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(lack of) optimism ahead of the new season


Dr Gloom
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with duff, barton and owen all injured just three weeks before our trip to bolton, dyer possibly off to west ham and no top class players incoming, suddenly i'm not at all looking forward to the new season.

 

it would be nice if we started the season well for once. a typical newcastle start sets the tone for another season of underachivement. we need at least three first team players signed before the start of the season - we don't want to leave it until the last miniyte like we did in the shepherd days by spending way over the odds on someone like luque or having to panic buy another sibierksi.

 

the takeover optimism seems to be draining. does anyone fancy our chances for the season ahead under big sam and big mike, or is another season of mediocrity and 'consolidation' beckoning?

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with duff, barton and owen all injured just three weeks before our trip to bolton, dyer possibly off to west ham and no top class players incoming, suddenly i'm not at all looking forward to the new season.

 

it would be nice if we started the season well for once. a typical newcastle start sets the tone for another season of underachivement. we need at least three first team players signed before the start of the season - we don't want to leave it until the last miniyte like we did in the shepherd days by spending way over the odds on someone like luque or having to panic buy another sibierksi.

 

the takeover optimism seems to be draining. does anyone fancy our chances for the season ahead under big sam and big mike, or is another season of mediocrity and 'consolidation' beckoning?

 

I agree with you, as things stand with Taylor and Babayaro out injured we could easily be starting the season with Carr, Rozenhal, Ramage and N'Zogbia as our back 4.

 

We need players in, urgently.

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Defintiely need some defenders in asap, and i would have thought it wise to go and steal Baines from the mackems unless we very definitely have somebody else lined up.

 

And if Dyer is going to leave then we need another player in to replace him, so we have to get moving!

 

Throw in the injuries and the edge is taken off the previous optimisim, but i'm still far, far happier than i was before.

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I think we need to get spending sharpish ! a weak squad is now looking weaker, the defensive problems still have yet to be sorted, and Barton's injury and Dyer's apparent exit on the cards we need strengthening in midfield too, Martins will be off to the African cup of nations for a month, so you could argue the case for another forward.

 

Get your wallet out Mr Ashley !

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Two weeks ago I was still looking foward to the season, but with the recent injuries and none movement in the transfer market I am not.

 

I dont expect us to be challenging the top 5 (Chelsea, Man Poo, Liverpoo, Arsenal, Spurs IMO) but I think we should be challenging the rest of the guys up there, at least at SJP.

 

Without another 2 defenders as a minimum I cant see us doing that. We need to get the right players in now so they can have at least some pre-season with the squad.

 

I dont on the other hand want us to panic buy because the Toon Army are getting restless, its a fine edged sword, but with Big Sam at the helm, surley we should be making some noises?

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We had a weak squad last season.

 

We've got rid of a lot of the dead wood, but have struggled to replace them never mind build a stronger squad (maybe for reasons of the take over and maybe for some of the perennial issues NUFC have to deal with).

 

 

 

Now we've had the usual injury curse and now Dyer looks to have done the ONLY thing he's ever done consistently for Newcastle which is let us down. :lol:

 

Could do with at least 4 new good signing and still an exceptional creative midfield playmaking signing..... but I dunno if we're going to get it, even if this "war chest" stuff is true.

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I suppose one thing to remember is on top of the signings, we also have Owen and Ameobi as basically new players as they didn't really feature last year and also Zog might as well not have played last season so he could be like another new player. And if Big Sam works his magic with Luque that's another potential new player we didn't really see last year.

 

None of that really helps the defence though!

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I suppose one thing to remember is on top of the signings, we also have Owen and Ameobi as basically new players as they didn't really feature last year and also Zog might as well not have played last season so he could be like another new player. And if Big Sam works his magic with Luque that's another potential new player we didn't really see last year.

 

None of that really helps the defence though!

 

Or the midfield, unless Luque plays wide left.

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Personaly I cant see this is Sams doing, He knows our defence is shit and we will be light in midfield. Serious issues need to be adressed and with only three weeks before KO and Barton out, Owen injured and Dyer off its definately a cause for conern. My optimism for the new season is on the waine

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It seems obvious from what Sam has been saying that we've missed out on a few because of the takeover, because of deals that couldn't be taken through to a conclusion and maybe the odd rejection. The Marseille player turned down singing for us as we know and we lost Haim to Chelski which ws annoying. Also it was ina the papers today, can't remember where possibly the chronicle that another CB had turned us down over the last day or two.

 

I suspect Big Sam is working his arse off trying to get the players in, but not having any luck so far and we really need them. As an absolute minimum we have to get a LB and CB in an thats far from all that's needed.

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What pisses me off most is that I think we've got a decent squad, it's just our defence is awful.

 

A few players could really see us turn around this season, at the same time if they don't come in I can see us struggling again.

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It seems obvious from what Sam has been saying that we've missed out on a few because of the takeover, because of deals that couldn't be taken through to a conclusion and maybe the odd rejection. The Marseille player turned down singing for us as we know and we lost Haim to Chelski which ws annoying. Also it was ina the papers today, can't remember where possibly the chronicle that another CB had turned us down over the last day or two.

 

I suspect Big Sam is working his arse off trying to get the players in, but not having any luck so far and we really need them. As an absolute minimum we have to get a LB and CB in an thats far from all that's needed.

 

How many players do you think we need in, Papa?

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I don't think it's through any lack of effort from Allardyce that we don't have signings in. He sounds as frustrated as the rest of us, and if anyone saw that thread on NO where the Austrian lads checked into the same hotel as the team during our pre-season training camp, the bloke was apparently NEVER off the phone (certainly pretty much every photo they have of him - and they had lots! - he had his phone perma-clamped to his ear).

 

Not that any of that means much though - you get credit when the players come through the door, not for the effort in failing to sign them. But I still think stuff will happen in the next couple of weeks to assuage our fears a bit. I don't think there's any doubt from Allardyce's comments though that things haven't gone to plan. I was gonna say "but when do they ever go to plan at NUFC?" but hopefully those days are being put behind us.

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It is disapointing after such a good June, July has made our preseason look like it's going to shite.

I've no doubt we are working behind the scenes to bring players in but unless we have some success on that front we are clearly going to struggle this season.

Quantity wise we have less in than we had last year when we were short and we still don't really have any fullbacks that are worth the name.

If we went into the season with the squad we have at present we would be two fullbacks, at least one central defender, and a creative midfielder short from being able to have realistic ambitions of getting back in Europe this year.

Hopefully most of these players will come in in the next couple of weeks, if not it could be a long hard season, the only upside being we now at least have a propper manager who we can expect to be able to get more out of the players that the last two idiots managed.

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It is a concern after such a good start. I also find the comments about making Zog a LB a worry. To me it sounds more like conceding defeat in the market for a new LB and using him as a makeshift. I'd watch with interest the coming friendlies to see if he plays Zog there and if so how he copes against better opposition.

 

As mentioned, we now have a smaller squad than last season and really must get in some players before the window closes. We need a couple to firmly have a place in the first 11 and a couple more to fight for it / give depth.

 

The Dyer thing needs sorting and fair enough let him go, but thats another body that would need replacing. I wonder if we would go for SWP and give him the centre role alongside Barton (when fit) to replace Dyer.

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I also find the comments about making Zog a LB a worry. To me it sounds more like conceding defeat in the market for a new LB and using him as a makeshift. I'd watch with interest the coming friendlies to see if he plays Zog there and if so how he copes against better opposition.

 

I dunno, Allardyce did mention that he would probably be caught out by PL opposition, I reckon he was just trying it out to see what his options were during the season and if he could play there as a make shift LB.

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