Confusion reigns at pitiful Newcastle

Michael Owen and Nicky Butt
A dejected Michael Owen and Nicky Butt take in another dismal day for Newcastle. Photograph: Scott Heppell/AP

'Joe Kinnear? You're having a laugh.' In six gleefully delivered words sung during the first half Blackburn fans summed up the prevailing sentiment over Newcastle's temporary appointment of a man who last managed in 2004 when he left Nottingham Forest and has not operated in the Premier League for nine long years. And, it gets worse.

The derision felt at Kinnear's almost surreal comeback to the big time was further increased during a bizarre post-match press conference with the new boss. It emerged that contrary to the club's official line, that he would not take charge until tomorrow, he is in fact serving a two-match ban from that last unsuccessful stab at management.

'Yeah, it was around two years ago,' Kinnear said, somehow halving the amount of time he's spent away from the game.' I called the referee Coco the Clown - at Rotherham. I asked him what he did in his spare time.'

Only Newcastle would employ a second caretaker boss - he replaces the hapless Chris Hughton - who may be out the door before he even makes it to the dugout, because not until the match against Manchester City in three weeks, will Kinnear be allowed to do so. That will make it 25 days since he was given the job and by then, of course, someone somewhere may have taken pity on the club by buying the damn thing.

Had owner Mike Ashley and Dennis Wise, the executive director (football) known about the ban? 'No. I don't think so,' Kinnear said. 'I've got one game left. My contract is for six games.' Why six? 'Because the club might be sold after four games. It was a case of four or six games for the contract.'

Had he picked the team for what was another disappointing outing and result? 'No. How could I? I only got here on Friday.' What about his relationship with Wise? 'There's been a lot misreported. The last time I spoke to Dennis Wise was two years ago.' And Ashley? 'I don't really know the guy that well.'

After several different mentions of there being 'six or seven players missing, which has not helped matters', Kinnear was again honest about why he accepted a role turned down by Terry Venables and Glenn Hoddle. 'I won't pussy foot around. I'm not stupid, I know whose footsteps I'm following,' he said of the lamented Kevin Keegan. 'And I know some people have said no. But more fool them. You never get a chance to manage a club like this.'

How different, then, is the Premier League since he last managed in it during the 1998-99 season? 'Not much to be honest. There's still some good teams around.' Paul Ince, who confessed himself 'happy with the result but not the performance' from his Blackburn team, may well be building one himself.

What he saw was an excellent first half before they faded but it was enough. After 31 minutes Carlos Villanueva floated in a swinging ball and Steven Taylor added to a miserable week - he apologised for the mistake that allowed a Spurs goal here on Wednesday - by failing to stop Christopher Samba getting across him. The big centre-half finished with a header. At the break it was two. Again, as Kinnear noted later, there was suspect defending. This time Argentine central defender Fabricio Coloccini could not deal with a cross from Brett Emerton and Roque Santa Cruz benefited with another header that beat Shay Given.

Four minutes into the second half and Newcastle responded. Kinnear said he'd been in the changing room to tell his players 'to stop feeling sorry for themselves'. For a while it worked. Blackburn skipper Ryan Nelson apparently brought down Michael Owen in the area and Steve Tanner gave the penalty that the same player converted.

This was the perfect start to the half from United but could they keep it up? The answer was yes, then no. Roared on by the crowd, Geremi - called 'Jeremiah' later by Kinnear - found himself inside the Blackburn area. All the former skipper had to do was control cleanly and there was time to attempt the equaliser. But, the ball fell off his foot and Hughton's fury in the technical area was very obvious.

Then, the now former Newcastle manager had even more reason to be frustrated on 74 minutes. Charles N'Zogbia was hurtling with the ball at his feet towards goal when Nelson, who had been booked after the hour, seemed to clatter the French midfielder. Tanner, rather mysteriously, gave an emphatic 'no'. That was followed by an even more indignant expletive from Hughton. It might just become Newcastle United's adopted motto.


David Holmes, Observer reader

Most of us feel this is some kind of purgatory until we reach the other side, where there may be green pastures. The team vindicate what Keegan said: there's no cover for injuries and we don't have Premier League standard players covering. Ashley is sticking with Xisco. He paid £5.7m but the evidence so far is that he can't head the ball, he has no pace and no vision. The original Cisco kid had a fat companion and he would be better, he was that dreadful. Wise has no eye for a player and the defence is terrible. I'm going to see Status Quo tonight and one of their hits was 'Down Down Deeper and Down' - that's where we're going. Joe Kinnear seems like a nice guy but he's a prototype of Sam Allardyce who will play a long-ball game. People won't tolerate that.

The fan's player ratings Given 5; Taylor 3, Coloccini 4, Caçapa 3, Bassong 3; Geremi 4 (Ameobi 3), N'Zogbia 5 (Edgar 3), Butt 4, Duff 6; Owen 6, Xisco 2

James Maguire, Observer reader

I'm delighted. Tugay was man of the match, while Olsson looked quite comfortable going forward and defensively. I didn't like Ince playing Derbyshire on the left and he kept on giving the ball away. I was glad Santa Cruz scored, but I think we should be playing two strikers, including Roberts. We are playing really nice football, better than under Hughes. I wasn't keen on Ince, but he's settled in and everyone seems confident. Fowler has surprised us, he had a really good first touch when he came on, but it will be hard for him when Benni McCarthy comes back.

The fan's player ratings Brown 7; Simpson 7, Samba 8, Nelsen 7, Villanueva 6 (Fowler 7); Tugay 9, Warnock 7; Emerton 7, Derbyshire 6 (Ooijer 5), Olsson 8; Santa Cruz 7 (Roberts 5)

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