Potential target?Newcastle United have been linked with two defenders from the Dutch league recently: Douglas and Erik Pieters. But is there anything to subtantiate the rumours?
The Chronicle – and other elements of the press – have been linking us with FC Twente’s Douglas Franco Teixeira recently.
The 6ft 4in 24-year old central defender has apparently told FC Twente boss Steve McClaren that he wants to leave at the end of the season and the Premier League is his destination of choice.
Apparently a ‘source’ at FC Twente said:
“It’s not a case of if Douglas wants to play in the Premier League – it’s simply when. He’s told the manager he wants to go.
“Steve McClaren also has a new defender lined up to replace him in the summer and appreciates that Douglas wants to move on.”
Anyway, on the back of this report I thought I’d do some digging around in the Dutch press to see if I could find some sort of indication that Newcastle is indeed in the running. (more…)
Who's the messiah?Newcastle United appear to have sorted themselves out after a long period of woe but are there are certain similarities between what Liverpool are going through now and what Newcastle have been through in the past?
Liverpool seemed in turmoil on Sunday. We beat them fairly comfortably, their goalkeeper was sent off and Andy Carroll looks like he’s heading for a bust-up with Kenny Dalglish after allegedly voicing his distaste at being substituted with a word rhyming with ‘luck’, of which they had little, followed by ‘off’, which Carroll certainly was.
But I feel just a little for Liverpool because they are currently ‘doing a Newcastle’. We’ve been in their situation in the not too distant past. They’ve brought back a ‘messiah’, spent a fortune on players not living up to their price tag, have an unsettled fan-base and they seem to be plagued by controversy, the Suarez incident being perhaps the most notable example.
Granted they haven’t imploded like we did and got themselves relegated yet, and they are one trophy to the good this season and in with a chance of the second. If truth be told, I think Liverpool will turn out to be a bit more resilient than us and will bounce back, although whether that’s under the leadership of King Kenny and with Andy Carroll leading the line remains to be seen. But it struck me that there are certain parallels between our past and what they’re going through though. (more…)
Cisse bags another brace.Newcastle United notch up a comfortable 2-0 win over Liverpool to retain 6th place on level points with Chelsea, 10 points clear of 7th-placed Everton.
We kicked off the game at a glorious, sunny St James’ Park and it was to be a tightly contested half with both sides having their chances. Our front three were once again impressive but Liverpool looked to have decent attacking options too, particularly with Craig Bellamy who managed to find himself in space on the right a few times.
Within the first 5 minutes Shelvey’s dipping shot took a deflection and nearly dipped enough to get in under the bar but was just over in the end leading to a Liverpool corner. After defending that we got away and on the counter-attack with Ba finding space up the left. Ba put the cross in to Cisse but Reina managed to snatch the ball from its path ahead of him.
Perch picked up a yellow card after 6 minutes when he took the ball – seemingly cleanly – from Suarez but managed to upend the Uruguayan in the process. The yellow was a bit harsh I thought, but those sorts of things generally pick up a yellow these days. (more…)
Realistic aims?Newcastle United manager Alan Pardew has been talking about his aims for the next three seasons, but writes off Champions League qualification for this season.
This is what Alan Pardew had to say about his 3-year plan for the club:
“You want to be in there competing, and we have done that.
“Whether we get a European place will probably be decided by fate more than anything. We have had a great season regardless of the European spot, and we want to do that again next year.
“By hook or by crook, in the next three years it would be nice to get some sort of European football or win a trophy. That’s the goal.
“We won’t get Champions League football this season, I just think that’s too big a gap to bridge – five points on Spurs, and Arsenal are probably away from us now.
“It’s too much, they are too good teams to catch with eight games left.” (more…)
What reception will he get?Former Newcastle United striker Andy Carroll expresses his nervousness about his visit with Liverpool to St James’ Park on Sunday, while Alan Shearer writes off our chances of Champions League qualification.
Andy Carroll has confessed to nerves about his trip to St James’ Park on the weekend, saying:
“I don’t usually get nervous but this might be a bit different.
“All of my family and friends will be there but they’re so big on football I’m not sure who they’ll be supporting.
“It’s great to see Newcastle doing so well. I support them, was brought up there and was lucky enough to have played for them. They will always mean something.”
Of course the circumstances of Carroll’s departure have been the subject of much debate, although Derek Llambias’s comments of a few months ago shed some light on the situation. Yes, he did put in a transfer request but it seems his hand was somewhat forced and he may not be the ‘Judas’ that many make him out to be. I wonder what sort of response he’ll get from the Toon Army? (more…)
