I Wish I Was A Geordie - The Blog of Newcastle United in the US

IN PRAISE, HOWEVER FAINT, OF MIKE ASHLEY

The English press is carrying mostly positive reviews of Newcastle United's newly published financials in the wake of last season's relegation nightmare. To sum up: not good, could've been worse. A lot worse.

If American sport has an owner as unpopular as Mike Ashley, it's hard to come up with a name. His on-the-job training has been tough on Newcastle United and its fans. Crediting him for surviving relegation is a bit like praising a ship captain for his lifeboat skills. 

But as we take stock today of Newcastle's performance off the pitch, let's be realistic about how far Mike Ashley has come, and what he's up against.

In botanical terms, Newcastle United's pruning phase appears to be over. The overfeeding has ceased, the deadwood has been cast away, and the growing season lies ahead. Through it all - a lower-division season with a top-division payroll, the awkward and still mostly unexplained firing of a popular manager, the departure of the club's signature star, and a stunning run of injuries and marginally deserved disciplinary troubles - the club lies, albeit precariously, mid-table. For that you can believe in either Mike Ashley or miracles.

As an American fan I sometimes find myself wondering why anyone would want to own a Premier League club. American football teams enjoy roughly five times the television revenue, twice the attendance, and half the average player salary of their English counterparts. Payrolls are capped, revenue is distributed more evenly, and first-division status is secure. Granted, American football requires more players. Still, next to the Premier League, owning an NFL franchise is kindergarten.

So if we can't praise Mike Ashley for his performance, perhaps we can tip a hat to his presence. For whatever reason, he has taken on the next-to-impossible with this club in this league. And he may finally be warming to the task.

IT'S OFFICIAL: THEY'RE COMING TO AMERICA

American Toon fans got some exciting news Monday evening: Newcastle United will be traveling stateside this summer.

United will play Sporting Kansas City at the Major League Soccer club's new LIVESTRONG Sporting Park, SKC President Robb Heineman posted on his Twitter account. The club's new soccer-specific stadium is set to open in early June.

This talk comes hot on the heels of a report by Columbus Crew fan blog Massive Report that Newcastle may play a friendly at Crew Stadium this summer. It would make sense if Newcastle played a couple games during its American adventure, so stay tuned.

If you're already planning on heading to Kansas City — and we certainly are, barring some unforeseen event — get in touch with us by emailing newcastleunited.us@gmail.com or on Twitter @nufc_us.

What better time for the Newcastle fans of the U.S. — and for that matter, all of North America — to connect?

UPDATE: Sporting Kansas City and Newcastle have both confirmed the match, which will be played Wednesday, July 20th. There's ticket information on the SKC website, although at this point it seems the only way to guarantee a spot for the match is by ordering season tickets ($280 for 20 games).

SKC also report United will train in Kansas City from July 17-19, and VIP ticket packages will include the chance to attend a training session, an autograph session and a coaches clinic.

TIME FOR PARDEW TO PROVE HIS WORTH

When Chris Hughton was unceremoniously fired back in December, the company line from Newcastle United was that a more experienced manager was needed to ensure Premier League survival.

Well, here we are, a little less than two months from the finish line, and it's time to see whether the decision to replace Hughton with Alan Pardew will pay off.

Pardew's appointment was widely mocked by Newcastle fans, but I think most would agree he's done an adequate job in difficult circumstances. Still, it's time for that "experience" — and, like it or not, Pardew is indeed a more experienced manager than Hughton — to show up.

United is perilously close to falling into a full-on relegation fight after winning one of its last nine league games, with only six points separating it from last-place Wigan heading into Saturday's home match against Wolves.

In reality, Newcastle likely only needs four to six points from its last eight games, a stretch that includes five opponents that currently sit lower than United in the league table, to stay up. Those are the matches Pardew was brought in to get results from, aren't they?

Actually, the numbers bear out that Newcastle has been essentially the same team regardless of who the manager has been this season. Under Hughton, United won seven, lost eight and drew four in all competitions, with 19 points from 16 Premier League games.

Under Pardew, the Magpies have won four, lost six and drawn five, with 17 points from 14 league matches. The competition has been almost exactly the same, too — Hughton's Premier League matches came against teams with an average league position of 10.6, compared to 9.8 under Pardew.

Pardew, of course, only had Andy Carroll at his disposal for his first three matches in charge. And it would be harsh to judge his work at Newcastle until he's had the chance to spend at least some of the £35 million from Carroll's sale to bring in a few of his own players in the summer.

For that to be possible, though, Pardew needs to guide United safely through the season's final stretch. So, in essence, his reputation at the club rides on eight games.

It might not be fair, but that's life as manager of Newcastle United.

IS NEWCASTLE'S BEST GOOD ENOUGH?

At the start of the match at Stoke last Saturday, Newcastle United beat writer Lee Ryder of the Evening Chronicle polled fans on his live match blog:

Which position do Newcastle need to strengthen this summer?

Goalie ( 5% )

Right-back ( 0% )

Left-back ( 5% )

Defence ( 10% )

Midfield ( 5% )

Attack (75%)

Those numbers might've been different after the 4-0 disaster that followed for the Magpies. About the only place Newcastle didn't break down was at the front. The strikers weren't bad, just invisible. You can't kick in what you don't have.

Newcastle dominated the match statistics as thoroughly as Stoke dominated the net. But numbers do lie. Not every shot is equal. The quantity of Newcastle's chances exceeded their quality, and that's becoming too routine for a team suddenly fighting for Premier League survival.

Count me among the apparently few Toon followers who think Newcastle's top summer need isn't an eight-figure striker. In general, I think strikers, at the top level of soccer, are overrated. Most of the Premier League's starting strikers convert approximately what they're given. A select few create their own chances - so select they tend to be grossly overpriced on the free market (see Carroll, Andy). A club is better off growing its own and buying maturity elsewhere.

Which brings us to the lead striker Newcastle is already growing. Leon Best may be flashier off the field than on (see photo). But, per appearance this season, he's scoring at a top-5 rate. You might say that's inflated by one hat trick against suspect resistance. I might say he's been robbed by touchy flags at least twice since. 

Leon Best isn't going to create many of his own goals. The same goes for many other starters in his league. He's strong, he works, and his vertical ability is world-class. He's young. And his bill is paid. While there's little question a striker is high on Newcastle's summer shopping list, the club might be wise to put bigger money farther back this summer.

SHADES OF RELEGATION SEASON

Can somebody fill me in?

You see, I'm just a tad confused. I woke up yesterday expecting to see the gritty, battle-hardened Newcastle United team that's developed over the past two seasons show up at Stoke.

Instead, it was like watching the likes of Michael Owen and Mark Viduka again.

OK, so it's hard not to overreact after seeing your team beaten 4-0 by a fellow mid-table club, particularly when that defeat makes it one win in the last nine Premier League matches. Many angry Newcastle fans will call it — or have already done so — a lazy, listless performance.

I generally find it difficult to critique players' work rates, because it's just hard to evaluate. But what disturbed me the most was the brainless nature with which Newcastle played. Passes weren't played precisely and touches weren't taken with care. The lack of composure on the ball was shocking for a team that's shown it has a fair amount of skill throughout the season, even when taking into account that Stoke is a difficult side to play against and the Britannia Stadium is a tricky venue.

It wasn't just the players, either. Alan Pardew clearly had his worst day from a tactics standpoint since taking over in December. The 3-5-2 formation hadn't worked against Everton in United's previous match, but he opted to go to it again. Newcastle looked awkward and Sol Campbell, the third center back in the setup this time, had another poor game. It reminded me of how United played when Alan Shearer and Iain Dowie tried swapping formations late in the ill-fated 2008-09 season.

To make matters worse, Pardew started recovering injury victim Jose Enrique, who predictably limped off in the 23rd minute. The left back wasn't supposed to play after picking up a hamstring problem against Everton, but apparently talked his way into the lineup. His replacement, 19-year-old Shane Ferguson, turned out to be the lone bright spot for United.

Now Newcastle sits just four points above the drop zone — and only six above last-place Wigan — heading into its home match with Wolves. United won't have Cheik Tiote to boss the midfield after he picked up another yellow card to draw a two-game suspension.

Pardew admitted "that we're in for a battle" in the season's last eight games. That's one thing he was right about on Saturday.

NO REASON TO PANIC ... YET

In case we all needed yet another reminder of just how tight the Premier League table is this season, the past two results have delivered one.

All it takes to go from dreaming of Europe to worrying about that dreaded "R" word — at least when you're smack dab in the middle of the table, as Newcastle United has spent most of the campaign — is two straight losses.

Back-to-back home defeats to Bolton and Everton have left Newcastle just five points off the bottom three. The situation isn't quite as scary when you consider United is still in 10th place, with Fulham, Stoke City, Aston Villa, Blackburn, Blackpool, West Brom and Birmingham all sitting between it and the drop zone.

Realistically, even a couple more losses in a row probably wouldn't put Newcastle in the bottom three. But United would obviously be well served to head off this mini-skid before it turns into a slide that would transform the final two months into a full-on relegation fight.

And what better time to start than Saturday, when the boys in black and white — those that are healthy, at least — travel to the Britannia Stadium for what figures to be a bruising encounter with Tony Pulis' battering ram of a Stoke side?

Keep in mind this is a group of players that has made a habit of responding when needed over the past 21 months, dating back to the laughable 6-1 defeat to Leyton Orient in the buildup to last season. This season, they've rebounded from a gruesome injury to one of their own, the firing of their beloved manager, an embarrassing exit from the FA Cup, the sale of their star striker and a 4-0 halftime deficit to Arsenal.

So, based on that evidence, who are we to assume they won't bounce back this time?

THE HEARTBREAK OF THE MIDDLE

This season, Newcastle United fans have suffered through Ben Arfa's felling, Hughton's sacking, Carroll's fleeing, Enrique's whining, Ameobi's shattering, Barton's waffling and more.

So why has it taken me this long to get depressed?

Part of it is situational. One of the things I love best about English football, versus its American counterpart, is that the weekly fix goes on most of the year instead of four or five paltry months. But that makes it all the harder to go without. Off weeks in soccer are like withdrawal without the vomiting, which would at least make it feel better temporarily.

I fear, though, that my malaise, and Newcastle's, isn't likely to be cured with a mere resumption of the schedule.

The loss to Everton last Saturday is not one to write off easily. Yes, the key injuries and absences provided a rationalization for the fans, as well as the manager, who used it liberally in his post-game comments. And as Alan Pardew also pointed out, the effort was there - but mostly after Newcastle had fallen behind.

During the first half against Everton the Magpies appeared to be tightened rather than inspired by their legendary home crowd. Passing was a micro-click hesitant; runs were made with purpose but not abandon; instincts devolved too often and too visibly into second guesses. All this was especially evident watching the game alongside the Arsenal-Sunderland match in a soccer pub. Which was a 0-0 draw, and Arsenal for god's sake - pass-pass-pass-pass-pass-pass-pass-pass (shoot? no) pass-pass-pass - but next to Newcastle's early-game form the Gunners looked almost reckless.

This has gone from a tic to a tendency to a habit now. The Saturday-at-3 home jinx is not metaphysical but real. Having followed another team in another sport that has underperformed in front of desperate home crowds for a century - the Chicago Cubs to which Newcastle is often compared by Americans - I know how difficult this jinx can be to break, and how deadly it is to be forced again and again to make up ground in other people's stadiums.

Newcastle United appears magnetically destined for the dead middle of the league. Pardew seems to know it: his observation during the week that "there are plenty of points to play for" came off as obligatory next to longer riffs about summer and next year.

Perhaps we shouldn't complain. The middle is lots better than relegation, and perhaps a miracle in itself given this season's injuries and defections and off-field dramas.

But I'm an American fan of this English team, and like many American fans, I can't stand a draw. I prefer anything, even agony, to boredom. For the first time this season, in this interminable off week, I am bored. It's enough to make a soccer fan look forward to summer.

JOEY BARTON: NEWCASTLE'S MOST IMPORTANT PLAYER

I thought I had a pretty good handle on where Joey Barton fit into Newcastle United's team before the last two matches.

I would have put him in the same category as Cheik Tiote and Jose Enrique in terms of importance. But I was wrong. Barton tops the list.

That's the biggest conclusion that emerged from Newcastle's last two results — mediocre home displays against Bolton and Everton that resulted in a draw and a loss. With Barton sidelined by a thigh injury (contrary to some media reports, he is not on strike), United wasn't terrible by any means and managed a goal in each game. But it lacked a certain driving force when in possession.

While Barton has settled into his newfound home on the right of midfield, he still essentially plays as a central midfielder in Newcastle's system. He's allowed to drift inside and, as a result, spends much more time on the ball than most outside midfielders. There's good reason for that, too: His long-range passing has been the source of a good chunk of United's offensive play this season, with Barton tied for the club lead in assists.

Negotiations over a contract extension have apparently stalled, but United's brain trust will need to figure out exactly how much Barton is worth as the summer transfer window creeps closer.

I'm not saying Newcastle should hand Barton a six-year deal for outrageous money. He'll be 29 in September, has really only had eight productive months at the club since signing in 2007 and is always going to be prone to disciplinary issues. United could also change its style of play next season so it's not as dependent on Barton.

But, as it stands, Barton is as good as Newcastle has got.

DEPLETED MAGPIES CAUGHT IN THE MIDDLE

Alan Pardew isn't the first Newcastle United manager to complain about injuries, and he certainly won't be the last.

Pardew had a point on Saturday, though. It became painfully clear in Newcastle's 2-1 home defeat to Everton that the current squad doesn't have nearly enough depth to do anything more than battle for a mid-table finish. So goodbye, Europa League hopes — you were probably always unrealistic, anyway.

With no Joey Barton, Stephen Ireland or Ryan Taylor due to injuries and suspension and Danny Guthrie just back from a hamstring problem, the right side of Newcastle's midfield turned into a gaping hole for the Toffees to exploit. And it's no coincidence the moves that set up both of Everton's goals originated from that flank.

For all the money spent on strikers, games are won and lost in the midfield. And without Barton tucking inside, it seemed United's central pairing of Kevin Nolan and Cheik Tiote was forced to cover the entire width of the pitch.

Danny Simpson started on the right flank, although that appeared to be part of a 3-5-2 with Simpson and Jose Enrique acting as wingbacks. After Enrique limped off with an apparent hamstring problem, Simpson took his spot at left back and Peter Lovenkrands dropped to the right wing.

Lovenkrands, as he is wont to do, disappeared for most of the match and, with Jonas Gutierrez getting forward down the left, Nolan and Tiote were overrun at times. Everton was easily able to win second balls time and time again — something that generally bodes well for a team.

It wasn't that Newcastle's showing was abysmal. The effort was there and, with a bit of luck, United could have emerged with a draw based on its second-half display. In the end, though, the squad was simply stretched too thin.

The good news is Newcastle only has one match the rest of March (at Stoke on the 19th), so there should be sufficient time for rest and recuperation. Pardew has already said Barton and Ireland should be back for that trip to the Britannia Stadium, which is encouraging in the short term.

In the bigger picture, though, it's up to United's hierarchy to ensure that Pardew — or, knowing Newcastle, whoever the manager is — won't again be bemoaning a lack of depth at this time next year.

IRELAND WORTH THE DRAMA

Let's be honest: There are plenty of reasons to dislike Stephen Ireland.

That was the case well before an astonishing rant attributed to the Irishman — in which he allegedly referred to Birmingham as a "crap city" and said he'd rather shoot himself than live in his hometown of Cork — appeared Friday in French Football magazine So Foot. Ireland has subsequently said he was misquoted and his words were taken out of context.

Whether that was the case or not, it's not the first time the 24-year-old has appeared in a less-than-flattering light. Most infamous is the dead grandma saga back in 2007 that kicked off his exile — one that's become self-imposed — from the Irish national team. Then there's Ireland's ridiculously excessive house and much-talked-about Range Rover. I could go on and on, but I'm guessing you get the point. Ireland comes off as a prima donna who needs to be coddled.

Ireland may very well be a total jackass. But the reason to like him trumps those negatives. The guy is good. And he's the sort of midfielder Newcastle United has been crying out for over the past few seasons.

How many times has United been unable to break down a defense with that backline-splitting pass? Now, I'm not saying Ireland is simply going to stroll into St. James' Park and solve that issue. But he's the type of midfielder United have needed for some time: an attack-minded player who can act as a distributor as well as a finisher in the final third.

It remains to be seen whether the Aston Villa loanee will stick on Tyneside past this season, although manager Alan Pardew admitted earlier this week the club would like to sign him on a permanent basis. Heck, it remains to be seen when Ireland will even make his black-and-white debut after coming back from a knee injury and then picking up a thigh problem in training on Thursday.

But Newcastle — and its fans — would do well to be patient and gentle with Ireland. He's not a no-nonsense character who's cut from the Kevin Nolan mold. Not every player is.

As Pardew said this week, Ireland "likes to feel he's important." He certainly could be important in United's final 10 games, if not likable.