New Toon Boss?In a move that can only be described as astonishing, Mike Ashley sent Chris Hughton on his way earlier this week and – unless it’s all one massive smokescreen – it looks like he’s about to replace him with Alan Pardew.
Pardew’s achievements include getting Reading promoted from division two to division one, getting West Ham promoted to the Premiership, losing on penalties to Liverpool in the FA Cup final, winning a Football League Trophy at Southampton and …. well, that’s about it really. Pardew’s tenure at Charlton was less successful, where he took them down from the Premiership to mid-table Championship obscurity.
I am however sure Mike Ashley will be appointing Alan Pardew for purely footballing reasons and it will have nothing at all to do with suggestions that Ashley, Llambias and Pardew are old gambling buddies and that it’s just ‘jobs for the boys’. So I won’t mention that.
I suppose some Newcastle United supporters may welcome the appointment of Alan Pardew at the expense of Chris Hughton, but I suspect it will make most madder than an albino hitching a lift in a snow storm. Ashley is certainly chancing his hand with this one and for the sake of the Toon I hope it pays off. If it doesn’t, I would anticipate a lot of wailing and gnashing of teeth. (more…)
There's only one Martin Jol?Having ludicrously dismissed Chris Hughton, Newcastle United now begin the search for a new manager, but who are the likely candidates?
Is there a manager anywhere that can live up to the standards required of the top job at the Toon?
Chris Hughton had done nothing short of an amazing job, gaining promotion from the Championship at the first attempt – and breaking a few records along the way – and settling the club into a mid-table position in the Premier League with almost half the season gone.
And in doing that Hughton had to contend with the uncertainty around the sale of the club, a relatively small budget for players and few backroom staff to help him.
Yet it seems he’s not good enough and the club wants someone with ‘more experience’ to manage them. (more…)
I'm not touching him, okay?Cheik Tioté has, I think, looked pretty solid since he joined Newcastle, showing strength and proving to be a handful when players are coming at him, yet also showing not a little skill when he’s going at them.
I remember reading rumours about him having a ‘reputation’ at Steve McClaren’s FC Twente when we bought him and I kind of expected him to be sending the opposition home on crutches after most games. Or at least clutching their shins in abject agony.
That has not however turned out to be the case.
Sure, he’s tough and he tackles hard and he certainly will pick up cards, but I don’t think it’s anything beyond the realms of ‘good hard football’. Not so far, anyway – and I have no reason to think he’ll suddenly turn into a screaming psychopath.
It turns out that fellow Ivory Coast team-mate Didier Drogba rates Tioté highly too: (more…)
I have not written for quite a while on this ‘blog, so this post is just a gentle reintroduction from me without much substance, but I feel I can get away with it just this once to ease myself back into things.
It gets worse because I’m about to do some dreaded hearsay Daily Mail style reporting.
I had reason to hire a ‘Man With A Van’ recently to help clear out a house after a bereavement. This ‘Man With A Van’ happened to be a Geordie and came accompanied by a son at no extra charge. I’m not entirely sure of the son’s purpose in the whole house clearing thing I had to do as he seemed reluctant to lift anything and merely ate all my biscuits. However, this son apparently dates a girl who worked in the press office at SJP and we got onto the subject of whether or not Andy Carroll is for sale because, obviously, there has been much speculation about that recently. According to my ‘source’ (hey, I feel like a real reporter now!) Andy Carroll is for sale, but so is everyone else at Newcastle United.
Now of course, I am not silly enough to put any faith in what is essentially gossip, particularly as it came from someone who ate all my biscuits. I am however getting to a point, the point being: Does it matter anyway? (more…)
Newcastle keeper currently on loanNewcastle United have agreed to extend the loan of bright young keeper Fraser Forster to Norwich City until the end of the season.
Forster is Newcastle born and bred, playing for the Toon since the age of 11. After a brief spell on loan at Bristol City, the Hexham born keeper has really impressed at Norwich City keeping a clean sheet in 8 out of his 12 games. The deal means that Forster is now eligible for Norwich in future FA Cup ties with a 2nd round tie coming up against Carlisle on the 28th November
Norwich manager Paul Lambert said : “I think Fraser has done phenomenally for us and he’s got an understanding with the back four and is performing really well.
He said: “You need a presence and some of the saves I see him make, even in training, I think how has he got there?
“He’s only 21 years of age and goalkeepers can play for a lengthy time in their career. He’s done great.
““We have no chance of keeping him, the hopes they have got for him,” said Lambert. (more…)
