The Ramblings Of A Lost Geordie

Week One: Changes Needed

2009-08-09T02:14:00.001-07:00

So, away from the pitch we need to really consider what is going on...

... we need to prepare for not being sold, what this means is making some strong decisions

1, Appoint Shearer on a one year contract
2, Get Coloccini and Barton out this week what ever way you can
3, Sign a right-back who can also cover at centre-half

Then on the pitch Nolan needs to be dropped and Ranger given his chance. These were the obvious problems yesterday (beyond central defence).

If Shearer had been given the role we would have expected to have seen Danny Fox and Bradley Orr come in at full back, Edgar would have stayed and they would have been joined by Steven Taylor as a back four.
The midfield would also have changed. Duff, Smith and Guthrie would have been possibly joined by Fabian Delph, or if we'd missed him another young winger. Barton and Nolan would have been shipped out.
Up front Beckford would be alongside Carroll.

Its not true that you need a deep squad in Championship football. Newcastle still need to strip the side back and then build up the squad. Despite being the only flare player we have Jonas must also be moved on to allow us to build for the winter months.

Our squad can be stripped more:
GK - Harper, Krul, Soderberg (+ Forster out on loan)
This is our strongest element and really we are blessed with some talent in goal

Def - Taylor, Collo, Taylor R, Enrique, Kadar, Tozer, Geremi
We need to bring in two full backs (we've said that before, or Keegan did anyway!). Edgar should have stayed, so we need a replacement for him and ship out Geremi who is pointless in the squad as well as Collo.

Mid - Duff, Smith, Guthrie, Butt, Nolan, Barton, Jonas, Lua Lua
We lack real width if Jonas leaves, and lack creativity in the centre. Barton is a liability, Butt is in his final season, and Nolan adds little. We won't see much change here, but would have seen those three leave and replacements come in had we had a manager in the past 9 weeks.

For - Carroll, Ameobi, Ranger, Xisco
This should be strong enough for the Championship. Beckford would have been a great addition and Xisco is unlikely to add much and could have been released. Again the ideal would be for this to still happen.

Thats a 22 man squad we're playing with, and there is still a lot of fat in there. We need 4 new players in and can ship out 6 comfortably. While reducing staff it would give us a much more solid squad, allowing youngsters the chance to experience the first team as well.

We only have three weeks, and the likelihood is that little will happen, but all we can do is cross our fingers and pray for some changes

Lets see!

A New Dawn? A point at least

2009-08-09T02:05:00.000-07:00

On a positive NUFC have started the new season much better than expected, with a point at Sir Bobby's former club at The Hawthorns.
After a minute of celebration for the great man, we got back to second flight football with vigour and certainly entertained the crowd. Both teams showed why the will do well in the Championship, but also were pretty clear as to why they ended there in the first place.
Smith led as a captain should, and Tim Krul came on in the second half for the injured Harper to put in a sterling performance. Ranger got his debut, Carroll was strong up front and Taylor and Duff were solid.
That said the frailties were clear for all to see. Nolan was frankly shocking in midfield, and if Barton has disrupted so much to be back out of the side then Lua Lua must start in the next game. Coloccini struggled, and having been an Argentine international 12 months ago, to see him struggling against a 17 year old kiwi was worrying. Again bring in youth and allow Kadar to partner Taylor next week.
Overall though there was still a lack of coherency and leadership. Newcastle gained a good point, but Hughton does not lead. He missed the obvious substitutions and generally added nothing during the 90 mins.
A better start than expected, but lets remain realistic. We won 3-1 there a few months ago and weren't good enough to stay up, so dropping two points in a league where anyone can beat anyone is a word of warning.

Xisco - £5.7m???

2009-06-20T05:52:00.000-07:00

Watching England defeat Spain in the under 21's was a pleasure, but was diluted slightly by one of the Spanish substitutions.
Xisco came in in the second half and his impact was negligible. For a player being paid £50k a week and valued at £6m a year ago by Dennis Wise, he was well out of his depth. The huge difference between his ability and that of ex-Mag Milner and United target Campbell was obvious for all to see.
Based on this performance its not suprising that Xisco is wanting to stay. The Championship is his level, and he would be lucky to get a top flight move back to Spain, so its an easy choice really - take home £2.5m next year in Newcastle and get a few games or move back to Spain, earn £1m and spend most of your time on the bench.
You can't blame the player, but who ever sanctioned the transfer should keep an eye on him and learn that you can't waste money in this way.

What Next?

2009-06-20T05:45:00.001-07:00

We were told that buyers would be in place this week, and to expect Shearer to be in place by pre-season training started next week. Well...
It seems that Mike Ashley has written off his investment in NUFC with no sign of any management of the club from a board level. It truly seems to be an empty shell. There seems to be little involvement from anyone either at Little Benton or St James'.
There is a desperate need for someone to start sorting the squad out. Even if it is simply a case of removing the overpaid stars from the club for a business reason, rather than assessing the side from a footballing angle.
The reality is that we cannot afford to keep any of the players on over £50k, so that means someone should be actively looking to move on Enrique, Collicini, Jonas, Duff, Smith, Barton, Nolan, Ameobi, Xisco and Martins. Bassong also doesn't want to be there, but who is going to sign him? Arsenal have their new centre back, so the options of cashing in are now vastly reduced.
Unless something happens this weekend then NUFC are in real trouble of facing a mid-table battle next season.

Shaping Up

2009-06-06T05:07:00.000-07:00

Its now looking that Shearer will be appointed manager next week on a four year contract. With a contract worth up to £3m a year its a huge investment for a Championship club and totally reliant on us getting straight back up. Again far from the safest route, but it seems like its going to happen, so we have to have faith that it will be money well spent, both from a management point of view, and a new buyers view.
As soon as Shearer allows the ink to dry you would expect the signings to come in. It certainly seems that he has his eye on some early signing.

Chris Gunter - The 19 year old Welsh international is short of first team chances at Spurs and with Harry willing to let him come out on load for a season would offer support in the full back positions. The expectation would be for him to come in and hold down a left back position.

Danny Fox - Originally the most likely to come in, but with Gunter looking a cert then it is suggesting that Shearer either isn't keen on the young Coventry full back, or that he's unsure about securing his signing ahead or Premier interest.

Bradley Orr - The ex-reserves captain (when Shearer led the first team) could be on for a return and his first experience of the big time. Solid at Bristol for recent seasons and with great experience in the division, the rigth full back would be a sensible signing.

Its pretty clear that as with Keegan last season Shearer feels full back is where we lack depth, and with Enrique off, its looking that the idea is to bring in 2/3 full backs and potentially allow Habib Beye to move to the centre of defence to support Steven Taylor.

Jermaine Beckford - The talented Leeds strikerr has proved himself at the lower levels and for around £3m would be a good investment to support Carroll, Ameobi and Ranger next season. Much depends on whether the likes of Burnley are willing to take a punt on him in the top flight.

Beyond that you would expect that Shearer would be looking for some creative presence in midfield. Ideally Nolan, Smith, Duff and Barton will leave, alongside Jonas, which would leave Guthrie, Butt and Taylor in the midfield, so we would certainly expect some strengthening to follow and potentially a season for Lee Bowyer to come back in on a free to add some craft and bite into the team.

Lets just see where we go!

Financially and Emotionally Bankrupt

2009-05-31T02:24:00.000-07:00

Its looking like another dark cloud is drifting over Tyneside. In the wake of the demise of our little brother at Blue Star (who at least had a good season on the pitch), it has emerged that Mike Ashley is willing to cut and run on NUFC.
If this is true and he is willing to take £100m for the club the it shows how poor the finances have been managed. With reportedly £50m of debt having developed over the past season, you can see why a season in the Championship with a £70m wage bill is not looking too appealing to the ex bllionaire.
Realsitically much of this is driven by disasterous boardroom appointments and managerial changes. Allardyce (£5m), Keegan (£8m), Wise (£3m), Kinnear (£2m), Hughton (£1m), Calderwood (£1m), coaching staff (£1m) and other administration staff (£1m) will have not helped the finances. The money spent on Shearer and Dowie (up to £1.5m) is realistically the sort of total spend we need for the whole of next season on management. Any new regime needs to think about this before bending over backwards and offering the world to Shearer.
With the wage bill of the squad and general running costs Newcastle would need to be brining in £150m next season to break even. In the Championship this will not be possible. If Newcastle can bring in £50m next season then that will be a strong financial performance in that league, so we are desperate to be back in the top flight within two seasons otherwise the longer term future is dire.
Assuming that Ashley sells up and the new buyer can pump in £40m to clear the overdraft, then every single player in the first team squad needs to be put up for sale. Its great news that some players want to stay, but we can't afford them - they all need to go, as the wage bill needs to drop from the current £74m to below £30m.
Things are obviously far worse than first thought. No messiah can change things, only sensible business planning.

At least the fans get into the spirit!

2009-05-02T06:14:00.000-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPvnVHYDXws&feature=related

Strip the heart out

2009-05-02T05:50:00.000-07:00

In a really practical sense it is obvious that we're going to need to really sort the club out, and if we go down its a time for radical re-evaluation.

Over and Out
We know the players who will have gone if we're down (Owen, Viduka, Martins, Gutierrez, Collocini, Gonzalez, Xisco, Geremi, Cacapa), we'll make little or no money from any of these apart from Martins, but will see annual wages reduced by £20m.

Who would I keep?

Steve Harper
Habib Beye
Jose Enrique
Sebastien Bassong
Steven Taylor
Peter Lovenkrands
Danny Guthrie
Ryan Taylor
Nicky Butt
Andy Carrol
Nile Ranger

subs
David Edgar
Fraser Forster
Kazenga Lua Lua
Haris Vukic
Ben Tozer

This is a pretty decent side, with a nice balance of experience and youth. While we would clearly need another striker and central midfielder, we should have enough to cover everything else in the Championship and get us back up. The young talent of Vukic and Tozer should be able to step up to cover the forward and left back positions which are obvious gaps, but the like of Butt and Beye would be essential to get us back up.

What about the rest?
Joey Barton - we need to build spirit and therefore need the 'right type' of players
Kevin Nolan - not a 'Newcastle' player, so let him go back to Bolton
Alan Smith - There's no clear role for him at the club and his wages are too high
Shola Ameobi - no need to comment really
Damien Duff - not the player he was, but someone must want him!

These lot while bringing in around £15m would also save us a further £5-6m in wages, which would mean the club overall would be saving £25m in wages, and around £20m back in through transfer fees. Surely this would allow us to build for the future???

This would be getting rid of 14 players, and while thats never going to happen (all of 'the rest' are likely to stay next season where ever we are), it would allow us to build bottom up. There is the chance that if we do go down that Bassong and Beye would go as well which would be a disaster for the club. We'll just have to wait and see...

Basic Errors

2009-05-02T05:33:00.000-07:00

The season is drawing to a close and the inevitable debacle of relegation is ever closer. With that cloud drifting over we now need to consider the realities which Shearer has brought to our attention since coming to the club.

1 - The players aren't good enough.
This may sound obvious given the fact we're in the bottom three, but we have a volume of internationals who individually could do jobs (and have done) at higher levels. The but is that these players are simply not the right ones, and that is something which must heavily sit at the feet of Mssrs Kinnear, Wise and Ashley.
Its been said so many times, but Keegan wanted a left back, centre half, creative midfielder and big man up front. The players he was after were Riise, Dunne, Johnson, Gudjonson and potentially some 'names' as well. All four experienced premiership players who would have cost around £25m. Over the season we have seen Taylor, Nolan, Gonzalez, Xisco, Gutierrez and Collocini for around £25m. We have also lost Given and Milner. Of those brought in this season not one has made themselves a certain first teamer.
We simply need to start from scratch. Ideally I would strip the team apart, but lets see.

2 - We only have one left back
Keegan highlighted this and it was a major issue in the 'Wise' clash. Enrique has come on leaps and bounds, but since Nzogbia left we have no back up, and poor Bassong or Edgar will have to fill in (unless Duff is forced to make a fool of himself back there.

3 - The training ground needs to be reviewed
Shearer new about the injury issues when he came in, which is why Paul Ferris joined him, but there seems to be issue's with the pitches at Little Benton, and this needs to be addressed urgently.

4 - There are too many people working for NUFC
We have too many coaches, backroom staff and players. If Shearer stays their will be significant trimming and potentially in the boardroom as well.

Its pretty basic stuff, but Ashley wanted to change his structure and its hasn't worked. It saw Keegan leave, and has Kinnear become a joke. Lets hope Shearers advice is taken, even if he doesn't stay around to sort it himself.

Never Forget...

2009-03-29T04:05:00.000-07:00

While NUFC suffer it is important not to forget that there is more football on Tyneside and in Northumberland. With Gateshead and Whitley Bay both having relative success this season its a chance to take your disillusion and help the smaller clubs. There is potential for a second or third side to flourish in the areas and this is why...

Gateshead FC - 1st Conference North
The Tynesiders are strong and strengthening. The hope will be that they can stick this out and get back into the Conference next season. Once there it is always going to be tough to stay their, but the dream of a second league football side on Tyneside could be here in a couple of years.

Blyth Spartans AFC - 19th Conference North
The FA Cup specialists have struggled in the league this year, and like their Premier League counterparts survival is the best they can hope for this season after the glory run in the cup.

Newcastle Blue Star - 5th Unibond North
Hopefully Blue Star can push on this season to stay in the play off positions and sneak into the Unibond Premier next season. The dream is to push on to break into the Conference divisions in the next couple of years and finally become a solid alternative to United. A well run club in Newcastle and lets hope that they can push on to get 3 Tyneside teams in League positions in the next 5 years!

The Best of the Rest...
Dunston Federation - 2nd Northern League
Newcastle Benfield - 3rd Northern League
West Allotment Celtic - 4th Northern League
Whitley Bay FC - 6th Northern League
With promotion to the Unibond difficult to gain both on and off the pitch, and Consett leading the way, the hope would be that either Fed or Benfield can win their games in hand to get a Geordie team into the Unibond structure for 2009/10 and push on in the way that Blue Star have. The biggest team of the bunch, Whitley Bay, don't have a chance of promotion this year, but a strong cup run could set them up nicely for 2009/10 and you would expect them to be the most likely in the long run to be able to push on and survive in the higher division.

The Pride of Tyneside

2009-03-29T03:42:00.000-07:00

This weekend saw some pride restored in Geordie football with a step closer to a Wembley cup final in the form of a 2-1 cup victory.
This is something which should be shown before the game at Chelsea next week, as Whitley Bay took the focus off their famous neighbours at Newcastle. Lets hope that the boys can stick it out further in the next leg in Norfolk and kick on to allow tens of thousands of Tynesiders take the trip to Wembley with a realistic chance of victory. There needs to be some positive energy at the moment, and if only that could transfer into the Premier side.
Looking around Tyneside Gateshead look to be on the verge of promotion, Blue Star are still in with a chance of pushing for promotion and The Bay can have a decent finish and get to a cup final. If all things go well and we see United staying up and Bay winning a cup, and Star and The Tynesiders getting promoted then it doesn't have to be all doom and gloom just because of Mr Ashley!!!
HOWAY THE LADS!!!

Reality Bites

2009-03-22T05:20:00.000-07:00

Its now time to be realistic and look to the future for NUFC. If Newcastle do survive they still need to re-structure and go back to basics. A spirited performance for 60 mins yesterday proved there are players capable of fighting in the Premiership, but a lack of leadership saw things fall apart, and a frankly disgraceful sub performance from Michael Owen summed up our season.
The clearout must begin with Owen, Smith, Geremi, Butt, Ameobi, Viduka, Cacapa and Duff all needing to be shipped out alongside Gonzalez and Xisco to free up space for some of the talented youngsters. While we may not find any money coming in for these players it will at least open opportunity and save in the region of £350k per week in wages. With bonuses etc that equates to £20m across the season in savings.

What would that leave?
GK - Harper, Krul, Foster
Def - Beye, Enrique, Collocini, Taylor, Bassong, Edgar, Tozer, Kadar
Mid - Nolan, Barton, Taylor, Gutierrez, Guthrie, Lovendkrands, Lua Lua, Inman, Vukic
For - Martins, Carrol, Ranger, Baheng, Danquah, Spear

This side would need a decent striker to support Martins and another central midfielder as well as a left winger but isn't too bad a base to try to survive in the Premieship next season and build. If we go down though we will lose Martins, Guttierrez and Collocini (as well as potentially Bassong), but in the Championship it should still leave a solid squad to build on.

It may be that paraniod leadership this season has restricted our ability to move forward in a squad with players such as Tozer, Lua Lua and Ranger who have not been given a chance while poor players with more experience have been given a go.

This is still a 25 man squad, although with only 15 or 16 who would genuinly be seen as first teamers, so there would have to be investment. This should be bringing in good Championship players such as Eagles or Paterson from Burnley, or young fringe players from the top 4. It has to be sensible and anough to either get us mid-table (or heaven forbid promotion) next season with a realistic financial structure.

Newcastle are in trouble and the current regime needs to be focussing on winning games, but the management must start to think beyond this and plan the business model for the future. The first point being to clear out the dead wood and not just keep giving them new contracts (such as Nicky Butt).

Mr Ashley

2009-02-08T04:08:00.000-08:00

There is a major reason for my re-initiation of blogging and this man is it. I want to be very clear in my views of how the club is currently being run.

1, I appreciate Mr Ashley's investment in the club and saving a badly run business to set us back on a level playing field. If FFS had continued to run the club in the same way then the current financial crisis could have had serious implications and it would have been likely that we would have been developing greater amounts of debt

2, The club is a football club and not a business. Unfortunately short term affects long term much more than in any other business and you have to invest in the right talent to fill short term gaps while looking to unearth gems for the coming years

3, The fans are the most imprtant part of the community and they need to be respected. This is their (our) club not the owners. It needs to be remembered. To this point the board need to communicate and take the fans views on board. This is not a desire for mass rule, but rather to allow them to 'optimise the business for the consumer'.

4, As Mike noticed straight away this is a passionate community who know their stuff. No person is bigger than the club and that means that Llambias and Wise need to show us value or ship out? Chris Mort developed great respect in a short time by talking to the fans and making sense. Now we don't know what is going on?

5, Mike is not a football man and needs to understand the importance of a good manager. Kinnear is a hard worker, but a man motivator - and in that sense a poor mans Keegan. We need a manager who can take the club forward. We need a young and exciting manager with experience of the English leagues who will play football on the ground. Fulfil that and the fans will give the manager time.

6, We are accepting that we need to build, so lets strip out the over paid dross and build the club for a 3 year plan. There is talent in the squad so lets build around them.

7, The club has been a joke for the past 10 years from a PR perspective and it is essential to sort our own house out. If a player steps out of line (Barton) then they should go. If a manager has a rant (JFK) then he should be repremanded. If the chairman goes out on the booze he should grow up!

8, The club needs investment. We need to plan what, where and when. If we are going to let players go then we need to have options lined up to replace them otherwise we will suffer. Leaving everything to the last day of the transfer window shows no business sense.

9, The club needs leadership. Whether Mike Ashley or a good chairman, we need someone to make us Newcastle United again!

10, Finally we need to be told the truth. Twice promise big signings in tranfer deadline day by the Chairman... twice failed to deliver. Mike please just be honest!

It all sounds so simple, but unfortunately I don't have the faith in the club at present that we'll see much of this actioned.

Back to the Future

2009-02-08T03:52:00.000-08:00

Well... where do I start?

There are a few things we need to recognise as Newcastle fans.
1 - We are a big club who always under achieve, but should be in the top 10 as a minimum
2 - We are not going to challenge the top 6 in the next couple of years
3- We have a squad with to many over paid under performing players and need to start all over again

To me this means that we need to battle to survival this season (whatever anyone says we have the players to do this), and then have a clear out.

To me this means leaving a first team squad of:
GK - Harper, Krul, Forster
DEF - Bassong, Taylor, Taylor, Collocini, Beye, Enrique, Kadar, Tozer
MID - Butt, Guthrie, Barton, Nolan, Jonas, Duff, Lua Lua
FOR - Martins, Lovenkrands, Baheng, Ranger

There is the clear need for a couple of players and its the Beattie or Dacourt signings rather than Xisco and Gonzales who we need to look at to bolster the squad. If you look at those players then its already a decent starting point. You would also hope that a couple of the other youngsters would be worth a place in the squad. And if I'm honest then Carroll and Ameobi will also still be here possibly with Alan Smith.

The next step is management, and for me its simple... find someone who knows English football and thats either Mark Hughes if he gets sacked or look for talent such as Coyle from Burnley?

Lets stop ploughing forward and take a step back, be honest with ourselves and just make sure that 2010/11 season is a successful one with us pushing for the top 6 again!

Back in the game

2009-02-08T03:47:00.000-08:00

After a time of confusion, dis-belief and general disaster at St James' I've decided that its time to share my thoughts again with the loyal fans of NUFC.
As you'll see from the archives, there was much more positive stuff to discuss 18 months ago and having reviewed the squad then and how I felt the transfer window could go it made me wonder how we ended up where we are today.
Lets hope that in 18 months we'll have switched everything around again!

A New Dawn

2007-06-27T12:33:00.000-07:00

It may have bee 10 days since I last posted, but the have been many rumours and not too much action. But now we have a new board in place and there seems to be movement in the transfer market.
With Rozenhal pretty much in the bag, and Geremi expected to sign (potentially with Beye) later this week, Sam looks to have his squad in place. We would hope for further signings, but Sam will hopefully this week have a squad together to push the top 6 (prepare for a list below)...
GK - Given, Harper (Krul out on loan tbc)
RB - Beye (Geremi/Carr)
LB - Geremi (Carr/Babayaro)
CB - Taylor and Rozenhal (Beye/Ramage/Huntingdon/Edgar)
RM - Milner (Solano)
LM - Duff (Nzogbia)
CM - Barton and Emre (Butt/Pattinson/Dyer)
CF - Martins and Viduka (Owen?/Ameobi/Carroll)
That gives us a squad of 26 which is pretty strong, and the only obvious gaps being a natural LB and potential replacement for Owen.
There is a huge amount of speculation on a variety of other signings (especially the likes of Boateng and Richters, who would cost less than £2m), but the squad seems to be nearly there to start building on and that has to be a good thing.

The Stevens Inquiry

2007-06-17T08:52:00.000-07:00

So we now have the published report and it shows us that Newcastle United are at the centre of many of the issues - or are we? Rumours are abound from FA 'insiders' that we will face a 3 point deduction next season, but there is barely and link to the club. For once, when you look at the detail, we are clean.

It has been positioned that our links could see us in trouble, but actually the only problem the club has is what role Kenneth Shepherd had when dealing with Willie Mackay. But this has clearly been positioned as a non issue for the club, so lets not worry about this.

What we should worry about is the fact that we are still dealing with a man who brought in Faye, Boumsong and Luque, and has some worryingly close links to Souness. Although we rate Barton it is still an odd choice of transfer for a club with the turbulent history of Newcstle - but Mackay was instrumental in this. I am not doubting the legal status of Mackay, as he has not faced any charge, but the players he has helped bring to this club are dubious, and seeing his name in this envionment brings further question marks over why the club deals with him so frequently.

I'm confident that Big Sam will be cleared of any wrong doing, apart from bad advice when directly dealing with his own son as an agent. What the club needs to do s be very careful who else they deal with. Even if this means missing out on some signings, it is increasingly important that the club makes itself clean at the start of the new era, and the first step is not getting involved with any situations, or people, we may bring question marks over the club.

Ben Hyem

2007-06-14T06:29:00.001-07:00

Looks like we've missed out on Ben Haim to Chelski... damn it!

Lets see what Sam pulls out of the hat in the next day or so.

Is he g-Owen? (and how many bad puns can I get in over the summer?)

2007-06-10T02:27:00.001-07:00

With reports today on Talksport of Sam stating that he can't keep any player who wants to leave while discussing the future of Michael Owen, we have to think that there is something in this. Owen has yet to make any public statement on his future despite fans, chairman and manager asking for clarity.

Any player who has had close to £30m of our money invested in him doesn't seem to see why people are demanding clarity on his future. Loyalty is something which is important to football fans, and many players seem to forget this. In future years players will trade on their careers, and the likes of Lee, Shearer, Given etc will be seen as great servants to the club. Owen, who is already distrusted by the Liverpool faithful is in danger of being seen as a money grabbing letch by the Geordie fans.

Owen is a great finisher, but we have invested time, effort and money in him and he is showing nothing back. I hope to be proved wrong in the coming weeks, and Owen will see out his contract banging 20 goals a season and go down in history as one of our greats. Unfortunately if anyone shows a vague interest in him I feel that Owen will chase the money.

On a positive note if he does go and we get £9m back in the bank then maybe we can bring someone in who really wants to play for the club.

2007-06-09T03:13:00.000-07:00

In a busy week on Barrack Rd, we have reached a position where Newcastle United look to have already sorted themselves out for next season. While most things are yet to be rubber stamped I'm pretty confident about next season, and haven't been able to say that for some years.

Ownership - While Freddy stays Mike Ashley is now in control. It seems more and more certain that once Mr Ashley hits the 90% mark that he will look to replace FFS, and that in the meantime Big Sam will have the ear of the Owner and that Mr Shepherd will not have a huge influence on the club.

Signings - Barton and Viduka are in, with Ben Haim and Rozehnal expected early next week. With a total spend of £8.8m and income from Scott Parker at £7m, its pretty good business (assuming Barton keeps out of prison and off his team mates!).

Future Signings - Sam is looking for two players in each position. Boateng is expected to be a squad player to join for under £1m. We still need full backs and while Baines is lined up, it still isn't anywhere near certain that he will be joining us. Wes Brown is also being touted for the RB berth, but this is where work needs doing.

Pre-seasons - Havng been ommitted from the Ajax tournament we really need to be getting some top class opposition lined up, and this is something which Sam knows he needs to do (as reported in the Chronicle).

Training Ground - again something which has been discussed over past seasons due to our 'wrong grass', but Sam is even more scathing of the facilities, so this really needs sorting urgently.

Staff - again something to do with the squads fitness, as Sam is looking to bring in these specialists in the coming weeks. Its good to see that in a couple of weeks when the players return Sam will have a staff in place to apply 21st century methods to our squad (a good few years too late).

2007-06-09T03:09:00.001-07:00

The greatest montage of Newcastle moments.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GlVMdjCydFw

Who's in control?

2007-06-06T12:26:00.000-07:00

As Mike Ashley takes control of Newcastle United, it is looking increasingly likely that Freddie Shephard will remain at St James'. I applaud the efforts of Mr Ashley to take control of the team, and see this as a new dawn in the history of NUFC. My major worry is that this will all be on hold for the first 12 months, as FFS sits in the hotseat.

The comparison to the Abramovic situation has been made, but this is a significantly different one. When Roman took his position at Chelsea it was very much out with the old, and in with the new - the transition period wasn't one where Ken Bates hung round in a position of power. Although it wasn't a clean break, there was no hostility, and Ken took his money and ran.

Freddie is a very proud man, who truly believes that he can add something to the Newcastle cause, but this is clearly not the case. Since Freddie took control in 1996 we have seen the club fall from grace both on and off the pitch. A period of success with Sir Bobby saw the fans get behind the Geordie chairman, but realistically he was never able to replace Sir John Hall.

While making a comfortable profit on his shares from Mr Ashley, Freddie has also invested much of the clubs funds in poor signings (Boumsong, Luque, Marcelino and more importantly Souness and Gullit). He has also happily taken £500k pa, and will continue to take my money while sat in the 'Fat Controllers Chair'.

He may be passionate, but he should leave with dignity, and not force the situation to keep NUFC in limbo for a further 12 months or so, by forcing the matter of being Chairman. If the agreement is made it would be very difficult for the owners to get rid of him prematurely and this scares the hell out of me.

I think this is proof alone that Fred is in this for himself. And if you consult their profiles on wikipedia (as highlighted) these show clear differences between the personalities involved at the helm over the past 15 years.

Please Freddie - just leave us to take this great club forward!

The original story came from the Evening Chronicle.

Two In - No Defence

2007-06-05T13:33:00.000-07:00

So the controversy is about to start as Barton signs and Viduka agrees to sign. Big Sam has already made an impact with two 'big name' signings this week, but what about the defence.
Its great to see movement in the squad, but we need to start looking at defenders. The word on the street is that Rozehnal is happy to join if we match the £3m asking price, but as you will see below there are many plays we are linked with in the key positions, without any sign of movement.
I trust in Sam, but have an over riding fear that we have gone out too early on the midfield and attack, which could leave us struggling to sign defenders if the boardroom situation doesn't sort itself out quickly.

PAUSE

2007-06-04T13:41:00.000-07:00

Ok, so Joey ain't quite here yet. But it is still looking as though he will sign within the next couple of days unless greed takes over and West Ham offer him Parkers reported £73k a week as a cheaper option.
The good news is that Rozehnal looks to be following for around £2.6m, which would see the both coming in under the reported £8.5m we are expecting for Parker.

Here's Joey!!!

2007-06-03T11:29:00.000-07:00

So St Scott has gone and the evil stepchild has now arrived. On this basis we need to look forward, and work out how to best deal with Mr Barton.

The bad old days...

... so Joey Barton is here carrying more baggage than... well something with lots of baggage.

He first hit the headlines when City considered sacking him after an incident at a Christmas party where he poked a cigar in junior player Jamie Tandy's eye. The following summer Barton was sent home from a pre-season tournament in Thailand after becoming involved in a fight (with a child), as well as getting involved in an 'altercation' with team captain Richard Dunne.

In March Barton was also arrested in connection to an incident with a taxi driver, prior to the recent 'Dabo incident' (which I'll avoid discussing in detail considering the legal implications)!

And this is apart from the ass flashing incident on the pitch (which I think is more Gazza than Gaza, so nothing to really worry about).

The major worry on the signing must be that Barton is still on bail for a very serious assault, and this could seriously impact on his availability for the coming months - I'm assuming his contract will cover this eventuality???

The good stuff...

Having started in the Everton youth team, Joey Barton signed pro terms with Man City, making his debut aged 19. In the following 6 years Barton wracked up 130 appearances and 15 goals, with international recognition finally coming earlier this season.

Aged 24 Barton has been hailed as one of the most passionate and combatative midfielders in the country over the past couple of seasons. The shining light in a poor team, Barton has been looking to move his career forward for the past 12 months, but has been held back by personal problems. He needs to start scoring more goals to start challenging Lampard, Gerard, Carrick and Hargreaves at international level, but that said has his best years ahead of him.

A move to Newcastle, with the guidance of Big Sam (and away from his family on Merseyside) should see the player flourish. It is a huge risk, but at £5.5m you will not find another player with his quality on the pitch.

There are many opponenets to his signing, but Barton IS a quality footballer. He IS also a very dubious character who needs sorting. We have the history of what has been described as 'Bobby's Borstal' and we need to be re-assured by Sam that Barton isn't going to come in and embarrass the club in the same way that Kieron Dyer has done for the past 8 years!

Please Sam, tell us your plans.

On a lighter note...

2007-06-03T09:30:00.000-07:00

Just found this link - genius!

www.safc.info

The Case For The Defence

2007-06-03T08:47:00.000-07:00

So with the exodus of Day One, and no signings as yet there are many names being banded about for the Newcastle defence. Baines and Ben Haim are expected, with Rozehnal and Hyppia also possible, but today are pals at the NOTW have identified Claudio Cacapa and Jean Sebastien Jaures.

Claudio Cacapa (thanks to UEFA.com)
He seems a strong player, with a good reputation, but his lack of games over the seasons must be a worry. Maybe Sam sees him as a third Centre Back behind Taylor and Ben Haim, as I can't see him as the new heart of our defence. Could be a very good squad player who would allow us to rest Taylor on occasions, and only need Ramage during injury crisis or cup runs? Especially as he seems to be available on a free.

"The leader of the Brazilian pack at Olympique Lyonnais, Claudio Caçapa's game is all about power and doing the simple things well. A solid, muscular and versatile presence in the heart of the defence.
ClubCaçapa joined Lyon on a six-month loan from Brazilian side CA Mineiro in January 2001 and after impressing while helping the club win the French League Cup, was snapped up on a permanent contract for €6m that summer. Caçapa was deployed both at right full-back and centre-half in his early days in France and made 15 appearances in 2001/02 as Lyon won their first French title. He made the central defensive position his own the following season as Lyon retained their crown. Knee injuries restricted his appearances over the course of the next two seasons, but he was back with a vengance in 2005/06 when he began to establish himself as the charismatic figurehead of Lyon's miserly defence. The ferocity of his tackles are respected as widely as the kindness and courtesy he displays away from the pitch. Caçapa, who won the last of his three caps for Brazil in July 2001, is one of only four players to have played a role in each of Lyon's five successive title triumphs between 2002 and 2006."

Jean Sebstien Jaures
This fella is a fringe player at Auxerre, but is a utility defender. Most importantly he is primarily a left back, and if the Baines deal doesn't come off it is good that Sam is already looking for back up. While the NOTW reckons he'd cost us £700k, thats got to be worth the investment for a fit and experienced defender. Obviously Babayaro SHOULD be doing this next season, but it is looking unlikely that he will ever wear a black and white shirt again, and at present is our only left back in the squad.

Newcastle United?

2007-06-03T03:32:00.000-07:00

With so many changes going on at the moment we need to also consider the players who are staying. Now we have lost our captain to West Ham, there is something very important to consider when chosing a replacement.

One option is that a new signing will take his place, but I realistically can't see a new manager doing that at a club as unstable as Newcastle. That is why I believe that there are three candidates for the role.

Nicky Butt

Undoubtably developed into the fans favourite last season, as the heart of our midfield. With his experience and being a central midfielder some are seeing Nicky as the only sensible option. My worry is that at his age the extra year may have an impact on his form next season when we are looking to push on to the next level. I have faith that he will put everything in next season, but don't feel he will be in the side week in week out, and they key for us next season is getting consistency.

Steven Taylor

Our hyperactive future England international is a great talent who has shown maturity in controlling our defence at the back end of the season. My feeling is that we should allow him to develop into a captain rather than force this on him at such an early age.

Shay Given

For me the only real option. Shay will be an ever present next season, and is the one truly world class player in the squad. He has the experience of Newcastle (313 games!) which will help the new manager settle in during his first weeks and months.

Lets just see what Sam thinks.

2007-06-02T04:03:00.001-07:00

So below I've listed whats going on, and by the looks of things Sam is on the right track. If we can pull in the players who are looking likely (Ben Haim, Baines, Boateng, Viduka and Barton) the we are shaping up for a decent squad. These guys will cost around £11m, which is £4m+Scott Parker - not a bad kick off point. If Dyer and Owen follow then we can expect another £15m in the pot for 4/5 further signings.

Its true to say that on paper our squad next season will not look as good, with less 'big names' but this could be exactly what Newcastle needs. If Sam can locate a decent right back from somewhere then we will have an XI to really challenge the top six again. This will then make us a much more attractive prospect for the real big names in 2008/9 when Mr Ashley can show us the money and hopefully see us back where we belong in challenging for the Champions League!

Things are shaping up for a very exciting summer - lets just hope the season which follows is just as entertaining!

Player by Player

2007-06-02T02:54:00.000-07:00

So in a busy week at Newcastle here's a quick summary of where we are with each player (much thanks to nufcblog for this)...

Nothing sealed but the chat is

In - Viduka, Boateng, Ben Haim, Rozehnal, Baines, Barton, Reo-coker

Out - Parker, Dyer

Not sure - Carr, Babayaro, Owen, Emre

(click on players names for stats)

Mark Viduka

Well it looks as though the pie man is on his way to St James. You can't argue that he'll add much needed strength up front, and despite a significant wage, a 19 goal striker on a free is a great piece of business by Sam to open up his account. His role will depend much on the Owen situation, but a good addition and the sort of signing we could have done with in recent seasons (such as when Jimmy Floyd was available on a free and we threw £10m at Luque!)

Derek Boateng

This fella is exactly what we expected from Big Sam. We don't know much about this 25 year old midfielder, who is currently based in Israel, but everything seems to be positive. Goo attitude, hard working. This is a player who will come in to bolster the squad (realistically as back up to Butt) but in the sort of position where we really need it.

Ben Haim

I've already posted enough about this fella. Good signing and free - hopefully Sam can seal this by the end of the week.

David Rozehnal

This is the new news, but seems to be a strong lead. Dortmund are interested in this highly rated Czech PSG defender, but it sounds as though he would be tempted by the challenge of the premiership, and to join up with Sam who already showed an interest in the player while at Bolton. I'm sure the usual strands of news update will carry this story as the week goes on.

Given the fact this story is coming from the players agent we can't be too sure on it. Also, there is no sign on how much PSG would want, but you have to assume around £5m?

Leighton Baines

The young left back looks like he'll come, but with no real signs of Newcastle making an approach so far we can only assume that the U21 tournament is getting in the way. We're desperate for full backs as we know and this guy is a good english prospect. Even those who aren't sold on him must admit that at under £5m (given what we've spent in recent seasons) is worth a crack.

Joey Barton

Love him or hate him this guy is a very good footballer. With SP off the WHU we have to hope that the big fella knows what he is doing bringing in this 'rough diamond'. I have huge reservations about bringing a player with this history into a place such as circus St James' but we'll have to see. At £5.5m the price tag screams value, but there are so many moral issues arond this which I may cover seperately if he does sign.

Nigel Reo-Coker

Ok, so I don't like his attitude on the pitch, and this season has seem the Hammers fans turn against him, but a player who at 23 has already captained a team at Wembley and was club captain at 19 must have something about him. Maybe if he comes in as a replacement for SP Sam can bring the best out of him. I will hold judgement once he's in a black and white shirt.

Also he has quite a cool full name, and we could adapt the Shola song for him (Nigelio Shola Andrea Reo-Coker)

Out

With regards to players leaving, I don't think Parker has developed as well as we would have wanted. A good servant to the club for two seasons, but disappointing last year when the pressure showed. I don't feel that he would be a huge loss to the squad and see the money he'll bring in as an opportunity to re-shape the midfield. I hope he does well at West Ham though as he's always looked to be a solid pro where ever he has been.

Talking of pro's... Dyer. Kieron has managed to live a charmed life at Newcastle. When the fans wanted him out for disgracing the captaincy Souness doubled his wage! He is undoubtedly a great player, and the perfect number 12 for England, but has failed to blossom at Newcastle. On occasion brilliant, but we need consistency which he lacks. His attitude also stinks, with the amount of reports of him down the Quayside or on Jesmond Rd while injured not reflective of an £80k a week wage. Kieron, you won't be missed (although I expect he'll still be seen retrospectively as a very good talent in his years at the club.

????

The big one is Owen, with further reports coming out of a lack of commitment from St Michael I still feel we might be best just getting him out. He is costing us too much and with Oba Martins we have the perfect player to fill that role. Having spent £26m (ish) on this guy and seen little return on investment (both physical and emotional) I feel we are in a position where we can make a sensible business decision.

Talking of business decisions, lets just get rid of Carr and Babayaro! We'll get some cash for Carr and Baba is just a waste of a good wage.

Emre on the other hand is a clear talent who we should keep hold of. He had a tough season last year, and with a string of clubs having lined up for him (with a fee alledgedly agreed with Hertha Berlin a couple of months ago), we could cash in, but there is much more to get from this guy. I think in a better coached team we could really see the best of Emre next season.

New boy, but who?

2007-05-28T08:40:00.000-07:00

So Big Sam is now closing in on his first signing as Newcastle manager, but who will it be? With no real money available at present we must assume that the Chronicle are correct in their assumption that its a free signing.

With Mark Viduka currenlty avoiding being harpooned on a beach in the southern hemisphere somewhere, surely it is Sams old pal Tal Ben Haim?

The 25 year old is recieving great reviews from Bolton fans, and seems to be the perfect partner for Stevie T - fingers crossed come the end of the week we will have one of the four defenders we are desperately in need of!

The last day of the season

2007-05-28T07:29:00.000-07:00

So today is the final day of the English football season, so I decided it was time to start my Newcastle United blog for the summer. I often feel that I have plenty to say on football, especially during the summer months when there is no football to watch, so what better way to start my summer ramblings than to kick off my blog as West Brom (with dirty Kevin Rat Man Phillips) and Derby are fighting for a place in the Premiership to play against the might of teams such as Newcastle United FC.

I'm not going to throw all of my feelings on one page at the same time, hopefully over the coming months some people will read my thoughts and agree/disagree on various subjects, but its probably worth setting out my current position.

I fully support Mike Ashley and his attempt to take control of NUFC. I believe that we need a leader off the pitch, and that combined with a new manager we have an exciting season ahead of us. This is something which needs to be considered though. We have tried to throw money at the problems in the past, and what we need is a season of stability. Apart from the back four we have a side capable of a top 6 finish, and with a solid centre half to play alongside Taylor next season, and a couple of full backs (primarily Baines), we should be able to take this club forward.

Hopefully Sam will bring in solid right back, Baines and Ben Haim and sort out our 'forward situation', whether that be with or without Owen. If that can happen over the coming months then we will be in for an exciting 2007/8 season.

Having said that as the weeks go by you'll see my views changing, and being a typically passionate Geordie I will come out with nonsense at times, but thats why football and the soap opera that is Newcastle United FC will always be entertaining!