How this transfer window will end for Newcastle

Posted on August 23rd, 2011 | 25 Comments |

Will Ashley's financial gambles pay off?
Paranoid? Or are we out to get him?
How will this summer’s transfer window end for Newcastle United? This humble writer thinks it will end with a gamble.

I can tell you how I think the transfer window will end for us and that’s with a mad dash on deadline day to try and get someone on the cheap.

It’s possible that we might recruit somebody before next Wednesday but I’d be very surprised if we get both a striker and a left-back before then.

Ashley seems to have this fear that we’re being ripped off because other clubs know we need particular players but personally I think that’s hogwash. If any club puts in a bid it’s because they think they need a player – why would they be bidding otherwise?

Some clubs need players and other clubs are prepared to sell players – that’s what football transfers are all about. Both clubs will try to get the best price they can and we’re no different from other clubs in that respect.

Furthermore, I actually think the mad dash on the last day appeals to Ashley’s sense of gambling and I have no doubt he’d risk the needs of the team in his attempts not to blink first.

The appalling short-termism demonstrated by Ashley’s willingness to pay £40,000 a week for a Manchester City cast-off rather than bid more than €5m for an international left-back demonstrates the level to which his paranoia has risen.

I write this against the backdrop of knowing full well that it makes sense to be as financially prudent as possible, but there are limits and extremes. We could spend £10-£15m on a striker and £6-£7m on a left-back and still have made a tidy profit in the transfer window. Chances are, said striker won’t be on very different wages to what Andy Carroll was on and said left-back will surely be on lower wages than Enrique was.

So let’s get on with it please.

We’ve taken in £47m in player sales since January and paid out £7.5m. We could use this as the perfect opportunity to build a team for the next few seasons and still come out with a profit.

I may be having a pop at Ashley’s methods for no good reason here. He may yet come good, his gambles may pay off and he might get us the bargains of the century in the transfer window. In which case he’ll get full credit from me. But I don’t like it because to me – unlike Ashley – Newcastle United is not merely ‘another business’, it’s a passion and I want to see us do well on the pitch too, and I simply don’t think we need to take the risk that we’ll be caught short this transfer window.

Anyway, that’s my tuppence worth!

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.

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Comment on this post

25 Responses

  1. this has nothing to do with the topic, but i’ve just looked at the table to the right and we’re the only club not to have conceeded a goal so far… i honestly have not seen that before.

  2. As for the topic – I don’t think we’ll get anyone before the transfer window closes, striker or LB. But maybe I’m just pessimistic so I don’t get my hopes up to have them dashed next wednesday night

  3. Only club in 4 divisions nobby :)

    Good article and spot on. We need to try and pick up the Pieters fellow so we have a proper left back and we need a good pacy striker. Dont care where he comes from as long as paying 10 mill for him is not seen as the worst thing in the world. We are looking more and more silly for not grabbing Shane Long when we could have but maybe he was never on Pardews list. We also need to unload some average strikers like Ranger and Loven and maybe that is what Ashley is waiting for…though authorising the resigning of Shola seems to go at odds with that

  4. we are the only team not only in the prem but the WHOLE of english football that have not conceded a goal…

    Now that makes a change…

    HWTL

  5. We desperateley need Pieters in, mark douglas says hes met both representatives of pieters and cissokho and that the club massively favour one. But they both want to join. I think we as fans need to realise that a lb is probably going to be our ONLY signing and that a striker is not going to join until Jan

  6. Agree Hugh. A mad dash at the close of the window sounds about right and like many, I’m sure, I won’t be surprised to hear the well worn mantra that the deal collapsed at the last minute!

  9. We’ve taken in £47m in player sales since January and paid out £7.5m. We could use this as the perfect opportunity to build a team for the next few seasons and still come out with a profit…..

    not a snowball’s chance in hell of that happening whilst mike is taken the money he lent to his club back.

    sorry – i meant whilst it’s having it’s snooty beak wiped.

  11. I now see that Nolan has encouraged Barton to join him at West Ham. Wait a minute surely this is in breach of the rules he is tapping up a player without consent, he is disturbing another teams’s dressing room and why should he think that because the only thing he could do was to move down a division as NO OTHER TEAM in the top flight wanted him. Despite what others have said he had reached his sell-by-date offering another contract would have meant he would be like Alan Smith sitting aorund for two years contributing nothing to the club but drawing a fat wage packet. That is what was wrong with our club and it is now being put right that is not to say I do not want to see at least two urgently wanted young hungry players across the threshold but not aty any price. Nolan may have been one of our top scorers last year but that is not to say that the slowness he showed during many games would not be compounded this year meaning he would be left on the bench, anyway with the players we have signed he would not fit in. Shut your mouth up Nolan you are at the level you can play at and will possibly go down to league two to find another club as he slows down and loses touch.

  12. Good article, plus everyone is picking-up on no goals conceded which is a good effort, but was is more worrying is we have not scored or created anything meaningful in open play & therefore the priority has to be a quality striker!

  13. @ 11 – doubt there’ll be owt in the rule book aboot tapping up a player that’s just been handed a free transfer like.

    and for that very reason it’s fat mike that you should be directing your anger at & not nolan.

  14. agree with observer9 and the article – And with just a little extra push in the transfer window we could have a side that, for better or worse (imo better), picks up a UEFA spot.

    Arsenal are in tatters, esp if Nasri goes. Spurs look avg, esp if modric goes. Everton havent signed anybody and look as plain as usual. Stoke i would tip to go down with all their long ball footy, but as with the weekend, the big fellas in the team will keep them up.Bolton, no sturridge, some injuries, and possibly cahill leaving…

    Honestly we need to bring in a quailty LB – not bridge, he’s experienced but never that good anyway.

    And a SRIKER OR 2!! With Demba Ba seemingly down the pecking order behind Ameobi, I’d say we are really gonna struggle for goals…yet look organised in defence – that could be frustrating, and lead to 0-0 draws…

    Tightness meant we missed out on Long, who’s already scored twice and looks good. We need to splash a few notes – then we’ll make a good shout for top 6 finish!!

  15. ————Krul

    Simo—Colo—Saylor—Pieters

    ——Cabaye—-Tiote

    Barton/Gosilng—–Jonas/Marv

    ——-HBA/Obertan

    ———-Ba/MOdibo

    Subs: Ameobie 1 and 2, Vuckic, Best, Willo, Raylor, McLoven, Abeid, Harper or new keeper, etc…

    Thats a better choice of players than most = Top 6!!!!

  16. Good article, tend to agree. I reckon we’ll take Bridge at the last minute. Poor Pardew will be rolled out to the media scrum and will say the clubs couldnt agree a deal…..when it would be more accurate to say ” Ashley just wont pay fair prices ” ……then we’ll find some 18 yr old french guy or some older left back / striker who is , surprise surprise , coming off contract. Its getting a bit sickening to be honest. And although optimistic, i dont think eitehr of the two performances against Arsenal or Sunderland were anything to write home about. We were awful against Arsenal ….

  17. Seriously? Spurs look average? I watched the ManU v Spurs game last night and the 3-0 flattered ManU. Spurs looked very good for long periods of the game. Manu were just frightening at times, especially Wellback and Evans.

    I don’t like saying it, but Spurs are a much better team than us at the moment, easily so.

  19. Sounds like you’re getting as pissed off as I am Hugh.

    Agree with your article, they’ll be a kick in the bollocks come 1st September.

    Yeah we have 8 days left, but to be 8 days away without a striker and left-back is inexcusable.

    Ashley does not want to spend anything. The last time he spent over £5 million on one player was Xisco.

    We are 3 players away from a good looking side.

  20. I think Pardew would not have gone to watch PSV if Ashley and Llambias had previously said that the deal was off, unless of course Pardew was looking at someone else.

    I have never thought that Demba Ba would lead the attack and some of his earlier comments after signing for us indicated that.

  21. Tom Toon says:
    Cissokoh/Pieters and Pav/Dafoe from Spurs would up hopes for a top 6 finish this term.

    from harry’s interview on bbc this moring it looks like spurs are looking to ditch 4-5 players so Defoe could well be a relistic target

  22. but chelski still have plans and sturrige may well be offered – is that why we are delaying?

  23. can’t totally agree as we’ve still got a week left and (for some reason) i’m optimistic we’ll get the players we need in. defintely frustrating that it’s taking so long but, in all honesty, none of us know the ins and outs of it and i have to believe its more than, “what do you want to him? oh, ok here you go.”
    i’ll wait and pass judgement when the window closes and hopefully by then, we’ve got in AT LEAST a LB and striker.

  24. @23 Man, I’d love you to be right there. Unfortunately he’s not going to come to us because Ashley is not willing to pay decent wages. By decent, I mean in premier league terms. If Arsenal cant hold on to their top players when they have a wage cap, what hope have we got? Arsenal at least offer a modicum of success with Eurpoean football every season.