Toon Army Need That Keegan Feel-Good Factor
Last updated : 02 April 2007 By Footy Mad - Editor
Glenn Roeder has attempted to bridge the chasm between expectation and reality on Tyneside and so far has not won over the fans.
The stop-gap manager won over his chairman (probably because he didn't come with a price tag), but suddenly the pressure is back on Freddy Shepherd to "sort out this mess".
The fans are desperate for something to hang onto ... some HOPE of success. That is a million miles away at the moment. The heady days of Kevin Keegan are long gone. The man didn't win us anything, but from the moment he walked into the club there was that feeling we COULD.
Even listening to Roeder is painful. Has there ever been a more boring man? How can he motivate players with that dreary voice? And even he said this week "it's not down to manager to motivate players ... it's up to the players themselves". Try telling Sir Alex Ferguson that.
Roeder and his players are struggling, and the signs are not good. But when you get players like James Milner pointing the finger of blame at the fans, there reaches a point when those supporters may suddenly decide to make better use of the £32 they pay on match days.
The England Under-21 international remembers five months ago when Roeder's players were booed from the pitch at St James' Park after a 1-0 defeat by Sheffield United ... and the same, depressing sound echoed around Gallowgate again on Saturday.
The fans pay their money, and are turning increasingly restless after yet another season of under-achievement. Will they pay it next season? Who knows, but this club NEEDS a feel-good factor
And now we hear James Milner, who was introduced as a late substitute in a vain effort to snatch the points, say the fans can be cruel.
Milner: "We are disappointed. The lads are gutted. It is a game we should be looking to win, and it is just one of those things.
"St James' Park is a hard place to play and it was one of those days for us.
"The fans demand a lot at this club and they have to understand sometimes it is tough to be out there playing in front of them because the expectations are so high and you can have off-days.
"But we have to be good enough to live with that. We are all top players and that's what comes with playing for Newcastle.
"Hopefully, we can turn it around next week. It was just one of those days and hopefully we can bounce back."
Ironically, Neil Warnock's Blades are the opposition next weekend, this time on their own park and if we lose that one we are facing a relegation battle.