A solid end to our series of pre-season away trips, with Newcastle beating Burton Albion 2-0 at the Pirelli Stadium on Friday night.
Backed by almost 2,000 Mags in the away end, Jacob Murphy opened the scoring in the first half before Joelinton headed home impressively in the second 45.
The Brazilian played a big role in both goals and put in a solid shift up top, while Murphy picked up from where he left off last season. He ran rings around the League One side at times and offered us a constant outball down the right.
One player who also looked noticeably sharp was Federico Fernandez. Whether it be his reading of the game or a surprise turn of pace on the cover, it was good to see him look in tip-top shape as we kept our first clean sheet of the summer.
Joe White also deserves a mention. The 18-year-old attacking midfielder made his senior debut in Tuesday’s 1-1 draw with Rotherham and did not look out of place when coming on in this one.
Aside from being barged off the ball once or twice, he looked the part and showed a few real glimpses of quality. He never hid, carried the ball well, got his head up to pick passes and looks to have a good left peg on him.
Schar and Krafth were handed their first starts since returning from Euro 2020 action, Fraser was a pest in the free role – although suffered from the lack of creativity in midfield at times, reminding us all how vital it is we re-sign Joe Willock and add some much needed dynamism to our one-paced engine room.
Here’s both goals, starting with Murphy’s opener – which fell just nicely to our most improved player after Isaac Hayden made a mess of Joelinton’s clever cut-back:
A few anti-Bruce chants came out of the away end – which was brilliant for a pre-season friendly half way down the country – with “three-year deal, you’re having a laugh” also being sung at one stage early on.
We had chances to make it 3-0 in the end – Gayle flashed wide after being put in behind by Schar and Hayden had a goal-bound effort well blocked following White’s brilliant half-volley was parried out – but it was a good run out.
Despite creating very little and failing to trouble Woodman (1st half) or Gillespie (2nd half), Burton competed well, got in our faces and weren’t shy in the tackle, being another League One side who arrived with the right approach as we edge closer to the start of the 2021/22 season in just two weeks time.
It was a shame to see Callum Wilson miss out with a ‘slight knock’ to his hamstring and Allan Saint-Maximin stay at home through ‘illness’, however it seems both issues are minor and the pair could feature in Saturday’s pre-season friendly against Norwich at St James’ Park.
STARTING 11: (5-3-2) – Woodman – Murphy, Krafth , Fernandez, Schar, Ritchie – Hendrick, Hayden, S Longstaff – Fraser, Joelinton.
SUBS: Gillespie, Langley, Clark, Lascelles, Watts, Lewis, M Longstaff, Young, White, Allan, Gayle.
The following players were not involved in the game:
- Allan Saint-Maximin (illness)
- Callum Wilson (‘slight knock’)
- Martin Dubravka (injury)
- Elliot Anderson (injury)
- Jonjo Shelvey (injury)
- Javier Manquillo (injury)
- Karl Darlow (COVID-19)
- Miguel Almiron (extended break after Copa America)
- Yoshinori Muto (unknown)
Up next, a meeting with newly promoted Norwich at St James’ Park next Saturday!
Holy **** a positive article about Newcastle.
I am speechless.
Cocobear(Quote)
From Bruce’s press conference it is obvious that Luke Edwards is correct on Bruce’s contract. It is a rolling 3 year deal, meaning that as each season ends he gets a 1 year extension to put in place the next 3 years. It makes perfect sense as Bruce is supposedly on 1.5 mil a year and when we wanted him sacked the numbers going around for comp were 4 million-ish. That’s about 3 years of his wages.
Eric(Quote)
In the scheme of things 4 million is not that big of a payoff. I think Jose was on 16 mil a year at Spurs. That alone would not put anybody off buying the club. I listened to a bit of Wraith today and he has turned saying he thinks the Saudis will/have walked. He had been 99% certain for the past 18 months. He has listened to bad advice from his pals. He also had Keith Patterson on who tried and failed to defend his former comments. This guy has a following and had some believers that he was in-the-know and had contacts at SJP and in the legal profession saying the takeover was imminent (he said so for 6 months). He does not have the mental capacity to connect the dots. He does not have the mental capacity to see connections and roadblocks between the CAT case and the Arb case. He does not have the mental capacity to realise that even if NUFC win both then that only puts it back to square 1 with the O&D test and there is still the issue of separation between the PIF and Saudi State and on top of that piracy. He talks like he has some knowledge and tries to be authoratative but in reality he is a bumbling idiot. Get away from his conviction and his supposed connections with high powered lawyers and you are left with empty words and promises.
Eric(Quote)
BTW this is the last time I listen to the “Three Amigos” or “Fab Four” as Wraith now calls them. I was always skeptical of what they said and thought they were mostly full of hot air. But Wraith has 35,000 plus followers of his NUFC Matters show so he does have some influence. I just wish he would get better guests on the 2 hour Friday show. The Gibbo/Supermac show is always worth a listen.
Eric(Quote)
I will get back to football because I am absolutely sick of these twitterati and youtube warriors pretenting they have inside information. Does anybody really believe these people have reliable contacts at SJP. Ashley’s NUFC is like the Kremlin or now Putins Russia. Show any sign of dissent or leak any information and you are off to Siberia or worse. In Ashley’s case, he would just fire you. And yet these blowhards like the Geordie Dentist expect us to believe they have contacts spilling the beans – give me a break!
But football… I reckon we have a decent shot at Willock because of what Arteta is doing with his midfield. He is trying to extend Granit’s and one others contracts and they are buying midfielders. I think Willock is now about 5th or 6th choice. Will he be happy playing in the league cup only after scoring 8 goals in half a season and scoring in 7 games in a row?
Eric(Quote)
One last piece of hope for Willock is that if Arsenal keep him they need to assign him a squad place. There are only 25 of these and will there be room for him if he is 5th or 6th choice. We even sometimes have problems culling the numbers to 25. A so-called big team like Arsenal usually have a bloated squad that have a few high profile players that they must include even though they havent really worked out.
I reckon Willock would probably make the Arsenal squad but only just. Arteta doesnt really seem to fancy him, so maybe 23rd or 24th on their list. Equivalent to Carroll or Gillespie on the NUFC list last year!!!
Eric(Quote)
If only!!
Sharpy17(Quote)
I am looking forward to seeing Spurs this season. If City get Grealish, I think they will move on from Kane. Who else can afford Harry in this market? Probably only PSG and Levy has probably priced even them out of it. What will be most interesting is how Saint Harrold of Kane reacts. The media have him down as the ultimate professional but he cannot fail to be peed off. He is stuck in a Spurs rebuilding with their 7th choice Manager. He is in his prime at 28 and Spurs will win nothing in the next 3 years and have a billion pounds of debt.
I sort of feel sorry for Harry. Most will say he didnt have to sign that long term deal but they were on the up when he did it. It is like those who ridicule Shearer for signing for NUFC. But did you see the team he was coming into? And that was before Man U started winning everything. NUFC were a more talented team than Man U when Shearer signed and you cant blame him for thinking he was the final piece of the puzzle. Ahhh, what might have been.
Eric(Quote)
One last thing on Harry. There are reports that he had a gentlemans agreeman with Levy that he could leave this summer. Will he have a strop on all year. I think I would 🙂
Eric(Quote)
Eric – I’ve heard loads of Spurs fans say they wouldn’t hold it against Harry for leaving – I can’t get my head round that???. He signed a long term contract.
But the bigger picture, which I’ve heard no pundit or anyone really talk about is the sort of money Man Utd have already paid out and how much City look likely to pay out.
They will get Grealish & I firmly believe they will get Kane too – maybe have to sell 1 or 2, but they will sign Kane I reckon.
Why are people ok with these clubs spending so much money & killing any kind of competition???.
How can Pep be seen as the best coach in the world when all that happens is he fails to win the CL but still gets 2 of the best players in the league added to his squad.
Forget what is happening at NUFC, forget the PL have f@cked us over – they are f@cking the league over imo by allowing these clubs to spend the way they do.
They spend this much & they will need to increase their revenue – they can’t do that as things are.
Even if we were in the market & spending £50m a window – we still would be miles off being able to compete for the top 6-8 spots imo. I’m can’t say I enjoy the PL anymore at all.
Sharpy17(Quote)
Steve Bruce is a terrible communicator. But he never said we have 5 CENTRE forwards which some of the media make out. He said we have 5 FORWARDS and he thinks that is enough. I have seen Supermac, John Gibson and Mick Lowes all say that ASM, Miggy and Joelinton are not centre forwards. Bruce never said they were.
Crucify the guy for his excuses and rubbish about keyboard warriors or that he believes the fans are behind him, but you dont need to make stuff up.
I know they are on a different level but Liverpool and City do not play with a centre forward.
Eric(Quote)
Let me clarify on Bruce’s communication skills. I dont mind his press conferences on the whole but every 2 or 3 he finds a way to put his foot in his mouth. That is what is remembered, not the other thousands of words. You do not critcize the fans or an individual player. That is suicide. Only Mourinho got away with that and that was only when he was winning. When the results werent there, the fans quickly turned against him even.
Bruce should also not let his son speak for him because his son is an idiot.
Eric(Quote)
Eric – his keyboard warriors comment was made about those who were making derogatory comments and threats towards him & his family – as was when Alex Bruce has spoken up too in fairness.
Neither have had a go at all fans, despite that becoming the narrative. But I also don’t believe Bruce has had bags full of fan mail as he’s once suggested.
People jumped all over him because he came in when Rafa left. People loved Rafa, but as you know I wasn’t sucked in by Rafas charm.
Bruce has never claimed to be as successful as Rafa – all he’s said is that at Newcastle, he’s done as well as what Rafa did.
People talk about how much more money Bruce had to spend – Rafa spent a canny amount too, but bought some poor players it has to be said – he arguably also let some good players go whilst replacing them with those poor players.
A big chunk of that extra money Bruce spent was on Joelinton – and I don’t know how much say Bruce had on that purchase. I know he’s said he sanctioned it – but I think he’s doing the club a favour there tbh.
Sharpy17(Quote)
Eric – the other thing is they get asked the same questions over and over again – how many times has he been asked about Willock for example?!.
It must get boring going over the same stuff – especially when you know there are sections of the media just looking for you to trip up or say something they can twist.
The media know where we are as a club – they know we aren’t buying players, they know we are in limbo, they know there is little positive updates that Bruce can give.
Sharpy17(Quote)
We have a totally unbalanced team. We probably have the fastest forward line in the league and the slowest midfield. There has to be some way to transition between the two, which is why Willock made such a difference. Just for the hell of it I will list them:
Slow as molasses: Shevley, Hayden, Hendrick, Longstaff, Longstaff. Only one of them – Hayden – can tackle as well.
Fast as fck: Wilson, Miggy, St Max, Gayle, Fraser. Even Donkey is supposed to have pace although I havent seen it.
Without someone, maybe not Willock, but someone, to link the two elements together we are always going to look disjointed.
We also need to coach the defenders into not being afraid of the ball and having their default move to pass back to the keeper to hoof back to the opposition.
Eric(Quote)
Eric – I think that’s why we improved with the 3 CBs – because that pace that was lacking in midfield was then added out wide with Ritchie & Murphy. Once Willock come in it then give it through the middle too.
Sharpy17(Quote)
Darlow back in training. I think it is highly unlikely he will start the 1st game but he doesnt have to. We can start Woodman and still loan him out or even sell him. Darlow will be back by the end of August and Dubravka soon after as it was a metatarsal which usually takes a couple of months to heal.
There is no way we will need 4 goalies with squad numbers.
If we intend to loan Woodman to Bournemouth just keep the appraised of the situation and I think they will wait. I would rather sell him to Arsenal as a makeweight in a deal for Willock.
Eric(Quote)
Eric – don’t think Dubs has a broken toe. It seems to be further problems with his ankle. He’s had the fix op.
georgio(Quote)
Rumours that Pogba has refused to sign a contract extention and may be off to PSG. Please go. I am absolutely sick of seeing your stupid face and stupid haircut everytime I open a newspaper website. Man U are the biggest club in the country (sorry Liverpool) so get them clicks but for some reason Pogba is the face of Man U. He plays 1 good game in 5 FFS. It would be really funny as well to see the clash of the egos with him and Neymar.
And take those stupid dances with you as well. The Euros were so funny with his little 3 part dance thinking the Swiss game was won and then strolling around for 15 minutes only for France to lose. Sums up his attitude. PSG also have MBappe. Say what you want about him and Neymar but they usually put a shift in.
I will say it again. I want him gone, mainly to get his mug off the back pages every fcn day when he does hardly anything most games.
Eric(Quote)
georgio: I checked on NUFC.com and they say it is a foot injury in their player listings. They are usually quite accurate. I am sure I read metatarsal a couple of weeks ago.
Eric(Quote)
Sorry about the Pogba stuff, I just want him out of the PL, and it is soooo slow at NUFC. I cant get worked up about Burton Albion and the Norwich game might even be off – their last 2 friendlies were cancelled.
There really isnt anything to talk about with Willock either. That’s on hold until we see how many midfielders have. I wouldnt be surprised to see it drag on to the last week of the window, whatever Brucie says.
And the takeover. That is dead, whatever attention seeking know-it-alls like Keith Patterson and The Geordie Drunkard say.
So, as they say – nothing to see here!!!
Even the games themselves have supposedly been boring (I havent seen them). We dont even have any youngsters to play. Not with any chance of 1st team football anyway!!! I mean, the biggest decision at the moment is whether Sean Longstaff or Hendrick will start against West Ham. A frightening prospect either way.
Has there ever been more lethargy in a pre-season EVER. I know it is partly Covid, but still!
Eric(Quote)
And I dont care what Bruce says about having to get Willock done or move on. That aint happening. We are keeping a loan spot open for Willock until the very last second. I know it, you know it, and Bruce knows it so stop with the BS you Cabbage.
That means 1 more domestic loan spot to fill. I doubt many will get excited if it is the Man U centre half.
So we are in for 10 more days of pure boredom until the build up to West Ham and that will probably be 3-4 days of doom and gloom 🙂
Eric(Quote)
Premier League Chairman Gary Hoffman is being investigated for ‘MONEY LAUNDERING’ within his banking company Monzo.
ycmiu
KIMTOON(Quote)
Dont know if there is any truth in it but The Shields Gazette are saying Arsenal are keeping Willock. Said NUFC made an improved offer but Joe is in Arteta’s plans. If true, then we move on. This is a totally different scenario to what I said above because I was hoping that with their bloated squad there wouldnt be a place for Willock and we would hang on until the bitter end keeping a loan place open.
Now back to square one in Midfield I suppose and to follow Brucie’s plan of waiting for the “big clubs” to get their business done and us to feed off the scraps.
Bit depressing if this is true. And why wouldnt it be? Whether it was a fluke or not, scoring 7 games in a row in the PL for a **** team is pretty impressive. Why wouldnt you give him a go?
What do they have to lose? They can always loan him out in Jan if he doesnt get playing time.
Eric(Quote)
That’s it then. More bad news. Partey was taken off at Chelsea and Arteta said the doc says it is not looking good. He will have a scan on Monday.
Doesnt look like we have a prayer of getting Willock given this and the Shields Gazette news.
Eric(Quote)
This preseason could not have gone any worse:
1. This Partey injury kills the Willock loan/transfer dead.
2. Bruce says we dont need a striker
3. The planned protests at SJP will create a terrible atmosphere. All it will take is one bad pass for the fans to get on Bruce’s back.
4. Transfer kitty 10 mil. Only team not to even complete a loan or free.
5. Bet365 did a survey of how much PL fans were looking forward to the season. We were bottom.
6. Takeover dead.
7. Injuries!!! How can we have so many when the season hasnt even begun?
Eric(Quote)
We are not getting Willock. Here’s why, Arsenal’s midfield are ****. This is who they have:
Partey – they were hanging their hat on him, but he might have a serious injury.
Xhaka – the fans have never been sold on him and he has always been so-so. Had a good world cup so now they want to keep him. Sissoko had a good world cup as well so you can never judge on that.
Smith Rowe – plays same position as Willock and is same age. Got 2 goals in 20 games.
Guendouzi – on loan and i dont think he is coming back. I remember he p!ssed them off last year for some reason.
They wanted Locatelli but he wants CL football.
In summary, they have a **** midfield so why would they let us have Willock? Even if they sign someone like Bernardo Silva they are still short on numbers.
Thanks for some good memories and best of luck at Arsenal.
Eric(Quote)
I don’t believe the Willock deal is dead yet. Arsenal have a lot of irons in the fire and they’re all midfielders. We’ll see.
georgio(Quote)
Olly: Logonga is younger than Williock and definately not a guaranteed starter.
Georgio: I think Arsenal need 2 more midfielders for us to have a sniff at Willock. If that happens I might change my mind. On the other hand, I dont think Arteta is sufficently sold on Willock and if we offered him cash he could use for other players I reckon we could get Willock. That’s the frustrating part.
Eric(Quote)
I don’t disagree, but Xhaka is now staying and he will almost certainly parter Partey when both are fit.
Lokonga came in for £17m and is a box-to-box midfielder, so if he is ahead of Willock in the pecking order then I really don’t see how he gets anything like the game time he wants after regular starts at NUFC.
Olly Hawkins(Quote)
We WILL loan Willock, I’m certain of it.
He is not in Artetas plans regardless of who they do or don’t have available to them. He is wanting either Maddison from Leicester or Odegaard back – I think the latter is most likely.
I understand what Eric is saying, but all of those things were the case when we loaned Willock last season.
If the deal was off I think Arteta would just say ‘he’s our player, he’s in my plans & he’s going nowhere’.
Sharpy17(Quote)
Hope you are right Sharpy.
On Xhaka, the Arsenal fans dont like him and they have seen him for 3 years. A decent Euros cannot erase what they have seen at the Emirates. I made the comparison earlier with Sissoko where he had a good WC but we knew that he was only an OK player with no end product.
Unless Willock forces the issue I dont see how we get him. If we continue to keep a loan slot open I may come around to Sharpy’s way of thinking. I do not think Arteta is sold on Willock but he has nothing to lose by keeping.
Just put a cash offer in FFS. Blow the whole transfer budget and more. What else are we going to do. Get a Man U youngster who Bruce will not play anyway. He was almost forced into starting Joe because of his goals. I am certain he planned to keep him as a bench player otherwise.
Eric(Quote)
Yeah Sharpy, Arsenal were short in MF but Willock had not scored 8 goals in half a season and 7 in consecutive games. That is a big difference. He has proven he can score in the PL and for a pretty **** team to boot.
Eric(Quote)
The Mirror are reporting that Saint Harold of Kane did not report for training. This should be fun. All of the pundits say he is the ultimate professional and I think Levy was relying on that. I do not think the Spurs fans will turn on him. I doubt he will go on strike but he wants to make a statement to Levy. Kane thinks they had a gentleman’s agreement that he could leave so things could turn ugly.
I like watching Spurs and Wham when there is a circus because they are the Southern Press darlings.
Eric(Quote)
Eric – you don’t have to convince me that Willock has proven his ability mate. But if Arteta was convinced, wouldn’t he just come out and back the lad?.
The fact that he still hasn’t makes me believe that given the choice of Odegaard back or keeping Willock – I think he’d go with the former again.
Also, Willock himself will know that if he stays he will get very little game time & it will depend heavily on others being out over what he can actually do. I don’t think he wants to be a bit part player & would favour a move back to us – another loan allows everyone to keep their options open.
Have faith mate ?????
Sharpy17(Quote)
Wilson’s comment on Bruce were quite funny, he is almost admitting he is a dinosaur and the other Steves are useless. You have to read between the lines, but that’s what he said.
We all knew that anyway. All you had to do was look at the “tactics” – 9 behind the ball – and the set pieces. How did we stay up in that first season with Bruce. PURE LUCK!!!!
Eric(Quote)
Steve Bruce has repeated again that it was his choice to bring in Graeme Jones. I do not believe this for a second. It was Hobson’s choice.
I do not believe it was his choice to bring in another coach. I believe he was told to do so. I do not even believe he knew who Graeme Jones was. He says he went down to London to meet him. Far from that saying he was Bruce’s choice it says to me the club had a short list and Bruce was told to decide between them.
He must have been impressed by Jones because it seems he didnt interview anybody else. But I am sure that Bruce would have stayed with the status quo if it was left to him. He had the Steves follow him around like lost puppies for 10 years but he brought in someone to be their boss, the Assistant Head Coach.
He would have to be an idiot not to realise that the person the club wanted brought in was a fall back in case his dreadful run of form continued. A caretaker in waiting.
I dont know who he thinks he is kidding when he says Jones was his choice and his idea. Technically, maybe. But he was told he needed help and to bring in not only a new coach but the top coach, above the Steves. This was not a choice. It was foisted on him.
Eric(Quote)
I mean, if your boss tells you that they are creating a new position directly below you and above the 2 puppies you have had follow you for 10 years, does that mean it is your choice. They give you a shortlist of candidates and tell you that you can pick. That part is your choice but you would have to be an idiot not to know you are being undermined, especially if there had just been the worst 4 months in the history of the company – 2 wins in 21.
This is total spin from Brucie. I dont really blame him but his face when Jones was on the sideline for the 1st few games told the real story.
Eric(Quote)
Have we signed anybody yet? Looks to me like we could well have a weaker squad than last season and that takes some doing…
Will Bruce walk if Jabba gives him no support? He should do. He’s being hung out to dry.
Stuart79(Quote)
The hold up with the Man Utd CB is that they want £5m loan fee for him – I can understand the club stalling on paying that much like.
The lad is paid £2.5m a year as well – if we have to cover even half of that, that’s an expensive loan deal for a player we get no long term benefits from.
Different when it comes to Willock coz we know what he can add to the team.
Sharpy17(Quote)
That’s part of the issue here – Tuanzebe is 23 – he has played 19 times for Man Utd since signing as a pro in 2015 – yet he’s getting paid £50k pw.
These bigger clubs are pricing other clubs out of being able to afford these players.
Harry Maguire is on £190k pw and god knows how much they will pay Varane?!.
Sharpy17(Quote)
So Kane doesn’t show up again – the poster boy is showing his true colours here mind.
Is this the conduct of a player Man City would want sign??.
Spurs fined him for yesterday & he hasn’t turned up again. If I were Levy I’d be saying I’m adding an extra £5m to the asking price for every day you don’t turn up.
Kane’s interview with Neville was out of order and disrespectful (or what he said at least) imo – but this is disgraceful behaviour.
Sharpy17(Quote)
Sharpy – we don’t really know what Kane and Levy agreed previously. Suggestions are that Levy said he could leave if he gave him one last season last year and if Levy is going back on that, what does Kane do?
Alternatively it could be the game that’s being played. Spurs know they’re going to have to sell him and want him to be the bad guy?
Spurs aren’t in a good position really as he only has two years left and if I was Kane I’d be telling Levy you either sell me now and pocket the £100m (Spurs need the cash), or lose me for nothing in two years time…
Stuart79(Quote)
Equally if I were Nuno though I’d be saying take £100m for him & let me move on!!.
I’d go & get Abraham from Chelsea for £40m, Danny Ings for £15-20m & spend the rest on a defender.
Problem ended & you can move forward. I think you cover Kane’s goals between Abraham & Ings and maybe a few more.
They have some decent players already there, but it’s become the Kane show – and they need to move on now. I know Levy will feel like he’s lost if he settled for £100m – but nobody wins in he digs his heels in.
Sharpy17(Quote)
Even though I think there is little chance of getting Willock, I think we have to keep a loan spot open for him until Arteta says no. Our chances of getting Joe come down to (a) if we offer a cash deal (b) if Arsenal get in 2 new midfielders. Arsenal’s midfield is pretty **** at the moment so they would be mad to loan out Willock without reinforcements.
That does not mean we should sit on our hands. Fill the other domestic loan slot and get someone from Europe. We desperately need a midfielder and waiting for Willock should not stop us. If we eventually do get Willock then loan out someone who we otherwise would have kept – probably Matty Longstaff, but Hendrick if anyone will take him. Even Bruce seemed to give up on Hendrick late last year but it looks like he is back in his plans BECAUSE THERE IS NO-ONE ELSE.
Eric(Quote)
Stu – Kane signed a contract. He’s been at Spurs long enough to know Levy & if he’s signed the contract then trusted a verbal agreement, bigger fool him!!. Levy will do what’s best for Spurs and if Kane has believed otherwise he’s a naive idiot & the people around him want sacking!!.
Either way, he should still be turning up to training mate & having those conversations. If he refuses to play in the friendlies, different story. He’s just not showing a professional attitude with his conduct imo mate.
As I say above, I’d take the money & run if I could get a deal sorted for Abraham & Ings – but I wouldn’t let him leave til those deals were sorted.
Sharpy17(Quote)
Sharpy: Levy has done this before where he asked players for “one more year” and then changed his mind. Berbatov went on strike. Modrich refused to go on a European tour and the Bale saga dragged on forever.
Kane must be aware of this. His Agent must be aware of this. All 3 players eventually forced their way out. They were probably denigrated in the same way that some are denigrating Kane, I cant remember. But Levy has form for going back on his word and setting ridiculous fees.
Just reading some quotes or tweets you can see some Spurs fans are angry at Kane when I think the bad guy here is Levy.He has a Napoleon complex. You should watch the Amazon Documentary.
Eric(Quote)
Luke Edwards is saying that NUFC are willing to meet Arsenal’s asking price of 22 mil for Willock. Thank fck for that and it seems like a no brainer. We need some reason for optimism because a pall has fallen over the club.
I believe Edwards. He seems to have Bruce’s ear and has been correct on most things NUFC over the past few years. I have said on numerous occasions on here that he sometimes comes across as a bit of a pr!ck but his information is usually correct. He also does it in his own time. The Telegraph seem to let him release his information and write his pieces when he feels they are important and relevant. Unlike the Chronic who have to churn 6 stoires a day out, regardless if anything is happening or not.
Eric(Quote)
Eric – I’d swap Levy for our lot in a heartbeat.
Sharpy17(Quote)
Our expectations are now so low that buying Willock, a domestic loan and a European loan would probably be seen as an acceptable transfer window.
Fatty has cleared the wage bill. I do not object to them extending contracts where the players have a transfer value. We might not see them as 1st team players but you need a bench. These include:
Shelvey
Ritchie
Gayle
Dummett
Schar
We can get money for these players if we choose to sell so why would we let their contracts expire and leave for free?
They are not blcking a path for academy players because our academy is ****.
Eric(Quote)
Not relevant as we have the worst owner and Chairman in the history of the PL. You would swap A.N.Other for our lot. Actually, I would swap Donald Duck for our lot.
Eric(Quote)
The Mag have written a story on the Luke Edwards piece that NUFC are willing to pay 22 mil for Willock. They almost universally say it is rubbish. Why? Edwards has the ear of Bruce and has been mostly correct on what he has said for the last 2 years. This goes against most of what has been said in The Mag who have been mostly wrong, and especially on NUFC Matters where there blind optimism has shown them to be attention seeking know nowts.
I suppose these fan groups and blogs see Edwards as Bruce’s patsy. But he has been right. . To be sure, he has let his pal off the hook in terms of football quality and results but he has also been first with most stories, probably because of their relationship. I would be happier if this breaking news came from Simon Bird or George Caulkin but despite their standing with NUFC fans they have been totally wrong on the takeover.
Is Edwards being fed a line by NUFC PR? Possibly. But some fans are not believing him because they dont like him and dont like what he said in the past, even though it turned out to be true.
I know my opinion is not popular, but I believe Edwards on Willock.
Eric(Quote)
And there is also a sort of GROUPTHINK on other blogs’ comments sections about Edwards. They dont like him so they automatically trash what he says. He has been consistently correct though when their writers and youtubers have been wrong. They all disparage the Ashley “sheep” who will buy tickets but do not see that they are SHEEP when they all say and believe the same thing. Anything Edwards writes will not discourage them. It doesnt matter how many times he is proved to be correct, they have made their mind up. He is Bruce’s patsy to them and that is all that matters. The facts dont matter.
I really dont like Edwards’ defense of Bruce and his record but in terms of the club takeover and transfers he seems to be the journalist who gets the scoops. And isnt that what journalism is about? Or would they rather have Ryder churning out his 200 words of rubbish every day and repeating last month’s news over and over again?
Edwards’ friendship with Bruce clouds his judgement on Bruce’s record and even the quality of play. But it does get him the inside information and this is what I think certain parts of the NUFC fanbase dont see.
Eric(Quote)
Olly,
I’ve sent you a new story via submissions if you fancy putting it up on the site.
Eric – I’d take his three nephews!
georgio(Quote)
Willock needs first team football and is guaranteed it at NUFC. He says he want to go to the WC and he will not get that on the Arsenal bench. We may not be the most high profile team at the moment but 12 goals from midfield would get Joe on the plane to Qatar. The weak spot in the England team is midfield. I dont think we can play 2 holding midfielders every game, I think Henderson is 31 and Mount is more of a number 10.
Then there is Arsenal. Their transfer priority seems to be midfield. They are after Maddison and Partey is ahead of Willock. It is fine having faith in your own ability Joe, but Aeteta has you down the pecking order.
Bruce will play him. He plays everybody who cost around 20 mil, including Donkey. He benched Miggy for a couple of games but relented. The Fat Man does not want his expensive acquisitions idling on the bench.
Eric(Quote)
I know I said we wouldnt get Willock but that was for a loan. Buying him is a totally different dynamic as that gives Arsenal money for a replacement. I stick by my comments that there is very little chance of a loan unless Arsenal get 2 quality midfielders who would play ahead of him.
Eric(Quote)
And I think I was right about there being next to no chance we would get Willock on loan. That is why it has changed to a purchase. They realised they were flogging a dead horse and Bruce seems to have a bit of sway with the Fat Man. And, as I said above, which is probably too longwinded for most to read, I believe Luke Edwards.
Eric(Quote)
Eric – fair point.
Sharpy17(Quote)
I see PL players have decided to continue to take the knee. Why on earth have they decided this? It will cause lots of problems in the grounds and it’s been doing more harm than good for the last 12 months. This really isn’t doing the cause of racism any good whatsoever. It was started to highlight racism in football – it did it. Now it’s annoying people who don’t want to go to a football match to be told they’re a bunch of racists and watch a futile gesture that is now essentially a negative in the fight against racism.
Problem here is both sides are digging their heels in. What a mess.
Stuart79(Quote)
The Willock thing is getting stupid now.
The obvious solution would be the loan deal with the option to buy at an agreed price – but this feels like the club would rather sell as they don’t feel they would get a better fee for him than now … which supports my theory that Arteta doesn’t rate or want him.
But Willock isn’t sold on moving on a permanent – which I can’t really blame him for when you look at the stagnant state of our club at the moment. I thought his friendship with ASM might have swayed it a bit – but who knows whether he’s fully settled with us or if his people are working on getting him a move in the background.
If he’s not in Arsenal’s plans they would obviously want £20m towards other players.
He’s a thought – instead of the Newcastle supporters groups planning stupid protests before the WHU games, why don’t they get behind this attempt to get Willock and bombarded him with messages of support and encouragement to come a play for us … I know, silly isn’t it?! ?
Sharpy17(Quote)
Stu – racism STILL exists in football. Look at the abuse the England lads got for missing a penalty FFS!!.
The players ARENT accusing anyone who turns up to games of being racist at all – though if you find offence to someone taking a knee, maybe you are?! ??♂️.
As for it doing harm ? what harm is it to anyone if 22 players, 4 or 5 officials and a bunch of support staff knee for 2 or 3 seconds before kick off??.
Sharpy17(Quote)
I dont see how Arsenal are that attractive a proposition at the moment. They have a rookie Manager and they finished 8th last year. They have a 3 year transition and their previously best player (Aubamayang) is 31 and has gone off the boil. He may even be the next Ozil where he gets his big contract and relaxes in his docklands flat.
Last 10 games with Willock and Jones we were solidly midtable (like Arsenal 🙂 ). We have gaping holes but if our players are fit we should do OK.
Arsenal are not top 6 anymore. Their stadium is. Their revenue is. Their owners and team are not. They need a massive overhaul and lots of money spent. At least 300 million. Are their owners going to spend that? If they are, will they give it to Arteta?
They are trying to replace a legend in Wenger. Same as Man U did with Lord Ferg. Arteta is on a short leash and he has shown he doesnt really fancy Willock.
NUFC is actually a better place for Willock at this point in time than Arsenal. If Villa came in, I would probably choose them, but that is pure speculation at this point.
Eric(Quote)
I dont see a problem with taking the knee. It takes about 10 seconds. The problem is when to stop or will it be permanent? I dont care if it is permanent, but if this if still happening in 5 years it will have lost all meaning.
Eric(Quote)
Stuart: I think you will be able to come to the US again without fear in a couple of months. In an ironic sort of way I think this latest surge in Covid Delta Variant will be a tipping point and lead to enough vaccinations to make everybody safe. The idiots who have believed conspiracy theories and have not been vaccinated will have ridden on the backs of the sensible among us, but no matter. The end result will be the same and that will be enough vaccinations to have herd immunity. Why, you ask? Many reasons…
There are 70% of adults already with at least 1 vaccine. Now Biden has issued mandates for all Gvt workers. Even more significant is when the Food and Drug Admin issue the OK. That will mean the Armed Forces who are America’s biggest employer will require Covid shots. But more than this, the private sector are finally on board with Walmart, Google and Microsoft requiring employees to get vaccinated. That and the army is a game changer.
I never got the argument/conspiracy theory that it was about freedom whether you got vaccinated. Freedom for YOU to infect me and my kids more like! There has been a change in this narrative in the past 10 days where the vaccinated are now standing up for their rights. This is another game changer and I think it is reaching critical mass, even as more people are hospitalized and die.
The unvaccinated are scared now but there will always be some who listen to fools on Fox News and the internet. Even some of the Murdoch people have admitted they have been vaccinated whilst saying it is about individual liberty. It is not.
NYC will require proof of vaccination to go to bars and restaurants next month. I think finally there is light at the end of the tunnel even though the TV are casting this as the darkest days.
Stewie mate, I think you will be able to do business here again soon.
Eric(Quote)
Eric – in terms of first team football NUFC is a far better place for Willock. But we have to remember the lad is only 21 and his whole life is down in London.
I know it comes with the territory as a footballer, but we don’t know the lads circumstances – someone find it easier than others.
Sharpy17(Quote)
Look at the reaction to it, Sharpy. That’s the harm it’s doing. People don’t want to go to a football match to see gestures like this. Where’s the big gestures for gay footballers who daren’t even be themselves for fear of what will happen to their career.
It’s a nonsense it really is. There must be a less divisive way of solving racism in football. Whether black people like it or not, we can’t solve this problem without taking white people with them and by alienating a big proportion of people that’s not going to solve the problem. I know a few black people who are sick of it and believe it’s now doing more harm than good due to the division it’s causing. We need to look at the bigger picture.
I’ll pick you up on the abuse the lads got after the euros too, Sharpy. They didn’t get abuse because they were black. These absolute bell ends used the colour of the players skin to abuse them. It’s disgusting but anybody remember David Beckham in 1998? People were literally hanging effigies of the guy after he got sent off. So, it wasn’t because they are black they got abuse it was because they missed the penalties and their skin colour was used against them. Racist language and vile at that.
Anyway – taking the knee is not going to solve the problem. It’s going to make it worse. Watch the crowd trouble it creates when some are for it and some are against it and they all start arguing.
I’ll say it again just so people understand. There’s 100% more homophobia in football than racism. Gay people dare not be themselves. Think about that for just one minute. To live your entire life being petrified of letting slip something that might give your sexuality away. Or not being able to live a life where you can meet someone who you can fall in love with, spend your life with them and start a family. You’re entire life on hold just so you can keep your career. Jesus Christ! That’s prejudice!
I’m proud to live in a country where an awful lot of our footballers are black and don’t get booed like they do in other countries, they don’t suffer prejudice which stops them making it as pro’s and represent their country.
All in all, don’t start this nonsense of taking the knee whilst real outrageous prejudice is happening and players don’t say a single fucking thing.
Stuart79(Quote)
Oh and just one final point. Will these players all play in the World Cup in Qatar? People suffer terrible racism in that country and horrendous human rights record is there for all to see. It’s also illegal to be gay. What will these players do? I’m pretty sure they will play. Makes their gestures futile.
Stuart79(Quote)
Don’t understand why anyone gets their knickers in a twist over the taking the knee issue. It takes seconds and is a reminder that the fight against racism goes on.
KIMTOON(Quote)
Loving the olympics at the minute, the BMX racing and freestyle was brilliant. It’s taking my mind off all things NUFC and transfers or lack of.
Really got to the stage where I just think what will be will be, if we do no decent business then we are down imo.
KIMTOON(Quote)
Stu – I’m against all forms of prejudice mate, but we were specifically talking about taking the knee – I’m not dismissing any of your other points because I agree with you.
But with regards to taking the knee, the black players in football are the ones receiving the abuse and if they say they believe that gesture is or will help keep awareness raised or whatever benefit they put on it – I’m fine to go with them. It does not offend me or falsely accuse me of anything.
I’ve heard as many people clap the players as I have boo them – so im happy to respect them doing it as ultimately I believe there is no place for racism – or homophobia but that’s a different conversation.
Sharpy17(Quote)
I am not totally sold on ASM being played as a number 10 as some are suggesting. I think Miggy is better there or playing in the Mason Mount for England role. The experiment of ASM being allowed to float didnt really pay off. I have a suspicion that Jones will have us set up like England when they had wing backs.
We dont have the players for a “double pivot” in midfield but Hayden can do that job and when Shelvey keeps it simple he can be effective.
Up front we have Wilson in the Kane role and Miggy as either Mount or Sterling.
But remember England played wingers in addition to wing backs – Saka, Sancho, Sterling, even Grealish was played as a winger. They all cut in but they are wingers.
We could use Fraser, ASM, Miggy and Joelinton as wingers/forwards.
Hopefully we will get Willock and he will play ahead of Shelvey, but I do think that Jones will bring the England blueprint to NUFC.
Eric(Quote)
Does Donkey get 1 more chance? The pressure is off him a little bit as expectations are now so low. We cannot play hoofball because he is useless with his back to goal and the ball just bounces off him. We have to play the ball in front of him and let him chase it. He supposedly has pace. Then we probably have to switch our expections from him being a goal scorer to goal creator. He does not naturally get into good positions in the box so let him play his natural game and cut in and have the occasional shot. When he doesnt snatch at it, he has a decent shot. He can also be a nuisance on set pieces.
I still think he is not good enough but he has been played out of position and with his back to goal which does not suit him. SuperMac thinks he is just plain **** and only good enough for League 1 🙂 Loan him to Sunderland?
Eric(Quote)
Nobody else would want him Eric.
georgio(Quote)
I still think ASM as an old fashioned inside left with Miggy as the inside right. Willock and Hayden in the middle with the wingbacks giving width
PremAndUp(Quote)
Nobody is mentioning Fraser here either – if we can get him fit & playing I think he could be a real asset to our front line.
Sharpy17(Quote)