No Joe-king for under-fire Newcastle
Just when you thought the crisis engulfing Newcastle United couldn't get any worse, interim manager Joe Kinnear ensured the proud English Premier League club made the headlines for all the wrong reasons once more.
Kinnear was a bizarre choice to fill the breach left by Kevin Keegan's departure, although it was hoped he could provide a safe pair of hands to guide the team through a tough period. Instead, he heaped more embarrassment on the club and the city with a disgraceful, expletive-laced rant at reporters.
Kinnear incredibly used 52 cuss words as he vented his anger at the way his appointment had been reported. The main man in his line of fire was the Daily Mirror's northeast correspondent Simon Bird, with Niall Hickman of the Daily Express also copping some flak.
I worked with Bird at the Daily Mirror for several years and he remains a friend of mine, so maybe my take on this issue is somewhat biased. But I stand by my conviction that Bird is far better as a journalist than Kinnear will ever be as a manager. In my experience, Bird is a man of character who takes an even-handed approach to his profession.
Kinnear has every right to take issue with journalists if he feels slighted. The weekly press conference is a perfect forum for such an exchange. But Kinnear got it totally wrong by launching into such a vitriolic attack and showed a definite lack of class as an individual with his foul language.
Furthermore, he must shoulder the blame for the way the humiliating audio footage has now been beamed around the world.
Bird, Hickman and the other reporters present were happy to make that part of the conversation "off the record," meaning it would not be published. However, Kinnear refused to listen to reason.
Instead of calming down and discussing his grievances in a grown-up manner he instead told the scribes to "write what you (expletive) want." So they did. And the upshot is that the magnificent, loyal and patient fans who bleed Newcastle black and white must once again suffer as the laughing stock of the league.
THOUGHT OF THE DAY
"He is a coach? I don't know him. I am a man of peace."
Chelsea boss Luiz Felipe Scolari when shown a picture of Joe Kinnear.
