Newcastle United – News Roundup – 31 July 2009
Posted on July 31st, 2009 | 10 Comments |
Much doubt has been cast on whether this chap actually exists in the first place, let alone whether or not he’s bidding for the club. In general it’s the red-tops and Sky that seem to have been running with this story, although few of the broadsheets and local papers have touched it.
But let’s see what other news is around.
According to The Chronicle, Alan Smith has been laying down the law to players following the 6-1 defeat by Orient. Yesterday he said:
“Some people have made it public that they want to go, while others have got their head down.
“That is entirely up to the individual.
“We won’t have a go at anybody if they want to go.
“But they must cross that white line and give 100% when they wear a Newcastle shirt.
“We won’t have any qualms if they walk away if they get a better offer elsewhere.
“Every player in the dressing room last night, whether they want to stay or go, gave 100% and we cannot have any complaints.”
Also in The Chronicle, Chris Hughton claims he’s closer to knowing the starting eleven for the new season after our draw with Leeds. He told the newspaper:
“As you reach the end of pre-season you start to formulate the team which is going to start the first game. Going into the last match against Dundee United, we need to be somewhere near the shape we start with at West Brom.”
So I’m gathering that the team we field against Dundee on Sunday is going to be close to the one we use against West Brom in our first league game on a week Saturday. I’m a little worried that a lot of the players selected will have either expressed a desire to leave themselves or will be players the club will look to get rid of to reduce the wage bill and that we might have to start working with a very different team not long after the season starts. But I suppose Hughton can only only select the best players from those at his disposal right now.
The Mail is reporting that Viduka is heading for Portsmouth after being released by Newcastle at the end of last season. Good luck to them I say. I think Viduka turned out to be one of our better players during the disastrous run-in at the end of last season but he had previously spent an awful long time on the treatment table. If they’re sensible (unlike Newcastle) they’ll have him on a wage structure based around the number of games he plays, similar the one Man Utd has for Owen.
That’s about all there is in terms of Newcastle news today but I thought this article might amuse you a bit. Bordeaux coach Laurent Blanc insists Marouane Chamakh will not move to Sunderland as he will only let the wantaway striker join a “big club”. Perhaps we should put in a bid because, as everyone knows, Newcastle – unlike Sunderland – definitely is a big club!
NUFCBlog Author: Hugh de Payen
I'm a baby-boomer of the punk rock persuasion, currently exiled in Somerset for crimes committed in a previous life where locals keep trying to poison me with something called 'scrumpy'. Hates sprouts, coat-hangers, Cilla Black, ornaments, Steven Seagull movies and 50 Cent (he's not worth 10).
Hugh de Payen has written 634 articles on this blog.
Morning Hugh
You have to feel sorry for Hughton. In a job he doesn’t want, not knowing what players will be available to select next week for our first league game, some of the players who will be there, don’t want to be and are likely to put in half baked performances. Still he just gets on with it. These people who keep slating him drive me nuts. The man doesn’t want to step up to the managers plate but he has no option. At least he is trying unlike a lot of the team. Regarding Smith, whether he is effective or not in his position seems secondary to a degree. We need people with his determination and commitment to play for us next season. We can’t afford a bunch of lily livered wimps who won’t put themselves on the line in the championship as they will get slaughtered. Interesting article posted on one of the blogs yesterday regarding the truth behind Smith’s transfer to Manure. Basically said Leeds approached SAF at Manure as they were about to become insolvent and Smith was their most valuable playing asset. They agreed a deal and told mith he was going as they had no choice but to sell him or the club would go under. Smith being a Leeds fan went knowing the flack he was going to get from the Leeds fans. So ironically at that moment in time if he hadn’t of gone Leeds would have gone under.Leeds fans should think on that when they are shouting their vile abuse. I’m not a big Smith fan but credit where it’s due he has just got on with stuff and kept schtum even when taking a lot of unfounded abuse. That’s the kind of character we need.