Newcastle's Performance Versus Spurs Was The Most Disgraceful Of The Season!

I have never been so angry at a 5-1 win in all my life. Newcastle romped their way through 'the best team in the league' Spurs like a dog on heat, even with 10 men. From this performance comes the blatant question of 'Where the hell have you been all season?!'

Only after we are confirmed as a Championship side do the senior players tagged with the

responsibility of performing decide to show the world what they are capable of? Its a total disgrace on every level. Don't get me wrong I am pleased that Rafa has more to think about when deciding whether to stay or go but he wouldn't be making the decision if we had played anywhere near that on Sunday all season. We would be comfortably a Premier League team.

Even during Rafa's previous 9 games the team didn't have as much desire, drive and overall genuine quality which would have easily brought more points and Premier League survival, so it's not all down to McClaren being totally incompetent (which he was) for the football club finishing 18th in the league. There is no way on earth we are worse then the West Brom's, Crystal Palace and indeed the mackems of this world. Relegation was totally avoidable.

Playing Devil's Advocate you could argue if we were mid-table all season then McClaren would still be here and Rafa would never have come to us. This may be true but as I write this Rafa is speaking to Mike Ashley discussing whether he wants to bother going through a Championship season, working under Charnley and the Fat Man himself which will be one hell of a slog. He knows he will get offers from other Premier League teams with money to spend.

So he might leave us anyway with the likes of Nigel Pearson coming in and lowering our standards to new depths. Lets hope to God Rafa has been persuaded by the Toon Army constantly singing his name and signing a petition as well using up perfectly good bed sheets to persuade him to stay. With him staying, you can expect a strong group of players staying also to play for him. If he goes, expect a mass exodus.

Speaking of a strong group however, the players who put a shift in against Spurs were applauded off the pitch. I would have been more tempted to boo them off and scream 'where have you been all season?' if I were interested in coming anywhere near St James' Park under Ashley's regime. Which I'm not. 9 years and counting my self-imposed boycott has been going and it wont end until Ashley is gone. So the questions burns for following:

Sissoko, Janmaat, Wijnaldum, Mitrovic, Colback & Tiote where have you been when the going got tough? In fact, where were you when the going wasn't even that bad?


Sissoko has scored one goal all season. Once. The captain and leader supreme was man of the match
against Spurs and given a standing ovation as he left the field. I was sick slightly in my throat. Janmaat has been a shambles the year and has even gone AWOL since his 'injury' at Southampton. He conveniently was suddenly fit now that we're down with suitors looking into his signature, didn't he do well?

Gini Wijnaldum has only turned up against the league top teams at home this year. His stats are staggering. 11 goals all at home against Spurs, Man Utd, Chelsea, Liverpool, Southampton (5th) & West Ham (7th). He even went top quality against Norwich and scored 4 in one game. FOUR. Where the hell has this obviously talented player been against the also rans of the Premier League? Where has he been in every away game? He will definitely get his move in the summer and will probably be in the Champions League. Incredible.

We like Mitrovic, that's clear but he demonstrated on Sunday what he is capable of when given good service. He has wasted so many chances this season that his goals tally of 9 is pretty pathetic. This lack of cutting edge has been key in confirming relegation. His header directly against the league's best centre back Alderweireld that made it 2-0, was something he should have been consistently doing all season. There is no excuses of being young, or raw or inexperienced. If you can head the ball like that those things don't come into it. I think he will stay and I hope he finally shows consistency in the Championship. We will need it.

Colback has been a shadow of last season. One reason being McClaren tried to use him purely as a holding midfielder, shackled to only standing in front of the 2 centre backs. This is a poor excuse to be honest. I don't know the full reason why he has made his England call up a joke but since Rafa came in he has looked better. Still no Ginger Pirlo though I'm afraid. The Championship may bring the best out of him.

Now Mr Tiote. He has been decent in the last few games. However he still insists on thinking he is Maradona by trying to take players on in the middle of the pitch, which he inevitably is closed down and dispossessed. He also insists on fouling people for no reason giving away needless free kicks which we struggle to defend against. He cant be ignored however, I don't really care how he's played under Rafa, the bloke down tools and faked injuries all season under McClaren. The man is a disgrace and the sooner he is shipped off to China the better.

I could go through the whole squad but the key men above in the final third (Janmaat is never a

defender) have cost us dear. We couldn't defend under McClaren and had injuries to TWO goalkeepers and other defenders, especially left back, which contributed to our demise. Getting the ball in the net and at least being competitive is the real reason we are down. Weak mentality and gutless cowardice has been shared by all this season and it truly has been a shambles.

Sunday's 'epic' performance and result only showed that even more so in case anyone was in doubt.

Please stay Rafa.


Bring on The Championship.


Follow me @ToonBano

Mike Ashley Will Sell Newcastle Utd For £129 Million

Everyone will know doubt believe Geordies around the globe will be waking up this morning red eyed through tears of dismay or anger with relegation confirmed. I can tell you only some will be, not all.

We are in this situation (again!) ultimately because of one man and one man only, Mike Ashley. His decisions or sometimes lack of decisions over his entire reign have been an absolute abomination. 9 years of total nonsense with a staggering season in the middle in 2011/12.

If Newcastle is ever to get back to what it once was then he needs to go. Its truly as simple as that. So with this FACT, would surviving relegation this year have been the best thing for the club? In true Rafa style, I argue not.

FACT: Relegation only hurts Mike Ashley. He owns the thing. Its his asset.

FACT: He is only still here after 9 years of misery to promote his tin pot sports company through Premier League audiences. Being in the Championship destroys his only reason of owning our proud club. So why would he stay?

FACT: Newcastle Utd is now worth a lot less then it would be in the Premier League, as of next season especially, so finding a buyer at a decent price is a lot more realistic. The £129million debt Ashley has seems about right as the figure to get rid of him. He cant expect a profit. Get his money back and move on.


FACT: He placed the club up for sale for £80 million back in 2009 after the last relegation so has shown he is willing to sell up and leave for good.

FACT: With this in mind, £129 million for NUFC can only be seen as an absolute bargain. Put it this way, an Iranian Investor has just purchased 49.9% of Everton for a reported £100million. Two American Investors have purchased 18% each of Crystal Palace & are looking to spend up to £150 million on the stadium and have already pumped in £50million in capital.

FACT: If Newcastle had survived, we would no doubt be stuck with Mike Ashley for a very, very long time so we would only have to endure his nonsense decision making for the rest of our lives.

FACT: We will never, ever, reach our potential under his ownership. With Rafa or without Rafa. Relegation can bring an end to his tenure a lot quicker.

FACT: The club will never die.

Rafa may stay or he may go. His choice, we will accept it either way.

What we wont accept is Mike Ashley hiring people like Lee Charnley, Derek Llambias or Joe Kinnear.

Who in turn hire people like Steve McClaren, John Carver, Alan Pardew or Joe Kinnear.

Who in turn hire people like Flaurin Thauvin, Remy Cabella, Emmanuel Riviere, Henri Saivet, Yoan Gouffran, Siem De Jong, Seydou Doumbia, Daryl Janmaat, Moussa Sissoko, Papiss Cisse, Cheick Tiote or Joe Kinnear.

Championship football may be the soul destroying chemotherapy that eventually gets rid of the giant tumour that is Mike Ashley. No matter how long it takes. We will have to endure to finally be rid of him for good.

Today could be the start of the end of Mike Ashley's reign of terror and we have Sunderland to thank.

Believe That.

Follow me @ToonBano