Wearside bound?It looks like suitors, Newcastle and Everton, may have been pipped to the signing of Matt Kilgallon. Some horrible rumours abound that Toon target, Kilgallon, is about to sign for Sunderland and printed speculation can be found in The Journal. Luke Edwards is reporting that a £2m offer has been accepted by the Blades, and suggests the deal will go through, and the mackems will make an announcement on his signing today.
Having been on our radar since the summer, the defender decided to stay put when all the signs were that he was keen to come to Tyneside. The reasoning was that he was keen to stay with Sheffield United and gain promotion and look at his options in the summer. The more cynical view was that he was running down his contract, to get a better signing on fee, and that we was waiting to sign for Everton.
It looks like both of those opinions are redundant now, because Edwards seems fairly confident that the deal is going to go ahead, although other sources suggest a fee of £1.75m. It remains to be seen whether Bruce pulls off the deal or not and there are no quotes from either clubs, the player or the player’s agent. But if the announcement does come today, then we haven’t got much time to wait. (more…)
Perfect Peter‘Tell me ma, me ma…’
Well maybe not yet, but after Newcastle cruised to a 3-0 win over Plymouth in our FA Cup 3rd Round replay, it’s hard not to get a little carried away. But then again it’s hard to imagine the opposition being such pushovers in the next round. And the hardy group of Argyle fans, perched in Level 4 of the Leazes, looking for all the world like the last, unwanted one in a box of Milk Tray, amongst a sparsely populated Leazes, must have been bitterly disappointed with what their side offered, or didn’t as it were.
But however horrible Plymouth were, Newcastle’s win was emphatic and the scoreline should really have been more damning, though it benefitted yours truly that it wasn’t, as 3-0 pocketed me a nice little return on my modest flutter. And tonight it wasn’t just about the result, which was impressive, but the way we went about the game.
Hughton made seven changes to the previous game, as Danny Simpson was left out of the squad and made way for the returning Enrique. Steven Taylor replaced Tamas Kadar, although he was due to replace Coloccini, until Kadar picked up an illness close to kick off. In came Nolan and Gutierrez, as Guthrie and Smith made way, the latter apparently not passed fit after coming off in the original tie. Carroll and Lovenkrands replaced Ameobi and Ranger upfront.
After a slow five minutes, we started looking hungry and determined, and Peter Lovenkrands marked his comeback, after just ten minutes, chipping the ball over the keeper after a clever run onto a lovely ball slipped into the box by Gutierrez. (more…)
So who fancies living up to this then?Well here it is, the third and final chapter of my mid-term player review. And a topical area for discussion, as speculation remains over a move for Leeds Utd’s Jermaine Beckford, or A.N. Other should we fail in that bid.
The No.9 shirt is almost as synonymous with Newcastle United, as St James’ Park, the black and white stripes or that deed funny accent we’ve got. It’s been made particularly special in this part of the world because it’s been worn by some of the best players this country has seen. The likes of Gallacher, Milburn, MacDonald, Cole, Shearer have graced that shirt and it will undoubtedly always be a big shirt to fill.
Ironic then, given that the No.9 shirt and the prestige it carries with it is currently up for grabs, that we have a group of strikers who fall somewhat short of the standards we’ve come to expect from our centre-floorboards, and that none of them look like earning that honour just yet, particularly in this current barren spell…..
The bull wants reinforcements!On another slow Newcastle United news day, Jose Enrique has urged the club to capitalise on the fantastic start to the season by adding the extra players needed to give us the best shot at finishing the promotion job off.
It appears Jose is fearful of the fact that losing too many players could jeopardize the Toon’s lead at the top of the table. The former Spain Under-21 international added:
“We need new players, some have already gone.”
“We’ve got a good squad, but when people go then we need to get replacements.”
I’m sure Enrique would be alluding to the likes of Marlon Harewood and Zhurab Khizanishvilli who have both returned to their original clubs. It does seem though that Jose is remaining generally upbeat about the manager’s chances of bringing in the required players. He added:
“I am sure that Chris has this situation already in hand – if he wants my recommendations I hear that Lionel Messi and Ronaldo would be great signings!”
“It’s a big club with a lot of fans and we’re a good bet for promotion.”(more…)
Back for good?Interesting article from the News Of The World, which reports today that Aston Villa have offered striker Marlon Harewood to Newcastle in a permanent deal. In all honesty, we probably would have signed him by now had Aston Villa not wanted a £250,000 loan fee plus player wages of £28,000 per week paid by us!
The Midlanders have pitched their price at £1.5 million, presumably to try and tempt us away from their target, Leeds striker Jeramine Beckford and get us to plump for the experience of our former loanee instead. Marlon Harewood scored 5 goals in his loan spell earlier in the season but has yet to win all the fans over yet, his seemingly lazy and lethargic attitude being a contributor to that.
I’m not sure what to make of Harewood? Can he score goals at this level? Yes! But is also 31 years old now, so we would be signing a player with a limited amount of fuel in the tank. (more…)
