Failing With Styles

By Ethan Armstrong

Robinho sped toward the box as Shaun Wright-Phillips’ through-ball spun over the heads of Newcastle’s defenders. As Robinho pressed past the defenders, awaiting his chance to take control of the bouncing ball, in slid Habib Beye. He was a studs-down blur of human missile, winning the ball before Robinho tumbled over his legs in the penalty area. The ball went out of bounds. Newcastle supporters breathed in relief. The Brazilian’s attack was smothered.

It was the perfect tackle.

Yet, there was referee Rob Styles, pointing to the spot. And with no sign of hesitation (or of consultation with the linesman) Styles had the red card in Beye’s face as the crowd at St James Park gasped in helpless fury. Shocking. The experienced Senegalese defender who had done everything right was now ejected from the match. It was twelve minutes in.

There is no doubt that refereeing top tier football is a tough job. Amid the pace and intensity of the game, the roar of the crowd, and the emotion of the athletes, we all must accept that the ref’s judgment can be compromised and wrong decisions will inevitably be made. At times these will be game-changing calls——unearned penalties and goals disallowed from incorrect offsides calls being among the bitterest memories to linger with supporters for years.

Now, if this had been a bad tackle: if Beye had, as last man, taken Robinho down without winning the ball, Styles would have been right in sending him off. But if Styles had any doubt of what had happened——and it would have helped for him to note the change in direction of the ball before Robinho went down, but I suppose he was too busy reaching for the eject button——he should have at the very least kept Beye on the pitch. Since it was a good tackle, it is completely impossible for Styles to have been 100% certain, and so, reducing Newcastle to ten men, on top of awarding the penalty (which Robinho converted), proved to be one of the more crippling bad calls in recent footballing memory.

The double whammy, as the idiom goes.

I confess: when I saw Rob Styles named as the official of this match, I knew somehow this was going to be a bad day for the already struggling Newcastle United.

You see, this isn’t exactly Mr. Styles first case of game changing decision-making. He’s got a serious history of dubious penalty calls.

May 2004: Charlton Athletic vs. Leicester City. Styles ejects Nikos Dibazas, reducing relegation zone strugglers Leicester to ten men and awards a penalty for what looked to be minimal contact on Jonatan Johannson. Paulo Di Canio converts to put Charlton up. Leicester would equalize but still went down a league at the season’s end.

April 2005: Middlesbrough vs. Fulham. One minute from the end of regulation time, Fulham keeper Edwin van der Saar fouls Jimmy-Floyd Hasselbaink outside the penalty box, but Styles awards the penalty anyway. Bolo Zenden converts, equalizing for Boro. This controversial call raised questions over whether or not Styles should be allowed to officiate the FA Cup final between Arsenal and Manchester United. The Football Association stood behind him and he got the match.

August 2007: Liverpool vs. Chelsea. The Reds maintain a 1-0 lead over the Blues until the 62nd minute when Styles decided Liverpool’s Steve Finnan had taken Florent Malouda down in the box. The look on the faces of nearby Chelsea players’ faces carried as much surprise as the Anfield crowd’s booming protests. Replays showed the penalty to be clearly undeserved. The match ended 1-1. Styles was suspended for the next round of matches.

September 2008: Manchester United vs. Bolton Wanderers. Cristiano Ronaldo goes down after Jlloyd Samuel’s tackle. Replays would show Samuel clearly won the ball, and if Ronaldo wasn’t already falling before the defender made contact, he was most certainly embellishing the fall like there was an Oscar nomination on the line. Styles, a few feet away from the action at the time, actually made a private apology to Bolton later on. He was not suspended by the FA.

So the sending off of Beye, as absurd and unjust as it is, comes as little surprise for anyone who knows about Rob Styles’ love of manufacturing penalties out of nothing.

While he is not the sole perpetrator of horrendous refereeing decisions, he’s become one of the most notorious officials, and any club of any size must cringe when they see him on the match sheet.

To mend the officiating problems in today’s game, suspending a figure like Styles for the odd match here and there is not going to solve a thing. If the FA insists on keeping a man like Styles on, punishment for recurring incidences will need to employ a much harsher stance. Clubs are relegated for losing too many matches: why can’t Rob Styles be relegated to a lower league for a considerable spell for making too many patently awful decisions? If Styles spent a year calling matches in Blue Square South, (apologies to Havant and Waterlooville for their first bad Styles call… it’ll probably take him a while to get it out of his system), he would likely come back a much more thoughtful ref when given another chance at the top flight matches.

Otherwise, the continuation of regular, inaccurate, match-changing decisions is going to ultimately lead us to the nasty world of in-match video replay, and the grand footballing tradition of “getting on with it” will be sullied by constant stoppage. Four hour matches and endless commercial breaks… we’ve already let these things consume American Football. Please don’t subject the world’s favorite game to these cruel devices.

So until the FA cracks down on Rob Styles, let all defenders be advised: if you see an attacker careening into the box, you might consider backing off. You’re better off letting your keeper take his chances, because if Mr. Styles is on the scene, he’s looking for his next chance to invent a penalty. And you want to stay in the game, don’t you?

Real Betis Balompié: A sporting and institutional crisis

by Daniel Sheppard

“(We are in the midst of a) sporting and institutional crisis.”

This is a worryingly accurate summation of Real Betis by one of their longest serving players, Arturo García Muñoz. The same man once stated that the arrival of Juan Roman Riquelme to the green side of Seville would surely necessitate one Gennaro Gattuso to fill any gaps left by the attacking Argentine. Arturo García Muñoz, or simply Arzu, was himself Betis’ sole defensive midfielder at the time, either unaware of his own role at the club or too aware of his own limitations.

While Arzu may seemingly fall somewhere between foolish and humble in regards to his latter comment, the former is the most damning and honest statement to surface from Real Betis Balompié in some time.

The club has seen drastic failures on the pitch, at the board level, and even in a rotating series of high-profile managers. Seven different coaches have taken the helm over the last decade and all have failed. Following yet another summer of undelivered promise and dashed hopes, it is time to investigate the storied Spanish club.

Why exactly have seven great managers been sacked in a space of ten years or so? Why didn’t any succeed? And how exactly did they (owner Ruiz de Lopera) lure these men into such a job to begin with? For such intense support off the field, it is the incompetence behind the scenes that has led the club to where it is today.

Undesirable and unprofessional conduct with players runs rampant, from the guarantee of eight year contracts (seven years too long in some cases) to the forced deregistration and ostracization of unwanted players. The issue of lengthy contracts could be glossed over but for the undoubted element of complacency it instills in the squad and the important fact, largely unknown, that Manuel Ruiz de Lopera legally owns some of his players, and not the club itself. This is one of the main reasons behind any lack of progress regarding the sale of the club, and, at times, the players.

Of course, if you’re without an eight year contract to begin with, you’re unlikely to ever negotiate an extension either, as forward Luis Eduardo Schmidt, or simply Edú, has discovered. The Brazilian, who has the unchallenged label as Betis’ finest footballer, was on the “fuzzy end of the lollipop” once again this summer as owner Ruiz de Lopera publicly stated he will not offer Edú a new contract, due to his age (only 29) and financial demands.

As further display of the failures of the club, Edú had to make a one thousand (plus) kilometer round trip to Valencia, twice a week, every week for two months, to receive treatment for a recent muscle injury, as Betis do not currently own an adequate medical center. Nor do they own an adequate gymnasium for that matter. Their current arrangement consists of equipment not maintained or improved since it was initially built. This is modern day Real Betis and even the foundations are crumbling.

If you arrive at the training ground too late, or too early for that matter, you’ll notice the flood lights are missing. If you happen upon the official website you’re likely to be told of signings that never materialize and of players arriving on the streets of Jabugo (Betis headquarters) only to be told to return in whatever direction they came from.

For a club harboring intentions of competitiveness in the twenty first century, such failures and basic institutional inadequacies are likely to, and have, hurt the club. These failures are not hidden away, yet still remain unaccounted for. That is, of course, unless the finger of blame is pointed firmly at the door of Lopera. However, whether he’s inaccurately claiming the current squad as the “best the club has had in its history,” or pumping profits from Real Betis’ into Russian companies of his involvement, no questions will be answered and certainly no prayers. The only positive on his rather damaging record is that he took in a stray Husky by the name of Hugo, because he’s just that kind of guy, isn’t he?

Add to that the arrival of the seemingly biannual takeover talk. After three months of discussions with a Spanish business man named Luis Castel, who happened to make his plans very clear indeed, an agreement was made with a group called BSport. That’s as far as we need to go, or even can, as no one is truly in the know as to regards their intentions, the extent of their financial wealth, or who this group even is. At this stage, to be told of their non-existence wouldn’t exactly be shocking. It’s been done before.

This summer also saw the release of an “information bomb” by Betis representatives, stating the arrival of an agreement between the club and the City of Benacazán to acquire over forty hectares of land which would eventually house a City of Sport. The venture is designed to strengthen the weak structures that currently inhabit the club and, optimistically, to compete with the European giants in terms of attracting the brightest young talent from around the globe.  The City will comprise of eleven football fields, an ample stadium, a gym, a swimming pool, changing rooms, running tracks, club houses, parking, a shopping mall, and a partridge in a pear tree. It’s a project that sounds a step too far for a club of Betis’ stature, and a step too far it seems to be. The venture itself has not been mentioned since this initial release, nor has any progress been made. If the work is to be completed by 2010, then the club also plans to break construction records. The project only serves to convey that somewhere within the confines of Lopera’s office, someone is all too aware that the organization that doesn’t fit the mould of a 21st century club.

While there have been minimal criticism of workings off the field, on the field all flaws and shortcomings are dissected on a public level. Joaquín, only last year, was quick to divulge the worry of his former team-mates, stating that one player told him, “When we take to the field, opponents don’t fear us.”

A visual disparity between Betis and their opponents on any given day is clear to see. Small, timid, lightweight footballers whose technical ability does not go far enough to compensate for their physical weaknesses stuff the squad. Only Betis’ current manager, Paco Chaparro, has identified this distinct disparity. So, it’s no secret that Betis looked to capture players with strength and agility over technical ability this summer, going as far as to publicly express their interest in players of African heritage. And so Betis went about scouting the world for players that would fit the mould.

In signing Achille Emana, Mehmet Aurélio, Fabián Monzón, Nélson, Juanma and Sergio García, all on the recommendation and acceptance of the head coach (a practice not commonly used at Betis), Betis had begun to make moves unlike their former selves. All players were either physically imposing or possessing potent speed, or both. So impressed were reporters with the physique of the Cameroon international Emana, that Betis’ official website once led with a story on the muscular state of his arms. No lie.

The continuation of Chaparro as manager was in itself a fall away from tradition. The change of ethos, team image, and shape was dictated solely by Paco Chaparro, and impressively so. However, off the pitch, apart from strenuous negotiations, no moves were made. The promise of enhancing the stadium’s capacity to “65,000 or 70,000″ was shelved once again. The stadium, but for the name in neon lighting facade, while not literally falling apart, isn’t far from doing so. (Notice the lack of supporters on the edge of the tiers of the stadium. It’s a telling sign.)

The Estadio Manuel Ruiz de Lopera itself, home of Real Betis, beams with a certain type of glamour. It has a ring to it, a certain charm, and the neon lighting that hugs the side of the stadium gives it that added visual. Of course, add a foreign twist and name to anything and it will undoubtedly sound that bit more impressive. Break it down to its core and it becomes hard to equate any charm with what seems to be a megalomaniacal ownership at work.

Imagine if you will, the City of Manchester Stadium so eloquently renamed the ‘Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan Stadium’ and you’ll surely begin to understand the underlying weakness at Real Betis. Or imagine a single brick on the wall of the Kop. Pan back to reveal the words ‘Gillett & Hicks Stadium’ in neon lighting and you may just trigger the gag reflex. By now, the sheer arrogance and boastfulness of such a name has become lost on many. By now Betis fans are accustomed to arrogance, accustomed to false promises, and accustomed to feeling the way they do.

Though the scale tips in the direction of a crisis, the club does, contrary to popular belief, hold many a positive element.

Real Betis is a club with a true identity, and a fan base so strong that, even following three years of flirtation with relegation, it successfully fills the ground close to capacity. Bottle throwing, expulsion of ball boys, one-on-one altercations with linesmen, and a single Nazi flag aside, the Real Betis fan base are as close to an English-styled crowd as is likely to be found beyond the English Channel. Particularly rabid fans will even sign up their unborn child for club membership. Seville itself is a city boasting the highest amount of season ticket holders per capita anywhere in Europe and is home to a rivalry that would surely be known as the most spiteful footballing derby were it actually better known. (Or, at the very least, consistently televised.)

The club’s appeal can been seen when flicking through an impressive list of former managers. Spanish managerial giants Llorenç Serra Ferrer, Javier Irureta, Juande Ramos, and Luis Aragonés have all taken control of the club along with Héctor Cúper, Luis Fernández, and Guus Hiddink.

Each new manager brought with him the expectation of a better future. But each one was cast aside at the first hint of trouble by an over-eager board. Before any had the time to build a squad or work out kinks, the managers found themselves in other positions, probably much happier.

For a board that demand so much from their management team, one would assume they’d demand the same of themselves. A measurement and critique of their own decisions may lead to some unsettling conclusions and so goes the reason for the avoidance.

This summer’s end has once again proffered the polarization of its intention. Star player Edú moves into the new season without the renewal of his contract and so a player who could have garnered close to a ten million figure for the club will now leave on a free transfer. Contrary to forced official statements, relations between manager Paco Chaparro and sporting director Manuel Momparlet have broken down due to Momparlet’s insistence on keeping players unwanted by Chaparro and his failure to sign footballs brightest talents, such as Mickaël Chrétien of AS Nancy and Nery Castillo of Shakhtar Donetsk, on the order of the Betis manager. Another summer passes with a stadium’s resources stretched. Promised improvements and construction have once again been put off for yet another year and then another after that.

In La Liga, only a month has passed and much of the work actually completed in the last four months or so has already come undone. Unfortunate fixture list aside (Sevilla, Barcelona, Real Madrid, and Villarreal all in a three week period), Real Betis still lay bottom of La Liga– six months without victory, albeit three of those were summer months. This week, one ‘brave’ board member leaked an unofficial statement to the press. “If the team do not collect at least seven points from the next nine on offer, it will be deemed a failure.” In other words, they’re already itching for yet another managerial change.

A Perfect Match?

By Ethan Armstrong

For any true supporter of English Football, the feeling of anguish during a match is as vital as elation. An attacker slipping on a wet pitch to flub a shot… That last-minute goal that tears the win from a club’s grasp… The star getting sent off in the Cup final… Football is full of hands-in-the-air, stomach-in-your-throat moments. We rely on these as much as goals and points and victories to keep our fires stoked.

Liverpool fans had about as full an experience possible when the Reds visited Manchester City last Sunday. While City played deep and Liverpool maintained solid possession, the visitors were unable to convert their only real first-half chance: a low cross from Albert Riera which Dirk Kuyt might have side-footed into the net, but, instead, the Dutchman put it over choosing a close-range laces shot.

Liverpool was mostly able to stifle City’s approach of playing defensively and relying on the speed of Jo, Shaun Wright-Phillips, and Robinho to create breakaways. The Reds allowed the home side only two workable chances on goal in the first half. Unfortunately for the Reds, City put both of those chances away.

First, it was Stephen Ireland who cleaned up on 18 minutes after Jamie Carragher and Alvaro Arbeloa both failed to clear a Wright-Phillips cross. Steaming in and blasting home the loose ball, Ireland not only put City on top, but broke a goal draught for his club against Liverpool. City had not scored against the Reds in the previous six match-ups.

Supporters threw their hands up in the air due to the shaky defending that allowed the goal, but their club had already come back from one-nil goal lines against Manchester United and Olympique Marseille this season. Despite City’s new wealth and stars, Liverpool fans still felt confident of a Red comeback.

But in the 42nd minute these hopes were seriously tested. Again, it was the pacey Shaun Wright-Phillips who broke into the attacking third. Riera’s foul on the advancing winger gave Javier Garrido the chance to curl home the resulting free kick. The beauty and grace of the kick made the blow all the worse for Liverpool supporters.

Liverpool had yet to score three goals in a league match this season, though they had achieved the feat once in competitive play—in their meeting with PSV Eindhoven days before. But Liverpool had opened scoring against the Dutch side with Dirk Kuyt’s fourth minute goal. They were not forced to score three in the second half alone, which is what it would take if they hoped to prevail against Manchester City.

The next chance on goal for Liverpool again fell at the feet of Kuyt. The Dutchman made a convincing, angled run into the box, attaching himself to a perfect Steven Gerrard through-ball, but again the moment gave supporters no more than frustrated anguish as Kuyt tumbled to the ground. What replays showed to be a clear penalty was waved on by the ref who was too far away to see the contact from behind.

Liverpool continued to attack and finally, in the 55th minute, a brilliant bit of passing changed the flow of the match for the Reds. Javier Mascherano found Gerrard on the right who slotted the ball through Garrido’s legs for Arbeloa. The right back found just enough time before Richard Dunne could shut him down to cross the ball low across the face of goal. And there was Torres: bursting through with strength and vision, shielding off the defender with his body, launching the ball in with his right foot despite being taken down.

The lift for supporters not only came from the goal itself, putting their side back in the match, but from the beautiful display of a true team goal.

The vague feeling that Liverpool might pull it off became more of a firm belief when Pablo Zabeleta went after Xabi Alonso with studs up and no attempt on the ball. The vicious tackle left no doubt for the ref and the red card was soon aloft. There was still much to do for Liverpool, but the bitter dismay of the City goals were now like something that had happened in the distant past. With a player like Fernando Torres on the job, the task seemed less daunting.

Sure enough, when Liverpool was awarded a corner in the 72nd minute, Torres was the one to bang it home. It was the first time Liverpool had scored off a corner directly from the kick itself in quite some time. Gerrard’s ball was perfect: plenty of pace and well-placed for either Torres or Robbie Keane to have a chance. It was the Spaniard who made the connection, launching into the air and twisting his head as he met the ball, which sailed into the far side of the net. Torres made it look as easy as tying one’s boot, but it was obvious the set play had been thoroughly rehearsed. City didn’t have a hope of defending against this one.

Though the tide had turned, there was another moment of anguish in the cards for Liverpool. On 86 minutes, Martin Skrtel launched into the air for the ball and fell awkwardly, damaging his knee. The joy and optimism brought on by Torres’ goals evaporated as supporters watched one of Liverpool’s most resilient defenders get stretchered off the pitch. Down to ten men with all the substitutes used up and unsure of Skrtel’s condition, the match would go on, but fans would have to contain themselves and hope for the best on both fronts.

The time spent getting Skrtel off the pitch meant six minutes were added to the clock. A world of time, in which anything could happen.

It was substitute Yossi Benayoun who cut down the left, found the space, and laid the ball back for Torres. The Spaniard’s shot was deflected, but Robbie Keane touched it into space for Dirk Kuyt, who pounced and flicked the ball up into the net, out of the keeper’s reach.

So when you’re watching that cliché Hollywood sports movie, and it gets to the big game, and the team makes the miraculous comeback after being down, and they fight their way back through teamwork and drive, and a major player gets taken off injured, and the guy who missed the big shot before puts it home in the closing minutes to win it as the fans go wild: don’t groan at the triteness of it all. It happens. The agony and the ecstasy. The perfect match.

Liverpool’s England; England’s Liverpool

England’s recent 4-1 demolition of Croatia in World Cup Qualifying is garnering many comparisons to their 5-1 thrashing of Germany in 2001.

Both matches were key victories in establishing the role of a new foreign manager as worthy, and both came despite poor results and glum predictions, so the similarities are certainly there. The main difference is the extent to which Liverpool played in proceedings.

There are currently more top-level Spaniards on Liverpool’s roster than Englishmen. It’s a prevailing trend in the Premier League as it continues to struggle with becoming a multi-national and multi-cultural bastion, and it’s a progression that has seen Liverpool’s influence on the English national team wane.

Back in September 1, 2001, the Reds were highly influential to England. While Gerard Houllier was still molding Liverpool FC into the efficient 1-0 masters they would become, Sven Goran Eriksson used key players from the Merseyside squad in his own.

Three Liverpool players combined to secure all five goals for England with two others also influencing the match: poacher Michael Owen scored a hat trick; upcoming midfield dynamo Steven Gerrard struck home late in the first half; powerhouse forward Emile Heskey rounded out the scoring; cultured winger Nick Barmby started on the left; and uncompromising defender Jamie Carragher made an appearance off the bench.

England also benefited from the style of play influenced by Houlier’s Liverpool. The 5-1 score-line helped disguise that Germany had the majority of possession and, arguably, the better chances. It was a smash-and-grab victory. So many Liverpool players in the midfield and forward lines helped instill the defensive work ethic and swift counters that led to this type of display.

In contrast, England featured zero Liverpool players when they faced Croatia. Admittedly, Gerrard was injured, but that there isn’t a single other England international on the books for the 5-time European champions is telling.

The Croatia game was not a case of England turning its back on Liverpool, but, rather, vice versa.

One force standing in the way of Liverpool completely deserting all its Englishness but its location is UEFA and its president, Michel Platini. European football’s governing body implemented a “homegrown” players rule, which has been taking effect gradually. This year it requires clubs to register 8 players developed in academies within the nation, 4 of whom must have been developed by the club itself.

Despite warnings years ago, Liverpool have acted as if they were caught unaware by the rule. This summer saw shotgun bids for Robbie Keane (who is Irish, but qualifies as having been developed in England) and Gareth Barry. Missing out on the latter had palpable effects, as defensive stalwart Sami Hyypia was left out of the Champion’s League roster in order to accommodate all 8 homegrown players. In his place are youngsters Stephen Darby, Steven Irwin, and Jay Spearing.

Manager Rafael Benitez, when explaining the decision, showed an incredible amount of disgust toward UEFA’s decision. He is obviously not a proponent of the rule and felt hampered by it. “Clearly I think it is a mistake,” he said, according to Liverpoolfc.tv. “When you play in the Champions League, you need the best players you have on the pitch. It is not about where you are from; it is about the best players. I would understand if this rule came in for the Premier League, but not for the Champions League.”

Despite Benitez’s confusion, it’s easy to see why FIFA and UEFA would push these rules. Leagues featuring more domestic players result in stronger national teams. FIFA make the majority of their money from sponsorship for the World Cup, and so the higher level of play in international competition means more financial incentives for them.

That, of course, is not the stated objective. Platini claimed quite the opposite in a letter to Gordon Brown.

“A serious threat hangs over the development of European football: the malign and ever-present influence of money,” he wrote.

“Money has always been in sport and football has had a professional component for 150 years. But money has never been the ultimate objective of football: the main purpose has always been to win trophies.

“For the first time we may be entering an era in which financial profit alone will be the measure of sporting success.”

Most observers would agree with that, and just want to see their country do well. They view it as a patriotic issue.

Representing one’s nation is not held in such high regard by all. Jamie Carragher retired early from international play, mostly because he felt he deserved more time than managers were giving him, and recently explained some of his opinions in his book, Carra: My Autobiography:

I confess: defeats wearing an England shirt never hurt me in the same way as losing with my club. I wasn’t uncaring or indifferent, I simply didn’t put England’s fortunes at the top of my priority list. Losing felt like a disappointment rather than a calamity.

The Liver Bird mauled the Three Lions in the fight for my loyalties. I’m not saying that’s right or wrong, it’s just how it is. You can’t make yourself feel more passionate if the feelings aren’t there. That doesn’t make me feel guilty.

Our nation is divided, not only in terms of prosperity, but by different regional outlooks. For some of us, civic pride overpowers nationality.

Fans of a similar outlook won’t mind if their club, like the Arsenal of previous years, fields eleven foreigners. The Kop probably wouldn’t mind seeing a team of all Americans, despite its distaste for its Yank owners, if it meant Liverpool won the Premier League title.

However, more movement in the current direction will mean a constant battle with governing bodies, and any future English successes will be void of a Liverpudlian imprint.

Losing Keegan… Again…

by Ethan Armstrong

After days of speculation, (Was he sacked? Did he resign? Is he staying? Is he already out the door?) it has been confirmed that Kevin Keegan has parted ways with Newcastle United Football Club… again.

Keegan’s resignation comes a mere eight months after retaking the helm of NUFC, a position he had filled with some acclaim in the early 90s. That run as manager saw Keegan deliver the Magpies from the old First Division into the top flight in 1993, and he gave them their best look at the title in decades with a strong run in the 95/96 season. Keegan was also a popular striker with Newcastle in the early 80s.

At this stage, Newcastle fans are becoming bitterly used to losing him.

After the short-lived reign of Sam Allardyce, Keegan returned to Tyneside last winter, delivering hesitant feelings of hope and enthusiasm to beleaguered Newcastle supporters. While the side’s initial results under the re-crowned King Kev were frustrating at times, recall that he inherited one of the shoddiest defenses in the league. The only two clubs to concede more goals last season were Reading and Derby County, both of whom were relegated. Keegan’s ability to keep Newcastle well above the drop with a whopping 65 goals-against was admirable to say the least, and it seemed he was bringing his side to a better state of football.

Despite struggling early on, the run at the end of the season saw Keegan’s Magpies rack up some decent results: losing only four times from March onward, which included defeats to in-form Chelsea and Liverpool. And this season began with Newcastle grabbing 4 points from the first three league fixtures. Not a bad start considering they’ve already faced giants Manchester United and Arsenal, both in their home stadia. In the draw against the former and the loss to the latter, Newcastle still looked a much stronger team than what Keegan had inherited from Allardyce. Supporters may not have been thrilled with losing 3-0 at the Emirates, but I doubt the majority of them felt they’d be parting ways with their esteemed manager after those results.

The prevailing opinion coming from pundits and supporters alike suggests that while Keegan resigned, it was owner Mike Ashley and director of football Dennis Wise who forced him out. The issue seems to revolve around the board denying Keegan proper say over transfer decisions, similar to the situation that caused Alan Curbishley to leave West Ham. Curbishley first joined the Hammers as a player in 1974, and he has now left over what he described as “a breach of trust and confidence” after the club repeatedly made “significant player decisions without involving [him].” In both cases the managers were denied the usual control over transfers. How can a manager be expected to do his job effectively if the leadership hierarchy prevents him from shaping his side? Old guard stalwarts like Keegan and Curbishley responding to the breaches of trust and confidence with resignations can certainly be understood and appreciated in this context.

The first speculation of Keegan’s departure was quickly followed by a furious outpouring of fan support on behalf of the wayward manager, including threats of boycotting matches. The Newcastle United PR machine has been running nonstop ever since, insisting the board tried to make things work with Keegan and emphasizing that the manager resigned and was not sacked.

The fans remain firmly on Keegan’s side.

Now, whether or not the board “forced” Keegan out or if King Kev was exercising the classic brand of impulsiveness so fused to his legend remains to be seen. But, either way, Ashley, Wise, et al. need to have a long, hard think about how to keep supporters on board who’ve given their hearts and cash to a club that hasn’t won a major trophy in decades. The show of support for Keegan should be a hot pot of coffee in the face for two men sleeping on the job: the supporters are not with you, Messrs. Ashley and Wise. Keegan may have resigned, but the fans won’t feel that the board, the owner, or the director of football did enough, if anything, to keep their hero at the helm.

The supporter threats to boycott matches should not be taken lightly. Nor should the disastrous state of things Tyneside be underestimated. Short of coaxing former Newcastle striker Alan Shearer to the role, there seems little Ashley and Wise can do to stop the bleeding of loyalty, and since Shearer has avowed he won’t take the helm under the current structure, options are looking sparse.

Frustration and ire are dominating the minds of the barcode faithful. Imagine Keegan remained in charge and yet later failed to get the right results: at least the supporters would have a reason to see him removed and could live with the decision. He doesn’t have what it takes anymore, they’d tell themselves. But as Keegan won’t be given the chance to prove or disprove himself as manager, the fans will remain firmly convinced they’ve been mistreated. Their relentless sense of passionate loyalty has always belonged to the Keegan whose black-and-white-striped heart has been on his sleeve since he took over. Just because Mike Ashley shows up to matches in a jersey and inhales beer in local pubs does not afford him the same devotion. Someone should sit him down and explain this to him.

If Keegan doesn’t come back in or if Shearer isn’t seduced to take the job, Ashley may need to show himself the door (with Dennis Wise in tow) for Newcastle supporters to get completely behind the board once again. Sincere pursuit of one of these options seems doubtful considering Ashley’s complete and utter lack of understanding of how to connect to supporters is a big part of what has led to this mess.

Even if Keegan is invited back, it seems the man’s pride would have been stung too deeply for him to accept. Not to mention the hazardous professional environment to which he’d be returning. The fans will embrace him once again with open arms, but Dennis Wise will be a different matter. Bruised pride and ego will hardly put Wise in a position to create a working relationship with Keegan should he return. I don’t see Kevin Keegan reuniting with Newcastle United unless Ashley and Wise depart.

As of this writing, Dennis Wise has been given the task of securing a new top manager for Newcastle before the match against Hull City where supporters are expected to demonstrate. His job carries more than just finding a proven leader who can bring NUFC some much needed success on the pitch, Wise must also overcome the animosity of the supporters as whoever he picks will be under harsh scrutiny simply for being tainted with Wise’s seal of approval. One of his top choices is rumored to be Blackburn’s Paul Ince, which would certainly cause a fan revolt as Ince is a close friend of Wise’s. Wise might as well put himself at the helm… provided he doesn’t mind riots in the streets of Newcastle. If Ashley understood the conditions fully, he’d take Dennis Wise out of the role of managerial search engine. But this is doubtful and time is not on either man’s side.

The rift fans are feeling with the upper levels of their club’s management is vast and the state of the minds of the players in this situation can only be fragile at best. It’s hard to imagine how to steady the ship as the Magpies struggle to find their way in an ever toughening league. It will be interesting to see how the powers that be at Newcastle United attempt to heal the wounds between now and the weekend. The club is gushing blood. Can Wise and Ashley find a band-aid big enough to stop the flow? I doubt it.

Kevin Keegan has been a catalyst for fan support every time he’s joined the club and Shearer’s not returning Wise’s phone calls. Newcastle are in real trouble and until the two bunglers running the show oust themselves, it doesn’t look good.