The borough of Croydon in South London must have been an interesting experience for the new Saudi ownership visiting Selhurst Park, not least for the crash course in British satire that confronted them once in the stands. It’s only a short hop from their preferred barrios of Kensington, Knightsbridge and Mayfair, yet might be a million miles away for all they knew of it before they became fans of Newcastle United.
The attractions of Holmesdale Road and the streets that frame the stadium are few unless you need to restock on milk and sugar or fancy a takeaway for dinner. Newcastle’s new chairman, the Saudi regime’s most prominent western-facing rep and head of the colossal PIF investment fund, Yasir Al-Rumayyan, obviously had other plans. It was left to financial fixer Amanda Staveley and husband Mehrdad Ghodoussi to brave the frontier and cross the Thames.
It will take a period of adjustment before owners and fans understand each other’s habitats and behaviours. And that of opposing fans. The Palace politicos did not hold back with a banner that listed the atrocities associated with the Saudi regime, including beheading, persecution and censorship. This notwithstanding Ghodoussi continued to embrace the challenge enthusiastically via his Twitter feed, albeit a post of aching insincerity featuring a snap of the team’s pre-match huddle accompanied by ‘United’, heart emoji, #NUFC.
The Newcastle supporters, too, continue to blunder through the early stages of romance with some among the 2,800 travelling Geordies deaf to the request to refrain from simulating kafiyas, the traditional Saudi headwear, with tea towels. The tea towel insignia symbolises the weird atmosphere surrounding a club in the grip of anomie and paradox. An insensitive gesture justified as banter offending a regime steeped in human rights offences. If the culture car crash playing out in the stands is an unintended consequence of acquisition, the discrepancy between the world’s richest club and the paucity of talent it has bought, Callum Wilson apart, is resounding in its clarity.
As hard as they tried Newcastle struggled to distinguish themselves from the ordinariness of the surroundings until Wilson levelled after the break with a jaw-dropping overhead kick at odds with the poverty of his team’s display. It was enough to nick a point, one for which interim head coach Graham Jones was grateful. Jones lauded the defensive shape and discipline of the players as they strive to make sense of the new era.
The tackles thundered in, which is the minimum requirement in times of struggle, demonstrations of commitment and courage being ways of masking the skills gap. But if Newcastle are to retain their Premier League status they cannot hope to do so with just 25 percent possession against a team sitting just four places and five points above them. League leaders Chelsea are next in the house fresh from the seven-goal culling of Norwich.
Newcastle might have fallen behind in the 20th minute when tormentor-in-chief Christian Benteke directed a muscular header against a post. Newcastle responded to Palace’s growing confidence by doubling down on effort, Ciaran Clark and Matt Ritchie exchanging visceral exhortations. Benteke volleyed over spectacularly early in the second half, seemingly intent on keeping Newcastle in it. Perhaps he is angling for a transfer to the Tyne. If so, wouldn’t it be better if he did score? That was coming, another meaty header, rising above the static Newcastle defence at the far post. Wallop.
Benteke will be 31 in December. So What? On this form Newcastle could do worse as they seek to reinforce the squad in January with players who know the territory and might keep them up. They cannot survive via the wizardry of Wilson alone. Jones sees record £40m signing Joelinton as a left winger, which says more about his failure to find the net through the middle as his ability to hug the line and fire in crosses. Indeed, Joelinton’s vivid cameo in the final ten minutes shone a light on the epoch Newcastle are desperate to leave behind.
Benteke led the line like he did at Genk as a kid and at Aston Villa, where he was so persuasive Liverpool went all in to get him. He’s big, mobile and a menace in the air, as he showed shivering the timber a second time on the hour and minutes from the end beating Karl Darlow with a header that left scorch marks on the netting. Fortunately for Newcastle VAR spotted Marc Guehi’s sneaky shirt pulling that cleared the space for Benteke to attack.
Somehow Newcastle held on to breathe life into the old truism proffered by former Italy coach Enzo Bearzot that it is better to be lucky than good. If that is the case Newcastle’s new owners might already be delivering gold.
from Football – inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/3nooWSz
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