September 2008 Archives

JOE KINNEAR inherited a team at the top of the table when he got to work with the Newcastle United players for the first time today.

Unfortunately for the ex-Wimbledon boss, though, it's the Premier League Injury table.

Kinnear was well aware of this fact before he agreed to take the job in Toon but even so his squad is decimated by injuries that have almost gone unnoticed, with such a political storm hovering above St James's Park since Kevin Keegan quit the club at the start of the month.

For the Dublin-born boss will go into the game with Everton on Merseyside without EIGHT of his first team roster.

BEFORE I try to find something to write about boring old Newcastle, there are other sporting matters to be addressed. I must offer heartiest congratulations to Durham CCC on winning the County Championship, thoroughly deserved as well after being thwarted by the weather last season.

When you consider the vital players they lose to England, it is a marvellous achievement to keep producing more than able replacements, and making astute signings of foreign players. Well done to Dale Benkenstein and all at the Riverside.

Now, it is almost impossible to keep up with events at SJP on an hourly basis, never mind a weekly one.

JOE Kinnear insists he has no qualms about continuing to name Michael Owen as captain despite growing doubts about the striker's long-term commitment to Newcastle United.

Owen has still not agreed a new contract at St James's Park and is highly unlikely to do so during the present turmoil which has seen Kevin Keegan quit as manager, owner Mike Ashley put the club up for sale and the team slump to second from bottom in the Premier League.

It is open to debate whether Owen ever intended to agree an extension to a deal which runs out at the end of the season, but he has also been messed about by the United hierarchy and the England international will be able to start negotiating a lucrative Bosman-style free transfer move in January with rival clubs.

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HE'S JUST an Ordinary Joe, a regular guy who said yes when all his peers were saying no.

He's also On-high Joe, not Touchline Joe, because he isn't actually allowed to sit in the dug- out.

Typical, cynics would suggest, that Mike Ashley should foist upon Geordies a manager unable to do his job in the usual manner because of a ban imposed FOUR YEARS ago.

SO Joe Kinnear has officially begun his new job as Newcastle's United temporary manager. There is a joke in here somewhere - get it - a bad one admittedly, but whatever you think about the Cockney Irishman you'd better hope he is able to do something to improve things at St James's Park.

We have no idea how long Joe "f*****g" Kinnear is going to be United's manager and, to be honest, I have no idea whether it's an absolute disaster or a surprisingly clever choice.

What I do know is that Joe has a tendency to swear a lot, he does not suffer fools and he will, in his own words, tell it how he sees it for however long he remains in charge. It might be four weeks, it could be six, but it might be eight. Let's be honest, it could be months so we may as well accept it and make the best of a bad situation.

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IT was bad enough on the field.

But it wasn't much better off it.

In fact, the Blackburn media thought it was absolutely hilarious when they went for their half-time cuppa and were told there was no tea because they were still waiting for the cups.

Cups? You can forget all about this Newcastle United side winning any cups in their current situation.

And while I accept that there are only six games gone in the Premier League, I can understand those members of the Toon Army when they tell me they are already worried about relegation.

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NOW that the dust has settled (for five minutes at least) Newcastle United fans appear to have given Joe Kinnear the warmest welcome possible given the difficult and complex circumstances at St James's Park.

Kinnear has admitted he is not the choice of the people but will block out any negative feedback in order to do the best possible job while he is in charge.

He's supposed to be in the manager's chair for six to eight games (even he didn't seem to know) but you do get the feeling this could rumble on longer.

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JOE Kinnear knows the knives are already out for him as Newcastle United's temporary manager but is adamant he can deal with whatever is thrown at him during his short stint at St James's Park.

As manager of Wimbledon in the 1990s Kinnear became used to being criticised by rival managers and supporters and, while he admitted he faces a battle to win the support and trust of United's own fans following his appointment last week, it is a fight he relishes after four years out of the game.

While nobody knows how long the former Republic of Ireland international will be in charge of the team - Alan Shearer has adamantly denied his claim he and Kevin Keegan will return as managers when a takeover is completed - Kinnear is ready to stand his ground against the critics as he vowed to make the most of his shock return to management.

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THOUGH the world would be much the richer with Jackie Milburn still in it, it's a small mercy he wasn't around last Wednesday.

How sad, but not unfitting, that the 20th anniversary of the death of Newcastle United's greatest player looks likely to dawn amid one of the club's darkest hours.

After all, the Magpies were in freefall on October 9, 1988 too. Bottom but one of the top flight . . . fans ready to revolt . . . a boardroom battle brewing . . .

WITH confidence at rock bottom in the Toon dressing room going into Joe Kinnear's six game stint in charge, you have to admit that the former Wimbledon boss has nothing to lose when it comes to his St James's Park experience.

He's got a lot of work to do though and after shaking his head in disgust at the way United went 2-0 down against Blackburn, he will clearly be having words with his defence.

Secondly he will probably have to question United's battling qualities after Blackburn won almost everything in the air.

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