SO i get to have 10 stand alone pages. damnit i want some categories to put this stuff in.
i'm sure i will find it.
so just a quick review of how nufc have been doing in their first season back in the big time.
Coming up as record breaking champions definitely tied our group together where the senior players took responsibility for bringing us up. Granted we did a lot for the championship like increase attendences and gates for all the other teams, we were averaging 46000 gates. still leaving 6000 empty seats at St James.
So our senior players managed to bully and pummel the championship to a new record amount of goals, unbeaten at home and points collected. Great work to see the class of those senior players come out. And it was the team spirit that gave us a good fighting opportunity to be a force in the Premier league.
Clearly this only came once the players realised they were playing in the premier league. We got some excellent results and terrific performances against the big boys in the EPL but damnit we dropped points against the midtable sides. Similar styled teams we destroyed in the championship were now coming to SJP for points and we gave up plenty for them.
fast forward to the sacking of chris hughton, for his record in the championship and guiding the mags to 11th place, the wheels started to come off. What was happening at the club. at the first sign of a rough patch since relegation we sacked the manager. Sounded like a broken record after we went thru 4 managers the last time i saw the mags. the first home game of our relegation season where micky owen got the goal in a 1-0 win against bolton, also funnily the last 3pm saturday kickoff we won in a long time.
so pardew in and hughton out. no promises of players or cash as some managers demand these days. pretty pal pardew came in to drink cocktails with the bosses and yes sireee he did just that. Playing the yes man while showing struggling performance throughout the season his record looking no better than hughtons for large parts, he accumulated more draws than anything which did not impress.
I will have to say that he had a weaker squad than hughton after the transfer of andy judas carroll to the reds. injuries and suspensions mounted and loaning out routledge, removing xisco from the equation left us incredibly light with only the 22 minute man steven ireland joining and another minutes man kuqi brought in to bolster our cause.
I think it was the payers letting the team down in the end, pardew showed that he can put together a team capable of a win. but the performances started lacking the spirit we had under hughton. some better results to see are the hammering of west ham and wolves. a draw at home against arsenal (still amazed!) and manyoo brought the fight back but the team needed rebuilding, shaping and some commitment from the players.
the season is now over and its the transfer window. we're fighting to keep out best players but the man ashley at the top wants the players to fight for their place. Rumours of barton, nolan and enrique leaving were founded by a lack of ambition from the club. Ashley is ruling SJP with business sense. Ranger on the transfer list and we'll accept reasonable offers for players. Sound business sense, if they want to stay they have to play/perform/act like they want to. nothing wrong with that to show we're gonna be a fighting mid table team next season. No more free rides and huge wages. Fight for your place and fight for your team. Hopefully some of these spoilt footballers will learn loyalty from this.
To the future now and we've signed on french international Yohan Cabaye who looks a solid player to fit into a midfield five. can image some slick football next season without target man carroll to nod them in and around the goal. Praying for a fit ben arfa, gosling, and one more forward, some defensive cover as well.
Will report on that soon.
