Its no longer a party with Pardew...Alright, I’m “FarmerG” and this is my NUFCBlog debut post.
I’m going to start with a biggy; so big in fact that I’m going to split it up into bite size chunks for your digestion. Basically, this series of blogs will investigate NUFC head honcho Alan Scott Pardew’s role at the club, delving deep into the important issues surrounding the clubs fortunes since he took charge and pinpointing the deficiencies that have lead us to having not the best of seasons so far. This will be an attempt to put across my opinion that wor Alan doesn’t know the difference between what he does right and what he does wrong.
PART I: Transfers
Let me take you back to the end of May 2012, we’d finished 5th in the Premiership, our highest finish for 8 seasons, qualified for the Europa League, narrowly missing out on the Champions League, and our great leader had won both the Premier League “Manager of the Season” and LMA “Manager of the Year” awards. For a Newcastle United supporter their was nothing but optimism for the next campaign as we eagerly awaited the summer recruitment drive. And then the wheels began to fall off the bandwagon. (more…)
Another stiff test for the lads.Venue: St James’ Park, Newcastle. Date: Weds 2nd January, 2013. Kick off: 8.00pm. Referee: Martin Atkinson (Yorks). UK TV: Sky Sports.
Hello, good evening and welcome to our “match banter” for this evening’s game against Everton at St James’ Park.
Of course, this will be our first game of 2013, and the last of what has been a very tricky trio of games over the Christmas and New Year holidays, with the Magpies conceeding a whopping eleven goals in the first two. Well here’s hoping that 2013 starts on a better note than 2012 ended!
It will be tough though. Despite a narrow defeat in their last game against Chelsea, Everton’s recent form has been very good, with the record in their last six games (most recent first) being L|W|W|D|W|D, leaving them at sixth in the Premiership table going into this game. On the other hand, our recent record has been L|L|W|L|L|L, though if you only count Premiership games, it has been L|L|W|L|L|W which is slightly more respectable. (more…)
Debuchy: Still no confirmation.Since the allegations that the arrival of Lille and France international Mathieu Debuchy on Tyneside was imminent, I have been poring over various French sources for details.
This is because it seems that the information coming out of the UK media on the story has just been lifted from a story in French journal, “La Voix du Nord” or “The Voice of the North,” which I translated in my previous piece on this seemingly everlasting imbroglio.
Casting back our minds to the failed bid for Debuchy in the Summer, you might recall that Newcastle United refused to go beyond €6 million (around £4.9 million at current rates) for the €15 million rated (£12.2 million) player, with Lille holding out for €8 million (£6.5 million).
Moving forward to the negotiations for a move this current window, it seems that Newcastle United’s offer was slightly increased. The €6 million basic figure was the same allegedly. However, there was supposedly an offer of a €500,000 bonus (£407,000) on top of this, dependent on appearences, with Lille supposedly suggesting that the offer would be accepted if the bonus was increased to €1 million (£800,000). (more…)
Not him again!News has been circulating all over the UK and French media that a deal for Lille full back Mathieu Debuchy had been resurrected, and that the Frenchman would sign for Newcastle United for a fee of around £5.5 million in the imminent January transfer window.
So I decided to probe deeper and chase up the original French story which “broke” the news. It turns out that it is another one of this “According to a source close to the club” stories which are, more often than not, specious guff.
Here is my (dodgy) translation of the original as it appear in the French Journal “La Voix du Nord” or “The Voice of the North”
“The deal is not yet official yet, but according to our information, Mathieu Debuchy will no longer Lille in 2013. While its leaders finalise at this very moment an agreement with Newcastle (Premier League), who wanted to him to come this summer, the side prepares for the departure of the 27 year old. A page turns. (more…)
"Spend, spend spend" says Shearer. Writing in his column for the Sun, Alan Shearer has laid the blame squarely at the door of Mike Ashley for the Newcastle United’s current lack of form.
“Newcastle missed a huge opportunity in the summer” he began, continuing:
“Having punched above their weight last season and almost made it into the top four [sic], this was the time to spend. The club was up and running again after so many years mired in uncertainty. There was once again a feel-good factor and even Mike Ashley was enjoying it. But he needed to put his hand in his pocket and strengthen with two or three quality players. The best time to buy is when you are in a position of strength.”
Which is fair enough, especially the last sentence which is very true. “Momentum” is vital in football, something which the ex Toon hitman acknowledged himself when he continued later in the piece:
“Sadly the momentum built up by Alan Pardew last season has been lost and Saturday (Newcastle’s 1-3 defeat to Man City) was a stark example of that.”(more…)
