Harper and Lovenkrands: Looking for a way oot.In the last week, both Steve Harper and Peter Lovenkrands have made very strong suggestions that their days at Newcastle United are numbered.
Firstly, speaking in an interview with Brighton and Hove Albion’s website and also in the club’s match programme, currently on loan ‘keeper, Steve Harper, has once again become weary of his peripheral role at Newcastle United. The goalkeeper said that now he was a bit more settled in at Brighton, he would definitely be open to extending his trip to the seaside further, also adding that he wished he had “moved on” ten years earlier.
Harper, who joined the club from the mighty Seaham Red Star back in 1903, and was a close personal friend of the Magpies’ legendary Edwardian centre forward, Albert Shepherd, said on extending his current one month loan from the current deadline of the 20th November:
“I’m certainly open to that, definitely, but the focus this week is Tuesday and Sunday and hopefully getting four or six points.
“Then Sunday night I’ll speak to the manager and my wife and see how she is getting on with the kids and we’ll take it from there!” (more…)
Tactical rethink? Or just unlucky?Newcastle United lost 4-3 away at Blackburn last night in the Carling Cup, which probably ended the club’s best chance of lifting a trophy this season.
I’ve never really been one for the League Cup, seeing it mainly as the poor relation to the FA Cup, but when a place in the last 8 is looking possible it starts to become a little more important.
It was not to be however as Blackburn were up to the task, either in spite of or because of their lowly league position, and although we twice levelled the game they persevered and won out.
After the game, Alan Pardew said:
“I don’t like the tag of gallant losers but it was a fantastic effort and the fans would have appreciated the effort we have put in.
“Sometimes events just go against you and events certainly did tonight. But the players don’t know when to give in, we kept going and two great hits got us back into the game, but tiredness cost us at the end.
“If we are going to go out of the cup that’s how it should be – giving it everything.” (more…)
Fat-heads need not applyNewcastle United’s Peter Lovenkrands praises the team spirit shown this season.
When I first saw Lovenkrands’ quote saying: “Leave your ego at the entrance door“, I misread it and thought it said ‘egg’ instead of ‘ego’. This led to a certain amount of confusion on my part as I wondered what particular eggs they were talking about. Was it a message to the WAGs or was it some sort of discrimination against that culinary perfection that is the hen’s egg?
A swift Google revealed that I could be the proud owner of a Newcastle United egg-cup for a mere £3.99 but little else connecting eggs to our club. Thankfully after a re-read of Lovenkrands’ comment I twigged that it said ‘ego’ and all was clear.
What the Danish (or possibly Scottish) striker is getting at is that any new arrivals will be expected to buy into the team spirit initially fostered by Hughton and then maintained by Pardew, and new arrivals with big egos will not be welcomed with open arms.
Lovenkrands said:
“Hopefully there’ll be a couple of new arrivals in the summer, but whoever comes into the club will have to buy in to the spirit that’s already here.
“I think whoever comes into the club will learn pretty quickly that we’re a team and one of our biggest strengths is the way we stick together.(more…)
