Catherdral of Comedy

Another week, another laugh at the expense of the Toon.

Firstly it was Barton and his 6 month jail sentence for being a thug. No doubt he got his just deserts. For me the only decent thing that he's done was to plead guilty. That way at least the indignity of hearing him bleat on about how hard done by he was and about how he has suffered in the public eye, has been spared. Its stopped the name of the club being even further dragged through the mire.

Part of me wonders if the guilty plea was part of a deal to keep him in his job? Undoubtedly Newcastle United have a problem with him. Do they get shot of him (to whom??) or hang onto him and try to rehabilitate. I'd guess that much will depend on what happens with the Dabo case - which is due in June. My view is that we should have never signed him, it didn't take a genius to work out that he'd bring a storm of trouble to the doors of SJP... But the club aren't going to throw away a £6m 'asset'.

Hypocritically, I don't care either way - as I've said before, I wanted him locked up anyway, not for beating bystanders up on the streets of Liverpool, but for masquerading as a Premiership footballer.

The other bit of news this week, was the boardroom reshuffle, with Chris Mort going back to Freshfields. Its worth saying that I recall That Mort was always going to be an interim appointment as Chair... however, if you read the press you'd think this was more signs of boardroom instability... sigh. As far as the public facing part of Mort's job, I think he's been excellent. Dealt with the press without shooting the club in the foot, got rid of Allardyce, steered the club back into private ownership and put in a whole new management structure. I think he's done a good job, so if ever I need my conveyancing done, I'll be sure to ring Chris...

Finally, I've mentioned here before about my dislike for John Terry, both as a footballer and as a man. I've only just managed to wipe the tears from my eyes as a result of the Champions League final... of laughter that is. Thanks for cheering up my week JT.