Speaking in another ‘exclusive’ interview with Mike Ashley’s Sports Direct News, Alan Pardew was repeating his protestations that Joe Kinnear was only brought into the club to work on the financial side of transfers like Derek Llambias before him.
Anxious to reassure worried fans that he is still in charge of all football matters (please kill us), and that Kinnear was only brought in to make life easier for himself and Mike, Pardew explained:
“It’s quite simple really, it’s not too different to what we had before with Derek Llambias. Mike and Joe work the finances of the football club. Therefore I have to make sure, with Joe, that we’re approaching players in the right financial bracket for us and that we’re doing the right amount of scouting.
“Joe’s job is to co-ordinate that and put it all together. So he has my input, he has Graham Carr’s views and also Mike’s opinion as well in terms of the finance.
“Basically, he gives me a ballpark figure of the sort of player we can perhaps afford and me and Graham give him the targets we think it works for. Joe then works towards finding a solution and it’s as simple as that.(more…)
QPR forward Loic Remy is undergoing a medical on Tyneside today (Monday) after terms have been agreed for him to spend a season on loan at Newcastle United.
Speaking after a charity cricket match at Totteridge yesterday, Newcastle United’s Director of football, Joe Kinnear, had this to say about the pursuit of Remy:
“I would think that we are very close to agreeing that. By maybe Monday or Tuesday, we would be in a position to say yes or no.
“I’m very happy with how that deal is going at the moment. I’m very happy with the conversations we’ve had. I’ve been to QPR and spoken to the people who represent him (Remy), and in my opinion there is every chance that the deal could take place.” (full interview here)
Though the the exact terms are uncertain, QPR manager Harry Redknapp had the following to say a couple of days ago on what they would be looking for out of a loan deal for the 26 year old hitman: (more…)
Joe Kinnear gives his latest interview to Sky Sports after his latest charity cricket match with a Bunbury 11.
In it he gives the latest news on his quests for Loic Remy, Bafetimbi Gomis and Darren Bent, along with a bit of insight into his general thinking towards the end.
He wasn’t brave enough to have a crack at saying “Bafetimbi” yet, but he’s still referring to Newcastle United’s top striker as “See-See.” (more…)
Whilst searching for inspiration yesterday, this piece by Jackie Smithfield in Newcastle United blog The Mag caught my eye. Entitled ‘Newcastle fans help Mick Harford to decide Millwall is better bet’, it bragged of fan power scaring away Harford from his former club before he’d even started, claiming:
‘With an overwhelmingly negative reaction, no doubt Mick Harford has also got on the ‘blower’ to friends and family in the North East to gauge which way the wind is blowing:
‘On this basis, it would be no surprise to see Harford saying thanks but no thanks. Shame his mentor JFK is slightly thicker skinned when it comes to the reaction he produced on his appointment.’
And to put it mildly, I just couldn’t see the wisdom of that. Joe Kinnear might well be thick skinned, but the writer of the above is just thick if he or she thinks a policy of fans attempting to force out anyone Joe Kinnear tries to appoint to enhance the Newcastle United’s scouting before they’ve even started won’t be damaging to the club. (more…)
In his recent interview on Radio Newcastle’s “Total Sport,” Alan Pardew informed listeners of the show that like figures such as Kevin Keegan before him, he is now “almost an adopted Geordie, trust me.”
In the same interview, he also reassured all the Geordies who have taken him to their hearts that he still has seven years left of his eight year contract which he intends to see out, and that he won’t let Joe Kinnear or anyone else “tread on his toes” or intefere with the club’s style of play.
When asked if Joe Kinnear’s appointment helped or hindered his cause (whatever that means), the Silver Supremo answered:
“I’m almost an adopted Geordie, trust me and on my travels I’ve seen many fans this summer and they’ve all relayed to me that they really want us to do better than last year and I do as well.(more…)