Hughton fears more players will go.Chris Hughton has told the BBC that he fears he will lose more players while the sale of the club drags on. He said:
“Possibly we might end up losing one or two more.
“Where we are at the moment, there’s always going to be speculation about the players.”
Additional players certainly will need to be given the push if we’re to get the wage bill under control. We’ve lost Owen, Viduka, Edgar and Martins, which must have had a fair impact on wages already, and we’re looking likely to lose Bassong and possibly Beye.
I wouldn’t be surprised if we lost Geremi, Enrique, Jonas, Colo, Barton (if anyone will have him) and possibly Smith too. If all those did go then we might just have a manageable wage bill, although we’d need to buy in some less-costly replacements.
Hughton goes on to say:
“Everybody is aware the owner is trying to sell the club. (more…)
Bassong AwayThe weekend has of course been largely given over to the sad death of Sir Bobby Robson and the rest of the news seems less important now. However I’m going to try and catch up a bit today.
In our final pre-season friendly we managed a 1-1 draw with Dundee. Our goal came from Andy Carroll and then Dundee equalised from the penalty spot late in the game. There are reports on the club site and on Sky Sports.
There seems to be a little bit of confusion about the Bassong transfer situation. According to Sky Sports, Harry Redknapp admits interest in the defender but is unaware of any bid having been made, yet the same article claims the Newcastle have rejected a £10m bid. Redknapp said (of the alleged bid):
“It is not true. Not since I have been here today.
“He is a player that I was interested in. I like Bassong, he is a young player with a good future and a good central defender.
“I don’t think we have made an offer as far as I know. I am sure the chairman has not made an offer.” (more…)
Rest In PeaceThe news has of course been dominated by the sad death of Sir Bobby Robson, a man who managed to command universal respect and affection throughout the game and beyond. I will dedicate today’s news roundup to some of the tributes to Sir Bobby.
There’s a nice obituary in The Chronicle. I like Sir Bobby’s quote about Maradona’s goal from the 1986 World Cup: “It wasn’t the hand of God, it was the hand of a rascal.”
The BBC has tributes from many football personalities (and the Prime Minister) but I think Sir Alex Ferguson’s is particularly good:
“I was never too big or proud to ask him for advice which he gave freely and unconditionally. And I’m sure I am speaking for a lot of people when I say that.
“In my 23 years working in England there is not a person I would put an inch above Bobby Robson. I mourn the passing of a great friend, a wonderful individual, a tremendous football man and somebody with passion and knowledge of the game that was unsurpassed.”
Alan Shearer paid his own tribute:
”It’s a very sad day for everyone, especially his family, his close friends and anyone who’s ever worked with him.
”Bobby was a people’s man. He could get on with anybody no matter what age they were and that says a lot about the kind of man he was and why he was so highly thought of. (more…)
Smith - Toon enforcer?Predictably, a lot of the chat has been about the suggestion that an Iranian tycoon called Sirous Mahjoob is bidding for Newcastle United and may (re)install Kevin Keegan as manager.
Much doubt has been cast on whether this chap actually exists in the first place, let alone whether or not he’s bidding for the club. In general it’s the red-tops and Sky that seem to have been running with this story, although few of the broadsheets and local papers have touched it.
But let’s see what other news is around.
According to The Chronicle, Alan Smith has been laying down the law to players following the 6-1 defeat by Orient. Yesterday he said:
“Some people have made it public that they want to go, while others have got their head down.
“That is entirely up to the individual.
“We won’t have a go at anybody if they want to go.
“But they must cross that white line and give 100% when they wear a Newcastle shirt.
“We won’t have any qualms if they walk away if they get a better offer elsewhere.
“Every player in the dressing room last night, whether they want to stay or go, gave 100% and we cannot have any complaints.” (more…)
McMahon gobs off A lot of the papers have picked up on The Profitable Group withdrawing their interest in the club. The Telegraph quotes Steve McMahon as follows:
“We have pulled out. How long can you keep hanging on?
“We have put a bid in and we have had no communication, no response – nothing.
“It really is poor form from Newcastle, but if that’s the way they want to run their business, good luck to them.”
There were some suggestions that The Profitable Group had not demonstrated their ability to pay the £100m that Ashley wanted, but McMahon refuted this:
“That is completely inaccurate.
“I just feel sorry for the supporters – they deserve much, much better. They deserve to know what is going on.
“We wanted to come in and turn the club round because it clearly needs something at the minute.” (more…)
