NewcastleBloggers: Recent Episodes
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Recent reports have Newcastle aiming for the sky in January with some top players on their wishlist. The dream scenario is that Newcastle can land such talents as Kieran Trippier, Sven Botman, [...]
The post Newcastle Draw Up Impressive January WishList But Will Have Back-Up Plan In Place – Report appeared first on The Newcastle United Blog.
Newcastle United will need to make room to bring in new signings in the January transfer window but Eddie Howe does not want his players thinking about a move away
Rafa Benitez and Newcastle United fans are set to have their reunion after some two and a half years apart. The Spanish manager forced out by Mike Ashley at the...Rafa Benitez and Newcastle United fans are set to have their reunion after some two and a half years apart. The Spanish manager forced out by Mike Ashley at the...
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An important part of the season is approaching for Newcastle United. Indeed, for most people it is by far THE most important. Ever since the new Newcastle United owners took...An important part of the season is approaching for Newcastle United. Indeed, for most people it is by far THE most important. Ever since the new Newcastle United owners took...
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There is some news this morning that Newcastle have made a loan approach for Manchester City’s Cole Palmer. The 19-year-old attacker has made 9 appearances for The Citizens this term providing 2 [...]
The post Newcastle Knocked Back In Loan Approach For 19-Year-Old – Report appeared first on The Newcastle United Blog.
Cole Palmer was a January target for Newcastle United but after making an approach, have been knocked back. This claim has come from The Athletic, who are normally pretty reliable...Cole Palmer was a January target for Newcastle United but after making an approach, have been knocked back. This claim has come from The Athletic, who are normally pretty reliable...
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David Ginola has been talking about the Newcastle United takeover. The former NUFC star emerging from the Jungle (Welsh castle) to find that things hadn’t dramatically changed when looking at...David Ginola has been talking about the Newcastle United takeover. The former NUFC star emerging from the Jungle (Welsh castle) to find that things hadn’t dramatically changed when looking at...
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We now have another two Premier League matches that have been called off. Thursday afternoon seeing the pair of games postponed. They were both due to be played on Boxing...We now have another two Premier League matches that have been called off. Thursday afternoon seeing the pair of games postponed. They were both due to be played on Boxing...
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What are the new Newcastle United owners up to? They have already been here fully 11 weeks. Quite astonishing they haven’t by now put everything right after 14+ years of...What are the new Newcastle United owners up to? They have already been here fully 11 weeks. Quite astonishing they haven’t by now put everything right after 14+ years of...
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Eddie Howe has given his press conference ahead of Monday’s match against Manchester United. He has provided a timescale on the injuries to Federico Fernandez and Jamal Lewis. Fernandez injured his thigh [...]
The post Howe Provides Update On Injured Duo And Covid Testing appeared first on The Newcastle United Blog.
Eddie Howe had a lot to cover at his latest press conference. The Newcastle United Head Coach speaking four days ahead of playing Man Utd on Monday. Eddie Howe revealing...Eddie Howe had a lot to cover at his latest press conference. The Newcastle United Head Coach speaking four days ahead of playing Man Utd on Monday. Eddie Howe revealing...
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Eddie Howe has been speaking to the media on Thursday morning. The Newcastle United Head Coach talking to journalists ahead of Monday’s match at St James Park. Eddie Howe and...Eddie Howe has been speaking to the media on Thursday morning. The Newcastle United Head Coach talking to journalists ahead of Monday’s match at St James Park. Eddie Howe and...
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Newcastle have two matches remaining before the winter window opens in January. The hope of a positive run to put us in a decent place to attract targets has just never materialized. [...]
The post How Will Newcastle Do Against Manchester United On Monday? appeared first on The Newcastle United Blog.
Marcus Rashford can’t wait for the visit to Tyneside to come around. By the time of Monday’s match, providing it goes ahead…Manchester United will not have played for 16 days....Marcus Rashford can’t wait for the visit to Tyneside to come around. By the time of Monday’s match, providing it goes ahead…Manchester United will not have played for 16 days....
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The term Stockholm Syndrome originated back in the seventies, from a bank siege in the Swedish capital. There have been many incidents of it over the years but a good...The term Stockholm Syndrome originated back in the seventies, from a bank siege in the Swedish capital. There have been many incidents of it over the years but a good...
You can click here to read the full article.
Newcastle United have released images from today’s training session as the lads prepare for Monday night’s match against Manchester United. The big news is that Paul Dummett has finally returned to full [...]
The post Newcastle Release Images As Paul Dummett Returns To Full Training appeared first on The Newcastle United Blog.
The Spurs defender has falling down the pecking order since the arrival of Antonio Conte
The January transfer window will be a vital one for the new Newcastle United and for Eddie Howe. We need at least four good players, better than we have in the current [...]
The post It’s Uplifting How Eddie Howe Operates In The Transfer Market appeared first on The Newcastle United Blog.
Newcastle United owners have turned to head coach Eddie Howe and temporary recruitment consultant Nick Hammond and ChronicleLive has taken a look at how the pair operate in the transfer market
Here is Eddie Howe’s Sky Sports recent interview where he praises the Tyneside area and asked what he thinks about at Christmas – he says “points”. He will be moving his wife [...]
The post Video – Eddie Howe’s Sky Sports Interview – What He Thinks About At Xmas In One Word appeared first on The Newcastle United Blog.
A new name has popped on Newcastle’s radar in Nottingham Forest Academy product Brennan Johnson. This comes from an exclusive by Toby Miles in The Mail, which names Newcastle, Everton, West Ham, [...]
The post Newcastle Join Race For Exciting Young Championship Star appeared first on The Newcastle United Blog.
Newcastle have conceded a league-worst 41 goals this season. If not for Norwich’s paltry return of 8 goals scored, The Magpies would likely also have the worst goal difference. As it stands [...]
The post Newcastle Are One Of Four EPL Clubs Linked With Welsh Defender – Report appeared first on The Newcastle United Blog.
Recent reports from France could forecast a potential problem for January – Newcastle’s ability to attract players. While plenty of money is available to tempt clubs and players alike, our dire league [...]
The post Reports Claim 24-Year-Old Has Rejected Approach From Newcastle appeared first on The Newcastle United Blog.
Newcastle United need to bring in new signings in the January transfer window and Eddie Howe has spoken about working with Steve Nickson and Nick Hammond for the first time
Newcastle have found the back of the net just twice in the last six matches. During that span, we’ve also conceded 14 goals. That’s not exactly a recipe for success. Star striker [...]
The post French Striker Again Emerges As A Winter Target For Newcastle appeared first on The Newcastle United Blog.
Over the weekend, The Sun’s Alan Nixon reported that Newcastle were weighing up a loan offer for Manchester United’s Anthony Martial. The 26-year-old has struggled over the past few seasons and could [...]
The post Newcastle Linked With Unlikely Move For Veteran Striker appeared first on The Newcastle United Blog.
The Magpies have been repeatedly linked with a move for the England international since the completion of the Saudi takeover
This was going to be a post about how I’m quitting Newcastle United. Our blog and podcast stagnated along with the club. Under Mike Ashley, there was nothing to write or say about NUFC that hadn’t been written again and again by ourselves and others. I had a notion that...
So this debacle at Man Utd, the uproar around a team that looks devoid of direction, a team looking like they haven’t been coached. Ex-professionals like Graham Souness saying that at the very least Ole Solskjær needs to bring in some new coaches as whatever they are doing isn’t working. Jamie Carragher saying Ole isn’t the man for the job. This is a team that would have gone 4th with a win against Liverpool. Meanwhile, there’s Newcastle United – 7 wins in 39 games in […]
Steve Bruce may be sacked any time now.
Sky Sports presenter Pete Graves sent out a tweet of two eyes that was quickly deleted.
Looks like Bruce has been sacked. Also just heard the same in the last few minutes
Looks like Bruce has been sacked. Also just heard the same in the last few minutes #NUFC https://t.co/smBP2hSFcz
— Kev Lawson (@Edit_Kev) October 19, 2021
pic.twitter.com/ZZ7rGo0T1q
— Dayvee Gee (@DavidJG00615083) October 19, 2021
pic.twitter.com/ivflOxWGs9
— Dayvee Gee (@DavidJG00615083) October 19, 2021
Rumours are now widespread that the club have sacked Bruce.Watch this space! It could finally be happening!
It's Tuesday afternoon, two days after being beaten and somewhat humiliated by Spurs live on Sky Sports with a very comfortable 3-2 win over Steve Bruce's boys and Bruce with his players are no where to be seen.
They haven't refused access for reporters and fans to enter the training ground or anything, no, no...the team aren't there. They're not training today. They are on a second back to back day off after a match. It beggars belief.
I can not believe what I am seeing here. Just think about it, you've not won a game all season. Your team are unfit. Your team are unorganised. And you spend not one but TWO days sitting on your arse watching Homes under the Hammer? I'm fuming.
The players have been given another day off, so no training again today #NUFC
— NUFC360 (@NUFC360) October 19, 2021
The reason this is so enraging is this isn't a one off. Steve Bruce's team have more days off than the Queen. This was a factor when Ashley was here and it has continued into this new regime.
Where is the blokes pride of work? Where is his logic here? The man is an absolute fraud. A lazy one. You would think he would be putting in the extra hours to impress HIS new employers to give him a good crack at this job wouldn't you? Isn't that what he wants?
🗣️ "I'll have a crack, I'll give it a go."
Steve Bruce addresses the media for the first time since the #NUFC takeover. pic.twitter.com/h0PnKyUIWl
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) October 15, 2021
If this is his best effort in a) impressing his new employers he is the man for the job and b) turning around the team's fortunes than the man isn't fit for purpose. But tbh, we already know that. We already know he should be nowhere near the job...and in his own way he is obliging! Where are you??
To be even more cynical is to suggest he is purposely acting this way, by that I mean downing tools, as he wants to be sacked. He is practically begging for it. Openly goading the owners to push the button and give him is £8m pay off. This is the level of the man.
Newcastle takeover 7/10/21
8/10 - day off
9/10 - day off
10/10 - day off
11/10 - training
12/10 - training
13/10 - day off
14/10 - training
15/10 - training
16/10 - day off
17/10 - game
18/10 - day off
19/10 - day off😡😡😡 what the fuck? 7 days off in 11 days! @NUFC
— Samuel Brown (@sammyb9999ipad1) October 19, 2021
As professional as a teenager forced to do community service. Bunking off whenever he can. Doing the bare minimum. Yet crying like a little bitch whenever he gets the opportunity. The man is clown. 1000 game fraud.
How he is still in the job I have no idea. I don't know what the new owners are waiting for. The rumour is Staveley and Reuben wanted to sack him last week before the Spurs game but didn't recieve the ok from majority owner PIF.
Well, Yasir Al-Rumayyan, our new chairman, was here on Sunday. Literally in the room so why was the decision not given the ok on Sunday night? The whole stadium was calling for "Bruce Out!" so why is he still here 48 hours later? I'm baffled.
Newcastle's new chairman Yasir Al-Rumayyan and owner Amanda Staveley receive a massive reception from the fans ⚪️ ⚫️ pic.twitter.com/6WKFUumi1j
— Football Daily (@footballdaily) October 17, 2021
Sack him. Pay him off and let Graeme Jones take the team for this weekend. He will work the players all week long and give him the best chance of a result as we desperately need it.
Bruce is dead man walking and he knows it. Having two days off training directly after a match that you lost is a total piss take when you haven't won a match all season. He wants to be sacked? Do it. Get rid. He is lingering around like a really bad smell.
Honestly, I am fuming. The team continues to suffer with a lack of fitness (they are knackered in EVERY match) and plan to actually win a game. All because this waste of space is too lazy and selfish to do his job. Get out.
I've seen lots of articles from the sporting and none sporting media, as well as comments flood in from fans of other clubs slating this NUFC takeover and venting directly at Newcastle fans.
Must say, this is all a bit strange. For the record.
We don't like beheadings. We don't accept flogging. We don't approve of stoning people. We don't celebrate journalists being chopped up. We don't laugh at any kind of atrocity.
So why are you telling us about them like we do?
Our football club first and foremost has been relieved of Mike Ashley. Party time. Big party.
Today we've turned down the 30+ media requests. We said our piece yesterday and got the message out there standing up for #nufc fans in local, national and international media.
We are United. #NUFC pic.twitter.com/nljwMuczkd
— Greg Tomlinson (@GregNUST) October 8, 2021
The football club has been chased by Amanda Staveley for 4 years and she chose the PIF as her big backer.
She, for what it's worth, doesn't like or approve of any atrocities either.
This is a business and she has put together a business deal that the PL have (finally) accepted. A legal agreement is in place that shows seperation from the KSA and we crack on.
📸 Amanda Staveley and @ghodoussi get to work as they met with #NUFC staff at St. James' Park earlier today.
⚫️⚪️ pic.twitter.com/BPU76o417P
— Newcastle United FC (@NUFC) October 8, 2021
You may think that seperation between PIF and KSA is bogus. You may think lots of things. But to judge, ask questions of or blatantly decide you now dislike Newcastle and its fans is just a bit weird.
The easiest thing to counter is to offer you're a bit jealous and salty about it. But let's say you're not. Your anger needs to be directed at the following:
The Premier League, Amanda Staveley and Mike Ashley.
They are the ones who have made this business transaction happen. No one else. Not Newcastle fans.
Don't get me wrong. Some will be sportwashed beyond help and will embarrass the club somewhat (already seeing it before this deal landed). Nothing the rest of us can do unfortunately. Just have to stomach it.
'Newcastle can hope for top four, but realistically all the loss of their soul has bought them is a chance at the Europa league and the scorn of all other fans everywhere.' #Mailbox #NUFChttps://t.co/wC3ecuhqfd
— Football365 (@F365) October 9, 2021
But to see some of the things being thrown at all NUFC fans is pretty ridiculous.
PIF have invested in many companies across the globe. Having a go at Newcastle fans, judging them & asking them about the KSA makes as much sense as:
Dragging a passenger out of an Uber and asking how he feels about KSA human rights record.
Going through an airport and demanding what people waiting for their Boeing 747 plane to arrive are doing and asking them about KSA public flogging.
Stopping Barbara from sipping on her Starbucks and demanding she tell you her feelings on KSA attitude towards women.
Nobody would because that's a bit mental. PIF have bought into those and many other companies and yet here we are (it will likely fade) seeing NUFC supporters getting this treatment. Pretty bizarre if you take a step back and think about it.
By all means ask us about player recruitment being funded by oil money if you like. That has more relevance. But the murder of a journalist? You're asking the wrong crowd, mate.
(Some of PIF's investments as of March 2020)
It's also a clear case of picking and choosing. Not one single person in the media asked Newcastle fans what they thought of Mike Ashley's Victorian working conditions at the Sports Direct HQ and staff having to give birth in the toilets.
No radio presenter on BBC radio 4, or TalkSport for that matter, got Kevin from Gosforth opinion on that, because it had nowt to do with NUFC. It was Ashley and his issues. We were associated with him but in a completely separate entity.
You cant pick and choose which outside events are to be used to beat football fans with. Football things for football fans.
Footballers taking the knee? Yea fair. Politicians attacking PL players wages? Maybe. Middle East Country treatment of its people? What?
Ask the PL if you like. They may tell you PIF and KSA are separate. Well, they definitely will. If you wanna judge that badly, go ahead.
But do us a favour. Don't be judging a bunch of football club supporters. It's all a bit weird.
Enjoy your next Boeing flight, Facebook update and Disney movie. Genuinely, guilt free. What the KSA do has nowt to do with you enjoying those things. Also, enjoy the Newcastle game.
Ashley has gone and almost have to pinch myself. I’m excited for my beloved Newcastle United but also understand the worries about human rights.
My column on #NUFCtakeover for @TheAthleticUK https://t.co/hQjac5jyqC
— Alan Shearer (@alanshearer) October 8, 2021
Like loads of other United fans, I switched off from the outside world on Thursday and sat all day glued to Sky Sports News waiting for updates on the potential takeover of Newcastle United by Amanda Staveley’s consortium. Also like other fans after four long years of Wor Mandy’s fight to take over and so many past setbacks and let-downs in this particular story I was hoping and praying that this time it would be different. This time it would be good news. This time, […]
Well, United’s game against Man U yesterday came and went. The result was pretty much what most United fans had feared, but the 4-1 scoreline flattered Man U, mainly down to the untypical mistakes of our 3rd choice goalie Freddie Woodman. Our overall performance – in the first half in particular – was probably better than we expected. The midfield worked well as a unit with Almiron tirelessly covering every blade of grass and Longstaff getting back to his best showing why he has to […]
Well, yesterday saw United play West Ham in our first game of the 21/22 season. The return of the crowds to football which somehow is allowed under the Eton Mess’s strange and illogical “road map” meant that United fans could once again fill St James’ Park to watch the Toon. And a crowd of 50,673 duly turned up to witness the unfolding events. As usual, opinions vary amongst our fans about how this season will go and where we will finish up in the EPL […]
3.00am Alarm goes off I think to myself should I just turn over and have an extra half hour? No, I get up and put the Coffee on as my taxi is booked for 4.20am to take me to St James Park for the bus pick up at 5am. Anyway after a gruelling coach journey of 6hrs 15mins we arrived in London, Parliament Square and met up with others who had travelled down independently. Then at 1.00pm, we unfurled all the flags and banners with […]
Are we safe yet? That’s the question most United fans are concerned about. Have we done enough to stay in the Premier League so that we can spend another dreary, wasted season under the clueless Ashley and Bruce? Well, before the Arsenal result yesterday, I reckon most of us were quite confident. We’d had a mini-run of better results and had hauled ourselves 9 points clear of 3rd bottom Fulham. And this belief was reinforced when, as expected, Fulham lost to Chelsea. That mini-run of […]
Thursday 8th April 2021 could one day prove to be a major milestone in the history of Newcastle United, and in particular the club’s magnificent but long-suffering fans. It is the day on which the Newcastle United Supporters Trust (NUST) announced a significant initiative – the 1892 Pledge inviting fans to band together to build up over time a fund which would be used to buy a stake in the club should Mike Ashley eventually sell to a new owner. Worth noting that this is […]
So, the Saudis have pulled out of the takeover deal. Some say it's a stunt or a tactic, if so, they didn't tell Amanda Staveley who was in tears on the phone to one of our top NUFC dedicated journalists.Chances are any talk of it being a stunt is misguided, as the fact is they weren't getting anywhere with the Premier League, they never felt wanted, so they pulled out. Lots of fans have reacted with outrage and shock and have attacked the Premier League verbally over this takeover failure but have they actually asked properly why it failed?"The Premier are corrupt!" some scream. They got the hashtag #PremierLeagueIsCorrupt trending on Twitter and many were lapping it up. Someone showed a picture of that hashtag tattoed on themselves. If true, they are a mental case.
I agree with Newcastle fans #PremierLeagueIsCorrupt
— kieron macdonald (@kieronmacdonal4) August 2, 2020
But they don't quite go as far as that fruitcake who was filming himself down at the PL HQ offices badgering PL receptionists and staff, asking if Richard Masters was at home. Embarrassing. The look on the receptionists face who was polite enough to give him the light of day said it all, cringeworthy.He promised to keep going back with updates but as I write this, he has already given up. So 24 hours that campaign lasted for and comments of support he was getting on Twitter was skin crawling. "You are doing a great job" some would say. Doing what? Making up stories?According to this clown, Richard Masters sneaked away from the building under heavy guard using a back entrance so he didn't have to face him. None of this on camera of course, just in his mind. Who is he stalking? The President of the United States.I would say give it a rest pal but it seems he already has. His latest post said he isn't going to PL today (he has only been once!) and instead he is going around London trying to find "famous people" he can film and I assume ask awkward questions to? Who the hell knows. Crack pot.
Here we go again. pic.twitter.com/c9zuQgG9rY
— Tyler (@HaddawayMan) August 4, 2020
Going back to the question of have the fans actually asked why the Saudis have got nowhere with the PL and why are they pulling out? Are they actually interested in the reality of the situation or are they more interested in petitions and hashtags?Oh, very quickly, that petition has managed to gain almost 100k signatures which is some going but has anyone actually read it? I laughed out loud when in the opening paragraph states the petition is 'requesting a government investigation into why the takeover failed.'A government investigation? Are you being serious? By whom? Boris himself? Jacob Rees-Mogg? Theresa May isn't as busy these days. You've lost your minds. Tyneside has finally snapped. Or was it always off it's head and this is just exposing it?If you wanna know why the Saudis haven't got anywhere with the PL and have pulled out, then I will tell you. It's pretty straight forward to be honest. You see, the Saudi state have been stealing the PL product for years and the PL know it. The WTO confirmed it to the world with their report.
...& this is PL boss Richard Masters to MPs last month: “What the PL wants to do off the back of the WTO report & our own efforts & the efforts of other sports is for Saudi Arabia to respond positively to the situation & to allow sports rights holders to protect their rights.”
— Matt Slater (@mjshrimper) July 31, 2020
So, the PL don't like that. In fact, they hate it. They hate it beyond anything else. You may be able to get away with murdering a reporter in your own Embassy but steal PL rights and give them away for free? No, no. The PL won't stand for that carry on, at all.With this the PL played a blinder. You see what they will do is use their own owners and directors test how they see fit. So what they did is they asked PIF to provide a member of the Saudi state to sit on the board of directors at NUFC so they would be O&D tested.Once tested they would fail on two counts. 1) they have been shown to be stealing PL rights based on the respectable WTO report. Fail. 2) they have been strongly accused of murder by Amnesty International and many others. Fail.Part two of the plan is to put the issue back into PIF hands. They either comply and fail the test or refuse and eventually walk away. Part two has happened and PL are well happy as they haven't needed to make a decision. Jobs and good un.
BREAKING: The Saudi-backed consortium led by Amanda Staveley has formally withdrawn it’s bid to buy Newcastle United. They say the amount of time the takeover has taken, coupled by global uncertainty, has forced them to pull out of the deal #NUFCTakeover
— Keith Downie (@SkySports_Keith) July 30, 2020
Now, you may not like that as a NUFC fan but put yourselves, if you can, in the PL point of view. A country has been stealing your product from one of your major partners and giving it away for free. How would you feel about this country or more specifically, this state, this Kingdom? Would you like them?Would you welcome them with open arms if they wanted to buy into one of your members and join the exclusive 20 party membership that is the Premier League? The answer is no, you wouldn't. To pretend otherwise is disingenuous. Have the Premier League made it very difficult for the Saudis to buy in? Yes. Impossible? No, I wouldn't say so. Money can still talk and if PIF wanted in, then they would have to make the PL an offer they simply couldn't refuse. What that is I couldn't say but they haven't made such offer and the deal is off.As for us fans, we need to move on. Signing petitions and creating hashtags may feel like it's constructive but it isn't. You may feel like going down to PL HQ and annoying receptionists is fun but it won't help our cause. In fact, I would say it will harm it.If PCP and Amanda Staveley believe in their project and the club then they need to come up with a new plan. A new major backer. My initial thoughts are can PCP convince the Reuben Bros to go all in and own the club themselves, well 90%, and take it from there?
Newcastle takeover: Reuben brothers second richest family in UK worth £18bn, Chelsea fans and own super yacht worth £54m https://t.co/d17EGiUWBI
— The Sun - Newcastle (@SunNewcastle) January 29, 2020
It will be a slower build but these lads are the second wealthiest family in the country. They are richer than Roman Abramovich, so they aren't short of a few bob. They already own property in the North East, as we know, as well things like the Racecourse.I can't see why they are so against ownership but who knows, maybe they aren't. Maybe they were happy for the Saudis to be the big cheese, seeing as they dwarfed every other football club owner by a long way and would take their 10% returns.Now PIF is out, 90% return sounds a lot better if this club reaches its potential. Make no mistake about that. This club can be worth a billion if you get it right and it won't need an entire Kingdoms money to do it. If Spurs can do it, so can NUFC.So first step, try and get Reuben Bros to go for it. If not, find a new major backer to get this club out of the hands of Mike Ashley once and for all. Find me on Twitter @TheGingerPirlo_
Another home defeat for the Toon with another two goals conceded. We had never started a season losing our first four home games in a row, but that stat has well and truly gone. We are in dire straits.Jamie Vardy converted a softly awarded penalty before Harry Maguire sealed our fate late in the second half, as the England heroes put us to the sword. I don’t even remember the last time we had an England hero, that tells its own story.I joined Football Index last month and I have genuinely made hundreds. If you want to try it for yourself follow this link and deposit at least £20 and send me a message on Twitter @TheGingerPirlo_ for any advice. I will help you get started.Mike Ashley was in the crowdWe had an extra guest in the stadium on Saturday afternoon in the rotund shape of Mike Ashley. The Newcastle Utd owner has had the nerve to show his face at two games in a row now, after he sneaked into watch us at Palace last week. How 50,000 angry and disillusioned Geordies can allow this man a) into the stadium, b) tolerate him sat there with his mates with a fat clueless grin on his face and c) let him get back out the stadium with all of his limbs still attached is completely beyond me.This man is overseeing Rafa Benitez walking away to a top job somewhere else and this football club going back down to the Championship for which it may not return for a very long time. We are in crisis mode and all the fans can do is sing “stand up if you hate Ashley”.This lad is not a comic book villain you love to hate. This man is killing this football club and needs to be removed asap. Don’t sing songs about him. I won’t go into details, but the fans job is to make this man know under no uncertain circumstances that it’s time to cut and run. Now.Long hard seasonLast seasons 10th place finish looks like an absolute miracle compared to this year. We have similar players but look a shadow of the side that managed to beat Man Utd, Chelsea and Arsenal. We are without doubt one of the three worst teams in the league.I can’t see how we can win any match at the moment. We can’t score goals and unlike last season, we can’t keep them out either. What makes it 10 times worse is we are looking elsewhere at Mitrovic banging them in for fun and Dwight Gayle helping West Brom storm the Championship. These two strikers were part of our team that helped us get in the PL and Gayle especially, helped us stay there. Yet some genius thought it was a better idea to have Rondon and Muto instead. Absolutely ridiculous.Rondon doesn’t have a decent record at PL level and Muto was an average forward in the Bundesliga. Whereas Dwight Gayle may not be the PL best striker himself, but at least we know what we are getting when he is in the line-up. We are desperate for goals and don’t look like getting any soon.January businessLooking back at our 10 years of Ashley, the only time he lets the club spend money in January is when it looks like it might be relegated. A couple of years ago when we did go down, we made a desperate attempt to prevent it by bringing in Shelvey, Townsend and Saivet. It was too little too late.A few years before this we went on a booze cruise across the channel and brought in five French players all in one go. We managed to stay up that year and baguette sales went through the roof. This year I suspect something similar might happen. Partly because its obvious we need players, and secondly because Rafa will demand it like he has never demanded it before. If he doesn’t get it, there will be massive trouble.
Mike Ashley has done a lot of things at Newcastle. Most of it inconceivable to a Newcastle fan. But his latest venture in making Rafa Benitez' time on Tyneside untenable tops the lot.
The question is why is he doing what he is doing? Why is he blatantly refusing to support him and not making every effort to keep him here for years to come?Some say it's perhaps there is a possible sale of the club in the offing so for him to spend any money isn't in his interest, nor is the future of the club. This is wide of the mark IMO. Others say it's because he refuses to allow a manager with one year left on his contract to spend money on players and then leave at the end of the year, which would then leave a scenario of a new manager wanting his own players. This is closer to the mark IMO.But even this doesn't really make sense as the ONLY way Rafa would sign a new deal is if the club back him. Not the other way round that Ashley wants it. If you sign a deal, then we will spend...promise. Despite our diabolical record of doing so. Rafa is not so stupid to lock himself into a no-win situation, again.Mike Ashley is a stubborn clueless fool who only plays by his own rules based on the fact it has served him well in creating the UK's biggest sports retailer, so in his head, why change?Well isn't it obvious why you should change? If you have the record Ashley has over the past 10 years as NUFC owner, whatever mindset you had must be torn up and start again, This should have been done years ago, never mind now.If you have been making terrible mistakes and nonsense decisions time & time & time again, then at some point you basically give up trying to make decisions and let someone else do it.That person should be Rafa Benitez. Ashley has a hard time trusting people. He tends to trust morons and con artists like Llambias, Jimenez, Kinnear, Wise etc. Which says a lot about his character.Ashley should be feeding off Rafa and listening to his plans and be helping him build his project. The man clearly knows what he is doing. It's obvious. Look at his career!But no. Ashley refuses to be playing second fiddle to some Spanish manager who thinks he's special. It's his club so he calls the shots. Total ego-maniac moron. The lack of ambition inside the walls of the boardroom is frightening. Terrifying in fact.Imagine having a manager whose last job was Real Madrid and has the trophies he has on his CV and not trust him to make signings when we were in the Championship not long ago?Imagine not allowing him to do what he wants to do? Unthinkable to anyone with a brain. Or to anyone with true ambition. Charnley, Bishop and Barnes are not fit for purpose.All men hired by Ashley are idiots and con men. This massive stain on Ashley's character is the biggest issue NUFC have had and continued to have. We never have the right men in place where it counts.We have a thoroughbred horse of a manager in the stable but his keeper doesn't know how or even want to feed him and his trainer can't be bothered to keep him fit. His owner nowhere to be seen and deprives him of what he needs. So will he fulfil his potential? Of course not.Newcastle need a new owner. Once they do this will bring a new chairman, CEO etc and finally the manager can be able to do his job. There is only one way this happens and it's if Ashley sells up.Two things can create a sale. Someone comes along from no where and pays a fee Ashley can't refuse or Ashley lowers his price and looks for a sale himself.The fans have a job to force Ashley's hand. A half empty stadium speaks volumes. Disrupt his Sports Direct stores, this will also send a message to him "directly". The fans must try to force Ashley to sell as a random billionaire coming along has much chance of a Euromillions win for you or me.The fans must do their part. To continue to just fill out the stadium and carry on regardless will do nothing. Rafa will leave in the summer and Ashley will remain to do whatever he wants.Ashley is a small time, cheap, unambitious, pig-headed, clueless, stubborn fool. He must be removed for Newcastle to ever reach its potential. This is a fact.The Ginger Pirlo
Newcastle Utd are set to sign their second Asian player in a matter of weeks with Yoshinori Muto on his way to Tyneside from Japan to complete his medical. This follows the free transfer of Ki Sung-Yeung from Swansea.
This raises some questions of what is the sudden interest in Asian players, considering that before these signings Newcastle had never had an Asian player in their history? Ever.
Now I am not saying these aren't good players and won't do well for us. They might. However, if you take a look at our new shirt I think the main answer is staring us in the face.
As of last season, NUFC gained a new shirt sponsor from the awful Wonga debacle to the new and 'funky' Fun88bet.com who are an Asian online betting company. So I don't think it really requires an investigation from Sherlock to work out where I sudden interest in Asian players has come from.
Now, I am not saying investing in Asian players to make moves into the Asian market is a bad thing, in fact I have been asking why Newcastle haven't done this in the past as it's easy money to be made with the right player on the books.
However, given our massive restraints in signing football players, especially ones that Rafa Benitez wants, if we are in anyway signing footballers for mainly commercial reasons to appease our main sponsor, then more serious questions need to be asked of this Ashley establishment.
I personally have analysed Bundesliga matches for two seasons as part of my job as a performance analyst and I can sum up what I have seen of Muto as; he is ok. Nothing special. So, to spend just under £10 million on him would be a massive punt on our part.
If Muto ends up being our only investment in the forward line come the start of the season then Lee Charnley deserves to be hauled up in front of parliament never mind a petition. Muto at best will serve as competition for Ayoze Perez in the no.10 position. He is not a prolific goalscorer by any stretch.
I am still of the belief that once Mitrovic is sold to Fulham we will bring in a No.9, most likely Rondon from West Brom but I will put nothing past our administration in leaving any sale until deadline day and we end up with no replacement.
However, sticking on point, Fun88 bet will be extremely happy with our two Asian signings and no doubt they will both be front and centre of all our commercial campaigns this season as they promote the bright blue Fun88 logo with pride.
It just so happens Keisuke Honda is available on a free transfer and reminded everyone of his quality in the World Cup so don't be surprised if Charnley has made an enquiry to his agent.
I am just surprised he hasn't brought in Southampton's Maya Yoshida instead of Fabian Schar...
All hail Fun88.com. Bet now!
Newcastle Utd are at a crossroads.
Ashley and Rafa have drawn their line in the sand on how this football club moves forward.
On the side are the fans, they have a choice and must make a decision on which side of the line they want to be on.
Ashley side of the line is to carry on regardless, filling out the stadium and accepting lack of investment in the team.
Rafa's side is to make a stand against this nonsense and refuse to accept it. This choice is the most obvious, however, is the most difficult to make. As it would require some harsh actions...
Ashley's side of just carrying on regardless in this mindless fashion of sitting motionless in back seat of a car as it rolls down a hill towards the edge of a cliff is pathetic.
Two things are set in stone in the current climate. Rafa Benitez WILL leave in the current state of play at the end of the season and there WILL be anger and uproar when it happens.
So my question is very straightforward. If we know both these things WILL happen, why wait? Why are 50,000 people buying the new shirt, filling out the stadium and waiting for inevitable?
What are they mindless, cowardly sheep?
I have witnessed and lived through every situation under Ashley in the past 10 years but I have to say this latest one is showing badly on the fans more than him.
We all know what Ashley is by now. A cheap, ignorant and unfathomable moron when it comes to his understanding of running a football club. He doesn't know what he is doing.
He only understands a handful of things. A premier league team, with passionate supporters filling out a 53,000 seater stadium with his Sports Direct banners all over it promotes his baby.
That is it. That's why he is here.
So fans must realise that they have it in their power to get rid of him? Surely?
If you want rid of Ashley then don't fill out the stadium. It's that simple. An empty stadium on a Premier League level embarrasses him. It embarrasses the logos surrounding the empty seats.
This embarrassment is the only message that will get through to him. Bed sheets spray painted with small cliche messages don't get through to him. He laughs at you. You know why? Because you paid him the privilege of getting into the stadium and paying for your seat.
The situation of Mike Ashley vs The People of Newcastle has come to a head now. It must be resolved. The fans have a direct choice.
Continue to fill out the stadium, sell out the £65 new kit and try to enjoy Rafa Benitez last season as manager.
Or
Kick up a fuss and refuse to take your seat or buy the new kit and make Ashley realise once and for all what he needs to do. He needs to go.
Once Ashley enters serious and genuine negotiations to sell the club, then the Toon Army can flock back into the stadium to support Rafa and his boys.
It's short-term pain for long-term gain.
Newcastle fans have the power in their hands to end this nonsense and save the club from inevitable doom.
The only way forward is with Rafa. The only way to keep Rafa is if Ashley goes. The only way Ashley will go is if the one thing keeping him here is killed. That one thing is passionate match day support to a worldwide audience that actively promotes his sweatshop.
Once he goes, the new owner will invest in the team and in Rafa and we will be free to reach our potential.
If he stays, Rafa will leave, some average manager will come in and we will go round the same old wheel of misfortune all over again.
It's your choice lads and lasses. Make it.
DontTakeYourSeats #DontBuyTheShirt
Ginger Pirlo (I've not stepped foot in St James nor bought a kit for 10 years now. It really isn't that hard knowing it's for the greater good)
Fernando Hierro has left the Spanish football federation and with it leaves the Spain job open for a new manager and beginning.
Rafa Benitez name has been linked and dismissed by many as nothing but paper talk. However, when you consider it logically, it makes sense.
Spain have been horrendous in the last two World Cups since becoming champions of the world in 2010. Dumped out in the group stage in 2014 and embarrassingly losing to Russia in 2018.
Defensively they were shocking and in attack they were several lacking in cutting edge as they pass, pass, passed the ball around side to side seemingly for the sheer sake of it.
Their midfield maestro's of Xavi and Iniesta are now gone and Cesc Fabregas won't be around come the next World Cup and wasn't even picked in the squad for Russia.
What Spain need is a new generation and with it a new style. Tiki-taka looks like yesterday's style and boringly out of date. They also don't have the right players to do it.
When you have Diego Costa up front then passing the ball around for fun is not going to get the best out of him. Going slightly more direct is just what the doctor ordered.
They have young players like Asensio who is full of pace and full of running. Iago Aspas is in a similar mould. They need a manager who will carry the transition from purely possession based football to effective football. Rafa Benitez could be the perfect fit.
He will build their team from back to front and make sure they are defensively sound first and foremost. He will also pick and develop the players that will do the best job to do the end goal; win.
Rafa also has an incredible record in cup tournaments. Champions League, UEFA Cup, FA Cup & Italian Cup are on his CV. He knows how to win. Plus he is obviously one other thing. Spanish.
Not just Spanish but a boy from Madrid who would be nothing but proud to take control of his country. He cried tears of joy when appointed Real Madrid manager. He would do the same as Spanish national coach.
As a Toon fan, I clearly don't want it to happen right now as he has a job to do building my club into something special. But if Mike Ashley messes him around over the next few weeks of the transfer window, it could be an offer to good to turn down.
Let's hope Spain don't ask....
Just a word on the Mitrovic situation.
Mitro has not been given one league start all season. The one game he did start was in the League cup and scored. He mugged off Joe Hart in a Premier League game whilst scoring, elbowed someone and seemed shunned for it.
| | | On fire |
His (basically) replacement Joselu has been nothing short of terrible in front of goal this season. He had a 7 game spell where he started each game but scored in none of them. Yet Mitro was not brought in to end this nonsense.Joselu has only 4 goals to his name in 20 appearances. One of those goals was the ridiculous ricochet against Liverpool and two were open goals. Mitro was only two goals behind despite no starts and a handful of appearances which were mainly 10 to 20-minute spell at the end of games.Mitrovic has gone to Fulham on loan and has already bagged 5 in 4 games. He is actually Newcastle Utd's top scorer with 7 goals...Sheff Utd boss said the following after he tore their defence apart, "Mitro is too good for the Championship and should be playing for Newcastle. He is a £15m Premier League striker who is going to the World Cup."Whereas Joselu hasn't started any of Newcastle's last four games or had many minutes off the bench since ironically the 31st January, deadline day, where he missed a penalty and missed a massive chance against Burnley to seal all three points. We ended up dropping two points that day.Rafa Benitez may be a lot of things. He may have a lot of trophies. But if Newcastle Utd are relegated this season by a point or two, than Rafa Benitez will be 100% responsible. 100%.
I want to make it this perfectly clear so everyone understands this. It won't be Ashley's fault. It won't be Lee Charnley. It won't be Amanda Staveley. It will be Rafa's. Ashley gave Rafa a shorthand this season, no doubt about it. Rafa moaned every week at the lack of quality to choose from and rightly so.
| | | Useless |
However, he has refused to select arguably our best all-round striker for the entire campaign, who no doubt would have scored and created more goals than Joselu and would have put more points on the board to have kept this club up.Make no mistake about it. Don't be confused. This is pretty much a cast iron fact
when you look at the young Serbian tearing up the Championship and dragging his country to the World Cup.Rafa Benitez hasn't properly explained his decision as to why he has made our clubs job a whole lot harder in trying to stay in this league. Quotes of 'not working hard enough in training' or 'he doesn't fit tactically' are weak explanations to say the least.
Especially when you consider just how dire Joselu was and still is with his
supposed extra ability to run more in training and tactical efficiency. Plus speaking of tactics, I could go on about how Rafa's over-cautious approach in home games has also cost us this season but that's for another day.
| | | Bye and good luck |
If we go down. Rafa will walk off into the sunset to a top job and restart a project for himself somewhere else, whereas it will be the Newcastle fans who are left to pick up and deal with the unimaginable shhouse he left behind.Explaining himself isn't even the start of it.Mitro's on fire and Newcastle don't have a pot to ps in. Work that one out. And people say beggars can't be choosers.@ToonBano
There have been some weird transfers over the years. Some that just didn't make sense at the time and seem even worse when you look back. Here are some that stick in my mind: GK: Edwin Van Der Sar - Juve to Fulham.
The whole thing was just weird. Clearly too good for them. Eventually made his move to Man U and won it all. What's unreal is he was at Fulham for FOUR years. What a total waste of time.RB: Mat Debuchy - Newcastle to Arsenal.
May not seem that weird but as a Newcastle fan, we couldn't believe Arsene Wenger paid us twice as much as we did for him, to take him off our hands. He's done nothing at Arsenal and none of us are surprised. Weird.
(I also have to mention Julian Faubert from West Ham to Real Madrid on loan. Very strange one)CB: Laurent Blanc - Inter to Man Utd.
Seriously this one was weird for the entire time he was there. He was clearly too old and contributed to Fergie's worst ever season in the Premier League. So ridiculous. CB: David Luiz - PSG to Chelsea.
This one was weird right? No-one could understand it. He then helped them win the league. So weird. He's now not in the team. Not so weird.LB: Mikael Silvestre - Man Utd to Arsenal.
I found this one just very strange. I couldn't get my head around it. Fergie never sells to a rival, so he must have been past it, but he wasn't that bad, which made it all just weird.CM: Thomas Gravesen - Everton to Real Madrid.
Has there ever been a weirder permanent transfer? He actually played as well. Twilight zone.CM: Edgar Davids - rocks up at Barnet.
This wasn't a transfer and he was player-manager (kind of) but come on. Edgar Davids playing for Barnet? Weirdo.CM: Ivan Campo - Real Madrid to Bolton.
I could have put Fernando Hierro in this team or even Djorkaeff but Campo was still in his prime and had only recently stopped polishing his Champions League medal. He would spend six years at Bolton. Six.FW: Nicolas Anelka - Fenerbahce to Bolton.
PSG, Arsenal, Real Madrid, Man City, Fenerbahce, Bolton, Chelsea, wait what? If Anelka were to go for a job interview, he would need to explain the gap in his CV for that 2-year spell at Bolton Wanderers. How? Why?FW: George Weah - Milan to Chelsea.
This was just weird. It's like it never happened but it did and I for one can't forget it. George Weah was a mirage, a mysterious idol to be watched only on Football Italia, winning World player of the year. Not struggling to play up front with Chris Sutton. No. No. No.FW: Ian Rush & John Barnes - Leeds & Liverpool to Newcastle.
First off, these are two players so technically makes my XI a 12 man team. However, they came at the same time and given their ability at their respective ages, they just about make up one players worth.
As a Toon fan, I watched Kevin Keegan sign Ferdinand & Ginola in 1995 and almost won us the league. I then saw Kenny Dalglish sell them both in 1997 & replace them with over the hill Ian Rush & John Barnes. What? I know they say 'sign what you know' but this destroyed our team and put the club back for years. Perhaps forever. Why Kenny? Why? Utter nonsense.
Follow me on Twitter @ToonBano
Now that the January window has slammed shut. Let's take a look at how much clubs spent on their squad and also net spend, for the season as a whole.
Newcastle Utd are the second lowest spenders with only £36 million being spent on permanent transfers. Only Bournemouth have spent less with £30 million.Now, you could put the Cherries spend into context, in that they sold nobody and gave Defoe a massive contract & signing on fees for his 'free' transfer, so could be seen as more than £30m, but there we are.If you look at Net spend (everyone's fave) then there are 6 clubs below Newcastle in the "table" who themselves had a net spend of a putrid £11m.They are Liverpool, West Ham, Burnley, Arsenal, Swansea and Southampton. Now, let's look into that for all of two seconds.Coutinho £146m, Ayew £18m, Michael Keane £30m, Oxlade-Chamberlain £35m, Sigurdsson £45m and Van Dijk £75m.
Each of those clubs had at least one major sale which drove down their net spend massively. Some had more than one.Whereas Newcastle didn't. They sold their prized assets last season after relegation. The only option they had this year was to spend.To put this into some context, if you look at fellow promoted teams in Brighton & Huddersfield who also have no prizes assets to sell.They spent £57m & £49m respectively, with total net spends of £57m & £43.5m. This places them 5th and 8th in the net spend table.This is where you would expect them to be given their lack of selling power. Brighton sold nobody for eg.
All of this means one thing. Mike Ashley has drastically under-funded his business that he is supposedly looking to sell.To the point that if NUFC were to go down, it will be worth half as much and he will have cost himself millions.He will also be unable to receive the total amount he has invested in his time at the club. Around £250m. So he will have lost money if and when he sells.In the last two occasions that NUFC have gone down, he has been obliged to pump in his own money into the club to keep it running. The only time he has ever spent something himself.
"Newcastle United owner Mike Ashley has loaned the club £33m to help it cope with the effects of relegation. ... The £33m loan has been made available through St James Holdings Ltd" - The Chronicle, 6th Jan 2017
So even if he doesn't sell, he will cost himself millions by needing to spend to keep it running and there is no guarantee the club will bounce back up.So to conclude, not only will relegation mean the business he is trying to sell will be worth half as much than if it were in the Premier League, but it will cost him a fortune to keep it running...again.People say Mike Ashley is a sound businessman. They base this totally on his supposed wealth and Sports Direct.When it comes to running a football club, he is arguably the dumbest owner in football history.At least when other idiots make mistakes, they sell up and leave. The bloke has been here for 11 years!!!
He has learned nothing over that time. Nothing. What kind of a moron would act the way he acts over and over again? How dumb can you be?He said if he couldn't find a buyer before Christmas he would invest in January, he lied. He spent nothing.He said he turned PCP's £250m offer for the club down because he has other people willing to pay the £350m. He lied, he doesn't.The man is a compulsive liar and has been proved to be so in court when Keegan took him to trial.Yet, amongst all of this, his chosen mouthpiece in Sky still hire people like Craig Bellamy, Simon Jordan and Dennis Wise, plus others, to tell the viewing nation he has done a great job and that they really like him.It's a disgrace that this man isn't known throughout the world of football for exactly what he is. A liar and a terrible football club owner. One of the worst, if not THE worst in history.
Follow me on Twitter @ToonBano
After an extended break because of a holiday that our listeners from outside the US don't celebrate, the podcast is back! This week, Tom, Phil, and Matt decide to take some shots at the recent managerial decisions made by Rafa Benítez (while acknowledging, of course, that his presence over the...
NUFC may have had the weekend off, but the podcast never rests! (Unless you count last week, when there wasn't one. Though we did record a show that ended up being unusable...so we didn't rest!) This week, Phil, Tom, and Matt slide right past the 1-0 defeats against Burnley and...
After a breathtaking, thrilling, action-packed 1-0 win against Crystal Palace...so exciting, in fact, that only one of us watched it...the pod crew is back once again to talk all things NUFC. First, Tom and Phil cede the heavy lifting of the Palace recap to NBC Sports Gold subscriber Matt. Branching...
After a very sad international break for all of us here in the States, the pod is back! Phil and Matt, the most prepared hosts in the business, who never flub the intro multiple times or have weird audio issues, break down the two main stories involving Newcastle United this...
As a Newcastle fan, it is obvious our window was beyond a joke built up of lies and misery. However, I just want to make clear to everyone how either incompetent our administration is or how scumbaggery they are towards our official 'UEFA Elite Coach' Rafa Benitez. Or perhaps they are both.
We had in place a deal for Chelsea left back Kenedy sorted TWO WEEKS AGO but it could only be finalised once Chelsea brought in a first team wing back themselves. Fine.
Oxlade-Chamberlain was their first choice but that fell through on Deadline Day morning as he joined Liverpool. So, my amazing club concluded that the Kenedy deal was off.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has signed for Liverpoolhttps://t.co/VYn2yCcDcQ— Arsenal FC (@Arsenal) August 31, 2017
Now, this is where some serious explaining needs to happen, as at 2.30pm Chelsea agreed a fee for Zappacosta in light of missing out on the Ox. The whole football world knew this as the fact he had Costa in his name brought great attention. So, the Kenedy deal to NUFC is back on right? Apparently no.
Despite there being a good eight hours or so for Newcastle to get in contact with Chelsea and sort out arrangements for Kenedy making his way to the North East in anticipation of the Zappacosta signing, which in turn we could confirm Kenedy...Newcastle Utd announced at 7 pm that they had shut up shop with no more business for the day.
Are you having a laugh?
Sky sources: @ChelseaFC agree deal with @TorinoFC_1906 to sign right-back Davide Zappacosta for a fee of around £23m #DeadlineDay #SSN pic.twitter.com/WGNErRsyEc— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) August 31, 2017
Rafa Benitez has woke up this morning to a first team that is minus a left back. A left back that he had lined up a fortnight ago. Chelsea have their new wing back in place to make the deal happen, so why don't we have it sorted?
Where is Kenedy? Why was he not on Tyneside when the news broke at 2pm on Deadline Day that Chelsea were signing the wing-back they needed? Why was the Kenedy loan deal not completed, literally, a minute after the Zappacosta deal?
This isn't due to time restraints as Zappacosta was in place many, many hours before the window was due to shut. If the Zappacosta deal somehow fell through, then Kenedy would too. That's fine.
But to not have Kenedy at the training ground last night with his medical done and dusted and the deal at that point just being a case of waiting for the nod from Chelsea after they confirm Zappacosta, is totally unforgivable for its senseless incompetence.
Confirmation of Kenedy loan deal. #nufc https://t.co/tLRYO9oyaf— NUFC 360 (@NUFC360) August 9, 2017
Newcastle Utd is ran by con men who should be nowhere near the positions they hold. A 15-year-old boy addicted to Football Manager could conduct transfer activity better than them. Or maybe it's down to they just don't WANT to bring any players in. That means spending money. Which we all know Premier League clubs don't have right....?
So in which case...what are you doing here? Get out of my club. What possible enjoyment do Ashley and his administration get out of it? Name me one thing? Shambles. This Kenedy deal may seem not like a big deal, but it could be the straw that broke the camels back.
If Rafa walks, everybody else should too. Fans first, then Ashley will follow. It's the only way to get rid of him. He isn't interested in owning a club with an empty stadium. He will sell and we can finally move on.
Follow me on Twitter @ToonBano
My thoughts on Sunday's game are similar ones to those I have had over the past year watching Rafa Benitez’s team. We lack depth, we lack width and we lack movement off the ball whilst in possession. Pretty much the absolute basics of attacking play. Rafa may (rightfully) moan about missing out on specific transfer targets earlier in the window but this does not explain his needlessly negative strategy, line-ups and substitutions.Before I go off on a possible rant I would like to make one thing perfectly clear, we are not a bad team. Don’t buy into the mainstream football media’s avalanche of misery they insist on piling onto our club whenever things don’t seem 100% right from the outside looking in. We were not outplayed by Huddersfield, much like we weren’t outplayed by Spurs last week when 11v11, and apart from their goal, the newly-promoted side hardly made a dent in terms of hurting our back line.Out of both sides, it was us that had the biggest chance of the game when Ayoze Perez blasted over when completely unmarked from about 8 yards out. Substitutes Joselu & Murphy had opportunities to have a clear shot on goal but failed to make the most of them. Out of both goalkeepers, it was Huddersfield’s Jossl that had to pull off a fingertip save to keep out Ritchie’s effort in the first half. If that chance, or any of these chances, go in then it’s a different game and likely different result.
Now that the positives are out of the way, yes, they were positives honest, there is a big elephant in everyone’s room on Tyneside that nobody wants or is prepared to talk about. Some refuse to even acknowledge its very existence under any circumstances mainly due to bigger worries and concerns. However, at some stage, this has to be discussed and looked at. At some point, we need to talk about Rafa.Amongst all the lack of transfers stuff & the Mike Ashley stuff and whatever other stuff fans want to talk or moan about, there has been one massively concerning issue that has been staring us all in the face over the past year. Rafa Benitez’s overly cautious and needlessly negative approach to our games. More specifically his tactics and use of the personnel he has at his disposal. Do we lack some quality? Yes. Do we have any quality? Yes. Is that quality being used in its capacity? No.How we managed to win the Championship was quite remarkable to be perfectly honest. You can count on one hand the amount of games where we actually looked impressive and destroyed teams that were below our level. No one can say our Championship season wasn’t one hell of a long struggle. Some say, ‘well that’s the Championship’, maybe.The more accurate thing to say however, is that we caused our own frustrations by not going about our business on the pitch anywhere near as positively and ambitiously as we should have. Wingers dropping deep and always coming short. Full backs chained to the halfway line and unable to get forward. Both centre midfielders dropping deep right in front of our centre-backs. It’s needless and it’s wrong.Against Huddersfield these demons in Rafa’s philosophy raised their ugly head once again. 99% will put this down to ‘lack of quality’ or ‘they need more players’. I am telling you now, even with new and/or better players that won’t dispel the demons. The football club needs to change its philosophy when it comes to being cheap in the transfer market. But Rafa also needs to change his philosophy with the players he has. Neither are good enough at the moment.
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We live in an age where players look to demand transfers and force their way out of their current football club to go to another, as player power rules all and contracts aren't worth the paper they are written on. They do this by issuing a transfer request to the shock and dismay of their club. Right?
Wrong. On most occasions transfer requests don't come from the player, they are instigated either directly or indirectly by the player's club for a couple of reasons. The main one being when a player signs a contract with a club they (somehow) have a 'loyalty bonus' within that which is paid out to them if they were to leave the club before the contract expires. Mental, I know.
BREAKING: @Phil_Coutinho hands @LFC an official transfer request - Sky sources. #SSN pic.twitter.com/Ju1vtSwKLJ— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) August 11, 2017
Now for a club to get out of paying such 'loyalty bonus' the player himself needs to show a distinct lack of 'loyalty' by doing something like issuing a transfer request to enforce a transfer away from the club. Once this is in place the club don't have to pay him squat in any 'loyalty bonus' and save themselves millions of pounds.
The other reason a club will want their superstar, or not, player to hand in an official transfer request is accountability. We all here fans & pundits criticise their clubs when they sell a big player as they wanted them to stay.
Remember Liverpool making a huge mistake selling Xabi Alonso to Real Madrid? Fans and experts alike will still tell you today that it was. The fact is, the only mistake Liverpool made was to not get Xabi Alonso to make his desire to join Madrid public and officially request a transfer. If they had, then this myth that Alonso had any remote chance of staying at Anfield wouldn't exist.
Liverpool should have never sold Xabi Alonso to Real Madrid. Their downfall as a club started from that moment— Sicelo (@SiceloDumakude) December 21, 2014
We sit here as I type with Philippe Coutinho and Virgil Van Dyke wanting to move to bigger football clubs but both of their respective clubs have issued unwavering statements categorically stating 'he ain't leaving, no matter what'. Since both statements were released to the media, sure enough, the player's agent have released their own 'statement' of sorts with official transfer requests.
Now, if and when Coutinho and Van Dijk make their moves before 1st September, not only will Liverpool and Southampton have made an eye-watering amount of transfer money, they will have saved a few million by not having to pay the player his 'loyalty bonus and also NOBODY can criticise the club for not trying to keep the player. It seems to be a win-win for everyone involved, although that isn't necessarily true.
"He is part of the club, he has a contract."Southampton stand firm on Virgil van Dijk: https://t.co/nWlRWc2Y5R pic.twitter.com/P1j0Zunrft— Sky Sports PL 👑 (@SkySportsPL) August 11, 2017
The party which will have a cloud hanging over them will be the player. Liverpool fans are already burning their Coutinho shirts as we speak and Southampton fans will never name their child Virgil if they were for some reason thinking about it. Plus, they also miss out on a few million of a loyalty bonus but the dent in reputation will hurt more than in their hefty pockets.
Have a look at the criticism Chelsea have received by selling Nemanja Matic to Man Utd and the constant questions Antonio Conte has to answer for his clubs 'strange' behaviour. The fact is, Matic wanted to work with Jose Mourinho and Chelsea had already replaced Matic with a younger player in Bakayoko weeks previous.
Now if Matic had handed in an official transfer request, would Chelsea be receiving any criticism? Doubtful. Would Conte be needing to defend his clubs actions in selling Matic to a rival? No. With all this in mind, it makes you actually wonder why the club didn't go down the tactical transfer route to save them the trouble. Perhaps they did but the player refused.
Gary Neville has questioned Chelsea's decision to allow midfielder Nemanja Matic to join title rivals Manchester United this summer. The Premier League champions sanctioned the Serbia international's departure to Old Trafford in July for a fee of £40m. However, the Sky Sports pundit has labelled the sale "strange", especially given the role Matic played in helping the Blues win the Premier League last season.
Football is a dirty business at times. We all know that player power rules football. But the factor of an official transfer request before any deals go through actually puts the club in a very controlling position.
They can sell a player, potentially destroy his reputation (at least with its own fans) and keep their own reputation intact by avoiding any potential criticism for lack of ambition or being a sell-out.
The player issuing a transfer request gives them 'no choice' at the end of the day. No responsibility.
In some instances, like the Andy Carroll £35million transfer from Newcastle to Liverpool in 2011, the club rang Carroll up as he was already on his way to sign for Liverpool (in Mike Ashley's private helicopter!) requesting that he handed in a transfer request otherwise the deal was off!
Carroll didn't have much choice and did as he was asked which saved Newcastle a couple of million quid by avoiding paying his loyalty bonus but at the same time destroyed the local lad's reputation with some Geordies that will never be fixed.
So the next time you see a player hand in a transfer request ask yourself why? Is it him throwing his toys out the pram and demanding a move or is the club forcing it upon him?
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It's Premier League launch day and one of the several guests in attendance is our very own 'special one' Rafa Benitez. As the standard procedure, he has taken part in several interviews for the likes of Sky, BT Sport, BBC & TalkSport with the main talking point being the seeming lack of spending and investment in the squad over the summer.
Rafa seems more than happy to talk about it and hasn't held back in what he thinks. On Sky Sports this morning he blatantly made his stance be known to the world by categorically confirming he is "not happy" with Newcastle's transfer business thus far and hopes to bring players in over the coming weeks. Watch the interview by clicking on the below:
Rafa is a very political manager who uses threats and concerns through the media in order to strengthen his own hand with certain issues he has with his club, usually transfer business, and has done this throughout his career.
How his latest comments will go down with the club executive Lee Charnley and owner Mike Ashley no one knows for sure. Will it inspire Charnley to get his finger out? Or put his back up? We will find out in due course but one thing is for sure, Rafa is not happy with his current squad and wants the whole world to know that 'fact'.
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Arsenal have signed left-back Sead Kolasinac on a free transfer for next season and with Nacho Monreal first-choice, Kieran Gibbs' days are numbered at the Emirates.
The Englishman has been plagued by injuries his whole career and was reported as injured, then ill, before the FA Cup final but was angered after not being told about his omission from the squad by Arsene Wenger.
So Gibbs is set to leave Arsenal in the summer after a massive 10 years since making his debut for the North London club, with Newcastle his most likely destination. A fee of around £6 million should be enough to bring him to Tyneside and would be a much-welcomed addition to take over the left-back duties from Paul Dummett.
The semi-retired Welsh international Geordie wizard just isn't up to scratch for the Premier League. He was decent in the important games during our Championship campaign, with keeping Brighton's 'Championship Player of the Year' Anthony Knockaert quiet being the highlight, but he still showed on countless occasions his lack of positional sense, total reluctance to ever get forward and still has a massive mistake waiting to happen in his locker.
Gibbs is an experienced 27-year-old with a point to prove, given he has never quite made the most of his potential. If he can stay injury free, then he will be as solid a left-back as we could ever hope to bring in for a reasonable fee.
Watch this space.
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Many of us have caught a glimpse of the supposedly new Newcastle kit that has been 'leaked' on social media, which shows Dwight Gayle giving it the big one as he rocks the 'classic' black and white design we were all expecting, complete with a brand new sponsor.
This new sponsor seems to be Chinese betting firm Fun88, which would also confirm the rumours of such an establishment being the next business to flaunt itself on the black and white stripe, which is replacing the awful Wonga once and for all. Thank the Lord.
No details have been released yet on whether this is, in fact, our next sponsor or how much they are spending to promote themselves via ourselves but let's hope it's in the levels you would expect a top Premier League club to receive, and not some cheap job concluded by tax-avoider Lee Charnley.
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It looks like Newcastle are taking up the option to sign Christian Atsu on a permanent basis from
Chelsea for around £6 million. The infamous 'Sky sources' are all over the story claiming the club and Atsu are in negotiations today as the deadline from his loan clause to make his move permanent is closing in. Atsu has been decent overall in the Championship but is he good enough for the Premier League?
Well if you look at his record for Ghana this season he has become arguably their most influential attacker and his impressive performances helped Ghana to the semi-finals of the African Cup of Nations.
Atsu has been pulling the strings for 🇬🇭 . Here are his 2016/2017 stats
9 matches
total shots 28
shots on target 11
goals 3#joyafcon pic.twitter.com/4L9btf9i0q— #JoySports 99.7FM (@JoySportsGH) January 17, 2017
In the Championship for the Magpies he has put in some decent performances and some memorable moments on our way back to the Premier League. None more so than the free kick that finished off Cardiff in the penultimate game of the season - what a beauty!
His fee of £6 million is worth the punt for someone who obviously has talent but has never had a club yet to call home, as he has been continuously shipped out on loan all across Europe. We might just be able to get the best out of him next season.
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I love Hatem Ben Arfa. He is a genius. An enigma. The ultimate maverick. We need the ex-Newcastle man back in The Premier League as witnessing him sat on the bench at PSG every week is hurtful. A talent like HBA needs to be on the pitch to entertain the world. Ideally to entertain the Geordies once again. Newcastle please bring him back!
OGC Nice were amazingly chasing the French League title this season as they fought the mega rich PSG and AS Monaco head on. This somewhat surprising challenge is based off the back of their previous campaign in 2015/16 where, from absolutely nowhere, they were chasing the Champions League places despite only expected to be a mid table team at best. This was down to bringing in a player from the football scrapheap who didn’t have a club, who was unfit but did have amazing talent. That player was Newcastle and briefly Hull City outcast Hatem Ben Arfa.Nice needed a player like Ben Arfa and Ben Arfa needed a team like Nice. A team with no expectations that would give him the platform to perform week in week out and potentially be their headline act if he got himself match fit. The enigmatic Frenchman did not disappoint as he tore through Ligue 1 almost from day one right through the whole season as the small French club were agonisingly close to qualifying for the Champions League. All of which was under the guidance of current Southampton boss Claude Puel.Ben Arfa has been linked to joining the Saints when Puel left Nice to go to the South coast club, Ben Arfa was also leaving Nice on a free transfer. However, with likes of Barcelona looking into his signature the chances of him landing at St Mary’s were extremely thin. It was PSG who finally gave Ben Arfa a 2-year contract in hope to he could re-create his blistering form for the French champions. Unfortunately for HBA he has not been given a genuine chance by new boss Unai Emery to show his talent and is consistently left on the bench and given 10-minute cameos near the end of games or left out the matchday squad completely.This is a sorry sight for Ben Arfa as his blatant talent is a crime to be wasted sat on the bench as he was arguably the best player in the whole of France last season, definitely the most exciting. If Claude Puel could rescue the skillful winger from his PSG slumber next season, or any other Premier League club, it would be a glorious site to see the lad in full flow again.Ben Arfa had an amazing season in 2015/16 as he scored 18 goals in 34 games and had some of the best dribbling stats in Europe, he averaged 4 successful dribbles per game! Which is incredible.
Hatem Ben Arfa is one of the most exciting players in Europe. He must play football to entertain the world. We want him back in the Premier League. We want him back at Newcastle.
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Marseille have just announced the official permanent signing of Florian Thauvin for £10 million which tops up our 2016 transfer money received to a cool £100 million bag your £20 Free Bet AND Free £5 Bet every week with ToonBano.com Exclusive Partner William Hill HERE!
Sissoko, Wijnaldum, Townsend, Janmaat, Cisse, Cabella and now Thauvin have all signed for other clubs since pre season to take the edge off relegation and missing out on Premier League money. Throw on top Steven Taylor's £40k and Coloccini's astronomical £75k a week has also been stripped off the wage bill, it's not been bad business at all.
We have obviously invested a lot of that money back into squad with Ritchie and Gayle having decent size fees but investing it wisely has been the real genius behind our transfer work.
Promotion back to the Premier League looks well on course with a squad full of depth with quality in every position. Gayle out injured? Mitro will come in with a brace. Diame dropped? Perez will come in with a brace. Ritchie out? Atsu will come in to score a winner. Anita or Yedlin. Clark or Mbemba. Hayden or Colback. The list goes on.
In fact, our squad is so deep we have hardly seen the likes of Lazaar, Hanley or Murphy. All full internationals when fit. Amazing for a Championship club. Selling off the players that didn't care about out football club or were just expensive dead weight is the easiest £100 million we have ever made. Did you see £30 million Sissoko's performance for Spurs in the Champions league on Wednesday? Embarrassing.
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Yoan Gouffran has been on fire this season. Our record with him in the side so far reads zero losses. Zero. This form has brought the attention of clubs around his native France, specifically Lille, as unfortunately for us his contract is set to expire at the end of the season. So with this, he can sign for any foreign club on a pre-contract in January and leave for free in the summer bag your £20 Free Bet AND Free £5 Bet every week with ToonBano.com Exclusive Partner William Hill HERE!
So Newcastle may even take the opportunity to sell him in January and get some money out of him. This is highly unlikely however as promotion is the be all and end all this year, so a million or two for him wouldn't do us any favours. Especially seeing how indispensable he is all of a sudden...who would have thought it?!
When he lost his squad number to Matt Ritchie before the season started, the writing looked on the wall for him to be on his way out. The determination he has shown to not just play his part in the squad but make the left wing position his own has been great to see and totally unexpected. Fair play to him.
He has put many ex-players who jumped ship almost immediately to shame...
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Read an interesting story of the day when Keith Gillespie signed for Newcastle back in 1995. The Northern Irishman didn't have an agent at the time so his mentor and manager Sir Alex Ferguson acted on his behalf to negotiate his contract to sign for us. Don't miss out on your £20 Free Bet AND Free £5 Bet every week with ToonBano.com Exclusive Partner William Hill HERE!
Gillespie was on around £250 a week at Man Utd and when Newcastle agreed to sell them Andy Cole for £7million, Kevin Keegan insisted on having the flying winger as part of the deal. So when Keegan along with some Newcastle directors and Gillespie were set to meet to sort out his contract, Fergie went along too acting on behalf of his Class of '92 graduate.
The Scottish cheat was on top form once negotiations began as he blagged that Gillespie was on £600 a week. Not only this he managed to get our genius directors to stump up £1,200 a week in order to seal the deal. Unbelievable. You would think we were absolutely desperate to sell Cole to be fooled into such nonsense so easily.
So we lost Andy Cole and got ripped off on Gillespie. Whether this transfer was actually a good thing in the end is up for much debate on Tyneside. After all, without the sale of Cole we would not have brought in Ferdinand. The 95-96 season would never have happened and we wouldn't have had such great memories of Big Les dominating the Premier League to within a whisker of us being Champions. Plus everything that happened off the back of this like Asprilla's hat-trick with Gillespie being a major part of that game or Shearer choosing us over Man Utd for the next 10 years.
Then there's the other argument of, well we didn't win anything and Man Utd with Andy Cole in their side did end up as Champions in '96, he also went on score plenty of goals against us and who knows maybe Gillespie would have kept Beckham out of the team and the ex-England captain wouldn't be what he is today. Now there's a thought.
Pros and cons on both sides but fact is facts and what happened, happened. Good or bad.
What wasn't a fact was how much Fergie told us Gillespie was on and happily ripped us off. Fergie telling porky pies and getting away with it?...now there's a fact. Rafa would agree.
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We have had enough of Diame playing as the No.10 over past couple of months. He can't finish or create so what's the point?
Mitro has been chomping at the bit to get out there and play, so since he bagged a brace for Serbia the other day, Rafa must surely let him loose against Brentford.
The team below is capable of taking all 3 points and edging us closer to the top of the league!
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Christian Atsu scored the winner versus Rotherham so would be unlucky not to start, however Ritchie is first choice and Gouffran hasn't been on the losing side yet all season. That's some record.
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Rafa got his skills out in training as he attempts to teach Mitro a thing a two on how to take somebody on. He pretty much burns him alive to the point Mitro's on fire...well, hopefully for Saturday! Don't miss out on your Free £20 Bet AND Free £5 Bet every week with ToonBano.com Exclusive Partner William Hill HERE!
Mitro scored a brace for the Serbs in International week so is red hot at the minute and raring to go, despite being mugged off by Rafa. Our Spanish boss will surely now release him into the wild against Brentford on Saturday as we finally play with two strikers on the pitch from the start.
We have been subjected to Diame playing in the hole for most of this season and it hasn't been a success, despite the team winning most games in the end. We currently sit 3rd in the league which isn't a great return after 11 games giving the poor standards of the Championship in relation to our squad.
Sticking Mitro up front with Gayle is surely the way forward from now on, especially at home....even if he gets burned now and again!
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