Baggio

Not sure what we're even arguing about then. We have almost a squad of players out of contract.... Danny Guthrie Peter Lovenkrands Alan Smith Ryan Donaldson Ole Soderberg James Tavernier Tamas Kadar Phil Airey Michael Richardson Conor Newton Brad Inman Samuel Adjei Stephen Folan Jeff Henderson Patrick Nzuzi They've played little between them anyway, so drop them out of the equation. Harper, Forster and Xisco seem to be done too, without any iinvolvement this season, so drop them out. Considering all that, out first team squad is down to 19 bodies. We can all agree, the players on the books are too many, but you have to say the players pushing the first team are too few as well. If our plan is to lose all of the above deadweight, but just replace them with a few slightly better players, to flesh out the reserves that's desparately disappointing. I agree with everything you've said, however I've not seen anything to suggest the highlighted bit will happen. I think they could bring in 4 or 5 quality players over the next 2 summers, get rid of 10 and we would improve drastically.

Which I acknowledged here > http://www.toontasti...ost__p__1050284 The point being that the squad has the bodies, too many of them deadweight and we could easily cut down the number while building a stronger group. What sized squad are we allowed should we qualify for Europe?....I remember the week we played Heerenveen, the Saturday team was vastly different to one which played in Holland. Bowyer got the winner with a backheel and I remember thinking that he'd not played on a Saturday for weeks. Souness used the squad well that season, despite our league form being abysmal. Was there a limit on squad numbers back then? 25 players isnt enough to compete effectively on two fronts iyam and our league form will suffer playing Thurs/Sun. Theres no way they'll let Perch go,whether we like it or not hes considered as cover for 3 posistions by Pardew. I fear for us if we qualify for Europe. We'll be bedding in replacements for Tiote,Krul and Ba as well don't forget 7 that started against Heerenveen also started the next league game against Chelsea so it wasn't that different tbf, only O'Brien, Amdy Faye, Bowyer and Shola were replaced with Boumsong, Dyer, Butt and Robert. We can have 25 over the age of 22 I believe and as many younger than that as we like.

Which I acknowledged here > http://www.toontasti...ost__p__1050284 The point being that the squad has the bodies, too many of them deadweight and we could easily cut down the number while building a stronger group. If we do nothing, we're down to a 22 man squad. We should be buying 3 first team quality players and selling no-one in order to improve the bench and to have a squad that can compete. For every one sold on top of that, an improvement should be brought in. We should be buying 3 first team players anyway, the point I've already made is that we've got so much dead wood in the squad that we can cut the numbers and invest the wages saved for those better players coming in. You might think it's essential to have 7 strikers and 7 central midfielders on the books but I can't say I do,

Which I acknowledged here > http://www.toontastic.net/board/topic/32493-nufc-summer-transfer-activity-thread/page__view__findpost__p__1050284 The point being that the squad has the bodies, too many of them deadweight and we could easily cut down the number while building a stronger group.

1.Krul 2.Harper 3.Elliot 4.Forster 5.Simpson 6.Ryan Taylor 7.Coloccini 8.Steven Taylor 9.Williamson 10.Kadar 11.Perch 12.Tiote 13.Cabaye 14.Guthrie 15.Gosling 16.Smith 17.Ben Arfa 18.Obertan 19.Jonas 20.Marveaux 21.Ba 22.Cisse 23.Best 24.Shola Ameobi 25.Xisco 26.Lovenkrands All of those will have to be named as part of the 25 man squad next season I believe.

Not the "Anyone but Fred" line again I don't remember anyone saying that whoever comes in can match the champions league finishes over the previous 15 years, more a realisation that Shepherd had taken what was a well ran club and completely turn it on it's head in the space of his final 3 years by living beyond it's means and we needed rescuing. Not only did we have debt but we were losing millions, we had borrowed against everything we had and I'm pretty sure Ernst & Young only signed us off as a going concern on the basis that Ashley agreed to cover all of our losses for the next 12 months out of his own pocket, something the previous lot never did. So it was never a case of anyone but Fred could have achieved more than what the club did over the past 15 years, more a realisation that if we stuck with him financially we were pretty fucked.

Looking at it our squad isn't small at all, people will probably point out that a lot of them are not good enough or shouldn't be anywhere near the team but to me that just backs up the clubs thinking. What is the point in having 7 CM's and strikers (not even including HBA) when we could easily lose 2 or 3 from each position and bring in one of superior quality. 1.Krul 2.Harper 3.Elliot 4.Forster 5.Santon 6.Simpson 7.Ryan Taylor 8.Coloccini 9.Steven Taylor 10.Williamson 11.Kadar 12.Perch 13.Tiote 14.Cabaye 15.Guthrie 16.Gosling 17.Smith 18.Vuckic 19.Abeid 20.Ben Arfa 21.Obertan 22.Sammy Ameobi 23.Jonas 24.Marveaux 25.Ferguson 26.Ba 27.Cisse 28.Best 29.Shola Ameobi 30.Xisco 31.Lovenkrands 32.Ranger So in theory we could lose Smith, Gosling and Guthrie and bring in someone like Corgnet who we've been linked with and if he's as good as we think then the squad has improved despite cutting numbers, giving us a group of Tiote, Cabaye, Corgnet, Vuckic and Abeid to pick from.

Why ever would he want us to fail to qualify? Err...Llambias's comments above? smaller squad? European campaign?....or am I reading it all wrong? Is there some deep underlying truth am missing? or should we not take the chairmans comments at face value?... I don't see the problem in cutting the squad down as we've got players that are practically irrelevant anyway, that doesn't mean we don't want to qualify for Europe but more that we would rather cut the dead weight and use their wages to improve the smaller group. Hypothetically if nobody leaves this summer (including out of contract players) we would be at our 25 man limit already I think from a quick scan, now considering some of them have little chance of getting a game for us anyway I can see the logic of bringing this number down to between 18-20 and reinvesting the wages into forming a better quality squad.

Why ever would he want us to fail to qualify?

Not what I want to hear. Reads to me like we're looking to improve the bench as a priority, as opposed to improving the first team which would, as a result, improve the bench with first teamers squeezed out. Perhaps I'm being unfair. I'd want replacements for Simpson and STaylor, with both dropping to the bench as reasonable cover. Whether Santon covers left or right would determine which side we buy a fullback for. Also desirable would be improved replacements, or at least good competion for Gutierez and Obertan with both of those good for the bench. Being greedy we could have Ben Arfa, Ba, Cisse and another forward/No.10 type of that standard fighting for the front 2 places, with Best, Shola and Ranger put out to pasture. Guthrie's canny for the bench, but if Tiote's away I wouldn't be keen with him as first choice, and he's the only one I'm happy covering in the middle, so that could do with strengthening too. SO basically, we need to buy first teamers for all positions on the park but keeper I think you're reading too much into it to be honest.

oh dear

Birmingham are a vile club. I'm hoping Southampton, Reading and Blackpool come up.

What?!

Out of interest, how much longer does Carroll get with this kind of form before fans think he's not very good? I think the knives were out for Stephen Ireland and David Bentley after 18 months or so so if Carroll doesn't have a sharp upturn in form before the end of the season will he fall into that category?

The better question is why are we comparing new signings to genuinely great players for us that built their reputation over a long period of time? Personally I think he's a good all rounder that formed an excellent partnership with Tiote before the African Nations cup, not a £20 million man but probably worth just over half that and a player I wouldn't lose too much sleep if we sold. I haven't seen tonights game but I do wonder if a few are starting to burn out.

Sat in the airport waiting to go to Prague for the weekend so my mood is good!

I remember Mark Douglas tweeting about 6 weeks ago that big changes will be made to the squad in the summer and that one of our big players could go, looks like we know where he got that from. While I would be gutted if we lose Tiote it would lake it easier to swallow if we come away from the window with a nch stronger squad, let's not forget that while Liverpool have spent and been applauded for it they still sold £70 millions worth of players to fund it.

Pardew said something similar in January, there really isn't any need for it. Interesting that he wants to cut the squad size and it's understandable he wants a higher standard of player through the squad.

Arsène Wenger believes that Newcastle’s excellent form this season is down to their “efficiency” in the transfer market. Alan Pardew’s side have been this year’s surprise package and currently sit in sixth place in the table, five points behind the Gunners. However, Wenger says that when you examine the Magpies’ squad it is clear why they are having such an impressive campaign. “You could say that [i am surprised] if you look purely at the number of points they have. They were not expected there,” he told Arsenal Player. “They have bought very well in a very efficient way. Some players have made a name now who were completely unknown at the start of the season. “Therefore when you look at their quality it is not surprising they are where they are.” Demba Ba has emerged as one of the best forwards in the Premier League this term, and Wenger admits that the Senegalese striker and compatriot Papiss Cisse were on his radar. “We knew them of course but you know you only have the right to have 25 players in your squad in England,” he said. “You cannot go for all the players who are good that are on the market. “Newcastle lost Andy Carroll last year and they were searching for a striker, so credit to them [for signing Ba and Cisse]. Also Yohan Cabaye and Hatem Ben Arfa are good business for them. That's why they are where they are.” Despite Newcastle’s quality, Wenger is confident his side can continue their good run of form when they face them on Monday night. “They are a team everyone knows will give you a big game, but what is important is our own performance,” he said. “We cannot be obsessed by Newcastle. If we turn up with a good performance we will win the game. That is what is at stake: to keep up our run and keep our focus.” Watch the full interview with the manager on Arsenal Player soon.

Llambias has spoken on what to expect this summer... New faces for next season: "We have targets for the summer, and we're not in a position of having to beg. People are saying, 'Ah Newcastle. Of course we want to talk to you'. We do a brilliant video presentation - very sharp, it is great - and it opens eyes to what the club, the fans and the city are all about. Selling members of the current squad: "We'll be losing one or two names this summer, but that'll be regenerated back into the squad. Alan's plan is to get a smaller squad, with better quality - so the bench is better. That's our aim over the next two years. We can't do it all this summer - we're not sure what the market will be like this summer when we're trading. We will lose some faces. For instance, Tiote has been with us a year and a half. He is out there. People know he's a good player. He's proven in the Premier League, he's not picking up as many yellow cards, he's learning. How are we going to stop a big club from coming in for him? It'll be very hard. One thing in our favour is that we now have a very good side and that might encourage the player to stay. But if someone knocks on the door and says they want this or that money, the reality may be that we have to trade." Out Leon Best - Blackburn £3m Fraser Forster - Celtic £2m Alan Smith - Contract expired Danny Guthrie - Contract expired Peter Lovenkrands - Contract expired Tamas Kadar - Released Players without first team experience also released:- Sam Adjei Stevie Folan Jeff Henderson Phil Airey Greg McDermott Patrick Nzuzi Ryan Donaldson In Romain Amalfitano - Free Curtis Good - £400k Gael Bigirimana - £1m Vurnon Anita - £6.7m

Commercial was £15.7 million apparently.

Signed according to the Independent. http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/llambias-happy-with-newcastles-finances-7546062.html

I think what he's put in falls into 2 groups, £111 million to cover loses and the rest as a cash advance and I presume he's having the advance back this year.

Also, pure speculation here and hopefully someone can put me right, but would all of the money brought in by people paying the 3 year season ticket in advance gone into the account at the time? So the 2 years following have suffered because of that?

Happy if the score is kept down tbh.