Team bondingSteven Taylor has been speaking out again, this time to reassure the fans that the off-field problems have actually brought the team closer together. According to Sky Sports he said:
“The fans at this moment probably think the club is a shambles and the players haven’t got a clue what is going on. They probably think we are fighting in training.
“But with us, it is completely different and I just wish they could even spend one day just looking at the training ground and the way we are going on with each other.
“It’s a much better team-bonding.”
Yesterday’s Sunday People carries an article about how Michael Owen feels like a 21 year old again now that he’s playing with Manchester United. (more…)
“You learn to understand the reaction but if you do step back, you think it is strange or unfair.
“When you are being relegated, nobody is interested in listening to you. But I knew it was all to do with me not scoring.
“If you don’t score and you don’t win, you are wrong to have a helicopter and fly home each week to see your kids. You are wrong to have a business outside of football. You are wrong to plan for the future.
“If the goals had been going in I would have been a great lad, popping home to see my three kids and be a family man on a Tuesday after training. I would have been thoughtful and innocent little things would not be misrepresented.”
Well as far as I’m concerned Owen’s missing the point. His lack of scoring might have been due to the fact that he wasn’t getting the service from a poor midfield but what about his disinterested attitude? Or the fact that as Captain he said little about any responsibility he felt for us being relegated and just cleared off as fast he could to play Champions League football while leaving us to rot in the Championship. (more…)
Profitable Group bids againA lot of the papers picked up on The Profitable Group’s alleged increased bid for Newcastle United yesterday. Steve McMahon, Profitable Group director, told The Chronicle:
“Our people have been in London all week working with lawyers and attorneys.
“And we have made them a realistic offer.
“We have been pushing ahead and, make no doubt about it, the money is in place – we are for real.
“We initially made a tentative bid to begin with, and discussions then took place. We were told to come back, and that’s what we have done.
“There has been a formal offer and we want to get things done and dusted as quickly as possible.”
If you’re interested you can read about The Profitable Group’s history on their web site, although the only thing on their site relating to Newcastle United is from the 10th June where they confirm their initial interest in buying the club. (more…)
Smith to Blackburn?The Chronicle reports that Big Sam might be taking Alan Smith off our hands. However, he may only take him on a season long loan at Blackburn because he’s nervous about Smith’s £60,000/week wages, which is annoying because it was Big Sam who signed him for us on that wage.
At the bottom of The Chronicle’s article there’s a quote from Jonathon Brill, Ashley’s PR man, about the sale of the club: “There are a number of interested parties and there are no deadlines imposed by anybody,” he said. If Ashley is hoping his PR man is enhancing his image with terse statements like that, he’s wrong.
A club spokesman apparently also added: “I’m afraid there is no further news regarding the sale of the club.”
Today’s player complaint is from Steve Harper who tells The Journal:
“The players are very disappointed with the situation. Obviously what happened at the back of last year, to fall a goal short was demoralising.
“Players like structure and discipline and at the minute the structure is up in the air. The players don’t know whether they’re going to be here or elsewhere come the start of the season – none of us know at the moment.(more…)
Shearer - in the dark?Good morning. A lot of the papers are simply following up on the club announcement that Joe Kinnear will definitely not be reinstated as manager, perishing the thought that anyone would suggest such a thing. That’s except for The Mail of course, which is where the rumour got its foothold in the national press – they have conveniently ignored the club announcement and decided to say nothing.
Louise Taylor can never seem to resist writing some gloom about Newcastle though and her article in The Guardian bleats on about stalled sales and the club’s lack of communication with Shearer about things. There’s nothing new in the article so she tries to spice it up with quotes from ‘a source close to Shearer’, who says:
“Alan is completely in the dark.
“Alan is in talks with the BBC at the moment. He currently has one year left on his contract with them and they want to keep him but they also know how much he loves Newcastle and are being extremely understanding.” (more…)
