Gullit looks at some decidedly UN-sexy football
Gullit looks at some decidedly UN-sexy football
In the face of what’s going on, Ruud Gullitt is handling things pretty well. He has spent no more than, say, Liverpool or Arsenal, this summer, has stood up and invited criticism from our beloved media community (though calling some of the vipers in the tabloid press, and sensationalist TV presenters , a "community" is one of life’s little ironies.
He has blamed, systematically, his players, his coaching staff, himself, and most recently his board for not spending money when he wanted it. What is he talking about? We want to know whose fault it is in this country so we can out him!
Are we to assume that, if Freddy Shepherd and his associates had the cash, that Deschamps, Henry, Ziege & Suker of the imports, and Huckerby, Keane, Ince, McManaman & Flowers from our own stables, Gullit would have shelled out for them, rather than the hotch potch of cosmopolitan also-rans performing at St James’ Park?
It all becomes clear. There were British internationals changing clubs this summer for, what? £1million in the case of Ince. Flowers was a snip, McManaman went for wages (hard to believe that Real Madrid could dump him in a month and turn a multi-million profit because of the Bosman ruling) and Gullitt scythed away his home grown talent.
Gullitt is a footballing snob, who doesn’t believe that his £16million could have been spent on British talent good enough to compete with the Premiership’s finest.
Take a look at Manchester United, Aston Villa and Leeds. All of these teams will finish above Newcastle this season, all will take 6 points off the Magpies. Take a look at the front players; Cole, Dublin, Smith, Sheringham, Scholes, Joachim, Merson, Huckerby, Kewell. All British. Except Kewell whose ancestors would have been English until we deported them for minor offences.
These players, and many more like them, will score the goals that will condemn Newcastle to Division One.
But Gullitt will be gone by then. What do you do with a coach who spends money poorly? Put him in charge of a national side, where finally his true ability to coach will reap rewards.
The root cause of the problems appears to be a much publicised lack of support from, notably, captain Alan Shearer. Whilst choosing not to be drawn into commenting on such a rift (to his eternal credit) our England skipper’s poker face let on that, not only did he ultimately hold the winning hand, that he knew what Gullitt had been dealt in the first place.
It is apparently the case, and I only learnt this over the weekend (from Mark Lawrenson, no less. A close personal friend and avid reader of The Final Word) that Alan Shearer has it written into his contract that he will one day become Newcastle manager.
He might like to buck up, then, score some goals, and make sure they’re still in the top flight when he assumes control.
Shearer has definitely gone off the boil. I think, perhaps, his lack of form has contributed in no small way to England making the way to Euro 2000 very bumpy indeed. If the pressure is too much, step down as skipper. There is no shame in doing what is right for the country.
One day Shearer will be Newcastle manager. I doubt he will jump straight in after Gullitt goes off to work with Frank Rijkaard and the Dutch national side. Oh yes he will! And besides, Bobby Robson, a Geordie, needs to have a crack at steadying Newcastle’s ship. And don’t forget Chris Waddle, the prodigal son.
Maybe he could team up with Glenn Hoddle. They could make records to help pay players and the marketing potential would be boundless.
"Come and see Waddle & Hoddle win sod all," the posters might say.
Gullitt will shortly throw his cards on the table, folding under the pressure of the house rules, the betting limits, and the pretty awful cards he has dealt himself. Shearer’s all out of bluffs, too. Newcastle fans looking on need to see someone’s cards, and soon.
POSTSCRIPT:
This article was published at 10am on August 28. Mr Gullit resigned as Newcastle manager two hours later.