Wor CabayeYesterday Newcastle marked their first foray into the transfer martket with Frenchman Yohan Cabaye – a fully fledged French international who, in his spare time, completely strips football pitches of grass for no other reason than “because I can”. Even if he doesn’t work out, he’ll be keeping the groundsmen busy with that kind of superhero-esque power.
Today, the new signing gave his first interview to nufcTV and, as you might expect, answered questions put forth to him by an interviewer. Being the kind and generous soul that I am, I decided to transcribe all 5 minutes of it for you all! (Also in the event you, y’know, don’t have nufcTV or something.)
Anthony Marshall:Yohan, welcome to Newcastle. Are you pleased to be here?
Yohan Cabaye:Yes, I am very happy, I am really happy. We have just seen the facilities and the magnificent stadium. The people here are very welcoming, so it’s really great to be here.
AM:What were your first impressions of Newcastle and St. James Park? (more…)
ST: we must improve at homeNewcastle United defender Steven Taylor talks about how he wants our home form to improve next season.
Steven Taylor wants to turn St James’ Park into a fortress. He’s not talking about a drawbridge, some cannons and a couple of Rottweilers, but rather our ability to remain undefeated on the pitch during home games.
We were second bottom of the home wins table this season, equal with Birmingham, with only West Ham, Wigan and Blackpool having won fewer games at home than us. In total we won 6, drew 8 and lost 5 at St James’ Park in the league this season.
Many folk feel one of the secrets to Premier league success is to be virtually unbeatable at home and Steven Taylor tends to agree.
“It’s something we’re definitely looking to improve on.
“We couldn’t have asked for a better year in the Championship when we managed to stay unbeaten at home throughout the season.
“And last summer the main aim was to continue that in our home games to give us some solid foundations for the season.
“But it didn’t turn out that way, and it’s something we need to address.” (more…)
The Goose plots his comebackNewcastle United midfielder Dan Gosling looks forward to being a regular in the team next season.
A player most fans have been keen to see in action but have so far not had much of a chance to is Dan Gosling. His only appearance for us this season was as a substitute in injury time during January’s 1-1 draw with Brucie’s rabble. He allegedly has talent but injury has prevented him from demonstrating it to us while he’s been at Newcastle.
Gosling admits his lengthy time under the doctor (ooerr missus) has been tedious but he’s still keen to get back into playing regularly:
“I need a break, I’ve been in the gym for about a year now and it’s just mentally draining.”
“I’ll get a few weeks off then I start early before the lads come back so hopefully from the first day of pre-season I’ll be with the lads and raring to go.
“My knee is good, I’ve had a few other niggles obviously because I’m not used to training, my body isn’t used to being out there.
“I’ve had a few set-backs with my thigh and groin, but the knee is fine and I’m just raring to get back into playing regularly.” (more…)
Staying or going?Newcastle United midfielder Joey Barton may have some contract issues but Kevin Nolan is keen for him to stay at the club.
I have a stinking cold, which will probably turn into rabies, and I overslept, so I’m not feeling too chatty at the moment. I will therefore simply get down to business and report anything that might be worth reporting.
Rumours abound that there’s a bit of a sticking point with Joey Barton’s new contract, which he has so far refused to sign. This is allegedly over the length of the contract with the club offering two years and Barton wanting four. Pardew said:
“It is up to the player and his agent to settle the deal that’s now on the table.
“Contracts are complicated in terms of how they are paid, tax issues, length. I want Joey to stay.”
That sounds a bit like the club is adopting a take-it-or-leave it approach and I assume they’d therefore be prepared to let Barton go. However, this may just be part and parcel of the negotiation process and some sort of compromise may yet be found.
Barton has previously declared that he’d stay on at Newcastle if fellow midfielder Kevin Nolan stays at the club, so it’s feasible that Joey is waiting to see what happens in that respect. (more…)
Fat-heads need not applyNewcastle United’s Peter Lovenkrands praises the team spirit shown this season.
When I first saw Lovenkrands’ quote saying: “Leave your ego at the entrance door“, I misread it and thought it said ‘egg’ instead of ‘ego’. This led to a certain amount of confusion on my part as I wondered what particular eggs they were talking about. Was it a message to the WAGs or was it some sort of discrimination against that culinary perfection that is the hen’s egg?
A swift Google revealed that I could be the proud owner of a Newcastle United egg-cup for a mere £3.99 but little else connecting eggs to our club. Thankfully after a re-read of Lovenkrands’ comment I twigged that it said ‘ego’ and all was clear.
What the Danish (or possibly Scottish) striker is getting at is that any new arrivals will be expected to buy into the team spirit initially fostered by Hughton and then maintained by Pardew, and new arrivals with big egos will not be welcomed with open arms.
Lovenkrands said:
“Hopefully there’ll be a couple of new arrivals in the summer, but whoever comes into the club will have to buy in to the spirit that’s already here.
“I think whoever comes into the club will learn pretty quickly that we’re a team and one of our biggest strengths is the way we stick together.(more…)
