I'm not so sure...So at the time of writing, Newcastle United club captain Kevin Nolan, is on his way to join freshly relegated West Ham United.
Before this news broke, I was in the process of gathering some statistical analysis for the past season, focusing on our top 5 performers in the Premier League. What I found was quite interesting, even more so, taking into consideration, recent events.
The statistics I have gathered are from the ‘Actim Index’ found on the official Premier League website. The index, and point scoring, along with a brief explanation from myself, is calculated as follows:-
1) Winning performance
Points awarded for time on the pitch in a successful team. More points awarded to individuals if they are on the pitch for a full 90 minutes.
2) Players performance per match
Points awarded for positive actions such as shots, tackles, clearances, saves and passes. Points are deducted for negative actions such as shots off target, misplaced passes, fouls and yellow / red cards.
Concentrate!On the pitch, what needs fixing? Most would point out the glaring lack of fire-power within the ranks, for the ‘number 9′ Shirt is lies dormant at St James’ Park.
This of course has been true since January, when a certain someone departed to join Kenny Dalglish’s revolution, and our inability to act for a replacement due to the timing of the transfer. Now summer has arrived, we do have the time, and already names are being linked for the vacancy, some realistic, some not so, but the obvious fact is, the owners and management are in the process of finding the man to shoulder the responsibility of the number 9 shirt.
Goals…
Newcastle, performed admirably in front of goal in the Premier League last season, with our captain, Kevin Nolan, managing 12, Carroll 11, Ameobi, Lovenkrands and Best each netting 6, Joey Barton hitting 4 and Jonas along with Steven Taylor netting 3. There were also a couple from Coloccini, and solitary strikes from Ben Arfa and Cheick Tiote, along with an own goal from West Broms Olsson, taking Newcastle’s Total to 56. Not Bad, in fact it was the joint 6th highest in the division. The 41 goals scored at St James’ was the most we have managed in the last decade (not counting our Championship season). (more…)
Carr, Ashley and PardewJust how much say does Alan Pardew have in the transfers and contract negotiations at Newcastle United?
I think we all suspect that Mike Ashley has the final say on transfers these days. Some folk have even suggested that Graham Carr is almost taking a Director of Football role and that he and Ashley are basically identifying transfer targets between them.
So what of Alan Pardew in all this? Well at the very least I’d expect him to have some input about where he feels the team needs strengthening and I’d also expect him to have a considerable say about whether or not a player should be signed. He does, after all, have to work with that player on a day-to-day basis.
Yet I can’t help but feel he’s being left in the dark about a lot of transfer and contractual matters. First there was his “Andy Carroll is not going to be sold under any circumstances” statement, which of course turned out to be completely wrong. Then there was his promise about making it a priority to get players such as Barton, Nolan and Enrique on new contracts and, whilst the latter may simply wish to go elsewhere in the end, Barton and Nolan both want to stay yet Pardew has so far been unable to keep his promise regarding these players. (more…)
£3m from West Ham rejectedNewcastle United have allegedly rejected a £3m offer from West Ham for team captain Kevin Nolan.
I have to say up-front that solid quotes about this matter are sorely lacking but it seems that West Ham’s bid of £3m for Kevin Nolan was rejected.
Definitive information about Nolan’s contract situation is also difficult to pin down. The rumour is that Kevin Nolan was offered a two year extension to his contract, which he refused because he wanted a five year deal. This has led certain elements of the media to conclude that the 28 year-old is now ‘unsettled’ at Newcastle. Whether there’s any truth in that matter is yet to be seen, although we do know Nolan’s contract negotiations were under way and then we heard nothing else about it, possibly pointing to some sort of problem with the negotiations.
The Daily Mail goes one step further than the rest of the media and suggests that Newcastle want £6m for the player who, they point out, scored more goals than Wayne Rooney last season. Although they could simply have plucked that figure out of thin air.
Has beens?It seems to this humble Toon blogger that with the advent of recent media coverage about the possibility of ‘no new deals’ for our 2 most recent Captains: Kevin Nolan and Joey Barton, we’re starting to see a pattern emerge.
Yes, they are top scorer and Player of the year respectively, but it seems the club is not about to be held ransom on new contracts. While plenty of us fans respect what they’ve achieved this past season, they are also heading into their final few seasons of worth, in real terms, to the club.
Namely: They are both inching towards 30, so have limited time left at the top of their games and probably, more especially, moving away from any useful sell on price. If the club were to give in to their(or their respective agents) demands, how much would we get for them at the end of their careers in say 3/4 years?
