Player of the seasonJoey Barton will not be offered a new contract at Newcastle United.
It seems that the club will not be renewing the contract of Joey Barton, who was voted Player of the Season by this site (and others).
Barton’s agent Willie McKay said:
“I had a meeting with Newcastle managing director Derek Llambias and club secretary Lee Charnley and they have indicated Joey will not be offered a new contract.
“Joey will continue to be a Newcastle player next season and then he will leave on a free transfer at the end of his contract.
“Joey would have loved to have extended his stay at Newcastle, but unfortunately it is not to be.”
The last we heard was that Barton wanted a four year contract and the club were only going to offer him a two year contract. Whether or not that’s anything more than rumour is uncertain, but it would be one thing that explains why Barton and Newcastle are parting company. (more…)
Llambias: Foamin' ower Keegan!In the latest salvo of the war of words between Newcastle United’s Managing Director, Derek Llambias, and former player and manager, Kevin Keegan, Llambias has responded to Keegan’s comments on the current regime at St James’s Park. Llambias launched a blistering attack, or, if you will, a ‘llambasting’ of the Mighty Mouse.
He was responding to comments from Keegan in which he suggested that current manager, Alan Pardew, wouldn’t see any of the £30-£35 million raised by the club from the sale of striker, Andy Carroll, to Liverpool.
Speaking in an intererview with the BBC’s “Radio Five Live”, Keegan remarked:
“I saw an interview with Alan Pardew where he said he hoped to get some of the £35m and I thought ‘Alan, you ain’t going to get any of that’.”
In the interview Keegan was referring to, Pardew said:
“The one thing I said to Mike yesterday was, ‘Look, if this boy [Carroll] is going to go, this money has to be reinvested in the team, all of it’, and he has assured me of that.
“For the Newcastle fan, that is the most important message I can give today, that all that money will be used.”
Getting back to Keegan though, on the logic of the Carroll sale, he then added: (more…)
Cautiously optimistic?Newcastle United captain Kevin Nolan reveals he’s ‘hopeful’ about the future of the club, whilst Alan Pardew praises Nolan as a better player than he thought he was.
Kevin Nolan’s goal against Bolton on Saturday means he now has 11 for the season, which is not bad for a midfielder, albeit one that often slots in close behind the striker(s).
Personally I find Nolan a bit frustrating. He sometimes seems to ‘disappear’ for large portions of the game in terms of his general midfield contribution, but he frequently ‘reappears’ to put the ball in the back of the net, which is not to be sniffed at. Although feel free to sniff if you wish – I’m not a man to stop professional sniffers.
Nolan seems to be cautiously optimistic about the future of the club in the hands of Ashley and his bespectacled sidekick, particularly after the club managed to sign Cheick Tiote until 2017. Nolan said:
“I hope and I think that Mike and Derek are in it for the long haul here.
“We’re all working together to get Newcastle back where it belongs. It’s going to be bit by bit and we can’t get carried away but it will be nice when they get us back. They can sit and smile knowing they’ve worked so hard.
“All we’ve asked for is a bit of stability and giving lads new contracts when they deserve it.
“Hopefully we can build a team for the future around Cheik.” (more…)
Pardew: "No one's unsaleable" at Newcastle.Newcastle United manager, Alan Pardew, has been speaking on the stalled contract negotiations with Joey Barton, how Mike Ashley is at Newcastle United to stay, and trumpeting Cheik Tiote’s new deal as a sign that Mike Ashley is willing to spend on the club.
He started with Barton, who’s contract negotiations have now been shelved until the summer, with the midfielder’s current contract having around eighteen month to run. It is thought that the current deal on offer sees Barton facing a pay cut, but that it is the length of the contract extension, two years rather than three that is causing problems in the Barton camp.
Speaking of the current deal on offer, Pardew said:
“We have made a decent offer, but it’s difficult negotiating with any senior player at this level and I think Joey’s view is to perhaps see what happens in the summer.(more…)
Dynamic duo or terrible two?Newcastle United owner Mike Ashley has always divided opinion in the past, but what do we think of him now?
The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy had some advice inscribed on the front of it for galactic residents challenged by such things as hyperspace bypasses, Vogon poetry, Ravenous Bugblatter Beasts and The Triple-Breasted Whore of Eroticon Six. It simply said: ‘Don’t Panic’.
I’m wondering if the same advice should be appear on the front of The Supporter’s Guide To Newcastle United. Or maybe ‘Divvent Panic’ would be better.
The reason I say this is because, as ever, there seems to be a divide between fans as to whether Ashley is right for the club, whether Pardew is any good, whether selling Carroll was good or bad, whether selling Enrique would be good, etc. etc. etc.
So what I’d like to do is look at the situation without emotion or sentiment. (more…)
