Why do Newcastle United find themselves in such a mess?
Sunday 6 December 2015 11:19, UK
Why do Newcastle find themselves in such a mess? We take a look at the issues...
Newcastle's 5-1 defeat to Crystal Palace was just the latest disappointment in a season that's already thrown up plenty of them for the club's supporters. The last home game resulted in a 3-0 defeat to Leicester - the same scoreline by which the derby with Sunderland was lost in October.
All of which leaves Newcastle just one place off the bottom of the Premier League and pessimism rife. But what's the reason for the team's struggles? As so often with the Magpies, there are a myriad of problems leading to one seemingly inevitable outcome…
The ownership
It's now a little over six months since Mike Ashley attempted to assuage some of the dissatisfaction among supporters by taking responsibility for the team's slump and insisting that he would not rest until the club had won a trophy. Big talk but it hasn't gone well.
While Newcastle spent heavily in the summer, the club's owner must also take some responsibility for how that's been invested and, more importantly, who has invested it. There remains little reason to be persuaded that the right men are making the decisions at St James' Park.
The management
Ashley insists that it was Derek Llambias who opted for Alan Pardew and it was "Lee Charnley and the football board" charged with recruiting Steve McClaren. The current coach was pursued with some determination too, given that he had to be convinced to take the job.
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Charnley's recruitment decisions do not reflect well on him thus far. "The traditional English manager who would want full control is not what I'm looking for," he told fans in January following Pardew's exit. But with control comes responsibility - and blame. Charnley must take his share.
The coach
McClaren boasts a fine reputation as a coach, albeit one who presided over Derby's dramatic collapse. But his previous struggles working with a general manager at Wolfsburg and enduring a difficult situation at Nottingham Forest might have been more instructive than any training drill.
There is a new manager, £40m-50m spent, but it's still the same. Newcastle are certainly one of those teams who, over the years, cannot be happy with their recruitment and the money they have spent.
It's become apparent that Newcastle needed an overhaul not a tweak and McClaren's decisions thus far have appeared counter-productive with familiar questions about his man-management skills emerging. His relationship with club captain Fabricio Coloccini is already under scrutiny.
In defence, Newcastle have looked disorganised. In midfield, former manager John Carver questioned the decision to give Vurnon Anita a man-marking role against Crystal Palace, while McClaren has also struggled to get the best from forwards Aleksandar Mitrovic and Papiss Cisse.
The players
The dismal form that saw Newcastle drop from the safety of mid-table under Carver led to him being forced to take much of the blame for the slide. His competence was questioned and it was easy to assume that it was his unsuitability for the role that was dragging down the players.
I watched Newcastle against West Ham. The first four times a camera went on him, he was messing with his hair. I'm thinking, 'Why don't you just get on with the game and knuckle down?' He just hasn't done it.
However, whatever the flaws with McClaren's CV, the new man has achieved enough in his career to ensure that the playing squad must take some of the responsibility for the club's predicament too. After all, Newcastle have now picked up 65 points from 72 games under three different coaches.
Does that hint at a prevailing attitude problem? For example, when West Brom were struggling under Pepe Mel with the Spaniard struggling to get his ideas across, it's believed that the players themselves took responsibility for hauling the club from danger. Self-motivation is important too.
All of the above?
Newcastle has become seen as a place where there are poor players fortunate to be in the Premier League and better players appearing demotivated by the experience. There's a coach unable to alter the club's trajectory and question marks over why he was given the opportunity to try.
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There's an executive struggling to justify his appointments and an owner unwilling to take charge of the situation in a positive way. It all adds up to a club mired in its own mistakes. Can Newcastle change? Perhaps only when everything at Newcastle changes. Liverpool at home would be a start.
Newcastle v Liverpool is live on Sky Sports 1 HD from 3.30pm on Sunday
