Yellow fever

While some of the decisions taken at Newcastle are unfathomably stupid, I don't think even we have done anything quite as "bonkers" (to use Gary Lineker's term of choice on Twitter) as sacking our manager with five games of the season remaining and the team deep in relegation trouble. Hats off, then, to Norwich for dispensing with the services of our old boy Chris Hughton, who might have thought being hit on the head by a canary yellow clapper would be the final ignominy he'd suffer last weekend.

Hughton was sacked from his position on Tyneside in slightly different circumstances, though the decision seemed equally harsh at the time. At Carrow Road, as at St James' Park, he's conducted himself with dignity, avoiding the moaning, mind games and histrionics of other Premier League managers (our own included).

Norwich's home record has been decent of late - prior to Saturday's loss to West Brom, they were unbeaten in six matches, keeping clean sheets in five of those fixtures (against Man City, Spurs, Hull, the Mackems and ourselves). But on their travels they've been wretched, and last avoided defeat at Crystal Palace on New Year's Day.

Clearly all wasn't well, then, but while Hughton can't be absolved of all blame, the players need to have a long, hard look at themselves - especially those brought in for big money in the summer. The club's all-new strikeforce has been a spectacular failure, Ricky van Wolfswinkel in particular, while Toon loanee Spidermag has contributed next to nothing.

Hughton leaves his post with the commiserations of many, including his former 'keeper at St James' Park Steve Harper. Given that Norwich's remaining five fixtures are against arch relegation rivals Fulham and then Liverpool, Man Utd, Chelsea and Arsenal, and that they'll be guided by youth coach Neil Adams, a man with no managerial experience, the Canaries must now be favourites for the drop alongside Cardiff and the Mackems.

So long, Spidermag

When Spidermag took to Twitter at the weekend to say "It was an honour and a pleasure to play with the Newcastle shirt and to have the support of the Geordies", it was clear his time on Tyneside would soon be up. There was hardly time for speculation about his possible destination to start circulating before his former manager Chris Hughton, now at Norwich, confirmed the Canaries' interest - and now a loan deal for the remainder of the season has been agreed.

Back in 2008, King Kev was delighted with the recruitment of the Argentine (certainly more delighted than he was with subsequent purchases made on his behalf...) and Spidermag announced his arrival in English football with a tremendous debut as we drew at Old Trafford. Sadly, just as that was a false dawn for a season that was to end in relegation, he never quite lived up to those early high standards, or his billing as one of the best players in the league (according to one Lionel Messi). He certainly grafted hard but rarely gave us as much as might have been hoped going forwards - ten goals in 195 appearances is a poor return from a supposedly attacking player. As a winger, his crosses were too often below par, flat and easily cut out, and when the Silver Fox shifted him to a more central and defensive role he was too easily knocked off the ball to be effective.

Spidermag's regular inclusion in the side last year was to the annoyance of many fans who failed to understand what he contributed, but this campaign his status as a manager's favourite has been lost and, also afflicted by injury, he's featured just twice - rumours suggesting that a couple more appearances would have triggered a clause in his contract resulting in a new deal and pay rise. In his absence, Goofy has established himself as a superior player in the same mould - an exceedingly hardworking and defensively savvy operator on the flank, but one who can also come up with crucial goals at crucial times.

Spidermag is an astute signing for the struggling Canaries, and a known quantity for Hughton, and goes with our best wishes. Let's hope this kickstarts our own recruitment drive - we need bodies in, especially if we're prepared to let bodies leave.

Best Buddies

While our first team was busy getting cheated out of a point (if not all three) at the DW Stadium, other Toon employees past and present were enjoying an equally eventful Sunday afternoon.

St Mirren's capture of the Scottish League Cup, their first silverware for more than 25 years, at the expense of Hearts owed a great deal to players borrowed from another side in black and white stripes south of the border. Left-back Paul Dummett supplied the assist for the Buddies' second goal, which swung the match in their favour for the first time, before fellow loanee Conor Newton rifled in what turned out to be the winner. A cup triumph in front of more than 44,000 people probably beats turning out for the Reserves each week.

There was less delight for the Silver Fox's predecessor Chris Hughton as his Norwich side travelled to the Dark Place. They were in the lead when goalkeeper Mark Bunn was harshly red-carded for handling outside the area, before old boy Sebastien Bassong was penalised for handling inside, despite Steven Fletcher being offside in the build-up. Craig Gardner scored the resulting penalty but the misfiring Mackems rarely looked likely to get a win and Hughton will be happy enough with a point in the circumstances.

Meanwhile, Saturday saw Jermaine Jenas grab his second goal in successive games on loan at QPR. The first helped defeat the Mackems at Loftus Road last week, and the latest gave 'Appy 'Arry's multi-million-pound mob the lead at Villa Park, but they couldn't hang on and remain deep in trouble.

No happy return for Chris

Newcastle Utd 1 - 0 Norwich City

Chris Hughton was welcomed back to St James’ Park by fans and players alike on Sunday for his first return visit as an away team manager, but it was thankfully the Silver Fox who was left smiling at the result after a scrappy win against a solid if unspectacular Norwich side.

Following our Thursday night European adventure, the team was again heavily reshuffled, with only the back four remaining in place and Demba Ba and Papiss Cisse restored to the starting line-up. Pleasingly, we were also able to welcome Mr T back on the bench, while interestingly Sylvain Marveaux dropped out of the squad altogether, with Little Big Lad seemingly taking his place on the bench.

In addition to the returning Hughton, one old boy less warmly received was Sebastien Bassong, whose return only lasted eight minutes before he departed nursing a hamstring problem, to be replaced by ex-Mackem Michael Turner.

While Norwich started brightly, it was Newcastle who drew first blood when Steve Harper threw the ball out to HBA and he cut infield, accelerated away from his marker and then threaded a beautiful ball past seven Norwich players and into the path of Ba. Our in-form striker controlled the ball with his first touch and then rolled it under the on-rushing John Ruddy and into the Gallowgate goal to give us the lead.

With both sides struggling for fluency, and Norwich struggling in front of goal this season, chances were relatively limited, although Ba and HBA nearly repeated their first goal trick later in the half, only for ball to just evade our number 19.

Unfortunately, his Senegalese compatriot’s woes in front of goal continue, with one miskick from a fine Davide Santon cross appearing to rebound off his own leg, before Dreamboat blazed over. With half-time almost upon us, Mike Williamson was clumsily fouled in the box by Steve Morison which saw us awarded a penalty. With Ba or HBA the likely takers, it appears captain Spidermag had other ideas and convinced the team that Cisse should take the kick in a bid to get off the mark for the season. Sadly the plan backfired as the penalty went sailing high and wide of the goal.

In the second half, we looked to back off a bit, although chances for Saylor, Obertan Kenobi (on as a substitute for Cisse) and Ba could have made the game safe.  At the other end, Harper produced a fine save, getting off his line quickly to close down Andrew Surman when he managed to get through on goal.

Hearteningly, Mr T was introduced with about 15 minutes to go and immediately demonstrated what we’d missed, both in terms of his competitive ability and also his solid passing and confidence on the ball (even if it didn’t take him too long to pick up our only booking of the match!).

At the end of the day, we’re still lacking fluency but managing to grind out results. If we can carry the run going past Wednesday night’s League Cup jaunt to Old Trafford (a handy five miles from the home of the game’s appointed referee Anthony Taylor) then we’ll be doing well. With Mr T now returning to fitness and Sideshow Bob also expected to return, it could be an interesting blend of youth and experience from both sides which could make for a fairly even contest.

For now, though, it’s a case of saying thank you to Hughton and wishing him well for the rest of the season (apart from our excursion to Carrow Road, obviously) and focusing with the job in hand. Cisse’s goal will come, but at the same time by trying to force it we may just have made the problem worse.

Other reports: BBC, Guardian

Friends reunited

Today saw a reunion of two familiar faces, as Sebastien Bassong left Spurs for Chris Hughton's Norwich. It didn't really work out at White Hart Lane for the Cameroon international defender, and he's cited the Canaries' new manager as a critical factor in his decision to make the move: "He was the first man to give me a training session in England when I came from France. He knows me really well and so I am very happy to work for him again".

Bassong was flogged off for £8m in our post-relegation firesale in 2009, and I did wonder whether his availability and our failure to sign an experienced centre-back (Curtis Good being one for the future) might mean we showed an interest - but it wasn't to be. Despite suffering defeat on Tyneside at the weekend, Spurs seem content to continue haemorrhaging central defenders - Ledley King has retired, Ryan Nelsen's short-term deal expired and acceptance of a £7.5m bid for Michael Dawson means he's soon likely to be joining up with Nelsen across the capital at QPR.

Spurs have also confirmed today that the painfully drawn-out deal for Man City striker Emmanuel Adebayor has finally been concluded - we should probably be grateful that it wasn't wrapped up in time for Saturday's game.

Carr not going anywhere

Great news coming from the club that we've once again gone against our policy of not retaining ageing stars, with confirmation that we've awarded Chief Scout Graham Carr with a new eight-year contract that will take him through to his 75th birthday.

Carr was widely praised for his sterling work in identifying the likes of Dreamboat and Mr T, and so the decision to award him a long-term contract to ward off potentially envious onlookers is something of a no-brainer.

In other news, congratulations to Chris Hughton who has replaced Paul Lambert in the vacant Norwich manager's office and will be joined by his favoured number two, Colin Calderwood. Hughton can doubtless expect a warm reception when he brings his Norwich side to St James' Park next season.

Another ex-manager (albeit only a caretaker one) on the move is Steve Clarke who, having left Liverpool, is now taking over at West Brom (a job for which Hughton himself was recently tipped).

Squeaky bum time for Fat Sam

Just as the heat is on in the race for European places, so is the battle for a place back in the Premier League, and an enthralling Championship game on Monday evening saw two former Toon managers pitting their wits against each other. Fat Sam's West Ham trailed 3-1 to Chris Hughton's Birmingham before fighting their way back to a 3-3 draw. Some consolation, but Reading's victory at Brighton last night means Fat Sam's expensively assembled outfit are six points adrift of an automatic promotion spot. Needless to say, we're wishing one of the two bosses well - and are amused at the disgruntlement of Hammers fans complaining about the team's current brand of (non-)football...

Meanwhile, down in League 1 the Lone Ranger has become the Loan Ranger, promotion-chasing Sheffield Wednesday the club mad enough to temporarily take him off our hands. Since arriving at Hillsborough in late March, he's made four appearances, all of which have ended in Wednesday victories, and actually scored in the 2-0 win at Lee-Clark-less Huddersfield. Let's hope he's determined to put himself in the shop window and not just cause havoc elsewhere - the sooner we're rid of him the better.

North of the border, the formalities of Celtic's SPL title win were completed with a 6-0 rout of Kilmarnock. Fraser Forster kept another clean sheet, and the papers are once again reporting that the Bhoys are intent on stepping up efforts to sign him permanently.

And finally on our round-up of goings-on beyond St James' Park, Rocky scored an injury-time winner as ten-man Liverpool beat Blackburn 3-2. Well done, Bigger Lad - you now have as many league goals for the Scousers in over a year as midfielder HBA has for us, despite the latter having a year out injured...

A mirror to our soul

Two articles in the Mirror this weekend, with reported quotes from Llambiarse giving the paper plenty of column inches.

Firstly, he can be found boasting about the Rocky sale, gleeful recounting how we got the full £35 million up front, and due to late payment of the fee also picked up a further £12k interest, as well as reporting on the player's current value as "fuck all". (To be fair, even though I suspect the player will ultimately come good for them, there are a number of Liverpool fans I know who'd probably echo Llambiarse's sentiment at present.)

Secondly, he turned his sights on a trio of former managers. The Lion of Gosforth apparently gave too much control to Iain Dowie and is very arrogant (something which is our fault). Which raises some interesting questions about the club's subsequent statement that employing Shearer as manager was the best decision they ever made.

Keegan apparently couldn't hack the pressure and was only appointed because we were trying to sell to someone who wanted him bringing in as manager. To be fair to Keegan, as the employment tribunal found, having the Poison Dwarf bringing in shite players you don't want might have made it a difficult situation to operate in even if you've got the the calmness of a bomb disposal expert.

Chris Hughton however, couldn't make a firm decision, so that's why he had to go. Hardly surprising given that he probably never knew what level of shitstorm the powers that be would inflict upon him on a day-to-day basis.

Presumably while the Silver Fox says the right things before the cameras, he's obviously got the ability to stand his ground when necessary - something which the club hierarchy clearly value. What that suggests is that ours is currently an incredibly macho working environment - and one can only wonder if Llambiarse goes to bed every night with a packet of tissues and a laminated picture of Gordon Gecko.

Ultimately though, the coup de grace was Llambiarse's comment that "You guys don’t ­understand how fucking ­horrible we can be".

Having already inflicted JFK on us, renamed St James' Park, repeatedly lied to us and treated former club legends like dirt, it's difficult to see what else they could do, without undermining the brand to the point where Jabba would never be able to get a return on his investment. Still, I'm sure from his comments that Llambiarse still has a few ideas up his sleeves...

View From The Away End: A West Ham fan's perspective

Given that the summer has seen us exchange Demba Ba for Kevin Nolan and Fat Sam take up the reins at Upton Park, we thought we'd ask long-suffering Hammers fan Kenny for his take on events.

In recent years the fates of the two Uniteds that count (ie West Ham and Newcastle) have been fairly closely linked. With the Hammers' descent into the Championship that might have changed this summer, but transfer dealings and/or personnel switches between the two sides have conspired to create a curious synergy.

In the immediate aftermath of Avram Grant's departure the front-runner to be his successor was former Toon boss Chris Hughton, who briefly played for the Irons and had a track record of transforming an underachieving team into runaway leaders of the Championship and getting promotion back to the "promised land" of the Premiership at the first time of asking. His apparently meek demeanour towards his board at Newcastle would also have pointed to this being a good bet given Gold/Sullivan/Brady's seeming control-freakery.

And yet in the end the availability of another ex-Toon supremo Fat Sam Allardyce proved too big a temptation to resist. It wasn't the most popular decision initially amongst Hammers fans many of whom still cling to a notion of Upton Park being a theatre for a particular passing game never really associated with Allardyce's teams. But his pulling power in terms of bringing in Toon captain Kevin Nolan as a readymade replacement for the outgoing Scotty Parker, with the added value of better end product (ie goals season on season) and recent proven ability in our new division, will buy him time with the Boleyn Ground faithful.

Heading in the other direction, of course, is Demba Ba, who had a release clause in his contract in case of relegation, along with Thomas Hitzlsperger (the latter seemingly Villa-rebound). Ba proved he can score at Premier League level (seven goals since his transfer window arrival) but was only truly effective when playing upfront and centre, often drifting out of games when playing just off Carlton Cole. Played as a traditional Toon No.9 he will get you plenty of goals and no doubt become a cult hero, but of course WHUFC still got relegated with his goals on board, so a bit of a warning there about building your team around him alone. But on the whole I'm happier he's going to Newcastle than the usual vultures like Spurs and Everton, or teams local to myself (rather than the team) like Wolves, Villa or Albion.

Many Hammers fans still have fond regards for current Toon gaffer Alan Pardew and will be wishing him well in his latest assignment. His biggest strength at Upton Park was his shrewd moves in the transfer market, however, so I'm concerned for him if the majority of these dealings are being taken out of his hands.

There's still a lot of business to be done before the seasons start, but I foresee tough campaigns for both sides. Financial prudence often wins brownie points in the media, but once the games start both teams may rue releasing proven talent from their ranks. What both teams will need to meet their targets is everybody pulling together, from the board down to the fans, and for realism not to give way to complacency or defeatism. Add to that the usual requirement of huge dollops of good fortune and who knows, the fixture of West Ham v Newcastle may become a Premier League staple once more.

Amen to that, Kenny - and best wishes to the Hammers in their quest to bounce back at the first attempt.

Hughton already suffering from the Blues

Spare a thought for poor old Chris Hughton. No sooner has he got his feet under the table at Birmingham than his new club's president is up on money laundering charges. Add to this the fact that his best midfielder has been flogged to the Mackems, a host of experienced pros have already packed their bags and a whole load more are expected to depart before the season kicks off, and Hughton - who reportedly wants former Toon accomplice and current Hibs manager Colin Calderwood to help him out at St Andrews - will probably be fondly reminiscing about the summer of 2009 on Tyneside as a time of calm and stability...

Another old boy embarking upon a stern managerial challenge is wonky-nosed former German international midfielder Dietmar Hamann, newly installed as boss of Stockport County. Hamann's appointment, by the new consortium that's taken charge of the club, smacks of an attempt to excite fans dismayed and disillusioned by two successive relegations and chronic mismanagement. Deposed manager Ray Mathias has been harshly treated, and the move may yet come back to haunt the Hatters.

Pastures new

Congratulations to Chris Hughton, who has been given an opportunity to repeat his Championship-winning feat with the Blue Noses of Birmingham City. Of the two ex-Newcastle bosses now managing in the Championship, I know which one I'm hoping comes out on top.

Of course, with Hughton now back in management and seeking to get promoted, it will be interesting to see if he comes knocking on our door for any of the players who served him well at Newcastle, with the likes of Nile Ranger, Leon Best and Alan Smith all up for grabs, and with Championship scourge Wayne Routledge's move to QPR apparently dead in the water, all possibly on his shopping list. Similarly if, as expected, Ben Foster leaves Birmingham for pastures new, Hughton might also be interested in any one of our three keepers (albeit it looks like the club are unwilling to sell Fraser Forster, having rebuffed a £1.5 million bid from Celtic for the player).

One player who won't be joining him in Brum is Ben Tozer, recently released by Newcastle and now signed for Northampton Town, the team where he spend a portion of last season on loan.

Wor Al still waiting

What a shame Wor Al won't be parking his behind on the hotseat at Cardiff - the prospect of him managing one-time strike partner turned text-messaging nemesis Craig Bellamy (if he was to stick with his home town club) would have been delicious. Our former gaffer Chris Hughton is apparently on the Bluebirds' radar (and that of similarly managerless Birmingham), though the hierarchy seem to favour Malky Mackay, much to the displeasure of the Scot's current club Watford.

Shearer may have been unsuccessful with that particular job application, but at least he can console himself with the thought that another nemesis - Ruud Gullit, the man who famously humiliated him by benching him against the Mackems - is also looking for gainful employment. The Dutchman's been given the boot by Terek Grozny after recording a paltry three wins from 13 attempts. Pulling the trigger, the club's president (and Chechen president) Ramzan Kadyrov bluntly declared that "the team have played exceptionally poorly this season". Prior to losing his final match, Gullit was criticised by the club for "thinking about bars and discotheques". Wherever he ends up next, perhaps his first signing should be compatriot Fat Pat, also a renowned lover of nightlife...

Zog on the Tyne - again?

Those Zog-back-to-Toon rumours just won't go away, will they? Having had a very last-minute bid rebuffed in January, it seems we're still eager to reunite the moody Frenchman with a black and white shirt.

Given the manner of his departure, he would be unlikely to be welcomed back with much enthusiasm. However, he's clearly blossomed into a better player at the DW Stadium - Wigan would already have been long condemned to a Championship future were it not for his critical contributions, the latest being a brace in the victory that relegated West Ham - and I'm sure Jabba would relish the opportunity to get one over on his old foe Dave Whelan. Even if the Latics don't go down, though, it'll be an almighty bun-fight that we're unlikely to win.

As for the Hammers, the bookies' favourite to replace Avram Grant and try to get them back into the Premier League is a familiar face. Good luck Chris.

Also on the subject of old boys, congratulations to Lee Clark's Huddersfield, who last night secured themselves a place in the League One play-off final by beating Bournemouth on penalties. That's now a stunning 27 games unbeaten for the Terriers, who will face free-scoring, leaky-defenced Peterborough in the Old Trafford showdown.

Quote of the day

"I've had hundreds of letters through different avenues. That I was very thankful for - in whichever fashion you lose your job, it's always a very difficult time afterwards so I was very much appreciative of that and the support I did get. When you leave a job where you feel you've done a good job and you feel you can be proud of what you've done, you look forward to going back there at some stage.

It is such a magnificent city and club, I look forward to the day that I can go back. There are lots of different emotions that you have but the overriding one is that you have to make the most of the experiences you have had, wish them well and then you have to move on."

Speaking on ESPN, Chris Hughton expresses his gratitude for supporters' sympathies in the wake of his sacking. What to make of his comment about looking forward to "the day that I can go back"? Is it simply that the emotions are still too raw, or is he actually not welcome back with Jabba in charge? Perhaps I'm reading too much into it...

Whatever the reality, it's a surprise that Hughton hasn't found himself back in employment yet. No doubt it's only a matter of time, though, with a number of chairmen of sides in the Premier League and Championship likely to pull the trigger once the curtain comes down. Best of luck, Chris.

London calling

Many happy returns for Wayne Routledge, whose first appearance back in a QPR shirt not only resulted in a 2-1 win for the Hoops but found him cast as homecoming hero, supplying the decisive goal from Adel Taarabt's astute pass. How curious that he should be so regularly anonymous and ineffectual in the top flight and yet so electrifying and dangerous one level down. One thing I didn't consider in my previous two posts on the loan deal (here and here) is what might happen if he proves a roaring success at Loftus Road. Obviously Rangers will be keen to recruit the Sidcup flyer permanently - but might it be enough to convince Alan Pardew against flogging him and instead, like many managers before him, hold out hope that he might finally be capable of cracking the Premier League nut?

On the subject of Londoners bombed out of St James' in recent times, Chris Hughton was a guest on the Football Focus couch yesterday. He may have been gagged by Jabba, but even still it was remarkable how dignified he was - not even a hint of bitterness. It's hard to believe that given the number of recent managerial vacancies in the Championship in particular, no one was prepared to offer him a job. Especially when one of the positions has been filled by the Tango Mackem - who, having been out of the game for over a year, immediately reminded everyone what a buffoon he is by making completely unfounded allegations about another club in a press conference and forcing his new employers to issue a grovelling apology...

(Paul's report of yesterday's latest sucker-punch draw to follow tomorrow.)

Taylor made for Toon?

Why have two Taylors at the club when you can have three? If the Guardian is to be believed, Peter Taylor could be about to join Steven and Ryan on Tyneside, taking up the position of Alan Pardew's right-hand man. When asked about the rumour, the much-travelled Bradford City manager conceded: "There is something in it".

In other Toon-related managerial shenanigans, it's being reported that Chris Hughton is in line to take the reins at relegation-threatened Crystal Palace, George Burley having been given the boot on Saturday. We'd like nothing better than to see him score a new job and excel - and the Championship's a division in which he knows how to succeed.

Meanwhile, having been appointed as Gary Speed's assistant at Sheffield Utd in the summer and then as his caretaker replacement until Micky Adams' arrival last month, John Carver has now left the Blades. Mark Stimson's spell in charge at Barnet has proved equally short-lived, our former left-back sacked with the club in serious danger of slipping out of the Football League.

Finally, Tony Jimenez has bought himself a place on the board at Charlton as part of a takeover deal. Heaven help the Addicks if our shadowy erstwhile "vice-president (player recruitment)" invites the Poison Dwarf to come and line his pockets...

Update

It seems as though the appointment of Peter Taylor won't be happening after all. According to Bradford's joint chairman Mark Lawn, we got as close as agreeing compensation, only for Taylor to retreat and reaffirm his commitment to the Bantams. Back to square one for Pardew, then.

Similarly, Crystal Palace chairman Steve Parish has poured cold water on the speculation about Chris Hughton: "I have never met him in my life. He came to the Millwall game presumably because he was in town and he wanted to take in a game in London. That obviously set everybody talking. But I've not spoken to Chris, I've not had a job application from Chris, obviously he's a very good young manager so if he applies for the job we would consider it out of courtesy, but I've not spoken to him and I don't even know if he wants the job."

Quote of the day

"It was a complete surprise and there were lots of emotions. It is not a nice thing to happen to anybody, but particularly at a time when it wasn't expected. But that is part of the game and the reasons why they terminated the contract are their reasons. I have been asked on numerous occasions for my own opinion why and the reality is I can't say too much. It was a very quick conversation that the club wanted to go in a different direction.

I don't think you can afford to be bitter. It's a wonderful club and I had a fantastic time there over three years. These decisions are made, whether they are right or wrong, and they are made above your head and there is nothing you can do about it. There is no point in dwelling on it too long. What you need to do is look forward. I've had a career in the game and it is a career I want to continue."

Chris Hughton reflects on his ousting from the St James' Park hot seat. Dignified as always, even unnaturally so - who could blame him for feeling bitterness towards Jabba and Llambiarse? That said, the comment "I can't say too much" suggests Jabba's imposed a gag on him as part of his severance package - presumably because if he was to speak out it might be damaging to the stability of the club. Unlike the sacking itself, of course...