On the Spot: Why Newcastle is in shambles

Gone are the days when the Northeast was home to scintillating and committed football. Alan Shearer, David Ginola, Les Ferdinand, Lee Clark and Andy Cole were just some of the legendary players to have donned the stripes of Newcastle. None of this unbelievable football play appears to be on show these days at St. James' Park.

Just when you thought Newcastle could not sink any lower this season, they did. With the defeat against Bournemouth, Newcastle has now lost five of their last six games. When you have the power of Aleksandar Mitrović and the skills of Georginio Wijnaldum, Ayoze Perez and Moussa Sissoko, you really should be winning games. They also added Jonjo Shelvey in January. That should be sufficient to get them goals — what every team battling relegation such as Aston Villa and Norwich would need right?

But their transfer policy has been shambolic. Yes, Newcastle may blame injuries to Tim Krul and Jack Colback, their inspirational leaders on the field. However, like any team chasing the championship, you need a reliable defense — which to be fair neither Villa nor Norwich has, but the teams above them, Sunderland, Crystal Palace and Swansea, do. I’d much rather have a John O’Shea, Scott Dann or Ashley Williams on my team than Fabricio Coloccini, who made a mockery out of the title “club captain,” which he was stripped of in February. In fact, I don’t even know why he was offered a new deal in the summer. Along with Steven Taylor and Mike Williamson, he is not a player that I would rely on to avoid relegation.

Newcastle should have strengthened at the back in January and they didn’t. Now, they’re paying the price for it. They are a squad that is not willing to fight for each other. Steve McClaren, coach of Newcastle, came out earlier this week saying that this was the worst group of players he’s worked with in terms of character — it probably is true; they lost 5-1 to an underperforming Chelsea, mind you!

Then there’s the manager. The team has reversed the policy of buy low, sell high that Mike Ashley enforced on Alan Pardew (which got him sacked in the first place, really), but the new man cannot seem to manage this new crop. The Toon Army are some of the most patient fans in the world – they, after all, have waited since 1969 for a major trophy. But when they’ve had enough of a manager, you know it’s probably the curtain-call for him. They’re fed up with the tactics he’s put in place, and if you remember, this is a guy who choked when it mattered with Derby County. The Rams were, as a result, in a prime position for an automatic promotion to the Premier League last February last year, but they only won two out of their remaining 13 games and missed out on the playoff spots.

Given the lack of spirit in their team and the quality of their manager, it brings up memories of 2009, when the Toon Army saw their team relegated. Don’t be surprised if it happens again.