez. They have signed Michael Owen from Newcastle, Antonio Valencia from Wigan and Gabrielle Obertan, a relative unknown from Bordeaux. Now these are not the superstar names United fans were expecting to see swing through the Theater of Dreams doors this summer. But if Sir Alex pulls this off, it will be the shrewdest bit of business he’s done in a while. The man has done it before with his 1990’s so-called team of kids (Giggs, Neville, Beckham) and he can certainly do it again.

So be patient United fans. Let the new season start before you start throwing the same daggers Tevez did.

I see Michael Owen…

Michael_Owen_280x39_840301a Do you remember how shocking it was when you realized Bruce Willis’ character in the Sixth Sense was actually one of those dead people the kid kept saying he was seeing? Well shoot the shrink people! We’re not even halfway through the summer transfer season and we already have a shock-of-a-transfer story that could rival the shocking twist of the Sixth Sense.

Michael Owen has been signed by Manchester United. Let me just writepeat that…Michael Owen has been signed by Manchester United. Who wasn’t shocked beyond belief when they heard the news? I was shell-shocked. Anyone who says they saw this coming is a complete and utter liar.

For the last 2 seasons Owen has been hovering around St.James’ Park like a ghost. He was deflated. There was no life left in him. He had become like a dull, dark cloud. Very much like Bruce Willis’ character in the Sixth Sense. And now Newcastle were relegated, who was interested in buying this one time phenom?

Hull City, Stoke City and some other mediocre City named sides were apparently interested! But were these the only teams impressed by Michael Owen’s famous past? Not quite. Just as Owen’s reps were preparing another mail out of that now infamous 34 page soccer sales brochure, he received a surprise phone call from Sir Alex Ferguson inviting him out for a spot of lunch. By the time they were done with their pudding, Owen was offered a contract at Manchester United. It was easy for the ex-Liverpool hero to accept. Perhaps there’s even a part of him that wants to prove Liverpool made a mistake letting him go to Real Madrid all those years ago.

Sir Alex Ferguson likes to gamble and the media is painting this as a huge one. But we all know most transfers are huge gambles. This one could end up being a great gamble. This transfer could be the shrewdest bit of business this summer. For one, Owen will be playing with world class players again. No disrespect to Newcastle, but Manchester United is a different breed of football club. There are players that can inspire Owen to be better and at United, he will be a star name among other superstar names.

You could compare Michael Owen’s forthcoming adventure to that of David Beckham’s recent experience. Beckham was playing for the LA Galaxy and then he found himself going to AC Milan on loan and all of a sudden he’s in the form of his life playing in Serie A, the UEFA Cup and also playing a part in England’s World Cup campaign. With the medical facilities at United and the talent that will surround Owen, he could find himself achieving the same. And how satisfying would it be for him to pull that England shirt on again and prove his doubters wrong?

Sometimes people grab their second chance and they savor it like a fine wine. Others throw it away like an empty beer can. Michael Owen was dead at Newcastle. You could see it. You could feel it. He will not let this chance pass him by. He is a very ambitious man who wants to show the world he still has it. Do you guys think he will find his world class form again? Can he stay injury free? Has Sir Alex Ferguson taken too much of a gamble and will he be saying “I see Michael Owen” for the rest of his life…?

Newcastle are gone baby gone…

newcastle-shearer_1392814c Newcastle United have been relegated. After almost 20 years in the top flight of British football, the once impressive and glamorous Toon Army are toast. Their fall from grace was heard across the football universe today and Chairman Mike Ashley, his executive team and even the players can point the finger at themselves for this disaster.

Were any of them aware that it’s a privilege and not a right to play in the Premier League? Their arrogance was intolerable to observe. They made some bad decisions. They screwed it up. They are to blame and now it’s the fans that will pay the price. Instead of relishing an encounter with Manchester United, Liverpool or Chelsea next season, they can look forward to playing teams like Preston North End, Doncaster Rovers and Plymouth Argyle. And to make it even more painful, Newcastle’s bitter rivals Sunderland survived being relegated which means they get to play Premier League football again next term. That’s rotten.

I’ve never felt the pain of my team being relegated and I can’t imagine there is anything worse to experience as a fan of football. To lose the elite status of being a Premier League team is not only gut-wrenching, but it also costs your team millions and can set them back for years to come. There is no guarantee of an immediate return. Just ask Leeds United, Charlton and Southampton fans. It’s got to hurt worse than a punch from Mike Tyson circa 1986. It’s got to hurt worse than a root canal. It’s got to be the worse pain in the world.

The sad thing for Newcastle fans is not even their hero Alan Shearer could save them from the drop. He probably feels the same pain as they do today. Perhaps it’s a little easier for Shearer though. A nice family holiday in the Bahamas or Bermuda will help ease the pain of relegation. But what will the hard-up Newcastle supporters do to erase the memory of the 2008-09 season? My guess is they’ll dust themselves off, buy a new shirt and start talking about how they are going to return to the Premier League. Football is in their blood. Football is their life. Football is Newcastle United. But who will lead them? Shearer? Or will King Kev return? Let’s hope for the fans sake, the club makes the right decision…

Legend Alan Shearer…

shearer He played for Southampton, Blackburn and Newcastle. He was captain of the England football team. He scored goals…lots of goals. He was built like a Hummer. So strong, physically and mentally. The chants were simple. The name was clear. Shearer, Shearer, Shearer.

Alan Shearer will go down as one of the greatest English strikers to have played the beautiful game. When he made a choice to leave Southampton, he decided to join Jack Walker’s revolution at Blackburn Rovers and at the time, he cost a record-breaking 3.3 million pounds. Loose change in the transfer market these days! Surprisingly, Shearer won the title with Blackburn in the 1994-95 season. He never won it again.

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson tried to buy Alan Shearer twice. Once from Southampton and then from Blackburn. Instead of joining the Red Devils after a successful Euro 96 campaign with England, Shearer followed his heart and chose to join his boyhood club, Newcastle United. He wanted to go and play football for his hero Kevin Keegan. Perhaps he should have followed his head instead of his heart. Shearer won nothing at Newcastle. The 1996-97 season was particularly a harsh one for him. With the team 11 points clear over their rivals Manchester United, they imploded and lost the title. Shearer was also a losing finalist in the F.A. Cup…twice. In 1998, Arsenal destroyed his dream and in 1999, Manchester United dealt Shearer another dagger to the heart.

Regardless of the few medals he won, Shearer was a world class striker. He has scored more goals than any other player in the Premier League. He was a predator in front of that goal. Thank goodness for his title at Blackburn. Otherwise, Shearer could have been one of the greatest strikers to have played the game and won nothing. Where do you rank him?