Patronising?Speaking in a rare interview, Newcastle United manager, Alan Pardew has told both fans and players that we need to buy into what Newcastle United is all about, saying:
“People need to buy into what Newcastle United is all about, we haven’t got the riches of some of the clubs.”
Well of course, I can’t speak for all of the fans, and wouldn’t attempt to, but writing personally as someone who was born in Gosforth and who has bought into what the club is since childhood, I feel a little patronised when a manager who has been at the club for less than a year should be telling both myself and my fellow sufferers who have supported the team through thick and thin, including times when the club had far fewer riches than it does today that I have to “buy into what Newcastle United is all about”. Unless, Mr.Pardew wasn’t really asking us to get behind the team, but get behind himself, Ashley, Llambias and the constantly misleading statements they are making to us, the ever decreasing investment in new players as the best of the old ones are shown the door, the huge increases in prices for disabled fans, the cheapening of our stadium with tacky, garish Sports Direct advertising, the breaking up of the singing section. Mr. Pardew, please don’t conflate the right to express an opinion on how much fans of the club are taken for granted with not buying into Newcastle United itself. (more…)
Pardew smiles at him a lotAlan Pardew is fighting to keep Newcastle United’s resident left-back, but could that cause more problems than it would solve?
Alan Pardew is allegedly still ‘fighting’ to keep Jose Enrique at Newcastle but I do wonder if it’s worth the bother. Pardew said:
“I keep looking at him and smiling, hoping he is going to stay. He smiles but hasn’t signed a contract yet. He was terrific against Fiorentina and showed why I want to keep him.”
I must admit if Alan Pardew kept smiling at me I’d be keen to find the exit and probably phone the police too, but that’s besides the point.
This is speculation on my behalf but I get the impression that Enrique can either take or leave Newcastle and that the only reason he won’t leave is if he doesn’t get a better offer from somewhere else.
Now, I’m a realist and I think the days are just about gone where football players have much in the way of ‘devotion’ to a club, so I’m not knocking him in terms of that. What worries me is that we get into next season without a contract having been signed and then he ends up going on a free next summer. (more…)
The new Enrique?Newcastle United manager Alan Pardew has allegedly been to Holland to check up on a left-back and a striker.
This week could be a busy one when it comes to transfer speculation if Alan Pardew’s aims to bring in two players before the Arsenal game are realised.
Typically, it’s the Daily Mail who get things started with speculation firstly that Jose Enrique will be leaving for Liverpool in a £5.5m pound deal and that he will be replaced with PSV Eindhoven’s Erik Pieters.
I normally treat pretty much anything I read in The Mail with doubt – not to mention scorn – but they were correct with their early speculation about Obertan, so maybe they just have their fingers on the pulse when it comes to Toon transfers just now. (more…)
Finds his voice againNewcastle United manager Alan Pardew returns to the public eye today with comments about Barton, Enrique, Twitter and Tranquillo Barnetta.
Inevitably Alan Pardew eventually had something to say on the whole Barton debacle. Allegedly the Newcastle manager’s tongue had to be put in a splint following an accident as it attempted to break the land speed record, but it’s now back in action. Pardew said:
“I’ve never closed the door on anyone and I’m not closing the door on Joey.
“He trained with the development team today and, who knows, he may train with the first-team soon.”
Who knows indeed. Pardew continued:
“It’s a situation I didn’t envisage being in.
“Joey is a great player and you want great players in your team. It’s very important as a football club that you are all pulling in the same direction – at this moment of time where Joey is not pulling in the same direction. That’s not to say that can’t change in a short period of time.
“I’m still reflecting on the situation, as is Joey at this present time, on how best to resolve this issue. I think that is important at the moment.” (more…)
It's on then it's off again!Newcastle United are allegedly negotiating to take Swiss winger Tranquillo Barnetta from Bayer Leverkusen whilst Enrique is off to Liverpool pronto.
According to The Journal, we’re already making a move to sign Tranquillo Barnetta from Bayer Leverkusen, although The Journal – in a Daily Mailish fashion – simply states this as fact rather than offering any evidence as to how they know this.
Nevertheless, it seems to be true (that we’ve made a move for him anyway) if the comments of Barnetta’s representative are anything to go by. Barnetta’s British representative Barry McIntosh said:
“As it stands there is not a hope in hell that he will be going to Newcastle. In fact I am angry at their attempts to do it, and behind my back also.
“They have made an approach, but their offer equates to somewhere in the region of £40,000-a-week – which is just ridiculous.
“Why on earth would Tranquilo move to Newcastle for less money? No offence to Newcastle, he would possibly consider going to Arsenal, Liverpool even Tottenham for less – but not Newcastle.
“They have known all along, what it would take to land Barnetta and what he is earning now, and this sort of offer really does border on ridiculous.”
