NEWCASTLE 1, BLACKBURN 2
Joe Kinnear isn't clowning around this time
FOUR years ago, Joe Kinnear incurred the FA’s wrath when he described a referee as Coco the Clown.
So what? Gobby Kinnear had a season ticket at Soho Square, so often was he up before the beak for abusing officials.
But in a week when Newcastle enhanced their position as football's laughing stock, the only joker was sat in the St James’s Park stand.
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The little matter of a two-match touchline ban seemed to have slipped Kinnear’s mind. Pity, really. Mike Ashley might have wanted to know that before appointing a manager for just five games.
Then again, amnesia seems to be the order of the day for Kinnear.
He claimed on Friday he had only been out of work for 18 months when all records point to him being sacked by Nottingham Forest in December 2004. And poor Geremi must wonder where he stands with his new boss.
Respected professional, Cameroon international, yet Kinnear constantly referred to one of his senior players as ‘Jeremiah’.
And it’s referees who are the clowns?
Kinnear began the day by swearing live on BBC television when insisting that under-fire Ashley had got the club out of the s*** when he bought in and wrote off their debts.
Typical
Next up the club’s caretaker boss performed a team talk. Either it didn’t work, or the players didn’t listen. One suspects the latter. Well, maybe Ashley did pull Newcastle out of the clarts but history may prove he also produced his own Gerald Ratner moment in appointing Kinnear, even short-term.
For if Ratner reckoned his jewellery was ‘crap’, God knows what the Newcastle players or fans make of Kinnear.
And he’s certainly in it up to his neck after watching his lads go two down in 41 minutes to unchallenged headers from Christopher Samba and Roque Santa Cruz.
It should have been four or five by half-time and only a 51st-minute Michael Owen penalty after he was fouled by Ryan Nelsen produced a typical Toon roar. Who else could possibly have sent a struggling, rudderless team out to battle without using the vital words ‘speed of thought’ and ‘controlled aggression’?
Talking of speed, Ashley’s remaining adverts at St James’s Park promise 24-hour delivery from his firm Sports Direct. Shame it’s going to take around six weeks to finalise a sell-out deal with consortiums from Africa, the Middle East or America.
Choose
But Kinnear was defiant. He said: “I may not be everyone’s choice but I want to prove I’m the right man in the end.
“Yes, I did receive a two-match ban for calling a ref Coco the Clown. It was at Rotherham away. But I’m down to one after today.
“I told the players before the game, ‘You have magnificent supporters so show them what you can do’.
“At half-time I said we had to stop feeling sorry for ourselves and put aside all the issues, the grieving about Kevin Keegan, and focus on playing football.
“The second half was better and we had a reasonable chance when Jeremiah could have got his shot off.
“I would like to be in a position where I have four or five more players to choose from and get more end product from our strikers.”
As ever, the long-suffering Geordie supporters shouted for Alan Shearer — only to be reminded by the Blackburn faithful that he won his one Premier League title with them!
Debate
Whether Shearer joins up with Toon again for a third Kevin Keegan term once new owners move in remains to be seen. But it seems certain by then a relegation battle will be in full flow.
It is going to be so tough for Kinnear.
Newcastle hard-liners always suggest that anyone born south of Gallowgate is a Cockney spiv and, even though Joe is Irish, he will struggle to lose his links with Public Enemy No.2 Dennis Wise.
Paul Ince was unwilling to enter the Newcastle debate, even though he was tipped to take over from Keegan.
He made a big play about how important the three points were but the truth is, just like Hull discovered a fortnight ago, they were there for the taking.
Rovers’ reserve keeper Jason Brown did not have a save to make, while Shay Given was busy keeping out Santa Cruz in the first half.
For the record the two culprits for the Rovers goals were Steven Taylor and Fabrizio Coloccini, who failed to get up for crosses.
Kinnear did well at Wimbledon but made his name by christening the early influx of foreign players ‘Carlos Kickaballs’.
Football has moved on since then. Let’s hope Kinnear has gone with it.
