The Zog to return?Newcastle United are allegedly after Charles N’Zogbia whilst contract negotiations complicate the situations with Barton and Enrique.
The weekend press contained a lot of football gossip as per usual. Some of it’s probably true but most of it is likely to be nonsense, so please don’t shoot the messenger!
One of the things reported is that there’s been a bit of a stall on Barton’s contract with the 28 year-old wanting a 4 year contract as opposed to the 2 year one offered to him in January. Compromising on a 3 year contract might be the way to go if Joey will accept that, which I don’t think is too much of a risk as he’d still only be 31 at the end of the contract.
On the subject of contracts, The Sun reckons Jose Enrique will be offered a 5 year contract and a decent pay rise if he agrees to stay at Newcastle. I’m not sure how The Sun knows that because all Alan Pardew has had to say on the matter is:
“He’s not indicated to myself or to Derek what his intentions are. We’re still optimistic of course. I’d love to keep him. Absolutely love to keep him.
“But I think we have to be on our guard because there are so many noises about him. I think that’s the nature of the business we’re in.”
Were there shades of Keegan in that comment? “I’d love it, absolutely love it if he stays”. (more…)
Cluck cluck.Newcastle United manager Alan Pardew praises Nolan and expects him to be fit for pre-season. The manager also gives more detail about Harper’s injury.
Now that Kevin Nolan is definitely finished playing for the season, Alan Pardew has taken the opportunity to praise the 12 goal midfielder:
“He brings leadership, technical ability and goals, very importantly, so we’re going to miss him.
“He’s played with this ankle for a while now and not really moaned, he’s just got on with it. But we needed to sort it out to give him a chance for a full pre-season, which will be important for him next year because there’ll be competition here for him and he’ll need to come back as near as dammit.
“It gives him more of a chance, and that’s why we’ve done it. Everyone’s got a little eye on next year, including myself now. We need to know exactly what we’ve got here and we need to increase the competition here.
“People need to step up and I think everybody’s realising that. There will be new players coming in here and competition will be greater.” (more…)
Found the England job soullessFormer Newcastle United manager, Kevin Keegan, tells Harry Redknapp to turn down the England job if he’s offered it after the 2012 Euros when Capello is allegedly quitting.
Keegan didn’t have the happiest of times as England manager and it still seems he harbours some bitterness about that period in his career. In fact, he has said that he’d urge tipped Capello successor Harry Redknapp not to bother:
“I didn’t enjoy it. Simple as that. It was not a job I applied for. I was at Fulham and took over part-time. It was probably me getting carried away on an idea.
“If Harry Redknapp phoned me up and asked me what I thought about him taking it, I’d say, ‘Don’t take it unless you want a lot of free time’. I really would.”
Keegan then goes on the bemoan the lack of English talent and how he found the national manager’s job to be a ‘soulless’ one:
“I would go to Highbury and see Aime Jacquet [then manager of France] watching about 15 players of his and I would have one. I wouldn’t mind if I could have gone to see Paris St Germain v Nantes and watched 15 English lads. But it wasn’t like that.(more…)
Hoping to finish stronglyNewcastle United take on Chelsea on Sunday in the season’s penultimate match.
With Premier League safety now guaranteed we head to Stamford Bridge on Sunday for our last away game of the season.
Man Utd look to have the title sown up anyway but if we take points of Chelsea we’ll make it a certainty. This is something that will please Danny Simpson as he is keen to help his former club win the title. Danny said:
“I want Manchester United to win the league.
“I want to beat Chelsea and everybody at the club wants to beat Chelsea, but on Sunday, it will mean a little bit more [if United lose at Blackburn] because of the lads I know at Manchester United if we can get something there.
“We know it could be a massive game and if it is, I will probably get a phone call from Sir Alex. One or two players might give me a text as well.”
Taking points at Stamford Bridge will be no easy task though. Chelsea have made a decent sprint towards the finish line and, until last week’s defeat at Old Trafford, they hadn’t lost in the League since 6th February (0-1 against Liverpool). (more…)
Graham: Toon Target?Barton expects next season to be tough, Pardew is keen to get an answer from Enrique and Danny Graham allegedly tickles the Toon’s fancy.
Joey Barton thinks that next season will be tougher for Newcastle than this one was due to that ‘second season syndrome’ (or ‘SecSSy’ as it’s known to those of us who have our eye in the circle). He believes that existing players will need to up their game and new talent will need to be hired.
Barton said:
“We believed in the squad and the group that we could achieve what we have achieved and maybe if one or two things had gone our way we might have done a little bit better.
“Next season is going to be as difficult a season, if not a lot more difficult because teams will respect you a little bit more and the Cup Final atmosphere of every game goes.
“It is going to be a lot more difficult that what it has been this season.
“The test is on us to improve individually and as a collective to move forward.” (more…)
