In an interview, Damien Duff said last week in an unprovoked assertion that practice sessions under the new manager had become more harder and intense.

“I know Big Sam used to say that we were the fittest around, but I think we were far from it,” United winger said. “I don’t think we were the fittest when the new gaffer came in.”

The previous manager, who was parted by United chairman last January, responded to Duff words as criticism of his working practices. “There was nothing wrong with the match fitness when I was there, so I think that’s a little bit of an excuse,” he said. “Sometimes fitness is a mental thing and I think mental fatigue can hit the players more than anything else.”

I can see he is telling the truth, and agree that his former employers are in the match fitness according to his style of play which is not needed more energy to achieved. I don’t think any Newcastle players need to make more running in each of United game under the old boss who loves to play long-ball, and that’s why there’s no need harder practice in training like what Keegan now dispatch to the lads.

Since Keegan took charge, no argue that Newcastle first half performance was brilliant. The lads do more running through the field, playing nice one-two passes and chasing the ball more often. But then, in the second half, their performance was dropped as their match fitness was not fit enough into Keegan’s attacking style of play.

I admit that I only see one live Newcastle game, against Aston Villa last month. I can see we’re doing great and leading into half time with Michael Owen’s goal. Then in the second half, we can not repeat our first half performance and were thrashed out by four goals.

Back to Damien’s interview, quoted from Times Online, Keegan just saying that his predecessor was perhaps “coming from a different angle”. Keegan was also pointed out that “my way is for players to train quite hard” and made the observation that a lack of confidence was palpable on Tyneside.

“If Duff thinks the training is harder, then wait until pre-season,” Keegan said. At this point I believe in his way to develop the new fitness standard for each of Newcastle United players. They are being too lazy under the old boss and now its time to wake them up and training even more harder to save our Premierships status.

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Yesterday, Sam Allardyce has asking the anger of the Geordie fans by saying that the Magpies were not a big enough club for him and didn’t live up to his ambitions.

What is your ambition anyway Mr. Allardyce, changing Newcastle into the copycat of your old Boring Boston side? Everyone knows that the Geordies were the most passionate football supporters in the world and we have the highest ambitions like other fans are.

Now I thank Mike Ashley for the sacked of your useless football and your arrogant tiny mind. To speak the truth, you have been wasteing Newcastle’s precious half season and don’t see why you have a five-year plan to restore success to Newcastle.

United owner Mike Ashley dispensed his services after a series of disappointing games to his tenure and replaced him with the return of Kevin Keegan.

Couple of days ago he also has absolved himself of taking any blame for his failure with United.

“When you get sacked, reflection is a difficult scenario. The one thing you have to evaluate first and foremost is how much of it was your fault,” he said. “The usual rubbish that goes when someone like me is sacked from a club like Newcastle is that that job was too big for me. That’s just not true.”

The actual fact is, I now think that you are the one who is not “Big” enough for Newcastle United, your mind was still trapped in your last managerial job at Bolton, and you are only have “Big” staff.

“If I’m honest the reverse is probably true. Newcastle probably wasn’t big enough for me – it didn’t live up to my ambitions in the short time that I was there. And because it didn’t do that the club missed a chance to realise its own ambitions.”

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“I am smarting, I think that for me (given) the timing, and the few games I had, it was a massive shock when they said they were going to make a change.” Allardyce said as quoted from Sky Sports, “At the start of the season we had a short window with the new owners to work with. We had not as much money as I expected.”

Big Sam said that his original plan to came to Newcastle is to spend big money, the old way that the former chairman Freddie Shepperd had always done with this club.

Allardyce said he has told the new owner to get stick at some point but they haven’t been able to handle the pressure from the Toon Army and some media journalists.

“I’m the casualty of that. Looking back over that short period I don’t think any of it was particularly my fault.” He added more, “At the time I considered myself to have a chance but since I’ve left things have been said that I was never their man.”

On his 8 months in charge, most of the Toon supporters admit they were never convinced by Allardyce’s appointment, and the media report also said the same thing because of the style of football he favoured. Allardyce was not agree about that opinion and said that the job isn’t too big for him.

“That’s an absolute load of rubbish. A job of that size is about the size of the fans, not the club internally. I don’t think the fans didn’t like me. I think they did like me, but it was the agitators that were the problem, the Press and one or two of the ex-players.”

In my honest opinion, Big Sam was right in some points, and maybe we didn’t have given him enough time to set the right foundation for the club to go forward. I also think that he was also right about the limited funds he gets from the new owner, but I’m not agree of what he said about the agitators between the Toon supporters.

Maybe his biggest mistake was he never listen to what others said about his style of football. Sir Bobby Robson has told him about what the Geordies love to see every Saturday is the attacking style not Big Sam’s Boltonised version of Newcastle United.

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The new King found out that the previous Landlord has just appointed a knight who has won many battles before, he is then willing to give that knight the chance to make another glorious wins up to the next wars ahead. The King promise him the amount of money to buy his soldiers, but that promise was never come into reality.

So, the new knight called Sam Allardyce has to win his own battle inside and get the soldiers he needed by selling the old ones. He did marching on to his battles with no sufficient back-up from the new King.

The new appointed knight was actually had just bowled over the whole nations six-man interview panel with a mightily impressive presentation on his plans to succeed another knight, Sven-Göran Eriksson as the whole country general.

The new knight wants to concentrate on the Job he’s already accepted, and believe with his old battle track records, he can do the same with his new task.

But the tale wasn’t right everytime, and with the legacy he’s got from his previous five knights in charge, Big Sam meet the battle that was hard to win this time.

After succesful in winning his first war, following with several hard fought wins in and outside his castle, the new knight failed to keep his soldiers in good shape and curse of the legacy starts to haunted him down. Cannot sleep well at night, his mind and soul terrorized by the Geordieland citizens, and his strength slowly faded.

The legacy is still continuing hunt for another victims, and whoever will come next, he must be the one that could break the old curse, to fix the devastated morale of the team and the people of Geordieland. The new hope is look like will never come, and the fog of the tyne still as cloudy as before for many years to come, unless the new King is already got the ace card in his pocket.

“Woe to you, Oh Earth and Sea, for the Devil sends the beast with wrath, because he knows the time is short…” (Iron Maiden, the Number of the beast)

The post A Tale That Wasn’t Right, The Toon Legacy appeared first on Magpieszone.

“Mike and I would like to place on record our thanks for Sam’s efforts and wish him well for the future.” Newcastle United Chairman Chris Mort said, “A new manager has not yet been appointed at Newcastle United. We will make a further announcement on the managerial position when appropriate.”

“I am disappointed to be leaving Newcastle United but I wish the Club all the best for the remainder of the season and for the future.” Big Sam said.

I’m really shocked by the club decision, and feels very sorry for Big Sam. He has all the difficult times since taking the job at United last summer. With his departure, there’s only one name so far who could be his successor, and maybe Alan Shearer finally say something to United board of Directors and he will take the hot seat soon.

Farewell Big Sam!

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