Ben Arfa deal isn’t going to happen, but it was fun whilst it lasted!

Posted on August 13th, 2010 | 163 Comments |

Ben Arfa - Would have been a great signing.
Ben Arfa - Would have been a great signing.
I am just about ready to put my neck on the block and say that I don’t think we will be getting Hatem Ben Arfa anytime soon, anytime at all in fact.

It’s my opinion that the protacted transfer saga has gone on for far too long for the move to materialise now.

I would be happy to be proved wrong mind, very happy in fact as I beleive that Ben Arfa has enough about him to become a real fan favourite at St James’ Park.

It seems that the player would like to come to Newcastle, as evidenced by the fact he stormed off in a huff when the Marseille president said he would be staying in France and not going out on loan. In fact I even think the player told the club that he wouldn’t be going back to Marseille, although if that is wrong then please correct me as I have just got in from work.

Deals have been agreed, then they haven’t been agreed, then there has been contact followed by reports of there being no contact at all. Pretty much everyday has been like that for at least a week, which has been exciting, deflating and intriguing in equal measure.

At the moment it seems like there is a power struggle going on between Ben Arfa and Marseille, but who will win? Will player power win the day, or will the French club get their own way? I personally think it will be the latter, unless Newcastle stump up the cash of course, which I doubt will happen.

I found it amusing when the Marseille president hinted that Chris Hughton is out of step with Mike Ashley. Apparently Dassier doesn’t quite grasp the way that transfer speculation is handled by Hughton. If he did then he would know that Hughton gives everything the brush off. But to the trained eye, or to those who have seen it before, you can generally tell when a rumour is near the truth by the coy look on his face whilst issuing the denial.

At the end of the day I just want this whole saga to be over. Twists and turns are great and all that, but if Newcastle don’t have a decent chance of signing the lad then we should move on to another target, if we have another target on the radar that is.

It’s a shame really as I believe that if the club had acted swiftly then we would have been able to get the player, even on loan perhaps. All this dilly-dallying about though has given Marseille a way back into negotiations.

Marseile are playing hardball at the moment, and our club won’t match that.

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163 Responses

  1. C’est La Vie, bit like the Beckford saga really and Marseille will now realise what it is to try and get blood out of a stone, for the sake of a few quid we are going to miss out on a really good player.

  2. I am glad we haven’t bent ourselves over and taken one up the clacker, purely because we are desperate to sign a player. Too many times in the past we have paid over inflated fees for over inflated players. And please don’t blindly accuse MA of being too tight with his money as an excuse for the deal falling through. Unless you have intimate insight to the recruitment of this player, please keep the Ashley bashing to a minimum as it has become so incredibly repetitive and dull….

  4. this was the perfect signing for us.just what we needed.i seriously cant see one of our players scoring over 10 goals.we need an am and we need a striker.whether hughton thinks this is another matter.

  5. My sixth sense tells me that he would be wearing the famous Black and White in not too distant future and the deal will go through. i hope it does anyway. Also wonder who our transfer targets are and i hope ther is no panic buying.

  6. Didn’t they do this with Beye too? I seem to remember that taking ages with the goalposts being constantly moved.

  7. If anyones to blame it’s the greedy French club they will come running back wen no one else moves for him by that time we would of moved on n signed someone else,think we have done everything right this time!! Time to move on!! Any news coming in today transfer wise??

  8. Elliot@6

    You are right about Beye mate. I think a lot of teams think they can bully NUFC into paying ridiculous fees based purely of our recruiting history. We have always seemed to buckle at the last moment and pay more than warranted – Albert Luque comes immediately comes to mind.

  9. they’re just rying to force a permanent deal instead of the loan as they need the cash………it’ll probably work but maybe not with us.imo he’d be worth the £5-6m but I don’t think Ashley listens to me ;-)
    I wish someone would sign him whether us or A.N Other as I’m bloody sick of it.

  11. Agree, Toonsy. We’ll miss out on this one. Add him to the others we’ve missed over the years.

    In one of the fantasy leagues I’ve picked a team of missed targets and ex-players:

    Given
    Bramble, Hughes, Distin
    Arshavin, Kuyt, Modric, Milner, N’Zogbia
    Saha, Rooney

    Wonder if I’ll be buying Ben Arfa for that team in a few weeks time.

  12. You are spot on Richie, but with this fella’s temperament I think a loan deal is the way to go.. This fella has N’Zogbia written all over him if you ask me.. If we purchased him outright, it would only be a matter of time before the “Gunners want me” BS starts up in the press

  13. Aussie…….true but thats where about 12 prem teams are at the moment.If they sign a player and he does great either one of the big boys comes in an takes him or the players want to move to a bigger club.Unfortunately there’s nowt we can do about that but hopefully you make a profit then look for the next one.

    Toonsy,owt from “wor Mick” yet?

  14. I really thought he was coming-thanks to Big Mick,Owl Heed and all involved in this you really did try your hardest on this one and it is greatly appreciated.

    Off course I didn’t think he was coming-They do this all the time-fookin w4nkers.

  15. BTW The little Un’s 2nd Puma Blue away top was returned to Sports Direct the same clicking in the cheap fabric within 1 day.
    Pile of plop.
    :)
    Avoid.

  16. We should be making a cheeky bid for dave jones from wolves. he has yet to sign a contract extension. The type of player we need

  17. Richie, I see what your saying and to be honest I have cared little for most of the players that have wanted to leave. If they want to better their careers or collect more money then so be it… What does piss me off is the damage to team morale when all of the speculation is doing the rounds. It’s pretty hard to have team harmony when a player is complaining continually and wanting out.. The way this guy is acting now is a prime example of this… he would be a great player to have in our ranks but i can see this happening to us in the not to distant future if we pick him up (which I doubt anyway)

  19. True ..Aussie……….but if he was told the deal was done as his president said in an interview only to be told it wasn’t a few days later he has a right to be a little p!ssed off.
    I thought N’zog was a disgrace yesterday if the reports are right,he tells Sky that he is gonna put in a transfer request in the afternoon…..surely you put in the request with your club first,then you tell sky if you want !!!………..young uns today no respect ;-)

  20. Richietoon
    hard to believe but its worse than the two away kits. So cheaply made it is unbelievable

  21. we Should Try for Arda Turan in his place or a young argentine winger from Bayern Munich.However i still think Arfa would be a Newcastle player before the window shuts, and if he does’nt then its not the end of the world.

  22. Aussie Mag – isn’t wanting to play at the highest level for the best team called ambition?

    Ambition, ahh yes, I remember when Newcastle used to have it.

  23. budlovesa………..cheers,just when my day couldnt get any worse ;-) surely if they’re that bad the club can f*** off Puma and negotiate another deal(better as we’re now prem)………..obviously I know its not that easy but it’s better than selling nae shirts because they’re crap.

  24. If ben arfa is making this much fuss to join us and if those reports are true? We have to sign him.

  25. Brisvegas – not when your opinions of yourself are a lot higher than all of those around you. Ambition-No. Arrogance & over inflated self importance – Yes

  26. The chap in sports direct let him try the kids home shirt the day before it went on sale-that was the one he had waited for-he was well disappointed he decided to go for the blue on-both ruined in a day-yet his England World Cup kit hasn’t budged and it was worn loads during the world cup.

  28. Hmm, in my experience people who are ambitious are usually also arrogant and have an inflated ego.

    It’s rare indeed to find someone who is ambitious and also ethical and loyal.

    I doubt Ben Arfa is in the latter category.

  29. richietoon@23: ‘just when my day couldn’t get any worse..’

    Check the date, mate!

    And so last years fizzy fabulosas plus a Perch, a crock and a codger prepare to avoid relegation. Meanwhile Bolton, Wolves, Blackburn, Stoke et al have been making sensible acquisitions instead of wasting weeks chasing fantasy footballers like Arfa or wasteful loanees like Cleverly that will either not benefit us or we clearly can’t afford.

    In 3 months and with the Prem season about to start our ‘much needed team strengthening'(Hoots) comprises a Perch, a crock and a codger….

  30. And almost everybody at the top of their fiel got there through amition – it’s the reason the world is so screwed up

  31. He was gutted about the blue kit falling apart so chose some Nike football boots from JD which he was after instead.

    I think there will be loads of these tops taken back they are the cheapest football kits NUFC has ever put out in my opinion and the mark up on these must be astronomical as the workmanship,design and fabric quality is a big ZERO.

    The Northern Rock badge on the home kit is hideous like a cheap iron on sticker from the 70’s.

  32. spotlight….lol hadnt realised.

    Ryan Giggs must be a “deluded” Toon fan saying we’re a big club in an interview ;-)

  33. I have heard newcastle will still sign ben arfa with in the next 24 hours and he will sign for 5 mill ?????

  35. Well supported club-not a big club.
    I was hoping Mike would see the light and invest in the long term future of Newcastle United but he clearly has no interest in developing a strong senior squad capable of holding it’s own in the premiership.
    I can’t see this Squad causing many problems this season,very few goals scored and just dire defensive football-we may survive,who knows but it will be one long season ahead and nothing like the previous canter in the fizzy’s.

  36. another season and here we go again , missing out on flair players, no transfer kitty, ashley only interested in filling his pockets (how much did we get when we went down and then returned to premiership) how much of it has been spent on the team ????
    another season of struggle with relegation the only end result???
    come on ASHLEY,HOUGHTON WAKE UP !!!!

  37. The club is blazing a trail in the transfer market!

    They’ve decided that they aren’t going to talk to agents, threaten to sue any newspapers linking us with any players and decided that they don’t negotiate with clubs anymore.

    They will soon see that the quality of player we attract will start getting lower and lower. It almost appears that we make an offer and that’s it! No counter offer, just take it or leave it. Well it would appear that most clubs are leaving it and it’s leaving us in a precerious position.

  40. Just to confirm, Since Ashley has been here we have had a negative net spend every season in the transfer window.

    This season it looks like it’s changing – We may have spent £1m on Perch, but then again it could be £500k as every transfer we do now is undisclosed.

    Everything about the club is just anti supporters, anti media and against everything that football use to be about.

    I despair, I really do.

  41. @toonlad
    We have heard this some many times! Sorry if I don’t quite believe it..
    Can you tell us how your meant to know or where the info is from??

  42. I agree Stuart-I haven’t hardly logged in during the transfer window-knew that nothing interesting would happen and just a complete waste of time.

  43. Gotta feeling this deal will happen for cash, don’t know why jus hba hs forced a move now I hope its us but he will b prem player by end of window, I also got gut feelin kpb will happen

  44. Staurt79 – cheer up mate, you could have water front living conditions like those poor buggers in Pakistan.. put it into perspective will ya…..

  45. …..at least we’re not mackems …………..even that thought isn’t cheering me up as much as it should!!

  46. Aussie Magpie – howay man! We’re on a football blog. Who’s the one really losing perspective?

  47. Also, just to add, I agree the home shirts are dreadful. Saw a load of kids in ill-fitting and cheap-looking home shirts on the day of the open training day, walking around town and they just look terrible.

    The collar is hideous and unless you’re in shape, you’re going to either look a sausage wrapped in wire with a smaller shirt or like you’re wearing a rain mac if you go for the bigger size.

  48. Devastated!! Now HBA isnt coming we surely must be relegated come May.

    In all seriousness its one player there will be other targets before the window closes. Whether we get them or not is a different matter.

    Whatever happens just got to support the lads we have here already and hope for a good season.

  49. HAHA the mighty toon army your screwed this yer you dinit stand a chance, you have no skills, you cant afford 5 million for the best player u need to have a chance of winning u a point , gud transfer season, missed out on onouha, welbeck, ben arfa but dont worry you have sol cambell the old fat codger ho only chose you for his wife, dan gosling a litle cripple and james perch a league 1 class player, what a joke 6 easy points for us this year

  50. ” unless you’re in shape”………thats the final nail in the coffin of me getting one bbm .
    Whey well done NUFC,looks like it’ll be the first time since the 70’s I won’t have bought a home shirt :-(

    Anyone actually got one who thinks they’re ok??

  51. BBM – Just trying to hilite the fact that being a NUFC fan is not all doom and gloom mate. I may have tried to stress the point a little extremely..

  52. bowburnmag says:
    August 13, 2010 at 9:04 am

    Everything about the fckin club is cheap, man!

    They have cheapened the club more than I could every have imagined. The away ticket sales sums it up perfectly.

    They cheapen the club in what they do, say and buy.

    The shirts look cheap because they are cheap. The poor quality is beyond belief!

    When people said he would start running the club like his shops, people scoffed. Oh how their not scoffing now!

    Ashamed is a word I never thought I’d use, but I am ashamed.

    As for you Aussie – Why don’t you go on the Red Cross blog if you want to talk about floods in Pakistan.

  53. the events yesterday make me fink this will happen more than ever since marseille are playing hardball the player has took it upon himself to force the move through, jus like fabregas cud of done, this isnt about what we can afford its bout not getting ripped off n getting the best deal for us not them, ive even heard hba is already in the country, they will b forced to sell him now whether its or not hba will b a prem player b4 the end of next week

  54. Fair do’s Aussie. I respect your opinion and even though I think you’re always far too optimistic for a miserable beggar like me, I wasn’t being snotty so hope it didn’t come across that way.

  55. stu – yeah, on a serious note, we lack class in most departments these days and not just in the off-field behaviour of players and board. Pretty depressing.

  56. You think this is over, no chance :lol:

    http://www.francefootball.fr/FF/breves2010/20100813_093230_ben-arfa-pourrait-arreter-le-football.html

    Pushed to the exit there are few side Marseille, Hatem Ben Arfa (Press Photo-Sports) does not wish to continue the adventure on the shores of the Mediterranean. He prefers to cross the Channel to join Newcastle. The English club has also sent this week a loan offer pay-option in OM. A proposal was considered ridiculous by Jean-Claude Dassier.
    Farewell to the salary and the Blues?
    But the 23-year-old decided. He wants to leave, whatever the cost. Thus, Team tells us that the number 10 from Marseille was ready to put his career on hold to give up his salary and did not change with the Blues in September (against Belarus on 4, 7 against Bosnia and Herzegovina ) to join the Magpies. A gamble for a player to dribble and fiery pest.

  57. BBM this is a football site, can you leave you references to class consciousness somewhere else. All this talk about beggars is too much 4 me liklhed, leyk

  59. The French press are also saying HBA hasn’t turned up for training this morning as well, this saga is just gonna keep on going. So who’s gonna win OM or HBA? Has there ever been a case like this before?

  60. must agree on the new shirts like,they are awful.got the home and away(blue).the away one has pulls and cliks all down the front already! plus the letters of the sponsor look as though i could just peel them off if i wished,the letters on the adidas shirts for sponsor were always smooth against the shirt,these ones arent at all,if you run your hand across the sponsor it feels all uneven and like they have been stuck on with cheap glue,badly.am fearfull of putting it in wash as i just know they will peel off! and the home shirts are worse,the sponsor looks as though it is just the cheapest option available,a sheet of thin plastic with the words on,it also looks as though it wont survive a wash! and around the white stripes the sponsor looks awful with what looks like bits if surplus glue!! i collect nufc match worn shirts and have 2 from the norwich game,even the players versions are crap! so so cheap.the adidas shirts are of a far higher quality.everything about us has become sports directified!!! if you dont have the new shirts then i suggest you buy an old one becaues they wont last more than 2 washes imo.the sponsors will peel off for sure.havent washed mine coz im scared they will fall off!! also think hba will come if we could just get ash to invest 5-6m we would have him,worth a punt considering our lack of attacking pace/guile

  61. Huckin Fell – the mobs out in force today and BBM’s jumped into bed with Stu.

    Maybe we are doomed.

  62. Bris – touche.

    TC – I don’t mind getting beat but at least we could do it in style?

  63. Toon Chicken, obviously a man with class!

    If you think everything the club does has a touch of class you are classless!

    Also if you think were on the road to success and redemption you are clueless!

  64. I have the home and 3rd shirt and the quality is shocking. The NUFC badge has a border on for some unknown reason-looks like theyve given the badges to 4 year olds and asked them to cut it out the best they can!!
    The Northern Rock badge is a joke! I reckon come christmas it’ll be off if not before!
    The collar looks nice but it is very flimsy and sorta flops all over the place rather than sat in the air like it should.
    Gonna have to only wear the shirts at matches and not casually as it wont last! Shoddy work, worst shirt I have seen in a long long time and definitely a step backwards. Poor show again Mike, great sponsor pick there!!!!!

  65. Stu – you are so full of sh!t its unbelievable.

    Almost everything you come out with turns out to be a steaming pile of sh!te.

    When was the last time our club did anything with a touch of class? Did Shepherd have class? Did he fcuk.

    Success for me this season is survival. I believe we will survive. I doubt it will be easy, but that isn’t the point.

    Stop blaming your pathetic, miserable existence on Mike Ashley. If you have nothing more to live for than almost but not quite winning the Premier League then that’s your own fault.

  66. apparently HBA stormed out of Lyons preseason training a couple of years back to get his transfer to marseille. he also started working with Marseille before any agreement was in place with Lyon.

  67. If we have money earmarked for a striker it would be nice to see us get Bellamy on loan instead and stump up the cash to sign Ben Arfa

  68. bollocks ashington u cant work with nobody unless u are a free agent.laws in the game dont allow that crap.lets see if he trains with newcastle while under contract 2 see if u are right.anyway it is better news then when he was coming or not coming he isnt in training.if he wonts to come we have more chance getting him more then ever.if it is the money put the offer in and let him come ch.

  69. Ashley is really starting to boil my piss, How can he not see £6m is a drop in the ocean compared to the financial problems we will experience after a possible relegation, Has he not seen us in pre-season we are crying out for a pacy creative player to play off Carroll.

    I doubt Bellamy will come back either, I dont believe the papers and i still think he will end up at Spurs.

    If he wants his money back he wont get it with another relegation, People keep saying he doesnt mind us becoming a yo-yo club but we wouldnt be because Enrique, Carroll, Coloccini, Taylor, Gutierrez, Guthrie and Barton would all jump ship next time we are down and we wouldnt get back up.

  70. Personaly think that for once the club were going about this deal in the right way. We supposedly agreed a loan deal & them OM changed their mind, perhaps to force a cash offer because they don’t believe we don’t have the dosh or perhaps because they are selling another player & are worried about how the supporters would react, need the money or maybe just because their twats. Someone mentioned they did it to us with the beye deal, so as they say they’ve got a bit of previous. Now the player has thrown a wobbly OM can say they have to get rid of him & I notice their name has been linked with n’zogbia.

  71. like i said b4 OM will b forced to sell HBA now he is refusing to go bk or play for them ever again the fact that HBA is doing this proves that it is OM that r messing around and not us this deal will happen watch

  72. @macas agreed,bellers would be a hit for me and thousands of others,the guy is sheer class on the pitch.ben arfa would be an awesome signing too but cant see us getting either becaues we dont have the funds i doubt.wether thats by means or design im not sure.one thing for certain though is that if we dont strengthen our attack from the midfield we are in trouble as i cant see any of our midfield causing much trouble as we are set up just now,maybe vuckic would make a differnce of the players we have here but cant see ch playing him much at all.reckon we will get a couple in but probly just cast offs from bolton and blackburn or something,or the ccc.jason roberts? jl samuel? and the likes.not good enough for blackburn etc but good enough for ma.we need some investment soon that will improve the team,not just make up the numbers for back up as that not going to improve us much,its just going to make us have poor players than we already have for back up.our pace is non exsistent and in the pl we need some pace and trickery,at the moment we dont have either apart from our lb.cant see us causing many problems this season the way we are set up just now.i dont expect us to be challenging up top of table,just want us to survive this season and am worried that at the moment we arent going to,i will get behind ch and the lads as always,we just need something to change ala the attack and supply from midfield and that will require a little outlay of say 6-8 m.but cant see it happening,hope im wrong though and will reserve my judgement untill 1st september.come on ma,help ch out man!!

  73. enrique is going to be are biggest player this season.all the big teams attacks will come down his side.if he deals 90% of the time we will be looking at a good season.to me he looked a bit off the boil in pre season.. didnt see his pace.he will need it on monday.enrique to me will be 1 of the best left backs in the world.to me he is a better then any defender in his postion when defending.i bet i jinx him he will have a shocker at scum land.

  74. Toon Chicken says:
    August 13, 2010 at 10:26 am
    Stu – you are so full of sh!t its unbelievable.

    Almost everything you come out with turns out to be a steaming pile of sh!te.

    A very well thought out and intelligent reply.

    I follow facts and form – You on the other hand follow opinions based on nothing more than hot air and shite!

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    Marseille winger Hatem Ben Arfa threatens to quit football if Newcastle United move isn’t granted – report
    By Robin Bairner
    13 Aug 2010 10:00:00
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    Ligue 1 : Hatem Ben Arfa (Marseille) – (Panoramic)
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    Ligue 1 : Hatem Ben Arfa (Marseille) – (Panoramic)
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    * Hatem Ben Arfa

    For all the latest reports and transfer rumours, visit our dedicated section here.

    Olympique de Marseille winger Hatem Ben Arfa is reportedly ready to quit football if the club don’t grant him the chance to move to Newcastle United, a report in L’Equipe suggests.

    OM president Jean-Claude Dassier announced on Thursday evening that Ben Arfa’s future lies at Stade Velodrome, but after receiving little game-time under Didier Deschamps last season, the France international would seem to have other plans.

    The Magpies have reportedly made their interest in the player known to les Phoceens’ board. It is said that they offered to take the 23-year-old on a loan basis with an option to buy at the end of the season, though Dassier is said to have dismissed this offer as unacceptable.

    Ben Arfa would appear to have his heart set on a move, and is ready to gamble his own career on the switch.

    “I shall never return here,” he is rumoured to have said when leaving Marseille’s training ground on Thursday.

    The Parisian-born player has taken such a risk before. In order to push through his move from Olympique Lyonnais to OM, he simply walked out of Lyon’s pre-season training and began working with Marseille instead, having not had consent from his previous club.

  76. Ha imagine if ben arfa just turns up at our training ground with a Newcastle kit on and starts knocking a ball about.

  77. lets dont worry about us staying up.the league will this season be a piss poor league like it was last season.we need to win 10 games to stay up.we said this last season when we went down.we walked the league.1 thing we have got in are favour we have got players who no what they are doing and what surprissed me in pre season we passed the ball well and looked a well drilled team.so what we havnt got better players then other teams.but we got togetherness then most teams whcih will go a long why of us doing well.free kicks and corners we will score a lot of goals andy carrol will score from them.u got a look at it.the defending is piss poor in this league.

  78. TC – The blame game is British disease, it doesn’t matter what it is we won’t be happy until a scapegoat has been found. Unfortunetely its usually never as simple one person’s mistakes, MA is culpable for many of our current problems but not all & our club was in deline long before he first appeared.

    Does anybody know if our strip’s are made from the same material as the spuds & if they are, do they have similar problems with theirs? My lads got the blue kit & its been fine, but the northern rock badge on the home one put him off buying that. I don’t normally buy replica tops myself so I’m not really fussed & will stick with the retro one I bought for the FA Cup semi.

  79. Stu – if you weren’t so thick you could probably make a lot of money. Being the first human to function without a brain has got to be worth something.

  80. my cousins a spurs fan and he says there shirts are fine but look as though they are made from a completly different material than ours…

  81. Saltysellars sorry to hear you have a relative who is a spud , I guess every family always has one person they are ashamed of :)

  82. @ johno toon many thanks for your support mate,its not been easy but as a family we are determined to get through this…..

  83. Stuart79 Stuart79 says:
    June 3, 2010 at 10:15 am

    Barca will spend £40m on Fabregas – No more. That has been well documented.

    More FACTS from Stu :rolls:

    Anyone who’s got a spare 3 seconds should google his name – the sh!te he comes out with is mind bottling ;)

  84. Toon Chicken says:
    August 13, 2010 at 11:20 am
    Stu – if you weren’t so thick you could probably make a lot of money. Being the first human to function without a brain has got to be worth something.

    That’s another…

  85. i still think as long as ben arfa refuses to play/train and kicks up then we have a chance as long as ash is prepared to play ball.lets face it mike,we need this type of player,never mind his personality just now,the position we have within the game means this is a bargain and one we cant afford to let slip.the boy is a world class player and he wants to play for the toon next season,all we need to do is give om what they want,6-7 million or loan with gaurentee that we can pay up next season.maybe om have shifted the goal posts,or maybe ma is just being difficult.both have previous so its hard to pick which to believe.i guess this is what happens when 2 chairman of the same ilk get together and try to thrash out a deal…chaos!

  87. Your very brave admiting it in public sellars but we are all here for u :)

    Mind bottling Toon Chicken? :)

  88. Toon Chicken says:
    August 13, 2010 at 11:34 am

    Are you going to put that in context or are you just searching anything that I have ever said to suit your argument and TRY and make you look like you have an existence?

    Either way, if you have enough time to scroll through the blog for my past comments you need to get a job. Although I conceed claiming benifits probably suits you great. Well the hours will anyway.

  90. Brisvegas says:
    August 13, 2010 at 11:47 am
    TC – so why do you care what Stu says?

    Because that’s his life. He has a infatuation with me. I can’t/don’t blame him as many before and many after him will have the same issue.

    What can I say? Their only human….

  92. Toon Chicken says:
    August 13, 2010 at 11:50 am
    What are benifits, Stu?

    Dunno, I have never had the cheek to claim them.

    You on the other hand probably get invited to the department of work and pensions christmas party. Along with a parking space for your skateboard it sounds like a cushy life.

  93. dont worry toon chicken!stu works for the job centre plus were ashley buys his players thats why he knows so much.he also gets world cup games right england to beat germany 4-1 and then beat argies.he was also right on that.

  95. Stu/TC – this all seems a bit contrived, mate. Give it a rest and get back to the football.

  96. I’m watching the Newcastle Jets and Melbourne Heart game at te moment. HT 0-0. Apparently Michael Bridges has been described as an English Bergkamp. We have a long way to go when Bridges is one of the star players in the league.

  97. never mind the in-fighting have a laugh instead,even a clip of toonsy running on the pitch in this one

  99. Johno Toon – Mind Bottling: You know, what happens when your thoughts get all trapped up like in a bottle. :lol:

    You should watch Blades of Glory if you haven’t already. It’s almost as funny as Stu! ;)

  100. Bris – noo hey, I used to play with Micky and he was a decent player. Mind you, the Geordie Bergkamp is pushing it…

  101. Ice Toonsy wont be happy you found that clip of him and put it on here :) .
    Stuart stick to yer guns mate and dont let them get ye down ;).
    And atlast we seem to be coming to the end of the Arfa Daley saga and as I said lastnight, We need to be grateful that the Fat Controller has allready got us 3 top players.
    Admittedly the 1st will be like a fish out of water, the 2nd might play this season IF he makes a full recovery and the 3rd is an OAP, FFS lads what more do you’s want blood ?

  102. SJT comment 42 likewise, just like GroundHog Day the past few transfer windows.
    I see the same sweetness and light still prevails among certain bloggers. :)
    For what its worth I reckon the team we have are good enough to give us a mid table finish, not too much optimism or gloom. A result of any kind, win or draw, this Monday would be a great start and why not!

  103. BIG DAVE,he was kicking off being on the motor-way last night

    got another one of him doing a rave ;)

  104. Hahahahahahahahaha Toon Chicken :) Love it :)

    We are dancing to one song and song only , my humps :)

  106. It’s just dawned on me. I’m watching a team called Newcastle play against a team in red and white stripes … 1-0 to Newcastle. Omens. I guess that’s what we live on these days.

  110. What would those guns be, Dave? Chatting sh!t and throwing insults around? Highly commendable behavior :roll:

  111. Toon Chicken says:
    August 13, 2010 at 12:36 pm

    Insults? You need to get out more if you think you’ve been insulted.

    Go away and enjoy the world that you live in. You know the one with roses around the door of the cottage, where Newcastle are being ran brilliantly, with class and their a shining light to the rest of football.

    The fact is their trying to start a trend in football where agents are ignored, players wages come down and transfer fees are reduced.

    As has happened with their ridiculous attempt to get support from other clubs regarding the Daily Mail, this trend will be yet another solo mission with no support from any other club. What makes them think their right and everyone is wrong? It’s not obvious anyway.

    Do you want some coffee when you wake up?

    “We’re still pushing, we’re in it with most clubs and it is quite difficult to get the players you want at the price you want in the present market.”

    So he’s saying it’s difficult to get the players we want in today’s market? I thought prices were going to come down?

    Basically he’s saying we can only compete if there is a price crash that takes player values back to 1960!

  112. Fulham have just reported interest in Bellamy. I dont reckon we’ll see much more activity in the transfer window this summer…

  113. Ice-who is that in the video? Canny one that like, haha.
    Would love to see bellers back with us but it’ll never happen, doubt we’ll even enquire about him like

  115. MDS ………..to be fair he’s only worth £1.5m so we’ve dodged a bad un there ;-)

  116. Stu – they say you should never argue with an idiot, all they do is drag you down to their level and beat you with experience. So for that reason, I’m out.

    Toodles x

  119. Anyone else up on this side of the pond? Looks like Bradley has resigned as USMNT coach and the Villa sites are saying some bookies have stopped taking bets on his appointment.

  121. Bob Bradley at Villa. :)

    I think he will be out of his depth personally. Come on Villans, we’re hungry for blood next weekend.

  122. Big step for him if true as he never managed in Europe. As a US fan, he frustrated at times, but generally got us the results we deserved- didn’t under achieve, but didn’t over achive either.

  123. hard one to call how villa will do this year.
    reports say some players are glad hes gone,some unhappy,so take your pick?

  124. ‘Accrington Stanley chief executive Rob Heys believes the club will net a £200,000 cash windfall from their dream Carling Cup tie with Newcastle United.

    Stanley host the Premier League giants in a Sky televised second round clash on Wednesday, August 25, in a match regarded as the biggest in Accrington’s history.

    A sell-out crowd at Stanley’s 5,000 capacity Crown Ground is almost guaranteed for a game that has quickly captured the imagination of the town’

    Nice to see we’re ‘the biggest game in their history’, surely they must’ve played Burnley or Blackburn in a cup at some stage.

  126. do we really want ben arfa,if what we are hearing about him is true?he threw a tantrum at lyon to get his move to marseille,now he’s turned on marseille to engineer a move to newcastle.we do not need any more of this cross channel crap,that comes with these french players.
    have we not forgotten how much of a nightmare laurent robert,charles n’zogbia,laurent charvet,frank dumas,didier domi,alain goma,sylvain distain,stephane gui’varch,these were.f**k ben arfa we dont need another trouble maker here,how long will it be before he turns on us?.

  127. TROJAN are any french players any diff.just look at the carry on at world cup with the whole show

  128. alreet ice,i had villa down as a game that could kick our season off,because of the unrest.the plan has went to clarts though,if they wanted rid of old rambler o’neill.they may come out and play all the harder for their new incumbent oh crap.

  129. Icedog, I’m ok thanks for asking. My missus has finally joined me in retirement so I’m “finding” more things that “need” doing. ;)

  130. trojan we are full of trouble makers! why not join the list with joey barton top of it.it is not just french players.

  131. ice,we should avoid him like the plague,we are already papering over cracks at barrack rd.our so called team spirit,new togetherness,the way the club is run etc,deep down a lot of fans know it’s a load of cobblers.
    the whole sorry mess is built on sand,and the whole thing could come toppling down at any time unfortunately.
    bringing in a trouble maker like him is a bad idea,and will only hasten the oncoming crash.

  133. asim,look at the bother we’ve had with french players over the years,it’s just not worth the agg to be honest.

  134. If Arfa does come here and then wants to leave in the future, we’ll just sell him, hopefully for a profit. To m he’s worth the risk because he provides us with thing we don’t have. Plus, the leadership of the team is different now- I don’t see Nolan, Barton, Caroll, Joey, etc. taking any guff from anyone.

  137. If he can set a light the EPL for 1 season, it’ll be job done for us. This season is all about survival & if this lad can help us do that i’m all for it. It’s gonna be a fantastic dressing room with Joey Barton, Andy Carrol & this lad :lol:

  138. Trojan

    Marseille have caused some of the bother by announcing it a done deal and then backtracking a few days later

  139. TROJAN to me c.h.is just too layed back which is a good thing at times,but still think hes a bit of a puppet for ashley who always in the past has jumped on anyone said anything he didnt like ime sure you dont need me to remind you of things past

  140. lads,your missing the point,okay the lad has talent no doubt.he is a luxury player though,will he be up for the fight if we’re involved in a relegation battle?
    we cannot afford to bring a foreign player on board,to have him take part in a relegation fight.
    what happens if he finds it’s hard to adart to the english game?it’s not a place for weeping wallflowers.
    he will get absolute lumps kicked off him,i think we would be better off bringing in someone we know can do a job already in the prem.
    how long will it be before he starts complaining about the weather?there will be stories in l’equipe where he’ll be saying,english football is too hard,the ball is always in the air etc.
    i wish i’d never come here as i miss my mothers lamb tajeen,while here i’m on a diet of stottie bread.
    i just dont think it’s worth the bother.

  141. Keep the faith ? Lads and Lasses ! Dont kill anyone before the first game :)

  143. TROJAN theres a lot to be said for the lads that have plyed there trade in epl and the ccc to some degree,it normally takes at least a season to see the best from guys who come in from abroad,can we wait a season for that to happen?mind some lads from eastern europe seem to adapt quicker

  144. ben arfa is going to be a star in the black and white of newcastle.it is a matter of time.it will happen when they have to let him go to us.if they keep going on about newcastle then the other teams it means he wonts to come here.and not take up other offers becasue they need the money for players.thats holding up the deal they need 5-6 mil but he doesnt wont to go anywhere but us.

  145. now your talikg ice,get a couple of players from russia for instance,they’ll think it’s summer during our winter.
    there will also be no comparison between beetroot soup and a good honest ham and pease pudding stottie sandwich.

  148. TOONSY nay m8 it was the shite below them that kept them up.

    big dave enjoyed the link of you i put on for him :)

  149. Matter of time till we check you into a mental home,I cant see it happening……….. but im hoping thou.Mike Ashley is tight as a fish arsehole.Ben Arfa can do all he wants to join us ! Mike Ashley doesnt wanna pay 6 million for him ! End of !

  150. talking i meant to say,my spelling on a keyboard is getting worse lol.
    ice,i know what you mean,i would be all for ben arfa if we were bringing him into a situation like we had under keegan.i personally dont think it will work in the current climate,to bring a player with flair into a squad of workman like plodders who could be facing an uphill fight to stay in the league.
    if the club was on the up,and not this depressive cheap,grubby,tainted by mike ashley scenario we find ourselves in,then i would say go for it.
    i dont think it will benefit him or us in the current situation,he will not flourish under these conditions i’m afraid.

  151. toonsy,hull always tried to get it down and play football,we are like a quasi wimbledon,which i think hughton carried on from when joe was in charge,the no one likes us,backs against the wall mentality.
    if we are goping to play long hoof ball,then ben arfa will be as much use a gay bloke with piles.

  152. goping?i’m going to have to take more care when hitting these keys ffs,meant to say going.

  153. Ranger is a good example for long ball doesnt not work,Andy Carroll is not 7 foot nor Fast as Theo Walcott.

  154. TROJAN i hit the right keys but still cannot spell,always been my downfall,but i get what your saying so wtf :),

    we do lack flair/guile big time

  156. agreed that ch plays wimbledon style football,but then half the teams at world cup play that way,i blame the greeks for winning euro 2004,and inter milans play last season.the flair in the game is dying out to be replaced by ‘lets not concede and hit them on the break’ the worst of it is though is that is defo our best chance of survival this season.BUT we will need better attacking players to create in pl,jonas and routledge are far too inconsistent,routledge struggles to beat the first man with his crosses,jonas aint much better.but they are our only hopes just now which is bad enough never mind when they get injured.carroll is pointless without good service.it will be long ball football like we played away last season but now it will be at home games too.we will play at sjp like the away team if we go into season with no more quality in attacking midfield

  157. just been on lequipe,ben arfa left out of marsielle squad for tomorows match….

  158. if c.h. plays hoof ball or football,where do we go if carroll gets injured or ends up in the slammer for a couple of months,who do we fall back on,shola,ect i dont think so,ashley needs to get a little cash spent just think hes waiting to get the pickings thats left on the plate,then we will just run out of time,hope ime wrong and shocks me in this last fortnight

  160. Icedog,Besides Ben Arfa wanting to come to the toon,Who else wants to come to us ?

  161. CTGL,i get what your saying,but its just dragging on and on while other targets (if any) move on.
    who else wants to come here?i would think very few at this moment in time,but what can we fans do,only support what we do have,which isnt a lot

  162. OM have had thier bid for fabiano Rejected it could be good news beacuse they would need to generate more money and if we could offer the loan or put in a cheeky 3-4mil bid for ben arfa he could be ours.
    I know its hopefull but what else can you do as
    a fan. I dont blame CH if we need Ben Arfa i think we might have to consider selling our plays ( shola or smith or r taylor ) to give us the extra money. If we get this kid and he turns it on
    He could easily keep us in the prem he is that talented when on form

  163. Icedog,Lets hope Chris Hughton has another targets and working hard to get them.
    Wouldnt suprise me Mike Ashley would have say he would like to see at the club cough cough cough, Jenny Craig isnt one of them.