Ahead of tomorrow’s date with the Toon, I’ve been chatting with Norman Riley, a writer and podcaster with Newcastle site, True Faith.
First up, a little bit about you, Norm? Your Toon journey, who you host/write for etc
I’ve been a Newcastle fan since my first game in 1986 which was a 4-0 shellacking by Everton. A precedent was clearly set and I’ve no idea why the misery of that day didn’t put me off for life. I write and record podcasts with True Faith.
I suspect I know the answer, but what’s your take on Ashley? Were you there on Sunday, or did you boycott?
I decided against renewing my season ticket when Rafa left. Rafa brought me back into the fold and allowed me to live with the fact that a man who treats people as commodities owns the club I love. I wasn’t there on Sunday as I’ve decided to try my hardest not to return to St James’ Park whilst he’s there (easier for me to do as I’ve lived away from the region since 1996; if I was up there it’d have been a much tougher decision).
I’ll probably go back though because, like many football fans, I’m a massive hypocrite and I won’t be able to help myself. Ashley is an incredibly unpleasant individual. One just has to look at the stories on Sports Direct. He likes to employ people on zero-hours contracts. He’s the absolute epitome of a child of Thatcherism, a neo-liberal with no moral compunction when it comes to making money.
Good description that… a child of Thatcherism indeed, with the same redeeming features as Aaron Banks. A shyster, and makes us appreciate having Delia and Michael at the helm.
Is the story of Rafa leaving the obvious one of Ashley’s continual broken promises, or was there more to it?
Broken promises in my opinion. Rafa was promised certain amounts of money and control. The promises weren’t delivered. He was offered a contract on the same terms he’d had for the previous three years. He’d seen his level of control over affairs stripped back over the course of those three years. Why should he have stayed?
Yep, good point. only Ashley could lure Rafa in the first place and then erode away his authority and, I’m guessing, use that as justification for offering him unimproved terms.
The MSM press reported Steve Bruce as being eleventh on the list, that can’t be right, can it? In an ideal, Ashley-less world, who would you have liked to see succeed Rafa?
If he wasn’t eleventh on the list, he should’ve been. He’s an old school Championship manager and I don’t believe any other club in the Premier League would’ve given him the manager’s job. His record at Villa was abysmal given the resources he had. His Premier League points per game record is low. Tactics and tactical innovation are so important now and I’m almost certain the Steve Bruce approach to football management has had its day. It feels like a retrograde appointment.
In an Ashley-less world who’s to say Rafa wouldn’t have stayed. If not Rafa then I think Graham Potter would’ve been a great appointment. He’s very much the new generation of British manager, influenced by people such as Guardiola, Benitez and Klopp rather than Redknapp, Allardyce and Moyes.
Potter is a good shout and, on paper, an infinitely better option than dipping into the dinosaur pot.
But does Bruce have a chance? A few wins and the Toon Army would unite behind him, right?
Wins change everything. I can’t speak for NUFC’s support. My personal opinion is that I don’t think a few would make me forget how things are with the ownership nor would they make me think that maybe Bruce is an adequate replacement for Rafa. They’d make me happy because I love my team.
Is it possible to detach the off-field unrest with what’s going on on the pitch? Or is it unavoidable that it will spill over?
It’s difficult to say given that we’re only 1 game into the season. However, it’s always there in the back of my mind and I guess that if the team starts to struggle during a game, or if it goes on a bad run, then it’s inevitable the unrest in the stands will increase and filter down on to the pitch.
What we absolutely need to avoid is a situation like 2008/09 after Keegan walked. That kind of toxic atmosphere can affect what happens on the pitch. However, am I saying that displeasure towards Ashley shouldn’t be vented during the match? 100% not. I don’t believe in getting on the players’ backs if the team is struggling but I’ve no issue with Ashley being criticised.
Joelinton and Saint-Maximin look a couple of decent signings, don’t they? But presumably, you were expecting/hoping for more new faces?
Hoping, always. Expecting, never. Both have potential and undoubted ability. However, we’ve lost Rondon and Perez who were both incredibly important last season. I don’t doubt that the two signed in their places are equally if not more talented. However, they’re both young and without Premier League experience, so they’ll need time to adjust and they’ll need effective coaching and man-management, especially if they go through dips in form.
You’ve partly answered this already, but are you expecting Bruce’s style of football to be discernably different to Rafa’s?
Yes. It’ll be less tactically-drilled, possibly more open offensively and I’m going to say we’ll concede a lot more goals than we did under Rafa. Players will be expected to use their instincts more as under Rafa every player was micro-managed. I think there might have been a reason for that, but we’ll see!
Do you know much about us and our style of play? We’re the faintest of blips on most radars, which suits us really.
You were superb to watch last season. I was very impressed with Stiepermann (moving him from defensive midfield to this kind of drifting number 10 was an excellent decision), Buendia, Hernandez, Aarons and, of course, Pukki. Above all though it’s Farke who I like. I think allowing him that season to bed in and change the philosophy around the club was a masterstroke and the benefits were reaped 2018/19.
The short passing and overloading of players in the box is always going to ensure that chances are created and I like how the team, like Farke, seems to believe in what it’s doing. It’ll be a hard season but the fact that the team and club has a strong sense of identity under Farke bodes well.
You know what Norm, you understand what we’re trying to achieve and what we’re about better than 99.9% of the national media and 99.99% of the ex-pros, who now masquerade as experts. Cheers for that.
So, finally, a score prediction and, if you’re feeling brave, a prediction of where we’ll both finish?
I can’t predict us to lose as I’m going to the match! I’m going to say 2-2. We’ll take an early lead; you’ll hit back and go 2-1 up and then a Grant Hanley OG under pressure from our mobile front 3 will get us a point. In terms of finishing, let’s say 15th and 16th. I won’t say which team will finish where!
Ha! We’d take 16th… you can have 15th. Cheers for your time, mate.
A very unhappy but honest fan, I do not think I would feel any different if we were going through that. not only a child of thatcher but of today’s neo liberal austerity as well
There were times I wanted nothing but Delia & Michael out of the club, I felt a little like what Norman feels although we have not been through such crap. It hurts like hell to see your club go to pieces with terrible decisions. Football is sometimes the only thing we cling to .
So my heart felt best wishes go to him and others suffering, I have booked them to start until Monday hahaha.
Well., you’ve found an excuse to poke some in the eye with your political views. Lineker has ruined MOTD for many, including me. A propagandist exploiting his BBC position. In an ideal Ashley-less world Newcastle would likely have gone bust. When he paid off multiple millions wiping out the debt on taking over, was he a shyster then? Let the Newcastle fan vent, he is disappointed that Benitez has moved on. I experienced the Arthur South saga. Hindsight offers an opportunity for a different perspective.
Score draw feels about right to me. On an earlier posting i went for 2-2. I hope we win but saying so will not make it happen. Farke will not make the sweeping squad changes that i would like to see. I would start with 4 replacements. He has his finger on the pulse and i trust him. It will be an exciting match.
Noted 🙂
Very good interview & reasoned comment- also balanced dialogue from two knowledgeable fans. I am an ex National industry public affairs mngr, journalist and life long NUFC supporter who due to working everywhere has spent more years travelling to watch the Magpies and appreciated the professionalism and thrust as well as the accuracy and content of the discussion. I too only go to away games now because of Ashley!! Hope both clubs survive the season. Howay the lads.Neil Johnson MBA ex Whitley Bay boy now 67 years!!
Hi Neil and I love your comment – I genuinely do.
I have a searingly similar backstory to your own as regular readers of MFW will know by now!
Obviously on match day I wish you what you wish me but, it must be said that in the past working everywhere had it’s advantages. A paid-for hotel in, say, Blackburn, Bolton, Bradford or Wolverhampton – or indeed Cramlington – helped me see many more away games than I would otherwise have done.
I don’t do politics but equally I do not approve of Ashley and I’m sorry you appear to be stuck with him.
I’m 61 btw – all the best to you.
When Ashley took over the club he rescently admitted he didn’t do the proper checks and found the club in a mess after years of over spending.
Like other Billionaire owners he wants the club to be self financing, like supporters at all clubs they want owners to use their own money to buy players then blame them when the club goes hit up.
Ashley has his faults but he is a very successful businessman and the same goes for Lewis at Spurs, Abramovic at Chelsea, no matter what you spend supporters want more.
City have taken a more pragmatic approach on doing things and luckily it has started to pay off gods knows what might have happened if had gone the other way, just maybe we would be were Ipshite is now.
Tomorrow I will go for a 2 -1 win for city to get the points on the board and kick start the season, lastly the second nail in Bruce’s relegation battle.
Onwards and upwards
OTBC
A very honest and restrained Newcastle fan.
The more I hear about other clubs the more I appreciate having Delia and Michael, who are both long-term, devoted ncfc fans. Of course they have made mistakes but you can never doubt that they thought they were doing their best for the club.
My heart says a 3-2 Norwich win but I would take a point to get us up and running.
Hernandez out injured for 3 months. Freak incident with stairs at home. That is a blow…
It’s unbelievable really.
Reminiscent of Ivo Pinto getting out of his car a while back.
I’ve fallen upstairs myself – never downstairs strangely. But I was wan*ered at the time whereas I’m sure Onel wasn’t so unlike him I only had myself to blame.
The early-season bill of NCFC health (or otherwise) is not good.
A chance for Patrick Roberts I guess.
Teemu is being moved into a bungalow as we speak…
So many clubs now owned by seemingly unprincipled people which conflicts with fans love and loyalty towards their club. Fantastic fans the geordies, so many seasons with so little to celebrate but still they come. No point boycotting home games, Ashley doesn’t give a dam, best get behind their team.
Looking at where we are now no one should aim criticism towards Delia & Michael, they rescued the club in the mid 90’s (along with others) and given us plenty to be happy about along the way. Risking their own money but only having our club’s interest at heart and always present at games even though they are both getting towards 80 years of age. Great couple I say.
Ipswich, Bury, Bolton, Hull, Coventry just to name a few, they’ve all played and beaten us in their time, (long time ago in one case)! They’ve all been poorly run and look what’s happened.
Tomorrow we are at home in the Premier League V Newcastle United, happy days!
RvW is seriously ill and will be out of football gor the foreseeable future and would like to send him my regards and a full recovery.
He has been lucky that he needed a scan after a head collision and was vel g checked for conclusion when an aneurysm was found so again we hope he makes a full recovery
Amen to that Alex.
I’m sure everybody in the wider football world wishes him well.