Football News: Lack of ambition is a recipe for Newcastle disaster

Image from: winnersports.co.uk

Newcastle United are such a strange club, huge stadium packed with fanatical (if a little underdressed for my taste) support each week, yet so little to show for it. They are a club that never feels like they are going to win things. Even in the Kevin Keegan era, when they were great to watch, they always ended up missing out on silverware.

Now, of course, with Mike Ashley at the helm, there is even less chance of seeing the Geordies explode with delight as their captain lifts a trophy. While every Mackem I know is grateful for that, it is still a very strange situation to see a competitive sports team that openly admits it is not even going to try and win the only trophies that it could possibly win, the League Cup and the FA Cup.

While the Toon fans are no doubt convinced that Alan Pardew was to blame for the inconsistent performances from players, I personally do not think it was all down to him. I do think he was partly to blame, clearly his coaching left a lot to be desired as the team was so disorganised defensively. Having said that, how demoralising must it be, as a player, to go into the season knowing you have nothing to look forward to, other than the hope of an offer from elsewhere?

I mean think about it, every one of us dreams of lifting a cup or some other trophy, players are the same. They want to win things, not just avoid relegation each year. Players in struggling teams look forward to the cups, in the hope of a good run to lift the spirits with the thought of just maybe being the lucky team that gets to the final and walks up the Wembley steps. No player wants to hear that their team is not interested in winning it. What is there to play for?

So all Newcastle have now is a bunch of players with no ambition to win trophies, such as Steven Taylor, or those whose ambition is to catch the eye of clubs that might win things, like Moussa Sissoko. As Cheik Tiote has shown, if lifting your skirt and flashing a bit of leg for rival managers each week fails to get you a move away, you soon start losing your way and your game suffers. The hunger dies in your belly, the drive to succeed diminishes and you become a lesser player.

A great manager might well be able to improve things for a short time, but without ambition Newcastle are destined to always be on the verge of collapsing. The players have no fight in them because they have nothing to fight for, they are already rich beyond the dreams of most of us, so what left? While Mike Ashley remains in charge, the Geordie nation will need to get used to mediocrity, or worse, from their beloved black and white striped heroes.

Written by Tris Burke January 13 2015 16:27:19