Match highlights, with goals from Shola Ameobi (9mins), Fabricio Coloccini (53 mins) and great goal from substitute, Haris Vuckic in stoppage time. The sending off of the Columbus Crew goalkeeper didn’t help the cause of the home side. As usual, Cheick Tiote also picked up a yellow card for a wreckless challenge. (more…)
Our pre-season tour of the States continues with a game against Orlando City Soccer today. With much of America gripped in a heatwave – and Florida’s pretty hot and humid in normal circumstances anyway – the game will be another tough test of the team’s fitness.
Pardew said that, whilst the heat was an issue to contend with, he thought that playing in it would be beneficial to the squad in the long run:
“The heat is definitely an issue.
“No matter where we play in America, it will be hot. We can’t do anything about that, we just have to play in whatever weather that day has in store for us.
“It is not unusual,” said Pardew, doing a commendable impersonation of Tom Jones. “I saw the light of the night that I past by her window,” he added, trying to perfect the voice.* (more…)
Leon Best’s career has been a mixed affair in terms of his goals to games ratios. Between 2004 and 2007 – up until he was 20 years old – he didn’t really do much to attract attention at all with just 5 goals in 43 games, but his loan move from Southampton to Yeovil produced 10 goals in 15 games. He then had a poor spell at Southampton and Coventry, netting just 17 times in 86 games.
After that he managed a fair 10 in 29 during his last season at Coventry before he moved to Newcastle where he didn’t score in 13 games for us during his first season at the club. However, last season he scored 6 goals in 12 games, which is a pretty good return for any striker. (more…)
According to the Spanish press, Seville are interested in trying to take Fabricio Coloccini from Newcastle but please see my footnote regarding this story.
Seville face a few problems in this respect, the first being that Newcastle don’t seem to want to sell him, which is particularly obvious by the fact that he’s just been appointed as captain for next season.
The second problem is that Seville are apparently not exactly flush with money at the moment and – according to the hacks in Spain – Newcastle are unlikely to consider any offer less than the £10.3m (€13m-ish) that they paid for him, if indeed they would even consider that. On top of that they would also have to be able to afford his wages and they’re estimated to be £80k/week+.
So it would seem like a non-starter.
However, while Coloccini’s agent – Marcelo Lombilla – admits it would be a difficult transfer to engineer, he has not completely written off the idea, saying:
“It is not to say that the player cannot end up playing for Sevilla, for he is proud that a club of this calibre are interested in signing him. But to be realistic about the situation – although the player spent some great years in Spain and I could try, it would not be a simple operation.” (more…)
I can only presume all the gloom with Toon supporters is due to my unplanned absence from article writing of late (more of which later). Or possibly not.
Anyway, there is some good news coming from the mouth (which is presumably attached to a head and body in the usual fashion) of Cheik Tiote. The Ivory Coast superstar is nuts about Newcastle and would chop off his left leg to play for them, although of course that would perhaps hinder his footballing capabilities.
First, Tiote addresses the rumours that might be heading to another club, specifically Chelsea:
“It is only the journalists who have talked about Chelsea – I haven’t said anything.
“I am a Newcastle player, and I will do my job in Newcastle. I have a contract, and that’s the most important thing for me.
“I’m happy – if I wasn’t happy, I wouldn’t have signed for six years.”
So that should be the end of any speculation about a move anywhere else. (more…)