The great Geremi transfer mystery…

Posted on February 1st, 2010 | 113 Comments |

Geremi: Mystery still unsolved.
Geremi: Mystery still unsolved.
Well, the great Geremi, double Champions League winner, double Premier League winner, double La Liga winner, double African Cup of Nations winner and Olympic gold medallist has gone. Now that African Cup of Nations is over, a deal has finally been completed with Turkish side, Ankaragucu, and thankfully for Mike Ashley, the burden of his £58,000 per week wages is no more.

When he signed from Chelsea in 2007, on a ‘free’ too, it may have seemed like a great coup for Newcastle United to land such an esteemed and decorated player. However, all was not what it seemed. Why would Chelsea let him go so cheaply when he still had years of his contract? Why had he been moved to right back at Chelsea, instead of his preferred midfield position? The answer came from Sir Bobby Robson. On the subject of the great player joining the club, he said in his own initimable fashion:

“Jose Mourinho told me last season that Geremi’s legs had effectively gone.

“Mister, he plays like a 40-year-old. He can not run any more. He will not play for me in important matches again,

“Naturally, I was alarmed to read that Newcastle wanted to sign Geremi.

“I passed on my information to someone at the club (before Mike Ashley took over), but Geremi still ended up signing. In fact, Sam made him captain.”

We all know what happened next. some of the quality was still there with some excellent passing and good positional sense, but, alas, Jose was right. Geremi’s legs had, effectively, gone.

Big Sam’s reasons for signing him remain a mystery. Indeed, some might say that the reasons for most of Allardyce’s Newcastle United signings remain a mystery, and some might even allege something more serious. Did Allardyce’s arrogance and hubris make him think his complex methodology for getting the best out of ageing players would succeed where Mourinho had failed? Or did Shepherd knew of the Robson warning, but concealed it from new owner, Mike Ashley, as revenge for forcing him out of the club during the same period? Or could it have had something to do with Shepherd’s agent son, Kenneth, who was named along with Allardyce and his Newcastle predecessor, Graeme Souness, in Lord Stevens’s report on the football “Bung-gate” scandal? Perhaps he just thought that the old man had become deluded and senile? Or even that he was out for revenge of his own for the way Shepherd humiliated him before he was sacked? The truth has yet to come out, for one thing is for sure, there was something decidedly odd about this signing.

On the verge of his departure to Turkey, our usually diplomatic manager, Chris Hughton, also made a very unusual quote. He said:

“We did not want to get rid of anybody but it was different with Geremi.”

Sentiments that will no doubt be echoed amongst quite a few fans.

NUFCBlog Author: workyticket workyticket has written 1096 articles on this blog.

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Comment on this post

113 Responses

  1. Phew!
    ‘Bout time.
    Made the odd great assist, but rarely.
    fank thuck he’s off the wage bill, what a waste of money.

  7. I have many a time came on here and defended Ashley on more than a few occasions mainly on the subject of sorting our finances out (in the process becoming Batty’s best mate,lol)up intill about 10 mins ago,i am sat here thinking Ashley done good this window,taking in to account his previous,bringing in 6 players 4 of them perminant,trying for Moses while were missing out on prem £,i’m thinking the mans done good considering,then i thought about last night’s TV Doc,now yes it was broadcast last night but Ashley would have known about the Doc and that it was due to be broadcast for the last month at least,and on the grand scheme of things he has spent very little just over 3mill and lets be honest its very little in football terms,Geremi leaving- his savings on wages will cover all 6 players,the FAT C*NT has tried to buy us off on the cheap to deflect flack and the negativity around his Business,he has done it to help sports direct and his share price,Not for the good of the club,he has done it for the wrong reasons,He has tried to buy us fans off on the cheap.MIKE ASHLEY YOU ARE A FAT C*NT!

  8. Glad he’s gone like.

    While we’re in the business of getting rid of our over the hill and so far past it they can’t be seen anymore….

    I think it’s time someone rang Nicky Butt a taxi.

    Defies belief that he can still start a game for us, never the less play the full 90.

    Does anyone else reckon the “Players Union” (Nolan/Smith/Butt) are making team selection decisions?

    I really hope this isn’t the case, but i’m unsure why Smith and Nolan and Butt were all played together, we’d have been better off hammmering 2 posts into the centre of the park and kicking the ball off them.

    Big up the Blog by the way, been reading since Ed’s closed. Love it.

  9. toonsy says:
    February 1, 2010 at 10:34 pm

    “worky – Time for a new poll? Just wondered?”

    I wanted to do a poll that was related to a blog, so I was waiting for that ‘debate’ you were writing about some time ago, but you haven’t done it yet.

  10. If we can keep hold of our new Dutch let back until the end of the season, what does everybody think about playing Enrique & the new lad at left back and left wing, Jonas just behind the front two and either Smith, Guthrie or Nolan just ahead of the defence? If Jonas is on the left wing, go for 3 up front with one in the hole

  12. I feel Ive said enough on the transfers now. Just gonna be very interested in the game against Cardiff. When we played them at thier place they were the better side (no surprise there)Colo had a stormer Smithy got sent off and we limped across the finish line. As I can see it they aint changed a great deal and we have 5 extra in.

    The line up I’d like to see would be

    —————Harper—————
    Simpson—Williamson—Colo—VanMan
    Routledge——-Smith——Gutierrez
    ————–Guthrie—————
    ——–Ranger——Lovernkrands—-

    Guthrie as Nolan needs a rest
    Ranger as Best has only just arrived dont like either Carroll or Ameobi as they are both far too lazy.

  13. Just watching bits of satdas game on sky and the lad who got sent off. his first card was a direct result of a shocking pass from who else but NICKY BUTT.Looking at it we where lucky not to have another injury on our hands cos of that idiot.

  14. Barton 12

    Post 7 – You’re sounding paranoid I’m afraid.
    He hasn’t cared what anyone thinks about him so far, so I hardly think that’s his motive for buying players.

    Don’t know if any of you saw the news tonight detailing how transfer window spending has plummeted from £170m last year to £30m this year. Considering we spent roughly £3m, our transfers have accounted for 10% of the total revenue spent

  15. barton12 @ 7 That thought went through my head but then its only the supporters of the Toon that he could buy of that way not Joe public. I think his spending spree was more down to recent injuries ;) .

  17. waldo, why would you play two wide men in a 3 across midfield? It is the best position for smith but i would like to see routledge and jonas hugging that bye line with support inside if required. Also do you think guthrie would be positive sitting behind the front 2? I would be thinking more a traditional 4-4-2 formation and swap smudge for r. Taylor, i know i will get stick for this but i feel his deliveries to the front 2 and the wingers could work. Just my view!

  18. Simon says:
    February 1, 2010 at 10:50 pm

    “go for 3 up front with one in the hole”

    Ooh er! Very ambitious Simon! The nearest thing to that would be Johan Cruyff’s Barcelona 3-3-1-3 system, which is one of the most attacking of formations. However you you need top players with very high standards of technical abilty all over the pitch to really pull it off. It’s good if you have players like Xavi, Fabregas and Essien though.

  19. I think we should go with the norm defence with rout one winng gutierrez the other Guthrie and smudge centre with zorro and love up top thort the forwards were s**te on saterday would love s change

  20. Maybe your right Worky, I was just thinking back to what Keegan did, but to be fair, as you said, we did have some better players back then. I was judt thinkin about maybe Ranger & Best up front with Loverkrands just behind or any o our forwad line up or maybe Jonas as the player behind the front two. Sure Jonas could put the ball on a plate to them that way, might be better than his crosses

  21. Nicky Butt did not make a forward pass the whole game. Every time we had good passing flowing along, when the ball came to him he wouldn’t even look he would just pass it backwards, which killed the whole attack every single time. The others times the ball was just given away cause he is so bad. He makes me so mad…I guess I don’t get it?

  23. I think if we do get promoted Ashley will start making black and white Lonsdale YO-YO’s…CH wouldn’t last 5 minutes in the prem I reckon deep down he knows promotion will spell disaster on the pitch and he will be hounded out,think he feels secure in the fizzy’s.

  24. Yorkshire the team I put up was meant to be sort of 4-4-2 pushing the wingers wide it was set up to try and get Guthrie pushing onwards a little to get some emphasis at going forward. The middle of the park has been very stagnant of late and would just like to see us try to be a bit more adventurous as what we have seen in recent weeks will not get the job done.

  26. he’s fat, he’s round he only cost a pound……

    One of the most unusual deals on deadline day was Mido’s move to West Ham – where he will be on the lowest wages for a player in the Premier League. The Egypt striker signed on a six-month loan from Middlesbrough for £1,000 a week and Hammers owner David Sullivan called the deal “one of the most amazing of all time

  27. Ashley program was a load of bollocks – it’s hardly surprising that slave labour makes sports direct crap just the same as primark, jjb and all the other cheap crap how the friggin hell do you think its so cheap ya dafties

    better than nike, next and other high street stores that go on about ethical workplace then give contract to some company with about 10 staff in asia, they then simply sub contract the work out to slave labour – company doesn’t give a toss as it’s not responsible for sub contracters conditions
    get over it or stop buying the crap

  29. Whilst i will never warm to Ashley, i can understand why he is reluctant to spend big money on players having been well and truly stiffened by Allerdyce with the majority of his buys and also watching so many players going through the motions on hollywood wages.
    We have bought sensibly during this window, i like the younger hungry players as opposed to big shot has beens or foreign gambles.
    On the same subject, the Mackems have accumulated a similar parcel of well paid under performers which they may come to regret, i thought our game v Lesta was bad until the Stoke game last night, premier league, your having a laugh!

  30. Just a quick point folks on the Moses front. I keep reading we wouldnt bid an extra 500k to secure young Moses and that was THE deciding factor. It wasn’t its poor journalism.

    The administrators had already made it clear that Moses was to be sold as he was worth only a nominal amount in the summer as he is out of contract. Therefore if young Victor had said we were the club he wanted to sign for the Administrators would have had no choice but to accept it as they simply cant force a sale to Wigan.

    We have to deal with the fact Victor chose another club ahead of us for his own reasons (whether his agent had his ear because he got an additional 25% commission is another matter entirely)

  31. All speculation from yourself stardust,you are as far removed from the administrators,agents agenda and Moses aspirations and the deal itself, you can’t back any of that up with solid facts and financial figures.

    So are you also saying the above also applied to the Beckford deal…or was it a case of “derisory Bid from NUFC” as quoted by Leeds?

    Money talks in football Stardust and it is quite clear to me the coffers handed to CH where minimal.

  32. On the plus side though CH and all involved have strengthened in key areas,addressed some issues and I am reasonably happy so there you go lads SJT Is reasonably happy :)

  33. Sjt- I was under the impression our bid for beckford was an acceptable one and that the deal was ready to go through, with the player wanting to make the move. It was all done and dusted until grayson decided to step in and refuse to let him leave. He then pledged his future to the club, presumably realising no move to any club would be sanctioned

  34. SJT – The fact is in black and white – Moses decides where he goes or he waits to the summer and chooses anyway as he is on a free then – why you want to make an argument out of the facts – I simply dont know?

    Administrators have a duty in law to get the best deal – so they were forced in law to sell the asset, as he was almost worthless in the summer. But I suppose I dont know what I am on about and I am misquoting again.

    Also I must be wrong when Ken Bates stated he could have took the 1.8mn from NUFC for Beckford but Grayson didnt want to sell him. ( SO Bates was happy with the bid as he had sent it to his manager)

    Not really sure what your point is but hey ho.

  38. For goodness sake guys try and keep up. This two nippy wingers hugging the line and whipping in crosses for the big front men became obsolete on 25th November 1953. Our squad, and in my humble WBA and Forests, is probably good enough to get mid table in the EPL. Why on earth do you want to continue the failed strategy of buying name players who we are then stuck with on big wages. We are four points clear with a game in hand. We have an honest manager and players who work hard. We are financially sound. Be happy.

  39. my understanding of the moses affair was the administrators took the best deal on the table,might be wrong like but thats how i saw it..

  40. i was and i wasent iam glad we have cover for the injurys but a dont think routlege and best are prem players so most probs be sold

  42. Batty “but a dont think routlege and best are prem players so most probs be sold” time will tell give the lads your support and a chance – thats all you can do.

  43. Hitman BUT the player has to agree to go to the club.

    IF Moses said no to Wigan the administrators would have been forced to consider the other bids.

  46. No Stardust money talks and Bullshit walks.
    You know you type about executive accounts,the boardroom and law tripe backed up with some smart arse grammar,you are like some specky 15 year old trying to impress the form tutor.

    Very little you say on all matters financial and legal is really true,just waffles with raspberry jam-just glamourised plop and hearsay (in my opinion).

    Still think you are a canny lad though so nothing personal.

  47. I’m sure the fact Wigan were willing to shell out more would have had a big impact, but it’s also quite clear that the moment a PL club showed solid interest, that they would be his preferred destination. Top flight football on a higher wage packet. You only have to look at his quotes from the Wigan site when he says he’s played enough CCC football and is ready to test himself at the top level with a view to breaking into the England squad. Had we been a PL club, i’m incredibly confident he’d have went to us over Wigan. Just the way it goes sadly.

  48. I don’t think we can complain about Moses too much. As I’ve said on other threads, if any of us were players, we would want to go for what would be best for our careers. Take away the love of a club and think about what is best for the future. A club who look like they could well go up but nothing for sure or a club already in the top flight where you know you will play in that division. I think the vast majority would go for the top club. If you think you are good enough, you will be sure you will keep that club in the top flight. I know the same can be said for a team going for promotion, but if you go to a club already there, you know you have made it.

    Worst case, your new club gets relegated, but everybody has already been watching you play in the premier league, its almost a ticket to anywhere you want as long as you are good enough.

  50. “Very little you say on all matters financial and legal is really true” Au contraire, mon amie

  52. Moses wouldn’t have been in a posotion to go on a free at the end of the season. Although he was out of contract he is under 24 so a tribunal would have set the fee.

    I heard the agent say that he had offers from other clubs but choose Wigan – fair enough in my opinion.

    If we’d have offered £3m Wigan would have just matched it, so it’s a mute point.

  54. If we had offered 3m he would have said “I want to go to Wigan” they neednt have raised their bid!

    But as you say – its a moot point

  55. Of course, Moses (and his agent) doesn’t really want to go to Wigan. He wants to show that he can cut it in the Premiership for a year or two while being watched by clubs like Villa, Liverpool, Man City, Arsenal etc. Then, when their ardour is aroused, comes the the bigger money move, the £50,000 per week etc…

  57. Stardust says:
    February 2, 2010 at 12:14 pm
    Is that when I said the betting was back open Batty – after being suspended?
    #<<<<< yes and i sed 7 to 2 wigan looks quite good

  60. SJT,i agree with SOME of your earlier posts,ime sick of this moses thing,saying he wanted to go to wigan (bound to hes signing)he said the day before he wanted to come to the toon,after wed game,i will always want anyone in b/w to do well,but ashley is doing the cheapest way,so he con cut and run when we get into epl,(great sell on value moses)my last rant over the lad

  61. sirjasontoon says:
    February 2, 2010 at 3:11 pm

    “Stardust-Je t’aime stardust parce que vous êtes si intelligent”

    SJT, vous en argent languetés Cavalier! Vous le flatter, vous faire l’amour avec lui en public.

    Lothario!!

  65. can any1 tell me is newcastle v cardiff on tele cant see it on da sky schedule and they usualy hav da friday nite game on!

  67. i dont like ashley but at the end of the day hes the owner . he,s offloaded all the high earning shite that took us down n getting rid of geremi is good business who,d yous rather have pensioner geremi or this young pair o legs from coventry coz he cant be any worse than gezza . we are stuck wi ashley full stop until he flogs us weve just got to grin n bare it .

  70. am i bein cynical or does anyone else think that goin for victor moses was more an exercise in public relations rather than a genuine bid a la wayne rooney before he joined united?

  71. To be honest, if Ashley is putting his hand in his pocket to mollify us, then thats fine by me.

    Len, thats when teams had a five man forward line is it not. :)

    Child labour isn’t nice, but on the other hand it’s sometimes the only way some familys can exist in third world countries. The real fault is with the political system that turns a blind eye to this abuse.
    If 10% of every countries war budget worldwide was spent on relieving poverty then there would be no need for this sort of exploitation.
    Ordinary people such as ourselves are as much to blame as Ashley for wanting cheap goods, be carefull where you throw stones, we are all guilty!!

    Oh and good bye and good luck Mr Geremi you weren’t the worst player we have ever had.

  72. Rather than a genuine bid, a la Rooney?

    We bid £15mill or so for Rooney, then Man U bid £18mill, so I don’t see how potentially spending £15mill is a public relations thing.

    I think it was just a half hearted punt in all honesty, but with the strikers and (1 newly signed) wingers, where would he have fit in? It wasn’t worth too much time, effort or money.

  73. Buddy I think it was a genuine bid to get him, but I also think CH and Ashley did not to enter a bidding war and pay over the odds.

  74. Big Willy im glad we didn’t start a bidding war, but I still believe if Moses wanted to be here he would be. So alls good imo I think he would have held back atlest 2 of our own younguns ala Ranger and Vukic plus Lovens chances would have dropped aswell.

  76. TGS seen that The big man had the heart of a lion I feel for him and his Family, it really is sad that so many younguns feel as if there is no other option.

  77. Horrible news RE Sibierski’s daughter. 18 years young, a real shame that shes thought taking her own life was her only option. He may not have been here long but he became a cult legend with his European goals, once a Geordie always a Geordie. Thoughts go out to him and his family.

  78. Big Willy says:
    February 2, 2010 at 7:34 pm

    “Buddy I think it was a genuine bid to get him, but I also think CH and Ashley did not to enter a bidding war and pay over the odds.”

    When I used to deal in Fine Art and Antiques quite a few years ago, and I was competing with someone who was a bit of a bastard (which is almost certainly what Ashley thinks about Dave Whelan), I would sometimes be tempted to bid against them for stuff I didn’t even want, knowing that they would bid over me. This way my competitor would have payed alot more for it and their margins would be cut right down. Though I wouldn’t suggest that a nice gentlemen like Mr. Ashley would ever think about doing something as devious and underhanded as that.

  79. Ross says:
    February 2, 2010 at 8:46 pm

    “Horrible news RE Sibierski’s daughter. 18 years young, a real shame”

    It is indeed. It also sounds very strange, which will probably make things even worse for poor man and his family, if that’s possible.

  80. Worky-it’s a horrible thing to discuss, but the fact she was released without charge on suspicion of assaulting her boyfriend makes it all the more strange, sadly. Who knows, either way, its a terrible shame. I was a big fan when he was with us and wanted him to be given that year contract he was desperate for. He seemed to enjoy his time with us.

  82. Big Dave your point about having no other option is interesting.

    Being quite a young person myself I can still see that my lifestyle, what i’ve already been exposed to, in some cases, aren’t easy for everybody at a young age to cope with. I’ve known a couple of people who’ve taken their life into their own hands and like in most cases it’s usually the people you never think have something eating away at them like that – horrible to reflect on.

    Reading things like this – Sibierski, and an unrelated story – the Terry/Bridge/ex girlfriend affair… It just goes to show that when we boo our underperformers or whoever, or a player isn’t all his best in a game that you need to give them a chance if their personal life can be a factor. The german goalkeeper who took his own life for example… At the end of the day when you hear things like these you realise it is just a silly game and some things are so much more important.

  83. Andy a fair view of my clients are in their late teens and I was real surprised at how many young people find it hard to cope with things that in the bigger scheme of life arn’t really that important, and how many of them have tried to take their own life. Thankfully you learn to cope with things better as you get older lol.
    I also think booing your own is not the done thing and has a negative effect on the whole team.

  84. Big Dave says:
    February 2, 2010 at 9:48 pm

    “Thankfully you learn to cope with things better as you get older lol”

    Hmm, I’m not sure Dave. You should of seen me when we got relegated :D

  85. On a slightly brighter note, I’m sure old Moses enjoyed his first viewing of the bigtime, as Wigan went down 2-0 to Notts County at a quote “near deserted DW stadium”, lol.

  87. From what the SSN report says he wasnt involved at all. He may have been on the bench but he’s nowhere to be found in the player ratings. One of them an own goal from Caldwell who is also a new signing. Unlucky lads! lol

  89. Gutted to hear about Anton Sibierski & family’s great loss.

    Deepest Condolences to you & your family, You’ll always be a Toon Legend.

  94. barton-i had heard he was ready to walk but who knows what to believe.

    Toonsy- the DW will have made the Riverside look like Camp Nou tonight. 5 thousand for a cup game midweek or not is nothing short of embarrassing. Absolutly awful.

  97. Tara Geremi. Good bit of business. Wish I could pull down $58k/wk for doing FA. Talk about living the dream.

  100. wigan is a rugby area d,whelan said on ssn that he had to borrow money for window but there was a limit,with att like that,theres going to be a few scum downs to pay it back

  101. barton12 says:
    February 2, 2010 at 10:40 pm

    “is Eriksson still at county after all there recent problems?”

    barton, I’ve heard that he has even been ready to throw some of his England and Italy money in the pot to take it over himself, with other partners. I’m not completely sure though.

  103. Sorry for your your loss Anton, the reasons for her doing it are personal to yourself and her but it is sad when someone close to yourself passes away in such awful circumstances, may she rest in peace.

  104. workyticket@101

    Thats a suprise and good to see,putting something back in the game and at a lower level were its not all about the big money

  105. Worky, I find it interesting that you feel the need to comment on one part of my comment 71 but you and everyone else chose to ignore everything else I said, oh well back to insults, sarcasm and ignorance.

    I don’t include the tributes and condolences for Anton Sibiersky in that last sentence by the way.

  106. icedog-back in the day when Wigan just used to bash other teams around i said they used to play rugby with a round ball, given it was a rugby town, lol. Their football seems to have become slightly more pleasing on the eye over the years but nothing drastic like. That attendance is just embarrassing though. They wont know what to think, whether going out to County is the most embarrassing feat of the night, or whether only 5 1/2k turned up to see it.

    I blame alot of the Nzogbia saga on his agent. He too was a young’n, stars in his eyes and his agent was blabbing on about Arsenal and such, wonder if he’s came back down to earth yet. Pundits have said he’s been in excellent form recently though to be fair to him.

  107. Zog’s had a few ‘moments’ this season as he’s playing more.
    But, he had ‘moments’ for us.

    Pundits are spin monkey’s & sheep all at once. It’s almost like they don’t actually watch football. They just spout what they’ve heard, like journo’s pretty much.
    Mongs, the lot of ’em.

  109. ROSS never said thi before,but ive had exp with agents before, but a few (not all) are greedy blood suckers,dont want to go there,but one thing i will say the toon acam,is very helpful and fair

  112. andy in fairness we were never ever ever going to buy wayne rooney….shephard was doing it to try and please the fans and also heard a strong rumour that there were underhand dealings involved to hurry man u into buying him! dont think we were ever too serious about moses as he was simply too expensive for ashleys tight regime to even consider buying

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