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Opinion

Mike Williamson is not the Mike Williamson problem

9 years ago
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Mike Williamson is not popular with Newcastle fans.

There, I’ve said it, the black and white cat is out of the bag.

Mike Williamson is the only person not to blame for the Mike Williamson problem at St James Park.

He is what he is, he can’t change that.

Willo is a player who wasn’t very good when he came to the then Championship Newcastle United on 27 January 2010, then despite training every day with (generally) better players he has not improved in any way.

He was a lower league central defender when he came to Newcastle and that’s what he will be when he leaves, whether it is this summer or when his contract (at last!) ends next summer.

His ability is basically to stand and head the ball when it comes near him, plus kick it up the pitch as far as he can when he gets it at his feet.

That is what central defenders do in Leagues One & Two and that is what Mike Williamson does.

That is why whoever Newcastle play, the opposition leave Willo totally unmarked and wait for him to get possession then race towards him and try and produce a mistake or a long hopeful/aimless ball upfield – 9 times out of 10 he obliges.

The point of course is, if every other team can see this, what has been going on at Newcastle United? This is the crux of the Mike Williamson problem.

He goes on the pitch and does his very best, if only all players and off the pitch staff at NUFC did the same.

The fault lies with those responsible for handing him a five and a half year extension on 3 December 2011 and every manager/head coach who has picked him since.

They are the ones at fault for the Mike Williamson problem.

A player who is being asked to do something that is way beyond him, he is like somebody who has won a prize to be a Premier League football player.

Or like one of us if we suddenly found ourself in some real life dream/nightmare where somehow we were asked to play for Newcastle United. You would run around like somebody not right until you had a heart attack or simply collapsed from exhaustion, you would do your best even though you knew it wasn’t good enough.

Asking Mike Williamson to mark Premier League strikers is like asking….John Carver to manager a Premier League team – you are asking for major trouble because the job(s) are way beyond the pair of them.

I love these press stories about Mike Williamson potentially going to Crystal Palace or Aston Villa – talk about wishful thinking!

These stories must have been started by black and white sympathiser journalists, hoping if the made up speculation is repeated enough times then it might come true and Alan Pardew or our mates at Villa Park will find themselves with Willo playing for them.

As it stands, only two players have played more minutes than Mike Williamson in NUFC’s pre season, that is our reality and not the pipe dream of Willo lining up alongside Yohan Cabaye this season.

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