In fact I may run a poll later on in this article about that actually just to gauge opinion.
Anyway, Alan Pardew has spoken today about our hunt for a striker. Names such as Peter Crouch and Jermaine Defoe have been freshly linked with Newcastle, but my money is going to be on someone like Mevlüt Erdinç making the move to NUFC as he seems to be our current No1 target.
“After the Andy Carroll thing I’m not going to use the word promise, that’s a dangerous word for me. But I’m confident we’re going to get a striker in,” Pardew told The Chronicle. He continued:
“After the Orlando game, plenty of fans mentioned to me ‘where’s the striker?’ It’s not something that’s far from my mind. All I can say is everyone’s on tour, and everybody’s going to start making moves shortly.”
“We don’t want to leave it late, of course, but we’re ahead of the game, because we’ve been trying to get a striker for a while. We know exactly what the market is, and we’ll pitch in when it’s right.”
First off I think the most impressive thing is the fact that he refused to promise anything. Clearly he had his fingers burnt aswell by the sale of Andy Carroll and probably numerous other instances where he will have been hamstrung by the board so it’s only natural he is being a bit more cautious about assuring us on things he can’t deliver. He could have learned that earlier mind, but better late than never….
On the hunt for a striker, I’m still hopeful that we’ll actually get someone through the door. If Erdinç is the man that has been identified by Graham Carr then I guess we’ll have to back his judgement even though there are strikers out there who we may prefer. After all I don’t think Carr has let us down and has earned a bit of trust in his judgement.
Speaking of tours, our tour ends tonight which means that the team are likely to return to Newcastle on Thursday at the earliest ahead of a Sunday trip to Leeds. Once back on home soil perhaps we will start to see signs of movement once again in terms of incoming transfers.
Oh and about that poll….
[poll id=”28″]
This will certainly deflect from the Enrique saga, and when he gets shipped out and assuming nothing else happens, it seems like an alarming majority might well be satisfied with this transfer window.
I think I need to get on here and sort things out. Apart from a few shining lights, the lunatics have taken over the asylum and everyone is on happy pills.
bowburnmag(Quote)
Gotta say, as much as I’d like to see us bring in a LW, RW, LB and 2 Strikers or so, the form of Vuckic and Abeid in the US has given me some hope that we can cope without Ben Arfa for the 1st couple of games (plus any other injury-plagued periods he has).
I’d be happy to see us play this midfield against L’****:
Marveuax — Barton — Cabaye — Gutierrez
————————-Tiote————————-
Ba upfront and with Vuckic, Abeid and Gosling as sub options for the centre, and Shane for LW (if he’s recovered from injury himself).
blip(Quote)
Marveuax seems to have scored a lot of goals for a winger. Is he more of a second striker? And yeah, we need more goalkeepers! 3 will never do.
What was that rubbish about Erdinc waiting until August for his loyalty payments and then agreeing to a transfer to the toon? That’s just hilariously ironic.
hydeous(Quote)
Good read! According to the official site, the lads head back to Tyneside tomorrow morning! I bet they miss the river Tyne 😉
Toonsy, you get my email? I’ve sent ya an article 🙂
Jamie Vincente(Quote)
I know Ashley has until August 31st but I can’t help feeling he’s mugging the fans again.
Pardw after the Andy Carroll sale ….
“I said to Mike: ‘Look, this money has to be reinvested in the team. All of it,’” Pardew said. “And he assured me of that. That is the most important message I can give Newcastle fans today. I talked to Mike 15 minutes ago to clarify that and he was pretty clear. The money will be Andy’s legacy to the team.”
Some legacy … more broken assurances … a very important message to the Newcastle fans … wake up lads.
geoff777(Quote)
As far as a player per position, I’d probably still go for a starting left back as our most needed individual player rather than an out and out striker…we can probably manage with a 4-5-1-/4-3-3 with what we have… I guess we have Fergie, Tav and Marveux to cover for LB for now..
That would be followed by an out and out right winger..I think we could get a lot more out of the team with that rather than another striker, but meh.
Newkie(Quote)
Bowburn – Should I write every article about the regime, the £35 million, and Enrique? Would that make you happy?
toonsy(Quote)
Bowburn……. 😯 🙄 😉
lesh(Quote)
Bowburn…your craic stinks mate… 🙄
Munich Mag(Quote)
Who the hell were the 4 people voted for new goalkeeper?!
AndrewT(Quote)
And… from the tripe rumours site a one to warm our hearts…..
“Cheikh M’Bengu of Toulouse is set to complete a move to Stoke City by the end of the week. A source close to the club reckons the Senegal defender will be a big star in the Premiership”
😯
lesh(Quote)
Lesh that would just **** me off, especially if we ended up with some **** replacement like Wayne bridge!!
AndrewT(Quote)
I was wondering why the former LB options weren’t mentioned in those news articles today. If M’bengue goes to stoke and we sign some old ****, what the heck are we going to do? Ferguson will have to grow up quickly
AndrewT(Quote)
Lesh at 11- which is why they need to find a home for Enrique now. No sense waiting until all the possible replacements are gone.
MDS(Quote)
First off I think the most impressive thing is the fact that he refused to promise anything.
—————————-
I think he’s learning. People on here call Pards a liar but I think it’s more likely that he is misinformed from the those above him.
MDS(Quote)
On topic of the article, we obviously need another striker because the players we have now will simply not be able to cut it. I have even less hope for Best now after watching the terrible runs he made throughout the Orlando match
AndrewT(Quote)
I actually think we could use another winger for when marveaux or Jonas get injured. Although maybe that new nippy striker could play out wide as well…
AndrewT(Quote)
Very much agree MDS. I think Pardew probably gets fed almost as much **** as we do from Ashley and Llambias. He can seem very excited at times, and I don’t think he could fake that if he was being told that none of the money was going to go into transfers but completely to paying off the debt
AndrewT(Quote)
“confident”, my ****. He’s obviously learned not to talk in assurances now then. I read “confident” to mean “I know what the problem is, but it’s down to fatty to stick his chubby fingers in his wallet”.
Poll-wise, I think our priority is striker AND left back, regardless of whether the whinger stays or goes. I voted striker, but to be honest it’s probably LB for me, we have Barton (so far), Cabaye, HBA and Marveaux to create, and hopefully get, goals from midfield, and still have Ba and Ameobi as a front two, yeah it’s not ideal, but hey – this is the Toon.
…as for the whinger, glad he got fined 2 weeks wages (or there abouts), this should be a warning to players of all clubs, it actually damages the team you work for, and who pay your wages. Keep yer fkn gobs shut and play football!
Crouch? My ****. Personally I’d be more than happy if we signed Defoe, but I doubt he’d fit into our wage structure, and he’s too old(!!!!)
Rodzilla(Quote)
We desperately need a decent striker.
Hopefully Ba will be good but he could easily turn out to be a major crock. I’m not very encouraged by the fact Pardew felt he had to protect his knees so much he couldn’t give him a run out on astroturf.
So yeah, at least one more striker but better would be two strikers with one of them capable of also playing naturally at the right wing or right forward sort of roles. That versatility would be very helful at this point in time.
Pootle(Quote)
….oh, and Best – forgot about him!!!
Rodzilla(Quote)
http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11661_7062452,00.html
Really think we should loan Ranger out.
Johno Toon(Quote)
Andrew- agree on the winger. Ideally for me, a striker, a winger, and perhaps cover at FB (though maybe Tavernier and Fergie can do it). Interested to see what Dummet can do as there were a lot of good reports on him last season.
MDS(Quote)
Johno, agreed.
He’s never been given a chance to prove himself, and with his temperament and the given ‘distractions’ of large wages and little to do, he well needs to play regularly – get his football brain back.
I think a loan deal for him would be good for us. Especially if he has a blinder, wins promotion, then comes back. Unfortunately, if he has said blinder he’ll probably end up being sold. 🙁
Rodzilla(Quote)
I find it interesting that hughton wants Ranger now even though he almost never wanted to give him game time when we were in the championship. I wonder if he’ll be played if there are any senior players available
AndrewT(Quote)
” I think he’s learning. People on here call Pards a liar but I think it’s more likely that he is misinformed from the those above him.”
Mostly fair comment I would think. I imagine Pardew found out Carroll was sold about half an hour before we did, and he probably thought “Bollocks, this is gonna make me look like a right ****”.
I also think at least some of his mistakes come through him being a bit of a bullshitter and trying to ‘big up’ his level of input in the decisions that are made. I don’t think he’s anywhere near as calculating in dishonesty as Ashley and Llambias. Occasionally I even feel a bit sorry for him when one of Ashley’s moves leaves him hung out to dry.
Pootle(Quote)
Think pootle has a good point about someone versatile. I think a lot depends on the system we play to be honest. If its just one up front with three just behind then its essentially a flexible formation and someone like Ben Arfa is flexible to play it. Or if were going two up top etc…. Either way we need another striker imo, but i reckon the way we are going to play is going to shape tge kind of striker we are after .
toonsy(Quote)
I agree with Pootle@26….It’s only a lie if you know it to be untrue when you say it, whe he said Carroll was going nowhere I think he believed it as thats what knackas and crackas had told him 😕
richietoon(Quote)
Also agree that we obviously need a fullback. Even if Jose somehow stays, he’s not going to be the committed player that we need. We need a strong, skillful left back who is young and hungry to prove his ability. Problem is that is kind of hard to find right now. But I would hate to bring in Wayne Bridge, but might be okay with Warnock if he is immediately effective 😉
AndrewT(Quote)
And I agree with 26. They left hughton out to dry on numerous occasions so why wouldn’t they do it again to someone else. I just think pardew knows he is lucky to be here and us eager to impress us more than anything. The fact that ha has the rug pulled from him is the problem. Which gives me an interesting idea for an article….
toonsy(Quote)
Knackas and crackas 😆
toonsy(Quote)
I reckon we need a little fella (technical striker term). Someone of the Bellamy/Defoe mould. Think we have a wealth of versatile midfielders already.
Having said that, agree with Toonsy about it all depending on how we’re gona play, formation-wise. I’m still in 442 mode.
Rodzilla(Quote)
Lot of agreeing on here today so I’ll continue it. Agree at 26 and 28.
i think Pards found out about Carroll, went to Ashley and said “If we sell him, I’m going to look like a right idiot here. At least tell me the funds will be invested in the squad.” And then he got thiose assurances.
MDS(Quote)
Toonsy the way I see it is if we are only getting two players in tops, they have to be versatile because we simply have too many areas of the squad that aren’t strong enough. We therefore need players that can cover different areas to give us a chance to cope with injuries.
If we just get two in I think it should be a quality striker and a RW/RF/ST.
Alternatively we could get a quality striker and a RW/RB/LB.
I will be fearful for this season if we don’t get something similar to one of those two options. Barring an unprecedented (for Newcastle) relatively injury free season I think we will struggle.
Come on Ashley, confound us all!
Lol.
Pootle(Quote)
Rods – Same here. Can’t beat a bit of 4-4-2 but….. Look around the league nowadays. How many teams still use it? Not many I’ll bet. Even Stoke have Julie Walters playing off Julie Jones or Uphill Gardner. Look even bigger than that… How much success has it brought England over tge years as time and time again it gets picked apart by other teams who play a different way.
4-4-2 is dying. It still has a place, but its becoming a limited place.
toonsy(Quote)
Toonsy, what did I used to say about taking things personally?
I’m not talking about the topic not the fact you’ve written about it.
bowburnmag(Quote)
…see what you mean Toonsy. Can’t see Four Four Two magazine ever changing its name to Christmas Tree though. 🙂
Rodzilla(Quote)
…hello there Bowbs! lang time nee see.
Rodzilla(Quote)
Yeah, not only is it dying its also getting a little dull… I think Jonas playing on the attacking Centre/right he played against Chelsea, and Arfa playing the same role slightly on the left allowing them to run at the gaps between FBs and CBs would be great. Play them behind Ba and infront of Cabaye/Tiote/Barton and we’ll do well imo…We have some cover in the middle then, Gosling, Fergie, Guthrie for the backline and Vuckic or Abeid for Arfa/Jonas, and then Best for Ba.
Hardly the best, and we’re still reliant on youngsters, but I think its where we can best utilise what we have currently. With two wingers (Marveux, Jonas) who prefer cutting in and Barton now wasted on the wide right, that’s the form I’d like to see for next season..
Shame Arfa’s gone and ruined it already 😆
Newkie(Quote)
Bowburn – I just try to switch things round a bit mate. It seems that everything at the moment s revolving around bad stuff so I like to take us away from that temporarily by giving us something else to talk about. Sometimes it bombs, sometimes it just reverts back to what I’m trying to get away from anyway, but yeah, you know what I mean 🙂
I mean look at the comments in this, full of people agreeing with each other. Isn’t it lovely. Bobby Shinton is hanging on the top of a lampost because of it. Best off up there really as it keeps his **** away from Fenwick’s window 😆
toonsy(Quote)
Newkie – At least it’s only a month before he is back in training 🙂
toonsy(Quote)
He hasn’t ruined it newkie. Like u said, we could play vuckic or Abeid there. I seriously think they will become important players for us this season. Along with ferguson, tavernier, and maybe Kadar, our youth policy could start showing some returns this season
AndrewT(Quote)
I disagree with people agreeing with each other, it’s not the NUFC way and should cease forthwith! 👿
richietoon(Quote)
Well we could play 4-1-2-3.
I’ve used this formation several times as a poor default Newcastle to smack the young ‘uns **** on FIFA. Lol.
I’m almost tempted to start recommending we should buy Welliton, Ruiz and and Mata now cos they kick **** in my Career mode team as the ST, LW, RW combo. Oh and M’Bia makes a class defender if you play him at CB instead of CDM – rating jumps to 83!.
Pootle(Quote)
Newkie@39, yeah it looks good when you put it like that. Shame about ‘Arfa season’ though. I really hope he doesn’t turn out to be another crock, we do seem to have an unnerving knack at signing them.
Rodzilla(Quote)
Richie@43, couldn’t agree more.
Rodzilla(Quote)
I think lets get 1 good striker and proven one, then lets see if we can get the reserve team some game experience, i like to see some home grown in the team so they play with loyality and not for money but i am 100% sure andyC should have played his trade in NUFC for another 2 years and he would develop quicker but in Lpool… he aint gona develope….
bring on the young and energetic young legs and lets kick some *** out of the top4 teams…. wowh
Max-T-million(Quote)
Argghh. You lot must have sneaked onto the bus through the emergency exit and I’m turning into a ‘flosser’. Lol
Whatever next???? Dogs and cats living together?!?!?!?
Pootle(Quote)
Rod…I’d like to agree but unfortunately I can’t
A striker, right winger and a left back would do me, doubt it’ll happen though.
richietoon(Quote)
Toonsy-Aye, the doom monger in me saw the suspected 12 weeks and thought “right well that means he’s out for at least 6 months”…A month is fine by me if we get him 100% for the rest of the season..and at least it hasn’t aggrevated his previous injury, could have been worse. Its football.
Rodzilla-Yeah, its bad, and probably our most important player bar-ba-or-barton? Couldn’t resist 😆 But I don’t think he’s a crock like Owen, and pretty sure he’s desparate to get back to his football as well..
Newkie(Quote)
‘flosser’
Like cottager or digger but less deviant 😆
toonsy(Quote)
I think HBA needs to have a sit down with Beardsley about avoiding gettin hurt while still making the opposition look like slow children
AndrewT(Quote)
Dogger even 🙄
toonsy(Quote)
I don’t think flossers are more or less deviant, I see it as being more of a sideways step. 😆
Pootle(Quote)
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/newcastle-united/8663159/Liverpools-interest-in-Newcastles-Jose-Enrique-wanes-despite-defenders-attempts-to-push-through-a-move.html
🙄 😆
CC(Quote)
Rod – good to see you pal. I was giving you a thought the other day. My cousin (Paul/Oz) has had another little ‘un. I didn’t get chance to see him but I was going to tell him about another auld get I’d met online, who was an old acquaintance!!
Toonsy – aye, I know what you’re saying. This place is so positive it’s going to implode though! Fancy me being the doom-monger minority, whodathunkit??!?!
bowburnmag(Quote)
FY- not sure about a video feed but the Crew are broadcasting a radio feed on their website tonight.
MDS(Quote)
Pootle – I’ll have to work on a code of conduct similar to the one that doggers apparently have then 😆
CC – If Jose is to stay then I’d seriously hope he switches on as tge last four/five months of last season he was largely dog shyte.
toonsy(Quote)
Bowbs, yeah, say hello and congratulations from Roddy (as he’ll probably remember me) when you do speak to him. I was up in Whitley Bay/West Monkseaton a few weeks ago, had to cover quite a lot of ground, walked past mi awld school, and Appletree Gardens and Shields Road. Memories came flooding back. Doubt I’d recognise any of mi old chums nowadays like. People can change in appearance quite a bit from twenty to fawaty! Check you later mate……..
Rodzilla(Quote)
Toonsy, is Bobby’s bus partial to dogging activity then?
(where does he park up?)
Rodzilla(Quote)
toonsy
Aye he was shambolic for the best part particularly blackpool away, Im still no way confident he’ll stay but im glad someones finally highlighted the wage issue, I could not see Arsenal paying £10m-£15m for a left back and then giving him £50k+, I read the other week that Clichy wasnt on that much, Still think they will promote Gibbs and Traore as back up.
Liverpool surely would pay it if they rated him highly enough considering the farcical fees and wages they spent to get Caroll, Henderson and Downing but maybe they do have doubts…
CC(Quote)
Hey Rich, going back to your point earlier, surely as supporters it’s madness to accept stunting the growth of the team on the basis of not buying until we sell? That’s for Ashley to digs his heels in over. So we’re not going to strengthen until we get rid of dead wood? The players who are surplus to requirements can and should be moved on. Does that mean Ashley might have to take a bit of a hit and let them go for slightly cheaper? Probably.
Imagine that, poor Mike has to relinquish his stubborn business control and just let a few slide for the good of the club. If he isn’t prepared to speculate on more improvements before securing sales, then it stands to reason that this window is the same as many before. Take a punt and hope for the best, all the while squeezing the margins and hoping to come up trumps. To use the expression somebody else used, but incredibly against Enrique, it would be the supporters who lose out as a consequence, not Ashley.
bowburnmag(Quote)
I’m absolutely intrigued to know how Pardew thinks he is “ahead of the game” in terms of buying a striker.
Right, so the transfer window is 12 weeks in duration, though there is nothing stopping you planning your targets before that.
There are now 5 weeks left of that transfer window, but nothing is going to be done until we are back from the States, so that will be under 5 weeks. No doubt you’ll be preparing the team for the trip to Leeds, which will take it nearer to 4 weeks… I could guess that it will drag on towards the Fiorentina match too without any sign of a striker.
We have a sizeable amount of money available – do we? So, whilst we shouldn’t pay over the odds, we are less restricted (in theory) than many others as to the number of potential targets available.
Also, if you were going to buy a top striker, wouldn’t you want him in the team before the season starts?
Whilst there may still be time available, you are most certainly NOT ahead of the game.
Michael Laudrup(Quote)
Bowburn…..As a fan I’d like to see the incoming player come in first before one going out, unfortunately I just can’t see the fat one taking a risk on being stuck with paying players wages who can’t even be named in the squad, obviously there are those like Smith and Xisco who will be very hard to shift due to wages, but as you say some of the others should be easier to move on. Now we just need to convince Ashley of that 🙄 but I don’t hold out much hope of it, as usual it will more than likely be us, the fans getting short changed and left dissapointed imo 😥
richietoon(Quote)
*disappointed* 😳
richietoon(Quote)
” I’ll have to work on a code of conduct similar to the one that doggers apparently have then”
Lol. Nice try Toonsy, but sticking the word ‘apparently’ in there isn’t fooling anyone!
It’s clear you know more than you are letting on
😉
Pootle(Quote)
Michael Laudrup I have read your comments here and elsewhere. You make a lot of sense. I totally agree. Apparently Pardew doesn’t actually know what ahead of the game even means. Very strange comments from him but that is nothing new. Saying he now realizes he shouldn’t have made promises to the supporters about keeping Carroll are hilarious. I guess he might have finally realized he has no real power within the club. Or perhaps not, since he now apparently thinks we are ahead of the game in the striker hunt. He is clueless and he will be sacked at some point in the coming season as we flounder under his mismanagement.
GeordieTwo(Quote)
Richie @ 64 its not often your right but this time I think you are me old bean
Big Dave(Quote)
give it until the 31st you will see 😀
paddaz88(Quote)