Smudger.... Where are you?It’s been a bit of a mystery over the past week or so, the location of Alan Smith that is.
Now if there is a logical reason for it then fair enough, but I am pretty sure I haven’t read anywhere that Smith has an injury, or if he is the subject of a transfer bid or anything like that.
Well that is a slight lie, I have heard about him leaving us, but only through those dodgy rumour websites that I’m almost certain have yet to get something right.
Regardless of that though, Alan Smith does appear to have gone missing, and with a lack of justification behind his absence, tongues will no doubt start wagging. (more…)
Campbell - Focusing on fitness.I know it’s a delicate subject so I’ll try and tread carefully, but something regarding Sol Campbell is niggling away in the back of my mind.
There has been a bit of controversy since Sol arrived on Tyneside as training pictures revealed he was carrying a bit of excess baggage.
But that lack of fitness means that he is now likely to miss out in our opening game against Manchester United, and with defensive cover thin on the ground at the moment missing a player is something that Newcastle and Chris Hughton could do without. Now I dare say that even with a bit of excess weight he is far far fitter than you or me, but then again he is a professional sportsman, paid tens of thousands of pounds a week to be fitter than us, so why did he end up so drastically out of shape for a professional in the first place?
I’ll give him the fact that he got married over the summer and went on honeymoon, although I would have expected him to come back from that fitter than ever. I also understand that Campbell is a little bit further behind the rest of the team with regard to chasing match fitness, in fact he is three weeks behind by his own estimations, which I can accept, but it still doesn’t really wash with me. (more…)
