Russell Martin is being accused of doing the same thing at Southampton so that if and when he gets the sack his reputation is still in tact under the guise the players weren't good enough and not him being able to adapt
It's always interesting what comes out when a manager is replaced. I suspect a few players aren't behind him any more and I suspect some players only ever signed after being sold a project that they're now aware isn't going to materialise.
These guys have bigger ambitions... they only came to Newcastle thinking it was going to be the next man city. It's now become apparent that Newcastle won't be doing anything within their short career timeline. They'll be keen to get out as soon a possible and you can't blame them for it. They don't care about Newcastle and the fans more than they do about their own ambition and rightly so. It's who they get replaced with that will be important for Newcastle.
I hope it goes something like: **** PSR, here's £200m and for gawd sake get a right winger that uses his right foot, you ****ing donkeys! Howe, you have till the summer - get into Europe or get out Mitchell - you own the recruitment, make it count you short ****er. Now where the **** is my Greggs steak bake, I ****ing love them I do!
Europe was expected. We are still in touching distance. But I still think that Ipswich is the one that will decide Howe's future. They haven't won at home all season. We lose then he is toast.
I actually think the decision has already been made whatever happens in the next games. One win vs Leicester isn't going to save or change anything. This manager is faced with having to win about 5 games back to back now. It's unlikely he's going to get out of this I feel. Once the noises start it's coming....villa Tottenham and Man United will decide his future I think not the next 2.
The fans will start to turn if we don't beat Leicester and lose to Ipswich. There are already noises in the away ends.
The likelihood is they'll beat Leicester, but it'll not make any difference if they don't do well for the following 4 or 5. The noises are not going away.
Ultimately none of us will know what has happened around transfers, contracts, psr, etc. Only the senior team will know how much is on Howe, or not. But there’s more to it for me - the lack of energy, enthusiasm and concentration from the team, the fact we need to “rest” two of our best for a difficult away fixture, the lack of identity in general and a startling absence of any kind of plan b or in game management. Some of this can be levelled at a board doing badly as the first team needed help. But when the very best we could do in a PSR trade off was overpay for a goalkeeper shows a huge problem internally. The free signing of Kelly looks to be another Matt Targett disaster. And why the **** Ruddy is even here is baffling. Osula as well - why bother if he can’t get a look in? Regardless of all of this, the manager should be able to get the team performing somewhere nearer the levels of 22/23 given there’s no European football and the squad is - surely - stronger for £400m spent on it.
Howes on apparently a contract worth 4m a year. (Jesus Christ) Now a lot of players are earnings a lot more than this. How does he manage them when they are paid significantly more than he is.
I mean, aside from the elite managers, I'd imagine most are on those kind of numbers and I'd guess most of their players will be on more, no? That said, it's a very low salary for a club with allegedly lofty aspirations. I think Amorim's release clause was £10m, let alone his salary. Then you factor in, as Chaos says, a bloated underbelly of low-quality from coaches to players and it's no wonder we feel a bit Lidl.I mean, Graham Jones is still there! Shola's still doing loans!
