Newcastle United - A fan's view
Wednesday, 23 May 2007 18:14
Good, bad or just the same old, same old. What the fans made of the 2006/07 season.
It was a case of the same old story for most of the season – patchy results, dire defending, an ever-increasing number of players on the treatment table, snatching defeat from the jaws of victory in Europe, a divided dressing room and fan unrest.
The quality of summer signings varied. Obafemi Martins flickered sporadically before going into an end-of-season sulk while Damien Duff made a mockery of his 'bargain of the season' transfer. Remarkably, Olivier Bernard actually surpassed expectations - fears for Glenn Roeder's sanity when the Frenchman was re-signed were soon eased when it became clear Mr Bernard wasn't going to play any first-team football whatsoever. Presumably he does a great turn at parties, or holds a licence enabling him to drive the team bus in case of emergency.
The team did well to equal their lowest-ever Premership points total considering they seemed to stop trying after the Uefa Cup defeat to AZ in March – just one win and four goals since then didn't really bode well for the now-departed Glenn Roeder. Although it remains to be seen what sort of disaster it'll take to make Freddie Shepherd consider his position to be untenable.
Grade: E
High Point
Coming back from 2-1 down at Spurs, courtesy of a ridiculously good goal from Obafemi Martins who clearly has a foot like a traction engine. Nicky Butt's winner a minute later wasn't bad either. The utterly undeserved wins are always the sweetest.
Low Point
Almost everything else, but losing 5-1 at home to Birmingham in the FA Cup took the biscuit. Though it's fair to say that wasn't the exact phrase used at the time.
Fan's Player of the Year
Nicky Butt
Obafemi Martins had a decent first season but drifted in and out of games too often, while perennial lifesaver Shay Given fell victim to the injury curse. James Milner did impress, but for the sheer surprise factor Butt can't be beaten.
Many weren't exactly looking forward to the return of the ex-Manchester United man, who seemed to be living on past glories prior to, and during, last season's loan spell at Birmingham. But a slew of impressive performances won round the doubters, and a number of other players would do well to take heed of his level of commitment.
Needs for Next Season
Despite all of the above, the arrival of Sam Allardyce has raised hopes once again. All he needs to do now is keep Owen, Martins and N'Zogbia on board, restructure the entire management set-up, keep Shepherd from meddling with transfers, and perhaps – outlandish as it may sound – sign a decent defender or two.
Dan Jones
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