Will They Ever Learn?

Well, my first real post and where more appropriate to start than newcastle united. According to the BBC - http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/n/newcastle_united/8068068.stm, it looks like Shearer will be joining the club permanently.

Look, I know you can't judge a manager after 8 games, especially when he took over in such difficult circumstances, but 5 points from 8 matches isn't a fantastic record whatever way you look at it, and there's no way any other manager would be taking the job with those stats. What newcastle need now is an experienced head, someone who knows the championship and someone that can stabalize the club. Dare I say it, a perfect appointment for them would be Neil Warnock. 

I hope it does work for them, although being a follower of Stevenage Borough i'm not a great fan (to say the least) of Shearer et al, they are a very very big club - and I hope they don't become the next Leeds, something which could well happen unless Ashley stops going for the ridiculous sentimental appointments, and gets someone in that is proven in the division.

Furthermore, what happens if they do get of to a bad start next year? Ashley will be petrified of sacking Shearer, incase the reaction is like when he sacked Keegan, but if he was to keep him on and they didn't go straight back up, it could be catastrophic for their future. I know all the newcastle fans want him, and to be honest most fans want a "messiah" but 99% of the time it doesn't work.

Consider Palace, after Dowie left at least 90% of our fanbase wanted Peter Taylor, a legend as a player and someone who many of us thought could take us to the promised land. However, he was quite frankly awful as a manger, negative subsitution, poor tactics, and terrible signings mean that we're still to some extent dealing with the negative side effects of his time in charge now. 

Going for ex-players, in my book, is a big mistake the vast majority of the time. I know they will go for Shearer, and I know the vast majority of the Newcastle fans will be delighted with the appointment, but it would so much wiser to go for a Warnock, a Curbishley, even a Martinez for example.

I wish them luck next season, but they've been hindered in recent seasons by making poor desicions, and appointing Shearer permanently could be their biggest one yet.