Santon: latest target?Alan Pardew remains determined to bring in “two or three” players before the transfer window closes with an Inter Milan fullback being the latest alleged target.
It’s going to be a tense few days as the transfer window heads to a close and, personally, I’ll be glad when it does. At least we’ll know where we stand. It’s the continual hope that’s the killer!
So where do we stand at the moment?
Last week, Alan Pardew said that he hopes to add two or three players to the squad before the transfer window closes, with the obvious requirements being a new left-back and a striker. And, speaking yesterday, Pardew stands by his aims. Pardew said:
“There will only be a sense of relief when the window closes if we get these two players in, otherwise I will be disappointed
“We’ve had a great start and I think the players have proved they are committed to Newcastle.
“The club is everything. It’s not about the owner, the manager, the players, it’s about the club and the fans.(more…)
Jolly exciting!Good afternoon Geordies. We’re up against Martin Jol’s Fulham at St James’ Park today as we attempt to continue our unbeaten start to the season.
Fulham have a good record against us and lead by 26 to 24 in the winning stakes and they apparently conceded fewer goals to set pieces than any other Premier League team last season, which is a shame as that’s been the best part of our game recently.
European football will no doubt have taken its toll on their players though and they’re without John Arne Riise as result of their midweek game against Dnipro.
For a full analysis, see Jimbob’s excellent match preview, but I’d like to take this opportunity to remind you that although our Prediction Competition is well under way, although there is still time to catch up if you haven’t entered yet.
As it stands – with yesterday’s results in – ‘sveinstrand’ and ‘El Toro’ are joint top of the table with 23 points each. (more…)
Pardew: tall, nice Solvenian guyNewcastle United’s youth squad has much promise, although recent events might indicate that Nile Ranger isn’t destined to be part of it.
If the stories in the press are true, it seems that Nile Ranger is once again in hot water and this time it’s a bit more serious than an ill-informed pose with an allegedly replica handgun.
Ranger has been arrested on suspicion of assault after a 33 year-old victim was found with a broken jaw in the Groat Market in Newcastle. Ranger is currently “helping police with their enquiries”, which is police talk for “being interrogated to see if he’ll ‘fess up” and if he’s charged and subsequently found guilty he could face prison.
There were rumours that Ranger had been transfer-listed earlier in this transfer window and I get the impression that both the manager and the boardroom hierarchy were running out of patience with his indiscipline and allegedly casual approach to training anyway, but this latest escapade could, I believe, see the end of his prospects as a professional footballer.
He’s not the first Newcastle player to get into trouble of course. Notably both Joey Barton and Andy Carroll have had their off-pitch controversy, but their on-pitch contributions seem to have persuaded various managers back them through their troubles, although I suspect that Alan Pardew will be reluctant to provide too much backing for Ranger. (more…)
Most likely? Or not.Newcastle United are still hunting for a new left-back with either Erik Pieters or Aly Cissokho looking as if they’re the most likely targets.
There are confusing and contradictory reports flying around about Erik Pieters and his potential transfer to Newcastle.
Some of the British press seems to be hinting that it’s almost a ‘done deal’, with The Journal quoting Pieters as saying:
“If a club from the Premier League says they want you, and that is the case, then you know the financial means they have.
“Whether I play for PSV at Excelsior on Sunday or am already at Newcastle I do not know.
“I have not seen much of Newcastle myself but my friend Tim Krul keeps me informed.”
However, contrary to the British press, the Dutch press seem to think that Erik Pieters will stay at PSV. The Dutch football news site Voetbal Primeur is carrying a report that suggests PSV’s Technical Director Marcel Brands told Dutch newspaper Algemeen Dagblad that he now expects Pieters to remain at PSV. (more…)
No contactIt seems that despite a lot of excitement centred around Newcastle United’s alleged interest in Nolan Roux, no contact has been made with either his current club or his agent.
Whatever you think about some of Joey Barton’s previous behaviour – and some of it was atrocious – it’s hard to deny that he was very effective on the pitch. What we could do with then is a decent incoming transfer to help us get over his exit. Unfortunately it doesn’t seem as if such a transfer is coming in the shape of Nolan Roux.
There were a flurry of reports from the French media last week suggesting that we might be interested in the 23 year-old Brest striker, but Corentin Martins – Brest’s Sports Director – simply said this in relation to any alleged offers from Newcastle:
“There has been no proposal.”
Roux’s agent is also apparently unaware of any interest from either Newcastle or FC Schalke 04, who were apparently after Roux last season and are thought to be his preferred club. (more…)
