Graham: Toon Target?Barton expects next season to be tough, Pardew is keen to get an answer from Enrique and Danny Graham allegedly tickles the Toon’s fancy.
Joey Barton thinks that next season will be tougher for Newcastle than this one was due to that ‘second season syndrome’ (or ‘SecSSy’ as it’s known to those of us who have our eye in the circle). He believes that existing players will need to up their game and new talent will need to be hired.
Barton said:
“We believed in the squad and the group that we could achieve what we have achieved and maybe if one or two things had gone our way we might have done a little bit better.
“Next season is going to be as difficult a season, if not a lot more difficult because teams will respect you a little bit more and the Cup Final atmosphere of every game goes.
“It is going to be a lot more difficult that what it has been this season.
“The test is on us to improve individually and as a collective to move forward.” (more…)
Enrique: "We see in the summer."Speaking in his latest interview, this time for the North East and Cumbrian version of the BBC’s ‘Late Kick Off’, Newcastle United left back, Jose Enrique revealed much about his time with the Magpies.
Amongst other things, he spoke of his difficult first year on Tyneside, the Geordie fans, relegation to the Championship and promotion at the first attempt. In what will probably be of most interest to we fans, he concluded by giving a tantilising glimpse on his thinking about whether he will stay at the club, or move on in the summer. Below is the full transcript of the interview.
“Was it a big decision to leave your own country?”
Jose Enrique: “For the first year it’s really hard because you don’t know the language. I no have the Spanish players here before, and of couse it’s very hard. But after that I’m very happy here and I don’t care if I had to play all my career in England”(more…)
Every player has a price.If we were to listen to the naysayers and those in desperate need of a long course of anti-depressants, the starting XI will be gone come the summer transfer window.
We have always been a selling club, will always be a selling club and unless Ashley leaves, we will remain a selling club. After all, the proof is in the pudding and so far Ashley is just looking to line his pocket with gold. A nugget of truth that somehow ties into todays gutless performance – everybody is for sale. Or something.
The fact is, we aren’t. I know, it’s incredible to think that, but we aren’t a selling club. This season we have sold Andy Carroll.
No, that isn’t a pause for dramatic effect; that’s actually the only sale we’ve had this season. Yes, players have been sent on loan. Yes, players are ‘rumoured’ to be leaving, but if paper talk was 100% true then we’d have Messi and Ronaldo roaming the midfield with Podolski knocking in 80 goals a season and a bench made up of Gervhinho, Hulk, Robben and Shola Ameobi. (more…)
The moustachio was a mistakeJoey Barton wants to pledge his future to Newcastle United, allegedly. Enrique is more of an enigma, but what about our triplet of talented keepers?
The summer will be interesting in many respects for Newcastle United, not least to see who leaves the club and who comes in. However, if the recent comments of a ‘source close to Joey’ are anything to go by, Joey Barton won’t be one of the leavers.
“Joey wants to stay at Newcastle because he is happy here.
“He may be opinionated at times, but he hasn’t forgotten what Newcastle did for him during his time at the club, and he’s got a lot of respect for all of the staff there, from the manager down.
“There has been talk that he was ready to quit the club, but that couldn’t be further from the truth.
“His main priority is to stay here – and always has been.
“Joey has got a great rapport with the Newcastle fans who obviously appreciate his efforts on the pitch, and he wants that relationship to continue.”
Of course a ‘source close to Joey’ could be his cat for all we know but I do tend to think that he wants to stay at Newcastle. No doubt Ashley will want to reduce his wages but if it isn’t to an insulting level then, personally, I’d expect him to be lining up in black and white next season despite alleged interest in the player from Hamburg and despite the fact the club failed to get him on a new contract in January. (more…)
Gameiro - Toon target?Rumours abound, particularly when it comes to Newcastle United transfer speculation. Here’s a roundup of the some of the weekend’s nonsense.
Most transfer news is complete tosh. Occasionally a journalist might pick up a genuine lead and report some transfer news that’s truth, but it can easily get lost in the plethora of tosh that’s made up to sell papers.
Essentially we haven’t a clue, which is my default position on all of life so it doesn’t unduly bother me. I rarely have a clue what I’m doing, which I put down to macroscopic quantum effects but my wife puts down to me simply being a buffoon.
Take your pick.
All of which is a warning that this morning’s missive should be treated as pure speculation as I’m going to report some alleged ‘transfer news’.
Enrique/Spearing
Amidst all the tosh, I reckon one nugget of truth is that Jose Enrique won’t be a Newcastle United player come the end of the summer. That’s just my opinion of course. However the latest press speculation (from The Express) reckons that Kenny ‘Sourpuss’ Dalglish is keen to hijack AC Milan’s potential interest in Jose and take him to Liverpool instead. (more…)
