Relegation-threatened Newcastle United have been told it is "time for action and accountability" in a strongly worded letter from fans criticising boss Steve McClaren and his players. The Magpies lost 3-1 at home to Bournemouth on Saturday, a result that left them 19th in the Premier League. The St James' Park club's board met on Monday to discuss the situation. "Someone has to be accountable and decisions must be made," said the statement from the NUFC Fans' Forum. "What Newcastle fans want is a team of 11 players in black and white shirts that understand their role to perform to their maximum - week in, week out. "We have entrusted the board of NUFC to ensure that the right personnel are in place to carry out this basic expectation." What is the NUFC Fans' Forum? There are 15 forum seats occupied by supporters - each representing a broad group of the club's diverse fan base. There are 13 individual supporters and two fan group representatives (NUFC Fans United and Newcastle United Disabled Supporters Association). The group meets the club two or three times a season. 'We cannot accept the current work ethic' Former England manager McClaren took over in the summer, but has only won six of his 28 top-flight matches in charge. Spanish forward Ayoze Perez insisted on Monday that the players are still behind the 54-year-old - but the squad's effort has also been criticised in the supporters' statement. "Whilst we have 10 games to go, fans cannot accept the current work ethic of the players," it added. "Our players frequently look jaded and our playing style often appears outdated. We lack organisation and the players continue to lack discipline." Club must 'initiate any changes they see fit' McClaren should be sacked as the club embark on a "rescue operation", according to former Newcastle owner Sir John Hall. And ex-captain Alan Shearer, the Magpies' record goalscorer, says the club is "a mess from top to bottom". The team were booed off the pitch following the defeat by Bournemouth - their third straight Premier League loss. "Maybe it's time to accept that the 'head coach' role simply doesn't work at NUFC and accept that a manager is required, a person who will not only coach but motivate and manage," continued the NUFC Fans' Forum letter. "We must urge you to review our position and initiate any changes that you see fit to correct the current attitude of the playing staff. "It's time for action, it's time for accountability."
The vast majority of fans (customers) can piss off having a view, they turn up and sit in silence. When we've shown we have the ability to get behind the team no matter what, then we can complain about others' lack of effort. Say what you want about Steve, Charnley etc, but they at least are ****ing trying. There does NOT need to be another fan organised "lets stand outside St James' and berate the people who are actually 20 miles away at home". If you care about the club, prove it by organising people to create an atmosphere. Miserable snobby bastards.
I was gonna take my bedsheet next match to be fair. Nearly followed through in the Yellow chinos so need a plan B.
The term Self-publicists comes to mind. JPF is spot on with his comments. If the Club is sleepwalking to Relegation, so are the Fans.
Are these requirements printed on a season ticket when you buy it, I feel I have the right to boo a theatre performance that I have paid to watch , it is a two way street
The atmosphere pre-Ashley wasn't exactly the best in the league, the days of Roeder, Souness? You cannot support when you feel like it, or just because a club legend is in charge. Why not have the fans focus on the one thing they can control, their own performance.
It's an unwritten rule surely. Of course you should be able to boo. However, if you don't support the team, just sit there game-in game-out, contributing nothing to atmosphere, maybe jumping up at a goal then going back to silence, why would you or should you boo? Only turn up to be negative? You aren't a fan, then, are you?
I don't think people are turning up to boo. Or be negative. The support has been there but after being let down consistantly for a number of years I think people are getting tired. Being a supporter is a full on thing. But when your supporting something that does not appreciate the support its hard to keep showing blind faith. I don't agree with the booing. But we have not had much to cheer of late. McLaren has failed. He asked to be judged on results and performances. They have been dreadful and therefore he has been judged. He asked for that.
I have a foot in both camps really. I'll support the team throughout the game irrespective of how we are playing, it's my job as 12th man. If give a gutless performance then I'll be vocal after the whistle goes.
When you have gone through 40 plus years of ups and downs, more downs, with the club there comes a point when the sheer weight of disappointment as we come to the end of another season facing yet another disaster sucks the joy out of following the team and club, I think all fans want to cheer and shout about their team but there comes a point when you can't anymore. Every year at the start of a new season I have a real sense of optimism about the weeks ahead and the journey that we embark upon, this time I really felt none of that, the real joy and excitement this season has come from following Leicester's progress week by week as they confound expectations. My response for JPF to dissect is that you have to have something to cheer, you have to have something to be excited by, you have to have a team that gives for the rewards to be received, if you want blind faith then go to church not a football stadium.
All goes back to culture again. When there's transparently no ambition as a human being you're going to struggle to believe in it. And if you don't believe in it.....well, the rest follows. Yes, it's a club and it's in the fabric of our being. BUT there has to be something to at least meet the fans part way. With the internet age, Twitter, etc., we can see easily what's happening and it's despicable - plus we all know that the main beneficiary of a club in the PL is fat Mike. It's only human to say "well, I'm not helping that fat bastad get MORE money, he does nothing for me".
My response to that is simple, being a fan(atic) necessitates blind faith. You are describing being a customer, just one that "gets **** on" but can't be arsed going anywhere else. I think it's unfair to basically say "well they aren't trying, and haven't done so for ages, so why should I cheer?". It's a two way street, why should they put in inspirational performances if we just turn up to groan at them? Like I said, the fans need to get ****ed with the politics, they aren't cut out for it, and get back to achieving something worthwhile and ultimately something they have control over, their own performance. "Ooohhhh, the nasty fans wrote a letter"... Oh wait... We have this marvellous device called a shredder At least this year we have pumped millions in, we have tried a coach everyone thought could make a change to our style. Sometimes it doesn't work out, why harass the club for ACTUALLY trying? Personally, if you're too bone-idle or fed-up to get behind the lads, go support a chess player.
I presume then that from this point you as a FAN will never write or say anything that in any way is critical of the club, the management of the club, the ownership of the club, the players, the ground and so on, you will be extremely positive and cheer every loss and every goal scored against us, you will be ever so positive should we be relegated and of course having blind faith I presume that you believe that Steve should remain as manager. I shall remain a bone-idle customer who will see fit to celebrate, cheer or be critical as I wish.
That's being infantile towards the ultimate goal here because you take it as a personal slight. A fan can be critical, a fan can be down, but the zeal for the club never changes. What you have described is contrary to that. I can't put it another way, our home support is pathetic. It has been for a long time. I am a fan, and I have been to most of the home matches this season, and I include myself in any criticism of our fanbase. We need to do more as a collective to get behind the team. Rather than passing the buck of this responsibility to others, I think our fans need to stop organising political marches, and do the main, if not sole objective, being fans who lift the team no matter what heap of ****e we see before us. There can be a time for booing, a time for resenting, but you have to earn that right and implement it when it doesn't harm the team, and for me, forking out £400 isn't the right. That is a disgruntled, dissatisfied Sky product Premier league plakka customer that thinks like that.
The facts are, only in England do people call our "support" phenomenal, and that is ONLY due to the size of the crowd. You'll never find our club mentioned in amazing support videos anywhere, because the 50,000 might as well be 1500. I ask you do your part, and I hope this plea doesn't fall on deaf ears. A campaign to support the club is much more valid than another attempt to disrupt it and intefere in my eyes
Look I'm a massive fan if getting behind the team. I think in adversity, it can fire players to find that extra bit when maybe form or quality isn't there. But come in JPF, it is trying for even the most enthusiastic supporter when you try and get nothing back. There are plenty home games in the last two or three seasons where there has been a cracking atmosphere. The odd one has delivered a response - usually against the big clubs. All too often it fizzles out when it is clear we have a one way street with our players. To be honest 75% of home games see a positive start from the fans, but it is gone within no time as we watch the likes of Sissoko half asleep - or just a team which look like they've been trained by a pub manager. Nah I don't believe we are perfect as fans and we lost loads with the standing issue but we are just not getting much back now
I think for the good of everything and everyone Ashley needs to just go. Everything the club needs is in ruins because of him and whilst JPF's point is entirely valid, it's more likely we'd get a mass walkout than a mass supporting of the team, under this regime. Which to a point is also fair enough, as there has to also be an effort from the club - and I'll disagree with JPF here, that there is no "effort" in appointing McClaren or throwing money at young foreigners. There is effort in changing your structure and even in January, both players brought in had resale value when we desperately needed leaders, in defence, and scorers, in attack, with experience. First and foremost it's about the culture. Creating an environment that strives to achieve something as part of a huge community of individuals. NUFC is the complete opposite, recent articles on both the BBC and in the Telegraph have repeated the problems, which of course we are already aware of. They at the club do thing to the detriment of both the fan and the detriment of any potential success the club might have. Appalling structure, threadbare organisation, ill-equipped people in elevated positions, dreadful transfer policy and for YEARS an open statement about how we'd be the "best we can be, pound for pound". What football club in any league in the world spouts a message like that to the World? Because agents/players don't have the internet, I suppose? I'm fairly certain given the evidence that Lee, Mike and Graham don't logon and in fact think logging on is a term for curling out a particularly satisfying turd. I look at other clubs and think the behaviour of "fans" far outstrips ours yet avoids attention. Arsenal calling for Wenger's head - what would any Toon fan give for that kind of service/success?! Spurs fans always behave poorly - in fact even now they aren't overwhelmed, they seem merely satisfied at being second!! They'll no doubt moan about Pochettino if they fail to win the league! Fans are fickle, but jesus christ our fans suffer - relatively speaking - more than most.
