Manchester City v Newcastle.Venue: City of Manchester Stadium. Date: Mon 19th Aug, 2013. Kick off: 8.00pm. Referee: Andre Marriner. UK TV: Sky Sports 1.
Well it’s finally here!
Another season, and it’s straight into the deep end once again for the Magpies with the club whose name sounds like a Gay Anthem or a night at the Powerhouse, Man City. It’s away too. Last season it was Tottenham, the one before that, Arsenal, then Manchester United and so on. No one could ever accuse us of getting easy starts!
Today has officially been designated as ‘Bert Trautmann Day’ at the City of Manchester Stadium after the great German City goalkeeper who famously kept on playing after breaking his neck in the 1956 FA Cup final as substitutes weren’t allowed back in those days. Sadly, Bert died very recently on July 19th in Valencia, though at 89 he did have a respectable innings. (more…)
Wonga: Sinking their teeth into the North East. A radio programme which is well worth listening to if you’re a Newcastle United fan is BBC Radio Four’s “the Lending Game,” a 40 minute look at Wonga’s controversial sponsorship of Newcastle United.
This is what the online blurb for the programme says:
“As Wonga moves into the mainstream with its sponsorship of Newcastle United, is the so-called payday lender responding to, or shaping, changing attitudes on money and morality? Chris Bowlby goes back to his teenage home on the Tyne to look at the rise of Wonga through the lives of the Toon Army.”
Amongst other things, it contains a fairly revealing interview with Newcastle United financial director, John Irving, who told Chris Bowlby that the clinching factor for working with Wonga was the company’s desire to “work with us on fans, the Academy and the Newcastle United Foundation,” who work with the Wonga customers of the future, youngsters from underprivileged families in the North East. However, the interview with Irving is abruptly halted later in the show by a female press officer (possibly Wendy Taylor) when the interviewer brings up controversial subject of former refusenik, Papiss Cisse, who was still in discussions with the club over wearing the shirt when the programme was being made. (more…)
“Howay man, stay here wor Bafétimbi” says Aulas now. Well there have certainly been some very strong hints so far, but now it has finally been confirmed by Olympique Lyonnais chairman, Jean-Michel Aulas that there are currently no parties currently in discussions to sign Olypique Lyonnais striker, Bafétimbi Gomis, confirming that Joe Kinnear and Newcastle United have finally got sick of all the complications and have fianlly walked away from the proposed deal.
Here’s what Aulas said to Olympique Lyonnais’ official website:
“Of course, the departure of Licha (striker / winger Lisandro López, recently sold by Lyon) poses a new problem. I look forward to trying to get everyone around the table to discuss,” said Aulas to Olympique Lyonais’ official website.
Getting to the most important bit, he then dropped the latest bombshell that there were currently no longer any offers on the table for Gomis any more, confirming, albeit in a roundabout fashion, that Newcastle United had actually pulled out of the deal: (more…)
Pardew: Vision of success. Speaking in his latest interview, Alan Pardew has been getting his latest round of excuses in before the season starts, saying that Newcastle United might find it difficult to replicate 2012’s fifth placed finish in the Premier League because he hasn’t replaced Demba Ba, and the club simply can’t compete with the financial strength of behemoths such as Southampton, Swansea City and Norwich City when it comes to buying players.
Here’s what Pardew said:
“When you look at the teams now and the money that’s being spent, you have to be honest and say it’s going to be difficult replicating that fifth-place finish. But our ambition must be to try to do that,”
“Demba went to Chelsea, and that was a big blow for us last year. I think the fact that we never really replaced him got missed a little bit.(more…)
Jean-Michel Aulas: Dark forces at work in Gomis deal?Newcastle United’s pursuit of Bafetimbi Gomis is rapidly becoming what Churchill would have called “a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma,” and for once, it doesn’t even seem to be Newcastle United’s fault!
Below is the latest bombshell from Olympique Lyonnais chairman, Jean-Michel Aulas, speaking after his side qualified for the Champions League playoffs against the Grasshoppers of Zurich yeterday, which might also be a factor in this labyrinthine tale which seems to have had everything but the kitchen sink so far judging by the stuff I have been following in the French media. Without further ado, here’s Aulas’s latest incendiary words on the frustrating Gomis deal:
“I am very disappointed that operations have not been concluded with Newcastle. I am very pessimistic, it needs to be said that someone behind the scenes is pulling the strings. I think a number of people will be unmasked. I have also tabled yesterday (Monday) a complaint to the Committee on Legal Affairs for the destabilization of some players. Some clubs have made dishonest proposals.(more…)
