Early survival imperative for Newcastle United

Posted on February 14th, 2011 | 43 Comments |

Premier League table
How many points for survival?
It’s become increasingly important as the season has wore on that Newcastle have to secure enough points, as early as possible, in order to keep tight hold of our best players.

It’s also an indictment of how well we’ve done and how good our core team really is. So, as the pundit’s favourites hover and circle like the proverbial flies round ****, or vultures, respectively, it’s become an absolute necessity to garner enough points to ‘allow’ our great core of players the magnanimity to put pen to paper on new and extended contracts, as soon as possible and not be forced to wait until the end of the season.

If we are drawn into waiting, it could have a detrimental effect on the efficacy of the clubs powers of persuasion. The longer it takes to become safe, the more vociferous the rumours will become.

We all know which players will be targeted. In some cases, it’s already begun. With the latest round of ‘transfer rumours’ and general mischief making coming out of the laughable entity we call the press in this country.

Something we do have in our favour is the £35m+ that we’ve just squeezed out of the scousers. That means that, on the one hand, every player may have a price, but on the other it’s also a hefty one (to the point of extortion). Also, it means the club has learned to play hard ball when it comes to negotiations with other clubs trying to prize away our top players. We’ve been getting some top prices lately for above average or just plain average players. i.e. Milner, Martins et al.

It also indicates to buying clubs that we don’t really ‘need’ their money or their unwanted attention. If any of our players are prepared to leave for whatever reason, at least we should get a superannuated price. That doesn’t really bear thinking about, I know, but it does put us in a pretty strong position. One that the club hasn’t had the luxury of until recent times, and one that would allow for proper reinvestment in the team without too many financial restraints.

It’s paramount to the club’s, not only survival, but development, that we hang on to these players so as to move on to the next level.

Players like Jose Enrique, Cheick Tiote, Joey Barton, Tim Krul, Kevin Nolan, Fab Coloccini, Jonas Gutierrez will all, undoubtedly, become subject to such interest in the coming weeks and months.

How true any of it will be, no one but agents will know, I guess.

But it’s teams at the top end of the league that our players are being linked with, so that means we have great players.

It means ‘top’ dollar. But above all else, it means quick and early survival, in this league is IMPERATIVE.

Howay the Lads!

NUFCBlog Author: CLiNT FLiCK Cut me in half & it'll say Newcastle United F.C. just like a stick of Black 'n' White rock! CLiNT FLiCK has written 42 articles on this blog.

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43 Responses

  2. TOONEYE nothing is obvious at the toon m8 not that i have seen over the years anyway.

    as i said before love him or hate him arry has wheeled and dealed well for spurs,he always over spent at other clubs be seems to have got the finances right this time,well thats what it looks like on paper

  4. tooneye,
    you can always argue with any of the points made.
    Although, if you agree with said points, the jobs a good ‘un.
    ;)

  5. Anyway,
    the point of the article was more to do with the stuff in the press about Jose apparently stating that he’ll sign a new deal if/when we are assured of survival.
    Therefore, that means, the quicker we get there, the better. ‘Cos we’ll be able to think about next season & be able to offer new deals based on that. It wasn’t so much about the need to survive per se. As that would be stating the bleeding obvious.
    So it’s more about ‘supposed transfers’ in the press.

  6. I am not sure if it was right to label an England start eleven above average player and a Nigeria’s leading striker an average one. But it was true the board knows how to play hard balls now. Having said that, as long as no decent replacements were acquired, I couldn’t care less about how much money the club got from transfers.

  7. milner ain’t pulling up any trees at manc like.
    & martins has just signed on loan for brum after unsuccessful jaunts to germany & russia.
    We got more than we would have under the previous regime like.
    At least 3 ex players available for brum to haunt us tomorrow like. EeeeK!

  8. &
    We can’t get any proper replacements ’til summer now, anyway. When the pressure will be well & truly on.
    The point about money coming in was more to do with not having to sell players to buy players.

  10. ime with you hugh,i forgot who were the bottom 3 just after xmas,par for course they go down,with one team dropping from mid-table to fight it out,but this is strange season this year imo

  11. ice,
    aye mate,
    it is a strange season.
    But it was a weird one last too, we just didn’t notice so much, cos we were otherwise engaged.
    :)

  12. The GD column is usually a good indicator of final league position.
    So far, we’re +2, there are some bid minus’s down the bottom end.
    It could make all the difference in the final run in.
    Staying in credit or better is like having an extra point.

  13. Just listening to the Legends phone in and Nial Quinn is coming on to explain why he said he despised certain fans ( Geordie in disguise?).
    And i thought, what a Conundrum here in the NE, mackems have an owner who has pumped millions into the team and they still cant get any way near to filling their almost brand new ground, and we have an absolute twat who has spent fack all and its the opposite.
    Anyway, the so called “despised” are still buying his teams kit and contributing to the mountains of cash heading into the Premier League, so whats his point?

  15. Hugh De Payen – I wish I shared your sense of optimism. Six without a win – 3 goals scored in five (arsenal aside) and two deceptive toughies coming up: birmingham away & Bolton at home. Win those 2 and we’re in touching distance,, win and a draw,, OK aye fine. Anything less and the panic could set in.

    Need shola back ASAP – if only for the shape of the team and to bring nolan in to play more. Arfa/ Ireland who knows? They could take a while to pick up the pace, and I doubt either are relegation battlers to be honest.

  16. Widowmaker
    It`s “hardball” if yous guys gonna step up to the plate and use baseball expressions, try and get it right.
    Anyway what the f**ks wrong with Pardew, he`s advocating a cap for Enrique,therefore both bigging him up and making him more attractive to other clubs.
    Does he want to sell him ?
    If not the could he not keep his mouth shut for a change, does he find it neccessary to comment on every little thing ?
    Perhaps I`m paranoid, but i`m leary we may sell some of our best players this summer and instead of rebuilding to-wards a top six side we will slide back.
    I mean we know through our recent deal with Liverpool, where we gave up our greatest asset and NUFC`s future, that no one is indispensable, for the right price.
    Well we will see what happens, personally i believe if we can survive, it will encourage AShley to sell certain players, that combined with EPL earnings, could be quite lucrative and allow him to earn a steady return on his investment.
    As for the promise of spending the thirty five big ones on the club and players, dont hold your breath !

  17. Have the feeling, since the change of managers, a certain number of players no longer have that to-getherness, that existed under Hughton.
    Appears some are hedging their bets on signing new contracts, as if they are not confident of survival or it could be a ploy to up their contracts, knowing there`s thirty five mill. in the till.
    With rumors about Joey, Enrique and Jonas, all essential players who seem to be unsettled and unsure of their future. Seems management is in no hurry to offer them new contracts.
    Hey what`s new, top management aint sayin Sh*t and Pardew cant stop yapping, Aaaggghhhh !

  18. boater says:
    February 14, 2011 at 7:22 pm

    Hugh De Payen – I wish I shared your sense of optimism.

    ===

    The way I look at it is that there only has to be 3 teams worse than us for us to avoid relegation and I reckon there are at least 6 or 7 worse than us this season.

  19. chuck says:
    February 14, 2011 at 7:30 pm

    Widowmaker
    It`s “hardball” if yous guys gonna step up to the plate and use baseball expressions, try and get it right.

    ===

    Maybe he meant hard balls chuck :)

    Although I dread to think how you actually play that.

  23. worky,
    chuck hasn’t got with the gap between CH saying nowt & AP spreading it about.
    It is considerable like, so i understand.
    ;)

  24. icedog says:
    February 14, 2011 at 8:08 pm

    “WORKY any luck on that flat front,just a yes or no will do m8”

    It’s complicated, Ice. I’m stuck in a kind of “Catch 22” situation ATM :-(

  26. CLiNT FLiCK says:
    February 14, 2011 at 8:15 pm

    “worky,
    chuck hasn’t got with the gap between CH saying nowt & AP spreading it about.
    It is considerable like, so i understand.”

    Clint, I’m keeping me trap shut, or my fingers on here I suppose, about Pardew. I have made my thoughts about him pretty clear in the past though.

  27. icedog says:
    February 14, 2011 at 8:49 pm

    “WORKY oh sh@t,never rains but it pours at times”

    I’ll tell you more later, Ice.

    How’s the bairn’s house thing gannin’ in Malta?

  28. worky,
    it’s probably for the best mate.
    Who mentioned Best, oh shit, i hope i get away with that.
    :)

  29. WORKY ganning great m8,a lot faster than uk buying,in fact its the uk side holding up the hole show (bank)in fact viewing/haggleing/surveys/lawyers/ect contract signed inside a week subject to uk bank which they have given six weeks for paperwork, two gone already

  33. get fckin over clueless chris will ya ,like ive sed before clueless jumped into bed with fatty 3 times after managers were shit on ,so he should of knew being tinned was just aroond the corner

  36. batty,
    i can’t argue with that, it makes total sense.
    It’s all down to people’s personal preference really.
    But that means nowt, at the end of the day.
    Pardew is here, CH has gone, along with kk, SBR, dogleash, gullit, Big Joe Harvey, jack charlton etc. The list is endless, all they have in common is they were Necastle managers & now they aren’t.
    ;)

  37. CLiNT FLiCK says:
    February 14, 2011 at 9:35 pm

    “worky,
    i see Capitol Radio went for almost £30, thought y’d get more than that like.”

    Aye Clint. TV Personalities went for a bit more.

  39. re :CLiNT FLiCK @ 7

    I am not arguing with the fact that we are getting good prices for players lately. Quite in a contray, I think we are getting good money with those transfers. (And I still think both Milner and Martins are good players.)

    The problem is we are just not replacing them properly. Who have we signed to replace Milner since his departure? And Martins?

    Don’t get me wrong, I am more than happy with the current group of players, but dead worried about the coming summer Sport Direct auction.

  40. chuck @ 16

    I must admit that I don’t want Jose to go but he won’t be with us after the summer. That’s for sure. If AP want to keep Jose, he should just talk to Jose instead of talking up his performances to the presses.

    Another 2 worries being Jonas and Tiote. It seems Jonas is on his way just like Jose, and we all know what might happen with Tiote.

    To put it simple, we are highly likely to lose 3 of our most hard working and perhaps best players, and we will be gambling on the summer signings to avoid regelation again next season.

  42. Small clubs and/or unsuccessful clubs (any club outside the top 4/5) are going to lose good/exceptional players to the clubs who always win trophies and/or have money to burn because players want trophies, to be at the ‘top table’ and play in European competitions whilst at the same time getting a large pay rise.

    Everton are probably the best example but others like Spurs and Villa have seen their best players enticed away. In days gone by we used to snatch players from lesser clubs by waving wods of readies. Once a poacher but now the poached.

    Unless we win trophies regularly (history says not) and/or spend lavishly/foolishly (owner says not) then we can expect to lose our best players, sad but true.

  43. We have a hardcore of about 5 or 6 quality players who know how to play most teams in this league. I don’t need to say who they are. One of them will get player of the season and we also know who that will be! Barton has been the pivot in our team all season. His experience (and now) professionalism has players in other teams talking about how good he really is, ask any of the mackems. Who, at both the home and away games, walked over the white line on both occasions feeling ten feet tall and then quickly died on their feet when THEY watched Barton take hold of the game and teach them a footballing lesson they’ll never forget! The team spirit and strength is growing all of the time. We must keep our hard core together and strengthen in the summer. Let’s not forget we have some good players who are getting over really bad injuries. We all know Ashley wont give us much of a return for our money from the Carroll deal, so it looks like it will be a few seasons before we start to get re established in this league.
    There are a lot of teams who are heavily in debt and looking over their shoulders at the moment. The gravy train will not go on forever. The hit we took going down may have come hard to us but anyone with any financial sense must realise we were in big trouble financially. We got rid of the greedy, lazy earners who did nothing for team morale and even less work for their obscene wages. Some will argue that if you want the best you have to pay for it. I agree, but if it starts to give out an unhappy atmosphere in the dressing room then it would be better to look at bringing in other players not out there to screw the club in terms of high wage demands. No one could ever tell me the three forwards we got rid of in the relegation season were “worth it”. Look at them now…Thanks for letting me rant.