Who told BBC’s James Pearce about Cabaye listening to negotiations and why?

112 Responses

1. Every journo talks crap for a story! Always the classic line “inside sources” or “im told” with no proof. Just have a look at how much bullsh*t has been said today

2. dokky says:
   September 2, 2013 at 11:44 pm

   “Every journo talks crap for a story! Always the classic line “inside sources” or “im told” with no proof. Just have a look at how much bullsh*t has been said today”

   Dokky, aye, you’re right in most cases. Sometimes though, there really are inside sources too like “Deep Throat” in the Watergate scandal. I’m sure that Llambias put out some really nasty crap to the media to further his and Ashley’s agenda and manipulate fans when he was here. As he said himself once “You don’t know how horrible we can be!”

3. It’s usually an agent if it’s likely to force a move, can’t see that in this case though.

4. Obviously an intentional leak from within club mgt if true. Could be, especially with AshleyCo so keen to control the narrative all the time. To be honest though, I have trouble caring at this point. The relationship between the club and Cabaye will now be icy at best. Can’t imagine that will make him play better for NUFC.

   Yep, his is what we get. With this ownership, one should always take any expectations down a couple notches, then prepare for disappointment anyway.

5. There are laws concerning ths kind of thing, libel and slander, in which case one has tobe careful how and what one sez.
   I assume that facebook and twitter, where we find some outrageouse comments, are subject to these laws should the offended party decide to take legal action.
   On the other hand they can be a method of quickly spreading rumour and half truths, through innuendo with no official basis, by using the reliable sources or the other non official excuses, but by then the damage has possibly been done.
   And as of right now who can say for sure if in fact Cabaye had or had not listened to negotiations or perhaps a recorded tape of negotiations.
   The question is who in fact brought this to the attention of James Pearce and for what reason ?

6. we can tell chuck is a “murican”, Lawsuits about slander on twitter would get chucked out of court here. Unless it’s against a jew or muslim. Thou shall not speak of those or thou is a racist anti-semite

7. Please someone explain why no one has questioned why mike Ashley is recording phone calls. Or even why he went to trouble of installing the facilities to do so. For training purposes?

8. While we are on the subject, I have noticed at certain times on this and other blogs, coming across a number of non regular contributors who tend to defend either unpopular policies, the renaming of St. James’ Park etc. which I tend to believe could have come directly from the NUFC PR dept.
   And I certainly wouldn’t dismiss it as paranoia or being someone who constantly looks for a conspiracy, being either something about the wording or perhaps the nome de plume just didn’t fit for some reason, I just assume it’s just a part of what most company’s PR departments do.
   Synical, sure but illegal. Nah!.

9. dokky says:
   September 3, 2013 at 1:35 am

   “we can tell chuck is a “murican”, Lawsuits about slander on twitter would get chucked out of court here.”

   You haven’t heard of Lord McAlpine and twitter then, dokky? I knew someone who was once threatened with legal action from Barney the cuddly dinosaur in America. He did a cartoon thing on his site with Barney as a transvestite who was on the skids, which wasn’t good for his wholesome image obviously.

10. Michael
    I think most companies record phone calls, though I actually never stated above that Ashley had done so in this particular situation, only that it if in fact were true, that it was either a live call put on speaker or a recorded version.
    Have you never heard the tape which states this call may be recorded, for whatever purpose they give which as long as you are forewarned you have the option of either hanging up or being recorded.
    It doesn’t really matter much as all our phone calls are recorded, as are all of our e mails being read, by both British intelligence and the NSA.
    They do it to apparently in order to protect us .

11. slander is spoken, libel is written.

    ashley, pardew and kinnear are all c**ts taking my club backwards.

    arseholes wearing w*nga shirts are even worse.

    sue me.

12. dokky
    I’m curious having watched on tv fairy recently a political march through the streets of Newcastle, whether you perhaps sympathised with those doing the marching , which I believe were unsympathetic to wards immigrants and Muslims ?

13. @chuck

    it’s very generous of you to describe the edl as political ;)

    you could hear their knuckles scraping along the pavement from gateshead.

14. Worky, I think it is going into the realm of conspiracy fact!
    It does seem funny, Because this sort of thing has happened before, At Newcastle.
    It looks like greedy Ashley does not want to spend money, So the only way he can string the fans along, Into Buying season tickets, Is to create a rather tawdry Soap Opera, To keep people interested.
    Was Cabaye ever leaving?, Was there ever any real intention of strengthening the squad?
    All great story arcs and plot lines, The mind boggles, And remember things like the flyers being put into the pubs around Newcastle, Concerning Steven Taylor.
    The shameful antics around the Andy Carroll transfer, And the way he was demonised.

    How i would love the story about Ashley selling the club to Mikhail Fridman, Who is worth over 15 billion, To be true.
    Anyone else heard this story doing the rounds?
    Apparently he has opened talks with Ashley, Over a sale, For 380 million.

15. Well, Ed’s head exploded again. He is cheerleader for Pardew and Ashley and then when we don’t sign anybody it is like a bombshell to him. He did the same last year.

    He forgets that we managed to hang on to Gosling.

    Some of this transfer business was just weird. Why would Chelsea loan out Moses to Liverpool and Lukaku to Everton? They must think they are going to walk the league.

    I am a bit p8ssed off that we didn’t get McCarthy. I haven’t seen much of him and would have liked to have the chance to evaluate one of Chucks faves myself in the B&W.

16. Probably a load of crap, But we can dream!

17. To let cabaye know the grass is not always greener, he was not going to be first choice, no other bids in to tell him to buckle down put the performances in and he may get a move following the world cup. Everyone’s a winner then!

18. Journalists should only print stuff that they can verify and tell their readers exactly how they know. If a private discussion between football clubs has been divulged then it will do NUFC’s reputation no good at all as a club you can do business with. As for the player, he must be wondering what the hell has gone on and is now totally between a rock and a hard place. Where does he go from here? He didn’t want to be a Newcastle player 24 hours ago, but he is for at least another 6 months. His chances of a big move are probably gone now because his reputation has been battered a bit. From now on he’ll be ‘the player who refuses to play when he doesn’t get his own way’. Nor are there any new permanent signings to bolster the team and lift people’s spirits a bit. It’s often said you can judge a team’s prospects by the quality of the subs bench – take a look at ours next game and ask yourself who could come on and really turn it on if we are one down with 20 minutes to go. It’s going to be a long, tough season. The encouraging thing is, there are probably at least 5 teams in worse shape.

19. @Jack – sometimes journalists can’t say because they were also listening in on the calls. Or so the recent enquiries would have us believe. I can neither confirm nor deny that I have any knowledge in such practices.

20. True to form, When the fans are looking for answers into another fruitless transfer window, What do you get in The Chronicle…
    The lead story is
    “Jonas Gutierrez, Has car towed away, After being stopped by police in Jesmond”
    Like i said earlier, Ashley is running a tawdry Soap Opera, The regime must think we are all completely stupid.
    It looks like they are already trying to sweep this window, Under the carpet.

    You can bet your bottom dollar, Pardew will be nowhere to be seen today.
    Usually the man is full of mouth, But no doubt we will get something along the lines of,” Pardew is keeping his own council”, Until the prepared statement is cobbled together, By Ashley and Co, For him spew forth.

21. There are tricks of the trade in place, When it comes to Journalism or Reporting.
    When a reporter at the scene of a major News story says, “Information is pretty sketchy right now”, It means they know nothing!, Nearly always full of s**t, The media!

22. Everyone connected with the club will be keeping a low profile hoping the two week absence from domestic football will somehow make all of this three month charade seem like a distant memory.

    Kinnear did what he was brought in to do. Take the heat away from the Fatman just as Del Boy used to. However lets not be under any illusions here, the Ayatollah didnt want to spend money so no money was spent. Pardwho, Carr, JFK all knew that but went through with the pantomime “Oh yes it is, Oh no it isnt” routine to try to appease expectant fans.

    Fatman will hope that all will be forgotten if not forgiven and normal service will be resumed at Villa Park on the 14th. Its up to all fans to ensure that doesnt happen.

23. Reading some of the articles on the lack of spending during this window, there appears to be a ffair share of blame placed on Wor Joe, which I believe may be unjustified.
    Being all final decisions are Ashley’s lets place the blame where it belongs.
    It appears Carr does the scouting, Joe the evaluation (both price and ability) and unlike most clubs it appears Pardew takes who he get’s.
    Of course Joe made a fool of himself when originally hired, certainly with the immediate cancelling of the Douglas deal, who I doubt he had ever evaluated, simply establishing himself in his new role.
    I mean the guy was coming on a free transfer, or at least a small fee.
    Anyway, the resulting transfer sagas we saw develope were nothing but nonsense to distract from the fact Ashley was more interested in pocketing the total tv package, even selling some and attempting to sell other players , loaning others out in a typical cheap ass attempt to save a few bucks in wages.
    While dealing with the despicable loan shark operation, guess he feels comfortable with a group who mirror his own ethical approach.
    Ashley certainly gives the impression of someone who’s only interest is increasing his personal wealth and doesn’t give a damn about NUFC, but has two clowns that are willing to be the fall guys, being they want a pay check, no different than many in that respect, who actually hate both their bosses and their job, but it’s a living.
    Soh! What to do ?Perhaps we will see a return of the bedsheets brigades and a few chants, but I think most fans by now are fairly resigned to six years of Ashley’s missmanagement and just don’t have either the energy or desire to get involved again.
    It certainly seems that way with the recently reported numbers wearing the logo of our loanshark partner and the fact that it could be one of the most popular shirts in a long time, a victory of style over ethics.
    Sez it all and Ashley is aware of that, you can do what you like and Newcastle fans will still show up in numbers, ah well !

24. Just read Andy Macks rant, nice to know I’m not the only one who see’s things in a similar light.

25. Andy mack

    You apparently have more faith in the Geordie faithfully than I.
    Yes there will probably be some negative reaction from sections of the crowd, which a defeat in the hands of Villa would no doubt stirr up, but any long term or effective reaction is just not gonna happen.

26. Gotta go catch a plane, back to the apple, later.

27. Chuck says:
    September 3, 2013 at 12:10 pm

    “Gotta go catch a plane, back to the apple, later.”

    You finally got deported then, Chuck?

    Seriously though, hope you have a nice flight.

28. Watching Hull and Steve Bruce seems like he’s been able to pack on another stone or two since he was last in the Premier League. Living on a diet of fish and chips?

29. As usual I am left confused by our transfer business:

    1. Joe said judge him on his signings, did Fatty even let Joe down?

    2. I thought our policy was NOT to borrow players, then we get Remy. If we now decide to go this route then why not Moses, Ba or Lukaku?

    3. Ashley says he pays cash (cold hard cash, as Ed puts it :) ). Why? Every other club pays in installments. And since the new TV money is in installments why not use this to buy a decent player or 2 to help us out now.

30. GS says:
    September 3, 2013 at 12:45 pm

    “3. Ashley says he pays cash (cold hard cash, as Ed puts it :) ). Why?”

    He usually writes “in cool cash…” GS.

    You’re the financial expert, have a think. What would be the advantages of that?

31. What an awesome transfer window we had. I cannot believe we signed so many class players.

32. Worky: the obvious advantage would be if he got a discount for paying cash, but it doesn’t always seem to work like that. With the extra money now being paid for higher league places, it may be worth it to stretch out the payments as it looks like fatman will not put any more of his money into the club.

    Most companies now borrow money. Even Apple, with its hoards of cash has borrowed money to pay dividends. It is a matter of where your priorities lie. It looks like having the club in perfect financial shape and able to repay his loans is more important to fatty than having a good team and good manager.

33. All I can say is that I’m feeling vindicated here. I’m wondering what I’m going to do with the money I’m not going to be spending on the familys season tickets next year.

34. worky – perhaps it’s time for a piece on what JFK has brought to the club this summer. Granted, it would be a short piece, but it would give us a target post to vent on.

35. pete_toon says:
    September 3, 2013 at 1:15 pm

    “worky – perhaps it’s time for a piece on what JFK has brought to the club this summer. Granted, it would be a short piece, but it would give us a target post to vent on.”

    Pete, having a go at Joe Kinnear is just a distraction, he’s a stooge, Cabaye’s a stooge, everyone’s a stooge with Ashley. We should be eviscerating him, literally if I had my way! :-)

    David Craig spun a new line yesterday evening when he said “Ashley likes to do most of his transfer business in January anyway, when he can pick up bargains…” though knowing Ashley, he’s so greedy that he will probably be resentful that he had to buy them slightly early for a pittance rather than waiting until the Summer (now) to get them for nowt when their contracts had completely run down.

36. It wouldn’t surprise me if Ashley has used Joe as a scapegoat.
    I think the fans having a go at a senior citizen, For trying to do a job he has no experience at, Is shortsighted and taking the p***, To be honest.
    Like Andymac said earlier, And Joey Barton said, During his interview, Ashley is The Ayatollah, And nothing happens without his say so.

    It’s highly likely Joe was given a paltry budget to get players in, And he just couldn’t make it stretch.
    Ashley is that clueless about Football, He probably still thought of Joe as a “wheeler dealer”, Who could orchestrate These cheap deals he wants.
    The trouble with that is, It isn’t the 1980’s anymore, And Ashley just isn’t living in reality, Where the World of Football Transfers in concerned.

    He should just fook off!, And buy Rangers, As he might get away with low spends, Up in Scotland.

37. You also have to look at Pardew in all of this, If results are going well on the pitch, It can cover up a “multitude of sins”.
    We haven’t been getting good results, Because we have a poor manager, And backroom staff.
    They have been under performing for over a year now, And there is very little sign of them improving.
    Joe Kinnear might not have been brought in, If Pardew was doing his job!

38. Ahh worky. While I would agree, JFK did tell the fans to judge him on his signings. He opened that particular can of worms, so it’s only fair that we get to stamp on him.

39. joe hawkins says:
    September 3, 2013 at 2:04 pm

    “You also have to look at Pardew in all of this, If results are going well on the pitch, It can cover up a “multitude of sins”.”

    Pardew’s statements about Kinnear have been preparing the ground for him to take the blame almost since he started. Like Ashley, Pardew’s influence on the club is totally malignant, everyone has to take a bullet for Pardew’s incompetence, except of course Pardew himself. He is the personification of the word “snide.”

    Kinnear’s an old football man, an addict who just can’t give it up even when he’s been taken for a mug. Pardew would happily watch the fans drive Kinnear to another heart attack, probably fatal, if he thought it would take one scintilla of blame away from himself, or preserve his own job for another week. He really is a most despicable man who is constantly talking out the side of his mouth.

40. pete_toon says:
    September 3, 2013 at 3:01 pm

    “Ahh worky. While I would agree, JFK did tell the fans to judge him on his signings. He opened that particular can of worms, so it’s only fair that we get to stamp on him.”

    Pete, do you really want to “stamp” on Joe Kinnear? He’s a 70 year old man with a severe heart problem who lost his only son to cancer a couple of years ago. A man who has devoted his life to football and just can’t give it up, even if it means being a scapegoat for malevolent scum like Ashley and Pardew.

    Save it for Ashley.

41. Worky @38: I think your disdain for Pardew even surpasses AndyMac in that post. I think he is a gobshite, but most see through him. There are a few who make posters and banners blaming Kinnear, but it is always the same few that make the posters and banners.

    Pardew is responsible for our inept tactics and substitutions. He is the one that not only puts square pegs into round holes, but often doesn’t select the correct pegs.

    There is one glimmer of hope. On Saturday we played with a fluidity for 20 minutes in the second half that I haven’t seen for a while. Even Pardew can see that, surely.

    You would think that Pardew would want to keep his job and the easiest way to do that is to play to the teams strengths.

    What am I talking about, he’ll revert to Shola against Villa! The man has no long term memory.

42. worky – he accepted the job and accepted the responsibilities that go with it. If he’s not up to being a director of football, and isn’t up to handling the criticisms when he doesn’t deliver (and that includes being up front with people), then he shouldn’t be doing the job. He earns the money to take the brickbats.

43. @worky

    ” Pardew would happily watch the fans drive Kinnear to another heart attack, probably fatal, if he thought it would take one scintilla of blame away from himself, or preserve his own job for another week. He really is a most despicable man who is constantly talking out the side of his mouth.”

    YES! THIS!

44. @GS

    “There is one glimmer of hope. On Saturday we played with a fluidity for 20 minutes in the second half that I haven’t seen for a while. Even Pardew can see that, surely.”

    that isn’t a glimmer of hope, it’s another crack being papered-over.

    we have excellent players, they will occasionally, and despite pardew’s tactics, play well. they managed to do it for almost an entire season.

    saturday wasn’t a corner turned, it was pardew’s tenure neatly wrapped-up in 90 minutes.

45. Pardew’s statement on the transfer window:

    “We are delighted to have brought Loic Remy to the club in this window and we believe he will form an exciting and effective partnership with Papiss Cisse.

    “Joe has worked hard on numerous targets, particularly an additional offensive player. However some of the options that were available within our financial means were not as good as the players we already had and there is no point bringing in new players unless they can improve us and take us forward.

    “We did the majority of our business in the January window, signing five excellent first team players.

    With the strong squad we have we should all approach the season in a positive, optimistic frame of mind.”

46. I was just going to paste that Worky.
    Someone mentioned that excuse would be used about January.

    Laughable :lol:

47. sirjasontoon says:
    September 3, 2013 at 4:02 pm

    “I was just going to paste that Worky.
    Someone mentioned that excuse would be used about January.”

    No “we managed to keep our top player, that’s like a new signing when you fink about it. The fans should all be greatful to Mike for that. I happen to know personally that he’s made some huge sacrifices for this club, trust me on that one…” this time though, SJT.

    Not yet anyway.

48. Sad state of affairs – hate it.

49. Worky: he didn’t say those fings because it was a statement. He runs down the tunnel after Liverpool, and hides behind a statement when there are tricky questions to answer. He is usually more than happy to run his mouth in the way you described @46. He cancelled the fan forum and radio interview I think. Underneath it all he is either a coward or the PR people reining him in are cowards.

    We have an international break so maybe Joe and Pards can take a well deserved holiday? Hopefully, forever.

50. Pardew has just released a statement, More or less saying the things, Everyone expected him to.
    He would have liked to bring another one in alongside Remy, But there were non available in the price range.
    Joe worked as hard as he could, This dickhead yes man is taking the p***!

51. One small thing above: if your laws are like ours, private individuals can not legally record calls unless the other side knows. But taking away any assumptions: how do we know he wasn’t just listening live, which would be completely above board (in terms of the law).

    Anyway…Joe Kinnear definitely a scapegoat but like AP, he knew what he was getting into. And if he had a limited budget, why shoot down a potential free transfer first thing through the door?

    And: bargains in January? Haven’t I come across analysis that says the opposite is true (players with expiring contracts not withstanding)?

    At the end of the window as at the beginning and, presumably, throughout this season: nothing worth paying attention to…prove me wrong if you can, AP.

52. Just thought of a line from a film that should be NUFC’s motto, at least for now:

    “It’s a huge shit sandwich, and we’re all gonna have to take a bite.”

53. The question we should ask is, what else did we expect?

    Worky tries to defend the appointment of Kinnear but it is almost indefensible. He was out of football for 10 years except for a 4 month stint with us and has no experience in the Director of Football role.

    Apparently, he was hired as a babysitter for Pardew and would have input on tactics, but they backtracked on that.

    I thought he was “manager in waiting” for Pardew, but Ashley has hung him out to dry by taking away any good will/credibility he may have had with the fans.

    That Kinnear is a pensioner with health issues does not take away from the fact that he did not do his job/was not allowed to do his job.

54. What a F**kin’ Puppet, And all round yes man!, He is definitely a massive part of Ashley getting away with things, At this club.
    Why do fans clap him at games?, He should be left in no uncertain terms, He is not welcome, And he should be roundly booed!
    Cannot stand the man!, I’m sick of his fake flattery, His Kowtowing, His patronizing of the fans, His constant requests for support, His excuses, His mass of contradictions, His backtracking, His attempts at doublespeak.

    I just wish he would f**k right off!

55. worky-I find your soft spot for Kinnear relatable, I really do. But if his “addiction” is just so strong that it keeps him in the company of liars and shysters, he is RESPONSIBLE for how that reflects upon him. That’s a problem addicts often have. I don’t say that glibly as I’ve had close friends and relatives who were that sort of addict. If he is a man of principle and he now realizes he’s been played, he should quit. Again, RESPONSIBILITY: it’s a bitch. Not surprisingly, an inability to take RESPONSIBILITY for anything continues to dog this club’s administration.

56. GS @ 52: solid points. You know, the whole “hey, don’t go so hard on Joe, he’s got a bad heart” angle could be another-particularly cold-calculation on the part of our management to deflect/dampen criticism. Just considering all the possibilities here.

    I would like to have someone explain exactly what his role is at the club. As an appointment-and I’m not being vitriolic here at all-JK as DOF in 2013 makes no sense, objectively.

    It’s starting to feel like the George W. Bush administration around here. “Leaders” who spend more time on vaca than doing their jobs-figureheads who seem installed to distract from the real agenda.

57. So if these players we were watching, Were not good enough, Then why did we spend all summer chasing them?
    Pardew has plumbed a new low, In his quest to become “The World’s Biggest Sycophant”.
    The fans should now hound this b*****d out of our club, Once and for all.
    Don’t clap him, Boo him, And when you do, Do not stop!
    In the words of Russell Crowe in Gladiator, “On My Mark, Unleash Hell!”, Because i am pretty f**kin’ far from being entertained by this no mark!

58. tunyc says:
    September 3, 2013 at 5:03 pm

    “You know, the whole “hey, don’t go so hard on Joe, he’s got a bad heart” angle could be another-particularly cold-calculation on the part of our management to deflect/dampen criticism. Just considering all the possibilities here.”

    That was just my view as a human being, tunyc, it wasn’t an another “angle” from the club or anything like that. It reminds me of Bill Hicks’ routine about people who work in advertising. Why does everything have to be an “angle” nowadays, even not wishing an old man dead?

59. Think about it!, Newcastle were doing badly, Before Joe even turned up, Which is largely down to Pardew.
    Chris Hughton was different class to Pardew, And to think he was sacked for that waste of space.

60. Worky, Those sacks of s**t that run our club, There is no limit to how low they will stoop, “They Are The Scum Of The Earth”, And are lower than a rattlesnakes a**e!

61. The angle is the gobshite who loves the sound of his own voice shying away from the microphone. That is a calculated PR move, knowing nothing good would come out of it. I am sure that Alan and Joe would both think they could talk/sell their way out of it.

    On the other hand, Pardew did say that last year had aged him, so maybe he is feeling a bit of pressure now. He must be, as he has been sacked from every other job and at some point even he can see the writing on the wall and must doubt his own ability??? Ashley wasn’t that subtle about it to begin with when Joe did that first radio interview. Although, as others have mentioned, they have somewhat backtracked on that now.

62. Another thought: Pardew’s statement (a statement explaining what DIDN’T happen!) claiming poverty. Yep, 20M bump from TV money alone this season and we can’t find anyone better than Gosling, Obertan or Williamson. Whereas I can think of guys who moved on frees that I’d have.

    Joe @ 56: thought of that one too. Took three months of watching them to realize they’re not very good?

    worky @ 57: no, not from you. From the club. I absolutely mean it when I say I understand how you relate to him. I just don’t feel the same way. The man clearly has a lot better career and lifestyle going on than I will at his age, and he’ll likely go out of his way to insult my intelligence again (this usually bothers you; don’t know why it doesn’t when it comes from Joe) before his tenure here is through. And hey, I can get over that-but my sympathy has its limits. Joe is here, presumably, to do some sort of job. I’ll continue to judge him on that. Hell, AP may be a great guy, cooking meals for the homeless, being the best father ever, etc.-how would I know? But see, I don’t really care about that. He’s manager at NUFC and I judge him on that. I’m trying to be consistent, I really am.

63. so we never bought anyone because the options was not as good as the players we got? ok well what if they get injured not a good idea to have some back up no?

64. tunyc says:
    September 3, 2013 at 6:10 pm

    “Hell, AP may be a great guy, cooking meals for the homeless, being the best father ever, etc.-how would I know?”

    Well Kath the tea lady certainly thinks so, tunyc. She thinks the Silver Fox is the nicest manager she’s ever served at SJP. It’s easy to fool simple folk with superficial charm though.

65. The trouble is we are not United as fans, There are now two distinct camps

    “The Bed Sheet Brigade”. And secondly,

    “The Spread Sheet Brigade”.

    We are disunited, So Ashley has dived & ruled.
    We need to stand together, And drive these people out!

66. I was waiting for a statement like that,One carefully crafted in the junk yard,sometime around January 2011,over tea and crumpets and some pie and mash.Contained most of my check list,Ameobis dispelling the myth we need more strike power,cabaye staying beging better than any signing,Squad is strong enough,,blah blah and whatever sounds a parrot makes..I think collectively we knew the deal,or lack of,but we hoped like im sure
    Most of us did,and thought money might be spent on players,Arsenal got flamini,we got Kinnear..

67. joe hawkins says:
    September 3, 2013 at 8:15 pm

    “The Bed Sheet Brigade”. And secondly,

    “The Spread Sheet Brigade”.

    :lol: very good, Joe.

    As I may have mentioned before (I’m going senile and I repeat myself like Chuckles sometimes), the spread sheet brigade are usually those dreadful aspirant types who work as third rate financial advisers or run small businesses who have deluded themselves into thinking they are part of an elite like Ashley. They think if they adopt the same attitudes they too can be billionaires just like him.

68. samp @ 65: you missed one – “we did our business in January.”

    We’re not swamis; this is just completely predictable.

    worky @ 63: If I were at my cynical best and among friends, I might speculate that just below Kath’s gushing lurks “he’s great, especially compared to the m****e who was here before him…”

69. As this obviously is the meeting place of the Alan Pardew appreciation Society, I felt it would be nice to share my own thoughts on our great silver haired leader, so I take great delight in reposting this tribute to him for those who may have missed it.

    I saw that a meeting of the “Alan Pardew Appreciation Society” was being held near me, so I decided it was something, as a devoted Toon fan, to attend.

    I duly turned up at the telephone box where it was being held and was a little disappointed to see that the seat was already occupied. Nevertheless I waited around for several hours in the hope of seeing the charismatic silver haired Newcastle leader but unfortunately he wasn’t able to make it. Something about seeing a man about a kebab apparently.

    I approached the other person to get his views on the great charismatic leader.

    He was there in the hope that the GCL could use his great charismatic influence with an associated loan company. It seemed he had had this vision that he was going to win a huge amount on the lottery and had borrowed the £2 for the ticket, sadly it didn’t.

    Already financially living beyond his means he wasn’t able to maintain the repayments with the unfortunate consequences that he has had to commit himself and his family to working for a major sports goods company for several generations to maintain payments for this loan.

    They are all on zero hour contracts and have to work when told to. Because of the shift system they are having to work none of the family have seen each other for several years and he was hoping that the GCL could somehow arrange for them to have one day off all at the same time.

    I wished him well and we parted company, I hope somehow he does get to see the GCL to get his wish. I’m sure that once the GCL hears of the poor mans dilemma he will take time from his great work to help him.

    It’s this belief that makes me continue to be an ardent fan of the Great silver haired paragon.

70. tunyc says:
    September 3, 2013 at 8:55 pm

    “worky @ 63: If I were at my cynical best and among friends, I might speculate that just below Kath’s gushing lurks “he’s great, especially compared to the m****e who was here before him…”

    And here’s me thinking I’m the only person cynical enough to have thoughts like that about Kath the tea lady! ;-)

    On the subject of Hughton, as I mentioned on these pages a long time ago, I know someone who was taught coaching by him and apparently, he’s even nicer than he seems if that’s possible. He might seem like a plank of wood in front of a camera, but my friend said he really leaves an impression on people in the flesh. He had the names of all the people in my friends class memorised immediately and he said they felt like they’d all known him for years straight away. My friend was gushing about him the way Kath was gushing about Pardew, and he’s a rabid heterosexual Arsenal fan!

71. Prince Abdullah bin Mosaad bin Abdulaziz Al Saud of the ruling Saudi Arabian dynasty has now taken over 50% of Sheffield United. When Ashley tried to sell Newcastle United, we got Barry Moat and a Mackem hoaxer having a laugh at Geordies.

72. Does anyone know what further bullshit will be spread around if joke kinnear’s only recruit gets done for rape!

73. Bob, I’m still waiting for Pardew to say “Cabaye will be like a new signing for us and the fans should be grateful to Mike for being strong and holding on to him” myself.

    As for Remy, as I mentioned a while ago, so many footballers have been accused and/or charged with rape but only one (Ched Evans) has ever been convicted.

74. workyticket says:
    September 4, 2013 at 4:01 am

    “Bob, I’m still waiting for Pardew to say “Cabaye will be like a new signing for us and the fans should be grateful to Mike for being strong and holding on to him” myself.”

    Oops! My mistake, bob. he heas said something like that now. It was only a matter of time.

    https://twitter.com/NUFC_Stats/status/374604569067925504/photo/1

75. Pardew said: “Remy is a thoroughbred. You can tell he’s a proper player.

    “He looks the part and carries himself well.

    “The players have taken to him, and he’s a good guy.

    “We’re lucky to have him.”

    Errrrr OK.

76. By all accounts JFK was given a decent wedge to buy players and we supposedly made bids for a number of players ( Gomis bid was confirmed as accepted by their chairman) – Think half the problem is that we will not pay the wages / fees players / agents are now asking for
    PSG / Monaco / Marseille along with half the German league Dortmund / Shalke etc now pay as well as the top four in the Prem
    Our wage structure is more along the lines of Stoke / Swansea / Southampton or any other middle to bottom half club so I’m not surprised players turning us down

77. I don’t think Pards is happy with the way our summers went, the statement was obviously put out by the club with his name on it. Think Remy is a good acquisition and the cameo role he played on Sat showed that he’s going to fit in well, Cisses movement off the ball improved tenfold once Remy came on and opened up space for him

78. Then he best start Remy, Cisse and Benny in a front three attack with Anita, Kabab and Sissoko in our next game and not bring Guti, Tiote and Taylor straight back in.

79. The bloke is making himself look more and more ridiculous, As time goes by.
    Like a lot of people have said, They would have more respect for him, If he walked out.
    No seven year left to run on a contract, Is worth it, At the expense of your, Pride, Dignity, And self respect!
    He is damaging his future in the game by staying as Ashley’s lapdog.
    In fact he is looking more of a lapdog, Than Tony Blair did, Standing With George Bush Junior.

    I’m going to have to watch my typing, I’m making too many mistakes.
    Why can’t these new fangled keyboards, Be like the old one’s, Where there was space between the keys?
    These newer keyboards are stuck right next to each other, And you end up hitting two keys together, And sometimes they don’t work, Which leads to loads of typo’s grrrrrrrr…., I cannot get used to them!

80. Ultimately the problem is Ashley – if he wants to pay wages at the lower end of the market then we better
    A) Be prepared to have potential relegation over our heads each season he’s the owner
    B) Watch our better players leave at the first hint of a club coming in for them

81. although by all accounts we only had 1 bid from Arsenal for Cabaye and that’s pretty much it (from a premiership point of view), maybe our players aren’t quite as good as we think

82. stevep, Nail on the head!, They are decent players, but most of them are not proper World Class.
    Like Worky said during Deadline Day, When it comes down to it, The choice is between Mezut Ozil or Yohan Cabaye, Then there is is no contest.
    If a club put in a bid of between 10 and 12 million, That is where i would value him.

    Mike Ashley thinks he’s being clever, But the joke is going to be on him.
    At the end of the day, He is going to have to realise, You get what you pay for!
    It takes good money to buy good players, Even if your looking to make a profit on them.

    Pardew looks silly now, When he was trying to hawk Cabaye, To anyone who wanted to buy him, With his World Class recommendation.
    One tentative bid from Arsenal, Was what we received, For this so called World Beater.
    He is a good free kick taker, And has the odd occasion, When he sees a good pass, But he is vastly overrated.
    He lacks pace and stamina, And only shows what he can do in cameo’s, And tends to go missing in games.
    I don’t think his game is suited to the Premier League, A bit like Hugo Viana.

    Ashley needs to come up with a contingency plan, Because his “Transfer Policy” is dying on it’s a**e!
    I said this last year, No one is going to come in with the ridiculous money he wants for average players.
    His time in English Professional Football is coming to an end.
    He has also become a pariah, That no one decent in Football, Wants anything to do with him, After all the strokes he has pulled.

    Keegan has had the last laugh over him in reality, When he won his court case, That more or less finished him off, And he has only been able to get saddo’s and desperado’s like Pardew to work for him, Ever since!

83. Joe, re the keyboard, I totally sympathise, got the same problem.

    I expect we are all looking forward to the opening of the loan window with great hope and expectation. Just watch Joe go then!! Or then again!!!

84. stevep says:
    September 4, 2013 at 12:27 pm

    “maybe our players aren’t quite as good as we think”

    Steve, Do you think that Cabaye is worth £20-25 million, especially after a very lacklustre season? I would say he’s worth around £13-15 million.

    Also, if you were a big club, would you go into a massive deal like that with Newcastle after what Llambias said about Liverpool and the Carroll deal to a group of complete strangers in a bar?

    When Arsenal put in a bid for Cabaye, Pardew misled people about it too, slagging off Arsenal in public for putting in a bid on the “eve of a game” when they actually put it in earlier than he suggested (and I’m not just going on Micky Quinn’s word there). Wenger and Arsenal were absolutely fuming at Pardew and no further bid was going to come in after that. They were already lining up a deal with Ozil anyway and he’s in a completely different league to Cabaye.

    If I was a big club, I wouldn’t touch those cowboys with a bargepole. It isn’t worth it as Liverpool, and now Arsenal have found out. They’re trouble.

85. Grumpy Old-Toon says:
    September 4, 2013 at 1:56 pm

    “Joe, re the keyboard, I totally sympathise, got the same problem.”

    Grumpy old men in denial! ;-)

    It isn’t the keyboard, I think he needs a pair of bottle bottoms from Spec Savers! I was no different. I always used to moan about the light when my eyes started gannin’ a bit.

86. joe hawkins says:
    September 4, 2013 at 1:52 pm

    “Like Worky said during Deadline Day, When it comes down to it, The choice is between Mezut Ozil or Yohan Cabaye, Then there is is no contest.”

    To be fair though, Ozil is one of THE very finest players of his age. He’s made 65 assists for Real Madrid and Germany in the last TWO seasons alone, the best in the world at the very highest level. Cabaye got 11 for Newcastle and France in the same period.

    How does Cabaye compare with this?

87. Worky, Ozil is quality, And personally i don’t ever think Yohan Cabaye, Could ever get to that sort of level.
    Don’t get me wrong, He is a decent player, But he isn’t World Class, Like Pardew would have us believe.
    He’s probably what you would call “Fringe World Class”.

    I think too many clubs have got carried away with the French market, Since the days of, Henry, Zidane, Pirez, Petit etc.

    They were part of a Golden Generation of French talent, And it will be a long time before we see than again!
    Most of the players from that double winning French side, Plied their trade in The Premiership.
    I think French Football benefited massively from the cut and thrust of the Premier league, As was reflected in the way they played.
    I think other countries Football is benefiting from our game, To the detriment of our own!

    Grumpyoldtoon, Aye it’s no good this getting old lark, It’s not fair, I want to live forever! lol.

88. Worky @73: I think that was another p*ss take in Pardew speak.

    As for Ozil, Arsenal were absolutely not sure of getting him because it came down to a lot of cajoling from Wenger and was last minute. Ozil wanted to stay at Madrid but I think Madrid wanted some of the money back they had laid out for Bale.

    I think I would rather have Ozil than Bale, but we will have to wait and see. I think their plan is to scare Barca with pace as they know they cant out-pass/finesse them.

    I agree that Cabaye is in the 12-15 mil category.

    I am not sure what SteveP @75 is saying about wages as we are about 7th or 8th there as we are in turnover/revenue. Worky would know better than me as he delves more into the accounts.

89. @joehawkins

90. I think you have to look at the teams that Ozil is playing with to make a fair comparison, Cabaye would probably have a much higher assist and scoring ratio playing with them.

    The problem with the keyboard is me trying to type as fast as I think, the mind is willing but the limbs don’t keep up as much nowadays. ;)

91. The attached article has plenty of quotes about Ozil, Pardew and Directors of Football:

    http://www.football365.com/mediawatch/8905793/Mediawatch

92. Grumpy Old-Toon says:
    September 4, 2013 at 3:38 pm

    “I think you have to look at the teams that Ozil is playing with to make a fair comparison, Cabaye would probably have a much higher assist and scoring ratio playing with them.”

    Grumpy, as I mentioned, he gets more assists than any other player, not just Cabaye. Ronaldo, Messi, Iniesta, Xavi blah blah… Is that a fair enough comparison for you? Cabaye isn’t going to play for Real Madrid anyway because they have better players already.

93. Worky, agreed but you would still need to assess his ability based on who he is playing with. I think we would agree that he isn’t really performing as well as he could in the present set-up. Whether he could play as well as Ozil, probably not. Be interesting to see if he reproduces the same form for Arsenal.

94. nobody ever seems to ask the questions about Graham Carr. Surely he’s got some sort of blame here?

    the ‘list’ of players had some pretty ordinary names on there. (Pilkington)??

    how come he gets off so easily?

95. I think Ashley will be smarting from the failure to sell Cabaye, But i think with the Andy Carroll sale, That was going to be Ashley’s only ever big deal.
    If we are honest, He got lucky with that one, And Llambias never said a truer word, On his drunken bars tool confession.
    “He’s Worth F**k All”, Was the cry, And judging by what Carroll has done since, You cannot argue with him.
    What his little rant did do, Was lay bare the workings and the intentions, Of Ashley, And his disdain for other clubs.
    So it’s highly doubtful that clubs will be beating a path to him, In the future, Unless he unearths a real super star.
    That is less likely to happen now with the paltry amount, He thinks you can bid for players.
    Like i said earlier, You get what you pay for!

    I wonder if Pardew will now pay the price for his failure?
    I don’t think Ashley gives a flying f**k what happens on the pitch, Just as long as we are not relegated.
    Personally i think Pardew was complicit in the sale of Andy Carroll, And did his salesman job well, Hence the moniker from Ashley himself, “The Perfect Manager”.
    Has he now blotted his copy book, With his failure to unload Cabaye, For Ashley?
    I think that might equate failure more to Ashley, Than poor team performance!

96. Grumpy Old-Toon says:
    September 4, 2013 at 4:03 pm

    “Whether he could play as well as Ozil, probably not. Be interesting to see if he reproduces the same form for Arsenal.”

    Definitely not and he’ll be fine, Grumpy.

97. tatty @ 93: glad someone brought it up. I’ve been less than impressed with him for some time now. Not one of those players in January was someone the whole world didn’t know. Our only serious signing last summer is a Dutch international who cost 7M and rides the bench. Was Carr responsible for Amalfitano? Are his suggestions being ignored? If so, why does he stay? I wonder if Hughton might have had a significant role in his evaluation of players. I don’t know. I just can’t think of any signings since Cabaye that felt like real finds that have worked out. Again, Bigi was the championship (football league?) young player of the year so it’s hardly a coup to tab him for recruitment.

    Ozil is breathtakingly good; you don’t break into this Germany squad at 21-and look like one of its very best players-otherwise. He’s going to massively improve Arsenal. He’s better than Fabregas in my humble opinion.

98. Tattyheed, I’ve thought about that myself, Why does he never go scouting in South America, Africa, Asia, etc?
    When he is in Europe, He only ever seems to go to France, The Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, And that’s it.
    If Ashley wants to punt on talent bought cheap, Then places like Argentina, Columbia, Brazil, Would be my first port of call.
    Is Carr not being given the expenses for these kinds of trips, And only given a Euro star season ticket?

    There has been a few flops like, Abeid, Amalfitano, And a few others.

99. Oh, my bad-he debuted for Germany at 20, not 21.

100. Joe-I don’t think he even really goes to Germany. Again, Cisse was no find. He was already a full Senegal internation in a ridiculous purple patch and Freiberg looked nailed on for relegation. Worky probably “scouted” him more than Carr.

101. tattyheed says:
     September 4, 2013 at 4:21 pm

     “nobody ever seems to ask the questions about Graham Carr. Surely he’s got some sort of blame here?”

     Whether that’s true or not it’s irrelevant, tattyheed. It’s gone beyond that now and into the realms of the mob, and monomaniacal bloodlust stirred up by endless Kinnear vilification the media. They wanted revenge for c**tgate.

     Of course, Kinnear’s mouth is the still the same and placing a mic in front of it is like pouring more petrol on to the bonfire. It’s perfect for Ashley and Pardew in the short term though. Lots of fans are full of sympathy for Pardew now, and Ashley is getting an easier ride than he would otherwise too.

102. Worky: there is a piece in The Mail from The Mag about Kinnear that is not very complimentary, so it is not just the press but fanzines and Blogs.

     Also, I noticed Ed had changed his banner and it no longer has the “heroic” Pardew picture (you know, where he was staring off and upwards like an old Lenin portrait). In fact, it doesn’t have any current players.

     He still has the “in Carr we Trust” t-shirts for sale in case Tattyheed wants to buy one.

     Sorry, for going on about other sites. I was just pointing out the general mood.

103. so little roman gone out on loan too. We are in for a long long season

104. tunyc says:
     September 4, 2013 at 5:14 pm

     “Oh, my bad-he debuted for Germany at 20, not 21.”

     tunyc, I first remember really noticing Ozil when England got knacked 4-1 by the Sausagemunchers in the 2010 World Cup. He was about 21 and he wasn’t just a young player happy to be there, he was pulling the strings. I also recall being completely gobsmacked when I saw how little Real Madrid paid for him.

105. GS says:
     September 4, 2013 at 5:45 pm

     “Sorry, for going on about other sites. I was just pointing out the general mood.”

     It amazing how easy it is to fool simpletons into attacking the wrong target, a bit like 7/11 and Iraq.

106. Has anyone seen The true Geordie, On Youtube?
     That lad likes to let rip, And rant and rave, But he is a legend!
     If anyone hasn’t seen him, Just type in True Geordie, He gives it to them both barrels!

107. worky-what do you imagine is Kinnear’s job at this club?

108. joe hawkins says:
     September 4, 2013 at 6:17 pm

     “Has anyone seen The true Geordie, On Youtube?”

     That big ginger c**t needs medication, Joe.

109. There’s a new pool up lads and lasses.

     “Do you think that Wonga’s sponsorship of Newcastle United is damaging the club’s image?”

110. Back in the apple, in the seventies, high pressure with those isolated cotton ball clouds.
     And using a lap top instead of the flat keyboard of an
     I-Pad.
     Now that takes some getting used to, a system that attempts to anticipate which word you are about to use, and when using a period (full stop)automatically capitalizes the beginning of the following word and if you are not paying attention, turns a sentence into gibberish.
     Possibly would work well with a good typist, but in my case did nothing but incur a series of words I had never intended and some bizarre grammar.
     It also has a memory of how you use abbreviations, so that no matter what ffs always came out FFS.
     Hey when you get an argument from your computer……..

     Anyway, this Pardew, Joe, Ashley stuff is getting a bit old, how about changing the direction, we have said it all and only succeed in saying the same old thing in a different manner.
     I keep thinking that any day now a white or brown yellow or black knight, may appear on the horizon, who wants to both buy the club and turn it into a side that can compete, cause as long as the present situation lasts, we are going nowhere.
     Not asking for someone who will compete with the oligarchs money wise, but who is interested enough to want a competitive side, who play an attractive style and would hire the right people and spend a few bob, to establish that scenario.
     Is that too much to ask ?
     There was a time when I thought that Ashley might be that person, but I was wrong.
     Ah Well !

111. @tunyc

     i’ve never bought into the cult of carr. whenever nufc are discussed on motd or that thing on sky on a sunday morning you can guarantee that he’ll be mentioned at some point with the received wisdom that he’s uncovered a steady stream of unknown talent who have gone on to enhance our squad.

     who exactly are these hidden gems that he’s uncovered? french international cabaye? senegal international cisse? italian under-21 international santon?

     if you look at the real ‘unknowns’ it’s a litany of failures from abied to the recently departed amalfitano.

112. I remember the “undiscovered” Cheick Tiote, who had just played in front of billions of viewers in the World Cup.

     Graham Carr is a very good scout, albeit in a very resticted area (the route of the Eurostar Train and it’s extension to Amsterdam). He’s not he only one by any means though.

     Chris Hughton brought him in, but after he was sacked he hooked up with another one at Birmingham, Ewan Chester, who also has expertees in the European market. Chester was an ex Norwich scout and he took him back there and now he’s doing the same thing with the Canaries only in a far more sensible fashion with a mixture of Euro bargains and talented young English players like Nathan Redmond.

     Now I know I’ve banged on about this over and over again for a long time but HUGHTON WAS THE BIG LOSS.