Campbell - Tooning in at Newcastle?I guess it was inevitable that at some point over the summer Sol Campbell would be linked with a move to Newcastle.
That rumour has resurfaced again, and there are even claims from some quarters that hint that a deal may already be in place.
I doubt that though as Campbell was off getting married yesterday so it’s unlikely any deal will happen any time soon, taking into account extravagant honeymoons and the like that may or may not be taking place. None of that really concerns me though. What does concern me is whether or not we can be expecting a new central defender in the shape of Campbell on Tyneside, and whether or not it would be a good move for Newcastle both now and in the future. (more…)
Best off the mark as Toon win 3-0.Pre-season kicked off properly this afternoon as Newcastle travelled cross country to Cumbria to tackle Carlisle in what was our first friendly match in the run up to the new season.
The game may not have panned out as easy as the headline or scoreline suggets and the Newcastle players will head home this evening knowing they have been involved in a game of football.
That is not a bad thing in my opinion when you consider our first Premier League match will be against Manchester United where that kind of experience will be needed. Chris Hughton took a near full strength squad to Brunton Park and that enabled him to field two complete sides, one for either half of the match, which will give everyone a fitness boost ahead our next pre-season game away at Norwich in a weeks time. (more…)
Brunton Park - Where the journey begins.It’s here, it’s finally here, well nearly anyway.
Newcastle United’s pre-season campaign kicks off in earnest tomorrow (Saturday) as preparations for the new season finally get underway properly.
Of course there has been lots of training going on behind the scenes, particularly over in Ireland, but tomorrow is our first proper chance to see the lads in pre-season action.
Likewise, the match against Carlisle gives me the chance to get in some pre-season practice, particularly as I look to get back into the swing of the matchday experience on the ‘blog. I’m only practising so we can try to give you the best here at nufgblog.org, so at least that is the sucking up done I guess! (more…)
Harper happy at Newcastle.Over the last few days there have been strong rumours linking Celtic with a bid for our number one goalkeeper, Steve Harper.
Rumours are abound that Neil Lennon is looking to test the resolve of Newcastle by launching a bid for the veteran ‘keeper, but they can bid away as much as they want as I believe that Harper just wont leave, unless the bid is at such a level which makes it hard to resist for the club of course!
Harper has been with Newcastle United for approaching two decades now, but he has still only played around 200 first-team games in his career. The boyhood Liverpool fan has found himself in the unfortunate position of playing second fiddle to Shay Given for a number of years and it is only since he has moved on that the Easington born stopper has had his chance to shine in the first team.
At the ripe old footballing age of 35, Harper is approacching the twilight years of his career and will be relishing the chance of being first choice goalkeeper for Newcastle in the Premier League next season. That will serve as motivation for him and should contribute to him not wanting to upsticks and leave to go to Celtic, although if, by some strange twist of fate, he did leave then we already have adequate cover for the stopper in the shape of Tim Krul and Fraser Forster, so there is nothing to worry about in any eventuality. (more…)
Hughton - Can he cut? Maybe he can...After a brief flurry of transfer activity and rumour on the Newcastle front, things seem to have settled down a bit.
Dan Gosling, as yet, hasn’t signed, and our players have been away for a week training in Ireland. Obviously this has meant that Chris Hughton has been away with them as he tries to whip his troops into shape in preapration for the new season.
The knives are out for Newcastle, again, and amazingly it is some of our own fans who are ready to stick the blade in if we falter. Despite claims from Danny Guthrie the other day, which suggested that the players will be ignoring the critics, there is no doubt that it will end up cranking up the pressue on the players over time, and it will probably be Chris Hughton who will pay the ultimate price if things do start to get out of hand. That price will likely be his job, but is he good enough to avoid that situation arising in the first place? (more…)
