The Season Through My Eyes - Jonny Hall
By Jonny Hall 08 May 2006
Well once again this season we have learnt to expect the unexpected, that life really is a rollercoaster and Graeme Souness is a crap manager. It's been happy. It's been sad. It has been another 10 months at Newcastle United.
We started in July and August in despair. In my eyes we signed a nobody from Turkey, A Chelsea reject and an old hasbeen still without a striker to score us some goals.
The first weeks were lonely especially for Big Al. We put on a heartfelt performance at Highbury which gave us hope but we still could not score any goals or win any games.
We crashed out of Europe and fell to 19th in the Premiership.
Then came hope. A Spanish startlet from Deportivo lifted our heads and he was followed days later by the big one, Michael Owen from Real Madrid.
When I heard I could not believe. I was on my way into town at the time and I couldn't wait to run up to St James Park. Everyone was out in full force cheering and wearing their shirts with pride and the England International wasn't even there. That day I honestly thought we were going to finish in the Top 3. How wrong could I be.
A bigger signing for me the following day was the return of Wor Nobby. I was delighted to see him in the Black and White again, top top Professional.
Things picked up and Newcastle only lost 1 of the next 9 scoring 13 goals and conceding only 4. This happiness was not to last.
In the next 14 games Newcastle won 4 times and lost 8. Two of the wins were against Mansfield Town and Cheltenham in the FA Cup. One of the defeats included Michael Owen breaking his foot at Tottenham on New Years Eve (his second last appearance of the season) and that disgusting performance against Wigan Reserves in the Carling Cup.
That Cup disaster was the worst performance I have seen from a Newcastle side. That night not one of the Newcastle players showed any respect for the shirt they were wearing. This coincided with this article from myself on the website Click Here.
The trip to the City of Manchester Stadium was Graeme Souness' last game in charge of Newcastle. The Premiership game previous, fans had protested outside the ground for his dismissal. That night they got their evidence as to why.
As City ran riot, Newcastle players could only stand in disbelief as they shrugged their shoulders and looked for help from the bench only to be met with Graeme Souness' blank face. That night I knew it was the end.
I had never switched off a Newcastle game for as long as I had been a fan. That included the 5-0 defeat at Chelsea, the 2-0 defeat in Marseille and 6-2 thrashing at the hands of Manchester United. That night I turned off the radio with 40 minutes gone. That in itself say's it all really.
Then came the Roed to recovery. I felt fantastic that Newcastle were playing attacking football. We walked all over Portsmouth with one touch football that would make even Kevin Keegan applaud in appreciation. Plus Big Al got the record which put the icing on the cake.
Another four wins and a draw followed and Newcastle looked good for Europe despite being Michael Owen-less. However we hit a rocky patch. Defeats in the league to Manchester United, Liverpool and Charlton was coupled with a crash out of the FA Cup at Stamford Bridge which was really undeserved as we really did play quite decent stuff there but money always win.
Finally came the 7 match unbeaten run which saw us score 16 goals, concede 4 and pick up 3 clean sheets. This saw Newcastle on the brink of Europe and a great performance against Chelsea saw us grab the Intertoto Cup spot.
In this period Newcastle lost Scott Parker, Lee Bowyer and Kieron Dyer. Shola Ameobi played through the pain barrier as Emre missed out on all but one game, Michael Owen made only a 30 minute cameo appearance, Nolberto Solano went after 30 minutes against Chelsea, Steven Taylor was never up to full fitness and Jean Alain Boumsong (£8m) and Albert Luque (£10m) spent the games on the substitutes bench.
All of this shows what an achievement 7th is. We had injuries, lady luck went against us with some penalty decisions and a couple of dismissals and yet Newcastle still won.
The second half of the season has really made things up for the dissapointments of the first. Thanks to Mr Shepherd for removing Souness and many thanks to Mr Roeder for propelling us back into the Top 7.
Player Report Marks (/10)
1. Shay Given - 9 Top Top bloke. Shay Given really has been the saviour this season. His saves have been World Class and he has never had a poor peformance apart from the games where he has not been required to make a save. I was delighted that he has decided to stay at Newcastle. Many say that he is the best goalkeeper in the Premiership but I would have to disagree; He is the best goalkeeper in Europe.
2. Stephen Carr - 7 For the time that he has been on the pitch, Stephen Carr has been one of our most consistent defenders. He made a dissapearing act mid-season yes but when he returned he made a great contribution both at the back and going forward. He developed a great partnership with Nolberto Solano and I think he has a future at the club.
3. Robbie Elliott - 7 I must be mad but a 7 is warranted. He is a very poor left back due to his inability to attack but when he switched to the centre he really was a strong commited defender. Great backup and made no mistakes in his time at centre back but the age is really getting to him, it's time to go.
4. Nolberto Solano - 8 One of my players of the season. When Souness had him in the centre he was very poor indeed but Glenn Roeder switched him to the right wing and he has been vital in our fight for Europe. He has set up chance after chance and chipped in with a few goals himself. When Nolberto Solano played well, Newcastle played well.
5. Emre - 6 I know the rating is low but he hasn't really done it for me this season. Too injury prone. Emre has been pretty good in midfield this season but not good enough. He hasn't really stepped up his game against the big guns and found himself missing out too many times. It looks good though and I predict much better things next season.
6. Jean Alain Boumsong - 4 Looked decent nearer the start but is as reliable as a house made out of breadsticks. Far too many mistakes and he just isn't a Premiership defender. He can't tackle, he can't run, he can't header, he can't play. The team would be better without him whether we make a loss of selling him or not.
7. Jermaine Jenas - 2 Who?.
8. Kieron Dyer - 4 Bright player but not enough games. He really has a bad injury problem if he only makes like 3 starst in a whole season. Lightened up our attack but didn't spend enough time on the pitch to warrant a high number rating.
9. Alan Shearer - 7 Top Scorer yet again at the club. Fantastic professional and still going strong at 25. Sad to see him go out the way he did with a knee injury at Sunderland but to finish with a goal is fantastic. 206 is an record that will take a while to break. Farewell to a legend.
10. Michael Owen - 6 It would have been an 8/9 if he had stayed fit on the pitch. From the times we saw him in the black and white shirt he was absolutely fantastic scoring 8 goals in 10 games. The injuries struck him down again and the broken foot really ruined it. Next season will be better, I'm sure.
11. Lee Bowyer - 7 Mr consistency. He has arguably been our best midfielder this season bar Scott Parker. Always willing to come on an perform in the absence of others. 100% commited to Newcastle United no doubt about it.
12. Steve Harper - 7 The 7 is for having the guts to sit on the bench and stay commited to Newcastle United all season. He really deserves more than this.
14. Charles N'Zogbia - 8 Best bargain ever FACT! He really has lightened up the season and given us hope for the future. Him and Milner on the wings in the years to come means only success for Newcastle United. Scoring goals and whisking around with pace. Fantastic.
15 Amady Faye - 3 Is about as much of a Premiership player as Jamie McClen (no offence to the latter). Why he was bought I have no idea. He cannot pass, he cannot tackle and he can't even keep hold of the ball for 3 seconds. The sooner he goes back to Pompey, the better.
17. Scott Parker - 8 The best central midfielder at our club since Super Gary Speed. He has it all including the ability to pass and tackle to the highest of standards. Why Sven has not looked twice at him I don not know. Unfortunate that he was struck down with glandular fever and will miss the World Cup. Looking forward to see our future captain in competition next season.
18. Craig Moore - 5 From Mr Invisible to Mr Reliable. Craig Moore really has gone along way this past few weeks. Good defender linking well with Titus Bramble. Not enough play to be considered a success this season though.
19. Titus Bramble - 7 Will be remembered for his spectacular goal against Chelsea that got us into Europe. Has looked good since he came back from injury and has formed a good partnership with Craig Moore. Much better and doesn't make mistakes when he isn't partnered with Boumsong
20. Albert Luque - 2 One goal and no real good performances. Has hardly played and spent most of the start of the season injured and most of the second on the bench. Not sure how good he is, not sure if I will ever know how good he is.
21. Lee Clark - 6 Great way to bow out if he does in the Summer. Back at the club he loves and has done a job when he has been required to in the centre of midfield in the absence of others. A true Geordie who is committed to the cause.
23. Shola Ameobi - 7 One of his best seasons, especially the 2nd half of it under Glenn Roeder. He has looked so much better this part of the season scoring goals and playing better. Not quite the next Alan Shearer though and not good enough to get us into the Champions League but he is a decent backup
26. Peter Ramage - 5 What started off looking so hopeful ended close to a disaster. Looked like a promising youngster early season but has suddenly got worse and worse. Lost his confidence and rightfully dropped from the squad.
27. Steven Taylor - 6 Started well but this shoulder injury has really knocked him back. Our best defender by far, just needs to get fit and look forward to next season.
28. Michael Chopra - 6 Has done a job of recent for us. Scored a goal and set up a few more vital ones to help us into Europe. Looks a much better player when he doesn't play with Shearer. As I much as I like the bloke I don't think he will be here next season.
Celestine Babayaro - 7 Underrated in my opinion. I like this player. He is a good defender and also looks good going forward. Does well most of the time although he is prone to going into lapses of laziness. Has had a decent season.
Matty Pattison - 6 Looks like a promising youngster. Not enough playing time to judge him properly. Nice to see him after several serious injury problems.
Manager/Chairman/Fan Report Marks (/10)
Manager - 1 Some decent results from Graeme Souness but we all know it was covering up how bad of a manager he was. Nice that he signed Owen and brought back Solano but never good enough to manage the club. Glad he's gone
Caretaker Manager - 8 He really has come in and done the job. Took us from 5 points off relegation into the Top 7 and the Intertoto Cup. Back to basics putting in some basic 4-4-2 tactics. He removed the wasters from the team and played only those that worked hard despite having several injury problems. He really has reminded us that it takes only 4 muscles to smile while it takes about 34 to frown. Would still prefer someone else to be manager.
Chairman - 5 Gave Souness the money and pulled off an amazing transfer in Michael Owen. However he sacked Souness too late and looks to be hiring the wrong man for the job. I really hope he reconsiders and gives it to someone better like Claudio Ranieri who has said he would like the job.
Fans - 7 Another good season for the fans in terms of support. Can't really blame them for being silent the early part of the season but they really picked up when Glenn took over and they were simply amazing against Chelsea. They helped us to the Intertoto Cup and I am sure we will all enjoy Europe next season.
Verdict and Next Season
A decent season with European football at the end of it. I really expect us to walk through the Intertoto Cup and UEFA Cup qualifying. I expect some good European nights next season with a few full houses at St James Park unlike at our neighbours at the Riverside who take Europe for granted. A good manager and a few good signings and we can make a real fight for fourth.
I hope all Newcastle-Online readers enjoy their summer, I look forward to many more articles next season. |
