Mike Ashley: Has he lost all credibility now?After the uproar of the announcement this morning and much discussion with the lads at work, I’ve come to the feeling that Ashley has completely lost any trust that he has managed to claw back over the past few months.
As a previous nufcblog.org article has already pointed out, Derek Llambias has previously gone on record and stated that the St James Park would never be dropped from our grounds name. Bet he regrets putting that comment in the press now.
I honestly think the timing of this announcement is terrible. Newcastle are finally getting themselves back onto an even keel, why risk upsetting the apple cart?
I’m also none too impressed about the way he has suckered people into committing themselves to additional cheap season tickets, and then made the announcement about changing the name. He knows people have paid good money to be there, so there won’t be any risk of financial loss by mass walkouts. I’m sure there will be a few belated protests, but to be honest it’s not going to change anything. (more…)
Newcastle United's dugout last Saturday.After a gutsy win over Everton this weekend I picked myself up from the floor after a nervous last 20 minutes or so and began to wonder, “Did the performance display Newcastle United’s squad depth and quality, or did it highlight our lack of it?”
Let me explain. Most so called “pundits” have attributed the main factor of our success to the ability to put out the same team each week without injuries, now with Gabriel Obertan, Yohan Cabaye and Sylvain Marveaux picking up little injury niggles as highlighted in a previous blog, I think a few fans are beginning to wonder how this will affect the team in the coming weeks against the big boys of the Premier League.
In the first 35 minutes or so at St James Park we dominated Everton in my opinion. They had a couple of chances with Seamus Coleman and Louis Saha but no real sustained pressure. Then the injuries began to appear. Cheik Tiote, having already been sidelined previously, was then joined by our midfield maestro, Cabaye. For me that turned the game on its head, something that Pardew agreed with. The lads that were brought on to plug the gaps so to speak (Dan Gosling, Hatem Ben Arfa etc) did the job and brought the 3 points home. However I can’t decide if it was a quality defensive display, or just Newcastle struggling with our 2nd string. (more…)
Two players we really need to hold on to in January?With our success in the league this year, the question was always going to be, “Can Newcastle hang onto our best players?”
With the recent article by my fellow blogger Hugh regarding Captain Coloccini and rumours regarding a potential shift to Scouserland I did begin to wonder…
In my opinion I can see this rumour being the end of Coloccini and Pardew’s patience with the board. Colo is on a high wage at the moment, over £80,000 per wekk, and has yet to sign a contract extension. He’s not getting any younger, he’ll be celebrating his 30th birthday during the next transfer window and I’d imagine Mike Ashley would be reluctant to offer him a long contract extension. With Pardew coming out recently and stating that Colo was not for sale I feel he’s set himself up on a “colosion” course (Attempt at humour there) with Ashley and the board.
I would highlight Chiek Tiote as a key player for us, without him our back four looked decidedly shaky against a poor Blackburn side. I’ve read recently that Manchester United are poking their ugly noses in to try and shore up their midfield. (more…)
NUFC - Showing our credentials ths season?Many critics have spoken about Newcastle’s fantastic start to the season, and merely dismissed our position due to the teams that we have played.
To coin a phrase that is normally reserved for the top four (well we are now anyway), “They can only beat who is put in front of them”. So I thought I would preview a few of our upcoming fixtures.
Sky TV continually shoves this “greatest league in the world” down our necks at every opportunity, often followed by the obligatory “no easy games in this league” statement.
Yet why are Newcastle United still not getting the credit they deserve?
I believe that against Spurs last week we really showed our credentials, twice coming from behind to draw with a team which on paper is far superior to ours. Let’s not get carried away, we know that we aren’t going to win the league. But attempting to emulate that Manchester United never say die spirit will go a long way to helping boost the Toon’s fortune. (more…)
Glory hunters?It’s fair to say that during the last 5 minutes at St James Park yesterday the place was rocking, the hairs on the back of my neck stood up as I was reminded of times gone by. So the question is this, “Are the Toon faithful passionate, or are we just glory hunters who only really get behind the team when things are going well?”
Over the past few years I’ve been disheartened by the fact the for a team with supposedly some of the best fans in the world, St James Park has been a bit flat, on some occasions you can hear a pin drop, even when we were drawing the game. My theory is that the crowd was so nervous that we would concede we never really got going.
I’ve looked enviously at Stoke (never though I’d say that a few years ago!). Say what you want about them, but you can’t deny that the crowd is the 12th man at the Britannia Stadium. The noise levels are so loud that sometimes I have to turn the TV down to a lower volume. I think that they are one of the main reasons that Stoke have been so successful given their short time in the Premier League. (more…)
