Middlesbrough 0-0 Newcastle: How to sow confusion the Toon way

Joe Kinnear and Mike Ashley must have had a right old knees up this weekend.

Kinnear loses his 'interim' tag, pockets a £600,000 contract to be boss until May, and every time he switches on the radio or television he hears pundits raving about how he has turned the club around.

Excuse me? Eleven points from a possible 27. Two wins out of nine games. OK, he is steering the club out of the rapids, but please spare us the great saviour routine.

For his part, Ashley will have been delighted to read the front-page headline in a local Tyneside newspaper on Saturday which read: "Ashley wins back fans."

Astonishingly, 44 per cent of 1,000 fans polled on The Journal website said it would be acceptable for Ashley to stay in charge of Toon.

So it's pints of London Pride and jellied eels all round.

That's those Geordie fans placated then. Job done. No more of those embarrassing fan demonstrations.

The shabby way Kevin Keegan was treated? Forgotten.

Under-investment in the playing squad? Never mind, we'll muddle through.

Useless Spanish striker purchased against Keegan's will? Well, that was three months ago. The rehabilitation of the Ashley regime appears to be gathering pace.

Blast out a few swear words, blame the media for reporting every cock-up the club makes, label referees as "Mickey Mouse," and you are a hero.

Spread enough mis-information and contradictory statements about what is happening at the club every week and you've got fans fooled.

Thankfully not all of them, though. The newly-formed NUSC, a supporters' club, and Toon fanzines True Faith and The Mag are keeping the pressure on for a regime change. Yet enough appear to have been fooled for Newcastle to be sleepwalking towards a relegation scrap.

The fog that descended on the Riverside Stadium was symptomatic of the confusion many feel on Tyneside. And of the thinking that saw Oba Martins, United's only threat up front, hauled off after 65 minutes to his obvious fury.

He stomped off down the tunnel, refusing to look at Kinnear. It was one of the most bizarre substitutions of the season, but if you tried to address this issue Kinnear would moan that the media are trying to drive a wedge between him and the player.

Kinnear decided not to face any questions and legged it sharpish from the Riverside.

"He has to shoot off," said No.2 Chris Hughton, who has the misfortune to be sent out whenever his boss doesn't fancy it.

Inthe absence of any Kinnear analysis, here is Alan Shearer's verdict: "It was an awful game. A point apiece was probably fair."

Newcastle's players deserve some praise for another spirited defensive display, and a second goalless draw. Young French defender Sebastien Bassong performed admirably.

"He's surprised us," said Hughton.

He added: "It's vital that we win next week against Stoke.

While we've been doing well, wehaven't been picking up the three points that other teams have. The most important thing for us is to do that.

"It's very good news that Joe is staying. Any sign of stability has got to be good news, especially for the players. The most important thing is that this group of lads can see their manager as someone who is going to be there for a period oftime."

Gareth Southgate's men will be disappointed they could not cash-in after creating a host of chances for Afonso Alves.

The Boro chief, who wants to freshen up his squad with "smart" deals in January, said: "In the summer we spent a net £500,000 and that's with taking £7million off the wage bill. I don't see us making big in roads into either of those figures but we would like to strengthen if we can."

Middlesbrough : Turnbull 7, Hoyte 7, Wheater 7, Pogatetz 7, Taylor 7, Aliadiere 6 (Mido 77), Arca 7d, Digard 7, Downing 8, Tuncay 7, Alves 7.

Newcastle : Given 7, Beye 6, Coloccini 7, Bassong 8d, Jose Enrique 6, Gutierrez 6, Guthrie 7, Butt 6, N'Zogbia 6, Martins 7 (Viduka 65, 6), Owen 5.

Referee : Alan Wiley
Attendance : 32,160

YOU THE MANAGER Man Of The Match (Worth an extra two Fantasy League points) Sebastien Bassong (N'CASTLE) 8 Kept Boro at bay and could be crucial to Newcastle's season

VILLAIN OF THE MATCH Michael Owen (N'CASTLE) 5 The injury-prone striker was quietest player on the pitch

ANORAK Nine of the last 11 Tyne-Tees derbies have finished in draws

NEXT THREE GAMES

MIDDLEBROUGH
Saturday: Hull (a) Prem
Sat Dec 13: Arsenal (h) Prem
Sat Dec 20: Fulham (a) Prem

NEWCASTLE
Saturday: Stoke (h) Prem
Sun Dec 14: Portsmouth (a) Prem
Sun Dec 21: Spurs (h) Prem