Ashley is a “decent fella”, says Nolan.
Posted on October 24th, 2009 | 176 Comments |
About today’s game, Nolan said:
“I accept that if we don’t beat Doncaster at home then even some of our own fans might describe the situation as a crisis.
“That is down to their expectation and there is nothing wrong with having expectations. The fans should have high expectations, especially in this league with the quality we have got in this squad.
“We should not be losing three games on the run at Championship level anyway. It is an expectation that we put on ourselves.
“If it does happen on Saturday then no one will be more disappointed than the 11 lads that leave the field in Newcastle shirts. We need a reaction.”
Which I suspect is exactly what there’ll be if we lose. I doubt our decent start has pleased the press much and they’ll be as eager as usual to carry reports of our demise (ooh, that’s bitter and cynical Hugh).
Nolan continues:
“At the beginning of the season, this many games in, if you had said we’d be in this position, with this many points, we would have taken it. So would the fans. Everyone in Newcastle would have.
“Seeing a lot of the fans around the town, that is exactly what they have said to me.
“After some of the stuff we have been through in the last couple of years, they are enjoying where we are at the moment. But we have got to keep producing results.
“I find it quite difficult when this club is slammed all the time. We have got a group of lads who want to do well.”
Fair points Kev, although I don’t think it will be a ‘crisis’ if we don’t win today – perhaps a ‘concern’ would be a better way to describe it. The thing is I never expected us to dominate this league and, as Nolan suggests, if someone had said we’d be second after 13 games I’d have taken it.
Nolan then goes on to talk a bit about Mike Ashley, saying:
“We last saw Mike Ashley a few weeks ago. He comes around and has lunch with the lads, things like that. We do see him around the place. He is a decent fella.”
But does he eat all the pies? It would have made a much better story if Nolan had told us that he had lunch with Ashley and there was one pie left on the table and then added “but the greedy bastard scoffed it before we had a chance to tuck in”. I could have got my teeth into a story (or indeed a pie) like that. Anyway, Nolan goes on:
“I can’t start coming out defending people because everyone has their own opinions but he has always been fine with me but you know, all we want him to do is back us in what we are doing, try to be professional and try and get us back where we belong as quickly as possible.
“That is all we ask him to do and and if he can do that, he will always be OK in our eyes.
“I think we could do with a few players in. But I think that Mike has been fair. He has spent a lot of money since he came to the club. I think he has brought in a lot of players even this season knowing that he going to be leaving or knowing that he is going to sell the club.
“In an ideal world we would all like to see two or three more faces but at this moment in time it just doesn’t look as though it is going to happen.
“Maybe a fresh start is needed. In an ideal world we want a squad or maybe two or three more and then if we get that I am sure there will be no qualms about us getting automatic promotion. I firmly believe that.
“We are going to do it in my eyes but sometimes we need a bit of help, especially when you lose four players – Steven Taylor and Coloccini for four weeks – and then Joey Barton and Shola Ameobi with long-term injuries. It is going to be tough without them all.”
So there we go. Kevin Nolan will have to get used to Ashley eating all the pies (but he didn’t … I know, I know, I made that up) because I think he’s going to be the owner for at least the rest of this season. Who knows eh? Ashley certainly has the capacity to surprise us and maybe he’ll surprise us in a pleasant way before the end of the season. Maybe he will strengthen the squad. Maybe he will make sure we get promoted.
NUFCBlog Author: Hugh de Payen
I'm a baby-boomer of the punk rock persuasion, currently exiled in Somerset for crimes committed in a previous life where locals keep trying to poison me with something called 'scrumpy'. Hates sprouts, coat-hangers, Cilla Black, ornaments, Steven Seagull movies and 50 Cent (he's not worth 10).
Hugh de Payen has written 634 articles on this blog.
HAHA , f–k nufc and the fans you muppets.