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…)
Unknown agenda?News today from a number of sources seems to indicate that the Toon’s move for Sheffield United’s coveted defender, Matt Kilgallon, has collapsed. Newcastle had reportedly made a bid of around £1 million for the player, who is out of contract in the summer, and could be snapped up on a free transfer in 6 months.
The player is seemingly committed to helping Sheffield United obtain promotion to the Premier League. In a statement from the player’s agent, Paul Masterton said:
“We have spoken to Kevin Blackwell to say Matthew is fully committed to Sheffield United until the end of the season. We have also informed Newcastle United about the situation.”
“Matthew is keen to win promotion with Sheffield United. If that happens, we will re-assess the options in the summer.”
This seems kind of fishy to me and has the stench of an agent trying to get the best deal for himself. After all, such a committed player has refused to sign a new contract and could leave his current club in the summer, earning them no money whatsoever. I like to think the best of people, so perhaps the lad is comitted to The Blades after all? (more…)
One Great North Run wasn't enough (apparently).Calling all generous Toon fans! Actually, before I go any further, I’d just like to say that I’ve been bowled over by the support I’ve received so far via my sponsor page. Most of the donations have come from supporters on blogs such as this and many from non-NUFC fans and to be honest it’s been pretty touching.
Anyway, here’s a brief update – I’ve raised a good amount so far but I need more!
Here’s another update – My knee is knackered. I’ve potentially ruptured the ligaments in my left knee playing against the Mackems from Houghton Town but I need to wait for the swelling to go down before I have a scan. Nevertheless, I’m doing this.
See here for the ironic background to last year’s run and my determination not to let football get in the way of this special event. Will I ever grow up? (that was my mam and the better half’s question, not mine). (more…)
Never forgetWell I’m a bit gutted that Simon Bird beat me to it but in fairness he’s got more time for this sort of thing and he gets paid for it. However, despite not always agreeing with what he has to say, he’s got this article spot-on in my opinion. I would hate to think that any protracted and complicated court proceedings would detract from our good start to the season but there are wrongs to be righted so far as I’m concerned.
This isn’t about Keegan versus the club, this is about Keegan and Ashley and a man clearing his name. A man who earned our respect on numerous occasions and helped to lift this club from it’s sagging backside, and from falling backwards into complete oblivion in the third tier of English football. A man who with his many faults, has never let this club down during his spells at the club.
Forget what happened elsewhere, though again there is argument to justify his actions and to contradict the cries of “bottler”. Remember what he did for this club and think about what that means and think about whether you really believe he would intentionally leave this club to rot.
However, also as Bird alludes to, this is more than just about our club or about Keegan. It’s about football in general and the multi-millionaire playground it has become. Where arrogance and ignorance at the top level, seem intent on ripping the guts out of our beautiful game. (more…)
