9 August 2005
By Jon Lockwood
Many people seem worried about the future of Newcastle United. With
a new manager, who I think it's fair to say was not everyone's first
choice when Sir Bobby got the boot, a big clear out of established
players, out of Europe and rumours of a possible takeover. I think
it would be an understatement to say that we are in an uncertain time.
I will admit I am an eternal optimist and always try and look for
the positives, but I truly believe we do not have to look far to see
why we should not worry for the future of the Toon. The greatest team
of the modern era was formed around an amazing selection of youth
being brought through the ranks at the same time. Manchester United
dominated the Premiership for over a decade with the spine of their
team being players they had brought through their own youth ranks.
With a smart but strict manager who made sure there was always the
right number of experienced players to compliment the youth, a new
era at Old Trafford was born.
Now we come to Newcastle United, our club and our team. We may not
be renowned for bringing through great youth over the years with the
biggest successes being Aaron Hughes and Shola Ameobi. Thanks to a
clever manager who knew we would never have the money to be able to
bring in the world-class players and challenge the likes of Manchester
United and Arsenal, Sir Bobby Robson decided to gamble and invest
in youth. We now have a strong base of young players ready to be mixed
in with experienced heads and although we may not be able to challenge
for the Premiership because of Chelsea's billions, we can finally
compete to bring a much needed trophy to St. James' Park.
We have a future captain, possibly for club and country in Steven
Taylor, a strong skilful leader, a young man with the physique to
handle the biggest of forwards. Titus Bramble, a player much criticised
in the past but someone who has finally turned that corner many thought
he may never get to, a player who once we may have smiled and felt
grateful when he was missing from the team sheet suddenly seen by
the majority as a huge loss. Boumsong a pacy and although still young
player he has a very mature head on his strong shoulders, maybe not
a aggressive leader but someone who can guide the younger players,
uses words of encouragement and wisdom to organise the defence.
We move on to the midfield and we have some very exciting prospects.
Charles N’Zogbia a leaving present from Sir Bobby, a real find. He
is a young player who can take on players with his great skill, a
small lad with the aggression and heart of a much bigger and stronger
player. Already he looks like someone who will fight to the last looking
for the right result. James Milner is a player yet to find his true
position in the team, sometimes he tries to do that little bit too
much and does not have the greatest pace but he is a very skilful
player and another like young Charles who is not afraid to put his
foot in, roll his sleeves up and battle for the cause. He lost a bit
of confidence last season but on form he is a player who will get
you goals.
Jermaine Jenas is a lad who has by his own admission not had the greatest
of times over the last 2 seasons, a player who came with a big reputation
that he seemed to justify in his first full season winning the PFA
young player of the year. In my opinion he has suffered by the fact
he has been forced to fill many roles and never been allowed to settle,
this though will all work to his favour as he will have added to his
many skills.
We have added some good players to this young midfield and 2 exceptional
talents that will really shine and drag Newcastle back where we belong
in Scott Parker and Emre. Parker a battler, a man of small stature
but huge heart, a leader from midfield who in the same way as Steven
Gerrard will grab a game by the scruff of the neck and bring the team
with him to battle for the win. Emre another who may not be the biggest
player on the park in size but you will be hard pushed to find a bigger
player in terms of work ethic and talent. He is an aggressive player
with a talent many of his fellow professionals could only wish for.
With these 2 guiding the younger lads we can only ever have good things
to look forward to.
Our attacking force has been depleted and Graham Souness and Freddy
Shepherd are working hard to rectify this. Shearer a true great and
hero is losing his powers, still a great leader and goalscorer, but
unfortunately does not have the legs to do it every game over a whole
season.
Shola Ameobi is a player who has the talent but has not been able
to use it on a consistent basis. The striker struggled with an injury
for the majority of last season and this also seemed to take its toll
on the lad's confidence. I'm a supporter of this lad, someone who
believes he will eventually prove that the early promise will blossom.
Kieron Dyer, someone who has struggled to relive his early hype due
to injuries, off the field issues and times of poor form and little
end product. Last season it seems, as with Bramble, that Souness has
found the magic formula that has made Dyer find his true self. A player
we missed hugely through injury towards the end of the season and
in my opinion a player who could have made the difference in our quest
for silverware.
We definitely have the right ingredients and Souness has the right
ideas when looking to add to the team. I am confident in time, with
some luck and some more new signings, that we will get back to where
we were and go that little further bringing a trophy to the place
that truly deserves it. I believe we have a bright future. |
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