Wants a swift return?Marlon Harewood’s three-month loan spell expired on Boxing Day and he reaffirmed his desire to return in the New Year, either on loan or on a permanent basis, to help Newcastle’s push for a swift return to the Premier League. Extending Harewood’s loan would be a safer option but ultimately more costly than we would have surely imagined, if the rumour in The Mirror is true.
Apparently Villa want £250,000 as a loan deal fee, despite the fact that we’ve been paying and would continue to his £28,000-a-week wages. Having grabbed 5 goals in 15 games for the Toon, few fans are still convinced he’s worth an extended loan and if the fee is anywhere near the truth, I would expect fans and board alike would baulk at the proposition.
Chris Hughton has been coy on whether Harewood would be required for the remainder of the season, and the player admitted he has no idea what is going on: (more…)
Ram-raid!Well let’s hope the lads have worked off the excess turkey they were clearly suffering from against Sheff Wed, before they meet The Rams at St James Park Monday evening. Despite our lacklustre performance on Boxing Day, resulting in a 2-2 draw with Sheffield Wednesday, Newcastle United still go into the Derby County game top of the league, a position we will continue to hold going into 2010, regardless of the result against Derby.
Let’s hope Chris Hughton has had the lads training hard today to get the sluggishness out of their systems. Conversely, Nigel Clough won’t be looking forward to taking a patched up Derby County team up to the northeast to meet the league leaders. Clough’s team were booed off as the Rams lost at home to Blackpool on Boxing Day, their second home defeat in a row. He was frustrated with his side against Blackpool and admits he doesn’t know what to expect against Newcastle:
“We seemed incapable of doing the simple things,” said Clough. “We looked very nervous and very short of confidence.”
“The confidence is very fragile and we looked short of ideas. At times we couldn’t pass the ball to a white shirt.” (more…)
Not far to reach for the stars!There’s no arguing that Fraser Forster is a ‘huge’ talent, as he towers a good several inches over the tallest of his Newcastle defenders. But is he good enough to attract the likes of Arsenal and Tottenham scouts?There have been several rumours this weekend after a dearth of speculation over player departures, (well it is that time of year), and one relates to the big fella from Hexham.
He’s had a number of impressive displays in the junior and reserve sides and was pushing Tim Krul as back-up to Steve Harper. However, after Krul’s return from loan to Falkirk, it was Forster’s turn to go out on loan to gain some match experience.
And he’s been out at Stockport County, Bristol Rovers and Norwich City, where he remains on loan until the end of the season.
A commanding and able goalkeeper, though still relatively inexperienced, Forster is highly regarded in these parts by the experts.
But with first team opportunities at a premium, could Forster’s head be turned by the bright lights of the big city? (more…)
Proud to be a Geordie?According to reports in the Sunday papers, Newcastle’s expected move to bring Danny Simpson in permanently from Man Utd could be scuppered by Geordie (sic) boss Steve Bruce, who wants him down the road at our less fortunate neighbours Sunderland.
The full-back’s loan deal runs out on the 18th January, and from all the reports we’ve heard and interviews he’s given, it would seem he’s very keen to make the move permanent. According to the rumours, there were representatives from Man Utd at the smogs game last week, in order to thrash out the details of a January transfer that would be likely to see us pay somewhere in the region of £1m-2m now rather than hang on until his contract expires in the summer.
But having had a stint down the A19 for Roy Keane a few years back, the speculation is that Steve Bruce would be tempted to bring him back up to Wearside again.
As with the Madrid rumour about Colo, this could be just that, a rumour. However, Danny Simpson has been part of an impressive defensive unit this season and has provided a reliable option at right-back and in covering at centre-half. The likelihood is that Simpson will be keen to continue his role in black and white but with the desire to get something more permanent, we’ll have to act quickly if our plans to sign him aren’t undercut by other suitors. (more…)
The Sunday Sun and several blogs since have been full of the rumour that Real Madrid are after Fabricio Coloccini. Well technically the paper was full of the rumour and the blogs just reckon Neil Farrington is full of it. Farrington writes that Madrid are weighing up a bid for Coloccini, following a cartilage problem suffered by their Portuguese international centre-half, Pepe, who’s injury may keep him out for the rest of the season.
Allegedly there are others on the shortlist, including Chelsea’s Branislav Ivanovic and Velez Sarsfield youngster Nicolas Otamendi, who is also Argentinian. But according to Farrington, Ivanovic looks set to sign a new contract at Stamford Bridge and Otamendi lacks height and experience. Which would apparently put our fella top of the wanted pile.
So the Galacticos want our vastly-improved stopper? Fact or fanciful fiction? Stranger things have happened so you’ll not find me jumping the gun, even if the Sunday Sun has occasionally been as wide of the mark in recent times as Rob McDonald was in a black and white shirt. Though if you mentioned it this time last year, despite our Premiership status, I guess to a man we’d have laughed our danglies off, as he struggled to adapt to the English league. (more…)
The Sunday Sun and several blogs since have been full of the rumour that Real Madrid are after Fabricio Coloccini. Well technically the paper was full of the rumour and the blogs just reckon Neil Farrington is full of it. Farrington writes that Madrid are weighing up a bid for Coloccini, following a cartilage problem suffered by their Portuguese international centre-half, Pepe, who’s injury may keep him out for the rest of the season.