Reasons to be cheerful (part 3)Newcastle United manager Alan Pardew has been rating the team’s overall performance for the 2010/2011 season.
Alan Pardew thinks we’ve had a good season, as do most fans. We’re a newly promoted side and it looks like we’re heading for a mid-table finish and may even sneak into the top 10, which is not to be sniffed at.
Pardew said:
“Including Chris’ time as manager here, you would have to give it an eight.”
I presume he means out of ten, although he doesn’t actually say. If he means eight out of a hundred then that’s not so good! Personally, I always score things out of 11 so that you have a mid-point rating at 6/11, but then again I’ll be the first to admit I’m weird.
Anyway, Pardew continues:
“In terms of the expectations and the amount of finance that was spent in the summer, the fact that we lost Hatem to a broken leg, that we sold Andy Carroll, yes, I would give it as high as that.
“Possibly. If you looked at our squad, you would have to say on paper, it didn’t look the strongest for the results we have had, and that’s a great thing.
“But we need to carry that over into next year and hopefully be stronger.” (more…)
160,000 reasons to smileSol Campbell will depart from Newcastle United in bitter circumstances.
It seems that Sol Campbell may be leaving Newcastle under a bit of a cloud.
He was signed in a free transfer last summer on about £40,000 a week and after 4 starts and 3 substitute appearances the club had rather thought he might just walk away at the end of the season.
It seems however that a clause in his contract allows him to draw another month’s salary and get paid for July, thus earning him another £160,000. Sol, apparently, is going to hold the club to this clause in his contract.
The ubiquitous ‘club source’ has said:
“Sol has not really been involved and is clearly winding down his career, seeing out his time and being clearly unhappy with his injuries.
“The club offered a settlement on his contract so that he could walk away after the season ends but he refused. Instead, there is a clause that allows him to take another month’s money and he is going to eke out his final pay cheque in July for another £160,000.
“It leaves a sour taste. He clearly doesn’t need the money and, if he had any honour, he would go in June.” (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…)
Celtic or Newcastle?Loaned out Newcastle United keeper Fraser Forster seems happy at Celtic.
23-year old keeper Fraser Forster has of course been loaned out to Celtic for the season, but he’s still a Newcastle player and will be returning to the club in July for the pre-season tour of the States, which will give Alan Pardew a chance to get a closer look at him.
Being allergic to Scottish football I haven’t closely followed how he’s done at Celtic, but judging by the fact that he broke Celtic’s clean-sheet record (23 clean sheets in 36 matches) it’s safe to assume he’s done pretty well.
With Harper, Krul and Soderberg also in the squad we’re fairly well-stocked with decent goalkeepers, so Forster could find himself loaned out again – or possibly even sold – next season.
Talking about his time at Celtic, Forster said:
“Celtic’s a fantastic club with a fantastic history and with the chance to go and play in Europe.
“This is a chance to go and win stuff.
“So there’s a lot of positives about this club, it’s definitely a team on the up.(more…)
