Comments on: Newcastle United: The Pie Chart of Blame http://www.stuffbypaulbrown.com/newcastle-united-the-pie-chart-of-blame/ Stuff by Paul Brown Mon, 26 Jul 2010 10:57:40 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 By: Stuff by Paul Brown » Newcastle United: The Venn Diagram of Shame http://www.stuffbypaulbrown.com/newcastle-united-the-pie-chart-of-blame/comment-page-1/#comment-989 Stuff by Paul Brown » Newcastle United: The Venn Diagram of Shame Tue, 26 May 2009 12:21:08 +0000 http://www.stuffbypaulbrown.com/?p=517#comment-989 [...] be offered a four-year contract to manage the club on a permanent basis. Last month I presented the Newcastle United Pie Chart of Blame. Ashley himself gobbled up a huge slice of that pie. Shearer has apportioned blame to Ashley and [...] [...] be offered a four-year contract to manage the club on a permanent basis. Last month I presented the Newcastle United Pie Chart of Blame. Ashley himself gobbled up a huge slice of that pie. Shearer has apportioned blame to Ashley and [...]

]]> By: Davy http://www.stuffbypaulbrown.com/newcastle-united-the-pie-chart-of-blame/comment-page-1/#comment-910 Davy Wed, 29 Apr 2009 12:57:01 +0000 http://www.stuffbypaulbrown.com/?p=517#comment-910 <a href="#comment-902" rel="nofollow">@Paul </a> How about blaming the NUSC then? Organising demonstrations before important matches, issuing pathetic statements to the press. As much to blame as most. @Paul
How about blaming the NUSC then? Organising demonstrations before important matches, issuing pathetic statements to the press. As much to blame as most.

]]> By: Paul http://www.stuffbypaulbrown.com/newcastle-united-the-pie-chart-of-blame/comment-page-1/#comment-902 Paul Wed, 29 Apr 2009 08:02:49 +0000 http://www.stuffbypaulbrown.com/?p=517#comment-902 <a href="#comment-899" rel="nofollow">@Paul Geddes </a> Thanks for the comment. You are probably right in that a minority of fans should shoulder a sliver of blame, but not, I think, for the reason you mention. If Ashley had been forced out after Keegan's exit, no matter who had come in to replace him, it is hard to see how the situation could be any worse than it is now. As for the fans, at one extreme you have the boo boys. I've got no problem with criticism after the final whistle, but booing the likes of Shola and Enrique (actually one of the better players this season) during games helps no one. At the other extreme you have the clapping seals, willing to put up with any old crap the club serves up, "Never mind lads, better luck next time", then off to the club shop to load up on merchandise, before feverishly devouring every word of a Ryan Taylor match programme interview on the bus home. The majority of "us", I think, fall between these two extremes, so for that reason I didn't include fans in the pie chart of blame. The fans are, after all, pretty much the only thing keeping the club going. @Paul Geddes
Thanks for the comment. You are probably right in that a minority of fans should shoulder a sliver of blame, but not, I think, for the reason you mention. If Ashley had been forced out after Keegan’s exit, no matter who had come in to replace him, it is hard to see how the situation could be any worse than it is now.

As for the fans, at one extreme you have the boo boys. I’ve got no problem with criticism after the final whistle, but booing the likes of Shola and Enrique (actually one of the better players this season) during games helps no one. At the other extreme you have the clapping seals, willing to put up with any old crap the club serves up, “Never mind lads, better luck next time”, then off to the club shop to load up on merchandise, before feverishly devouring every word of a Ryan Taylor match programme interview on the bus home.

The majority of “us”, I think, fall between these two extremes, so for that reason I didn’t include fans in the pie chart of blame. The fans are, after all, pretty much the only thing keeping the club going.

]]> By: Paul Geddes http://www.stuffbypaulbrown.com/newcastle-united-the-pie-chart-of-blame/comment-page-1/#comment-899 Paul Geddes Wed, 29 Apr 2009 06:30:49 +0000 http://www.stuffbypaulbrown.com/?p=517#comment-899 Good analysis in that it points to a multi-factor explanation. That seems right intuitively as Newcastle's recent history is complex in origin if simple to see in outcome. Ashley has played a good hand very badly although he does appear to have tried to do things right (often with the wrong people) and to have acquiesed to the wishes of the fan base. (Who else would have appointed Keegan and then Shearer?) Amongst those who might accept some of the blame but missing from your pie chart are the fans. Their willingness to decry and/or boost managers can be shown as less than rational but it is their capacity to disillusion to the point of seeking an exit a man willing to blow £250 million (even these days a very considerable fortune) on his hobby with the aim of bringing joy to himself and all other supporters that carries most opprobrium. How much blame do they share is hard to gauge but to those who deny some responsibility rests with the fans, consider whether their collective voice and actions have helped or hindered. The best case scenario you give is fair enough but in these recessionaty times unlikely. Newcastle has caught itself up in a downward spiral of failure and arresting then reversing that will require fresh thinking and attitudes that maybe Ashley, with support from all parties and many fresh faces, can bring. Maybe not though :-( Good analysis in that it points to a multi-factor explanation. That seems right intuitively as Newcastle’s recent history is complex in origin if simple to see in outcome. Ashley has played a good hand very badly although he does appear to have tried to do things right (often with the wrong people) and to have acquiesed to the wishes of the fan base. (Who else would have appointed Keegan and then Shearer?)

Amongst those who might accept some of the blame but missing from your pie chart are the fans. Their willingness to decry and/or boost managers can be shown as less than rational but it is their capacity to disillusion to the point of seeking an exit a man willing to blow £250 million (even these days a very considerable fortune) on his hobby with the aim of bringing joy to himself and all other supporters that carries most opprobrium. How much blame do they share is hard to gauge but to those who deny some responsibility rests with the fans, consider whether their collective voice and actions have helped or hindered.

The best case scenario you give is fair enough but in these recessionaty times unlikely. Newcastle has caught itself up in a downward spiral of failure and arresting then reversing that will require fresh thinking and attitudes that maybe Ashley, with support from all parties and many fresh faces, can bring. Maybe not though :-(

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