The new Albert?Alan Pardew wants Newcastle United defender Fabricio Coloccini to keep attacking goal.
Think back a couple of seasons and you’ll remember that Coloccini came in for a lot of criticism for his defending, particularly after we went down 5-1 to Liverpool. Fast forward to this season though and Coloccini is up there alongside Joey Barton and Jose Enrique as a contender to be our player of the season.
It just goes to show that players – particularly those who have been playing in foreign leagues – often need time to adapt and we shouldn’t judge them too harshly at first.
Faith in the player from first Chris Hughton and then Alan Pardew has allowed Coloccini to blossom into – arguably – one of the best centre backs in the Premier League, despite the horrific hair cut.
But it’s his attacking skills that Alan Pardew wants to see more of. He has scored twice for us this season, once against Wigan and of course against Spurs last weekend, and he’s had a few near misses too. (more…)
Missing 2 more games at leastNewcastle United’s Andy Carroll has suffered a setback in his recovery from a torn thigh muscle.
Apparently Andy Carroll is off to Sweden tomorrow to seek specialist help for his thigh from a world-reknowned doctor (world-reknowned to those who know him well, that is). Carroll is definitely ruled out of the Fulham game and is extremely doubtful for the Arsenal game too.
Alan Pardew said:
“We brought him to Portugal to start running and the disappointing news is that he hasn’t.
“His injury is in the muscle just above the thigh – an area that doesn’t get great circulation so doesn’t heal very quickly.
“We’re going to send him to someone who’s the world’s best thigh repair expert. This guy is in the arctic end of Sweden and he’ll be flying out on Friday and we’re hoping he’ll be able to turn him around quickly.
“He’s definitely out of Fulham and probably Arsenal too. There has to be no doubt (when he returns).” (more…)
Table tennis masterNewcastle United’s mid-season break to Portugal is mainly about hard work rather than lounging in the sun, although Leon Best proves to be a table tennis demon in one of the more light-hearted competitions.
Newcastle’s early exit from the FA Cup at the hands of Stevenage has meant that, without a fixture this weekend, Alan Pardew has managed to get the team away to Portugal for some ‘conditioning’.
Pardew has had this to say about their trip:
“It’s going well.
“It’s wet and windy rather than sunshine, but we’ve got some good work done.
“The guys have had a lot of thinking time about the last two games.
“It was never that (a sunshine break). It was a conditioning week to make sure we are ready for the second half of the season.
“And it was about regrouping too – looking at what we did well, what we can do better.
“Some players need rest and some need to work. When you look at Kevin Nolan out here, he is in need of a rest. On the other hand the likes of James Perch and Sol Campbell need to work and we’ve made sure they’ve done exactly that.” (more…)
Does he earn his pay packet?Newcastle’s Shola Ameobi seems to divide opinion, with some fans eager to get shot of him at the first opportunity and with others jumping to his defence. This article looks at both sides of the argument.
I had an argument with my wife the other day. Having left our TomTom at home, it was one of those typical man and wife arguments about asking directions.
My wife wanted to stop and ask someone the way and I thought that was the most ludicrous idea I’d ever heard and refused to ask directions. She accused me of being a loser and I said that, being a Villa supporter, she’d know all about being a loser. Then I was given the silent treatment, which at least meant I could peacefully get on with following a car at random, which is my tactic in such circumstances.
Anyway, we got where we wanted to be and I was very smug. My wife said I was just lucky but I insisted the end result was what counts.
Which brings me to Shola Ameobi and the ‘end result’ that strikers must achieve to earn their pay packet. (more…)
Two players keen to returnNewcastle United’s Hatem Ben Arfa is hoping to be fully recovered from his double leg break within a month.
Benny was of course crocked by the delightful Nigel De Jong in our match against Manchester City last October. Initially it was thought that the player could be out for the rest of the season but, according to some tabloid reports, he’s planning a February comeback.
Benny’s agent – Simon Stainrod – said:
“I saw him last week and Hatem is absolutely flying.
“He’s been away to Dubai for a bit of warm weather training and now he’s back in France and training really, really hard.
“There are no miracles with an injury like his and he knows it is hard work that he needs to do, but he’s as fit as a fiddle.”
