Newcastle United are without doubt the biggest underachiever in English football, with no domestic trophy since their FA Cup win in
1955 - over half a century with not a single piece of silverware to put in the cabinet.
Despite millions upon millions of pounds being thrown into transfer markets by 17 different managers Newcastle have failed to do their loyal supporters justice - and what's worse, they have never really looked like breaking that duck.
But 2007/8 promises to be different for Newcastle on a whole lot of fronts - first up we have a new look board and a new owner.
Billionaire owner Mike Ashley has been busy pushing through the boardroom changes he believes will pave the way for a successful future. Ashley, a sports retail magnate has initiated a much-needed cull of existing board members.
And then there's the new manager.
For the first time in years and years, Newcastle have at last recruited a manager that won't bow to the pressures to play sexy football - Sam Allardyce is only interested in the win, and whether all the fans like it or not, that's in the club's best interests.
Here's how the last 7 'beautiful game' managers have faired down at St James' Park.
Newcastle Managers - Performance record
MANAGER GAMES WON DRAWN LOST Win %age
Osvaldo Ardiles 47 10 18 19 21.3%
Kevin Keegan 251 138 52 62 54.9%
Kenny Daglish 78 30 26 22 38.5%
Ruud Gullit 52 18 14 20 34.6%
Bobby Robson 255 119 64 72 46.7%
Graeme Souness 87 39 19 29 44.8%
Glenn Roeder 73 33 16 24 45.2%
Winning just 40% of your matches simply isn't good enough - especially when you take into account the amount of money most of these managers had at their disposal.
Only Kevin Keegan got close to an acceptable Win percentage, and even that clear best performance isn't good enough when you compare it to the level of the top performing teams over the past few seasons.
Premiership - Win percentages:
TEAM 2006/7 2005/6 2004/5 2003/4
Man United 74% 66% 58% 60%
Chelsea 63% 76% 76% 63%
Arsenal 50% 53% 66% 68%
I'm sure that Allardyce can get somewhere near the level required in 2007-8, even if not to the dizzy heights that Man Utd and Chelsea have been hitting over the past few seasons, but good enough to make the 6/1 that's available in the 'Without The Top 4' market!
Like Mike Ashley, Big Sam doesn't hang around.
The first thing Allardyce has done since he took over the hot seat at St James' Park has been to get rid of some of the clubs liability players.
Titus Bramble's eventful Newcastle career finally came to an end, as new manager Sam wasted little time in swinging the axe.
The 25-year-old defender, whose time at St James' Park has been blighted by costly errors, was one of six players released by the club a day after Allardyce was unveiled as Glenn Roeder's successor.
Fellow defenders Craig Moore and Olivier Bernard, as well as keeper Pavel Srnicek and loan signings Oguchi Onyewu and Kris Gate, have all been told their contracts will not be renewed.
Home sick Londoner Scott Parker completed his £7 Million move to West Ham United with Antoine Sibierski - after being refused a 2 year deal - joining former team mate Titus Bramble down at Wigan Athletic.
Sam's opening gambit of signings tells us plenty.
Allardyce's trio of early signings tell us plenty about his intentions for the coming season.
David Rozehnal - Paris Saint Germain - a classy Czech Republic international, the first brick in the wall of Sam's new look defence.
Joey Barton - Manchester City - Barton has made an enemy of nearly every supporter in the country at some stage of his career, however there's no getting away from it, he gives his managers 100% effort and will work tirelessly for his new club.
Mark Viduka - Middlesbrough - Despite the negatives flying around about his weight problems, Viduka remains one of the Premiership's classiest finishers. The Australian bagged 19 goals for Boro last term from just 29 starts and he looks destined for a similar total in 2007/8.
Geremi - Chelsea - A vastly experienced midfielder who should fit into Sam's scheme very well. Player Of The Season when at Middlesbrough in 2003.
Alan Smith - Man Utd - The 25-year-old England player can play in midfield or up front. Since signing last week, Smith has spoken out with a message to fans that after his recent injury setbacks, his best years are ahead of him - at Newcastle United.
While the likes of Tottenham, Everton and Bolton will be spending yet another season chasing their tail with UEFA Cup commitments piled on top of what will already be a testing domestic season, Newcastle will be able to focus on what is important - the Premiership.
Lack of UEFA Cup fixture congestion was one of the main reasons for supporting Everton last season, and their participation in that tournament this time is one main reason for opposing them and market leaders Tottenham in 2007/8.
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Will the Magpies fly high this season?
The big kick off is on Saturday. Newcastle play their first match of the season at Bolton on Saturday.
Newcastle United are without doubt the biggest underachiever in English football, with no domestic trophy since their FA Cup win in
1955 - over half a century with not a single piece of silverware to put in the cabinet.
Despite millions upon millions of pounds being thrown into transfer markets by 17 different managers Newcastle have failed to do their loyal supporters justice - and what's worse, they have never really looked like breaking that duck.
But 2007/8 promises to be different for Newcastle on a whole lot of fronts - first up we have a new look board and a new owner.
Billionaire owner Mike Ashley has been busy pushing through the boardroom changes he believes will pave the way for a successful future. Ashley, a sports retail magnate has initiated a much-needed cull of existing board members.
And then there's the new manager.
For the first time in years and years, Newcastle have at last recruited a manager that won't bow to the pressures to play sexy football - Sam Allardyce is only interested in the win, and whether all the fans like it or not, that's in the club's best interests.
Here's how the last 7 'beautiful game' managers have faired down at St James' Park.
Newcastle Managers - Performance record
MANAGER GAMES WON DRAWN LOST Win %age
Osvaldo Ardiles 47 10 18 19 21.3%
Kevin Keegan 251 138 52 62 54.9%
Kenny Daglish 78 30 26 22 38.5%
Ruud Gullit 52 18 14 20 34.6%
Bobby Robson 255 119 64 72 46.7%
Graeme Souness 87 39 19 29 44.8%
Glenn Roeder 73 33 16 24 45.2%
Winning just 40% of your matches simply isn't good enough - especially when you take into account the amount of money most of these managers had at their disposal.
Only Kevin Keegan got close to an acceptable Win percentage, and even that clear best performance isn't good enough when you compare it to the level of the top performing teams over the past few seasons.
Premiership - Win percentages:
TEAM 2006/7 2005/6 2004/5 2003/4
Man United 74% 66% 58% 60%
Chelsea 63% 76% 76% 63%
Arsenal 50% 53% 66% 68%
I'm sure that Allardyce can get somewhere near the level required in 2007-8, even if not to the dizzy heights that Man Utd and Chelsea have been hitting over the past few seasons, but good enough to make the 6/1 that's available in the 'Without The Top 4' market!
Like Mike Ashley, Big Sam doesn't hang around.
The first thing Allardyce has done since he took over the hot seat at St James' Park has been to get rid of some of the clubs liability players.
Titus Bramble's eventful Newcastle career finally came to an end, as new manager Sam wasted little time in swinging the axe.
The 25-year-old defender, whose time at St James' Park has been blighted by costly errors, was one of six players released by the club a day after Allardyce was unveiled as Glenn Roeder's successor.
Fellow defenders Craig Moore and Olivier Bernard, as well as keeper Pavel Srnicek and loan signings Oguchi Onyewu and Kris Gate, have all been told their contracts will not be renewed.
Home sick Londoner Scott Parker completed his £7 Million move to West Ham United with Antoine Sibierski - after being refused a 2 year deal - joining former team mate Titus Bramble down at Wigan Athletic.
Sam's opening gambit of signings tells us plenty.
Allardyce's trio of early signings tell us plenty about his intentions for the coming season.
David Rozehnal - Paris Saint Germain - a classy Czech Republic international, the first brick in the wall of Sam's new look defence.
Joey Barton - Manchester City - Barton has made an enemy of nearly every supporter in the country at some stage of his career, however there's no getting away from it, he gives his managers 100% effort and will work tirelessly for his new club.
Mark Viduka - Middlesbrough - Despite the negatives flying around about his weight problems, Viduka remains one of the Premiership's classiest finishers. The Australian bagged 19 goals for Boro last term from just 29 starts and he looks destined for a similar total in 2007/8.
Geremi - Chelsea - A vastly experienced midfielder who should fit into Sam's scheme very well. Player Of The Season when at Middlesbrough in 2003.
Alan Smith - Man Utd - The 25-year-old England player can play in midfield or up front. Since signing last week, Smith has spoken out with a message to fans that after his recent injury setbacks, his best years are ahead of him - at Newcastle United.
While the likes of Tottenham, Everton and Bolton will be spending yet another season chasing their tail with UEFA Cup commitments piled on top of what will already be a testing domestic season, Newcastle will be able to focus on what is important - the Premiership.
Lack of UEFA Cup fixture congestion was one of the main reasons for supporting Everton last season, and their participation in that tournament this time is one main reason for opposing them and market leaders Tottenham in 2007/8.
Discuss
Add this link to...
Tell a friend
Goal or miss is a football transfer rumour site where fans can discuss and post transfer rumours for their clubs.
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