"I don't see nothing wrong with a little bump and grind"I think it’s fair to say that yesterday’s win against QPR at Saint James’ Park wasn’t the prettiest game to watch, though it was still a very welcome and grinding win.
While the Toon faithful may not like seeing such meagre fare, I feel it’s a very satisfying way to collect three very important points sometimes. Of course, we can point to the players that have gone to seek their fortune in Africa Cup of Nations, not being here.
There’s also the little matter of QPR kicking one our best players (Cabaye) off the pitch with only 20 minutes on the clock.
It was good for us that their midfield schemer one Joey Barton was prevented from rocking up to SJP with his new club and manager because of suspension for a red card. They also lacked the skill of Taarabt and the power of Troare, also in Africa. It maybe would have been a very different game with them playing. Not to mention Demba Ba and Cheik Tiote.
Oh! I mentioned them!
I think I’m right in saying that Mark Highes has never lost as a manager at Saint James’ with all of his former charges? So it was always going to be a bit of a war of atrition, and so it proved! (more…)
No Joey Barton show this time.Venue: St James’ Park, Toon. Date: Sun 15th Jan 2011. Kick-Off: 1:30 pm. Referee: Chris Foy.
Hello, good afternoon and welcome to our regular “match banter” feature.
This time the Magpies will be facing the transitional Queen’s Park Rangers under new manager, Mark Hughes, he of the slightly annoying mid-sentence sharp intakes of breath.
Like ourselves, it will be a somewhat depleted QPR on the pitch this afternoon, with key players such as captain, Joey Barton, Alejandro Faurlín, Armand Traoré and Adel Taarabt out through suspension, injury and the African Cup of Nations (x2) respectively. Of course it goes without saying that another Toon old boy, Kieron Dyer, will be also be out to injury as usual. On the QPR’s opening game of the season he was carried off on a stretcher with an injured foot. After a lengthy layoff, he was finally set to make his comeback, then somewhat inevitably injured it again in a reserves game! (more…)
Demba Ba: Running away from Toon? Not yet says Philippe Auclair.In an interview with “Talk Sport” radio, their French correspondent, Philippe Auclaair, who claims to know Demba Ba and his entourage well, tried to clarify comments made by Newcastle United hitman Demba Ba in a recent interview with French sports radio RNC.
In the interview he said he thought that the player would stay at Newcastle until the end of the season, but also expressed doubts that he would be a Newcastle United player beyind the New Year if his current form continued and his knee held out.
When asked about the player’s commnents, which you can see in full by following the link above if you don’t know them already, Auclair responded:
Esmeralda!After strongly suggesting that Newcastle United hitman Demba Ba was available on a release clause of less than £7 million, Tottenham Hotspur manager Harry Redknapp has now changed his tune somewhat.
The droopy featured North London manager has now admitted that neither he nor anyone else apart from Newcastle United and Ba himself know what the figure is (if, indeed, there is a figure at all).
Originally, when Redknapp was asked if the figure was £10 million, as claimed by well known bastion of truth and justice, The Daily Mail, the floppy chopped gaffer responded:
“I think you will find it is a lot less than that.”
When asked if the figure was even lower, less than £7 million, he continued:
Safe. For now at least?Newcastle United striker Demba Ba’s release clause has caused quite a stir but this writer tends to think it’s a storm in a tea cup, at least as far as the January transfer window is concerned.
On the back of my esteemed colleague’s recent posts regarding Demba Ba’s release clause and his PSG ambitions, it seems that clubs are queueing up to buy him. Or at least it looks that way if press reports are to be believed.
The release clause in his contract is either £10m, £7m, £5m or “less than £5m” depending upon which report you believe and how much creedence you give to Harry Redknapp’s comments.
Liverpool lead the suitors, which is probably no surprise given their proclivity for buying from Newcastle and in particular buying strikers from us in the January transfer window. Spurs are supposedly interested too and apparently Sunderland, Everton and QPR have had their interest piqued by the release clause’s alleged low value. You can see why when there’s seemingly an option to pick up a 15 goal (in half a season) striker for peanuts.
However, it’s worth remembering that all a release clause does is that it forces the selling the club to allow the player to enter into negotiations with the buying club once the fee in the release clause is met. The player can’t be forced to move against his will and there’s nothing to stop the selling club from trying to renegotiate some sort of contract to keep the player. (more…)
