David Ginola, what a player. Friend of the ‘blog Laurent Robert was marvellous French winger who excited us during the golden years of the late Sir Bobby Robson era. To a lesser extent, Charles N’Zogbia also had his highlights and could have been a superb player for us, but left to join a huge club…. Wigan.
Interesting to see that we’ve have always liked a French winger, but it’s worth pointing out that there have been some other ‘choice’ French players to have walked onto the St James Park pitch. Remember Alain Goma? Yes lets try not to. Same with Jean-Alain Boumsong. Olivier Bernard was a good player mind. What a goal against Arsenal in that 3-1 win!
So from our history of French players it highlights an obvious problem – They can either be superb or they can be as forgetful as Andy Carroll after a night out with Kevin Nolan.
Since the close season we have somewhat decided to embark on a French revolution with the signing of Yohan Cabaye and Sylvain Marveaux and with Demba Ba being French speaking. It’s a interesting move from the club. Since then we have been linked with a return for Charles N’Zogbia and are apparently looking to add Balise Matuidi and Mevlut Erdinc, who is Turkish admittedly, but has been at PSG for a while and will no doubt be fluent in the French lingo.
Add that to Hatem Ben Arfa and young Mehdi Abeid who is set to join and we have a very strong contingent of French players. How will this effect the squad and the team spirit though?
It’s a interesting thought because since returning to the Premier League our team spirit has often got us through games that seemed lost. 4-4 Arsenal anyone? Guessing the impact it will have is nigh on impossible but why look on the downside all the time? I mean potentially it could have a positive effect couldn’t it?
Looking at the group of French players we currently have in Cabaye, Ben Arfa and Marveaux, they have all played together at the U21 level for France. Add Matuidi and N’Zogbia into the mix and this could be five players who I would imagine know each others game and could strike up an understanding with each other instantly.
I personally feel that they are all technically astute, quality players and will add real Gallic flair to the side. It may upset the balance of the squad but I can see Alan Pardew trying to ensure that the players gel and bond quickly. He needs to aswell given the huge amount of turnover in the squad.
One thing is for certain, the players we have brought in so far are internationals for a reason. Yohan Cabaye is not in the French team because he goes missing in games and Demba Ba is a genuinely good finisher. I am less certain of Sylvain Marveaux but he is very highly rated, and although he is not an international player, he does apparently love to beat a man and score…. And likes a free-kick. Robert anyone?
Vive le revolution I say!
Note from Toonsy – A big thanks to Liam Southern Toon for contributing this, his second article, to the ‘blog. You can read hos previous effort here.
Such a new look side next season, good or bad, I’m looking forward to it. Allez le lads!
hydeous(Quote)
Oh wait, has that been done before? 🙁
Also, italicised comments! yay!
hydeous(Quote)
Bendtner hey?
Stuart79(Quote)
I sit just me that the comment boxes aren’t loading up properly for? 😕
richietoon(Quote)
*is it* 😳
richietoon(Quote)
If the word ‘a’ is follwed by a word starting with a vowel it turns into ‘an’ …
*an interesting move from the club etc…
Poor writing. Tut
Gilly(Quote)
Bendtner…….. getting sick now……. worst player to ever have grased the earth.
Its all good with this gallic flair, but we do need to keep some of the british grit we’ve had for a couple of seasons. Look where grit took us last season. A bit worried that we sell too many of the grafters and hard workers, because the french can be a bit, you know, Laissez faire.
But its way too soon to be worrying! Allez the lads!
AlanPardewProject(Quote)
That 3-1 win that contained goals from O’Brian, Shearer and Robert… 😉
CC(Quote)
stu did you read that tip i put up on the last thread ❓
batty(Quote)
Starting to see a fair bit of jingoism on the blog since our new arrivals were announced.
Give the cheese-eating surrender monkeys a chance will ya – FFS!!!
Toon Chicken(Quote)
*follwed* It my school that would have been spelt followed, but hey, who am I to pick on peoples literacy skills 😉
richietoon(Quote)
*at* my school 😳 …..a perfect example of why I don’t do it 😆 😆
richietoon(Quote)
Why can I only see part of the avatars? 😕
richietoon(Quote)
rich cos your fookin blind 😆
batty(Quote)
tc. jingoism… whats that mean?
craig chisholm(Quote)
batty… 😆 …are they loading up ok for you? it’s just on this thread just the top 1/3 loading up 🙁
richietoon(Quote)
Toonsy, check your messages on Facebook. 😀
Jill(Quote)
Craig
jingoism
noun chiefly derogatory
extreme patriotism, esp. in the form of aggressive or warlike foreign policy.
Toon Chicken(Quote)
Ranger to millwall apparently, they suit each other 🙂
jay jay(Quote)
not to be pedantic, but isn’t it revolution feminine? so la revolution?? I’m not 100% sure though!
Nice read mind! I reckon we could nearly put out a french speaking team now if you include the young’uns! Not a bad thing, but I don’t really wanted to be associated solely with Frogs!
pearceet(Quote)
Sorry for the lingo mistakes lads…. did get an A in a level english language and literature …. all for nothing eh?!! 😀
Liam Southern Toon(Quote)
Enjoyed your article and agree we should view the changes positively. Apart from a handfull of games i thought we looked quite laboured and i for one am happy the squad is bein shaken up.
We may not end up any more successful than last season but hopefully a lot more exciting – fingers crossed for a few more players, especially a quality striker.
StaffsToon(Quote)
Liam 😆
richietoon(Quote)
be interesting to see how many more players we raid france for. the matuidi guy i cant see coming off purely for the transfer fee and CDM is hardly the most attractive of positions to plough that money into. does anybody know of any good strikers in ligue 1, apart from moussa sow, gameiro and erdinc? what about cisse plays for freiburg i think in bundesliga good scoring record and cheap i would have thought
rambo87(Quote)
Staffs toon – I agree we do need to look at this new team positively … it smacks of raw pace and genuine ability; of course they will take time to settle but they have all the attributes.
Liam Southern Toon(Quote)
Liam
😆 😆
pearceet(Quote)
CC – your right i think it was the game finished 2-2 Great finish none the less from the frenchman!
Liam Southern Toon(Quote)
See O’Hara has joined Wolves on a permanent for £5m. Good player.
Halftimebovril(Quote)
Nice touches to the blog toonsy 😀
Liam Southern Toon(Quote)
Halftimebovril @ 28 – Very good player. Would’ve been excellent to young up the midfield with grit and skill, not too slow either.
AlanPardewProject(Quote)
Have ya’s seen that video of Alan Carr and the saviour on the official site, check it out.
DJG(Quote)
I’m sure getting all these French lads will keep Benny happy – he’s working as a scout really 😆
AndrewNUFC(Quote)
The only thing that will be lacking is raw aggression and fight.
We’ve never had one Frenchman with it.
That’s why we should have built the team around Nolan and Barton.
Every other top team plays a squad game. Player rotation.
Not The Toon. We have a strong 11 and the rest are ****. I thought we would learn from last season but it appears not.
We sell our players who brought pride back to the club and replace them with (possibly ) good players. How are we ever going to get stronger by adopting this approach?
Bobby Shinton number 9(Quote)
O’hara would have been a good buy but very similar to what we have already! What did the article say DJG?
Liam Southern Toon(Quote)
BSN9- divint you worry, all the players we have signed so far are just squad players, we still have some big name signings 😉 😆
SpencerTheToon(Quote)
@19
The football team or the bushwackers?
hydeous(Quote)
It’s just a video where you can see Graham Carr, I havn’t got NUFC TV but there is a short clip of it at the side where the free videos are on the official site.
DJG(Quote)
bsn9 – As much as i agree with you there 😯 😯 😯 Do you think there would be a place for Nolan next season?? We are changing to a more quick and passing side and somehow I dont see Nolan fitting in. Nolan went for a starting place and security(longer contract)and we got the 4m back for him. Not bad business for either side.
Barton still might figure this season.
AlanPardewProject(Quote)
BSN9; I agree with you on that but do you really think the club will be able to offload all these players they keep reporting?
It does seem highly unlikely IMHO thats why i want the likes of jonas kept as nothing is better for players than competition for places and strength in depth in the squad.
Last year that was evident in the west brom game with our big players out we missed them especially in the second half just provides that much more experience.
Liam Southern Toon(Quote)
Ba and erdinç are both French in my eyes aswell because they were both born in France.
JerseyGeordie(Quote)
What’s with the italics? I feel like I’m reading on the deck of a ship in a storm.
Fans Should Own The Club(Quote)
Who’s these Italians everyone keeps mentioning? 😉 😆
richietoon(Quote)
FSOTC
Quick splice the mainbrace!
DJG(Quote)
look at this lads
http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11678_6998830,00.html
Army69(Quote)
Yes Erdinc is French. Played for France under 17’s. Qualified to play for Turkey through parents nationality – they had emigrated from Turkey to France 15 years before Melvut was born.
sidekick(Quote)
Amry 69 – HBA recruiting half our team for us?!! 😀 😀
Liam Southern Toon(Quote)
Liam – they may not need that much time, fairly sure they know each others games and if the emphasis is on flair and pace then they should slot in relatively seamlessly.
Allez les noir et blanc – or somethin like that, y’ kna wot i mean lads!!
StaffsToon(Quote)
Cheers trusty sidekick 😉 😆
JerseyGeordie(Quote)
Staffs toon – all foreign lads need time in the premier league its a whole different ball game; remember drogba in his first season in EPL he barely scored! 😈
Liam Southern Toon(Quote)
As toonsy has mentioned they have all(Cabaye, HBA, Marveuax) played together at u-21s so they already know each other and might not need too much time to gel. So thats a great thing that speaks for the signings and that they have been thought through by Carr ect.???
AlanPardewProject(Quote)
Liam….not all, Tiote 😉
richietoon(Quote)
@38.. yep nolan would have got a game…first off, he marshalled the entire team, second he was the one that scored all the goals and finally, if anyone here thinks that our bunch of cheapo crocks will be fit together all season they are bonkers. Then tiote spents half the season banned then other half on international duty… yep, Nolan would have played. Its early doors but i think that we will all be left scratching our heads come the end of the window, trying to figure out what the hell has gone on lol lol.
craig chisholm(Quote)
With fast players around Nolan he may be even more prolific in front of goal.
He got 12 last season, he might have got the golden boot next. 😆
Instead he got Pardews boot up the ****.
Bobby Shinton number 9(Quote)
51… dunno richie.. tiote took tome to learn to i would say, saying as he spent half the season suspended and got the prem record for yellows mate.
jose and colo were both pants first season, its only now they are flying… er.. i guess that is why we are selling them
craig chisholm(Quote)
4 more players needed in my imo , 2 x defender , midfielder and striker
Army69(Quote)
Rich – arguably tiote could work on not getting suspended as often
Liam Southern Toon(Quote)
do you know what confuses me? how does it take so long for sum deals to go through and others ( marveaux) happens in a flash , no1 even mentioned marveaux cumn then he was here lol
Army69(Quote)
AYE Craig 😀
Liam Southern Toon(Quote)
if u are good on the ball..doesnt take much 2 play 2gether…its all good..if these lot are fit..it will be all good for us..as they will trying to out do each other..2 who is doing welll…so they will be giving their all..who would u rath..r have tug boat and smith running at u or them…
asim(Quote)
Does anyone remember Wolfswinkel? wonder if will still in for him?
Liam Southern Toon(Quote)
I cant wait for next season 🙂
Lining up like this:
Krul
Simpson S.Taylor Coloccini M’Bengue
Cabaye Tiote
Barnetta Ben Arfa Marveaux
Erding
Were gonna win the league!!!
NottsGeordie(Quote)
tiote got suspended for the team..a lot of the yellows he got were for mistakes by other players..playing with better players and doing a lot less to cover the players who couldnt get back..smith nolan barton gut do i need to go on…which put pressure on the team..
asim(Quote)
wolfswinkel sold to sporting lisbon
tattyheed(Quote)
Liam Southern Toon
I think he got signed by another team 🙁 For actually quite a cheap fee, i think around 5 million. We should of gone in for him but it would of been a risk saying as hes only playing in the dutch league
NottsGeordie(Quote)
Yeah Sporting Lisbon thats the one 🙂
NottsGeordie(Quote)
Thats a real shame he looked like a quality player 😐
Never mind i really dont think erdinc is the answer….i think pardew does have a big name striker up his sleeve…..
Liam Southern Toon(Quote)
@Liam Southern Toon
Why not Erding? I know his goal record isnt the best but he must be something right, he got PSGs player of the season and Lille the french champions want him…..
NottsGeordie(Quote)
new thread… another will be following in an hour or so. Were like E’d blog today
MarkToon(Quote)
Another interesting French connection:- Demba Ba (who is French& plays for Senegal through parentage) had double fracture of leg (tibia & fibula) , just like Ben Arfa.
sidekick(Quote)
@BSN9 33 “We sell our players who brought pride back to the club” weren’t these the same players that took us down 2 year ago. we need to let go of that era start a fresh its the only way this club is gonna move on. lets just back the team.
moore83(Quote)
😯 More worried about how many players we ganna be selling meself
TOONARMYELITE(Quote)
Si / Liam
Don’t want to pick bones over a little thing, but maybe the headline won’t translate well or be understood if read in France? At a time we are making great progress there?
Any chance of an edit ❓
Stardust(Quote)
Craig/Liam… but he still settled and played well from the off in the Prem, the cards are just his style of play and we’ll have to get used to it unless he learns a bit more control.
richietoon(Quote)