Newcastle missed trick with Gerrard

WATCHING the second half at Villa Park on saturday, will anyone at newcastle admit they missed a trick with steven gerrard? He is a transformative manager, because he can make transformative signings. Philippe Coutinho came on and, in 15 minutes, changed the game. imagine him, then, at newcastle. We can’t because he was never going to newcastle. Coutinho was thought an expensive risk, on the rebound from Barcelona and Bayern munich, but a reunion with his liverpool team-mate made perfect sense. and, no, it is not Eddie Howe’s fault that he did not play 114 games for his country, that he was not one of the finest footballers in the modern game, that he didn’t transform a Champions league final, an Fa Cup final, almost by sheer will. it is not his fault that the outstanding job he did at Bournemouth will not have greatly registered outside this country with players who might transform a failing season. Yet if newcastle had specifically targeted gerrard, almost certainly Coutinho would be their player now. and they might not have slipped below norwich.