Routledge: Key man since his arrival.Now the job of promotion has been achieved we can pick start to pick through it and have a look at what we have done right and wrong throughout the season.
The very fact we have won the title would indicate that the right outweighs the wrong through the course of the season, but it’s January that held the key to promotion for me. In the first half of the season we tended to wear opposition down and never really looked like a balanced team, with most of our play coming down the left side with Jonas Gutierrez and Jose Enrique whilst virtually nothing coming down right through Danny Guthrie. That sounds harsh on Danny G, but it wasn’t meant to be. What I was trying to say is that Danny Guthrie is not a winger, although he did get his fair share of assists from crosses and free-kicks out wide. Guthrie is a central midfielder, that is his favoured position which meant he tended to be drawn into the middle of the pitch, forcing us to look more lopsided as a team. Anyway, he was just doing as he was told and it was a case of needs must, so credit must go to him for giving it a go and playing where he is needed, Kieron Dyer should take note! (more…)
(L to R): Hall, Routledge, Williamson, Best, SimpsonJanuary came and went for Newcastle United fans but not with the usual disappointment following zero investment. No, the 2010 January transfer window proved to be an opportunity when even Mike Ashley realised some financial speculation was the right thing to do, not least because it might see a return on his money. But this isn’t a debate about the owner or his intentions. This is a first glance review of the lads we brought in during the January transfer window and what I think of them so far.
It was clear to a lot of us that we needed recruitment in various areas and while some of the gaps were filled, we also got the surprise package of Wayne Routledge. Not all of the players met with universal glee and obviously the jury is out for all of them still. Each were signed for an ‘undisclosed fee’ which seems to be the order of the day in many modern transfers. So it’s difficult to conclude whether they’re value for money or not, but here goes anyway: (more…)
January transfer window now closed.Many Toon fans had a certain amount of unease about the prospect of the January transfer window. Given the previous few windows under Mike Ashley, and a seemingly ruthless intent to slash the wage bill since our relegation, optimism wasn’t exactly flowing!
Add to that a glut of injuries that started to pile up, loan players returning to their respective clubs, and a series of uninspiring draws on the pitch, and you could see why people were starting to feel like the bubble had burst! So just what has happened in January?
We kicked off the month losing Marlon Harewoodand Zurab Khizanishviliwho both moved back to their original clubs, leaving us 2 players lighter. However,with interest in highly rated Leeds striker, Jermaine Beckord, things looked a bit more positive. Beckford handed in a written transfer request at the start of the month, adding fuel to the fire that he could be on his way to Tyneside. A sequence of bids up to the value of £1.8 million were subsequently knocked back by the Leeds board, with Ken Bates adding that manager Simon Grayson didn’t wan’t to sell the striker. The move pretty much died there.
Danny Simpson, on a 6 month loan from Manchester United limped out what seemed to be his last game for The Toon against West Brom, recieveing a fantastic ovation from the fans for his efforts at Newcastle as he was bing replaced. Simpson had always maintained that he loved playing at Newcastle, that the fans are fantastic and that he wanted to stay. A deal was agreed with Manchester United to make the move permanent but the player couldn’t agree personal teams and we looked resigned to losing him. (more…)
What's on the cards at the Walker's?Match facts.
Location: Walker’s Stadium, Leicester. Kick Off: Saturday 30th Jan, 5:20PM. TV: Sky Sports 1.
With this weeks new signings Mike Williamson and Wayne Routledge being joined by on loan defenders Fitz Hall and Patrick Van Aanolt today, the face of the Toon squad is literally changing day by day, and at times even hour by hour. Both new(er) lads trained with the rest yesterday morning and will almost certainly go straight into the squad as the Toon take on Leicester City’s ‘Foxes’ at the Walker’s stadium. Leicester City are expecting their biggest attendance of the season so far for this fixture, with almost 29,000 tickets sold before the game.
Leicester have always been a bit of a dodgy team for us, so I’m hoping we do alright today but I still feel a bit uneasy about this match. The Foxes are suffering from a bit of a blip having lost their last 3 games so we should be able to take advantage. but they will also be keen to get back on track as they lie only 3 points outside of a play off place. Commenting on those 3 matches City captain, Matt Oakely, said: (more…)
A return to winning ways tonight?Tonight sees a cash strapped Crystal Palace making the long journey to St James’s Park.
With all kinds of gossip surrounding the London club regarding Administration. Another source of gossip is their very talented young winger, Victor Moses, who has been the subject of much transfer speculation as the club seek to balance their books. The word going around is that he will almost certainly NOT be playing in tonight’s match, by order of the Administrator, probably for fear of injury.
As for ‘wor lads, of course much of the gossip will surround our two new arrivals, central defender, ‘Big’ Mike (not that one) Williamson and fleet footed flanker, Wayne Routledge. Will they take their bows before the evening is over? Of course, the other big question is, will Newcastle make a return to winning ways after the weekend ref fiasco against West Brom?
For more background on the game, check out the excellent match preview by Geordie Deb. A full match report by NUFC Blog’s very own man in Level Seven, Bowburnmag, will no doubt make it slow winding way on to these pages in the fullness of time too. (more…)
