[Sheikh Yerbouti]

Apologies in advance...

Madness madness madness madness madness.

Did ever a club shoot themselves in the foot with such monotonous regularity and comic timing?

These days you can almost set your watch by the ridiculous soap-opera goings on at Barrack Road.

It's like Frank Spencer fleeing about on his rollerskates, or bombing around that building site on that moped. Only not funny. Deeply worryingly not funny. Not funny to me, anyway, whereas I know a lot of yous will be pissing yourselves. I envy you.

For what it's worth, here's the 2 pennorth of a lifelong supporter...
I do realise most people probably don't give a shiny shite, but writing this is therapy for me...

I thought Allardyce was the right man for the Toon manager's job. Still do. But i would also say that it took him a numbe rof years to get Bolton to where they were. given all the changes that were needed at Newcastle (backroom staff, academy, coaching/scouting methods, diet management, opta analysis, improvements to medical facilities etc.) to have given the guy such a short time in the chair seems like utter lunacy to me. I know he was brought in by the previous chairman... but still... he was brought in supposedly because of the way he revolutionised Bolton in the above areas. To put a line through that by sacking the guy so soon, to me, just sends all the wrong messages.

Worrying for me, is that Mike Ashley had a real opportunity to set a new precedent at Newcastle. He must have seen the ridiculous media-driven laughing stock the previous lot of Delboys let the club become, with their managerial merry-go-round, and their schoolyard litigation & mouthing off in the press. He had a real chance to do things differently. To bring a cool head, some business acumen and real management skill to the table. To be taken seriously, and have the club taken seriously too, for the first time in many years (the Keegan 5 year flash-in-the-pan not included).

By sacking Sam Allardyce (and so soon after all of Chris Mort's comments about how ridiculous all the rumours were) sends all the wrong messages. It tells the world that the new owners & top management are no different than the old crowd. The more things change, the more they stay the same. Mike Ashley already has a reputation in the world of business for being a bit of a loose cannon, and acting unpredictably. The Allardyce debacle just serves as proof of that in my eyes.

However, what's done is done... who will take the job?

Redknapp would have been insane to take the job. As would Shearer who, I feel sure, has more sense. Mark Hughes would be mental to leave Blackburn. Mike Ashley's link to that bloke from Spurs is a worry, I wouldn't want to see Martin Jol at wor place... and don't even joke about Steve McLaren. That's not even remotely funny... but in all seriousness... I can't see any manager worth their salt leaving a club at which they are established in order to take on the fool's gamble (because that's what it is) of managing Newcastle.

Actually, thinking about it, it's not a fool's gamble really is it? Allardyce is nobody's fool. It'll certainly be the quickest 6m quid he's ever trousered (as well as possibly the easiest). Just watch now another club snap him up...

Come on Mike Ashley. Sort it once and for all. Empty your coffers & bring in Mourinho. He's the protege of the genius Sir Bobby Robson, and that fact alone makes him the only man who will now do for me.

It'll certainly take a cheque the size of the Milburn stand (and possibly offers of bumsex) to tempt him, but he's the only one I can think of who might just be mental enough to take it on. He might take it on to stick 2 fingers up at Chelsea and everyone else. Who knows, a challenge like Newcastle United might just be the only one big enough in world football to satisfy his ego.