The irreplaceables?

toonsy

Key men, but irreplaceable?
One of the keys to success this summer will hinge on our ability to keep hold of certain key players at St James’ Park.

Whilst the focus will understandably be on just who we bring in to the club and how much money we spend, I would argue that as long as the squad is strengthened it doesn’t really matter how much we spend. After all, that has been our problem this season – a lack of quality in depth – so if we can get that quality in numbers in without spending a penny it wouldn’t bother me, even if they were all free. That depends on keeping hold of some of our current players though.

Talk of contracts has been put on hold, quite rightly, until our Premier League status is assured. Personally I think we’ll be fine for survival, just about, which is why I’m looking beyond that to our summer exploits. A negative result against Wolves at the weekend would probably change that and I ‘d more than likely start looking a little less in advance, but call me an optimist if you like as I think we’ll do fine at the weekend.

Anyway, where was I? Ah yes, contracts. We don’t have a bad starting eleven when everyone is fit, but beyond that we are looking thin on quality. That needs to be addressed of course, but it can only be addressed properly if we can keep hold of our current key players.

You’ll have probably guessed which players I’m on about by now, but just in case the penny hasn’t dropped I’m talking about Joey Barton and Jose Enrique. Sure keeping hold of these two would be great, but are they really as irreplaceable as is being made out?

Great players who have been important for us no doubt, but if they did upsticks and leave would we really not be able to replace them? Probably not, especially Jose, but would it be that important? Just how important is a left-back?

Now before anyone pipes up with how I’m happy to allow Jose to leave, let me clarify – I’m not. I’d be gutted if he left as he is one of my favourite current NUFC players. However, I’ll certainly not put him on an untouchable plinth on that basis of 20-odd Premier League games where he has looked like the player we should have signed back in 2007.

There are other Jose’s and Barton’s out there, so if we did lose either it would not be the end of the world. You heard that here first! Yes it would be a blow, but we would live on and fight another day and try to get the next Jose or Barton.

Personally I don’t want either of them to go and would prefer it if they stayed. If they left it would mean that we would have to dig deep and find replacements just to stay where we are in terms of squad quality, which would be tough to achieve of course, but are they really, truly irreplaceable? I don’t think so….

Now it’s your turn to answer!

About toonsy

A lifelong Newcastle fan and current webmaster of this very 'blog who has the sole aim of creating a place by Newcastle United fans, for Newcastle United fans.

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154 thoughts on “The irreplaceables?”

  1. Toonsy- No doubt a milf!

    And of course Judas was a total *** at 19! Just not as bad as Ranger, that’s my point 😉

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  2. I actually think Carroll was worse than Ranger in terms of behaviour. I mean he was kicked back from Preston and the England U-19’s for being an arsehole. By comparison, Ranger’s late issue seems trivial 😉

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  7. Ice I was off tonight we had to take dede for his brain scan at 7pm which I thought was an odd time but im glad as we were straight in got it done and back out again 😉 .
    Yeah it dosn’t surprise me with Richie he was maybe getting his own back over the satellite dish 😆

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  8. OH – I think Carroll turned his back and handed in his Geordie badge when he toddled off to Liverpool. He may be from the area, but for that he should not be called a Geordie.

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  10. depends what you class as Geordie Toonsy 😉

    Think I touched a nerve with United for Newcastle 😯

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  12. Ice I will tell him mate 😉 He was a bit iffy about it at 1st butthe doctors were brill with him and told him that the CT scanner was just a big camera that lots of footballers go through so that done it for him 😆 as for the results we wont know untill he goes to see his specialist in another couple of weeks

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  13. DAVE cheers mate,keep us imformed mate,tell him we think he will score more goals now hes done it 😉

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  18. toonsy – dunno if you’ve seen this already but…

    “CaulkinTheTimes George Caulkin
    RT @DanielArnold7: @CaulkinTheTimes Could you give this a RT please: https://www.nufcblog.co.uk/ – A new blog for Newcastle United fans!”

    Fame at last! 😀

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  19. OH I was flicking through channels lastnight and I came across that TNA ? and Sting was on it 😆 didn’t even know he was still going 😀

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  21. DAVE aye m8 posted that one a while ago its real good,tell him not to knock it in battys garden,he charges to get it back 😀

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  24. I have a twitter, still yet to make any use of it. Have sent danny simpson the odd message telling him to pull his head out of his **** on occasions. I reckon he owes his good season to me.

    Also sent Nile a message after his horror miss against West ham telling him to keep his head up and reminding him that George Weah missed one just as bad and he was world player of the year at the time

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  26. Big Dave – been busy lately so not been on so much.

    Plus there’s not been a lot to say with no game for the best part of a fortnight.

    I’m not a gobsh!te like DJG ya knaa! 😆

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  31. If we are gonna sign players, I really think the Dutch and German leagues are the best to sign from.

    The style of play and aggressive nature make it much easier to translate to the English league compared to the likes of Spain or France.

    Don’t talk about Alves at Middlesbrough though, he strikes me as a one season wonder.

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  36. Aye its the sort of story i think the club in their ham fisted way tried to stop last season with that “no capital outlay” statement.

    Absolutely ridiculous

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  37. Ironically after my touting of the German league, I don’t rate Mario Gomez too much.

    He was hideously bad at the last Euro championships and he was a bit part at the World Cup.

    His best moment was his goal against Inter a few weeks ago.

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  39. FJ I think its a common thing for a player not to transfer his club form on to his International games, For what little I have seen of him he looks a real Talent but as you said he wasn’t all that at the Euros or WC

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  40. Altho gomez has a great record in Germany , and even before he went to bayern

    He now plays in a team with robben and scarface setting him up left right and centre
    I’d score in that team , I don’t think he would like the prem

    IMO

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  41. I had mentioned that the build up was extravagant considering. They bit straight away. All 3 of them then got on the defensive and started throwing their 2 cents in.

    Explained I supported what they were doing and left it at that really, could have went further and told them I think meetings like that are completely futile, as it doesn’t matter what Ashley’s minions say or the work they put in meeting people, they are not meeting the decision makers so it will always just boil down to one very rich mans whim.

    At the end of the day though, if they put their point across well to the right people, and the right people can bend the ear of the decision makers, then there is a chance, just reckon it’s a canny slim one

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  42. lol, Klose is an unstoppable beast for Germany but never even plays at Bayern Munich.

    Klose and Podolski’s dominance in the Germany squad and poor form at their clubs is the biggest mystery in football to me.

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  44. Funky I was just about to say there, Klose scored something like 2 goals in the league leading up to the World Cup – then he owned it.

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  46. Have you read it Toonsy? sent you an e-mail in case you are at work and can’t get on.

    maybe came across as a bit harsh. At the end of the day, these lads love the club and are taking the time and effort to try and get something done they believe in. We can all sit and have our say, these boys are actually going out and trying to put it into action, for themselves and for all the fans out there.

    For that, I have a lot of respect.

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  47. Moreno – True. Fair play to them for it. Just found it funny that immediately they got defensive. Mind you, its only how I get with this place to be fair 🙂

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  50. Aye toonsy. Fact I posted that comment and all 3 of them jumped on it straight away was canny funny. Think I’ll continue to wind them up from time to time when I am bored.

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  55. I’ve been doing permanent night now for god knows how long so a few more weeks won’t hurt 😀

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  63. Jobey – Like busiest days. Three days in a row it’s been a new record for people visiting the site basically, so we’re consistently getting busier 😀

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  64. Ahh that’s good 🙂
    It’s overtaking footymad for me like, too many wind ups/idiots on there, straight on here for good banter 🙂

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  65. I don’t expect 35m to be spent in the close season. I doubt whether it’s a good thing to do that, in fact. Eggs and baskets sort of thing. No, it’s probably best to hang on to a few mil in case it’s needed in January.

    And nobody is irreplaceable, well maybe Allah. At this stage, though, I’ve seen no evidence that Jose or Barton are considering leaving. I think if anybody is going to leave it’ll be Jonas – I don’t think his style of play is suited to England and I can’t see him being given a new contract when the time comes.

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  66. Jobey – The site is a cracking laugh at times. Everyone is NUFC barmy and the majority like a joke which is the way it should be. Everyone is down to earth and there is enough news/original thought articles in balance to keep the banter flowing whilst also keeping people up to date and giving them something fresh to talk about.

    All in my opinion of course 😉

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  68. aye yeah:) less of the PC brigade kicking off when you mention something they don’t like 😆

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  69. PC brigade 😆

    Proper laugh they are 🙄

    Problem with mad is that there is too many people with mulitple names who try and cause trouble.

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  75. aye, the mad ones 😆 and toonsy skiving 😆
    Anyway lads, ill leave you 2 to it, night 🙂

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