Premier League - Parker urges Toon to forget past

Eurosport - Fri, 03 Oct 15:30:00 2008

Former England defender Paul Parker believes Newcastle need to stop looking to the past if the beleaguered club are to move forward.

FOOTBALL Newcastle St James' Park fan keegan shirt - 0

"Newcastle's main problem at the moment seems to be attracting a successor to Kevin Keegan in the Toon hot seat.

They've brought in Joe Kinnear, but I don't particularly think he is the best man for the job, even on a short term basis - his rant at reporters has already proved that.

There are definitely better people out there, but the plain facts of the matter are that few are brave enough to take it.

The massive weight of expectation from Newcastle fans can be a major deterrent to prospective long-term incumbents of the managerial post.

And that's not to mention the worryingly short stays of recent Toon managers, which can hardly make the job look any more attractive.

Whoever takes the job needs to be able to handle the pressure, shoulder the expectation and take the abuse. But even if there is someone out there who ticks all those boxes, they may still not meet with the fans' approval.

Why? Because Newcastle fans seem to want 'one of their own', not someone from the South or a member of the so-called 'Cockney Mafia', as they have dubbed Mike Ashley, Dennis Wise et al.

Anyone who arrives in the North East without prior experience of Newcastle - either the club or the town itself - seems to be on a hiding to nothing.

At the moment, Newcastle fans only have eyes for Keegan and they are desperate to get him back. But Keegan is not the way forward; on the contrary, I believe re-hiring him now would be a backwards step for the club.

Whoever buys Ashley out should be given free reign to make their own choices on the manager without having to bow to external influences. They should be allowed to hire someone who they think can do the job properly and guide the club out of their current predicament.

Under no circumstances should they allow themselves to be influenced in their selection by the fans and their desire to see a familiar face in the hot seat. If they want to bring in an 'outsider', so be it. Anything else and the club stand to alienate themselves.

Whoever buys the club shouldn't have to bring Keegan back just to appease the fans. A long term plan is needed and sometimes to be able to see that, a step back is necessary. Understandably, fans find it difficult to do that.

On the field, Newcastle are lacking everything a successful club has got and it's difficult to see where the points are going to come from at the moment.

As a player when your club is in a situation like that, it begins to play on your mind. You start looking at yourself and your team-mates and making comparisons with the opposition. Reports in the newspapers start to bother you and you begin to feel unsettled.

And it is supremely difficult to shake off that mentality, especially in a league where competition is so great.

At the moment Newcastle are in a prime position to go down - the football they're playing, the attitude and hunger of the players, the players they're buying, the boardroom situation, the managerial situation - none of it says to me that they're going to stay up.

With a long-term replacement for Keegan unlikely to be found any time soon, it's not looking good for them. And I fear that if the situation has not been sorted out by November, it may be too late for them.

One thing is for sure: Newcastle have a real battle on their hands and they are going to need all the help they can get if they are to turn the situation around."

Paul Parker / Eurosport

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  1. Whats the difference between Tony K and a­ Balloon?

    nothing, both full of useless wind! :)

    From Rob, on Fri 3 Oct 8:58PM
  2. Comment hidden due to its low rating. Show

    I don't get Newcastle - they hang on to this­ "past" like it was a rosey era inwhich they­ dominated English football and Europe. They've­ never made an impact in England, let alone Europe. 4­ league championships, the last of which was in the­ 1920s ... how long ago was that? Since World war 1,­ when you think of all that's happened, they've­ reached the pinnacle of English football just once!­ ONCE... the fans though expect too much, and they also­ think they care more than any other set of fans in the­ country, and that they deserve it more ... they­ don't, they're just perenial whingers who need­ to accept their place in the pecking order, stop­ looking to the past - when Keegan was a good manager in­ the mid 90s, you won nothing then too, despite spending­ loads in a day when you could buy a title like­ Blackburn did with 20m! ... he's not the messiah,­ your not a big club, get over yourselves

    GOONER

    From Dan, on Fri 3 Oct 8:41PM

  3. Cheers Mick. Same @#$% different day!

    From Tony K, on Fri 3 Oct 8:39PM

  4. Here here Tony K. Well said that man!

    From Mickr273, on Fri 3 Oct 8:29PM

  5. Billy amazing you probably isnt difficult.My point is a­ large percentage of supporters are now following a­ brand not a club, and whats the problem with being­ proud of your club? This time next year there will be­ another club in a similar position and knobs like you­ will be lining up to laugh again. Get a life mate next­ time you want a cheap laugh just look at yourself. @#$%

    From Tony K, on Fri 3 Oct 8:18PM

  6. Nobody likes to see a great club with great supporters­ in your position, Ashley must take the blame, why he­ brought in Wise nobody knows, Kinnear is not the answer­ they should be looking at someone like Martin Jol-­ Spurs fans will tell you he,s better than Ramos.
    Dave­ Bluebird

    From david I, on Fri 3 Oct 8:16PM

  7. I don't support NU, I just hate parker.

    From Harry, on Fri 3 Oct 8:12PM

  8. I agree with every1 dissing parker. He's gone in­ the brain

    From Harry, on Fri 3 Oct 8:10PM

  9. Billy: And the abuse Toon fans get off you NUFC haters­ never ceases to amaze me!

    From Mickr273, on Fri 3 Oct 7:57PM
  10. Comment hidden due to its low rating. Show

    haha, don't make me laugh, Parker states the truth­ and all the Newcastle fans have to resort to calling­ him names. You don't have to spend a minute in the­ NE to know that Newcastle have done themselves in.­ Keegan was the worst appointment they could possibly­ have made and if they take him back again how long will­ he last? He's run away from every club/country he­ has ever managed including Newcastle... twice! I'm­ looking forward to watching the most rediculous team­ playing Championship football next year!

    From Higgy, on Fri 3 Oct 7:54PM

  11. cameron : Good stuff. The press writes one thing and­ then refer to it as it was said by others. Newcastle­ fans want a team that works hard and with which they­ can identify, not a team that must win titles.

    If the­ toon were really after results they would not have­ loved KK because indeed they won nothing with him the­ guy has the mentality and his pride of the toons and­ they feel he is part of "the family".

    The­ English press on the other hand can only understand­ results and of course controversies.. I for one am­ looking forward to seeing KK back and bringing a good­ dose of serenity and hard work to the team.

    From Half A Brain, on Fri 3 Oct 7:52PM

  12. well what can i say apart from cameron said it all for­ just like to second his oppinions well said son­
    Frankie

    From music1isme, on Fri 3 Oct 7:52PM

  13. iv never understood what a manager does apart from talk­ to the players
    what im saying is these pro players with­ mega wages cant play football just becaused they dont­ have a manager?

    Pure bulls**t
    the players on the­ loseing side should only get half there wage if its a­ draw then both team only get half and that would make­ for some great games of footy

    or

    if it was upto me i­ would sell the whole team or aleast shola "the­ jonah" amiobi and dare i say it michel owen

    G.­ newcastle fan since day one

    From gwwest_2000, on Fri 3 Oct 7:47PM

  14. Seriously tony k comment 15, you actually sound proud­ of that statement. Well done you have won nothing.­ Newcastle fans comments never cease to amaze.

    From Billy, on Fri 3 Oct 7:45PM

  15. Well whether you agree with PP or not, somethings­ obviously horribly wrong at Newcastle, the top managers­ were all given the time to build a team, but there­ seems to be an over expectency from the fans, and­ things all go downhill from there.

    Keegan? Is he­ really the answer? He's never won anything and­ seems to flee when the going gets rough. Allardyce was­ never given the chance, and out of all the recent­ managers he would have been the best candidate to­ enstall an organised work ethic into the players, which­ has to be the first thing a team should have.

    I dont­ think you guys will get relegated ad hope you dont, but­ i think a player clearout is needed to bring players in­ that have the pride and want to play for the club ,

    From rabid421, on Fri 3 Oct 7:44PM

  16. I've told P.P (well the initials say it all anyway)­ on more than one occasion to shut up. He obviously­ hasn't the capability to listen.

    Another thing!­ PeePee doens't write this stuff anyway, he get­ someone else to write his gibberish talk. He is suplus­ to requiements here. Get someone else to comment and­ report------ PLEASE!

    From slivatree, on Fri 3 Oct 7:40PM

  17. Hull fan in peace.

    Parker has a point, how ever hard­ it is to swallow. You don't need "one of our­ own", you need someone who is a proven winner,­ with a free hand, no matter where he comes from.­ Keegan, what has he won? He was one of the worst­ managers England had! And Shearer? Nah, I think­ you're pinning your hopes on a poor choice. Great­ players don't always make great managers. Look at­ Sir Bobby Charlton, Bobby Moore and Ossie Ardiles,­ wonderful players but hopeless as a manager.

    From Rob, on Fri 3 Oct 7:37PM

  18. i would hope newcastle dont get relegated. as a man u­ fan i like the passion of the fans and the competitive­ games u get home or away. this paul parker sounds like­ an arse. and if he was anything worth listening to he­ would surely be reporting for sky sports and not­ eurosport

    From NICOLA, on Fri 3 Oct 7:35PM

  19. Paul Parker is my hero and he is incredibly dishy too.

    From Dennis, on Fri 3 Oct 7:23PM

  20. Yet another mis-informed piece of garbage from a­ London-based commentator.
    Everything about this article­ is inaccurate.
    "The massive weight of expectation­ from Newcastle fans . . . " - where do people get­ this from? There is no 'massive weight of­ expectation'; all fans ask for is, a competitve­ team they can be proud of.
    The term 'Cockney­ Mafia' was coined by the London press to­ deliberatley cause trouble; a London press which­ continues to villify both the club and it's­ supporters. Apart from 3 or 4 people holding a­ 'Cockney Mafia Out' banner, i have not heard a­ single Geordie use that term!
    It is people like Paul­ Parker who are making us feel so angry. There is a guy­ who reports for Sky Sports news, David Craig -­ absolutely 100% respected here. He reports almost daily­ from St James' Park and he immerses himself in the­ ACTUAL EVENTS. He talks to people, he gets a feel for­ the area, a feel for the people, a feel for the club.­ In other words, he does his job, he researches his­ story before he opens his mouth - he reports fact not­ fiction, or hearsay, or supposition. That, Mr Parker,­ is what you and the rest of your Southern-based, biased­ pals should do. It is so easy to sit and pontificate­ from afar, get yourself up here and SEE HOW IT REALLY­ IS.

    From cameron w, on Fri 3 Oct 7:20PM
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