Scottish Mag

Nigeria have threatened to report Newcastle and Chelsea to Fifa if they do not release their players for Tuesday's friendly against Ghana. Newcastle manager Glenn Roeder says Obafemi Martins is tired while Chelsea say Mikel Jon Obi has a thigh injury. But Nigeria Football Association (NFA) vice-chairman Amanze Uchegbulam told BBC Sport: "This is a friendly on a Fifa approved date. "Therefore we have the rights to our players on Tuesday." Oba has already played nearly 30 games for us Newcastle boss Glenn Roeder Uchegbulam has made it clear that the Nigerian FA will report both clubs if they do not release their respective players. "The excuse being given is that the players are injured," added Uchegbulam. "Even if that is the case Fifa regulations say that the players should report to their national team for assessment by the national team doctors. "Until our medical team declare any player unfit we insist that we will report any club that fails to release our players. "We think it is unfair to Nigeria and in the interest of the good relationship we have with these clubs our players should be released immediately." Experience says Mikel has a little muscular problem and for the next 15 days, he is out of competition Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho Newcastle were hoping to persuade Martins to put club before country as they face Liverpool in the Premiership on Saturday. Roeder is asking his 10-goal leading scorer not to play knowing an injury could severely affect his club. "It is only a friendly and Nigeria cannot insist on Oba playing, and because he has had so much football this season, I will be asking him not to play against Ghana," Roeder said last week. "He has already played nearly 30 games for us - he has probably played more matches this season than at any time in his career. "He is a great lad and I am sure he will understand the situation because we are a bit thin on the ground for strikers and we do not want the risk of losing him." Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho said Mikel picked up an injury in the 1-0 win over Charlton. "A young kid of 19, playing five consecutive matches, running 12 kilometres a game, of course the boy is a little tired and he felt a little pain," said Mourinho. "We have to scan it, but experience says he has a little muscular problem and for the next 15 days, he is out of competition." The friendly takes place at Brentford's Griffin Park ground in London.

I must be lucky then as I have had mine over two and a half years, not had one problem with it and use it on a daily basis.

http://www.myspace.com/cheyne_toon

Woodgate and Campbell...

TRANSFER RUMOURS Thierry Henry will be allowed to leave Arsenal in the summer, with Real Madrid or Barcelona likely to pay £25m for his signature. (Sunday Express, Daily Star) Cristiano Ronaldo's future at Manchester United is even more uncertain after Barcelona joined Real Madrid in the hunt for the winger. (News of the World) Ronaldo met Madrid officials in a chance meeting during his mid-season break in Dubai. (Sunday Mirror) Rafa Benitez will be given a transfer fund of between £100m and £150m when Americans George Gillett and Tom Hicks take over the club. (Various) Barcelona and Real Madrid are on alert after learning Frank Lampard's contract talks have been delayed. (The People) Portsmouth want Real Madrid defender Jonathan Woodgate. (News of the World) Gabriel Heinze is poised to quit Manchester United this summer to join Italian side Juventus in a £5m deal. (News of the World) Arsenal are chasing teenage Czech defender Ondrej Mazuch, who plays for FC Brno. (News of the World) The Gunners have pipped Liverpool to sign France Under-16 prodigy Gilles Sunu from Chateauroux (Daily Star) Barcelona boss Frank Rijkaard has asked the club's fans to lay-off Ronaldinho, who has yet to sign a new contract. (Daily Star) OTHER GOSSIP Sheikh Mohammed will make a £450m takeover move for Arsenal after his Dubai International Capital group pulled out of negotiations for Liverpool this week. (The People) Jerzy Dudek has rejected a new contract at Liverpool. (News of the World) Former Middlesbrough defender Danny Mills says he can understand ex-team-mate Massimo Maccarone's "two-faced" jibe about England boss Steve McClaren. (Independent) Some of West Ham's relegation rivals want the club deducted points if it is found they broke rules in fielding Argentine pair Javier Mascherano and Carlos Tevez. (The Mail on Sunday) Joey Barton has made his peace with England colleagues Steven Gerrard and Wayne Rooney but is yet to have showdown talks with Frank Lampard. (People) AND FINALLY... Liverpool sent someone on a top-secret scouting mission to Barcelona ahead of their Champions League last-16 tie, but there's a chance their agent was spotted. The person in question was 6ft 7in striker Peter Crouch. "I had never played there and I had never been to the stadium so we decided to make a visit," he said. (Daily Star on Sunday)

Of all his achievements in the last year, Glenn Roeder rates rescuing Kieron Dyer's career at the very top. Dyer's recall to the England squad for this week's friendly against Spain has capped the Newcastle star's return from a two-year injury hell . . . And a return from the brink, Roeder believes. For the seeds of Dyer's revival were sown in a heart-to-heart with his then new club boss almost exactly 12 months ago. "It would have been a year to the day on Friday gone that I called Kieron into my office," reflects Roeder. "The first thing I said to him was: `I'm only worried about one thing: Kieron Dyer. Newcastle United can look after itself. I'm only worried about Kieron Dyer being fit.' "From then on, I think he's trusted me." And Roeder repaid that faith by finding the man with answers to Dyer's own questions over his footballing future. "It was getting to a situation where Kieron must have been thinking to himself: my career's touch and go," adds the Newcastle boss. "He never said that to me, but in his inner thoughts he must have been thinking that. "He couldn't have carried on playing one, two, three games and then being out for three months. He couldn't do that for his state of mind, let alone for a club who needed a player of his quality available every week. "I did get a run of games out of him last season, but he was still not the Kieron Dyer we knew after games. "He needed something, and we had tried everything else. So, having worked with John Green a long time at West Ham, I decided to discuss Kieron with him. We decided Kieron should give it a go with him for five months." The result is a Dyer who has conquered his demons - mental as well as physical. "He had been at the point where, whenever he played, he was expecting something to go wrong," adds Roeder. "But now we've got a Kieron Dyer who doesn't think before accelerating to full speed straight away. "A Kieron Dyer about whom Steve McClaren said to me recently: `I saw him at Tottenham and thought he was fantastic.' "It had also started to have an impact on Kieron psychologically. He was living in a world of negativity. "For any injured player to come in every day and see your mates training, being happy and enjoying themselves is soul destroying. But now he's the happiest man around the place. Mentally, he has come back to life. "And I know, if you were to ask him, he would appreciate my trust in him and what I said to him in the beginning." Now, Roeder is backing Dyer's "unique" talent to stake his claim to a regular England starting place. "There's not another example of a player like Kieron - who can carry the ball so quickly from the halfway line to the penalty box - in this country. "He offers England something different. He has genuine pace but he also drives at the heart of the opposition. He's not one of those dribblers that goes round in circles. "He's got a directness when he carries the ball which is exciting to watch and very uncomfortable to play against."

I know its easy to say now but im sure at the time I said he would probably go and score a few goals and become the new Bellamy in terms of OMG HE IZ WORLD CLASS, DA BEST STRIKER WE HAVE EVA HAD OMG WHY DID HE GO!!!!!1111111!!! I do not see many saying that or was that the point of the thread tbh..

Back in April 2003 we had 1980 registered users, makes you wonder how much more it would have grown if the database didn't fuck up a couple of times.

As well as not getting an opportunity of a run of games, I think we also left him rotting in the reserves for far to long instead of involving in the first team squads training from an earlier age.

I see once again he has scored. I know most on here automatically say "he was shite", "not good enough", "Championship is his level" however I find it interesting that many call for the signing of the likes of Nugent and even to the extent of figures 4-6 million but having seen a fair bit of Chopra this season he is doing as much, if not more, than any striker at that level. Good luck to the boy, it would have been interesting to have seen how his career could have turned out had he got his chance with the first team at the same time as Shola.

Are we there yet?

Cheers dude...

Are we there yet?

I received a call last night to say I would def be getting offered a permanent contract with my work. With us being a registered charity it had to be put forward to the board who are wanting to offer me a position. I have still to talk salary though.. so will wait and see how that goes..

Can't be that bad, you don't do anything but post on here.

8 months in my current job.

Cheers

Does anyone know where I may find a free Avant Garde Font? Cheers

A bullish Freddie Shepherd defended Newcastle United's purchasing policy last night and insisted the club's new-found selectiveness in the transfer market bodes well for a brighter future at St James's Park. And the United chairman has praised Glenn Roeder for sticking to his principles and refusing to panic when it became clear that he could not attract his leading targets to the North-East. Roeder will mark 12 months in charge of the club's first-team fortunes this morning but, having taken a long-term approach to the job, the 51-year-old still has much work to do as he strives to deliver success to Tyneside. Although his failure to make a single permanent signing during the January transfer window has filled some supporters with unease, Roeder is adamant he is working from a blueprint that will end decades of black-and-white underachievement. And Shepherd last night gave his manager his backing as he insisted that the difficult decisions taken last month were in the best interests of a club with a chequered recent record in the transfer market. "Let's make one thing very clear - if the players Glenn wanted to bring in had been available, we would have gone out and bought them," said Shepherd, who was handed a list of New Year targets that included the likes of Anton Ferdinand, Peter Crouch and Curtis Davies. "The reason Newcastle didn't sign anyone on a permanent basis during January is simple. Clubs didn't want to release the players we had identified and, however much you might want to buy someone, you can't force a club to sell. "We were not prepared to go for second best, acting in haste and repenting at leisure. Glenn has proved he is nobody's fool in the transfer market. He could easily have panicked and downgraded his targets but he held his nerve and that's an admirable quality in a manager. Just remember what he has had to deal with this season - the worst injury list in Premier League history and that's official because we have checked it out. That makes his stance even more admirable. "He would rather not buy anyone than buy second best. Without wanting to go into too many details about the club's transfer policy, let's just say that we are looking to be much more selective in the future. We're hoping that by keeping our powder dry now, that policy pays dividends in the summer. "It's ridiculous to suggest that the club didn't back the manager in the transfer market. History proves that. We have spent £80m on players in the last few years and £16m this season." Roeder has long been determined not to repeat the kind of mistakes that has seen millions of pounds squandered on the likes of Jean-Alain Boumsong, Hugo Viana and Marcelino - players who failed to live up to their expensive price tags and who were sold on at huge losses. Having worked with Albert Luque, the United boss has seen at first hand that major investment does not guarantee success. Rather than gamble, Roeder decided to stick to his guns after insisting there are no short-term fixes in football. "You just cannot gamble on the players who have poor CVs and there were a lot of those around," he said. "You have to have a plan. It is when you work off the cuff every day that disasters happen and people who do that get what they deserve. "They say in business that the first two years are the toughest - just making sure the business stays up and running - and that you expect to see progress from your efforts, the fruits of your labours, in the third and fourth year. "I know that if I am allowed to do what I want to do over the next 18 months, we will come out of it with a better squad of players that has a better value in the transfer market." Roeder did make one move in the transfer market last month - signing American defender Oguchi Onyewu on loan from Standard Liege for the remainder of the season. The 24-year-old could make his debut at Fulham tomorrow and, should he impress over the coming months, Newcastle have negotiated an option to secure his services on a permanent basis from the Belgian club. "We're happy that that piece of business was done," added Shepherd. "We all have high hopes for Gooch. He is built like a tank, he has all the qualities you look for in a centre-half and we're confident he can carve out a successful career here."

He might have drawn a blank during the transfer window but Glenn Roeder is adamant he knows what he is doing, as Paul Gilder reports. It was 1988 and, in the Stade Louis II dressing room, eyebrows were raised when Monaco's players were introduced to an incoming team-mate of whom none had ever previously heard. The latest addition to Arsene Wenger's squad was George Weah, a little-known Liberian who, having been plucked from relative obscurity in Yaounde, would go on to become African football's greatest-ever player. It is a tale that was this week recounted by a wistful Glenn Roeder, a manager who loves an anecdote with which to add colour to conversation. The story of how Weah was first introduced to European football is among his favourites. "Glenn Hoddle told me about it," said the Newcastle boss, as he outlined his admiration for Wenger, the Premiership peer whose achievements he most aspires to emulate. "Glenn says Weah came into the dressing room and no one had ever seen him before but, within 20 minutes, everyone was saying `Who's this, boss?' "There's no doubt that one of the managers I admire the most is Arsene and, if I had a blueprint of how to be a manager, a copy of Arsene's would be mine." Studious in all he does, Wenger is known as `The Professor' in certain circles and it is the Frenchman's attention to detail that most impresses his biggest admirer. It is a trait that has brought Arsenal great success in the transfer market in recent times, something Roeder is determined to replicate at St James's Park, despite his inactivity during the January window. "You can just reel off name after name after name from the list of players Arsene has brought to the clubs he has managed," said a manager who refused to seek an immediate fix last month having taken a long-term approach in his quest to bring success to St James's Park. "All these players have come to his clubs, no-one knows much about them and, within 18 months, they are household names. I don't have his contacts book but you can emulate the policy of looking at younger players who you think have improvement in them if they come to a club like Newcastle, players who, at the worst, can hold their value in the transfer market." From Marcelino to Hugo Viana, and Jean-Alain Boumsong to Albert Luque, vast sums have been spent at St James's Park in recent years and following familiar footballing failures, monies have not been recouped and success not encountered. It is a trend Roeder, who was appointed a year ago today, is determined to buck and, although there have been some obvious temptations in recent weeks, he refused to recruit those about whom he had doubts having seen his first-choice targets evade his advances. "There has got to be some sort of business head put on here," said a manager whose ultimate aim is to develop a system that will enable him to discover the Weahs of the world before anyone else. "There has to be some constructive thinking outside the short-term of `Well, he'll do OK for 12 months and then be worth nothing'. I'm working towards building a team - a Newcastle United first XI in which every player has a value in the transfer market. That's not to say we are looking to sell, but your players have to have value and you can't have a team half full of free transfers." Roeder's critics would say that any transfers would be welcome. But a manager who did not make a single permanent signing during the January window remains adamant his strategy is in the club's best interests. "I think the supporters have been very good about it," said Roeder. "They understand the policy I'm trying to put into place. I don't mind being criticised if I know in my own mind that I have done all my research and got all the boxes ticked, that's life. DVDs have been sent to me from all over the world but you just cannot gamble on players who have poor CVs and there were a lot of those around last month. There were four or five players I wanted to sign during the transfer window whose clubs didn't want to sell." Having failed to sign the likes of Peter Crouch, Curtis Davies, Darren Bent and Anton Ferdinand, Roeder refused to settle for lesser targets. He said: "If you spend that money, then come the summer it's gone and you will be thinking `If I can get target A (one of the original names on the wanted list), the lad I have just signed on a three-and-a-half year contract will only be a squad player. "We haven't been able to prise those players away from their clubs but that doesn't mean we won't be back in for them in the summer when we will have three months to purchase them. January is a bad window, it has been a difficult month for everyone." Roeder is determined to stress that a lack of activity is indicative of a poor market rather than the shortage of effort that some have perceived. Those in the highest demand have stayed put and, as Freddie Shepherd insisted last night, second best was never an option. It has been a long time since Newcastle made a profit on a player, but Roeder has long been determined to end years of throwing good money after bad in the vain pursuit of success. Careful planning is the key to his blueprint but one thing is clear: if he is to succeed he will require time, and Newcastle is not a club renowned for patience. "They say in business that the first two years are the toughest - just making sure the business stays up and running - and that you expect to see progress from your efforts, the fruits of your labours, in the third and fourth year. "Arsene is saying that it has taken him five years to put together the team he has at the moment. This is a results-driven business, I understand that, I want it to be like that and I wouldn't hide from that. But I want to be able to do it my way. "You have got to have a plan because if you work off the cuff every day, that's when disasters happen. People who work off the cuff deserve what they end up getting."

TRANSFER RUMOURS Carlos Tevez insists he is not upset by the departure of his Argentine team-mate Javier Mascherano to Liverpool. (The Sun) Meanwhile, Mascherano has admitted he "dropped a clanger" by joining West Ham from Corinthians. (The Sun) New West Ham signing Matthew Upson has criticised former boss Steve Bruce following his departure from Birmingham. (Various) New Celtic signing Paul Hartley has admitted he will become number one enemy among the Ibrox faithful after turning down a move to Rangers. (Daily Record) Portsmouth boss Harry Redknapp has praised Andy Cole's decision not to move on transfer deadline day. (Daily Express) OTHER GOSSIP Former Middlesbrough striker Massimo Maccarone has launched a blistering attack on England coach Steve McClaren, labelling his ex-boss "two-faced" and "false". (Various) Maccarone also said that "only in England could a man with such obvious and limited abilities be made into the national coach". (Various) McClaren is agonising over whether to include outspoken Joey Barton in Friday's England squad to play Spain - Barton previously criticised England internationals for their high-profile autobiographies following the World Cup. (Various) George Gillett's £470m takeover of Liverpool could go through early next week. (Various) Meanwhile, Liverpool chief executive Rick Parry has claimed bully-boy tactics from the Dubai International Consortium was behind the collapse of their rival takeover bid. (The Sun) But sources close to DIC claim the Dubai Royal family pulled out of the deal because of the way the Liverpool board acted during negotiations. (Daily Mirror) Prospective new Liverpool owner George Gillett has a bankruptcy on his CV from 1992 following the $1bn collapse of his business empire. (The Independent) West Ham chairman Eggert Magnusson has admitted for the first time that the club could go down. (Various) The Premier League is probing Javier Mascherano's registration after the Argentine's move from West Ham to Liverpool - and the Hammers could be docked points if irregularities are found. (Daily Express) Meanwhile, the Premier League will also probe Manuel Fernandes' move to Portsmouth to check the registration is all in order. (Daily Mail) Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho has told the Chelsea boo boys to lay off Michael Ballack. (Various) Fans of FC Kaunas in Lithuania are revolting because they are fed up with being a feeder club for Hearts. (Daily Record) Chris Sutton is suffering from an eye problem similar to that which sidelined Paul Scholes - and the Aston Villa striker could be out for the season. (Various) Manchester United striker Henrik Larsson claims that Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo could become the best attacking partnership in the world. (Various) Rangers striker Dado Prso will find out on Tuesday whether his dodgy knee will force him to hang up his boots. (Daily Record) Bolton are ripping up their sub-standard pitch in a bid to boost their chances of progressing in Europe. (Daily Mirror) The Premiership has been told that some of its £625m overseas TV rights bonanza should be used to cut ticket prices. (Daily Mirror) Sheffield United boss Neil Warnock has lectured new signing Jon Stead about diving in the area after the striker took a tumble in the area during a midweek match. (Various) AND FINALLY... England's footballer's WAGs are among the intended market for a new computer mouse designed in Switzerland. The device - which is studded with 59 diamonds - costs a mere £13,000. (The Sun) Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich has moored his 282ft super yacht at swanky Sandbanks peninsula in Poole, Dorset. (Daily Star)