Luuk de Jong on Toon's Christmas list to Santa?The international break heralds a mini ‘silly season’ as Newcastle United are reported to be interested in no less than 5 new players.
With January fast approaching and no Premier League football for two weeks, it’s inevitable that the names of potential targets will be bandied about.
Our impressive start to the season and the recent spate of injuries to our squad may both, in their own way, raise questions about where we need to strengthen things in January if we’re to continue to push hard this season.
Mike Ashley may also be somewhat re-enthused by the way things have gone and perhaps support Alan Pardew by allowing him to buy a few more players than he would have done if we had not started so well. But who are those players likely to be? The press have a list of potential contenders for us.
The first such player is Modibo Maiga, Sochaux bad-boy and Toon transfer target from the last window. According to some press reports, the deal is all but done and a four and a half year contract awaits the player as soon as trading can commence next year. (more…)
Essential for the next 3 games?The international break has come at an opportune time for Newcastle United as injuries to the squad begin to mount up.
I think we all knew that a potential Achilles Heel for us has been the onset of injuries as the season progresses.
It is of course a problem for any of the teams that can’t afford to buy and maintain a second side that’s made up of the sort of quality teams like Manchester City have, but it’s probably also made more significant for us because we’ve carved out our good start to the season with – more of less – the same 11 players.
Cheick Tiote has a knee injury, Leon Best has a toe and groin injury and Yohan Cabaye – who was substituted fairly early on Saturday – has a groin problem. Apparently none of those three are likely to play for their countries during this international spell, although Best and Cabaye will join their squads to be assessed by the Irish and French locums respectively. Sylvain Marveaux joins the list of wounded too with a groin injury sustained during his sting against Everton. (more…)
Praying he gets the England job?Newcastle United manager Alan Pardew rules himself out for the England manager’s job, if indeed he was ever a serious contender anyway.
Pardew’s 10 game undefeated start to the season has had him ‘in the frame’ – at least according to the press – as a potential replacement for Fabio Capello as England manager after next summer’s European Championship, but the man himself isn’t interested in the job, at least for now.
Pardew Said:
“It’s nice to hear your name mentioned with things like that, but in terms of the England job, it’s not for me at this time. I’m just not interested in it. I don’t think I have the experience to do that job.
“There’s someone in hospital at the moment (Redknapp) who could definitely do the job though. I think he’s at the right age and he’s had the right experience in his career.
“When it comes to the England job, I think the most important thing about the position is that the general public need to buy in to whoever the manager is. I think they would willingly buy in to Harry Redknapp, and I think that’s very important. He would definitely be my choice.” (more…)
One game at a timeNewcastle United manager Alan Pardew keeps ambitions in check ahead of our game against Everton on the weekend.
What exactly is a ‘potential banana skin’? I ask because my local shopkeeper and I were having our daily discussion about life, the universe and everything and he left me with the comment “Everton are a potential banana skin”. Which got me to wondering if a ‘potential banana skin’ is actually just a banana.
Anyway, we’re playing this banana on the weekend and I’m pleased to see that Alan Pardew is keeping a sharp perspective on things. Pardew said:
“We have had a great start and have shown a lot of sides to us as a team. But we look no further than that.
“We are coming up against a very good established Premier League side in Everton, with a great manager and good players, and you have to respect every team in this division. And that is what we will do for the next game.(more…)
Plenty to be happy aboutNewcastle United manager Alan Pardew gives all the kudos to the team for yesterday’s win at Stoke whilst Tony Pulis is somewhat less generous.
Yesterday’s game could arguably be seen as our biggest test of the season so far and we passed it with flying colours. Alan Pardew, however, refuses to take much credit for the win and instead prefers to praise the players. Pardew said:
“The players have to take great credit. You can have a game-plan of what you want to do but by the same token, players have got to be brave enough to see it out. And we showed some bravery. Absolutely brilliant, some of our players tonight.
“You’ve got to be brave, and we were brave at their throw-ins. We left two up and that caused them some problems on the break a couple of times.
“Sometimes you’ve got to change the emphasis of a game and we did that well – in the second half, not so well and that’s why we came under pressure.
“Having said that, it was a soft penalty that they got, I thought. But at least the ref was consistent because we got a soft one too!” (more…)
