A RETURN TO CHAOS, WITHERING dissent, disputes about leadership. For Downing Street, read St James’ Park. It may be coincidence that Tony Blair is a fervent supporter of Newcastle United — allegedly — but after a fortnight during which the political party and football club embraced disillusion like a long-lost friend, it somehow feels appropriate. New Labour, Newcastle.
In football, as in politics, faith is difficult to gain and easy to lose. Having begun the season gently fuelled by optimism — in Europe, in harmony, Damien Duff signed and others to follow — Newcastle are approaching a precipice. After losing badly away to Aston Villa last month, the closure of the transfer window prompted bemusement and deflation and, suddenly, the opinion polls are shifting.
It is early days, of course, and Glenn Roeder’s soaring achievement on Tyneside is not only to have propelled his team into the Uefa Cup, but also to have reduced the club’s inclination for hysteria, but this is a dangerous moment. The manner of their 2-1 defeat by Fulham on Saturday was too familiar to be dismissed as an aberration, from the comical errors, to the jeers that greeted the final whistle.
Newcastle’s policy towards buying players remains a source of disquiet. Whether Patrick Kluivert or Albert Luque, there has been intrigue regarding the source of decision-making and it has not been dispelled by the events of this summer. At centre half, Roeder’s interest in Robert Huth was initially denied by Freddy Shepherd, whose fondness for Jonathan Woodgate was not reciprocated by the Newcastle manager.
An approach for Huth was made when his move to Middlesbrough was finalised, Woodgate opted for Teesside and an assiduous admirer in Gareth Southgate, while a bid by Newcastle for Zat Knight on transfer deadline day was submitted late and rebuffed. Woodgate excelled away to Arsenal , Knight played for Fulham against Newcastle, for whom Titus Bramble blundered unforgivably. Is that enough symbolism? A former centre half and Newcastle captain, Roeder has worked closely with Bramble on the training pitch with some reward, but after two errors and lapses of judgment inside the last eight minutes transformed victory into defeat, his fury spoke of reserves of patience seeping away. Fulham’s away form is wretched; they won a single league match last season and were the only team beaten at home by Sunderland.
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Bramble’s name was not mentioned by Roeder, but it was hardly necessary. “When you have been in the game as long as I have, you learn to believe that anything is possible, but that was disastrous,” the manager said. “The professional thing to do was to win 1-0. We threw it down the drain. I find it incredible that players sometimes make the mistakes they do.”
Peter Ramage slipped for the equaliser, allowing Wayne Routledge to cross unmolested from the right, but Brian McBride was Bramble’s man and his shot was not pressured. From an 87th-minute corner, Bramble again ignored McBride, whose free header struck the crossbar, and Carlos Bocanegra scored from a yard out.
After grasping the lead through Scott Parker’s glancing header, Newcastle were untroubled, although deeply lacking in penetration, and if Fulham were worthy of praise for their resilience — as well as for retaining composure after the early loss of Jimmy Bullard — they did not earn a rare result, but were gifted it. “On the balance of play, it was all Newcastle”, Chris Coleman, the Fulham manager, said.
Bullard’s dislocated knee — X-rays yesterday showed no fracture meaning his absence is only likely to stretch for two months — had been caused unwittingly by Parker’s challenge. The midfield player’s response was exemplary; visibly distraught, he sought out Coleman to offer his sympathy at half-time and full-time and yet still mustered a performance that recalled the indefatigable captaincy of Alan Shearer.
Parker’s late substitution prompted his team’s capitulation. “It was back to the same old Newcastle,” the captain said. “The six-million dollar question is what can be done to rectify it.”