Scottish Mag

Having played his cards close to his chest all summer, Glenn Roeder admits the time is nigh to take a major transfer gamble. The Newcastle boss has seen no return on months spent meticulously scouting a series of striker targets. And the seriousness of the situation means he may now have to take a punt on a relative unknown. Thus, Roeder will shop abroad - with Nigerian star Obafemi Martins top of his hit-list - or even in the lower reaches of our game for a man capable of bearing United's goalscoring burden. "I suppose it has to be said that we are probably going to take a striker that I haven't been able to do the in-depth research on that I like to do," says Roeder. And the Magpies manager himself points out the potential peril in that. "If a player comes in and within two or three months you're thinking: `I don't really want him', he's here for another two years. Clubs are full of them. "But I'm looking at everything - every possibility. I'm not prejudiced against anybody. I do good footballers, not nationalities." Loan deals, as well as a big-money bid for Martins and potential moves for the likes of Russian international Alexander Kerzhakov, are on Roeder's radar. All of which adds up to him taking a bigger risk than he had planned when he began his striker search? "Yes, possibly, you have to say that." But Roeder insists he could not work any harder to minimise that risk. "This is the toughest part of the job. I could waste money like anyone else. We can all waste money just to satisfy the desire to bring in four or five players. "Last week, I spent six consecutive days on an aeroplane. I'm not looking for brownie points or pats on the back, because I haven't found players that we want to sign. "But we can't do any more at the moment. Physically, we can't do any more." That will not ease the frustration of fans who have barely been able to contemplate going into the new season with one fit out-and-out striker. Yet Roeder adds: "Can you imagine how much more frustrated they would feel a month after signing three or four players that are of no use to us?"

Get well soon Old Yin..

http://business.timesonline.co.uk/article/...2320235,00.html

Thats what Jim White said, now which Belgravia Group it actually is no fooker knows, there are loads of them...

Bolton 1 Spurs 0

Glenn Roeder has turned down an approach from Wolves for Newcastle United's flying Irish left winger Alan O'Brien. And Leeds United got a similar response when former United first team coach John Carver, now No 2 at Elland Road, asked about fellow midfielder Mattie Pattison. Wolves new boss Mick McCarthy, of course, knows all about O'Brien after his spell in charge of the Republic of Ireland team. Roeder himself was in Dublin on Wednesday night when the 21-year-old O'Brien, came on for the second half against Holland to make his senior international debut. And Roeder told me before today's game with Wigan Athletic at St James' Park: "Wolves and Leeds have come in for O'Brien and Pattison, but they are staying with us. "We are looking for players, not looking to get rid of them and the time is not right to let O'Brien and Pattison to go, even if it meant they gained some experience of playing regular first-team football." The 19-year-old Pattison. who has South African links, has already shown what he can do with a couple of starts in the Premier League at the end of last season. And while O'Brien has yet to start a competitive senior game for United, he has five substitute appearances to his name and his full debut cannot be far away as he has something that is lacking in the United set-up at the moment, and that's pace. Roeder adds: "Alan O'Brien is probably the quickest player I've ever worked with, especially from a standing start. "He's like greased lightning and we need to keep him with us. Obviously, at this stage of his career he still has a lot to learn and he's a bit like a sponge trying to soak everything up. "It was nice for me to be in Dublin on Wednesday night for his senior international debut."

Glenn Roeder has added two of his former West Ham United scouts to his Newcastle United team at St James' Park. And bearing in mind all the top youngsters who have come through the ranks at Upton Park, the acquisition of Ted Pearce and Dave Goodwin has got to be good news for United. Goodwin is the scout who is always credited for spotting Rio Ferdinand and getting him to join West Ham. Roeder says: "Ted, who is a former chief scout at West Ham, has a wealth of experience and he was good enough to turn Farnborough Town from a park team into a Conference side. "Dave has been responsible for a lot of good young players arriving at West Ham and we are delighted to have signed the pair of them up. "Don't forget, apart from looking for good young players, most of the Premiership teams are in the South and Ted and Dave will be a big help to us vetting them." As far as scouting goes, Roeder has already improved things from the previous regime, although he was happy to retain the services of his chief scout, David Mills. But Roeder still insists on getting his money's worth from his coaching staff, who have been seconded to help out with the scouting. For while Roeder was at Dublin on Wednesday night watching the Republic of Ireland hammered by Holland, his number two, Kevin Bond, was dispatched to run the rule over Germany's match with Sweden. And both Terry McDermott and Lee Clark watched an England team without any United players give Greece a 4-0 beating at Old Trafford.

I got it too on a different thread..

Exactly, Birmingham paying 4 million for McSheffrey done us no favours at all. Nugent is better IMO and leaves Preston in a position to demand quite a bit more than what the Brummies paid..

This is the coolest fooking thing! I hope he continues to update and make it a larger update

Well they should have money now, so hopefully they will buy rather than loan..

Awesome, I am going to download it

Chelsea are poised to sign Dutch international defender Khalid Boulahrouz after agreeing a deal with German club Hamburg SV. Boulahrouz, 24, is due to travel to London at the weekend to discuss personal terms and undergo a medical. Nicknamed "Khalid the Cannibal", Boulahrouz joined Hamburg from RKC Waalwijk in the summer of 2004. Capped 15 times by Holland, Boulahrouz has become a key member of Dutch coach Marco van Basten' side. The defender impressed during the World Cup, though he was red-carded in Holland's defeat to Portugal in the last 16 stage. Boulahrouz's arrival is unlikely to affect Chelsea's pursuit of Cole as the Dutch player plays on the right side of the defence.

I have still to pick my team...

Plenty of time to go to the bank then...

FORMER Magpies ace Rob Lee will be back at St. James' Park on Saturday as the Half Time Hero for the opening game of the season against Wigan Athletic. Rob spent a decade on Tyneside after moving from Charlton Athletic in 1992, and was described by Kevin Keegan as "pound for pound my best ever signing". The classy midfielder made a total of 369 appearances for the club, netting 56 goals, and picked up 21 caps for England. Rob, who turned 40 in February, was a regular for Wycombe Wanderers last season and also turned out in the black and white shirt when he made a guest apperance in Alan Shearer's Testimonial game. Lee was a popular figure on Tyneside, and is certain to get an impressive reception when he emerges from the tunnel on Saturday.

I cannot believe he passed up on the opportunity to ad Lee "Local boy, living legend, geordie god" Clark to that list..

By Alan Oliver, The Evening Chronicle Nicky Butt, jeered on to the field by some Newcastle United fans in his last appearance at St James' Park, will be the key player in tomorrow's Premiership opener with Wigan Athletic. United will start a Premiership season for the first time without a No 9 and definitely short of out-and-out strikers. That is why Roeder will be looking to his central midfield men Scott Parker and Emre (below) to go forward - and they will be able to do so knowing Butt will play the holding role he performed so well in his days with Manchester United and England. Roeder, quite naturally, does not want to name his team, but I would be surprised if, after Irish trio Shay Given, Damien Duff and Stephen Carr safely came through fitness tests, it differed much from the one which beat FK Ventspils in Latvia in the UEFA Cup a week ago yesterday. The United boss admitted today: "It would be very hard not to pick Nicky Butt after the way he has performed in our pre-season games. "We all know he scored twice in his last game at St James' Park against Villarreal but it was not just his goals but the way he played which impressed. "No-one must forget the heights Nicky has reached in football and what he has won. "I must say I have found him just as easy to work with as I did when I was one of England's coaches under Glenn Hoddle and he was a key England player. "He wants to win even in training and that is the sort of attitude we want from our players this season. "In our last game in Riga, Nicky gave Scottie Parker and Emre the confidence to go forward - and that is what I am looking for tomorrow." The 31-year-old Butt will play his first Premiership game for United since the defeat at Norwich at the end of the 2004-5 season. He will start his first league game at St James' Park since the infamous match in the same season against Aston Villa, when United had Kieron Dyer, Lee Bowyer and Steven Taylor sent off on what was one of the darkest days in the club's history. Tomorrow, though, is the start of yet another new era under Roeder - and without Alan Shearer - and it is up to players like Butt to ensure it is not a false dawn.

Glenn Roeder has pledged that Newcastle United's never-ending search for a new striker will go on , (writes Alan Oliver). Certainly the United boss did not seem too disappointed at missing out on the signing of Dirk Kuyt from Feyenoord, especially as Liverpool are having to pay £11m for the Dutch striker. And what will not be lost on a lot of fans is how Kuyt, who never looked like scoring for Holland in the World Cup, has gone for £11m while there seems to have been very little interest in Miroslav Klose - the competition's leading scorer. Klose was at it again on Wednesday night when he scored twice for Germany against Sweden, and it would not surprise me in the least if United were not represented at the game. And at £7m, the Werder Bremen striker would not be a bad buy. Roeder is not prepared to talk about names as far as strikers are concerned, but he broke off his preparations for tomorrow's match with Wigan Athletic to tell me: "As far as a new striker is concerned our search goes on, and I will say that we are travelling to all parts of the world in that search, following up our leads. "We do have other targets in our sights, but obviously new strikers are a priority and, after another meeting with the chairman yesterday, I know he is fully supporting our efforts. "What I will also say is that if we do land all our transfer targets then we will be in a very healthy position indeed." The Chronicle's revelation that Roeder had tried to go to Moscow on Wednesday night, but was unable to obtain a visa, has seen United linked with several Russian strikers today, including Zenit St Petersburg's Alexander Kerzhakov (below), but United will not be going down this line. My own feeling is that United will bring in three - and possibly four - new faces by the time the transfer window closes in just 13 days' time - hence the lack of a team photo so far this summer. And it must not be forgotten that between the start of last season and August 31 United spent £27m on two strikers in Michael Owen and Albert Luque, and brought back Nobby Solano. And all that after having signed Emre and Scott Parker in the close season.

GLENN Roeder is targeting a top six finish and a trophy in the new season - and is hoping his players will thrive on the pressure of giving him what he wants. Roeder spoke to Newcastle World TV on the eve of the new season, and after a masterminding a run which lifted the Magpies into seventh spot last time around, he wants a higher finish in the new campaign. Roeder said: "I think you have to put yourself under pressure. "The best players perform at their best when they are under pressure. "There is a great feeling of excitement when you walk down that tunnel and onto the pitch. It's a stage, if you like, a big stage for the players to perform on. "There will be 52,000 supporters there expecting good results, winning results, and rightly so. "Our target for the season is clearly to improve on last year's seventh-placed finish. "We want to improve on the 58 points we collected, and if we have some luck in the draws then I really, really want to make a sustained effort to bring that elusive piece of silverware back to St. James' Park. "We are in three cup competitions, and that is enough for anybody to be playing in. "We will make sure that when those cup games come around that we are in the right frame of mind to get into the hat for the next round. "There are teams that are not as big as Newcastle who have won silverware in the last 50 years. "That is frustrating for me, and it must be really frustrating for our supporters. "They crave it, and they are right to crave a piece of silverware - they certainly deserve it. "But it is the players who make it happen, so winning a trophy - and improving in the league - is the goal for the new season."

TRANSFER RUMOURS Bayern Munich midfielder Owen Hargreaves' move to Manchester United looks closer as he is photographed with an official from the English club. (The Sun) Ashley Cole is likely to start the season with Arsenal as there is no sign of Chelsea meeting the north Londoners' valuation of £25m. (The Independent) However, manager Arsene Wenger could leave Cole out the squad to take on Aston Villa on Saturday to prevent the left-back receiving a hostile reception from the club's fans. (The Sun, Daily Mirror) Tottenham could go for Fulham's Luis Boa Morte if a £8m swoop for Atletico Madrid's Martin Petrov fails. (Daily Mirror) Sunderland are in talks for Celtic midfielder Didier Agathe. (The Sun) Real Madrid have cooled on a move for Jose Reyes because Arsenal are asking for £16.5m. (The Sun) Newcastle are chasing £6m-rated Zenit St Petersburg striker Alexander Kerzhakov.( Daily Mirror, Daily Mail) Marcos Senna is ready to commit to Villareal after Manchester United's interest turned to Owen Hargreaves. (The Independent) Wolves have failed in their bid to sign Lee Carsley from Everton. (Daily Star) Scotland and England are aiming to secure the international services of Manchester United defender Phil Bardsley, who is qualified to play for both countries. (Daily Record) Bolton boss Sam Allardyce is after PSV striker Jan Venegoor of Hesselink. (The Sun) Ghana and Udinese midfielder Sulley Muntari is wanted by Portsmouth for £9m. (Daily Mirror) Hearts want to sign Lithuanian midfielder Andrius Bartkus from FK Atlantas. (Daily Record) OTHER GOSSIP Chelsea want the FA to boot former chairman Ken Bates out of football for alleged racism. (Various) FUNNIES Owen Hargreaves must be on the way to Old Trafford as the same security guard that escorted Michael Carrick to Manchester United last month is pictured in the Sun doing the same with the Bayern Munich midfielder.

Thats quite a range...

nivvor had the benefits of a Classical education then? 179863[/snapback] Only Plato and his chums last year, can't remember any of it. 180078[/snapback] Micky, Donald and Goofy?

The Premier League has asked players, managers and referees to end the custom of the ball being kicked out of play when a player goes down injured. Decisions on whether a break in play is necessary for treatment to be received will now be taken by the referee. "There was a general feeling that this player-led convention had gone too far," Premier League spokesman Dan Johnson told BBC Sport. But the Football League told BBC Sport it had no plans to make changes. The custom has gradually established itself in football over the years, but has never been formalised in the rules. But the feeling that this "gentlemen's agreement" was being taken advantage of has become widespread, with frequent breaks in play at the 2006 World Cup cited as the most high-profile abuse. Managers and players complained of situations where the ball was kicked out for non-existent injuries in order to stop a team's attacking momentum. And the arbitrary nature of the convention has led to several flashpoints in recent years. Last season, Arsenal's crucial Premiership match against Tottenham was marred by scenes of managers Arsene Wenger and Martin Jol squaring up on the sidelines. Sheffield United's players walked off the pitch after the controversial goal Wenger was furious when Spurs did not put the ball out of play after Emmanuel Eboue and Gilberto Silva were injured in the build-up to Robbie Keane's goal. Another example of the misunderstanding the convention can produce is Marc Overmars' goal for Arsenal against Sheffield United in their 1999 FA Cup fifth-round tie. In that instance, the ball had been kicked out by United to allow their player Lee Morris to receive treatment. But instead of returning the ball to the Blades on resumption of play, Arsenal striker Kanu released Overmars to score. The incident led to the match being replayed, with the Football Association agreeing to the Gunners' offer to play the match again. WHY DID THE PREMIER LEAGUE WANT THIS CHANGE? Premier League spokesman Dan Johnson: "There were certain incidents - like the Martin Jol and Arsene Wenger flare-up last season - that made us think it was time to place the decision back in the hands of the referee. "Sometimes the demand for the ball to go immediately out - from both players and fans - was almost acting as an extra defender. "If there is a serious injury then the referee can, of course, take immediate action in the interests of player safety, but if it's a run-of-the-mill knock then play should go on. "It's never been part of the rules, so that makes it all the more important to get the League Managers' Association (LMA) and the Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) on board. "We need both organisations' support to communicate this to their members - and fans also need to be aware. "This will remove the pressure on players who are wondering at the back of their mind 'is he really injured?' "What people don't like to see is when an attack gets stopped because someone goes down grabbing their knee and then, a minute later, he's sprinting around and putting tackles in. "It's important for the integrity and honesty of the game, as well as the flow." WILL THE PFA CO-OPERATE? PFA chief executive Gordon Taylor: "I was at a meeting on Tuesday with the LMA and referees' representatives and lots of managers said they were confused and frustrated by the current state of affairs. "From that point of view, it's vital to establish some clarity so everyone knows exactly what the situation is. "If the ball is kicked out then it should be a normal throw-in, and if the referee stops play, then when play restarts with a drop ball possession should return to the injured party. "Player safety has to be paramount. We don't want referees mucking about if there's any doubt - they can't take any chances because players can, for instance, swallow their tongue. "It's about striking a balance between common sense and player safety. "Some people have been rather cynical about this custom, and that is what we want to lose - but without losing the spirit of fair play." WHAT ABOUT THE FOOTBALL LEAGUE CLUBS? Football League spokesman John Nagle: "We will not be issuing any additional advice to referees, clubs or players regarding the issue of kicking the ball out of play at injury situations. "There is no evidence that this convention is being widely abused within the League. "We will, though, continue to monitor the situation." WHAT DO THE MANAGERS THINK? LMA deputy chairman Frank Clark: "We've had several meetings with managers from all divisions and there is a huge majority in favour of giving the decision to the referees. "It worked very well for a number of years, but you only had to watch certain matches at the World Cup to see it's being abused now. "Teams aren't giving the ball back in the spirit originally intended anymore and the whole thing's a mess. "It's not a rule change, but because it's a convention which is ingrained in the game here, we need everyone on the same wavelength. "To a certain extent, it's going to be a PR exercise, especially in terms of the fans. "We definitely think a change is the way forward." DOES THE FA HAVE A ROLE TO PLAY? FA spokesman Andrin Cooper: "There's obviously nothing in the laws of the game about it; it has just evolved over time. "Our view is that if the referees, clubs and managers agree on one clear approach, then we're fine with that. "If the participants affected - that is the players, managers and referees - agree, then it is absolutely down to them. "In terms of grassroots football, I think we need to see how things progress in the professional game before any firm decision is taken."