Jeroen Zoet – Possibly the strongest link so far?Well, it’s been a very busy transfer window so far with all that extra TV money swelling the coffers of Premier League clubs around the country.
No fewer than 61 players have been signed to Premier League clubs at the time of writing, with almost every club signing at least one new player. Sunderland have even signed seven. However there is one rether predictable exception, and there are no prizes for guessing who it is. Of course it’s Newcastle United, who have recently lost Danny Simpson, Steve Harper and James Perch, with Dan Gosling possibly on the way too. Another important issue is that this further English exodus could cause problems with the 8 “home grown” players in the 25 man squads teams have to hand in at the start of the season.
Having written that, there are currently high hopes for the signing of a younger flying Dutchman called Jeroen Zoet to keep existing flying Dutchman, Tim Krul, on his toes more than Robbie Elliot can. If so it would be good move and not just for the mere fact that it’s a body “over the line” as our Silver Supremo is so fond of saying. (more…)
Kinnear and Carr: NUFC’s scouting “dream team.”They are two chubby old men who swear so much, they even make Bernard Manning and Chubby Brown sound like a pair of Vicars.
One is reviled and one is revered by significant sections of Newcastle United’s fanbase, yet they are almost like peas in a pod. Two chubby, foul mouthed, old school pros with two lifetimes worth of experience in football. Carr has already been an excellent scout for Newcastle United, and there is no reason why Joe Kinnear can’t add to that significantly too, as a scout himself, as well as a bridge between the football side of the club, Mike Ashley and the future Managing Director, whoever that might be.
Since Kinnear’s return to the club, the first lazy stereotype of uninformed newspaper hacks was that Kinnear was putting a stop to the foreign signings because he’d never heard of them, that he was looking to sign more Kevin Nolans and Ryan Taylors, and also that Carr was set to walk out of the club in disgust. However, if you cast your mind to his time as interim manager at Newcastle, Kinnear was actually exploring the French market long before Carr came to the club. One transfer target Kinnear bid for was potential Butt replacement, Stephane Mbia, then a Stade Rennais player who eventually moved to Marseilles for over £10 million and eventually, QPR. There were others too such as Toulouse right back Albin Ebondo, who was looked at by Kinnear before he eventually moved to St Etienne. (more…)
Joe Kinnear – A lightning rod?Last season seems like a dim and distant memory now.
Things like a sixteenth placed finish, Alan Pardew’s abysmal tactics and even more abysmal excuses have all been completely forgotten. Forthcoming delights such as the arrival of Wonga and all the opprobrium that will bring have been completely forgotten too, all because of a few interviews from Joe Kinnear as Tyneside finds itself once more in the grip of “Kinnearophobia.”
Is it pure genius?
Strangely, the “local” Mirror Group media, the Chronic and the Journal, have seemingly abandoned their usual sycophancy to the current regime, and have happily been laying into Newcastle United’s new Court Jester at every opportunity. It’s almost as if they’d been given the go ahead to be as brutal as possible by Newcastle United’s Managing Director, Derek Llambaisie Llambias.
Personally, I do not share the antipathy to Kinnear held by many fans, and some of the stuff has been shameful, like the headline in another Newcastle United blog which read “Gan On Kinnear – Have Another Heart Attack!.” I’m not as horrified at his appointment as some claim to be and have alot of respect for what he has achieved in his football career in the past. (more…)
A tough climax to a tough season.Venue: St James’ Park, Newcastle. Date: Sun 19th May, 2013. Kick off: 4.00pm. Referee: Howard Webb (Sheffield). UK TV: Sky Sports 1.
Hello, good afternoon and welcome to our final match banter of the season!
Of course, this game sees us facing Arsenal at St James’ Park. Thankfully, it will not be a do or die game for Premier League survival against very stiff opposition thanks to our previous 1-2 victory against the not quite so stiff Queens Park Rangers – That would have been just too much to bear. Even so, the fact that we have been teetering on the abyss so close to the end of the season is indicative of what a disappointing season we’ve had.
Before I carry on though, just a quick note to let you know that I will actually be at the game this time. Hence, I might not be posting the team sheets, links to watch the game online etc as I usually do. I will try, though if some of you regulars could help out by posting the teams, that would be most appreciated! Alternatively, they can be found on the club’s official website
Loftus Road beckonsVenue: Loftus Road, London. Date: Sun 12th May, 2013. Kick off: 3.00pm. Referee: Lee Probert (Wilts). UK TV: None.
Hello, good afternoon and welcome to our penultimate “match banter” for the season.
This time of course, the Magpies face Queens Park Rangers and with Alan Pardew once again seemingly unable to find a win for love or money, each game becomes ever more crucial in the Toon’s bid to stave off yet another relegation. With our next opponents being Champions League chasing Arsenal, this clash with one of the three teams who have actually managed to be worse than us so far this season has assumed even more importance. (more…)
