The irreplaceables?

toonsy

Key men, but irreplaceable?
One of the keys to success this summer will hinge on our ability to keep hold of certain key players at St James’ Park.

Whilst the focus will understandably be on just who we bring in to the club and how much money we spend, I would argue that as long as the squad is strengthened it doesn’t really matter how much we spend. After all, that has been our problem this season – a lack of quality in depth – so if we can get that quality in numbers in without spending a penny it wouldn’t bother me, even if they were all free. That depends on keeping hold of some of our current players though.

Talk of contracts has been put on hold, quite rightly, until our Premier League status is assured. Personally I think we’ll be fine for survival, just about, which is why I’m looking beyond that to our summer exploits. A negative result against Wolves at the weekend would probably change that and I ‘d more than likely start looking a little less in advance, but call me an optimist if you like as I think we’ll do fine at the weekend.

Anyway, where was I? Ah yes, contracts. We don’t have a bad starting eleven when everyone is fit, but beyond that we are looking thin on quality. That needs to be addressed of course, but it can only be addressed properly if we can keep hold of our current key players.

You’ll have probably guessed which players I’m on about by now, but just in case the penny hasn’t dropped I’m talking about Joey Barton and Jose Enrique. Sure keeping hold of these two would be great, but are they really as irreplaceable as is being made out?

Great players who have been important for us no doubt, but if they did upsticks and leave would we really not be able to replace them? Probably not, especially Jose, but would it be that important? Just how important is a left-back?

Now before anyone pipes up with how I’m happy to allow Jose to leave, let me clarify – I’m not. I’d be gutted if he left as he is one of my favourite current NUFC players. However, I’ll certainly not put him on an untouchable plinth on that basis of 20-odd Premier League games where he has looked like the player we should have signed back in 2007.

There are other Jose’s and Barton’s out there, so if we did lose either it would not be the end of the world. You heard that here first! Yes it would be a blow, but we would live on and fight another day and try to get the next Jose or Barton.

Personally I don’t want either of them to go and would prefer it if they stayed. If they left it would mean that we would have to dig deep and find replacements just to stay where we are in terms of squad quality, which would be tough to achieve of course, but are they really, truly irreplaceable? I don’t think so….

Now it’s your turn to answer!

About toonsy

A lifelong Newcastle fan and current webmaster of this very 'blog who has the sole aim of creating a place by Newcastle United fans, for Newcastle United fans.

View all posts by toonsy →

You may like these posts

154 thoughts on “The irreplaceables?”

  1. I don’t think either are irreplaceable but I think we would find it harder to replace Jose. Good hard left backs are hard to find these days, especially ones that are great at defending as well as attacking and at Jose’s age it makes it that little bit tougher.

    Barton on the other hand I don’t think is too bad because our strength is midfield and with Pardew saying in his interview he wanted more pace in the side and we signed a winger I would find it hard where to fit everyone in when fit but then again we need a good squad not just starting XI.

      (Quote)

  2. We need to balance the squad and make not so heavy in the middle. 50,000 central midfielders and counting 🙄

      (Quote)

  3. There are other Jose’s and Barton’s out there, so if we did lose either it would not be the end of the world.
    —————–

    That really is true. As supporters we fall in love with certain players and are gutted when they leave. Nothing wrong with that, but there is always someone better out there. The key is making sure you do your due dilligence and bring in replacements that are up for it.

    Still- I really don’t want to lose Barton or Enrique 😉

      (Quote)

  4. hopefully Smith and Guthrie will leave and Vuckic will on loan which will balance it out nicely 😉

      (Quote)

  5. Smith and Raylor. I’ll drive Smith there myself and drive Raylor to a woods and leave him the shytehouse 👿

      (Quote)

  7. Agreed, Dan. I think that any player is replaceable. That said, I’d still rather not replace Jose OR wor Joey.

    On a different note- I’m VERY excited to see the lads on my own soil (despite a 10 hour drive to Kansas from Tennessee!). I’ll be there in black n white, with a strip and a flag, leadin the singin! I’ll teach all these yanks “Blaydon Races”

      (Quote)

  8. Get of Raylor’s back, after all if we sell him I wont have a good freekick taker on fifa 😆 No I do actually like him, dont no why, just do I think it was that free kick at Ipswitch

      (Quote)

  9. OHurley, good to hear, hopefully we do a few games over there for you’s 🙂

    Spencer you should be able to take free kicks on Fifa without a good taker 😉

      (Quote)

  10. I brought this up a few months ago toonsy n i dont think it would be the end of the world if we lost Jose. He is the best left back that i can remember for us but that is what he is a left back. Im not saying I want him to go , I dont but dont think it be end of the world. That been said I dont think he will leave ( if we stay up ) , look at his goal celebration from last year , I think he really cares for the club n the area. His quotes state he is ambitions ( n rightly so he is a cracking player ) so if the club matches his ambitions I think he will stay

      (Quote)

  13. For me we cant replace what Barton brings to the team, his grit, determination he gives his all every time he plays. Without Barton in the team we havn’t won in the league, think that goes to show how improtant Joey is for us.

    Losing Jose wont be as bad in my opinion, with Benny coming back on the left flank we wont miss Jose’s attacking too much – obviously I would love to have them both running up and down the left. Plus with Ferguson there it wouldnt be too bad knowing we have a future class left back.

    I would 100% keep Barton over Jose if I had to pick.

      (Quote)

  14. Johno,
    Unless his ambition is mid table mediocrity and a possible uefa cup place challenge….we ain’t matching his ambitions any time soon…

    Really depends on who comes in for him. If barca or a club with champs league football, it doesn’t matter if the club prove they are heading in the right direction, he is away. If a similar stature club was to come in, hopefully his love of club and fans would keep him, depending on the money of course.

    More likely to keep Joey, as it’s only going to be similar clubs to us that are interested, generally from the north west. Could be a case of out of the frying pan into the fire if he leaves for one of them

      (Quote)

  15. My gut reaction is that we will end up keeping both of them. due to the contract situation I don’t see anyone meeting our valuation f eiither player.

    OH- don’t think I will make it to KC but if the Columbus rumours are true I’ll be heading there. That would be less than half the drive for me

      (Quote)

  16. Moreno , Rome was not built in a day , there was no way we will be competing for a champions league spot this year or next year or a few years after that! We are in the process of re-building the club so mid-table mediocrity ( as you put it ) is the best we can hope for at the moment. The trick is to get our key players to buy into this and build the team as the club builds itself off the field. It is going to take time but i belive the ambition is there from the owner to get us back inot the champions league n challenging for honours. God only knows how long it will take but ashley llbambias pardew has to convince the players the ambition is there.

    Fair enough if the likes of barca came in for any of players you couldnt argue with any of them wanting to go

      (Quote)

  18. I don’t think it’s the individual contribution or skill or a player that we need to worry about; it’s the impact on the stability and continuity of the core team, which is a big part of the spirit we need to win here.

    Losing either Joey or Jose would be survivable – but losing both could lead to others – Colo and Jonas particularly – calling their agents.

    I want to keep both and there are very few I’d like to see leave, although I’d happily see Ireland go back if we could get a winger of a similar skill level. Sorry Stevie boy – nowt personal, just want my pennies spent on priorities, not wages for the bench.

      (Quote)

  19. Johno – good point on the need for steady building, but we also need to show the likes of Jose that he can realise his career goals here, and that means moving faster than that. Also, I think some of the top teams will soon fall away once financial reality starts to bite, and we could see ourselves in the top 6 quite quickly just by treading water while others sink.

    If we stay up, keep players and recruit just a few key players in the summer, I see no reason why we shouldn’t aim for Europa next year. Imagine us with Benny back in, probably another decent striker and a couple of new wingers. I think it’s conceivable that we’d be three places higher if we’d had that this season.

      (Quote)

  21. Don’t lose Barton or Ranger. One has mastered his position, the other is the brightest prospect the Toon have. When I think about who can do what at certain positions, then just what is needed changes. For example, HBA comes in at left wing & Jonas moves to the right. Enrique is not so vital as HBA moves the ball around himself. And Jonas may need a more creative right back to work with (we really don’t know what Simpson can do as he has not been called upon to work with a true right wing).

    Hey OHurley, you can fly to KC for less than $250 round trip (& that’s from Charlotte, NC). That saves a ton of driving & maybe a night or two in motels.

      (Quote)

  23. But whumpie that is what i mean we need the players to buy into that vision , as build sensibly , last season we added ben arfa tiote n gosling , if we added 4 players of similar quaility / potential this summer n kept our key players I think it would show we mean business , time will tell tho!

      (Quote)

  24. OH- I’m sure they will play at least 2 possiby 3. It’s a long way to come for 1 match and a couple of training sessions.

    Man U has 5 scheduled over here this summer 😯 As much as I hate them I’ll probably drive down to DC to see them play Barca- for no other reason that to say that I saw one of the all-time great sides play with my own eyes

      (Quote)

  25. Im hopeful Carr has some real quality players lined up from Ligue 1 and the Eredivisie. I agree that it’s not about counting up the signing to try an get £35. It’s more important that we spend £4-5M on a quality player than £10M on an expensive ‘big name’ player. Im confident Pardew, Carver and Carr will be good at this, Carr has already shown us what he can do with Tiote and Benny.

      (Quote)

  26. Im confident Pardew, Carver and Carr will be good at this, Carr has already shown us what he can do with Tiote and Benny.
    ——————–
    I’m with you- for some reason I have confidence in these guys.

      (Quote)

  28. Johno,

    The problem is, we have heard it all before, as have the players.

    Example:

    Alan Pardew “Lads, we are going to push for Europe, we want to keep the best players here and build”

    Fair enough, sold on that.
    Until we sell Carroll.
    It’s going to be difficult to RE-convince someone.
    Everyone likes stability in their work, I would personally be fed up to high heaven if I saw managers come, promise ambition, then go. Leaving the next person to say the same.

    I used Barca as an extreme example, let’s be honest though, if atletico, Valencia, Liverpool etc etc come in. He’s away.

      (Quote)

  32. Cant argue that we have heard it all before , Carrol was a different kettle of fish , he wanted to leave.

    As long as he doesnt end up witht he bin dippers 😆

      (Quote)

  33. pardew talks out his nose his voice grinds on me and if i think that what do the players think 😥

      (Quote)

  35. who the fuk cares if he talks through his nose or not, does it matter. I couldn’t care if he talked through his **** to be honest if he improves the squad in the summer.

      (Quote)

  36. MDS-

    If the Toon comes to Columbus, I’ll be there too. But living in Nashville puts me in a good position for driving either way

      (Quote)

  37. So I watched USA vs Paraguay last night. Actually was at the game. What a joke. Terrible performance up top from both sides. And despite the fact that it was a friendly, when Paraguay went ahead in the first half, they immediately started playing defensively. Boring, boring, boring, ***** display of football. But at least I got to be at the game haha! Nice when the National squad plays 10 miles from front door!

      (Quote)

  39. For me Tiote is the only player that is irreplaceable on the basis that there’s not many like him around…to replace that quality would be very expensive!

      (Quote)

  40. Ice-

    Haha, I was BORN with a jar in me paw, mate! :mrgreen:

    Nah, there won’t be any drinkin’ and drivin’. Fook’s sake man, it’s an easy 10 hour drive! But cheaper than flying cos I’ll have me best mate with me like!

    You’ll just have to send me a list of songs and chants to sing! I wanna go as prepared as possible. Even if I’m the ONLY bloke singin’, by God, someone will be urgin’ the team on!

      (Quote)

  43. What have I missed? Owt or nowt?

    Whumpie – How come you get on Ireland’s back for sitting on the bench (which he hasn’t been fit enough to do by the way) yet you maintain that Shola is some form of god for spending pretty much all of his career doing the same?

      (Quote)

  44. Ice- ahm canny good at geordie slang like, mate. Ahv got mesel a copy o’ the New Geordie Dictionary, kna. So, divvent worry bout me, ah kna enough Geordie to not go tits up like :mrgreen:

    So yeah, I can sing in slang (and understand [as long as it’s written haha])

      (Quote)

  49. Pardew the other night on the radio said he felt Ranger and Ferguson weren’t ready for the first team for different reasons. So Lovenkrands and Perch are. If he believes that is true we are in big trouble

      (Quote)

  50. He said that about Ranger toby, had a different vibe about Ferguson though, Pardew could have played Perch against Stoke or someone else instead of Fergie.

      (Quote)

  53. Dog-

    Woohoo! Noo, if ah cud just understand you’s when ya’s pissed like! For real, it’s one thing to understand an excited Geordie. It’s another (and altogether different) thing to understand an excited Geordie when he’s pissed! 😆 😆

      (Quote)

  54. Toby, everyone except Ben Arfa, Gosling & R.Taylor out of the first team off the top of my head.

      (Quote)

  55. AOD wouldnt so no to him thats fore sure,wants to play every week,will that be a problem anywhere he goes

      (Quote)

  58. I’d have to agree with Pards re: Ranger. If what they say about him is true, he’s a lazy, irresponsible son of a ***** who knows nothing about the honor of playing professional football, nor has any appreciation for it. Just a bit of raw talent. If he doesn’t get his heed down and graft hard, he’ll be back on the streets in his old gang, washed up, and pennyless. Gotta give Pards my support on that one.

      (Quote)

  59. Moreno, I thought it would go into a bit more detail like last time but maybe that will happen when they speak again in a month or so.

      (Quote)

  62. OHurley thats going over the top about Ranger. If he was a son of a ***** who didn’t care Pardew would never even consider playing him, if Ranger didn’t care or had ‘just a bit of talent’ he would never have changed the game against Liverpool for us to win. Also came on and helped the comeback against Arsenal.

    I don’t see why people seem to hate Ranger, Pardew said in the interview the other day being late had nothing to do with him not starting, just that he isnt quite ready to start – the lads 19. If Ranger was such a big issue he wouldnt get near the bench, or would he have been given a 5 year deal by the club.

      (Quote)

  63. AndrewNUFC-

    You’re probably right, that was a bit tough on the lad. I just don’t think he’s mature yet. Not even close. I think even Judas was more mature at 19. And him showin’ up chronically late to practice really gets on my wick like. Sure he’s got talent, but I’m not convinced his heed is in the game.

      (Quote)

  64. At 19 Judas was a total *** OHurley.

    I heard loads of bad rumours coming out of the club about him and how he was getting on people’s nerves about the town. He was too big for his boots then and we really should have seen this coming!

      (Quote)

  65. Moreno
    Posted March 30, 2011 at 8:38 PM

    “Built up far too much for what it actually turned out to be”

    Yes, exactly right.

    “Look at us, we had a meeting” 🙄

      (Quote)

  66. Good evening all whats the craic apart from all the Fat Cuntroller stuff and how we are only £17 mill in debt 😆
    Re the irreplaceable I dont think anyone is irreplaceable maybe hard to do it and costly but it can be done I still think Joey will be here but Jose is the one I would worry about as I think he might want to go, and I dont think it will be for any other reason other than to a team that are seen a lot more to progress his chances of international footie.

      (Quote)

  67. OHurley I’ll be the first to admitt turning up late for training when he’s getting paid thousands is bad, very bad. People can probably see I rate Ranger, in my opinion loaning him out next season and playing week in week out would do him the world of good.

    If Clarke gets Hudderfield up I wouldn’t mind maybe loaning Nile and Vuckic out the them for the season.

      (Quote)

  69. OHURLEY his heed isnt right mate,the snide isnt going to come out and say that wheres the sell on value in that,theres a few 19yrs playing the game, age cannot always be used as excuse,carroll gosling ect ect could name a few at other clubs

      (Quote)

  73. toonsy&Andrew 😆 😆
    Aye, bet she’s got an **** on her
    Would ask him on twitter but he’d stab me

      (Quote)

  74. Ice your right if your good enough your old enough, but even if your good enough but dont give it your all, it would be a bad example to the other players if he was picked over them when they give their all and turn up on time etc etc.
    I would love to see him sort himself out and start getting games as I do think he has loads of potential, but I do feel he still has a bit of an attitude problem

      (Quote)

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *