John Carver

John Carver v Reality
(Newcastle 1 – 1 West Brom)

There’s losing gracefully, and then there’s not even being conscious of the idea of loss because you are not even remotely on the same planet as the rest of us. Sure, Newcastle didn’t lose this weekend – in fact, getting a point off of West Brom was a great result for them given that their last league win was in February, and they have gone from relative stability to being a stone’s throw from relegation.

During the intense relegation action over the weekend, Newcastle were dropped into the relegation zone just 21 minutes into the three o’clock kick offs – and were lucky to pull back out through an equalizer. Newcastle are just two points above the relegation zone with one spot to go down remaining – and they need to do something incredible to turn their losing season around.

There’s just one problem.

Their coach, John Carver, has no idea that they are losing games. In an interview prior to the West Brom game, Carver was quoted as saying “I still feel I am the best coach in the Premier League.” It’s a slightly strange statement for him to have made for many reasons but specifically for the reason that the man has an 11.8% win ratio. The man is actually in denial – and that’s a shame for a Newcastle United who have been through the ringer with regards to relations between the club and fans over recent years. How can they be expected to improve when the powers that be at the club, in this case Carver, do not acknowledge that they are a loss away from relegation? It’s not a responsible action to take.