Birmingham target, allegedlyBirmingham allegedly want Newcastle’s Leon Best. Dan Gosling and Hatem Ben Arfa gets in some early pre-season training. And Michael Owen seems to have upset a few people.
With all the speculation about who we might be buying, I’d quite forgotten that other teams might want some of our players other than Jose Enrique.
If you believe the Mail (no tittering), freshly relegated Birmingham are after Leon Best to replace Cameron Jerome who Alex McLeish seems resigned to losing. I actually thought Leon Best did a decent job for us last season, getting 6 goals in 12 games, and of all our current strikers he’s the one I’d most like to keep, but I guess it depends on who we bring in over the summer to enhance our goal-scoring capabilities.
How much do you think Best is worth anyway?
Both Dan Gosling and Hatem Ben Arfa have made an early return for pre-season training to ensure that they’re fully fit for next season. (more…)
Crocked ankle in JanuaryAlan Smith is back in training but may not play for Newcastle again until next season.
The last time Alan Smith played for us was back in January against Brucie’s louts. During that game his ankle was broken by Kieron Richardson and he’s been crocked ever since.
However, Smith fans will be pleased to know that a magic seven league boot he wore during his rehabilitation seemed to work and he was back in training at Benton last week.
Whilst he hasn’t turned out on the pitch for us, Assistant Manager John Carver was keen to point out that he has still been contributing behind the scenes. Carver said:
“During his injury Alan has played a big part off the field for us.
“Just because a player is injured it doesn’t mean they don’t have a part to play, and Alan has been an excellent example of that.” (more…)
Portugal trip a successJohn Carver has been full of plaudits for the training undertaken during Newcastle United’s trip to Portugal.
Alan Pardew was extolling the virtue of the Portugal trip just the other day and now it’s the turn of John carver.
So good has been this Portugal ‘boot camp’ that it’s now reckoned to be the best ever training session undertaken by any football club ever.
Carver said:
“Sometimes people look at these breaks and see it as a holiday but it was nothing of the sort for the players.
“First of all it was wet and windy and cold in Portugal – but it wasn’t about getting sun anyway, it was about finding somewhere with facilities that we could use because ours were out of action because of the frost last week. The players have worked really hard.(more…)
Alan Pardew welcomes John Carver back to the club.Newcastle United’s not so new assistant manager, John Carver, has given an interview on his reappointment at the club.
In it, he gave a revealing glimpse into his previous time at the club. An odyssey which started playing with the club’s youth teams in the 1980s. He then rejoined the club as an academy coach under Kevin Keegan, eventually rising to be an assistant manager under Sir Bobby Robson from 1999 to 2004 and was caretaker manager for one game, a 3-0 victory over Blackburn Rovers after Robson was controversially sacked by previous Chairman, Freddy Shepherd. He was then moved back to the academy in a reshuffle under Robson’s successor, Graeme Souness before eventually leaving the club. After having stints at Luton and Leeds, he eventually joined the world of Major League soccer over the pond after being appointed manager of Canadian club, Toronto F.C. in 2008. He then returned to the U.K. in 2009 for spells with Plymouth Argyle and his last club, Sheffield United.
Carver began by revealing the emotion he felt upon his return to the club, and the memories it brought back, saying: (more…)
Carver and Robson, back in the dayJohn Carver has joined Newcastle United as assistant manager on contract until the end of the season.
Carver said:
“I am proud and honoured to be able to come back once again to my hometown club.
“I have been lucky to be able to work around the world with some excellent people.
“However, I have always been a fan of this magnificent club, and the years I spent working here were some of the happiest of my life.
“I am looking forward to working with Alan Pardew, and building on the recent strides that the club has taken to get back to where we belong, at the top of English football.
“I understand how much the club and the results mean to these wonderful fans, and I am delighted to have the opportunity to assist Alan in delivering them the success they deserve.” (more…)
