Asprilla, who was at the derby game on Sunday, had this to say:
“I know that Newcastle’s main aim at the beginning of the season was to stay up
“It was very sad and tearful to see the club get relegated a couple of years ago, but I always knew that they would be back with all of those fans behind them. They are in a difficult league at the moment and there are only a few points between the teams.
“That means anything can happen. You can go on a bad run and slide down the league, but if you have a good run in the next six or seven matches you are in with a chance for the last 10 or so games, which is when the season really counts.
“And as far as Europe is concerned, why not? If you aim high, you can achieve it, it would be fantastic to see.(more…)
Back to QPR on loanNewcastle United’s Wayne Routledge looks likely to be loaned to QPR until the end of the season.
It is reported that Wayne Routledge, who has made 12 starts for us and 7 substitute appearances, mainly on the right wing, is to be loaned out to QPR until the rest of the season.
Apparently Wigan and Cardiff City were also after Routledge but it looks as if QPR will win the chase.
We signed Routledge from QPR in January last year on a contract running until June 2013. Opinion has been divided as to how effective he’s been on the right wing but it appears he’s surplus to Alan Pardew’s requirements at the moment.
That may be partly due to Joey Barton’s recent effectiveness in that role and of course Gosling and Guthrie are now back in contention for midfield positions too.
Note that this loan move has not been confirmed by the club yet.
Carver and Robson, back in the dayJohn Carver has joined Newcastle United as assistant manager on contract until the end of the season.
Carver said:
“I am proud and honoured to be able to come back once again to my hometown club.
“I have been lucky to be able to work around the world with some excellent people.
“However, I have always been a fan of this magnificent club, and the years I spent working here were some of the happiest of my life.
“I am looking forward to working with Alan Pardew, and building on the recent strides that the club has taken to get back to where we belong, at the top of English football.
“I understand how much the club and the results mean to these wonderful fans, and I am delighted to have the opportunity to assist Alan in delivering them the success they deserve.” (more…)
First team future?Nile Ranger scored a hat-trick for the reserves yesterday, but where does he stand in the pecking order of Newcastle United strikers?
I can’t help but think that Ranger is sliding down the list of strikers as far as Alan Pardew is concerned.
Given that Andy Carroll is our number one striker, it seems that Shola Ameobi, Peter Lovenkrands and Leon Best are all likely to be picked ahead of Ranger, with Best’s ranking undoubtedly helped by his hat-trick against West Ham.
And what about Xisco? We paid £5.7m for him and I can’t remember seeing him since he came on as a sub during the 6-0 thrashing of Villa. I suspect that Ranger is at least ahead of him in the pecking order.
But it may even be worse than that for Ranger because there’s always the option of pushing someone like Nolan or Ben Arfa up to support a striker, which could drop Ranger even further down the list.
And then of course there’s the rumours that we might be looking to sign another striker.
So where does this leave Nile Ranger in terms of his first team status? (more…)
The future of Newcastle?Reports suggest that Joey Barton is soon to sign a new five and a half year contract with Newcastle United and Alan Pardew reiterates that Carroll is not for sale.
Apparently negotiations are underway to keep Joey Barton at Newcastle until (pretty much) the end of his playing career.
It is reported that Barton is prepared to take a £10,000/week wage drop to remain at Newcastle, which will drop him down to the £50,000/week that is allegedly the club’s maximum wage.
Barton has been in stunning form this season and has recently been making his case for an England recall. He has scored 3 times for us this season – including an absolute cracker against Stevenage in an otherwise disappointing game – and his passing has often been inch-perfect.
Beware though, some of these reports are coming from the red tops. Having said that, I can actually see the reports as having some truth in them. (more…)
