Do I care what Shearer says?Derek Llambias engages in a war of words with Alan Shearer.
Alan Shearer has been critical of Newcastle United’s sale of Andy Carroll to Liverpool, particularly following assurances that he wouldn’t be sold and given that no replacement was made in the transfer window. Shearer said:
“I’m staggered just like the rest of Newcastle fans. I am surprised at how quickly it came along and it’s an astonishing amount for a young guy with huge potential.
“It’s all right selling your best player, but not getting anyone in to replace him is staggering.
“People are saying that Liverpool have sold Torres, but they have got two guys in for over £50million to replace him. I just hope Newcastle invest some of the £35million in new players at the end of the season.
“I am disappointed as he is Newcastle’s best player and their best hope of being successful this season and getting a Europe League place.
“They would have just been happy to avoid relegation at the start of the season but, mainly because of him, they had a chance of a Europa spot.” (more…)
Tight-lipped or slack-jawed?Some people have suggested that Newcastle fans are never happy at the club’s communication policies, complaining that we didn’t hear enough from the club under Chris Hughton but now complaining that we hear too much from the club under Alan Pardew.
But I think that’s an oversimplification.
Recently we had some snow down here in the South West of England where I live and – coming from the North East myself – I find it astonishing that the merest icing sugar-like coating of snow can bring the South West to a complete halt.
People spend hours looking up at the sky wondering what this white stuff is and, when told it is something called snow, they dash inside to look it up on the Internet.
No traffic moves of course – mainly because people have confused the phrase “can’t get the car out because of the snow” with “can’t be bothered to get out of bed” – which ultimately led to me getting no post for a week just before Christmas.
When Health & Safety had finally decided that there was no longer any danger of him tripping over a snowflake, the postman eventually resumed his rounds and I managed to have a chat with him.
He explained that they had loads of post to catch up on and that we’d be getting two deliveries a day for a while in order to allow them to do that. This was information I wanted. (more…)
Ashley arrives by helicopterMike Ashley and Derek Llambias arrived at Newcastle’s training ground by helicopter yesterday to discuss the club’s transfer priorities with manager Alan Pardew.
Pardew’s main targets were allegedly Seb Larsson and David Bentley but both of these players seem destined to play their football elsewhere.
The humiliating defeat at the hands of Stevenage might have emphasised the club’s need for a bit more quality in depth, so hopefully the pow-wow will have been fruitful and some new transfer targets will have been identified.
Apparently Ashley and Llambias also took in yesterday’s reserve game against Hibs in which Dan Gosling made a return from injury while they were at the club.
Kevin Nolan reiterated the need for new blood, saying:
“If you are fresh, it always makes that bit of difference and it just shows we do need probably a couple more players and hopefully we will get them in January to help us out and get us over that finishing line at the end of the season.(more…)
Hughton speaks.Chris Hughton has spoke publicly today for the first time since his sacking from Newcastle.
In an interview with Sky Sports News, Hughton spoke of the disappointment upon hearing the news that both he and Paul Barron were to be axed, his thoughts on the sacking, and his plans for the future after what was an unexpected sacking that caused an uproar from many quarters.
I’m trying to transcript what was said, so be warned that it may not be exactly word for word, but I’ll try and get it as spot on as I can. First off, Chris was asked about what happened on the day he got sacked and how the meeting with Derek Llambias was called.
“I got a phone call in the morning from the managing director, Derek Llambias, it was for myself and Paul Barron to meet him at the stadium after training, and of course I was told then.
“It was a surprise, and I think the fact that Paul Barron was with me made it more of a surprise. If it was a meeting on my own then perhaps I would have had a thought that perhaps something could happen, but it was a complete surprise”(more…)
Ashley - Why has he clarified agent payments?As many of you are probably aware, the club took steps yesterday to clarify just how much it paid in fees to agents last season by releasing a brief statement on the club website.
To me it seems like a strange move, especially considering the shroud of secrecy that seems to surround our club most of the time these days.
Most of us know that agents are leeches, parasites if you will, so it’s no real surprise that they have collectively pocketed fees of £2,417,776 during our season in The Championship. That still seems like quite a lot to me, especially when you consider our relative lack of incoming transfers last season, but it’s one of those things that has to be done. Like paying for your car insurance for example – You begrudge paying for it, but you have to pay it.
So why clarify it? I’m honestly scratching my head looking for a reason why. As I said, we all know that agents fees have to be paid so why highlight it in it’s own little statement on the club website? I could understand it if it formed part of the published accounts, but it doesn’t. (more…)
