In limbo

What's this? A sensible, well-argued piece about Newcastle in the national media?! Why yes, I do believe it is - courtesy of Joe Kinnear's favourite journo Simon Bird of the Mirror.

Bird outlines the club's primarily financial rationale behind keeping Chris Hughton waiting for a new deal, noting the general agreement among the fans that years of lavish overspending and excess had to be brought to an end for the long-term viability of the club. But he's also spot on in pointing out that leaving Hughton in limbo is counter-productive to fostering the sort of stability the club so desperately needs, and that the fans' support for the manager is unswerving. He notes that rumours of a possible ousting arose elsewhere (namely the media) and that "contrary to the old myth" most of us aren't fickle. Surely the man who against the odds got us back into the top flight at the first time of asking, who has set us on the way to survival and who continues to conduct himself with modesty and dignity (in stark contrast to most of his Premier League counterparts) deserves better than being left hanging, uncertain of his own future?

Caution and parsimony are two of our new watchwords, but so should be common sense.