Newcastle United – News Roundup – 04 August 2009
Posted on August 4th, 2009 | 13 Comments |
“Possibly we might end up losing one or two more.
“Where we are at the moment, there’s always going to be speculation about the players.”
Additional players certainly will need to be given the push if we’re to get the wage bill under control. We’ve lost Owen, Viduka, Edgar and Martins, which must have had a fair impact on wages already, and we’re looking likely to lose Bassong and possibly Beye.
I wouldn’t be surprised if we lost Geremi, Enrique, Jonas, Colo, Barton (if anyone will have him) and possibly Smith too. If all those did go then we might just have a manageable wage bill, although we’d need to buy in some less-costly replacements.
Hughton goes on to say:
“Everybody is aware the owner is trying to sell the club.
“We know it could be any day. We’re hoping, of course, the sooner the better – then everybody can get on with their roles and know where they stand.
“But until we’re told otherwise, all we can do is do the job we’re doing at the moment and prepare the team for what’s going to be a very tough campaign.
“I’ve been asked to perform a role and the general consensus is that once a takeover is in place, a new manager will come in.
“But until that does happen I’ve got to work with this group of lads – and at the moment they’re a very spirited group of lads.”
It seems there was a row over the players’ transportation to the Dundee game on the weekend. According to The Chronicle, Ashley initially refused to pay the £8,000 required for a private flight to get the players there and wanted them to go by coach instead. Apparently Joey Barton was planning to have a whip-round to raise the cash for the flight but eventually Ashley relented and paid.
Also in The Chronicle, Ryan Taylor says that we’ll have to get used to playing 12 men this season because referees will be looking to make a name for themselves at our expense. Speaking about the Dundee game, Taylor told The Chronicle:
“I thought it was a good workout, only to be spoilt by one of the worst refs I’ve ever seen.
“He gave us nothing, but overall, we can take a lot of positives from the game.
“After we went 1-0 up, he gave the first penalty, which was ridiculous. It wasn’t even a handball.
“For the second one, he said I had pulled the lad. The lad got the ball, but even if I had pulled him, he was in a great position anyway.
“He just couldn’t wait to give them something. From start to finish, I thought he was terrible.
“However, it’s going to be like that for the rest of the season, and sometimes we are going to be playing 12 men.
“We know, especially away from home, it’s going to be tough, but we’ve got so many different characters in the dressing room, and we all seem to gel as one.”
Sports Pro Media carries a short report that suggests not one of the consortiums that expressed an interest in Newcastle have proven they have the funds to make a bid. If this is true then we’re much further away from a sale than I thought because – as I understand it – potential buyers had to prove they have the funds before being allowed access to all the juicy financial reports in the ‘data room’ (although I could be wrong there).
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.
‘Sports Pro Media’ looks like a very sensible publication on the surface, and their stories look very matter of fact. However they are usually complete and utter guff.