No ambition in ‘boring’ football now
FORMER Newcastle United star Tommy Cassidy has accused modern footballers of ‘sending him to sleep’.
The midfielder who helped Northern Ireland shine in the 1982 World Cup says too many teams seem to be unwilling to go for the jugular for fear of conceding.
He also feels the expectations at Newcastle these days have slipped dramatically and he is saddened by the lack of ambition at St James’ Park.
Cassidy told the Chronicle: “People keep saying I’m an old-timer and I am, but modern-day football really does bore me. All we are seeing is midfield players passing the ball sideways and scared they are going to lose it.
“When I played we’d try to win the ball back and get it up the pitch to the players that could cause the damage.
“I played with lads like Malcolm Macdonald and George Best and they would be horrified if we tried to play this bland style of football which seems to boil down to ball retention.
“I often do talk-ins in the area, and a lot of people agree with me that football was much more enjoyable to watch in the 1960s, 1970s and early 1980s.
“Honestly these days I watch a game and I’m able to go and make a cup of tea, go back to my seat and the ball is still in the same area of the pitch!
“They just don’t want to get forward anymore. It really is enough to send me to sleep sometimes.”
Newcastle’s recent 125th anniversary generated debate as to how much ex-Toon players would be worth today.
Cassidy chipped in: “How much would Supermac be worth in this day and age?
“If Romelu Lukaku us worth £75million, you’d think Malcolm would be worth double that maybe!”
These days Cassidy works at a sports shop in Killingworth and is braced for the Christmas sales.
He said: “I work at a place called Planet Sports and Trophies. We get a lot of football fans in and we always have a bit of craic about the current situation.
“They tell me that Newcastle finishing 15th would be classed as a good season. I just wonder where the ambition has gone.”
For information on Cassidy’s work at the shop, go to www. planet sports and trophies .co.uk