I am a first time contributor to The Mag and decided to wait until my anger subsided and the dust settled, before sending in this article.
After being left dumbfounded and then humiliated at Newcastle United’s capitulation in the Nou Camp against Barca, for my team to then double it up with a spineless insipid display against our arch local enemies, has been almost too much to bear.
What we have witnessed is undoubtedly the worst week in Newcastle United’s history.
To eventually be on the end of a 7-2 battering in a Champions League game of such magnitude would always take some surpassing. But boy did Eddie Howe and his troops go out of their way to inflict more misery upon all Newcastle United fans at the hands of the mackems.
To lose two derbies in a season to newly promoted Sunderland is absolutely unforgivable. After all, it’s only four years ago that the Wearsiders were battling it out for promotion from League One.
After the 1990 play-off defeat to our nearest and not so dearest, we were at our lowest ebb. Then along came Sir John Hall followed by Kevin Keegan. KK went on to win every single derby that he managed us in, during two spells as our boss.
Sir Bobby Robson’s team had only one blemish on their record in the same fixture, and like King Kev, wily old Bobby knew what this fixture meant.
After all the nonsense spouted about how hurt our current team were after the defeat at the SOL in December, Howe and his side disastrously did their utmost to rub our noses in it last Sunday.
The last time we won a Tyne/Wear league derby back in 2011, United were well ahead in the overall head to heads against the mackems. To put things into perspective Sunderland are now one up on us. A team that has spent four seasons in the third tier of English football, during the 15 years since our last league win.
I don’t think Howe or his assistant get this fixture. When we beat them in the FA Cup two years ago, Tindall even thought it was a good idea to take the absolute proverbial, and have a celebratory picture taken on the pitch. After all, Sunderland were then a Championship team who had just sacked their manager. That act of sheer stupidity hasn’t stood up to the test of time.
Our last seven games of the season cannot be over soon enough. ‘Where will this leave Eddie Howe?’ seems to be the only thing currently on everyone’s minds.
Fixture congestion has been a real burden this season but that cannot mask the regular inconsistency and some extremely woeful results. The amount of games and points we have thrown away is criminal.
The whole club has gone stale and needs freshening up. I honestly think that Eddie Howe has now ran out of ideas and solutions.
Comments welcome.