Newcastle sign up Forster replacement from Charlton

Posted on August 18th, 2011 | 23 Comments |

Rob Elliot signs for Newcastle United.
New keeper at the Toon
Newcastle United sign a new goalkeeper after loaning Forster out to Celtic.

It appears we have actually signed a new goalkeeper. Or are about to, depending upon which newspaper you read. There isn’t yet any official confirmation from Newcastle United but I get the impression this is a done deal.

The keeper in question comes in the shape of Rob Elliot, who currently plays for Charlton Athletic. He’s actually played for them since 2004 but was loaned out between 2004 and 2007 to, variously, Bishop’s Stortford, Notts County and Accrington Stanley.

Scaling Elliot would take a 6ft 3in rope, he’s 23 years old and has just over 140 league appearances to his name.

Apparently Ben Hamer has been handed the number 1 shirt at Charlton this season and a lot of Charlton fans expected a possible exit for Elliot.

There have been no reports of a fee yet but he was contracted with Charlton until 2012 so I presume there was one, although I can’t imagine it was much.

Presumably he’s the replacement for Fraser Forster who is leaving us on a season long loan to Celtic again (and supposedly Celtic have some sort of option to buy him after that). I’m not sure where this leaves Ole Soderberg in terms of pecking orders but I would presume that Krul and Harper are still our first choice keepers.

Elliot will have to forgive me for not bubbling with excitement about this but I was rather hoping a left-back or a striker would be our next signing. Still, welcome to Newcastle Rob.

I’ll leave you to mull over the whys and wherefores of loaning out one keeper and signing another.

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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23 Responses

  1. Seems mad to me. If the club feels it needs an extra keeper in cover then why loan out forster in the first place?

  2. Scott, my taking of the situation is that Forster did not want to be a no.2 or no.3 keeper and that is why when Krul was picked above him he has probably asked to leave.
    On Harper, I can see if Krul has been told he will be playing as first choice (even if Harper got the no.1 jersey) then Harper may decide it is time for him to move on. He spent long enough as Given’s understudy and I am sure after playing for a while since Given left he does not want to go back to sitting on the bench… We could see Harper on the move to another premiership team as their no.1 before end of transfer window.

    Therefore the arival of Rob Eliot.

  3. We should not even be thinking about keepers but what he intended to buy in the first place is LB,FW then we would be in a good position.

  4. if he is a good keeper I guess it makes sense

    how old is Harper now? 37-38?

    Forster is impatient at his chance, Soderberg is unproven, Alnwick is great prospect but still a lot of years away from first team – numbers is something we have never lacked in the GK area but if they all wanna get pissy and demand first team there could be an issue

  5. Signing a Charlton reserve goal keeper that is about right. When is this shambolic outfit going to concentrate on getting in what we need and were promised a LB and striker. I suppose they will cover these two positions with loans as well. Get out asap Ashley before you ruin us.

  6. apparently he can play left back thats one stone that kills two birds :)…all seriousness a forward and a left back pardwho

  7. On related signings, I see that two trialists Darnel Situ and William Remy both from France (no surprise there) played against a Gateshead XI with Situ scoring two. Both are French youth internationals and at 20 and 19 years of age which begs the question why do they need a trial. Will Situ be in-situ if he gets the nod?

    It was good to see that Ferguson and Marveaux completed the full 90 minutes and also that Vuckic and Ranger scored but why can’t Ranger score for the seniors.

    Last week I was very confident that we would have signed a left back by close of business this Tuesday so I’m a bit mystified as why no one has turned up. I’m assuming there must be a contract spanner in the works somewhere.

  8. In fairness, he’s got the 44 shirt cos he’s leaving.
    Bit of a strange one, as he’s stayed fit ever since that fat git Woodman stopped coaching him.
    Prior to that he was constantly getting back spasms, dodgy shoulders and knees.
    He has been in good form lately, and i think you might be surprised, when you compare him to Krul.
    Don’t let him wear that bloody awful pink Shirt though!!
    Probably not much between them.
    Harper however wipes the floor with both, but what do I know, I’m a fan of a league 1 team.
    Good luck for the season!!

  9. Yay, just what we need another keeper!

    Maybe he can bang in 20 goals a season at the other end as well!

    Effin joke. What the hell are u doing u stupid cockney wan*kers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  10. I can hardly contain my excitement. Wow! another goalkeeper. Let’s face it, the Machiavellian M.A. is not going to thrust those short arms into those deep pockets any time soon. Time for vociferous protest methinks.

  11. GeordieDan @ 11

    ‘…What the hell are u doing u stupid cockney wan*kers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!………’

    I assume you don’t include Geordie Graham Carr who is head of player recruitment? And also Lee Charnley who does most of the players contract negotiations?

  12. Having seriously considered my stance in reguard to old Statler and Waldorf, It would seem that protesting serves no purpose what so ever, except to maybe venting a little angst which in turn only seems to turn up the gas with these b4st4rds.

  13. We havn’t got any other option but to stick with what we’ve got and give the lads all the support we can until the office upstairs becomes vacant !BAWA

  14. Ph says:
    “In fairness, he’s got the 44 shirt cos he’s leaving.
    Bit of a strange one, as he’s stayed fit ever since that fat git Woodman stopped coaching him”

    Interested to hear your reasons for slating Woodman Ph ? As you know he is now coaching here, having been brought in by Pardwho the Clueless.

  15. Well It seems that the ruin of Newcastle United is already happening… We have had possibillities to sign good players for good money and still not take it just because this club is run like a corporation and not a club. People are treated like merchendise and that is not a good thing as they have minds and souls and things do not. Well I am a Newcastle fan even in other leauges, but it is sad that it is coming to that again……

  16. Wow. What a load of ignorant todge on here. The club moves to sort out an issue with the GK situation where we had 3 competing for one place. It’s not exciting and it doesn’t sort the bigger issue.

    But why do people assume it’s got any bearing on our likelihood of signing strikers or LBs?

    Oh, forgot. Everyone’s an expert, and everyone wants to use any news as another reason to have a go at the cockney mafia. Change the record.

    Relax. It’s a minor problem that the club’s sorted out in the background. Barely worth a mention, except there’s no other news.

  17. change the record?

    maybe the board could try the same! “I will have the Carroll money to spend come the transfer window” – can see any proof of this happening and the squad has been further weakened in already under-strength areas…

  18. scratch…scratch…scratch…

    If we get to Sept 1st and haven’t got a LB and a striker, I’ll be as pissed off as anyone. Up to then, I’m not joining in the armchair experts’ view that everything is going wrong, just because nobody’s in the door yet.

  19. Rob Elliot is actually 25 years old from everything I’ve seen. Older then Krul, but when your new #1 is 23 that’s a good sign. 25 is not to bad for a keeper either, so Rob can still improve. Hopefully Harper is just having knee issues or just getting on and will be taking up a coaching role at NUFC. Hate to think he got the stiff for his legendary dedication to NUFC.