Summer Transfers 2013

[PaddockLad 14585]

There are twin narratives at St James’ Park this summer; one we can see (mostly) and one we cannot (which is probably just as well). On one side are the players of Newcastle United, the coaching staff, the administrators, the people who work in the ticket office and the club shop, who are doing their jobs in a manner which is more or less visual. On the other, there is Joe Kinnear and, behind him, Mike Ashley.

There are two clubs, either getting on with business as usual, or which is still to provide evidence it is doing anything very useful. Some players have left Tyneside – Steve Harper, Danny Simpson, James Perch – but Kinnear’s involvement here was minimal and until or unless the new director of football gives his blessing for a transfer in the opposite direction, Newcastle will be dysfunctional.

There is tension at the club, within and without. A concern, based on enough conversations to give it substance, is that the potential is there for a swift unravelling – in those circumstances, my life savings would go on Kinnear returning to the dug-out – and yet positivity could ease matters. A signing would not only provide Alan Pardew with help, it would allow people to exhale, to understand that wheels are still turning.

 

The same applies to something like Papiss Demba Cisse’s dispute with the club over their Wonga sponsorship. The two parties are talking, the Professional Footballers’ Association has expressed optimism that a compromise is at hand and while nobody will persuade me that Kinnear can be intrinsically involved in an issue which involves the complexity of ethics, contracts, religion, money and so on, resolution would be evidence of normality.

That is important. Really important. I’m directly aware of one transfer which is good to go in just about every sense but which is being held up because “the people above (Pardew) are the problem.” Deals are horrifically complicated these days, but it is heightened by a sense of limbo at Newcastle. Getting something “over the line,” to use Pardew’s parlance, would (could) release the logjam.

So, to the supporters who naturally want to know whether signings are imminent, the answer is yes, no and maybe. It cannot be anything else because, ultimately, they are the preserve of one man. Pardew is right when he says he is “pushing hard to get things done,” and right when he says “it is important now that the message we give out is strong.” That message is: get on with it, Joe. Hence the tension.

 

Time to release the tension at Newcastle, Joe

George CaulkinJuly 25 2013 10:07AM

There are twin narratives at St James’ Park this summer; one we can see (mostly) and one we cannot (which is probably just as well). On one side are the players of Newcastle United, the coaching staff, the administrators, the people who work in the ticket office and the club shop, who are doing their jobs in a manner which is more or less visual. On the other, there is Joe Kinnear and, behind him, Mike Ashley.

There are two clubs, either getting on with business as usual, or which is still to provide evidence it is doing anything very useful. Some players have left Tyneside – Steve Harper, Danny Simpson, James Perch – but Kinnear’s involvement here was minimal and until or unless the new director of football gives his blessing for a transfer in the opposite direction, Newcastle will be dysfunctional.

There is tension at the club, within and without. A concern, based on enough conversations to give it substance, is that the potential is there for a swift unravelling – in those circumstances, my life savings would go on Kinnear returning to the dug-out – and yet positivity could ease matters. A signing would not only provide Alan Pardew with help, it would allow people to exhale, to understand that wheels are still turning.

The same applies to something like Papiss Demba Cisse’s dispute with the club over their Wonga sponsorship. The two parties are talking, the Professional Footballers’ Association has expressed optimism that a compromise is at hand and while nobody will persuade me that Kinnear can be intrinsically involved in an issue which involves the complexity of ethics, contracts, religion, money and so on, resolution would be evidence of normality.

That is important. Really important. I’m directly aware of one transfer which is good to go in just about every sense but which is being held up because “the people above (Pardew) are the problem.” Deals are horrifically complicated these days, but it is heightened by a sense of limbo at Newcastle. Getting something “over the line,” to use Pardew’s parlance, would (could) release the logjam.

So, to the supporters who naturally want to know whether signings are imminent, the answer is yes, no and maybe. It cannot be anything else because, ultimately, they are the preserve of one man. Pardew is right when he says he is “pushing hard to get things done,” and right when he says “it is important now that the message we give out is strong.” That message is: get on with it, Joe. Hence the tension.

Anyway, this wasn’t supposed to be a column about Kinnear, but more of a reflection of a club in two parts. Until the season starts we cannot judge whether it is a mirage or not, but the feeling I had from four days in Portugal at their pre-season training base was that the playing part of Newcastle is focussing right down. Any bombast from last year is gone. They are stripped back to the sinew.

Steven Taylor stood by Braga’s training pitch, sweat streaming from him. In the past, the centre-half has been prone to the odd bit of bluster, but there was none of it here.

“Listen, the feeling everybody has got is that we just have to look at Manchester City and then take it from there,” he said. “That’s how we did it a couple of years ago, we looked at it from game to game. We let everyone say what they wanted and focused only on ourselves.

“Manchester City on that first Monday night is all we’re looking at, all we’re thinking about. That was one of our biggest problems last year; everyone was saying we need to be back in the top ten, we need to be back in Europe, we need to do this and that. We set ourselves high goals and it just didn’t happen. Even within the team, we were saying we were going to do this or that, but it doesn’t always work like that.

“This time, we’re making a conscious effort to narrow things down, concentrate on our work and let everything else take care of itself. Last season was a dent to our egos, there’s no getting away from it. Europe was a big factor in that. You’ve got to realise that we had a small squad for it, we had players playing and traveling and fatigue does come into it. I don’t think we were quite ready for it as a club. I don’t think we were as fit as we could have been for Europe if I’m being perfectly honest with you.

“It’s a whole new season now, the lads have come back in really good shape and we have to make sure we’re strong for the games in the Premier League, no matter who we play. The perfect example is a team like Bayern Munich – they’re right at the top of the pecking order for everything. They’re not only brilliant players, but they out-run everybody for the entirety of games. They look like machines. For 90 odd minutes they have players flying forward instead of just holding on to a 1-0 win and being a bit sluggish. Our main aim is to do the same in terms of trying to kill teams off.”

Footballers can find excuses, but they are closing their eyes to them. For now, at least. “It wouldn’t be Newcastle if there wasn’t something going on around the club,” Taylor said. “Every year we get the same thing. I’m sure outsiders love it because they can get amongst it, but we can only do what we’re here to do.

“If you allow yourself to get distracted by other stuff it can become an excuse for failure, so players have to put themselves in a bubble and concentrate on the things they can control and that’s fitness, hard work, training, matches. Nobody has complained once. Everyone gets on with their jobs and whatever happens upstairs doesn’t matter, because we’re the ones that have to do the talking on the pitch.”

A signing or two would not go amiss, but that was a bear trap which Taylor side-stepped. “That’s up to the people upstairs,” he said. “I’m just a player and I need to make sure I do my job, that I’m fit and ready for selection. That’s all I can do. Whatever happens, happens.” One half of Newcastle is stained by effort. The other? The wait continues.

[LoveTheBobby 1]

You could argue they(or at least HBA) left for a new challange as well though, HBA basically won every french trophey twice now and done it with 2 different clubs, he had 5 league titles under his belt by 24

I'm pretty sure he was quoted at the time "coming over to Newcastle is massive for me . It means I will no longer have to do my poos into a fucking a hole in ze ground"

[The Fish 8989]

Heavily linked with Remy today

[PaddockLad 14585]

I'm pretty sure he was quoted at the time "coming over to Newcastle is massive for me . It means I will no longer have to do my poos into a fucking a hole in ze ground"

 

 

"zut alors"

[LoveTheBobby 1]

bon de douche

[Happy Face 29]

I'm not saying we're not short by any means as we clearly need two strikers even with Cisse and personally I think we desperately need someone to play on the left, but stats like the ones .com have put up are misleading.

 

Agreed.

 

The new signings put in a load of Premier League appearances in the games possible after being signed...

 

Sissoko - 12/15 = 30 games a season

Mbiwa - 14/15 = 35

Debuchy - 14/17 = 29

Haidara - 4/15 = 10

Gouffran - 15/15 = 38

 

So, since we're keeping Cisse (36), we've lost players capable of 64 games a season and bought players that would extrapolate to 142.

 

..and they're better quality. If someone offered you the 5 players above or the group that are no longer available (Ba, Ferguson, Gosling, Harper, Perch, Ranger, Simpson & R Taylor) you'd take the new signings all day long.

 

Saying the squad depth is better now than it was last September is not saying much though, we still need to sign players, clearly.

[scoobos 297]

How is the squad depth better? The first team might be , but the squad depth isnt there at all is it? Christ we don't have a second player for some positions (I don't count Williamson as a viable option, but Perchy was)

 

Whos going to play on the right / left wing if arfa is injured, cos sticking Sissoko in there insults everyone concerned.

 

I've been a supporter of Pardew, but even I've had enough of seeing him waste sissoko all the bloody time. Every time we play him in that position I think we erode his instinct in his proper position. I think the same can be said of Cabaye too, he's not in the correct position. Play Sissoko or Tiote and Cabaye OR anita / brig ffs.

Edited July 25, 2013 by scoobos

[desmondTUTU 0]

The bed wetting soft cocks seem to think the remy deal is done

[The Fish 8989]

 

Lyon chairman and owner Jean-Michel Aulas says the French club have received three offers for 27-year-old striker Bafetimbi Gomis. Aulas had already confirmed to French television channel Canal+ that Newcastle are one of the clubs interested in the forward, who scored 16 goals in 37 games last season and has just one year to run on his current contract.

only 6 assists too

[David Kelly 1117]

How is the squad depth better? The first team might be , but the squad depth isnt there at all is it? Christ we don't have a second player for some positions (I don't count Williamson as a viable option, but Perchy was)

 

Whos going to play on the right / left wing if arfa is injured, cos sticking Sissoko in there insults everyone concerned.

 

I've been a supporter of Pardew, but even I've had enough of seeing him waste sissoko all the bloody time. Every time we play him in that position I think we erode his instinct in his proper position. I think the same can be said of Cabaye too, he's not in the correct position. Play Sissoko or Tiote and Cabaye OR anita / brig ffs.

Williamson is a better bet as a centreback than Perch like and now he's forth choice rather than third so the depth is better there.

Our back up at leftback was Perch or Shane at the start of last season. Now it's Haidara or Dummet.

Our back up at rightback was Perch or Tavernier. Now it's Santon and that's behind Debuchy rather than Wilson.

Right and Left wing are exactly the same as they were last season.

In the centre of the park we have Sissoko over Perch and we also have Bigi with a seasons experience and we've lost Perch.

Up front we've lost Ba and gained Gouffran.

The only position we're currently worse off is striker and even there we have had one in one out just not of the same quality.

We do have better depth than last season clearly.

Edited July 25, 2013 by David Kelly

[santiagomn8 0]

we need a winger for sure we dont have any true wingers. Granted I like Goufrann on the left he is hard working and helps on defense which is good because Santon goes up a lot. Ben Arfa to me should be utilize as a #10. But hey im just a fan in not there day in and day out so what do i know lol

[Happy Face 29]

How is the squad depth better? The first team might be , but the squad depth isnt there at all is it? Christ we don't have a second player for some positions (I don't count Williamson as a viable option, but Perchy was)

 

Whos going to play on the right / left wing if arfa is injured, cos sticking Sissoko in there insults everyone concerned.

 

I've been a supporter of Pardew, but even I've had enough of seeing him waste sissoko all the bloody time. Every time we play him in that position I think we erode his instinct in his proper position. I think the same can be said of Cabaye too, he's not in the correct position. Play Sissoko or Tiote and Cabaye OR anita / brig ffs.

 

you seem to have ignored the point. Which group of players would you prefer to have. Those that arrived in January or those that have left this summer. If it's the former, then you agree the squad is improved on this time last year. If it's the latter then I can't see how you would justify that.

 

All this is true while gladly agreeing that we remain frighteningly short of depth.

[Noelie 103]

Aa Kinhear the soond of footsteps gannin oot but nen coming in.

 

I hear Hull are signing a 6ft striker age 25. Yannick Sagbo.

I hear Sheffield Wed. are signing a 6ft-6 striker age 23. Atdhe Nuhiu.

[desmondTUTU 0]

Mirror reporting we are signing Zoet

 

http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/newcastle-transfer-news-newcastle-look-2090395?

[Dr Gloom 19822]

Great, what we're really crying out for is a keeper

[Monroe Transfer 0]

GET IN

[Brock Manson 0]

He's Zoet and he don't know it.

[2bias 3]

Mirror reporting we are signing Zoet

 

http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/newcastle-transfer-news-newcastle-look-2090395?

Just what we need

[Park Life 70]

 

I'd happily take Kalou for £4m, think he was very underrated with the way he got apperances at chelsea

Agree. He can cut in from the left or the right at pace.

[Meenzer 14042]

Agree. He can cut in from the left or the right at pace.

 

Unfortunately he wants to play through the middle.

[Ayatollah Hermione 12767]

Agreed on Kalou. The kind of deal we should be jumping all over while our top brass is sitting about watching Loose Women.

[JaMoUsE 0]

Kalou no better than what we have. Pardews already stated he wants 2 up top next yr. He wouldn't play through middle here. Non starter

[Dr Gloom 19822]

kinnear's doing a grand job so far isn't he.

 

last minute panic buy anyone?

[Meenzer 14042]

kinnear's doing a grand job so far isn't he.

 

last minute panic buy anyone?

 

[PaddockLad 14585]

Kalou no better than what we have. Pardews already stated he wants 2 up top next yr. He wouldn't play through middle here. Non starter

When did Pardew say he wanted 2 up front?...