It will be for silly money and that cash will be reinvested, but I think the end is nigh for one of our stars.
Why? Call it a gut feeling if you like, or maybe I’ve been listening to the sound bytes coming from the club? Maybe I’ve been conditioned for it? Maybe I just know that if a team with the finances available to cut a deal with us comes calling then said club is also likely to offer higher wages and Champions League football which may well be enough to turn a player anyway?
Whatever the reason for it, I honestly believe we’ll see one star leave which will fund another little spending spree where we see maybe four or five players recommended by Graham Carr arrive. I’m not that gutted about it either in truth as, going by recent history anyway, we’ll see the rest of the squad strengthened, which is really what we need ahead of an assault on the Europe League.
Losing any of them is bad, but I guess it’s about losing the one the which would have the least affect on the team. Yohan Cabaye? I don’t think we can lose him, or Tim Krul, or Coloccini, or Cisse. To replace those would cost what we received for them anyway.
The two that I do think we could replace, or would at least have the least affect should they leave, are Cheik Tiote and Demba Ba. Now before I get hammered for it, please hear me out.
Cheik Tiote can have brilliant games for us, but he’s also been missing for a third of the season through injury and ACoN duty. Add in his suspensions to that and his penchant for living on the edge in games and it could quite easily be more games that he misses. Generally we’ve coped well in his absence although if we did let him leave we would need to find someone to replace him.
Demba Ba is slightly different as I actually don’t think we can replace him. His goals in the first half of the season played a huge part in getting us to where we are today, and his all round play in the second half of the season has been largely excellent. With Demba it’s a question of formation.
I think we play better in a 4-3-3 kind of system, but that system has seen Demba Ba pushed out to the left of an attacking three, almost as a left winger. Would it not be better to have a player who can play in that position naturally rather than trying to fit Ba into a system?
In an ideal world we keep hold of everybody and strengthen anyway, but unfortunately I don’t think that will happen for a number of reasons. So the best I’m hoping for is that we lose one player who won’t have too much affect on us which will allow us to strengthen further, and for me that means losing either Ba or Tiote.
Anyone agree?
Sadly I think we might lose both, simply due to a Ba sale not bringing in enough money to fund a couple purchased.
I heard a rumour that Jonas might be leaving although it was only from bloke in pub, reckoned he was off to Spain for 7 million
Stevep(Quote)
if tiote goes get diame in hes on a free.
hitman(Quote)
i think we going to sign tht Blackburn nzonzi or diame as a backup for tiote, think ba is going we need a young talent ov a Left winger, i would go for hoilett and elia both have amazing talent, i would love it for us to buy a LB CB CM LW ST
😉
jacksin(Quote)
my thoughts exactly Toonsy, I think J Hoillet could play just as well (or better) out there on the left as Ba’s replacement.
I think Tiote will be harder to replace, hes such a force in the middle when he’s on song.
ideally I would keep both but I think out of our squad we’ll lose Ba and Tiote.
mark(Quote)
All this speculation 😕 .. all you have to do is ask 😉
“Troy, who will be leaving us this transfer window?”
Now all we have to do is wait for the oracle to reply and we will be sorted 😎
Hang tight he wont be long… 😆
Aussie Magpie Fan(Quote)
Yep I reckon they are both offski. Not too bothered as Carr has a proven track record and as I said my pevious article, Ba looks uncomfortable on the left and he will mever be 1st choice striker woth Cisse around in our preferred 433. Plenty of great young advanced wing forwards that could fit our new system nicely. As for Tiote would prefer he stayed to be honest. Hes a machine on his day, look at how he tore manure a new arsehole! Unfortunately got s feeling a deal is already done, so its in Carr we trust to find us a new midfield battler! 😀
Shamrock(Quote)
Tiote – look at the stats. when he played away from home we conceded a goal less and got half point more per game than when he didn’t play. Nuff said.
Stanleylad(Quote)
Totally agree with the article.
Cisse appears to be a much better player than Ba – Ba’s control and passing isn’t his strong point, so playing him as number 9 is the only position he should play.
I’d prefer a more skillful version of him, or a Thierry Henry type.
As for Tiote – I think he is very replaceable, preferably with someone bigger who has similar attributes, possibly who looks to release great passes up field quickly – a la Vierra and Toure.
Great discussions to have, a couple of years ago – it was where do we start to fix first – now we are looking for improvements over these two – shows how far we have come.
Stardust(Quote)
Who should we get that is better than Tiote then lads? Since you all seem to think excellent defensive midfielders who want to play for Newcastle grow on trees
EvilFranky(Quote)
shadup @8 🙂
batty(Quote)
Evil, i agree he is subwrb mate and would prefer to kwep him, but just got a feeling he’s off to Chelsea so if he is then we need a replacement. We had never heard of Tiote before he arrived, no doubt there a loads of sumilar players out there and luckily Carr is the man to find them. 😯
Shamrock(Quote)
Batts – what’s your surname start with? Had a request on LI – was it you?
Stardust(Quote)
SHAM – I agree if the lad wants away then fair enough. But to advertise him to our rivals like Llambarse has done this year is fucking ridiculous. If any of the supposed interest is true the reason is that the top teams see him as a top player who can do a job for them, if it was easy to find players of his ability on the cheap all the time do you not think the top clubs would also be looking?
It’s crazy to sell your top players to your rivals. We don’t even need the money.
EvilFranky(Quote)
I’m sure a couple of top players will leave. I’m also sure that of the top 6 Newcastle United won’t be the one that sees most changes to its core squad this summer (and wouldn’t be surprised if we have fewest changes come the end of August).
Harry Hampton(Quote)
Think it’s a given that most of us would prefer to keep tiote but Ba alone won’t raise enough cash to strengthen the squad due to the release clause so it’s therefore likely we’ll need to sell one of our ‘stars’
it then becomes a choice of selling Krul, Collo, Cabaye, Cisse or Tiote – if Pards has already done a deal for Cabayes mate it’s unlikely he’ll be sold, out of the other s Tiote is probably the most replaceble
It’s all speculation, but Pards and co have been banging on about re-negotiating Ba’s contract as it’s prob not worth selling him for 3-7 million cash we’ll get ( dependant on what you believe the clause is), for that reason I think we may keep him (depending on him of course)
stevep(Quote)
Hardworking defensive mids are hard to find but tiote can be replaced as arguably demba ba.
The trouble is they are proven premier league players and they are hard to find.
Ba and tiote are off to the ACON again so selling one wouldnt be the worst thing.
Even if we kept ba i still want another striker. What happens if ba and cisse go away .. who are we left with????
Liam Southern Toon(Quote)
What happens if Cisse breaks his leg during the first month and we have sold Demba?
EvilFranky(Quote)
Can’t remember which of the NE papers it was – maybe the Chron – but I remember reading over the weekend that the St James’ hierarchy saw Tiote as the best to sell (if any) as they think DM is the easiest position to replace.
They’re probably right, but let’s see.
As for us getting ‘half a point more’ per away game with Tiote – every time we’ve played without Tiote this season has meant we’ve played without a DM. I’d be worried if Chiek left and wasn’t replaced, but I don’t believe that’s the plan…
blip(Quote)
ThTs the thing. Acon this yeR has huge potential to **** up our seaon if half our key players are away, another reason we should be looking for similar players who are available all year round. Evil re Llambias, cant stand the bloke mate so you will get no arguments from me on that front. My only comfort is that Tiote was an unknown to us and untested, so it proves they are out there and we do have one of the very best scouts in England to find them for us. Maybe its an expectation thing with the top teams. Their fans would not settle for an unknown tiote type for 4 million quid, they want big names and their clubs do too in order to sell shirts. Maybe thats where we have an advantage when it comes to getting players who are just as good, but a third of the price? 💡
Shamrock(Quote)
This feels like the shearer ferdinand issue all over again……..
Liam Southern Toon(Quote)
I think if Ba goes, ( and the club may be powerless to prevent that) then we will sign another top quality striker.
Shamrock(Quote)
Sham – That’s an angle I haven’t looked at…you might be right in that Tiote is a big name now in this league.
EvilFranky(Quote)
@Evil Franky
It’s an important point that needs considering. If Cisse gets injured and we don’t have a ready replacement then we are scratting round. Then up pops Shola in his 15th year with 60 goals.
Cheeses ! 😯
For me, every player is replaceable or unreplaceable depending solely on the quality of player brought in.
Troy Stavers(Quote)
Personally I think – if DL or Pards or whoever keep mentioning Tiote may go for big money – I think they want the sale as they know who they will get and for how much. And to get top dollar you have to wait to sell before you buy.
Stardust(Quote)
The other problem is disruption to the team. We might replace Tiote with a super star for buttons (highly unlikely mind) but what happens if Cabaye doesn’t form a good partnership with the replacement? That means performances drop, points are dropped and players become unhappy.
Success is based upon stability.
EvilFranky(Quote)
We all know the club wont spend unless we sell first. So its a choice of keeping all our current squad and staying a top 8 side, or trying to push on by selling someone for lots and adding more quality bodies through the doir. Like Troy said, as long as the new signings are good enough, we will be alright and so will the dressing room. .. He aint going to spent 20 million on 2 or 3 quality players without someone going to fund it first and we know it, so thats the deal we have to take..
Shamrock(Quote)
“EvilFranky
May 16, 2012 at 09:26
Who should we get that is better than Tiote then lads? Since you all seem to think excellent defensive midfielders who want to play for Newcastle grow on trees
”
Exactly mate, they may look good on paper but Tiote is proven. Took us forever to find a DM as good as him. Who says we can replace him so easily.
Ba is far more replaceable. There are some great strikers out there. And considering they would start as backup its less of a concern.
Krul, Colo, Tiote, Cabaye, Ben Arfa, Cisse… (the quality core)
Steve Taylor, Santon, Marveaux, Jonas, Ba are all very good but replaceable.
Simpson, Williamson – I hope are no more than backup next year if they stick around.
If we keep the quality core we can build a very strong team. If we sell on of them, we must make sure we replace them with equal or better.
JJ(Quote)
Simmo is defo away like. Think Pards said in the radio interview that Simmo and Guthrie won’t be here next season.
EvilFranky(Quote)
Hmmm he hasn’t responded.. it must be eating him up inside 🙂
On topic..Tiote has transformed our team since he has come on board.. to say he is easily replacable is a joke.. have you all forgotten who was doing the dm role before him.. Nicky bloody ****..
aussie magpie fan(Quote)
Simmo is a nob for leaving IMO.
Why not make a name for yourself lad playing in europe and a top 6 team than getting £5k a week more at QPR for being a very average player. 😕
Guths I can understand more becasue he is actually a decent player but even so the prospect of playing in europe is surely better than the prospect of playing at villa 😕
Liam Southern Toon(Quote)
What happens if the new DM doesn’t scare the **** out of the opposition like Mr T does? Then we’ll have to sign my auspicious friend killakuss
Andymag(Quote)
LOL @ Killakuss
EvilFranky(Quote)
Jonas and Ba would be preferable to me 😕
But tbh, I give up trying to 2nd guess what the board have in mind.
Part of me expects the worst, and part of me is optimistic, that they will do the right thing.
Wish it was over already as this guessing game does my napper. 😥
Beardsleys Boots(Quote)
Demba Ba @dembabafoot
What a great season we had. I’ll miss sjp and the atmosphere for few weeks. Cant wait to step back on the pitch and feel the noise again..
hitman(Quote)
Liam
How do you know Guthrie is off to Villa and SImmo to QPR?
JJ(Quote)
JJ – was a guess mate just having a bit of a rant really.
Dont understand some players when they are at the best club they can be at right now.
Hitman – no doubt some will read between the lines on that tweet! 🙄
Liam Southern Toon(Quote)
To be honest i’d happily give up Europe if it meant starting games week in, week out so I fully empathise with Guthrie. Simmo on the other hand…
Shamrock(Quote)
Shamrock – with NUFC in europe, EPL, carling and FA cup surely guths would at least play in 30 games sub or not?
At villa who says he would be guranteed a start or even fulham?
Liam Southern Toon(Quote)
JK i’m not convines Stevie Taylor is easily replaceable at all. He is one of our pnly dominant headeres of the ball and the only defender who is capable of that last ditch tackle when its needed. He also puts his body literally on the line. Granted it backfires sometimes, but his passion is a must in our squad and no fecking way he should be sold.
Shamrock(Quote)
Hitman
Reading between the lines Demba will step out onto SJP once next season, on his away game against us 😡 😆
Andymag(Quote)
Thats if we stayed in either of those competitions for longer than 2 minutes. Then in the later omportant rounds he would be dropped anyway, which are the ones you want to play in. He would play week in, week out at about 8 premiership teams so really cant blame him, where he would feel important and really valued.
Shamrock(Quote)
Sham – seems a waste he is good player would love him to stay.
Every player who has left has arguably gone down the pan bar enrique and carroll only now finding form but there is a very long list of players who have been wasted
Liam Southern Toon(Quote)
Evilfranky
I was hoping someone would remember my random comment 😆
Andymag(Quote)
Have you guys seen that video of Giroud celebrating a goal for France with Debuchy, proper snog 😯 Just means we’ll have to sign them both cus we can’t separate the lovers 😆
Andymag(Quote)
LST true. I’d love Guthrie to stay, really good player, but at the same time totally understand his wish to plsy more regularly, after all he only has the one career..
Shamrock(Quote)
I’ve just spent ages preparing the ingredients and now they’ve ended up all over the bottom of the oven.
How the hell am I supposed to put the dish in at 180 degrees? 🙄
JJ(Quote)
JJ
ah you hate me now 😥
Ovengloves 🙄 jokes
Andymag(Quote)
iv a feeling we wont be playing 4-3-3 that often next season so id like to keep ba,tiote can go,think hes been found wanting this season and £20m will do me
bazza(Quote)
Cheik this out (couldn’t resist 🙄 )
http://mobile.nufc.co.uk/default.aspx?s=news-display&aid=2774300
Tiote can’t leave in the summer, he’s starting his Geordie speaking course 😆
Andymag(Quote)
We should keep Ba for this reason:
I think Pardew should do with HBA, Ba and Cisse what Alex fergurson did with Rooney, Tevez and Ronaldo.
Have 3 upfront who are constantly moving between Left, Right and Centre. It’s extremely hard to pull off but when it does the results are sublime. They would be nigh on impossible to mark so defence would have to employ zonal marking which can be easily taken advantage of.
This tactic would need brilliant communication between the 3 upfront.. They’re all french speakers so that shouldn’t be too hard!
On Tiote, I love him but I believe he’s over-hyped. I’d love to see a win/loss percentage between him and perch when one or the other plays as a DM this season.
Nobby(Quote)
Q: for the home-grown rule, does the player have to be English or just British?
Andymag(Quote)
Sorry if someone has already picked up on this but look at what Demba Ba is saying twitter… at least he expects to stay!
Demba Ba @dembabafoot
What a great season we had. I’ll miss sjp and the atmosphere for few weeks. Cant wait to step back on the pitch and feel the noise again
Nobby(Quote)
Personally I don’t see why we’d need to sell our big players to finance the summer spending, we’ve been granted a lot more money this year for finishing 7 places higher than last season and a lot of fringe players will be leaving (a good 20 players) which will provide a small war-chest, getting rid of Smith’s wages alone would get us a Carr gem, add to that lovenkrance and guthrie’s wages and possibly Ranger and Simpson, and we’d be fine for finances.
Andymag(Quote)
Nobby
See @40 😆
Andymag(Quote)
every player is replaceable, simple as
I Love Mike(Quote)
stardy kna not me murray 😉
batty(Quote)
Nobby @50
There is lies the conundrum
Ben Arfa is no where near as effective in a 4-4-2 as he is in a 4-3-3 and Ba is now where near as effective on the left of a 4-3-3 as he is in the centre of a 4-4-2.
So depending on the system, which one is sacrificed? For me Ba is the more replaceable. But that could just be because his form slacked off a bit towards the end of the season.
JJ(Quote)
Andy@51, neither.
Home-grown refers to any player, irrespective of nationality or age, who has been affiliated to the FA or Welsh FA for a period of three seasons or 36 months prior to 21st birthday. I.E. Vuckic, Krul and Clichy are all home-grown. I don’t see the point TBH.
Regards to the article. Agree with ILM, but it depends who you replace them with. Funny to see how many people aren’t arsed about Ba. Before Cisse arrived he was the best thing since sliced bread. 😆
…having said that, he’s probably the easiest one to replace, for me. And as others have suggested he doesn’t fit into the system we play hand in glove. I’d rather not sell anyone but if we had to it’d be Simpson, Guthrie and Ba. Bring in another non-African striker and a LB, RB and CB.
Rodzilla(Quote)
I LOVE MIKE – So why are our competition so interested in buying one of our best players? If he is easily replaceable then surely another DM of his quality should be easy for them to find no?
EvilFranky(Quote)
No way I “want” to sell either of them. pardew and ba will both work hard over the summer to ensure we find a formation that fits.
Pardew has got so much respect from the team that he has the audacity to tell hba he’s dropped if he doesn’t track back so i dont think he’ll hesitate to tell ba he needs to adapt his game or face being rotated.
With ba we have the option of 4-4-2, the ability to switch formations is crucial.
Would love tiote to stay as well, don’t think we’ll find better. im certain he’s staying tbh, no room for Jim at any of the prem squads atm anyway.
Same goes for ba, tottenham aside he would be a bit part player.
i think we will ONLY sell one of the big guns if some obscene offer comes in.
SolanosTrumpet(Quote)
Rodz
What about SPL players?
Andymag(Quote)
ST, who’s Jim? Is he one of our youth players?
Rodzilla(Quote)
Andy, I think they’re classed as foreigners 😆 …not totally sure though.
Rodzilla(Quote)
ST – Yeah exactly, it’s like no one has thought we will play anything other than 4-3-3 from now on. We will have to chop and change formations all season long especially with Europe! Having Ba as a different kind of striker to suite different formations will be crucial to our success.
EvilFranky(Quote)
irelands worst ever air disaster happend this mornwen a 2 seater plane crash landed in a grave yardirish search and rescue wokers have discoverd 987 bodies so far and expect numbers to rise as digging continuse ? 😆 😆
batty(Quote)
People saying ba doesn’t fit the formation need to remember our 1 win in the last 4 came using 4-4-2, as did our great run at the start of the season. sell ba and how do we have the option to play that formation?
ba is in no way replacable unless he signs a new contract, 7mill for a proven prem striker? Very hard to find better. we all want to give euro a good punt don’t we?
SolanosTrumpet(Quote)
I would be happy this summer if we signed a left back and a centre back and didn’t lose any of the big guns.
Would be delighted if we also added a centre mod and a young up and coming striker.
People like marveaux/abeid/vuckic/fergie could quite easily turn out to be this years krul/hba
SolanosTrumpet(Quote)
ST, I was more thinking along the lines of Ba being one of our most sellable assets, and we already have our No.9. For the right price he’d probably be least missed out of our core players, and it’d be useful having a non-African striker too.
Rodzilla(Quote)
…I don’t ‘want’ anyone to leave.
Rodzilla(Quote)
Downing in England squad 😆 😆 😆
Rodzilla(Quote)
Good to see Carroll in though 😎
Rodzilla(Quote)
…and Defoe.
Rodzilla(Quote)
It hasn’t taken long for the fear and paranoia to set in has it..It seems that our team is already getting discected and we are picking over the carcass of the 2011/2012 squad. Prereration for the worst,
I guess 🙂
aussie magpie fan(Quote)
That has to be the worst England team in a long time.
DJG(Quote)
Aussie, once bitten twice shy mate. I’ll be fkn amaaaaaaaaaazed if we didn’t sell at least one of our prize assets. Would love to think we’d just sell about 5m worth of fringe players and spend 20m, but I honestly can’t see it. We need to invest now we’re in Europe and I fear that’ll mean ‘diluting’ a high price player into a few small-medium priced ones.
Rodzilla(Quote)