Out of all of that perhaps the most surprising thing is that Marktoon will be buying a round. Just kidding. Actually I think the most surprising thing is that Newcastle United seem to sailing rather smoothly. The results are stacking up and the performances are getting there, and along with that there seems to be a fantastic spirit and camaraderie amongst our new players.
One by one they have taken turns to talk about how fantastic life is at NUFC at the moment. From Captain Colo to Dreamboat Cabaye to Spiderman Jonas to Oooh Ahh Demba Ba, most of our players have taken a turn in the media to praise each other, the club, and the team spirit that has been formed rather quickly considering the summer of change that ended up taking place.
What can we glean from that though? I mean we have a group of players who hardly know each other and yet it seems as though they’ve managed to bond straight away. Cutting to the chase, would this have been possible with the likes of Joey Barton or Kevin Nolan still in the ranks?
Personally I don’t think it would have been. A lot has been made of the influence of those two players, but is it not possible that perhaps they had too much influence? Too much of a handle on the dressing room? Were they too vocal for their own good?
In a way it’s kind of a moot point as there is no way that Nolan would have got into our team and I think Barton may have ended up struggling aswell in the long run had they both stayed. Neither of them would have been happy with that so they would obviously be a bit upset about it. However presume that they were still here. What would it be like?
Well to gauge that I guess we have to look at the form book. First off there is Kevin Nolan who liked to paint a picture of being Mr Newcastle. He was important in the dressing room and even tried his hand at transfer dealings when he helped to sway Andy Carroll to Liverpool. I’ll never forgive Captain Fantastic for appearing on Liverpool TV and telling the bindipping nation how he’d told Carroll what a great club Liverpool is and how he’ll be a fantastic player for them and so on.
Anyway I’m ranting. Back to his importance. Could it be that his importance could have stifled the rest of the group. If you have one dominant player then the rest don’t get a chance to flourish or come into their own. I think the removal of Nolan has allowed for others to step up to the plate but perhaps in a different, more quiet, more assuming way.
Then there is Joey Barton. I have no doubt that if he’d have stayed he would have put in 100% effort on the pitch, but off the pitch I’m unsure that he would have been such a fantastic influence. We saw how he spat the dummy ahead of the Leeds game because Yohan Cabaye was tasked with corner kicks. That wasn’t good enough for this team player and he resorted to Twitter to air his grievances.
Whatever the complexities or the rights and wrongs, I sincerely believe that we wouldn’t have this stability, this rebirth of a new, more equal, team spirit amongst the players with both Nolan and Barton in the ranks meddling with things. Perhaps the loss of these two strong characters has been good for the dressing room? On the evidence supplied by the members of it it’s pretty hard to argue against that.
Are we better off without Barton and Nolan in the dressing room?
Barton was a difficult character on and off the pitch. Too much to say for and about himself. He doesn’t look outstanding for QPR but will probably improve them. He was too slow to be in the engine room for us. Nolan was a leader off the field and in the dressing room from what I could gather but also too slow on the pitch. Just couldn’t cover enough ground to be an effective midfielder. A great goal poacher though. All in all I think the team is better since they left.
GeordieTwo(Quote)
Yes
Liam Southern Toon(Quote)
We are better off both off the pitch and on. Nolan wouldn’t get a match and Barton would be starting out on the right, constantly cutting inside and getting in Cabaye’s way. It’s so nice to have a true winger on the right for a change.
As for off the pitch, the lads comments recently tell the whole tale for me
MDS(Quote)
NO NO NO NO NO NO NO
was it shrewsbury that beat us 6 – 1 in a friendly? remember that anyone?
theyve moved on and we have – but that doesnt mean they were bad, and doesnt mean the incoming players are any better people either.
hoots created the good dressing room spirit along with the players, pards has come in and to his credit kept it going
pards liked and respected nolan and barton and wanted to keep both – they were good eggs
the players we have now are good eggs too. just take it like that and stop trying to make out these were bad guys, because they were not
doitforsirbobby(Quote)
It’s a new look Toon Army that’s turning into a cracking unit, nobody can complain at this time and 4 me were about 2 get a whole lot stronger in attack with Ben arfa back, long may this continue, HWTL
Matty(Quote)
I dont remember shrewsbury but i remember leyton orient! 🙄
Liam Southern Toon(Quote)
We have pace, ability and apparently a happy dressing room. Barton and Nolan, the barrack room lawyers, have gone and good ridance. The club is, and will continue to move forward, without those 2 and hopefully Smith and Ranger in the near future.
jonboy(Quote)
ya, the o’s. 😛
doitforsirbobby(Quote)
Im sorry but good eggs would not have dropped down a division slammed the club on twitter and went to much smaller clubs.
Im not taking anything away from the one good season barton had with us and the goals nobby scored but i just think we are better without them
Liam Southern Toon(Quote)
doitforsirbobby
September 29, 2011 at 15:59
“pards liked and respected nolan and barton and wanted to keep both – they were good eggs”
Pards also wanted to keep Carroll, and Jose 😆 😆 😆
“the players we have now are good eggs too. just take it like that and stop trying to make out these were bad guys, because they were not”
Sorry. Subsequent jibes both in the press and on Twitter, from BOTH players, seem to suggest otherwise. It’s my opinion that once they didn’t get their own way they would have been bad eggs to have around.
toonsy(Quote)
I think they might have a to much of an influence in the dressing room, and its no coincidence that they are now both gone. Having an influental player in the team is great when he is on the gaffers side, but if he turns it can get really ugly and he can turn out to be a bad apple. I also agree about the Carroll rant, i was furious with that as well, with Nolan being a known Liverpool fan he showed his true colours then and there. Barton have been in the headlines after leaving us and i breathed a sigh of relief that we didnt have to make headlines like that anymore when i t happened… In the end, they are gone now and i am pleased that they are, but they were good for us when they were here and i will remember them for that.
Valle(Quote)
Well said! I think it has allowed others to come of of their shells a little and agree that Nolan wouldn’t get in the team these days. He would have ended up as an alternative Alan Smith, not good enough to play, too old to put on the bench and would prevent the younger, newer players from gaining valuable experience
jc(Quote)
Excuse the spelling… Im a bit tired 😉
Valle(Quote)
At least we would not have had a Tevez moment, they would not make the bench. However, agree that thanks for their contributions when here. Good luck for the future, but we have moved on.
premandup(Quote)
When does Alan smiths contract expire lads ???
Matty(Quote)
funny thing is toonsy, the angriest ive ever seen you was the day barton was made available on a free. you wanted ashley and owlheed’s heads chopped off that day
lets me honest and mature about this – not like 5 year old schoolkids not liking people for silly reasons
we all agreed with what barton said (a lot of us anyway), be it twitter or radio. he loved club (i really do think he did) and wanted to stay, he loved us as fans and we loved him. maybe he went abut it wrong way but his heart was in right place
nolan, scored goals, was our captain, heard he even gave odd team talk. he wanted a better contract for himself and family, we didnt offer it, he got it at west ham
we move on and hopefully lads we have now can mantain that
i just dont understand why we cant be postive and happy about what we have now without whining and being negative about those that had the shirts before
doitforsirbobby(Quote)
Doitforsirbobby – nicely put. But sadly the expected toon way is to vilify some and hero worship others.
The longterm plan was to reduce the wage structure, and to replace aging outspoken players with younger hungrier models. It’s working so far in fairness – but I don’t understand the lynchmob on here out to **** the departees – they picked up the baton after relegation – drove us back and then got poked in the eye for their troubles. Ruthless but so be it – good luck to the lads that have gone, their contributions won’t be forgotten (by some of us at least).
boater(Quote)
doitforsirbobby
September 29, 2011 at 16:25
“funny thing is toonsy, the angriest ive ever seen you was the day barton was made available on a free. you wanted ashley and owlheed’s heads chopped off that day”
But I always maintained that Barton couldn’t get away with criticising his employers, always said it would end in tears. I was annoyed it was a free transfer as we could have got money for him and it goes against the business strategy in place at the club.
It’s been quite a rigid strategy aswell, so you have to wonder why the club were willing to bend it just to get rid of Barton?
toonsy(Quote)
thanks premandup – u just said waht i said in one sentence. weve said thanks now we should move on –
NUFC fans are not haters!! 🙂
ps – heard alvin martin on talksprt earlier talking about where was the scariest place he played for west ham in terms of fans..he said St. James. And the crowd really did have an effect on the players, in an adverse way for the visiting team
He also said if fans knew the effect they have on a team morale and also putting fear into the away team they would be surprised
I hope we can get that back
doitforsirbobby(Quote)
Both are flat track bullies that want to rule the roost.
They are team players as long as they are considered the leaders. Everyone is equal but some are more equal than others…That was fine when we were in the Chumpionship and striving to stabilise in the Premiership. We needed the huff and guff. Their time has come and gone.
As soon as Pardieu decided to change the style and was looking for pace, their cards were marked. Joey could have got away with it in RM but the team would not necessarily have been better. He would not have tolerated sitting on the bench that’s for sure.
New broom, sweep clean.
STB(Quote)
Agreed. Nolan cared more about one last big payday than the team, and convincing Carroll to join Liverpool doesn’t look like great career advice now – though no doubt Andy’s bank manager is over the moon…
Barton was a very good player (not a great player, though) but far to much of a loose cannon. My heart was always in my mouth any time he went for a tackle or an argument started.
Does anybody else breathe a sigh of satisfaction when they get the Sunday paper and the headlines are about the football, not Barton starting a fight on the pitch, or his post-match twitter comments?
We’ve been the comedy club for too long, and it stopped being funny years ago. Let’s see how Man City cope with their time in the spotlight with prima donnas on silly money while we quietly build our way back to Europe.
John T(Quote)
boater
September 29, 2011 at 16:27
“they picked up the baton after relegation”
A relegation in which they were ALL involved in “achieving” lets not forget…
toonsy(Quote)
doitforsirbobby
September 29, 2011 at 16:30
“ps – heard alvin martin on talksprt earlier talking about where was the scariest place he played for west ham in terms of fans..he said St. James. And the crowd really did have an effect on the players, in an adverse way for the visiting team”
I’m not surprised he said that. He was playing the time our lot threw a firebomb into their away support at SJP 😆
toonsy(Quote)
And in any case, if Nolan and Barton were such good eggs, why weren’t they poached by bigger clubs?
Chris G(Quote)
well said boater
and its not just the latest lot
ul hear some ‘newcastle’ fans ridicule and attack kevin keegan and even alan shearer because they may come out and say something a bit different to the club line
after what the two of them did for us..
sorry for going off topic but people really do have short memories and are very ungrateful at times
doitforsirbobby(Quote)
– they picked up the baton after relegation –
———————-
Actually, Nolan and Baton both had a hand in getting us relegated and Barton had practically no hand in getting us promoted….
MDS(Quote)
Scariest place I had the misfortune of visiting was West Ham away in the late eighties .The local Ol’ Bill were even worse than the Hammers fans….
STB(Quote)
An article from a West Ham site having a tone of disbelief about how sh*t Nolan is.Shows us exactly what we are NOT missing.
http://www.kumb.com/article.php?id=2944
deepak is an indian toon(Quote)
It’s hard to judge without actually being in the dressing room to witness, but I do get the sense that the previous “leaders” led from a throne putting themselves above the others, whilst our current leaders, lead along side the others as one.
It seems that the new players are getting on mostly because they have good characters and that’s important. You can have the best player in the world in your squad, but if he’s a ***, it can hurt the TEAM performance.
JerseyGeordie(Quote)
It would seem as though there was definitely a clique there of at least Nolan, Barton, Smith, Carroll who had some serious influence over Houghton. Whether that was a good or bad thing at the time bearing in mind the immediate promotion then the good start last season is difficult to say. I remember feeling there was something strange going on when the Taylor / Carroll / girlfriend incident happened. It doesn’t really matter what was said in amongst all the banter and goading, you don’t break a team mate’s jaw (particularly when you already have previous and are effectively on probation) yet Taylor came out of it all as the bad guy and Carroll the affronted party? Carroll should be very thankful Taylor did not press charges or he would have had a lot more in common with Barton than he would have liked. On the pitch there now seems to be a much better balance and real pace than before and none of the possible clique have been missed in the short-term which was the worry. It was never going to be a longer term issue. Just wished Jose Enrique had stayed because if you then add Pieters, a quality CB (not Ridgewell), and at least one, top class, striker like Sturridge to that group (whilst losing Stroller, Smith, Lovenkrands, Perch and Ranger to balance the salaries / books) you have a very good, balanced, entertaining squad.
Joe Heller(Quote)
We saw what they were made of by chasing money at smaller clubs, slagging of the club on their way out. Why people want to give them the hero tag is beyoind me…
MDS(Quote)
Toonsy: To hot to write at the moment, so my draft isn’t ready yet. Will do it later 😀 Good to have the smileys back!
Zoë Vicarage(Quote)
Successful sportspeople take the positives out any situation. That’s not to say they ignore the negatives, but they get worked on in private with their coaches. Sometimes us fans fail to spot the positives and focus on the negatives. That feeds back into the club as Alvin Martin was saying. 50,000 Geordies can intimidate the opposition or stifle one of our own. As we are becoming more successful on the pitch protests and negativity off the field can endanger that.
premandup(Quote)
An article from a West Ham site having a tone of disbelief about how sh*t Nolan is.Shows us exactly what we are NOT missing.
http://www.kumb.com/article.php?id=2944
———————————————-
“Nine games into the season he does not look fit”
Well, he won’t look fit 30 games into the season either. I wonder how fit he’ll look in year 5 of his contract?
MDS(Quote)
aint about ‘big hero’ MDS
its about saying thanks and moving on. you know – like a grown up. we do not wanna rep of being fickle fans.
i hate fickle fans
doitforsirbobby(Quote)
hang on…we threw a firebomb into the west ham end??!!! 😕
doitforsirbobby(Quote)
Not sure why we are back covering this. Toonsy you correctly pointed out in your article the club is on the up so why keep looking at the past? Nolan and barton have contributed to where the club is now and where the club is going. But they have both left for whatever reasons.I wish them well in their future endeavors
johno toon(Quote)
Barton should be thanking the club for the all the money he was paid for two years of football. Nolan gets not hanks from me as he just f’d off to the highest bidder….
Good riddance
MDS(Quote)
doitforsirbobby
September 29, 2011 at 16:46
“hang on…we threw a firebomb into the west ham end??!!!”
Yep. Back in the day.
toonsy(Quote)
johno toon
September 29, 2011 at 16:49
“Not sure why we are back covering this. Toonsy you correctly pointed out in your article the club is on the up so why keep looking at the past?”
Because I think it makes for good discussion 😉
toonsy(Quote)
Exactly MDS,am just happy that we got rid of him and didn’t bow down to his 5 year contract demands. He would have been another parasite feeding on the club and using us as his pension scheme.
deepak is an indian toon(Quote)
Haha toonsy i can’t argue there 😉
johno toon(Quote)
hahaha Chris G@21 – I liked the pun anyway 😆
…must admit, I’m with doitforsirbobby on this one. They were both great, and Barton in particular for me, worked his socks off and took to the helm in times of adversity. Both him and Nolan wore the badge with pride, but as Premandup pointed out, the time had come for NUFC to move on. Neither JB nor KN fitted into the structure they once played a large part in.
In defence of Barton, I’m sure I’d have kicked off too, having demonstrated so much passion, loyalty and ability to then be pushed aside for new blood. This happens though.
In short, neither were bad eggs. I wish them both the best of luck, and thank them for their contribution in what has very obviously led NUFC to the position we are now – albeit without them. Are we doing better without them? Who knows, who ever will? Who cares.
HOWAY THE LADS!
Rodzilla(Quote)
Chris G@24 😳
Rodzilla(Quote)
Rodzilla
September 29, 2011 at 17:00
“In defence of Barton, I’m sure I’d have kicked off too, having demonstrated so much passion, loyalty and ability to then be pushed aside for new blood. This happens though.”
Loyalty and Joey Barton should only ever work one way, and that should be from him to the club after they paid his wages for 30 months of him doing **** all on the pitch out of the 48 that he was actually here.
Of those18 months where he was available he had one good season and played about five games in the Championship. It does not absolve him of the sheer immaturity he displayed throughout his time here. Let’s not forget the time he got sent off against Liverpool. I was in the stands at Anfield that day. He then became unavailable for three games in a relegation run in. Let’s not forget the punch on Gamst Pedersen.
if anything, Barton left Newcastle still in debt to the club. Nolan is the one who earned it, but his LiverpoolTV love in saw to that one for me. Captain my ****.
toonsy(Quote)
DoItForSirBob – out of interest, what are your views on Michael Owen?
Toon Chicken(Quote)
Good article Zoe! Barton was fast becoming a liability (and remains so) on Twitter/life. Far too vocal on issues beyond his pay grade so to speak. I think he is a cracking player but he was replaced by potentially a better player in Cabaye and he saw enough on the training ground to admit this himself. In hindsight I feel that he orchestrated the move away and has since made no revelations of substance or value.
People talk about Nolan playing gash after Carroll left. My opinion is this, Nolan played gash from the moment he was promised a daft contract. The board later rescinded this offer when they realised he was finished at this level. Praise the lord for that.
What peed me off the most about the kunts who walked out the door was their insistence that the club was not ambitious and insinuating that we had not strengthened in the Summer. How facking disrespectful is that? And wrong. Christ even Ryan Taylor is doing a similar job to Enrique statistically speaking….
Lacedaemonian(Quote)
Doitforsirbobby…
“ul hear some ‘newcastle’ fans ridicule and attack kevin keegan and even alan shearer because they may come out and say something a bit different to the club line”
Dont go there, you are in no way a better “Newcastle” fan than anyone with a different view to your own. And your argument is easily answered with:
And some “fans” put ex players and managers on a pedestal and fail to see their obvious wrongdoings and are all to eager to slate the current board and in some cases management.
We could also just agree that these are players that there are mixed feelings about for some reason? While we have several ex players who were/are still loved and adored by almost everyone for some reason even after they left? Players like Solano, Ginola and Ferdinand
Valle(Quote)
1979…hence the song
He’s only a poor little Hammer
His clothes are all tattered and torn
he came for a fight
so we set him alight
and now he won’t come anymore 😉
richietoon(Quote)
More Titus pisstaking 😆
http://boards.footymad.net/forum.php?tno=386&fid=185&sty=2&act=1&mid=2116243928#p31239719
Brilliant
toonsy(Quote)
Richie – Bingo 😉
toonsy(Quote)
Toons@45, yeah I appreciate what you’re saying. JB never slagged the ‘club’ off as such though, just his employers. I agree wholeheartedly, you should never bite the hand that feeds you and JB took off a few fingers and a thumb whilst wolfing down his **** sandwiches.
…..”Barton left Newcastle still in debt to the club” – Indeed, this was the main bug bear for me at the time. The fact that we’d stood by him for so long and he was just starting to hit the heights, in my opinion. I might have used a similar analogy before of buying a burnt out Porsche, spending 40k on it to finally make it roadworthy, then give it away to a dodgy scrap dealer.
Barton done himself no favours on Twatter, which seems to be at the root of his downfall. Words are very dangerous weapons when used in angst or anger. Problem with Barton is he’s passionate, he’s a footballer, and he’s intelligent. Most professional footballers don’t have the problems he has, as they only have one or two of said traits.
Personally, I blame it all on the internet. The devil’s work.
Rodzilla(Quote)
comon toon chicken – owen was hugley different. barton and nolan when on the pitch gave all they had and fought for the cause
owen on the other hand, earned what the two of them did and a week and did half as much
valle – wish i knew ahat u were talking about. never said i was a better fan than anyone
just saddens me when ‘nufc fans’ slate alan shearer or king kev. for what they did for the club and the unbridaled joy they brought me..
f**k it, they on the biggest pedestal EVER!! 😀
doitforsirbobby(Quote)
STB “everyone is equal but some are more equal than others”. That is an Orwell quote, Joey Barton would be so proud.
By the way, you should read Joey’s full interview in the Evening Standard. He certainly has a high opinion of himself. Bought some grafitti art from Banksy for 6 grand.
I don’t mind Barton, but he seems to be taking his reputation as the philospher king a but too seriously.
GS(Quote)
….at the end of the day, Barton’s got what suits him best. Authority as a midfield general in the heart of a team scrapping for survival. Best of luck to him.
Rodzilla(Quote)
……long gone are the days when I could afford to take a petrol bomb to the match 😈 😆
richietoon(Quote)
Rodz – To me the fact that Ashley was so prepared to lose out on money, which is strange for him surely, by allowing him to go on a free, plus the fact that a player of the same age has recently got a new contract with the club surely points to Barton being let go because he was a bad apple? Whether that manifested itself behind the scenes or on Twitter is irrelevant as it is still undermining the club. To get huffy and spit the dummy because Cabaye was given corner taking duties in a friendly summed it all up for me. Petulant **** who got the gig he wanted in the end, and by gig I mean money, after being stuck by from the club.
toonsy(Quote)
Rich – Even with 5p off a litre at Tesco? 😈
toonsy(Quote)
i still cant get over the petrol bomb thing
id love to do that to certain fans!!! 😆
doitforsirbobby(Quote)
Another thing Joey said was that he used to embrace the footballer bling lifestyle but was more grounded now (I am paraphrasing). He said he has a collection of high end watches but that was not the way he is now and would have his personal assistant sell them.
Either it was a joke or he couldn’t see the irony.
GS(Quote)
Toonsy…..not even with that, in them days you could pay to get into the match, a pie, bovril and a petrol bomb and still have change from a sixpence 😀
richietoon(Quote)
GS, fair play to him. I’d spend 6k on Banksy artwork if I earned his wages. What’s wrong with being cultured???
….and as far as him being a self-proclaimed ‘philospher king’ – what’s wrong with quoting the greats? Everyone does it. Is he not allowed to because he’s a footballer with a criminal record for violence?
Tar and brushes.
Rodzilla(Quote)
Doitforsirbobby… Well i love big Al as much as the next guy, but how do you feel about the way he laughed at JB after Henry kicked him around last season on motd? Allot of fans werent happy about that, but that dosnt mean that they dont love our legend number 9. KK gave us the closest shot at a chalenge in modern days, but he also threw his toys out TWICE and have bailed out of every management job he has ever had. Respecting legends is one thing, but putting them up there like gods who can do no wrong is on another level, and the only proof we have that JB and KN “loved” NUFC is from their own mouth, but once offers of more money were on the table… Well… That said, Nolan and Barton were never up there with neither KK nor big Al anyways.
Valle(Quote)
Rich – 😆 And enough for your Penny Farthing ride home 😆
toonsy(Quote)
GS@60, I honestly think Barton plays with people on Twitter. It’s all a game. He’s just flexing his creative muscles.
50 quid says he’ll have his own newspaper column in 5 years.
Rodzilla(Quote)
DoitforSB…..try a book called Black and White Daft ’79 to ’84…..when I read it I wonder how I ever made it back from the match in one piece
richietoon(Quote)
Anyhoo, time for a new article before I head oot on the beer 🙂
toonsy(Quote)
Toonsy…. ah happy days 😆
richietoon(Quote)
Fresh article up 🙂
toonsy(Quote)
toonsy@57, end of the day all I know about is what I’ve read in the papers and on the tinterweb. We all make our own judgments. Bad apple, maybe. I personally think he was disappointed through too much conflicting information from above. Anyway, he’s gone now and I couldn’t give a fk.
Rodzilla(Quote)
cheers richie il get that!
flipping petrol bombs – thats class. im ringing my dad when I gets in from the office, he always moaning about the youth today, yet his mates were throwing petrol bombs!!
haha
class!
doitforsirbobby(Quote)
Richie when I started going to the matches as a kid in the early 80’s I used to stare at the Gallowgate corner going mental more than the game itself. I used to stand in the safer Gollowgate corner. By the time I was old enough (for safety reasons) to go in the Gallowgate corner it wasn’t the same. Plus the all seating seriously killed the sheer madness of it. I was there for the game against Coventry before they pulled the stand down.
Lacedaemonian(Quote)
good article, I agree totally about them having too much influence. Perhaps thats why CH was surprisingly sacked, Maybe he couldnt handle them. THere were rumours that he even mentioned about ‘player power’.
Is nobody going to write the lyrics to the ammers torching. canny little tune…
mark(Quote)
doitforsirbobby, the 70s and early 80s were proper hardcore. I can remember walking past the Strawberry with mi Dad when Chelsea were up, ’78 I think. Like a war zone. 😈
Rodzilla(Quote)
He’s only a poor little Hammer
His clothes are all tattered and tall
he came for a fight
so we set him alight
and now he won’t come back at all
so…(repeat and fade!)
mark(Quote)