It is with a certain amount of sadness that I wave goodbye to Glenn Roeder as Newcastle manager. Glenn has always struck me as a nice man, an honourable man, a man with a great deal of dignity, who afforded opponents and referees respect that they didn’t always deserve. The game is a poorer place without people like Glenn in it.

And yet, over the last couple of days, I’d been piecing together in my head a post to be titled “Time to Go, Glenn?” during which I would intent to set out the reasons why I felt — despite having been a supporter of him — I thought it was possibly time for Glenn to step aside. But Glenn resigned as Newcastle manager before I had the chance to tell him.

Which for a start shows him to be more human, more receptive to the Newcastle fans, and possibly more aware of his own failings than his lamentable predecessor, Graeme Souness, who — in my opinion at least — was the worst manager we’ve had to suffer for the last twenty five years.

So good luck Glenn: I still remember you with fondness as Newcastle captain, and I’ll look back on your managership with a wistful “what might have been”. I so wanted you to be a success, and although crippled by injuries at times, in the end it was the fact that the team seemed so insipid, uninspired and devoid of creative ideas that was finally your downfall.

Newcastle Failings

You can get away without class if the team work hard enough. Unfortunately our team seem to think that they have got class (they haven’t) and that they don’t have to work hard (they do). Look at Manchester United: Champions with probably the most classy and hard-working side in the game today. Not a coincidence.

I could single out some players either to lambast or to excuse, but I won’t. It’s a team game, and as a team, everyone involved with Newcastle United has let the supporters down again. That’s everyone. Including Freddie Shepherd, who provided Glenn Roeder with such woeful backing in the transfer market that he at times only was able to put a first team squad together with the aid of half a dozen youth and reserve team players.

Last time, I said Souness, for the love of God, go. One of the points I made then is even more appropriate now:

If the right man is not found and backed, then I suspect even fewer fans would be willing to forgive Shepherd next time, and “Shepherd” will quickly replace Souness next to the word “Out”.ThePickards

I want Shepherd out, and I want him out now, before he does any more damage to my club. If you didn’t want Glenn Roeder, you should have appointed someone else. If you did want him, you should have backed him. The way in which the club hierachy treated Roeder was nothing short of disgusting and dishonourable: offering him up as a living sacrifice because they were unwilling to adequately back him in the transfer market. Freddy, your behaviour disgusts me.