With the public announcement out of the way I can get round to the crux of the article. I keep hearing people say that we need to sign more players or that we have a small squad. Comments like that basically. It’s not quite as easy as that though thanks to the 25-man squad rule.
It’s worth pointing out at this point that Newcastle had one of the larger squads last season and named 23 players in their allotted 25-man quota. Chelsea on the other hand originally named something like 18. Just where do people expect us to put all of these new signings that they keep blathering on about?
It’s not squad size that is the problem for us – it’s quality in depth that is the issue.
People go on about our ‘wafer thin’ squad but we can only increase it numbers by a maximum of two, unless we start selling players of course. This leaves us in a difficult position.
It’s hard to imagine NUFC not naming any of the so-called big earners that offer little, like Alan Smith or Xisco, in the squad of 25. Can you honestly see the club being willing to pay £60,0000-a-week for a player that can’t even be called upon in an emergency? No, neither can I, which means the only way we can add quality in depth to the squad is by waiting for the deadwood to drift off.
In a way Newcastle have already started this process. Out have gone Sol Campbell, Shefki Kuqi and Kevin Nolan to be replaced with Yohann Cabaye, Demba Ba and Sylvain Marveaux. Now it’s early days of course, but on paper you would have to say that the three in are better than at least two that have left.
So in answer to my title question, yes we do need to sign more players, but we first need to create some room. All we can realistically do at the moment is work on a one in and one out system, so until that process picks up we just don’t really have the room to improve.
There is still a lot of work to be done with regard to shaping Newcastle for the future. It’s all very easy to say sign him, him, and him, but when you look at it a bit deeper you start to realise that it isn’t quite as simple as that. Players will have to be moved on at some point, which isn’t easy with the likes of Alan Smith and Xisco being the proof. The quicker that is done the quicker we can get on with evolving the squad.
The recklessness of the past is still haunting us today!
One of my lads just said that apparently there are some Qatari’s sniffing aboot the toon the day. Anybody gota any info?
tattyheed(Quote)
by the way Toonsy ….great article 😯
tattyheed(Quote)
Yes #sarcasm #assofmyself 😛
David(Quote)
David – 😉 😈
toonsy(Quote)
Well,the club can always nt register the player at all.the club can always be like man city. 🙄
AngelOfDeath(Quote)
AOD – But that would be a waste of cash would it not? Can you see the club doing that? I can’t….
toonsy(Quote)
Smith will be a pain in the **** to get rid of, Maybe Leeds would pull the heart strings a bit and he would take a pay cut but i still think he will be here next season, Xisco is about a useful as a ***** in a convent
They are exactly why ashley should have brought in experienced people to run the club for him instead of giving mates a leg up but he seems to have more money than sense…
CC(Quote)
Man city has like over 50 players last summer. And they send most of them out on loan. Rmb those players wages are also high. The club can follow this method too…do the best to send out players on loan.
AngelOfDeath(Quote)
Toonsy – Email 💡
Jobey07(Quote)
We do need more players because half of the players we have at the minute aren’t good enough to progress us.
Stuart79(Quote)
Great article and i agree , Ive said before its more important who leaves than who comes in this summer , we have a very imbalanced squad , too many center midfielders yet we have no leftback cover.
Tattyhead i read a post on here this morning saying someone on twatter was talking bout it. Id be dubious about it
Johno Toon(Quote)
Might have been interesting to take stock of any ‘dead certs’ we’ve got currently (assuming they’re still here come August).
Harper
Krul
Simpson
Raylor
Colo
Saylor
Williamson
Enrique
Naylor (assuming this one comes off)
Barton
Cabaye
Marveaux
Ben Arfa
Gutierrez
Guthrie
Tiote
Gosling
Ba
Ameobi (unfortunately)
That’s 19 right there, before you add the likely candidates : Lovenkrands, Best, Smith, Ranger, Routledge etc.
Fergie, Vuckic, SAmeobi, Richardson, Airey etc don’t need to be registered as they’re youngsters.
Looks to me as though we have no room for manoeuvre before outgoings, as you state. So it is 1 in, 1 out…
blip(Quote)
That’s the problem with high wages fringe players.if we can’ t sell,only way out is to temp loan them out and ask that club to pay a certain % of the wages. And agree a transfer fee if the club intends to make it permt. 😉
AngelOfDeath(Quote)
AoD, that’s what we’ve been trying to do with Xisco for 2 years now. Unfortunately, the players want to get that high wage as long as they can
AndrewT(Quote)
Good article….I’d have to say that though because I’ve been saying that about the squad since the window opened 😉
That’s the point though Stuart we need to get rid of the not so good and replace them with better players, that way hopefully the team improves and certainly the squad will.
richietoon(Quote)
It also doesn’t help that these players are garbage, so nobody wants to spend a fee on them
AndrewT(Quote)
So aside from smith and Xisco, who absolutely has to go? Maybe Guthrie, but I think he’s going into the last year of his contract so I would think MA would want to make some sort of money from him.
AndrewT(Quote)
This question probably has more to do with the thread on preseason starting soon, but does anyone know if haris vuckic is fit now or if he’s still recovering?
AndrewT(Quote)
The problem with Xisco is that those club he is send to either gt relegated or is just decent. 😐
There is actually a way to get rid of Xisco,is the club continuing pay his wages till end of contract to him at his new club.
But I guess the club wouldn’t want that option…
AngelOfDeath(Quote)
That’s the problem though Toonsy, we have got a full enough squad, just half of them are ****. There aren’t too many positions I’d be happy playing our cover in.
Rodzilla(Quote)
nice artical
ROSHAN(Quote)
Great article and it makes sense of accepting bids for some players that are fringe squad players like one of the keepers and Best . i was wondering why we would shift him but to some extent this clears it up . A straight choice Best or Erding ,its a no brainer . We are moving any player deemed surplas to requirements to clear the way for a better player and keep within the quota . I dare bet if someone came in for Lovenkrands or Ameobi they would be first out the door and not Best ,but he seems one of our more sellable strikers for a half decent fee .
Axel(Quote)
just seen an interview with young tavernier on nufc website….looks like he will be in first team new season.and i must say the lad has his feet on the ground ,also a fantastic rb cb good luck to the beardsley babe!!!
john(Quote)
Of course we need more signings Toonsy, are you daft or something 😉 😆
dan4toon(Quote)
Who the hell gave smith a bumper contract, its always the shoite players we can’t budge. as for xisco, serves MA right for employing dennis the dwarf, although its us fans that suffer..
If we could get rid of the deadwood, the YES we need more players.
mark(Quote)
i dont think we need 2 reg ranger either……. i think move on smith, Loven, perch an routledge,
bring in some better quality
John(Quote)
saw solano today in Gosforth’s WHSmiths.. he looks bigger in real life, canny stocky too 🙂
mark(Quote)
Agree John, players like Loven, Perch etc need to be replaced with more quality if we want to improve our squad.
AndrewNUFC(Quote)
Once NUFC have signed every midfielder in the world, they move on to another position!
Seriously, NUFC need more depth in defense, if not outright better players on the back 4. I’m not entirely convinced about Saylor, and am hoping that Simmo makes the kind of progress we would all lioke to see, especially in his time on the ball and passing.
BeeGuy(Quote)
I’d honestly never though about this. Cracking article. Makes loads more sense on teams staggering transfers untill the end of the windows so they no how much space they are going to have in their squad and why players become available at the end of windows. We actually have quite strong squad when you look at blips comment at 12. We are just looking short up top.
Rorycn(Quote)
I’m not too fussed about players like loven or perch staying but not getting named in the 25. Being fair they aren’t as much of a drain on wages so its not a necessity to shift them. Smith and xisco or any other high earning fringe players are a problem though, as is the fact that they are indeed just high earning bench warmers at best.
toonsy(Quote)
Absolutely zero chance of shifting Xisco imo 😥
richietoon(Quote)
@toonsy
When people refer to increasing the size of the squad, I would like to think they mean the quality in depth.
Surely people are aware there’s a limited number to be named.
It’s not a case of just getting rid of the deadwood, but it should be about bringing in better players to bolster the squad in terms of quality and if that means a youth player has to drop out then so be it.
They will have to try that bit harder to break through to the first team squad.
Bobby Shinton number 9(Quote)
Bobby – the youth is irrelevant as they don’t need to be named anyway…..
How to you add to the squad when there is no room to do so? Players need moving out aswell as in.
toonsy(Quote)
Toonsy only 2nd time i’ve posted,we must clear all the deadwood,which ever way we can why try buy 1 get 1 free ( yes bogof ) to all the pi55 poor excuse for excuses for players smith is no defensive midfielder he gives fouls away not because he is commited but because he’s slow and just not good enough.Just leave without a squad no and put him in reserves,we can play the same game as him.He in his deluded mind thinks he’s got years left in the game but nobody would touch him when his contract has run out with us.
robledo(Quote)
@toonsy
I was just looking at blips post after I posted and I can see the dilemma.
Bobby Shinton number 9(Quote)
toonsy
Posted June 27, 2011 at 4:19 PM
You don’t have to sell before you buy. You can buy the players you want and then sell the players you don’t. Technically there is no reason why we cannot continue with our transfer incomings.
Even if the worst came to the worst and we had to name our 25, we just leave out the players we don’t want in. Simple.
Stuart79(Quote)
If – hypotherically – we could slam the transfer window shut right now I’d certainly take it, except for one more quality striker in! And Smith to go.
If we were able to keep Jose, Jonas, Best, Colo, Barton etc etc in addition to what we’ve brought in I’d personally be happy.
Who knows though, we could still end up with a better scenario than that – just no one knows yet…
Adam(Quote)
Probably get shouted down for this… but I’d still like to see Xisco get some games. We can’t sell and never will unless he starts to show promise. He can’t do that until he gets a few games. He’s never had a good run in the team so I think he should get at least 3 matches or reasonable length sub appearances to see if there is anything that can be dragged out of him. If we have to pay him,. make him work…! 😕
Shanghaitoon(Quote)
Out of a 25 man squad you should only have a core squad of 18 players and these should be the only first team players used in a season. Obviously, the better the quality of this core group the higher your league finish. You need 2 keepers, 5 defenders, 7 midfielders and 4 forwards. To improve current squad we need 1 midfielder and 2 forwards. if Enrique and barton leave we will need an extra defender and another midfielder to replace them.Iif any of our fringe players leave, they do not need to be replaced at all.
sidekick(Quote)
@39
Xisco obviously hasn’t showen that he’s good enough in training when he’s been here.
AndrewNUFC(Quote)
@sidekick, that may be true for most teams, but given our history with injuries we could have a squad of 30 players and still end up playing the kids.
blip(Quote)
I agree with 41
Jobey07(Quote)
*** TOONSY OFC WE NEED MR PLAYERS DUHH
Yeah, know exactly what you mean though, its more like upgrading the squad than bringing in new players. There are a couple we need to get shot of like Routledge, Smith and Xisco, but I can only really see Routledge going. Unless we bring in real youngsters like Wickham who wouldn’t count in the 25man squad then all this “buy buy buy” just doesn’t work. Only Chelsea can do that as they started the season with something ridiculous like a 16man squad 😆
Newkie(Quote)
Stuart,
You do sort of have to sell before you buy, atleast it makes sense to.
Selling Smith say, frees up 60k a week which we could either turn into part of a fee or pay a new signings wages. Why take that risk now? We have weeks to tout these old horses about before signing players. It’s not even July man
Daverism(Quote)
they named a 23 man squad which consisted of alot of youngsters all they have to do is drop the least promising youngsters to the reserves and not name them in our first team which will free up space for more experience players as long as we keep our homegrown players limit
moore83(Quote)
thats all fair enough but when you look at comment 12, I can already see that Nile Ranger, Neil Taylor, and Dan Gosling would NOT have to be named (21 or under on 31 Aug 11), which trims the squad down by a further 3, so yes we DO need to sign more players, seeing as at the moment we only have 21 and thats including people like routledge and best…
Stevenufc291088(Quote)