New skipper, same haircut.Fabricio Coloccini gets the captain’s armband at Newcastle United for the 2011/2012 season.
I would like to mention at the outset that this post has nothing to do with mandolins, which are musical instruments of the lute family. I could talk at length about their origins from the lute and the mandore but I won’t because to my tone deafness they just sound like out of tune guitars. No indeed, no mandolins here – that’s merely what’s known in the trade as a ‘jaunty headline’ (by an idiot writer).
So, to the story. Coloccini has been officially announced as the Newcastle United captain and said:
“I am thrilled to be named captain of Newcastle United. It is one of the proudest moments of my career.
“Leading the team out in front of our supporters in our first game against Arsenal will be a great honour for me and I aim to give my best for the team and the supporters throughout the season.
“I would also like to than Alan Pardew for putting his faith in me. It means so much to me.”
So this is good news in the sense that it must surely mean that Colo isn’t going anywhere this summer, about which there were a few rumblings in the press a while back. We’d look pretty stupid if we gave the captaincy to someone who then left. (more…)
Wants to join us ... allegedlyNewcastle United appear to have resolved little in the last week. Still no Neil Taylor, Enrique is in contract talks, Mevlüt Erdinç is looking like a no-go, Shane Long said to be the latest target and Llambias confuses at least one Toon fan.
Alreet Geordies, hope you’ve been well while I’ve been holidaying in the Med. I haven’t seen a single British newspaper for a week and I’m completely out of touch with what’s been going on at the club, so – although I’ve tried to catch up a bit since getting back – forgive me if I cover old ground. The only ‘news’ I saw while away was about someone getting married in Monaco, which hardly had me moist with excitement.
One thing I thought might have been completed in my week’s absence is the signing of Neil Taylor, but I note that’s still dragging on. Swansea Chairman Huw Jenkins said:
“Neil has a contract and he is our player for another two years. The question is not whether he will stay with us, it is whether things will go the other way. We will find out the answer to that in the next few weeks.”
However an ‘insider close to Naylor’ apparently said:
“Neil is due back on Monday for pre-season training, but whether he turns up remains to be seen. He still isn’t happy about the situation and is obviously keen to join Newcastle United.” (more…)
Would you buy a used car from these men?I remember thinking that Newcastle United’s Managing Director, Derek Llambias, chose his words quite carefully in the wake of Andy Carroll’s £35 million transfer to Liverpool FC, though perhaps not so carefully in the attack on Alan Shearer that came with it. When defending the decision to sell Carroll and pack him off in Ashley’s helicopter he said:
“Yes, he went in our helicopter. But the sooner the deal was done the sooner we could make our own moves in the transfer market. It was already very late.”
Then adding:
“We will spend in the summer. Every penny of the £35m will stay in the club.”
He also told the Sun:
“Mike Ashley has only ever put money into this football club. He has never taken a single penny out. And he won’t take a single penny of this £35m either – all the money will go to the club and we are already working on identifying transfer targets for the summer.”(more…)
Owlheed: Has the players he wants.Speaking to The Telegraph Newcastle United Managing director, Derek Llambias has said that Newcastle United now have the players that they wanted thanks to acting early in the transfer window, and once again reassured fans that not a single penny of Andy Carroll’s (up to) £35 million transfer fee has left the club.
He also also protested that the club’s new signings weren’t cheap, even though two of three incoming players were available without a transfer fee as such due to contract expiration in the case of Sylavain Marveaux, and contract release in the case of Demba Ba. However there have been rumours of a fairly hefty signing on fees and agent’s fees, as much as £4 million each for the two signings. Llambias told the ‘Torygraph’.
“I can assure everyone that not a single penny of the £35 million has left the club and neither will it. It is all going back in.
“We have acted early and we have got the players we wanted, but none of them have been cheap. We have paid good prices for them. They certainly weren’t free transfers, there are fees and wages to consider.(more…)
59 pies in 115 appearances.Micky Quinn has been trying to become the new Supermac by trying to spout rhetoric and his (often misguided) opinions – usually when things are going well. His words recently didn’t earn him any special consideration with fans but it did give us a chance to work off some fat jokes and that can never be a bad thing, can it?
Known for stating Newcastle “would get nowhere” under Kevin Keegan as his set up was “shambolic” in nature. That season saw promotion, and the following saw us finish third.
After his application was rejected from the vacant managerial post at Second Divison Burnley FC in ’96, he decided he didn’t actually know that much about football outside of scoring goals and instead went to look after horses. Good career move all things considered.
Speaking to the Evening Chronicle today, he said:
“From what I have seen, there is no-one ready to take on the shirt; maybe they can go with Shola Ameobi or one other. However, they need to sign at least one more striker, a No 9, to keep them in the league and help them progress.” (more…)
