All is well with our transfer policy
One of the things that has struck me though is just how many people seem to not get what our transfer policy is all about.
It occurred to me when I read a whole bunch of comments regarding Alex and a proposed move to QPR – a move which has since collapsed by the way with the player and QPR unable to reach an agreement. Basically there was a fair few people saying that we should go for him, even though it would go against every rule in our transfer book.
Why? Well for a start he is 29 now and will be 30 in the summer. We generally don’t sign players over the age of 26. When the only real exception to the rule is Shefki Kuqi you can see that we generally stick to the age profile.
Then there are wage demands. High wages at the kind of level which Chelsea pay will not be tolerated and will scupper any deal before it even gets out of the starting blocks. Of course there is a chance that the player could drop their demands, but in the modern game there aren’t many professionals who would do such a thing.
Then there is the price. Now I personally feel that this is less of an issue. If the player is worth it we will pay the cash required to secure a deal, but if the fee starts to become unreasonable then you can forget it. £10m for Wilfried Zaha of Crystal Palace? Forget it… A bit of research goes a long way and it’s why we’ve uncovered players like Yohan Cabaye who we picked up for a fraction of his true worth thanks to a release clause in his contract.
The vast majority of deals we conclude will fit all three of these criteria. On occasion we may skip one, but in general all three of the boxes must be ticked for a deal to go ahead. To be honest, you can’t really knock it can you?
I mean you just have to look at the players we’ve brought in to see that, somewhat against the odds in a mad football world, our policy is actually working. Cheik Tiote, Hatem Ben Arfa, Davide Santon, Yohan Cabaye, Sylvain Marveaux, Papiss Demba Cisse, and Demba Ba all fit the profile, and that is the majority of our first team!
My only real bone of contention regarding our policy is the keeping hold of our players part. If we can sort that then I really don’t think it can be criticised at all, but even then we seem to have a canny knack of losing a player and replacing him with a player of equal or better quality.
It’s quite mad really!
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162 Comments
1st
…2 in a row. GET IN!!!!!!!!!
Am gannin for a connect fawa here like. Toonsy said he’d up my post rate to 34p if I could get 4 in a row.
Regarding the article in question, I’d knock it for 6 if we let any of our important players out before the window slams shut.
For the time being though, I’m happy.
good write up toonsy.
agree with that look at the players we signed, owen cacapa geremi. to name 3, got us absolutely no where, well relegated. this policy is amazing and its working wonders wouldn’t mind seeing us break the 10million mark for players like shakiri though.
ALEX they have already knocked back 10mill,they say they want 20mil
8th
I win!
its been a fantastic window for us signing papiss so no im not going to knock our transfer policy!! hope cisses playn in an hour
Toonsy I agree that the clubs dealings have been real good, but the only bit that worries me is that we can keep our best players and built the team with them
…that’s pretty much where I’m at Army, chuffed we’ve got Cisse, but the wind would be well and truly taken out of my sails if we lost, let’s say, Tiote. I hope we’ve turned the corner now, and only sell if we’ve got a replacement. I know it’s probably not that easy, but we could always just say “no, fuck off” to any late bids, and sell once we’ve lined someone else up.
I bet there are a lot of fans out there whose opinions on our transfer dealings are resting on February 1st. I know mine are.
richie, cheers for that mate
I think our policy is spot on to be honest.
I understand peoples concerns about players leaving or getting targeted but I don;t worry about stuff like that because at some stage with every club, it’s gonna happen.
The pleasing thing is, if you think about it, no one is bleating on about being unsettled here or hankering for a move, which is a very good sign.
Naturally we all know that the very back end of the window usually sees the most desperate clubs banging in bids and it might happen to us but I just can’t see anyone of any significance leaving us.
We ‘could’ lose a few fringe players maybe and a few out on loan but I’d be very surprised if we lost a top player unless someone comes in with a late 30 million bid or something on those lines.
As far as our buying policy goes, I think we are going about it correctly.
Good article. Moved into a new flat over christmas and havn’t been able to get the internet up. First chance i’ve had to be on. What a lovely janurary it’s been. A few issues, i have come to think even if we let a big player such as tiote go for say 30million i would be disapointed but i wouldn’t be upset as i now have faith that we have the means and ability to replace these players with maybe not the same but good quality i don’t feel any player we have is irreplaceable.
Also i watched zaha yesterday and he’s a good player he’s skillfull, can beat a man and looks to go forward but has no final ball and doesn’t really do that much going backwards. For 10mill? hmmm we already have obertan.
Can’t knock the players being brought in.
Quality dealings so far.
And does anyone know if you get ‘loyalty points’ for hoime games or just away games off the box office? Got my tickets for the mackems game today and just wondered?
Home games Rory.
Can’t believe it was 17 years ago tonight since Cantona Kung-fu kicked that supporter.
Time flies by.
Friggin hell 17 years ago.
Is someone speeding the clocks up when we aren’t looking or what.
My spelling is beyond woeful.
Time flies indeed, and is such a healer – Mike Ashley may not arrive at SJP having rose petals thrown before him when he goes to work each day but he certainly has come a million miles in getting his Human Resources dept sorted. I hope that the days are numbered for the likes of Chelski and Mancini City spraying the world with dosh for diminished returns. NUFC have proved that real talent complete with work rate and dedication still exists for reasonable pennies and I hope it continues this way. Now, so I can get sculpting his pedestal, Mr Ashley just needs some work on his public image
Aye, he deserves praise does Ashley.
Well after watching Zaha yesterday i would say lets not bother , i think Sammy Abeobi is better so why spend millions on him . I am already pleased with this transfer window , if we could get a good CB in and not lose any of our Current squad apart from Xisco ,Smith and Forster then it will be the best transfer window in Ashley’s reign .
hold on!!! it said last night senegal were on eurosport at 6.30 tonight – now it isnt on!! is it on anywhere?? i wanted to watch the two demba geordies
Loyalty points are just for away games, unless they’ve changed it since last season…..which would be unfair on ST holders as they’d get no points for home games
Army69@25- Highlights at 10pm itv4 tonight, best your gonna get .
army69
could always watch the highlights at 10 on itv4.
damn u kimtoon lol
Andy-Great minds
Toonsy – good write up mate
Rodzilla – congrats on the connect 4, awesome work mate
Wolfie – good to see ya posts mate, miss a couple?!
Completely agreed, the days of the marquee big money signings seem to be a thing of the past now dont they… and good riddens I say!!
I think Wolfie made a great point, in that the players seem happy and whenever there’s talk of them being linked with other clubs they are quick to rubbish it and say they want to stay.
Long may it continue…. Well for another week at least anyway!!
…..or a stream?
Army – try http://www.footballstreaming.info/streams/todays-links
They’ve got a few links down bottom of page
Army….commentators on the Libya game on Eurosport said the Senegal game is up next……I think
SteveP……aye that’s what I’m on….still libya on at the mo, couple of mins left.
Army KO time has been changed to 2015 and is on Eurosport
http://www.talksport.co.uk/sports-news/football/premier-league/transfer-rumours/1488/78/newcastle-battle-auxerre-cesena-centre-back
ANyone else worried that BA and cisse start for senegal on a sodden pitch that really should not be being played on?
Its on eurosport now. KO 23 mins time
Liam-Don’t tempt fate.
yes its working this is how we get the players to sign owl heed is the 1 with no clothes http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QwzTWUKcMCA
senegal cud b out tonight
Ba and Cisse start for Senegal.
TO the tune of “only fools and horses”
no income tax, no vat, no points last week off man city, future’s grim, he’s looing pale, harry redknapp’s of to jail……… god bless hooky street la la hooky street hehehe
guinea playn with there home support .. anything cud happen
cisse starts
Ive seen 2, 2 footed tackles already
any 1 watched that clip ive posted @41
holy hell batty is that real !!
2nd question did u train that monkey
cisse seems very mobile , i like it!!!
Pup…comment 21 on the last thread
like my dress sense ritchietoon
behind the times !!!
piss poor decision from ref there – nowt richards could do to stop ball hitting arm…. kin lucky bindippers
cisse just nearly scored a beauty
Pup…whey if ya wearing ya Dad’s hand me downs I’m sure ya look like a fine upstanding Victorian gent
Batty…I knew a lad in the army who shot like that
Sat in Spain, watching German Eurosport with English commentators…bizzare
icepup aye it looks real enough
jeez that pitch is a marsh! hope the Dembas don’t get injured !
Demba #1 should have scored there
@ batty……….u never cease to amaze me lol
richie toon…. the clothes look fine its his hand me down sandles with socks and pom pom hat that draw the most negative attention
Pup…As long as it’s a detachable pom pom for the summer months
Well half time and both our Demba’s look unscathed , the pitch is a nightmare .
great defending there ,looks even better in slow mo.
Dembas are coming home me thinks.
fuckn senegals getn beat!!!!!!
If it stays like this Senegal are out and the Dembas are coming home
Christ that pitch is a right quagmire .
Bindippers have won.
Ha ha! Come home demba’s
I kin hate Daglish and the bindippers – lvcky bastards
Absolutely gutted Liverpool have won!
If they lift the cup I will be devastated !
Senegal getting closer to scoring i reckon.
Uh same here. No other team has so many of my least favourite players. Bellamy, Carroll, Suarez, Johnson, Downing. Bunch of nasty diving cnuts.
Troy from this point on we should all be supporting the scousers.
If they lose then only the top 6 placed teams in the league get euro football
WTF Senegal are getting beat again! Bet Fashley slipped the Demba’s a cheeky back hander to throw the tourno…
As long as it don’t backfire and they come back depressed and shot of confidence like.
another 5 mins and senegal are out
ffs
sow has equalised, still probably out
Not coming home quite yet, still all to play for
Jesus that was close
Solano’s…..If Liverpool finished 7th and won the cup, then it would still only be the top 5 guaranteed Europe tho wouldn’t it?….unless the Fa cup winners qualify via their league position…or am I missing something?
Get in there
senegal are out 2-1
Dembas defo home now
Take it back, gone, they are out
2-1 to guinea last minute!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Get in my son!!!
well thats a bonus – wasn’t expecting the Dembas back for a couple of weeks yet
senegals out!!!!!
Get em straight on a plane to Brighton!
worst thing about Liverpool winning is that it reduces europa cup place as they’re likely to finish outside top 6
fucking helll!!!!! i cant believe we might have demba and cisse back for next weekend
There coming home ,there coming home the Demba’s are coming home
Get that full back signed up!!!
They’re coming home Newcastle!!
Seriously though, hope that doesn’t effect Ba and Cisse too badly
Axel-
,that was gonna be my next post.
what matches r the demba’s gonna be back for anyone?
Tried looking into it Richie and this is what I think:
Normal:
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
5th
All get European football guaranteed,
1) If a team that has already in the top 5 win the League Cup than 6th place gets Uefa. (Nothing happens for the runner up.
2) If a team already in the top 6 win the FA Cup, than the Runners Up get Uefa.
HOWEVER if both teams are already in the top 6 than it goes to 7th place in the league.
Blackburn. too soon for Brighton .
when do senegal play there next match
Thanks Kim!
SUNDAY BATTY
oops im shouting!!!
lee_ryder Lee Ryder
Cisse and Ba set to fly back on Monday and could even play at #blackburn next week! #nufc
army 69
its not knock-out round yet, still in group stages, so won’t be back till next week, they may make it for the b’burn game (forth of the season 
)
they’ve still got Libya to play
Oops my bad ,next game 29th getting carried away there so not Blackburn,Villa then.
andy why u teln me that?? i knew that lol
Fecks sake Blackburn it is then
army69
from earlier post, made it sound like you thought they were playing in FA cup match on saturday, but you just meant they’ll be back, my bad
demba will be back just in time for any dead line day bids for him
@toonsey . yeh we have brought in some quality but we have also brought in some pap xisco kuqi gonzoles campbell , and as you have mentioned in your article retention is still a problem with the loss of nolan caroll jose milner !
This is just the start of something after a lot of years of rubbish and it could continue to develop or if better players leave and the scouts cant repeat there good work every season then it could end up in tatters , i hope it continues to develop as im sure every one above does but like many fans i have huge reservations about our board !
Solano’s….I bet that made your head hurt
I’ll settle for us qualifying by winning the FA cup 
The youtube vid with me on at Boro away has been posted on RTG……not sure whether to be proud or ashamed
Batty
lol
ya annoying bugger (jks) none of us had thought of it that way, damn you
andy realy
Richie, top seven in the league should be good enough for Europa league.
Batty….do ya turn the music down at parties too?
batty youve put me on a downer now
rich
JJ….hopefully mate, only top 5 certain of it though.
i doubt we will play the 2 dembas until villa on the sunday – i reckin blackburn might be a wee bit to early if they get back monday , tuesday
Theres a report in the Daily Mirror that Newcastle are after Dutch international winger Eljero Elia on loan.
how trustworthy are the daily mirror tho
Army- Mirror are pretty good i have found.
Elia’s fast as fook, decent player.
Well I feel sorry for the lads out in Africa, but great news for us!
For the Elia thing, its a loan deal being reported, but suppose we may be able to buy at the end of the season, should throw in obertan as part of the deal lol.
To be honest though, gabby will just be back-up for a while though with benny showing his stuff. 
Shamrock
agree but their loss (literally) is our gain
Good news for NUFC, we probably won’t have Tiote back till mid Feb though.
I don’t think they will play at Blackburn, it’s too soon. Will be good to have them against Villa.
DJG
not as bothered about tiote as I think we can cope without him more than decent strikers, I know, I know we’ve let in a bazillion goals without him but our front two felt utterly hopeless at the weekend and as the saying goes, a good offence is the best defence.
if they cant us think they can score for us
Premandup
lol but seriously 
what
sorry half what i wrote missing.
if they can’t score at the ACON what makes anybody think they can score for us??
Premandup
thought that was what u meant lol
Premandup
aye we may as well sell Ba, he’s crap as he couldn’t score for senegal in stupid tournament on an absolutely terrible playing surface.
jesus, where is everyone? i’m having a conversation with meeself here
well at least its an intelligent conversation 
That’s what the scum are laughing at that they must be shite ‘cos they havn’t scored……they seem to have forgotten Ba’s 15 goals already
richietoon
hope some witty remark has been made about Gyan, oportunity lost if not. Only ever in knowledge have I ever met a mackem, it was Simon Pride (think that’s how you spell it, known one spelt pryde) from bbc newcastle and he seemed a nice intelligent bloke so don’t have a proper opinion of them.
Richie, we’ll see who’s laughing after we beat them for like the 4th time in a row.
I would love it if Boro could beat them, they are playing some canny football atm.
do other people find it a little bit irritating when they say a newcastle or sunderland v middlesborough is a derby, it isn’t they’re in different counties. rrr
Andy..not by me, can’t be arsed starting another email addy up cos they keep blocking them…..nae sense of humour, they can’t take a bit hate filled abuse
richietoon
, but who cares its them 
shame
DJG….
The mackems are so sure they’ll win, they were on about how many Wembley tickets they’d get the other day
andymag (scot toon)
I know what you mean, you could say Hull or Leeds is their derby but they are still actually closer to us. A derby is really two clubs that play in the same town/city or even the same stadium like Milan. So we are more of a rivalry with Sunderland, (even though some people will pull me across hot coals for saying that)
Andy when I started going to the live games, Carlisle was classed by some as a “derby” game
used to get them Boxing day or New years day, which is when ya often used to play derbies then.
Years of investigation and all they have on Redknapp is a couple of hundred grand? In the grand scheme of things taking into account how much money these people earn, the above figures are a pittance and hardly worth taking the risk for. Not guilty!
Wow, just saw the results–sad for Senegal but great for Geordies!
2 / which teams are you dreaming to play?
There are several teams where I’d like to play, but there are mainly three of them that make me dream:
- Bayern Munich
- Chelsea
- Arsenal
- Questions asked of Demba Ba before he came to England. Makes you wonder if one of those sides does make a decent bid, will he still want to stay?
All if, buts & maybe’s and a pointless post – as he was not to know he would be coming here and his opinion has probably changed, especially now Cisse is here and he can see our potential.
Craig Bellamy was awesome last night. He’s as influential for Liverpool as he was for SBR’s team.
He’s good enough to play for Barca on that form.
Troy Bellers can be a bit special, so skillful and a never give up attitude, and he will always up his team mates game, and never let their heads drop.
But I wonder how he is with Carroll would he be understanding towards him, and maybe try to help him. Or would he just think that while Carroll is shit he will always get in the team ?
troy that’s mad… i was thinking that this morning whilst watching sky sports news and getting ready for work.
@BD
Who knows with Bellers but he inspired his team last night. He sprinted for every ball, all game and led by example. Cracking performance.
I do recall us saying in the summer he would be great for us but many scoffed.
@Nobby
You need to see the entire game to appreciate how good he was.
Big Dave,
Was that your young un that sent me an XBox friends request? if yes apologise to him on my behalf and ask him to send another request and I will gladly accept. Mind you I am shite on MW3 lol
TGS yeah I think it was mate, he said to me a couple of times that you hadn’t accepted his request
. I’ll tell him to send you another, don’t worry he wont pester you to play, I think he likes having lots of friends on it 
Aye Dave, I wasn’t certain that it was your young un.
If he has FIFA 12 I am sure that my 9yr old will be keen to play against him
Shamrock, I’d have hoped he’d have changed, he was playing in Germany at the time so Bayern would have been the obvious one to say, and Liverpool and Man Utd apart Foreigners always plump for the big London 2.
Troy… I didn’t scoff, I’d have loved him back, I said he would be too expensive which is why he’s at a club who pay silly wages and he’s too old, that was candy floss dreaming of the highest order from you back then
TGS…..everyone from our era is shite on it
Battlefield 3 is even harder online, doing me heed in. 
*too old* for the clubs policy I mean
TGS he doesn’t have fifa 12 just the demo as he has11 but was never on it, only MW3 as his mates and my Bro and my son inlaw has it, so he would normally play them.
@richie
Don’t be so defensive. I didn’t name names.
I always stated we would never be in for him but we should have been. Some just said he was past it.
Tinpoops comes to mind.
Troy… I’m not, but couldn’t write what I wrote without it appearing that way, so it was a chance I had to take
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