‘There is no confidence-inspiring appearance’ Richard Brinsley Sheridan wrote in The School For Scandal (1777).
The Anglo-Irish playwright’s words rang a bell after Saturday’s FA Cup match against Bournemouth, as did the better-known proverb “appearances are deceiving”.
Here’s another proverb: “First impressions are the most lasting.”
Appearances, impressions, reputations; they are all related to each other. Sometimes they are reliable, often not.
Shakespeare, of course, had something to say on the subject. “Reputation is a vain and extremely false imposition, often gained without merit and lost without merit.” wrote the bard in Othello.
God knows if Sheridan or Shakespeare was a football fan, but their sentiments can certainly be applied to the beautiful game.
Shortly after Eddie Howe and his main sidekick, Jason Tindall, took charge at St James’ Park, their team gained a reputation. Newcastle United were accused of being too physical, masters of the dark arts and anti-football in their fight against relegation.
They rattled a few cages, not least that of number two Mikel Arteta. Other managers were happy to echo the Spaniard’s words in a chorus of disapproval that was recycled ad nauseum by the media.
This widespread dissemination of Arteta’s hypocritical and biased opinions made me sick. Did he even believe what he said? Probably not. From where I watched, his behavior smacked of a transparently pathetic attempt to influence referees and the wider public, often to distract from his and his team’s shortcomings.
As Arsenal picked up a record number of red cards, just as they had done under Arsène Wenger, they tried every trick in the book to gain an advantage over the Mags. Maybe I should have taken it all as a compliment; we were suddenly seen as realistic rivals to the establishment, and after about fifteen years suddenly taken seriously as a soft touch.
Our supreme leader responded excellently, as he usually does, to the provocation: “We’re not here to be popular and get other teams to like us. We’re here to compete,” Howe told the press three years ago.
Amen to that. By then, of course, we had a reputation. And a reputation, that “vain and most false imposition,” in Shakespeare’s words, has a way of sticking.
The question is whether we deserve ours. Predictably enough, I’d say no, while adding that other teams are far more willing to bend the rules to the breaking point and beyond.
One way to judge a club’s approach is by looking at the number of free kicks they get. No opinions, no lazy labels, just facts.
Last Saturday’s opponents have proven difficult since Howe became our head coach. They have an enviable reputation for playing in an energetic, aggressive style with the front foot. They are known for regaining possession in the opponent’s half, breaking quickly and dragging the opponent into unfamiliar positions. The media labels it ‘organized chaos’.
Andoni Iraola, their well-known coach, claims he learned a lot while playing under Marcelo Bielsa at Athletic Bilbao. A year ago, Iraola said: “It’s true that we like to play and perform better in high-tempo games. We have to run a lot. We don’t need that much control, not on every play, but I think we have the legs, we have the willingness to get up and down.”
Everyone watching the FA Cup match nods in agreement.
What struck me, even if only via BBC Radio Newcastle, was the number of free kicks Bournemouth were awarded, that is, the number of times they fouled our players to stop the momentum, break up the game and sometimes to prevent promising attacks.
They committed 21 fouls, Newcastle committed seven. They received five yellow cards for us. In my book, these facts are as relevant as theories about organized chaos. Bournemouth know what they are doing, although the mass media apparently do not.
Was the St James’ Park marathon an outlier? Are they wrongly accused?
The counsel for the Public Prosecution Service points to the total number of fouls they have committed this season, a season in which referees have been more lenient and in which VAR officials have been less reluctant to intervene.
In 23 games (Premier League, League Cup and FA Cup), Bournemouth have committed 304 fouls, around 13.2 on average. Their opponents have fouled Bournemouth players 252 times, an average of almost exactly 11. Saturday’s match was exceptional because the number of fouls was so disproportionate: three Bournemouth fouls for every Newcastle foul.
What about the Magpies this season, having already played 31 games (Premier League, Champions League, League Cup and FA Cup)?
We committed 307 fouls, an average of about 9.8 per game. Our opponents have fouled us 343 times, just over 11 times on average.
Who, pray, is the over-physical and cynical team here? Who is sinned against more than sinning?
Looking exclusively at the 21 completed Premier League games, Wolves top the name-and-shame statistics with 296 fouls, which is no surprise when they are bottom of the table with seven points. Next up are cuddly little Bournemouth on 270 and the much-admired Brighton on 258. Is it a coincidence that these two South Coast outfits often thwart the Magpies? Anyone expecting a celebration of free football at the Amex next Monday is likely to be sorely disappointed when the Seagulls face the Cherries.
The next five clubs in the error table are Chelsea (241) Fulham (233) Spurs (229) West Ham (228) and Nottingham Forest (also 228). They are followed by Brentford (221) Man Utd (218) Everton (216) Leeds (213) Burnley (211) and Newcastle, those famous proponents of the dark arts, on 210.
Good heavens, Miss Molly, we made only one higher commitment in all than those paragons of virtue known as Woolwich Arsenal, before reinventing themselves more than once.
It’s all pretty tight for the title of cleanest team, with Sunderland and Aston Villa in fifth place (207), just below Crystal Palace (206) and joint leaders Man City and Liverpool on 203.
What about yellow cards, I hear you ask. The six clubs with the most bookings are the same six as in the error table, but not in the same order. Brighton (55), Spurs (53) and Bournemouth (51) are followed by Chelsea (47) Fulham (45) and Wolves (44). Brentford are tied with the Mackems in seventh place on 41, which seems to me a better reflection of their tactics in last month’s Wear-Tyne derby.
The three clubs with the fewest bookings are Arsenal (29), Newcastle (28) and Man Utd (27).
Many members of the Toon Army believe we have lost some of our intensity, some of our “let’s win ugly” mentality. It’s a moot point and I would never accuse the team of not giving 100%.
Dan Burn said this at the beginning of November, after a disappointing defeat at West Ham: “It comes down to mentality. A few years ago we were known for our homeliness and we’ve gotten away from that. We were ugly and bullied teams, but as you progress as a team you bring in better quality players and play better football. But I think there’s always a place for that in the game, look at Arsenal!”
Call it organized chaos, call it whatever you want. It is not easy to overcome. Perhaps this is the missing ingredient we need to inject into our game, starting tomorrow with the first leg of the League Cup semi-final against Man City.
To hell with reputations. As that huge Wor Flags banner says, “GET INTO THEM.”
#Newcastle #United #deserve #reputation