Angelus71

fyp FYP FYP Gary Glitter is said to be in mourning tonight affectionately calling Jackson ''The Leader of the Gang'' A Spokesman for Scotland yard said police have been working tirelessly to find the rest of the gang.

So true.......they vilified him when he was alive and are now morning his passing. Aye, just like the peoples princess Jade

Has died aged 50 R.I.P

from the Journal ARSENAL and West Ham United are ready to test Newcastle United’s resolve to keep first-choice defensive pairing Sébastien Bassong and Steven Taylor by formalising their interest in the duo imminently. Hopes are rising that the uncertainty which has surrounded the club’s future since relegation to the Championship will lift in the next few days – with “decisive” movement expected on the unresolved ownership and management issues before the start of pre-season training next week. Both serious bidders favour Alan Shearer’s claims to be manager which should pave the way for his belated appointment – but his first task will be to ward off interest in Bassong and Taylor. West Ham, who have former Newcastle number two Steve Clarke on their coaching staff, are at the head of a clutch of clubs interested in Taylor, while Arsenal are keen on Frenchman Bassong. Provided Shearer becomes manager and offers certain reassurances to Taylor, Newcastle have a good chance of retaining the services of their influential homegrown defender, who has told friends he has no desire to leave the club. But any further delay in appointing a new manager and United must brace themselves for the imminent departure of the 23-year-old, who will be aware that the constant upheaval at the club over the last three years has damaged his career. Bassong’s future is far less clear-cut, however, and The Journal understands that the defender has been flattered by interest from compatriot Arsene Wenger and Arsenal. The former Metz man has seen his stock rise sharply since joining United as a relative unknown last season. And, while he feels a sense of gratitude to the club for handing him his break in English football, he is ambitious and is reluctant to play a season in the second tier. He has already publicly courted a move away from St James’s Park and Shearer will face a serious test of his powers of persuasion if he wants to keep the newly-capped Cameroon defender. The Gunners may have already signed Belgium defender Thomas Vermaelen from Ajax but they are on the look-out for more defensive reinforcements. Bolton defender Gary Cahill, who ironically would have been a Shearer target had he managed to keep United in the Premier League, is another player courted by Wenger – but Bassong’s name is understood to feature prominently. Shearer is fully aware that, due to the delay in his appointment, there will be plenty of fire-fighting to do when he finally gets his feet under the desk at St James’s. As well as reassuring Bassong and Taylor that they have pivotal parts to play in United’s promotion bid, he also has plenty of work to do to convince Habib Beye to sign up for a season in the second tier. But it is shifting a raft of high earners who under-performed last year that is his priority. The United boss has prepared a list of players he would be willing to sell as part of an overhaul of the squad – and the names run into double figures. ..................................... I wonder if we'll even have a team come the new season!

from the Chron AS saddened as he was by relegation, and as stunned as he is by what has – or has not – happened since, Malcolm Macdonald’s main emotion right now is fear. Fear that the worst is yet to come for Newcastle United. Fear of another, even heavier fall come next May. The bookies, twisting the logic that what goes up must come down, make the Magpies favourites to return to the Premier League next season. Macdonald though, drawing from bitter 40-year-old memories, fears a move in the opposite direction. And, considering he foretold so much of the current strife when looking ahead to the 2008/09 season in the Chronicle a year ago, Newcastle’s absent landlords might do well to take notice. “I believe that Kevin Keegan has been marginalised to such an extent that he’s now merely the coach rather than the overall supremo,” said Supermac – just one of his several eerily accurate predictions. So what price League One football at St James’s Park in 2010/11? Not likely, perhaps, but far from impossible if matters are not addressed. “When a football club, like Newcastle right now, has no direction from the top or in the dressing room, it can only go one way: down,” says Macdonald, legendary hero of happier times at St James’s Park. “When you hit such lows as Newcastle have, on and off the pitch, these last few months, the one thing guaranteed to follow if you don’t put things right after relegation is another relegation. “I experienced it myself with Bobby Robson at Fulham back in 1969. He was brought in after relegation from the old Division One, but the older players at the club, who had been his team-mates, didn’t want to change. “A rebellion happened and Bobby was sacked. The senior players won the battle, but they didn’t win the war – because Fulham got relegated again. “I’m not saying Newcastle will do the same, but the formula is there for it to happen. “If people are thinking Newcastle are automatically just going to bounce back they will be massively disappointed. “Things MUST be changed at the club. Why are things not being changed?” Chief among those things being the protracted saga of appointing Alan Shearer as manager full-time. “Things are just being left to drift on the premise that the club is being sold, but why?” Macdonald added. “No new owner in his right mind would not appoint Alan Shearer as manager, so why is he not already in the job and cracking on with what has to be done this summer? “There is a crucial period in the close season when you can pull off transfers early and inject new life into the dressing room. “The need for that is no more obvious than at Newcastle. “The best deals usually happen in the first 10 days after the season ends. That’s when I did my best business as a manager. “You get in quick before a player has other things or other teams to think about. “But Newcastle didn’t do anything because they had no one there to do it. “They have to get rid of 12 or 13 people on £50,000-plus a week and get in some hungry, up-and-coming players in their place. “It needs to happen – or rather, it needed to happen. To basically ignore the summer because nobody is in charge is sheer madness.” And, in that scenario, it isn’t just missed transfer targets that United fans need worry about. “That situation won’t be lost on the current squad,” said Macdonald. “If you were a player right now at Newcastle and were still hungry to achieve something in the game, would you want to stay? “The people who will want to stay are the ones who are grossly overpaid on silly contracts and have never done it yet for Newcastle United on the field of play – and never will.” And therein lies the crux of the Magpies’ problems, according to Macdonald. “Of course, there have been monumental mistakes made off the field, but it all comes down to the team on the park in the end,” he said. “Those off-field mistakes have bred problems on the pitch. But how certain players have taken advantage of that fact. “I’m not saying they do it consciously. They may do their best to try to convince themselves as well as us that they’re doing all they can for the club. “But while their fat contracts run down, there’s actually been an awful lot lacking for an awful long time. “New players coming in have seen standards are low; they haven’t had to raise their game a level to fit in. And mediocrity can be contagious. “That wouldn’t have happened when I was a player under someone like Joe Harvey. “I remember he signed someone – and I won’t name any names – who just didn’t impress the rest of us in training. “After a while, Joe took me to one side and asked ‘what’s your problem with this fella?’ “I said ‘boss, he’s not good enough for us’. Joe, albeit through gritted teeth said: ‘yes, I’m beginning to think that myself’ and never played him. “But now, whether it’s a new or old player that isn’t up to the mark, nobody at Newcastle seems to want to rise above it. “Instead, everybody’s standards go down. “The whole thing then keeps steadily moving downhill like a snowball. When that happens in football, you have to recognise it and stop it immediately, otherwise it spells disaster. “Newcastle haven’t stopped it. “People scratch their heads and ask ‘how did this happen?’ But the reason is because Newcastle haven’t had anyone behind the scenes who was bothered enough to stop it happening. “Everyone on the outside could see it, and yet nobody has fixed things even now. “So while it was a shambles last season, when the players report back on July 1 and nobody knows what they’re doing, and nobody has the overall say on anything, it will be far worse.” Heaven – or Alan Shearer – forbid. ....................................

Ed McMahon has passed away, his publicist said Tuesday. McMahon died just past midnight at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles. The former Tonight Show sidekick had suffered a lot of health setbacks these last few years and was also battling cancer. He was 86 years old. R.I.P

From the Chron SUNDERLAND are considering rubbing salt in Newcastle fans' relegation wounds – by making a move for Habib Beye. New Black Cats boss Steve Bruce is eyeing the popular and versatile defender, as are Everton, West Ham and Stoke. Although he is one of the players Alan Shearer most wants to keep when – or if – he gets the Newcastle manager’s job full time, Beye’s future is up in the air because of the stalemate at St James’ Park. The Senegal international was quick to pledge his commitment to the Magpies’ cause following their relegation from the Premier League. But Beye, who has just a year left on his contract at Newcastle, also went into the summer expecting talks over a new deal. With Shearer’s situation still shamefully unresolved more than a month on from the end of the season, those talks have not taken place. And that has left the Magpies vulnerable to Premier League interest in a player who, at 31, may not get too many more shots at top-flight football. Even though contract negotiations have been shelved as Shearer waits on being offered the manager’s job by Newcastle’s prospective new owners, Beye is unlikely to rock the boat by asking for a move. But the fear is that United’s desperate need to slash their wage bill may override the obvious value of keeping Beye on board for the battle ahead in the Championship. And the player himself would have no choice but to listen to offers which would offer him security as he enters the twilight of his career. Beye’s departure would be a hammer blow to fans who have cherished his sterling performances in a largely unconvincing back four. A dynamic presence at right- back, Beye also impressed when filling in at centre-half last season. Like Beye, Steven Taylor is very much on Shearer’s "keep" list, but is also being forced to contemplate his future as the former England captain’s own prospects remain uncertain. And the ultimate worry is that the loss of players he sees as crucial to any promotion push might prompt Shearer to abandon his hopes of rescuing his hometown club. Meanwhile, as predicted in the Chronicle yesterday, United have confirmed that they will play a friendly away to Dutch Eredivisie side FC Utrecht on Sunday, July 26 (kick-off 2.30pm local time). ......................................... When the fuck are we going to get a manager????

Congratulations!

http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/nufc/newcas...mail%3A20090617 ALAN SHEARER today took note of Newcastle United’s tricky start to the new Championship season from the comfort of home as the alarm bells continued to ring at St James’s Park. Geordie legend Shearer is still in limbo, even though the all-time top scorer is desperate to start work on rebuilding Newcastle’s shattered squad. United will start their campaign against another managerless side in West Brom before home games with Reading and Sheffield Wednesday, a trip to Crystal Palace and then a home game with former Toon assistant manager Nigel Pearson’s Leicester City. Newcastle may well have good memories of last season’s only Premier League double against opening-day opponents West Brom. But while the Baggies are also without a manager due to Tony Mowbray’s switch to Celtic, they have a vast experience of life in the Championship – unlike the Toon, who last played in the second tier in 1993. When Shearer last spoke publicly at Villa Park one month ago, in his last act as Toon boss, he warned that United were way behind the rest of their new Championship counterparts, and yet since then there has been a drastic lack of action on the managerial front. United may well be for sale, but the current owners have left Newcastle a rudderless ship heading for deep trouble. While managing director Derek Llambias kept his counsel in London today and Mike Ashley also maintained his now-customary silence, United are saddled with a £60m-plus wage bill and no transactions in or out of St James’s. They also have a squad that looks unsuitable for life in the Championship, with many of the current staff lacking experience of the cut-throat nature of football’s second tier. With a lack of all-round experience and needing seven substitutes on the bench due to new Football League rules, United need to start wheeling and dealing as soon as possible. None of that can be done without a manager, and the fears expressed by Shearer at Villa Park, on the day United were condemned to relegation for the first time since 1989, could be about to ring true. Back then Shearer said: “Big changes need to be made and players need to go and players need to come in. “But every day another day goes by another room burns down and everyone is getting a head-start on the football club.” :: DESPITE the uncertainty at St James’s Park, Newcastle are favourites with every bookmaker to win the Championship. The longest odds on them returning to the Premier League as second-flight champions are offered by Coral and Boylesports at 5-1. West Brom are second favourites at a best price of 6-1.

http://www.journallive.co.uk/nufc/newcastl...mail%3A20090617 AS Newcastle United’s new owners begin to scrutinise the club’s books, football agents are on red alert as they wait for concrete news regarding Alan Shearer’s future as manager. Although a takeover could be several weeks away from completion, The Journal revealed yesterday that Shearer could still be appointed in the next few days, which has heightened the sense of anticipation on Tyneside that another regrettable saga in the club’s chequered history is finally coming to a close. The sale of United moves on to a significant new stage today when the window for interested parties to confirm they have the funds needed to buy the club closes, and the due diligence process begins. This will also enable owner Mike Ashley to gauge the opinion of all the interested parties and should all of them – and that is understood to be the case – want Shearer as manager, the former skipper will be confirmed as manager almost immediately with his appointment no longer a barrier to any takeover. Should that favourable verdict materialise, Shearer will throw himself into the job with gusto as he tries to make up for lost time, with no pre-season friendlies arranged and no plans in place for the start of the Championship season, even though Newcastle’s fixtures will be released later today. If Shearer is confirmed as manager, it will also spark a frenzy in the transfer market, with Newcastle’s new boss likely to be one of the most wanted men in football in the coming weeks, as agents look to discover whether their clients have a future at St James’s Park, or any chance of getting a move to Tyneside. Despite their drop into the Championship, most agents believe Newcastle will still have tremendous pulling power this summer with Shearer at the helm because of his reputation as a player. That appears to have been supported by the fact highly-coveted players like Leeds United striker Jermaine Beckford, Norwegian midfielder Per Ciljan Skjelbred and Tottenham right-back Chris Gunter are waiting to discover Shearer’s fate before they commit to another club, even though the start of pre-season training is just two weeks away. With new owners also presumably promising significant financial backing, United are sure to be linked with an array of players in anticipation of a major spending spree. Although Shearer has effectively been stuck in limbo since the end of the season, he has not been idly wasting his time. The Journal understands he has lined up a number of potential transfer deals in the belief his position as manager would eventually be resolved this summer. However, given the new owners will have to stabilise the club financially following relegation, of more pressing interest for many agents will be the need to offload some of the over-paid and under-performing stars who took the club down last season. Shearer is likely to take a savage approach to player retention, with only a handful assured of their place in the squad next season as he looks to completely overhaul the playing resources at St James’s Park. Fabricio Coloccini, Jonás Gutiérrez , Geremi, Joey Barton and Alan Smith can all expect to be moved on, while Sebastien Bassong is attracting plenty of interest from top-flight clubs after he admitted he wants to leave Newcastle rather than step down to the Championship. Australian front man Mark Viduka, Brazilian central defender Cláudio Caçapa and Michael Owen’s contracts will expire at the end of the month, automatically saving an estimated £230,000-a-week – or roughly £2.76m a year – on wages. ............................................... Bastards, I've just got out of bed and read this, at first I thought we had a new owner!

http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/nufc/newcas...72703-23879950/ HIGHLY-rated Norwegian kid Per Ciljan Skjelbred is still desperate to join Newcastle United – despite their drop into the Championship. And sources close to the player have suggested he would even turn down the chance of Premier League football with Sunderland to fulfil that ambition. The Norwegian international has caught the attention of new Sunderland boss Steve Bruce, while Tottenham, Fulham and Italian outfit Torino are also tracking the 21-year-old. But Skjelbred is watching developments at St James’s Park anxiously from afar in a bid to keep his dream of signing for United alive. The Chronicle understands that Alan Shearer, left in limbo by United owner Mike Ashley amid a slow bidding war, is still interested in the hard-working Rosenborg playmaker and is likely to follow up that interest should he be handed the reins. But while Shearer is understood to have already missed out on FIVE potential new signings because of the stalemate at St James’s, Skjelbred is prepared to play the waiting game. Skjelbred has never made a secret of his love for Newcastle after supporting the Magpies from a young age and he knows that signing for the Wearsiders would decimate his chance of signing for the black-and-whites in the future. A source close to the Norwegian 21-year-old told the Chronicle from Rosenborg: “He is unconcerned about Newcastle’s relegation, as he’s certain they’ll be back up in the Premier League after only one season in the Championship. “And he is hoping to get to play for Alan Shearer, who is one of his heroes. “There was talk of a move to Sunderland, but he has his heart set on Newcastle. If he doesn’t go to Newcastle, he is unlikely to sign for their greatest rivals.” United scouted Skjelbred during the ill-fated Dennis Wise era and the reports coming back from Norway were so good that a shrewd Shearer has followed up the interest. That connection was maintained during his eight- game spell in charge and, there would still be a good chance the Trondheim-born star would land his dream move if Shearer was appointed. His wage demands would be a drop in the ocean compared to high earners like big money flop Fabricio Coloccini, who rakes in up to £80,000 a week, failed midfielder Joey Barton on £64,000, or veteran utility man Geremi, also on mega bucks at £58,000 a week. In fact, Skjelbred wants no more than £8,000 per week, which would be a bargain for United, although they would have to negotiate a transfer fee of £5m. United are also looking at Molde defender Vegard Forren, while it has emerged that Shearer received a glowing report from a high-ranked but non-technical Magpies official who jetted out to Norway to watch Erik Huseklepp in action for Brann. However, Huseklepp’s manager Steinar Nilsen has already indicated that the winger is likely to be offloaded to central Europe this summer at a £2m fee.

http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/nufc/newcas...72703-23834751/ SEBASTIEN Bassong is being driven away by the “madness” at Newcastle United. The classy French centre-back who has been voted player of the year by Toon fans in popular fanzine The Mag was head and shoulders above the rest at United last season. But he has told close friends he has become frustrated by the situation at Newcastle. It’s a well-known fact that Alan Shearer wants to keep Bassong on Tyneside and build a team around the Frenchman. However, with current Toon owner Mike Ashley seemingly reluctant to appoint Big Al as boss, Bassong has become frustrated with the situation. Indeed with no permanent manager, Bassong is uncertain about the future and wants to leave. And with several top-flight clubs circling like vultures and hoping to win Bassong’s signature, a sad by-product of Newcastle’s relegation could be the exit of the man they signed from Metz for just £500,000. The £10m-rated defender has been offered to a range of Premier League clubs by First Artists, the agency appointed to offload all of Newcastle’s prize assets with Ashley desperate to reduce overheads. But Bassong’s exit would go down like a lead balloon on Tyneside. A source close to Bassong told the Chronicle: “Sebastien is devastated by the madness at the club and wants to go. “He cost the club hardly anything and feels he has justified his transfer fee. “Compared to the rest of his team-mates he has been earning peanuts, picking up £5,000 a week while some of the players who have been earning five-figure salaries and hardly kicking a ball. “He loves the fans – but who can blame him for wanting to leave? “The club is unsure who will be the owners next season, there is no manager and, as much as he enjoys working with Alan Shearer, there are no guarantees that he will be the manager next season. “Sebastien is a top-class professional, is never in any trouble and just wants to develop his career. “He came to Newcastle on trial and they weren’t even sure if they wanted him at first, so he has played way above their expectations.” It has also emerged that Bassong was deeply upset by the attitude of some of his team-mates in the dressing room at Villa Park on the final day of the season. The source said: “Sebastien was suspended and gutted about having to sit in the stands. “But after the game he was mortified by some of the scenes in the dressing room. He said that only three or four of the players looked genuinely upset about the club’s relegation. “More worryingly, while the fans were still chanting outside, some players were talking about their holidays.” Meanwhile, £10m defender Fabricio Coloccini has been offered to French giants Marseille. .................................................

JOHN ANDERSON has revealed his anxiety over the desperate situation Newcastle United find themselves in as the St James’s Park crisis deepens. The respected and popular former Toon full-back is concerned that each day that goes by leaves United with an even bigger battle on their hands to convince players to sign for the Magpies. And he has slammed owner Mike Ashley and managing director Derek Llambias. With an owner who wants out, no manager and nobody running the show when it comes to transfers in or out, Ando is deeply concerned about the situation. He said today: “It needs to be sorted very, very quickly. “They (Ashley and Llambias) have made a complete mess of the club from top to bottom from day one. They don’t have a clue. “They need an owner, they need a manager, they need to get pre-season sorted out. “The first-team is back for pre-season on July 1 and then it's only a few weeks to the start of the season. It needs sorting very, very quickly. “People have said they will fly back out of the Championship, but other big clubs have gone down and not got out of it. “It's a worry and it needs to be sorted very, very quickly.” The ex-Republic of Ireland international Anderson, who served 10 years in a black-and- white shirt, believes that Ashley would have a better chance of selling season tickets if Shearer was installed as boss. He added: “That's the worrying thing. “He [Ashley] has put the club up for sale now – does he appoint Alan? “He may feel he has more chance of selling with Alan in charge – they certainly have more chance of selling season tickets if he is in charge.” Meanwhile, Anderson’s former United team-mate and Huddersfield Town manager Lee Clark is hoping to secure a friendly with his old club. Clark would like to offer Newcastle a pre-season game but, with the managerial situation up in the air, it remains unclear exactly where fans will be heading this summer. However, with August 1 pencilled in as a free date for Clark, he’d like to invite the Magpies to the Galpharm Stadium. He said: “I certainly wouldn’t rule out a game. “The Saturday before the season starts is a key date, because it would be our final friendly, and I’m looking for a good test. “With our connections (all four of Clark’s management team – Terry McDermott, Derek Fazackerley, Steve Black and Paul Stephenson – are former Newcastle employees), trying to fix up a game is something we’ve thought about. “But so far we’ve been waiting to see what happens regarding the managerial situation.”

another top quality story once again from the ronnie! dipshits!!!

Tricky game to play with your fingers up your sister.

R.I.P

woo hoo at least we made it to the second round!

I don't see us buying anyone until we either have a new owner, or fatty gives up the sale and puts some money INTO the club. and without a confirmed manager, we'll definitely not be looking at anyone. another case of no players in, but a few out! same old same old.

poor bastard