Carver’s gut feeling about Jonas
COACH RECALLS ARGENTINE STAR’S GRAND FINALE TO HELP TOON BEAT THE DROP
NEWCASTLE United staved off relegation five years ago when they needed a last-day victory against West Ham United to secure topflight status - but it was never meant to be this way.
At the start of March 2015, the Magpies were 13 points above the relegation zone after Papiss Cisse’s goal handed them a 1-0 win over Aston Villa at St James’
Park.
Then the lack of investment at Newcastle was laid bare as a threadbare squad was sucked into a relegation fight.
Even Mike Ashley had admitted he had got it wrong before the West Hame game when he said: “It is no good having the horse-and-cart scenario.
“We may have the cart financially but we are now going to bolt the horse on. ”
On a day of contrasting emotions, Jonas Gutierrez – who had beaten cancer to return to the first team – was handed a standing ovation before protests after the final whistle summed up how fans felt with a banner in the Gallowgate End reading: “No investment, no ambition, no hope – same again next season?”.
In the middle of a turbulent season, caretaker manager John Carver was handed his “dream job.”
As we approach the five-year milestone since that victory over the Hammers and the drama which came with it, Carver’s memories are vivid.
He told the Chronicle: “I did not want to be the man remembered for taking Newcastle down.
“I had supported them as a kid and because of my background I wanted to do well.
“I would have found it extremely difficult to cope with being in charge of a team which was relegated.
“Thankfully I don’t have to deal with that or have that on my CV.”
Newcastle sold Davide Santon and Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa just weeks after Alan Pardew had walked out for the Crystal Palace job.
The Magpies looked steady in mid-table and banked £8million for their services - but trouble was around the corner.
A spate of defensive injuries would follow and the African Cup of Nations tournament not only denied them the services of Papiss Cisse and Cheick Tiote but sent them back injured.
Carver added: “I remember sitting in the office with Steve Stone and we put together a great 11 players
- sadly it was an injured 11!
“Siem De Jong’s lung collapsed, Steven Taylor snapped his tendon, Tim Krul dislocated his shoulder - we were dealt more than our fair share of bad luck.
“We lost Cisse and Tiote to injuries in the African Nations Cup.”
Newcastle still managed to pick up points in the first few weeks of Carver’s stint in charge - including what would prove to be a crucial 3-0 win at Hull.
However, it was a winless March and
April which saw
Newcastle spiral into trouble. Carver was forced to play midfielder Vurnon Anita at left-back, full-back Daryl Janmaat at centre-back and Jack Colback in his back four. When asked if parking the bus during that eight-game losing streak would have been a better choice, Carver laughed: “I could not play with a back five or park the bus because I never had enough bloody defenders! There were too many who were injured.
“Steven Taylor and Paul Dummett were injured. Fabricio Coloccini was suspended twice.
“If you look at some of the teams we put out they were threadbare. “There were many tight games in that eight-match run which could have gone either way.
“There were two games where I thought we were really poor - Everton away (0-3) and Leicester (0-3). “With the players we had available we still showed spirit and competed.
“It was an endless injury list and there was just no cover. “The spine of the team was gone and there were no replacements, so it made it very difficult.” Newcastle were suddenly being talked about as one of the favourites to be relegated. Carver and his coaching staff tried hard to get a tune out of the team as protests to remove
I did not want to be remembered for taking Newcastle down. Thankfully I did not have to deal with that.
John Carver
Ashley were cranked up by fans, including a partial boycott of the 3-1 defeat against Spurs.
Carver never blamed protests on form or used it as an excuse.
Even now he is philosophical about a roller-coaster six months in charge and reflected: “Sometimes it is about being in the right place at the right time.
“You need luck and fortune and we did not have any of that.
“Yet for everything which emerged and tested us, there was fight and character in the team, if there wasn’t we would not have pulled it off.”
Having failed to win for two months, May started with a relegation battle at Leicester, who incredibly won the title just 12 months later.
A 3-0 defeat and red cards for Mike Williamson and then Daryl Janmaat suggested Newcastle were going down without a fight.
Harsh words were thrown the way of Williamson by Carver and after emerging from a stormy dressing room the head coach told a packed press conference he felt the former Portsmouth man had been sent off on purpose to get out of the relegation battle.
The former Toon boss said: “Maybe I should not have said it publicly but I was trying to get a reaction from him and the team.
“We were fighting for our lives. I would not do it again, though.
“I have since caught up with Mike and thanked him for some of things he said about me since - he had respect for me and vice-versa.
“In the heat of that moment, though, it was simply trying to get people to react.
“Willo did come back in the team against West Ham and played well.”
More controversy was around the corner for Carver and his squad though - this time after the press conference to preview the home game against West Brom.
With confidence seemingly on the floor, Carver wanted his players to lift their heads.
He started his press conference with: “If I walk around with my face on the floor it is going to affect people around me.
“I still have enthusiasm for it, I try not to take notice of what is going on outside.
“I am a positive guy, I still think I am the best coach in the Premier League.”
Five years on, Carver said: “It was taken out of context altogether.
“What I was trying to do was instil confidence in my players by encouraging them to think they were the best at what they do.
“It was my way of trying to motivate the players to go on to the pitch and believe they were better than the opposition.
“Sadly it was condensed into a 10-second clip and turned into something else.”
Newcastle picked up a point against the Baggies but went into the last two games just two points above the relegation zone.
Survival could have been sealed a week earlier against relegated Queens Park Rangers and things were looking good after Manu Riviere’s first-half goal.
A second-half collapse saw Rangers take a 2-1 win but the blow was softened by news of Hull’s 2-0 loss at Spurs.
After the game, Carver described the situation as “do or die” against West Ham.
He called the players together at the club’s Benton base for a chat at the start of the week and said: “I told the lads this was going to be one of the biggest weeks of their career.
“Some of them had been through relegation in 2009 and that team was remembered for going down.
“I told the lads everybody would want a piece of us that week.
“I told the players to stay away from the TV, from social media and not to watch any other matches. Just focus on our game.” Carver’s mind then moved on to the eve of the game, the players told they would be staying at a hotel on the banks of the Tyne.
Carver said: “Our preparations were normal at the start of the week but we stayed in the Malmaison on the Quayside to ensure we were all together the night before.
“I had a chat with the players in a meeting after breakfast and then I wanted to take them on a walk down the Quayside.
“Normally we would walk away from the city as it might attract too much attention.
“On this occasion I wanted the players to soak the atmosphere up.
“The weather was great and the fans had their Toon shirts on.
“The players were received brilliantly with big hugs and encouragement.
“Once we pulled into the stadium it was strange because, despite the perilous situation we were in, once the bus doors swung open you could sense the positive atmosphere.
“We had had pundits and opposing managers telling us something was not right in the dressing room but I was not seeing that.”
The headline-grabber against West Ham proved to be Gutierrez, with whom Carver had been involved in a passionate exchange on the training field weeks earlier.
However, he was more than happy to hand him his chance to be a hero in what would be his final game for the club.
Carver said: “I knew Jonas was going to have a starring role.
“I told him he would be involved on the Monday.
“It was all geared up for him. He just had to go out and give his best and that was more than enough.”
Moussa Sissoko opened the scoring with a rare headed goal.
Carver added: “I am not sure what Moussa was doing winning headers as he was not renowned for that type of stuff - but it was a great cross from Jonas.
“At 1-0 up I felt as if we were in control.
“Getting the second goal with five minutes to go was important.
“The relief was palpable. Jonas ran to me and we embraced. I was elated, he was smiling back.
“As far as I was concerned there were no issues - his mam and dad came to me and thanked me for putting him back in the team.
“Once he got into a situation where he was ready to play I played him. I had told him he could be the hero and that is exactly how it turned out.”
I knew Jonas was going to have a starring role. It was all geared up for him to go out and give his best
John Carver