Barton: Finally growing up?Bad boy Joey Barton has quite the ring to it really, so it’s suffice to say that even if Joey Barton can continue on the trouble free path he is taking at the minute, then he still may not be able to shake the tag given to him by many.
It’s a fact that Joey has been less than wholesome in his past, and we all know why so there is no need for me to bring it back up again. But can his bad boy days remain in the past, or are they likely to surface again at some point in the future? If the ugly side of Joey Barton is to stay hidden, then he must learn to keep calm and must realise that because of his actions of the past he now becomes an easy target for everyone. Only he can change that, by rising above any provocation, something that he has appeared to be doing this season. (more…)
Viva Espana?....... Nah.Only three days ago, Newcastle United recieved the Championship trophy in front of a packed out St James’ Park. For those unaware of what it is, the Championship is the the league below the Premier League.
Things are very different down in this league, and I would hope that the experience of the Championship will make us more mindful as fans with regards to just what other teams face in this division, particularly relegated teams who are used to stories in the media and TV coverage on pretty much a weekly basis, there isn’t much of that down here. Far too many times over the years I have picked up a newspaper only to see Newcastle United involved another scandal or linked with another star. You soon learn to ignore them and disregard them as rubbish. It’s been different this season though, and whether it is through our actions as a club to reduce the amount of headlines generated, or through lack of media interest in anything other than the Premier League or any other combination of reasons, I have been happy that we have been allowed to just get on with the job without being the targets of media frenzy. (more…)
Heading away for a well earned break.After getting the chance to lift a trophy in front of the home fans last Saturday, Jonas Gutierrez now heads off to the sun for a well earned rest before the start of the World Cup in the summer.
There is no need for him to stick around Tyneside when he isn’t needed and all the targets that really matter are all sorted already, so why not give a player that is sure to be heavily involved this summer the chance to rest for a while? After all, he has been one of our most consistent performers of the season and has worked wonders when combining down the left hand side of the pitch with another one of the three amigos, Jose Enrique. We have even got to have a look at this Spiderman mask malarkey that we had heard about, the one that the Premier League wouldn’t allow as part of it’s ‘no fun’ policy. As it happened it was largely irrelevent anyway as Spidey never really looked like scoring in what was a fractured team last season. (more…)
Hoping to help Hughton?There have been some worrying murmurs recently about our club treading over old ground again and looking to appoint another person in the role of Director of Football. Thing is though, do we really need one?
Owner, Mike Ashley, is apparently looking to appoint someone who has experience in negotiating the financial aspect of transfers and player contracts whilst holding extensive contacts throughout the game to aid in the role at board room level. Now this could be a dangerous tactic, as we have had our fingers burnt with a certain Dennis Wise in his role as Director of Football, and we all know how that turned out! One would hope that Mike Ashley, who has appeared to be learning from the mistakes of the past, will continue learning and recruit someone who is good for the job and will help Chris Hughton, not undermine him. We really need to get things right next season, and making sure the board and manager are singing from the same hymn sheet will be vitally important in avoiding any repeat of last the turmoil of last season. (more…)
Have they put their differences behind them?Newcastle United defender Steven Taylor resumed full training yesterday with the hope of playing some part in the last two fixtures of the season.
Indeed it took some people by surprise as early reports of Taylor missing the rest of the season with his knee injury looked to be spot on, whilst the alleged broken jaw suffered in an alleged altercation with, allegedly, Andy Carroll seemed to have snuffed out any slim chance of him returning before the season drew to a close. This lead to many speculative questions being asked about the potential problems the alleged incident could cause in the dressing room and behind the scenes, with the answers generally being nothing more than speculation themselves. One thing most people agreed on however was that it would be a shame to see either player feel that they have to leave the club that they both sweat blood and guts for. (more…)
