Bleacher Report - Articles by Chris Kirk

Newcastle United's Joey Barton Sentenced to Six Months in Prison.

Chris Kirk — Tue, 20 May 2008 01:00:39 -0400

Newcastle United midfielder Joey Barton was sentenced to six months in prison today, after pleading guilty to assault and affray.

The incident in Liverpool city centre in December of last year was the latest in a sad sequence of misdemeanours to plague the troubled star.

The other incidents have already been well-documented here on Bleacher Report and in the national press, so I will not go into detail about said incidents.

I do not know Barton personally, so it would be irresponsible for me to character assassinate him, so I won't. All I will say is, what a silly, silly boy.

A young man with loads of talent earning a very, very good living should know better than to succumb to the taunts of jealous, mindless thugs.

It will be interesting to see what action NUFC take against Barton now that the trial has reached its conclusion. Some people wanted, and demanded, for NUFC sack him even before the trial had begun. That could never have happened because of slander issues.

Joey has a lot of soul-searching to do while he is away, and plenty of time to reflect on his actions.

As far as I am concerned, I wish Joey well and hope he has learned his lesson once and for all. Everybody deserves forgiveness and a second chance, but he really is in the last chance saloon.

Newcastle United's Top 10 Premier League Signings.

Chris Kirk — Fri, 02 May 2008 10:59:36 -0400

As a follow up to one of my previous articles entitled, Newcastle United's top 10 Premier League flops, here I take a more positive view on the Toon's transfer record over the last 15 years.

As one of the Premier League's most influential clubs, Newcastle have always been amongst the biggest spenders in the transfer market in the pursuit of success.

Seven managers have led a foray into the minefield that is the modern day transfer market. Keegan, Dalglish, Gullit, Robson, Souness, Roeder and Allardyce all trying their bartering skills with the hope of hitting on the right formula. One could argue none made a success of it considering our lack of silverware to date.

Here is my personal top 10 hits based on my own view having watched each player countless times in action, I list my choices in countdown order from #10 to #1.

This was a real hard choice, and I have no room for some real top players who I couldn't quite squeeze in.

I also have not taken into account the sell on fee for certain players as it is quite irrelevant how much we got for them once their career took a downward spiral.

10. Les Ferdinand. An absolute legend on Tyneside "Sir Les" made 81 appearances scoring 50 goals wearing the famous black and white stripes. A £6m signing from Q.P.R. by Keegan he was eventually sold on to Spurs by Kenny Dalglish.

9. Andy Cole. Cole the Goal was bought from Bristol City for £1.75m, he earlier had a brief spell at Arsenal where he was released having failed to make an impact.

83 appearances and 68 goals is a remarkable return for any striker he was a real predator scoring 93% of his goals from inside the penalty area during his time on Tyneside, he was sold by Keegan to Man Utd with Keith Gillespie coming as a part exchange in a deal that rocked the Premiership.

8. Obafemi Martins. A £10m purchase from Inter Milan, Oba is one of the most exiting prospects in the league today. A pacy powerful, tricky forward he can play anywhere along the front line.

He has hit double figures again this season and is in possession of one of the most ferocious shots in football. Has only been at the club for two years but is already a fans favorite and has many chapters yet to write in his Toon career.

7. Michael Owen. 39 appearances in three years is the reason why the club record £16m buy from Real Madrid is as low down on my list. The only reason may I add as 19 goals in that brief time on the pitch shows he is still one of the worlds most feared strikers.

I hope and pray that Michael can stay injury free and continue to lead the club forward in his new found role sitting in behind the main striker. Recently made captain by Keegan he has been in inspired form of late and long may it continue.

6. Gary Speed. 276 appearances, Speedo was signed by Dalglish from Everton for £5.5m in February 1998. A long serving general in midfield he currently holds the record for most Premier league appearances, a true professional and honest hard-working individual, his presence was long missed at the heart of Newcastle's midfield. He also weighed in with 40 goals.

5. Robert Lee. Keegan famously persuaded Lee to join Newcastle instead of Boro by telling him that Newcastle was closer to London than Middlesborough. Lee eventually put pen to paper in a £700,000 deal and went on to record 368 apps for Toon as well as breaking into the England set-up.

A career that lasted 10 years, he was a real fans favorite and a consistent performer. He fell foul of Ruud Gullit though who dropped him from not only the first team but wouldn't even select him for the reserves.

4. Nolberto Solano. A player described by Diego Maradona as "the little genius," Nobby was a fantastic bargain from Boca Juniors at £2.5m. A flamboyant Latino from Peru, Solano had two spells at the club making 247 apps scoring 44 goals, goodness knows how many assists he made in that time.

His passion for the trumpet and jazz music never distracted from his commitment to NUFC, he eventually moved to West Ham due to family problems otherwise he would have almost certainly seen his playing career out on Tyneside.

3. Shay Given. If this selection was based on value for money, Shay would have been a clear number one. A free transfer from Blackburn, Given has been one of the best keepers in the league consistently over the last decade.

He famously went three seasons in goal for Newcastle never missing a Premier League game, how frustrating that must have been for Stevie Harper, one can only guess. A Republic of Ireland international, Given has been a great servant to NUFC, twice winning the fans player of the year award.

2. Peter Beardsley. Wow! In all my time watching football, I have still never seen a player as naturally gifted as Beardo. Every time the ball arrived at his feet you just knew something special was going to happen and invariably it did.

A Geordie lad, he spent his early days at Carlisle Utd before a brief spell at Man Utd, he then moved to Vancouver Whitecaps before coming back to play for Newcastle in the early 1980s. A truly, special, special player in two spells at the club he made a whopping 320 apps scoring 119 goals.

My dad played against him in an amateur match and Beardsley scored 9 goals in a 12-0 drubbing. Classic!

1. Alan Shearer. A true local hero, Shearer was the most sought after player in world football when he signed for his hometown club Newcastle in July 1996 in a then world-record deal of £15m.

He resisted the courtship of Alex Ferguson and Manchester Utd to return home to his spiritual home on the banks of the Tyne and went on to break "Wor Jackie's" goalscoring record at Newcastle finishing on 206 goals in 345 apps for the Toon.

A real living legend in the modern game, the question will always remain, has Newcastle seen the last of Alan Shearer? I would guess that we haven't and he will eventualy return as manager one day, once the club is set on a sound footing.

My opinion: That is why Keegan was appointed manager, to get the club stable again and set on good foundations.

Again this is only my personal opinion and many people will disagree. There are lots of players that nearly made my list, so come on then, let's see if they are the same as yours.

Newcastle Vs Sunderland Previewing the 139th Tyne-Wear Derby

Chris Kirk — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 10:17:50 -0400

Kevin Keegan will look to extend his side's unbeaten run to six games when Royston Keane brings his Labrador-lover's XI to civilisation on Sunday at 1.30pm. The 139th Tyne-wear derby is live on Sky Sports

A victory for common sense would see us register our 51st success, while a stalemate would be the 46th such result.

43 travesties of justice have taken place so far, while we've bulged their net 208 times and been the victim of atrocious refereeing decisions etc. on 205 occasions.

Since we lost at SJP in November 2000, we've won five and drawn the other three of these fixtures.

And for the Newcastle boss it's a chance to extend his 100% record against the old enemy to five games, having steered his side to four previous victories as follows:

29.03.92 won 1-0 (h)
18.10.92 won 2-1 (a)
25.04.93 won 1-0 (h)
04.09.96 won 2-1 (a)

Personally I never enjoy these occasions. The days preceding are filled with worry and stress. The night before I hardly sleep, that morning I can't eat so when I meet my mates at the pub I'm grouchy and tired.

The game seems to last 290 minutes if your winning and 50 minutes if your losing, and we always seem to get a referee who hates Newcastle.

All joking aside this is a very special day in the north-east sporting calendar, a derby match so passionate as to rival any in European football. The rivalry between the black and whites and the red and whites is something drummed into every youngster from an early age.

Any former player of either team will tell you what a truly massive occasion these games are in the region and how much a victory means to each set of fans.

These games don't need extra spice, but with Sunderland still looking to secure their top flight status, a draw wouldn't be much use to them, so an open encounter should follow.

The corresponding fixture earlier this season ended in a 1-1 draw. Danny Higgingbottom gave Sunderland the lead with a fine header only for James Milner to equalise for the Geordies with a low drive into the bottom corner.

The game was overshadowed by a flashpoint involving Dickson Etuhu and Joey Barton, although thankfully the referee showed common sense in calming the situation down and not brandishing cards galore.

Mike Dean is the man in the middle this weekend and we all hope he displays common sense and understanding during the match, allowing the game to flow and develop into a fair and passionate encounter.

Two years ago a young striker wrote his name into Newcastle folklore scoring against the old enemy on their own patch in a 1-4 drubbing, a match that also saw Alan Shearer score his final goal of a glittering career, a thumping spot kick in front of the away fans.

What a way to say farewell!

Michael Chopra returns to St James on Sunday as a Sunderland player for the first time, however it remains to be seen whether Keane will throw him into the lions den. A place on the bench is more likely for the young striker.

Three wins and two draws in the last five games for Keegan should see him stick with a 4—3—3 formation and really take the game to the visitors.

Here's to a thrilling and peaceful encounter between the two teams and may the Newcastle team win!!

Apologies, but I can't be objective when it comes to derby days.

Chelsea Turmoil: What's Wrong with Chelsea Fans?

Chris Kirk — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 09:38:51 -0400

Here we are April 6th, and the business end of the season is fast approaching. Chelsea currently sit three points off the top of the Premier League, and a Champions League quarter final against Fenerbahce is their next game at Stamford Bridge.

The Turkish outfit arrive in the capital 2-1 ahead from the first leg, but with the away goal which often turns out to be crucial in European ties, Chelsea are red-hot favourites to progress to the semi-finals.

With five Premier League games still to play and the gap at the top only three points with Manchester United still to play Arsenal and yet to visit the Bridge, Chelsea seem to be in a very good position to claim a magnificent double haul of trophies.

Happy times at Stamford Bridge you might think, but a certain section of the Chelsea faithful are still calling for the manager to be sacked.

A certain chief sports writer of a national newspaper today claimed he had a discussion with a section of Chelsea supporters and they had this to say:

"We hope we don't win either the League title or the Champions League, at least we can get rid of Avram Grant."

What a moronic thing to say, every club in England bar Manchester United would gladly swap places with Chelsea right now. The title could yet end up in west London and they are closing in on the Champions League final, yet that is still not enough for the Avram-haters to give the guy a break.

Rumours of dressing room discontent and players threatening to go on strike have circulated Stamford Bridge ever since the Israeli coach was appointed full-time manager in the wake of Jose Mourinho's shock departure.

Jose Mourinho was an immensely popular figure at Chelsea, and was the darling of the English press, a charming man with an infectious personality, a super confident individual and out-spoken character he was a headline makers dream and interviewers couldn't get enough of the charismatic genius from Portugal.

Back to back titles in his first two seasons alongside an FA Cup and a League Cup meant he will always be a hero at Chelsea, although the Champions League eluded him in his time there, failing to overcome Barcelona and Liverpool in the knock-out stages.

Avram Grant is in many ways the opposite of Mourinho, a quiet, unassuming man, he never runs up and down the touchline celebrating goals. He tends to keep his emotions under wraps and is a diplomatic speaker, not one to invite controversy, he doesn't crave the spotlight in the way Mourinho did.

However compare Mourinho's win percentage at Chelsea alongside Grants and there aint that much difference between the two men.

Fans booing and calling for the manager to be replaced has become common-place in the lower regions of the Premier League, a sad reflection of the way the modern game is heading, with the financial strain of staying in the top flight.

Mid-table clubs with under performing and under achieving players find their fans calling for change.

However Chelsea are currently enjoying an unprecedented run of success, and their players are not under performing or under achieving, they are in the mix for the top honours in world club football.

They have a squad bursting with ability and flair, full of international players with experience and proven Premier League performers. So this begs the question, what is it that the Chelsea fans actually want?

Do they want a new manager to come in and reshuffle the squad bringing in his own players, and to have a transitional period while he stamps his authority on the team?

Or do they prefer a continuation of the clubs recent success with maybe a few trophies thrown into the mix?

I genuinely don't see where the Avram-haters are coming from, so my message to Chelsea fans is this: Jose has gone and he aint coming back.

So just be careful what you wish for!!

English National Team: David Beckham on Track for Greatness

Chris Kirk — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 11:56:11 -0400

Fabio Capello today announced his second England squad, and the most notable inclusion was David Beckham.

Many had predicted the new national coach would wield the axe on the career of English football's most influential player of the last decade.

Capello's assistant, Franco Baldini was in Dallas at the weekend to assess the fitness of Beckham, and by all accounts the new regime will not select players on reputation alone, but only on their current fitness and form.
The myth that the MLS is a retirement home for aging superstars, no longer capable of competing at the highest level must surely now be laid to rest.

The truth is the U.S.A is a popular and emerging sporting hotbed, and football is the largest and fastest-emerging sport, and they also have the best man they could possibly want spreading that message across the world.

Steve Mclaren's disastrous reign was doomed to failure the moment he omitted Beckham from the Euro 2008 qualifying campaign. England lacked the experience and leadership quality's Beckham brings to the team, in their futile attempt to launch a new era. As an England supporter, I have witnessed first hand Beckham's sometimes singlehanded grasp on matches that has dragged his team-mates over seemingly impossible hurdles.

Okay, David may be 33 now and coming towards the end of an illustrious career that has seen him play for the two biggest clubs in world football, winning countless trophy's and collecting numerous honors along the way. But his game has never been about electric pace and silky skills. It has always been about his accuracy and clever reading of the game, which you don't need the body of a young man to possess.

These are qualities that David still has, and should not be dismissed out of hand just to satisfy the ego of a new manager.

More surprising inclusions in the squad are Middlesborough defender David Wheater and Arsenal's Theo Walcott. Also Michael Owen made the squad despite being written off by many journalists and pundits.

International football is not about a grueling schedule of a long season or the stress of a fixture pile-up. It is about seasoned performers doing what they are known for doing best mixed in with something a little different.

Rather than David playing a 38-game Premier League season with cup matches and Champions League games in-between maybe he is feeling the benefit of a less demanding schedule, and actually feeling a lot fresher and fitter than he would have been playing in Europe.

Beckham is in line to become only the fifth England player of all time to reach the milestone of 100 caps—and I for one cannot think of an England player in my lifetime more deserving of such an honor.

Many scorned at David Beckham's decision to move to the U.S.A. and play for L.A Galaxy but it could well turn out to be to the benefit of the national team and English football as a whole in the long run.

Newcastle United's Top 10 Premier League Flops

Chris Kirk — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 11:48:41 -0400

In his first spell as manager of Newcastle United, Kevin Keegan built a squad that came within a whisker of winning the Premiership crown. Pipped at the post by a storming end of season run by the eventual champions Manchester United. Twelve years on and the contrast in fortunes between the clubs since that epic encounter couldnt be greater.

Whilst Manchester United have gone from strength to strength, fine tuning their squad each summer to replace old veterans or snapping up a young hot prospect, and moulding him into a seasoned Premiership performer. Newcastle have lost massive ground on their once, main heayweight rivals and currently have a squad struggling to maintain its Premier League status.

Since that fateful day in May 1996 six managers have passed through the corridors of power at St James Park and tens of millions of pounds have been wasted on mediocre players, not fit to wear the famous black and white striped shirt. Whether that be the fault of the manager who signed them, or the fault of the chairman for throwing money at a problem, instead of taking stock and having a long-term plan. Or the players not being good-enough or brave-enough to live up to the fans expectations, I will leave you the reader to decide.

Here as a Toon fan, I list my ten worst Newcastle buys over the last ten years. Present players are exempt from this list, as they still have an opportunity to establish themselves in the hearts of Newcastle supporters.

In the order of, ABSOLUTLEY SHOCKING, to BLOODY RUBBISH, here is my top 10;

#1, Elena Marcelino, a £5.8m purchase from Real Mallorca. In 4 years at the club started 19 games. A spanish international who went missing for 2 and 1/2 years with a broken finger.

#2, Albert Luque, a £9.5m purchase from Deportivo la Coruna. 8 first team starts and 1 goal in 2 years tells its own story, another highly rated Spanish international.

#3, Jean Alain Boumsong, a £8m purchase from Rangers. A regular in the France squad when he signed, gone down-hill rapid ever since.

#4, Carl Cort, a £7m buy from Wimbledon. Started his Toon career well, then 24 apps in 4 years only just beats Marcelino's attendance record although he did score 8 goals.

#5, Hugo Viana, £8.5m from Sporting Lisbon and the European young player of the year, I had high hopes for this chap but 2 years later and 28 games played with 4 goals scored he was discarded too.

#6, Christian bassedas, a £4m buy from Velez Sarsfield. 25 apps and 1 goal is an appaling return for an attacking midfielder.

#7 Alain Goma, £4.7m from P.S.G. 40 apps and 1 goal. Okay he was never injured but was never any good anyway.

#8, Duncan Ferguson, £8m from Everton 32 apps and 12 goals dosent sound bad but if he had stayed Shearer would have been sold, so enough said.

#9, Titus Bramble, £4.5m from Ipswich. Think this was Sir Bobby doing a deal for his old club. Never improved from day one.

#10, Stephane Guivarc'h, only because why buy a player and give him 2 games and then sell him? By the way, he scored in 1 of those games!

No question Newcastle have made some bad signings over the years, and this is only my opinion. Any other additions are welcome, and some people will disagree with my selections. Also some of the current crop are in danger of making my black book too.

On a more brighter note, I am currently selecting my bargain buy's list so watch this space!!

Newcastle United: Kevin Keegan Finally Has Something to Build On

Chris Kirk — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 06:15:11 -0400

After four successive defeats and an alarming slide towards the Premier League drop zone Kevin Keegan last night saw Newcastle earn a much needed point with a battling performance at St Andrews.

With Birmingham only two points behind, this realy was a game Newcastle could not afford to lose. Thanks to Michael Owen's second half equaliser and an all round improved second half performance the Toon boss at last has something to build on with fellow strugglers Fulham due to visit St James park this saturday.

The return to fitness of Mark Viduka saw Keegan opt for an attacking 4,3,3 formation with Owen and Martins feeding off Viduka and a combative midfield trio of Geremi, Butt, and Barton. Shay Given's persistent groin injury meant Harper retained his place in goal with Taylor,Faye,Beye and Enrique making up the Toon defence.

Birmingham manager Alex Mcleish adopted an orthodox 4,4,2 with in-form Forssell and James Mcfadden leading the attack for the Blues. Birmingham started the better side and were looking to test the visitors shaky defence early on. Steven Taylor's poor clearance fell straight to Mcfadden but the Scotland striker's shot was deflected wide, this gave Birmingham encouragement and Forssell shot wide from the edge of the area shortly after. The opening goal came courtesy of poor defending by Faye when he allowed McFadden to get the wrong side of him and stab the ball past Harper. Recently when Newcastle have conceded one or two goals, they have gone on to concede three, four, and five in quick succession, but they held firm this time and hung on until half time.

Whatever Keegan said to his team at half time had the desired effect as Newcastle were a far better outfit after the break. They were dominating posession and Martin's in particular was creating problems for the home defence. Fabio Capello was in the stand casting an eye over Michael Owen, and the England striker went oh-so close to an equaliser on 50 mins when he forced a great save from Taylor.

Five minutes later, Owen got his goal, showing great desire in beating three defenders to Martin's rebounded effort. Martin then went close to giving Newcastle the lead with a smart turn and shot which forced a fingertip save from Taylor. With ten minutes remaining Keegan brought on N'zogbia and reverted back to 4,4,2 realising this was a must not lose game, much to the displeasure of Martin's, who publicly displayed his disappointment by trudging off reluctantly.

Newcastle were second best in the first half, but by far the better side in the second so a draw was a fair result and Keegan will be hoping his team carry that momentum into another massive and vitally important game against Fulham at St James park this coming Saturday.

In the post match interview the old sparkle was back in Keegan's eyes and the lovable enthusiasm in his voice. It seems Kevin knows that, in stopping the rot this could turn out to be a pivotal point in Newcastle's fight for survival.

Fergie blows his top, and United blow the treble.

Chris Kirk — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 09:16:58 -0400

Saturday March 8th may turn out to be a decisive day towards the destination of the Premier league championship. An F.A cup quarter final at home to Portsmouth was merely a formality in the eyes of many Manchester Utd supporters. Harry Redknapp brought his side to Old Trafford in a determined and dogged mood and what a magnificent performance his team gave. Determined and disciplined defending, coupled with a pacy and threatening counter-attacking system meant that frustration was the theme of the day at the theatre of dreams (but in United's case - nightmares).

The image of Sir Alex throwing down his chewing gum in disgust at the final whistle and his subsequent rant in the post match interview may just give Arsene Wenger the psychological edge over him in the title race, the same way Kevin Keegan's rant gave his own team an advantage back in the 90s. Okay, so no points were at stake because this was a cup tie but after watching Arsenal dump the European champions out of the Champions' League in the San Siro the same week, his own team lose at home to Portsmouth, maybe Fergie is a little worried about the boys from North London.

Ronaldo in tears at the final whistle shows just how much United believed that they could repeat their treble triumph of 1999. Rather than give credit and applaud a fine Pompey performance, Fergie turned his anger on the referee for not awarding a first half penalty when Distin body checked Ronaldo, although the ball seemed to be going out of play.

The other penalty was the decisive moment in the game when Kuszczak brought down Baros and was then red carded for the offence. Muntari converted the spot kick and Portsmouth hung on for a rare and unlikely victory to earn a place in the semi-finals.

There was a collective intake of breath throughout the stadium when Rooney failed to connect with a two-footed lunge on an opponent as United's frustration mounted. This was a disjointed performance by United, one which their fans are not used to seeing at Old trafford and just a blip leading up to the title run they all hope for.

With Van Persie returning for Arsenal, Fabregas in scintillating form and the goal machine Adebayor, this year's title race will be close and could come down to whoever holds their nerve the longest.

Squeaky Bum Tyne: Newcastle United ready for the fight.

Chris Kirk — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 06:35:41 -0500

We are now coming to the business end of the season where trophies are won and promotion is gained.

However, my beloved Newcastle United are staring down the barrel of a very big gun indeed.

The "R" word is one I never expected to be associated with NUFC this season, but because of the negative tactics of the previous manager and lack-lustre performances of over-rated, over-paid players it is a frightening possibility too disastrous to ignore.

Everybody (including themselves) accept Derby are already, as good as gone. That leaves two places from eight teams. Fulham, Reading, Wigan, Brum, Bolton, Sunderland, Boro and Newcastle are all in the mire right now. The forty point mark is normaly enough to ensure safety in the EPL. With Derby so poor and Man Utd and Arsenal so good that total should be more than enough this year. We are currently on 28 points with 12 games left—six home and six away. I believe we have winnable games against Fulham, Sunderland, and Reading at home as well as Birmingham away, which providing we win should be enough to ensure our safety. That gives us Man U at Home Chelsea at Home, Blackburn home Everton away and Spurs away as well as Liverpool away to spare. Optimistic I know but not unrealistic either, besides optimism is a given for Toon fans given our long wait for silverware.

I'm not going to make any predictions as to who will go down, I wouldn't wish it on any fan. However I truly believe we will be okay, after Saturday we have some winnable games. I know it will be a scrap but we have the quality to pull through providing KK can install some desire into the players. He has inherited a squad suffering from a chronic lack of confidence, so my message to those doubters out there; is "get real" . The board seen that the players were not performing for Big Sam and knew we were in for a scrap. They had to change things before it was too late. Two games against Arsenal ( widely regarded as the most gifted team in European football right now ) Away to Villa who are on a push for CL football next year, and a match against Bolton which their manager described at the time as,"the best performance since he took charge of the club", are no foundation on which to judge Keegan. The Boro game we would have won had it not been for the officials.

The pressure is now on for the players to start earning their astronomical wage and stop feeling sorry for themselves, because they put Newcastle where it is today. NUFC is in a dark place right now and with the exception of James Milner, Emre and Duff the players have a lot of soul searching to do sitting in thier multi million-pound mansions.

We as fans also have a vital role to play.

My plea to the Toon Army: Let's get behind the team at SJP and inspire them to victory, lets be UNITED and stop this civil war, lets show the world why we earned the reputation as the best fans in the world, and look forward to KK rebuilding our team in the summer. Because the "R" word could soon become a nightmare our great club would struggle to recover from. I for one will have fingers, toes and eyes crossed from now until May 11, 3pm, a real day of destiny for NUFC.