Moussa Sissoko arriving for Euro 2016 Following a disastrous season to forget at Newcastle United, thoughts among some might be turning to the European Championships starting tomorrow. Moussa Sissoko (France) and Rob Elliot (Republic of Ireland) will be Newcastle United’s only representatives there, though bearing in mind that this will be the biggest shop window for footballers short of the World Cup, this might be a good thing.
Some might wonder how Sissoko managed to book his place with one of the more fancied teams after some of last season’s performnances, some might praise Elliot for some good performances standing in for the injured Tim Krul despite everything. However, players like that will not be the focus of this piece. I’m sure that pretty much all of you will know what they have been up to, along with high profile ex-players taking part such as James Milner (England) and Yohan Cabaye (France). Instead, I will look mostly at the “where are they now” players who will be there who used to ply their trade on Tyneside. Of these, the majority of the players (three out of four) will be playing for the two Irish sides in the competition, and another will be managing the Northern Ireland team.
Shamrock's manager & NUFC old boy, O'Neill.Shamrock Rovers game (today).
Well, today’s the day of Newcastle United’s first friendly game of the season, this time against the Emerald Isle’s Shamrock Rovers (K.O. 3pm). Shamrock’s manager and NUFC old boy, Michael O’Neill spoke to Newcastle’s Chronicle yesterday about the game, and also of his “heartache” over the current situation facing his old club. He said:
“I have some very fond memories of my times there and you could see then it was a place waiting to take off.
“I played with Gazza and Mirandinha during their pomp at Newcastle, which was a great experience for a young striker.
“Now I’m just as gutted as everybody else up there to see it back in turmoil.(more…)
