Newcastle are out of Jose Mourinho’s league. Eddie Howe is a better man for the job…

Newcastle have already outgrown Jose Mourinho, according to the Mailbox. But first: an important mail about football and its relationship with bookies and gambling.

Get your views in to theeditor@football365.com…

Football and gambling don’t mix
Last week I had the devastating news that a mate of mine had killed himself. He did this because, unbeknownst to his partner, his kids and his family, or anybody else for that matter, he’d gambled everything he had down the toilet. He did it because he’d run out of excuses and reasons as to why the utility bills were piling up, why the Sky and Disney+ subscriptions had stopped and because the family home is now up for repossession. In short there was, in his eyes, no other way out to avoid the shame and disgrace he thought was inevitable.

So why write in to the F365 mailbox? Because this all began just three years ago when he started betting on football. He was on a WhatsApp group of ours where we exchanged the usual ‘bantz’ about our respective teams and I can now remember a pub conversation we had where the odds of a derby match came up and some were astonished to find that he had no idea how to place a bet at the bookies. I am thoroughly ashamed to say that I was one of four so-called ‘mates’ that took him to such a place and showed him how.

If only you could go back in time, right?

I was prompted to write this after a report in the news today that there were seven thousand gambling messages displayed during just six football matches on the opening day of this season (Report from the Culture, Media and Sports Committee HoP).

I don’t know what it’s like around the world, but fans here in the UK will know that you cannot escape betting advertising. Whether it’s the never-ending procession of TV ads, prior, during, and after each and every televised game. Not to mention the shirt sponsors and the ever-revolving advertising boards surrounding the pitch.

I’m no crusader and I’m certainly no saint (I’ve got my own personal demons) but, thankfully, gambling isn’t one of them. I don’t know any rich gambling addicts, just ones that will tell you when they’ve won but, crucially, don’t happen to mention how many times they lost to get there.

Gambling promotion in and around football must stop. It’s a cancer. If you think that banning it would have no effect then, I would suggest, you’re not old enough to remember the power tobacco advertising had in sports (Looking at you F1) and what it was like when every office, pub, shop, restaurant, bus, train and tube was filled with fag smoke.

I know this isn’t the kind of mail you’d expect, or even like to read at Christmas but maybe it should be. And if F365 print it well, then the very utmost respect to them.
Mark (Not everybody reading this is destined to have a happy Christmas. If you’re one of them, then please don’t despair. People that love you will be more understanding and supportive than you may think. They really will. God Bless). MCFC.

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​Toon too good for Jose
Hats off to the guy in the previous mailbox who did the research on where the guff about Mourinho is coming from. It’s a bizarre association and seems to have been said purely for bantz.

I’m not made of stone, I can see how the rest of the football interested world would find it hilarious. It would be hilarious to everyone else outside of Newcastle because everyone would know how the story would go if Mourinho was hired.

There’d be the initial fanfare and hoorah. There’d be some encouraging results ignoring the style of play. Some poor results would start creeping in, referees would take most of the blame. But then as things get worse a player would need to be scapegoated, someone who was previously popular. Then others would join them. The new signings who would all be signed for crazy fees and crazy wages, most of whom would be over 30, would stay in the team in spite of their poor form. Then the fans would be wrong for not being on his side. The owners haven’t spent enough. He inherited a clusterf*ck so its not his fault. And then with the team in 10th the owners would pull the plug and Jose walks off with millions in compensation in his pocket.

So yes, it would be funny to see this all play out. However it won’t and here’s my two cents as to why.

Firstly; Mourinho is not a top level manager any more. By no-ones current estimate outside the PFM community is he considered thus. Even Chelsea fans who adored him from his first stint wouldn’t want him back. In fact, no club he’s managed wants him back (maybe Porto but even they might think twice).

Time moves on, he was once the best manager on the planet (notice how I never said coach?) but his methods and style are not as effective. Look at how Rafa Benitez has fallen, why is he not linked to a return to Newcastle as he was loved by the fans and was top class? Could it be that he is falling in to obsolescence?

Newcastle are not yet an established top team, however Mourinho has fallen so far out of favour he should not be on the shortlist for one that wants to be.

Secondly; hate on the owners all you like for all the reasons there are for doing so, but since taking over they have run the club sensibly throughout from on the pitch to off it. They’ve clearly not gone full Boelhy and chucked around 8 year contracts and spent daft money on anyone going.

Owned by monsters they may be but they are building the infrastructure and framework for incremental and longer term success. It would be completely against the grain for them to hire someone who is not a coach – Mourinho is a manager. He must be the one in charge at all times, his ego won’t allow anything else.

So out goes Ashworth and the backroom staff who have worked hard to identify and secure targets for transfer that have largely worked out (Tonali the exception and is a freak event IMO). Players who have improved under the coaching of Howe and Tindall will regress. They appoint Mourinho they reverse their plan, and that flies in the face of all logic and observable behaviour.

Lastly; I don’t hear and see that the pressure on Howe is as great as being pushed. If the team were not playing their hearts out I would maybe say things are heading in that direction but there is still a togetherness about the team and a work ethic which comes from Howe and the coaches.

OK going out of the CL isn’t great but it was never the priority, we had a tough draw, we were unlucky in many ways, it happens. Losing in the League Cup hurts but we were one individual error from the semi. It’s a derby so all bets are off but we should beat Sunderland in the FA Cup, and in the league despite the doom and gloom we’re 6th. That doesn’t strike me as underachievement.

I do wish Howe would use his bench more. He knows more than me but why isn’t Hall getting any game time, even off the bench? His options are limited sure but he’s playing some guys into the ground.

Like some of the time Wenger was in charge at Arsenal, at some point there has to be some introspection on why those players in particular are getting injured, it can’t all be bad luck. Something behind the scenes isn’t working, but Eddie has adapted before and can do so again, he has the full faith of the fans.

My last word I promise, but its unbelievably rich and filling to have Chelsea fans say we’re unlikeable. I don’t know which of the low hanging fruit to pick so I’ll just say all teams have unlikeable players that are loved by only fans of their team, but Chelsea have had some absolute stinkers and sh*thouses on another level entirely from Gordon and Bruno, don’t begrudge another team having them too.
James, Leeds

…Sack Eddie Howe? That’s the most insane idea I’ve ever heard.
What the hell would Mourinho accomplish in Newcastle.
His days as some kind of magician are over.
Eddie Howe took over the club when it was in ruins.
Thanks to the incompetence of Steve Bruce.
Sack Howe? Give me a break!!

Greetings
Leif Johnsson, Degerfors, Sweden

Free of VAR
I’m a Chelsea fan.

But in recent seasons, I’ve found my interest waning and I have wondered why.

Perhaps it’s the fact that we’ve been useless. Or maybe I’m just getting older and have different priorities In life now. Or maybe its because even with a well paid job, I can only afford to go with my son a few times a season, which is why we have instead started going to watch our local non league team most weekends. Alternatively, it might be the total disdain us “legacy fans” are treated with (Xmas eve games anyone?!)

However, watching Chelsea versus Newcastle on Tuesday made me realise that without doubt the biggest reason is VAR. It’s killed football. Watching a game without it was amazing. Offside given. Fine. Goal was given. You could celebrate. You knew instantly what was going on, in a way that VAR has taken away.

And now, with the European super league again rearing its ugly head, I can genuinely see a world where top flight football no longer appeals to me, once chelsea and the other “big” clubs inevitably follow the money and sign up.

FIFA, Uefa, sky and now the referees have killed top flight football.

So for me, non league / lower leagues are where the party is at. It’s where proper football exists. Where I can meet up with my family and friends for a few beers and enjoy myself. It’s where the clubs and players genuinely care about the fans and the local community, instead of the all mighty dollar.

I love football and always will do. But top flight football ain’t for the fans anymore. Truth be told, it probably hasn’t been since the mid 90s.
James, CFC and Fleet, Gravesend.

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​Ultimate Dyche-ball
As a Spurs fan, this week, I’m racking my brain figuring out how Ange’s worryingly depleted charges can find a way to win against this rejuvenated Everton side. In August, this fixture would’ve looked like a nice little respite in the calendar. Now, it’s a firm test of Spurs’ mettle.

Like many in recent weeks, I’ve lauding Sean Dyche – who continues to give the middle finger to modern fallacies like inverted full backs, ‘box midfields’, high pressing and, God forbid, playing out from the back. Instead, give that man a low block, a few box-to-box CMs, and a tonne of corners and he’ll continue to find a way.

It made me wonder – what would the ultimate ‘Dyche ball’ side look like? And how well could that side do?

GK – Jordan Pickford – Down there beside Bruno F, as my least liked player in the league… but I know Dyche probably loves him. Already a match made in heaven.

RB – Kyle Walker – A dream Dyche player – Physical, experienced, fast as hell. Well able to get stuck into a battle. The quality defending is just gravy on top. Captain.

CBs – Harry Maguire and Lewis Dunk – Two towering English Centre backs, putting their head in where you wouldn’t put a boot? Launching clearances into the stands and thumping in headers at the other end? Beautiful.

LB – Andy Robertson – For many of the same reasons as Walker. A cheeky, hyperactive, fox terrier in at left full back, bombing up and down the flank, terrorising wingers.

CMs – Declan Rice and Rodri – Absolute peak Dyche ball. Two, 6ft+ midfield powerhouses. People have said about Rice and Rodri that they look like 14 year olds playing among 12 year olds in the school yard – just the kind of bullying presence Dyche would love. Plenty of quality, and both known for important goals.

RM – James Ward Prowse – I know, I know, he’s a centre mid really, but are you really telling me Dyche wouldn’t put that wand of a right peg on the wing, for Beckham-esque crosses?

LM – Jarrad Bowen – Another player I feel like Dyche should’ve managed already. Fits like a glove.

AM – Dejan Kulusevski – Tucked in behind the striker, disguised as some exotic attacking mid from the continent, but is secretly an absolute relentless work horse, who still brings plenty of quality, and chips in with goals and assists. Fan favourite.

ST – Ivan Toney – An out and out big, physical England number 9. Loves a battle, loves getting stuck in. Well able to give as good as he gets to defenders and well able to bang in 20 goals.

So, having assessed ultimate Dyche Ball, I’ve concluded – this team would go pretty far. It’s top 4-5 quality, and not an inverted full back in sight. It’s a team that could very easily have been assembled with a team like City’s resources. Could Dyche have led City to the salvation of the treble? I guess we’ll never know…
Andy, THFC, Eire

What next after UEFA’s monopoly is gone?
Lots to think about in today’s ECJ ruling, and while the immediate effects are not going to be as impactful as the Bosman ruling, in the long term they may well be. First of all, it has to be clear that the ECJ ruling is absolutely correct. UEFA has a monopoly where it is the legislative, administrative, judicial and commercial branches of football all rolled into one, and while that might be good for Ceferin and the national association bosses that support him, it is certainly not optimal for football.

Secondly, it seems clear that the ruling allows A22 / Super League to position themselves as a replacement for the Champions League and this is where A22 are aiming. Leave national championships alone, and get the best teams on the continent to play European football with them rather than the Champion’s League.

Now, just because the SuperLeague proposal can no longer be blackmailed away by UEFA does not mean it is going to happen, nor that it is a better proposal for European football, in whatever shape or form it may end up being. BUT what I do hope for is that the combination of pressure from A22 on UEFA to revamp the Champions League and/or the pressure from UEFA and fans on A22 to revise their proposals could lead to a European competition that, whoever organises it, is going to be an improvement all round.

What would be a real pity is if we end up with 2 competing competitions with the biggest clubs split between 2 concurrently-running formats.

As to what “improvement all round” might be, it’s really very simple. You have to have very large solidarity payments going proportionately more to the poorest and smallest countries. You have to have a distribution mechanism among participating teams that is largely egalitarian (the more even split in the Premier league is what makes it more competitive and therefore watchable than many other big league), and completely get rid of the UEFA ‘market pool’ mechanism (which awards far more money to a poorly-performing team from a big country than to a great-performing one from a small country and is the main reason why teams outside the big 5 countries have largely disappeared from the latter stages of the Champions League).

You have to have strong and strongly regulated financial rules that prevent some teams from vastly outspending the others. And while I like the idea of a true Europe-wide League system (instead of having to qualify every year through the local league) you have to have a truly meritocratic system with real jeopardy.

What I have in mind is Italy’s Serie A in the 1980s – divisions with 16 teams and 4 relegations / promotions, which together with the above 3 points levelling the teams’ resources, would leave very little safe space in mid-table and lots hanging on every match right up till the end of the season.

Unfortunately though, whatever both UEFA and A22 may say, both of them ae ruled by the rich, and neither of them is actually the champion of the people in the people’s game, so either way what we’ll probably getis an endless repeat of the same games between the same 10-12 teams
James, Switzerland

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Barton grift​
If you are the kind of human being, who believes that there is such a thing as “unvarnished truth”, let alone that it is Joey Barton who is the purveyor of it, then there is a strong chance you are an unbelievable cock. Barton is playing to the stupid crowd here, much like Russell Brand is, and it seems to be working just fine. On the plus side, just like Donald Trump, he does a bang up job of identifying people that you would want to avoid irl.

Matthew (if you are upset that Earp won a fairly meaningless award that has always been an arbitrary populatory contest, then you have a problem with women. Full stop.
MB

…I get that the super rich need the division caused by a phony ‘ culture war ‘ but, Mr Barton, you’re a working class lad who could use your experience and position to help! Watching you so profoundly sell out your roots is deeply, fully saddening.
Hartley MCFC Somerset ( is it just me or does all of what’s being proffered by A22 seem like confected PR?)

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Revising history
I find people’s memories can sometimes let them down, and make things seem not quite as they are. I was nodding along to Williams mail until I got to these sentences:

“Manchester United can’t really replicate the same success as Arsenal now because it’s not about giving Ten Hag time, as was accorded Arteta. It’s about a top to bottom cultural reset. Achieving that cultural reset is nigh on impossible because the Manchester United board runs the club solely for profit and nothing more.

Does Erik Ten Hag look like the one to catalyze this change? Based on what he has achieved so far, I doubt.

So even if Erik Ten Hag is given a Todd Boehly-sized war chest, he would achieve middling success at best; an odd cup here, a final there, just enough to give a semblance of moving forward.

Let’s analyze this for a moment shall we?

Arteta was appointed in Dec ’19, and that January overhauled the squad with additions of ‘Pablo Mari’ and ‘Cedric Soares’ – Truly up there with Henry and Vieira’s as catalysts of change. He would go on to win that summer in the FA Cup (And Pandemic). So for all of his cultural changes, it was those “toxic players” you digress against who actually won him his only trophy thus far.

The 20/21 season began with a community shield victory, with Sir toxic scoring your goals to win – Aubameyang. That season brought Arteta’s first full season at Arsenal, achieving a fourth round finish in the FA Cup, a EFL quarter final, a Europa League Semi loss to eventual winners Villareal (By your former manager but against United). In the league, he got them out of Europe for the first time in a long time with an 8th place finish (Viva la revolucion!)

The following season itself started with 3 straight losses and bottom of the league by the end of August with many Gooners calling for his sacking. He would go on to win some Manager of the month awards, and end it with a fourth round FA Cup and 3rd round EFL exit. In the league, they would bottle..sorry..’slip up’ in their final two games and drop to 5th.

Now, where he truly shined was in 22/23, when he finished just behind City in 2nd place after “slipping up” having led the league for most of the season. An EFL 3rd round, FA cup 4th round and Europa league round of 16 exits meant it was another trophyless season, but the Gooners are back. He would be nominated manager of the year for his efforts in winning absolutely nothing.

So in 4 seasons, he has achieved 1 FA Cup win (With Toxic players he would later clear out), 2 semi finals, and a 8th, 8th, 5th, and 2nd place finishes in the league. As you yourself said “he would achieve middling success at best; an odd cup here, a final there, just enough to give a semblance of moving forward.” (How apt 😉 )

ETH, 1.5 seasons in, has achieved 1 EFL win, 1 semi final, 1 lost final, and a 3rd placed finish. He also did this without an actual goalscorer, and has begun his second season with an injury crisis, no director of Football, no stable club and with many other issues far beyond his control.

You speak of cultural change, and while Arteta was brave in letting toxic players like Aubameyang go – 2 years later I might add – ETH has done the same and some. Ronaldo was gone as soon as he started acting up, Sancho was being disciplined and may be released, and players who were out of fashion have fought their way back into contention – Maguire, AWB, Varane. Lateness or lack of effort are punsihed. He is doing this almost alone, with very little support from above, which to me, is far more impressive.

Saying United operate “for profit” shows you don’t actually pay attention, or perhaps are one of those people who puts out that statement, and then five minutes later goes to town on United for their “Net spend” being terrible ffs. Arteta, for his part, has spent about 600M just in case you are wondering.

I had mentioned something similar about perceptions about Klopp’s time at LFC, while it was not published, here is an excerpt of that comparison:

Not long after his appointment : “Please give us time to work,” Klopp begged. “I think in four years’ time we can win a title.”

Two lost finals and a full season later(1.5 seasons), Jurgen finished in 4th. In comes Mo Salah (mind blowing), world record cb Van Dyke – due to Barca conveniently deciding to lose their minds and buy Coutinho – and LFC finish…4th…trophyless, but they did reach the UCL final. So in two and a half years, Klopp achieved 3 lost finals, 8th, 4th and 4th again. Success would come the following season in the form of the UCL, and the Premier league title the very next season.

It took Arteta 4 seasons to make the top four, and Klopp four and half seasons to win the PL. Take a look at year 1 of the Klopp/Arteta teams, and compare to year 3 and 4 of the teams – they are massively different, and only once they had the players who could play their football, did they achieve success (Although Arsenal’s success has not amounted to silverware unless you argue the culture change has dried up the cabinet).

It must also be mentioned, ETH is competing against a tougher set of competition. The best Newcastle, Brighton, Villa, Arsenal – since 2006 – and potentially City teams have come during Ten Hags time at Old Trafford.

So if you’re going to criticize where United are going, remember where you came from.
Calvinho (PS- What cost Arsenal during the Fergie years was them not being good enough, not Fergie bullying – lol)

ESL + Brexit = English World Cup
Super league is back. Interestingly redone. The streaming platform seems like a good idea although in the UK the sports packages don’t make the broadcasters that much money. A Premier League or UEFA channel on Disney+ or Amazon should sort that out but no need to devalue the reduction like that just yet maybe. But it could be integrated into EAs now not FIFA game.

What is interesting is that the UK government currently is looking to block it and because of Brexit they can, although a well placed paid consulting role to a tory MP can work wonders for such things.

Assuming the UK stays out of it you have a separate market in the eyes of talent. Footballers aspire to the prem, and a few select prestigious European clubs, but mostly the prem for the staggering amounts of money. The prestigious European clubs want the super league because they done have the staggering amount of money to compete with the prem. As a player you can sign with say Barca, for staggering amounts of money, and now you play 20 games more. Or sign for a prem team and play fewer games.

UEFA and FIFA won’t take this lying down so expect more punishments for not turning up for international duty. The World Cup will remain peerless as a competition. So play in the Prem, get paid loads, fewer games and you can play in the World Cup.

This makes the World Cup the big lever here. And I bet FIFA won’t want it played in any stadium in the super league so we can rule Spain and Italy for getting the World Cup. The world cup might keep Saudi money out of the super league too, as bent as that whole selection may be.

Can we therefore expect more British based World Cups? If the morons and thugs can stay at home instead of trying to start fights and rush stewards that is. Do we finally have a benefit from Brexit? We won’t be able to afford food but we’ll have a British World Cup on the telly!
Alex, South London

Geordie nonsense
Tottenham have at least double or triple the money that Newcastle have? Is Diarmuid the Geordie cousin of Barry Fox? Delusional bloodline, is that.

Also, Anon really is drinking the Cool Aid, wow.
Jon (grim up North, apparently), Lincoln

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