Pantomime antics throw Magpies into state of flux

07 December 2010 11:18
NEWCASTLE'S Theatre Royal is currently playing host to a six-week run of Robin Hood.[LNB] Thanks to Mike Ashley and Derek Llambias however - Newcastle United's very own version of Tweedledum and Tweedledee - the production is not the only pantomime in town.[LNB] [LNB] "Oh no they didn't" "Oh yes they did." Just when Newcastle looked like achieving some much-needed stability, why not sack the club's manager to reinforce a reputation for self-inflicted calamity and chaos[LNB] It takes a special dose of stupidity to make it into the Magpies' Hall of Shame, but having already achieved the seemingly impossible by engendering a sense of sympathy towards former chairman Freddie Shepherd, Ashley has now cemented his position as the club's bete noire.[LNB] The Newcastle owner has made some truly terrible decisions since taking formal control in May 2007 - the dismissal of Kevin Keegan, the appointment of Joe Kinnear, the employment and defence of Dennis Wise - but none have been as catastrophically ill-conceived as yesterday's dismissal of Chris Hughton.[LNB] A manager who has dragged the club back from the abyss in the last 18 months has been cast aside in the most perfunctory and pathetic of fashions.[LNB] Why oh why have they lost their eighth manager in the space of the last six-and-a-half years[LNB] It is hardly an appealing invitation, but in an attempt to make some sense of yesterday's decision, let's momentarily step inside Ashley's shoes.[LNB] Hughton was never envisaged as a long-term answer to Newcastle's managerial problem, hence the offer of an 18-month deal when he was appointed on a permanent basis last November.[LNB] To Ashley, and his chief cheerleader Llambias, it has always felt that Hughton was neither strong enough nor high-profile enough to warrant an extended spell in charge.[LNB] There were suggestions that he was too weak with his senior players, allowing them to play a significant role in team selection, and lacked the experience required to guarantee Newcastle's Premier League survival this season.[LNB] Hence the reluctance to enter into detailed discussions about a new contract and the refusal to appoint a new number two when Colin Calderwood left to join Hibernian almost two months ago.[LNB] Increasingly, the writing was on the wall, but news of Hughton's departure still came as both a surprise and a disappointment when it was confirmed yesterday afternoon.[LNB] Just because it was becoming gradually more likely, it didn't make it any more right.[LNB] Make no mistake about it, the decision to dispense with Hughton's services threatens to undo all of the good work that has been achieved in the last 18 months.[LNB] The patient rebuilding that took Newcastle back into the Premier League at the first time of asking, and removed any prospect of them suffering the kind of deep-rooted collapse that currently threatens to dump Middlesbrough into League One, could be rendered redundant if results propel the Magpies back towards the relegation zone.[LNB] Given the experiences of two seasons ago, when three separate spells of caretaker management contributed greatly to the club's relegation, it would be wrong to have too much confidence about what will happen next.[LNB] Instability can be exceptionally damaging, and for no real rhyme or reason, Newcastle once again find themselves in a state of flux.[LNB] The progress achieved in the last year-and-a-half was built on an uneasy alliance between owners, management, players and supporters. To a large extent, Hughton was the glue holding that uneasy alliance together.[LNB] He was certainly integral to the creation and nurturing of a strong team spirit, something that contributed greatly to last season's promotion.[LNB] Unlike with so many managerial departures, there is no suggestion that Hughton 'lost the dressing room' at St James' Park. If anything, perhaps he was a little too close to his players, especially in the early months of his reign, but he was not afraid to drop supposedly influential figures and fostered a common sense of purpose that played a crucial role last season, and has already helped Newcastle overcome a series of setbacks in the current campaign.[LNB] The players liked Hughton, and were privately quick to express their shock and exasperation yesterday evening. If a new manager is unable to pick up where his predecessor left off, one of Newcastle's biggest assets will be lost.[LNB] Hughton was also popular amongst the fans, and while Ashley remains as divisive and distrusted a figure as ever, the last three months have witnessed a grudging acceptance of the status quo.[LNB] There has been none of the vitriolic protest that peppered the relegation season, with supporters shelving their dislike of Ashley to get behind a team that, to a large extent, has justified their support.[LNB] Judging by the reaction to yesterday's news, and the calls for a new wave of protests beginning with Saturday's home game with Liverpool, the ownership issue is now back at the top of the agenda.[LNB] For the second time in the space of three seasons, Newcastle is a club on the brink of tearing itself apart.[LNB] That is a direct result of Ashley's decision to dismiss Hughton, and having contributed to the Magpies' relegation in the 2008-09 campaign, the sportswear magnate is in danger of making the same mistakes again.[LNB] "It's behind you" Newcastle supporters could have been forgiven for thinking, as they contemplated the dark days of the recent past. Thanks to Ashley's unerring ability to drop a clanger, however, Newcastle United's pantomime season is once again in full swing.[LNB]

Source: Northern_Echo