The Toon Army Thread

[NUFC Tiger]

Bad news for Goodsy because as I said I thought he was impressive in the international.I couldn't see a 6 week injury necessarily excluding him.The way rehab is run these days they can keep them pretty fit while injured somehow.
I reckon Pardew's game plan is pretty formulaic and could be written in triplicate on the back of a stamp so I think I'll disagree NUFC Tiger;Carver and co might get us going even better,although it's ultimately back to very limited options with the squad size and player quality.
The incident has taken me back to my previous opinion of Pardew as a 'friggin eejit' just as I was beginning to give him a lot more credit.
It remains beyond my comprehension how someone in his position could behave in such an infantile and disreputable manner.
The incident probably gives Cashley a trigger to end the monster contract Pardew's got if he wants to,but I get the impression Ashley has the 'yes-man' he wants.

Yeah fingers crossed with Good - apparently he terminated his loan at Dundee and came back to Newcastle for his rehab (you'd think we would have better facilities, physios etc than they would).

Yeah, it's a funny one with Pardew scon. I liked how we played counter attacking football last time out against Hull so hopefully we can use the pace of Remy, Sissoko, Gouffran etc and keep that going by hitting teams on the break. If Carver and co can keep those tactics going, that will be good.

The main concern I have with Carver is he hasn't really had much experience as a manager- I think he has been a caretaker twice and managed in the MLS (US League for 1 season). Will he know how to talk to the players at HT, how to tweak his tactics, when to make substitutions etc? Only time will tell. Thankfully we are looking pretty safe so even if it goes bottoms up, we should be clear of relegation.

We are still in with a chance of European football next season so hopefully we can chalk up more wins and keep the pressure up on the out of form Everton and out of sorts Man Utd for those last Europa places.

In an ideal world, I'd like a better manager than Pardew (who I think definitely needs to check his conduct a bit!). That being said, I'm not sure if any decent manager would want the chance to manage us when we have an owner who doesn't like spending money and likes calling the shots. Any manager that comes in would need to march to the beat of Ashley's drum and be a glorified yes man. You couldn't speak out against the club in any way which would also put you at odds with the fans. The best way to seemingly keep everyone happy is to keep winning games!

For what its worth, I think Pardew does a good job (given the circumstances) of managing the players and keeping them mostly motivated, staying in line with the club's hierarchy and trying to say the right things to keep the fans happy. It definitely wouldn't be easy to keep everyone happy that's for sure!

My main gripe with Pardew (besides his embarrassing behaviour at times) is he fails to get the players worked up for the derby (which we've now lost 3 times in a row - the first time since the 1940s I believe).

 

[scon]

Pretty thorough summary of the current state of play NUFC Tiger and not too much I'd disagree with.
However it is all in the context of an operation which is alienating its fanbase to the point where members are chucking in their seats!
For a great club which has been characterised by fanatically loyal support,week in week out,through thick and thin it's a pretty sad statement and an indictment of Ashley's regard for the heart and soul of the club;cash register for a brain with zero interest in the club either on or off field except as a cash-cow.Not great to follow a club which is being transformed into nothing more than a mechanism for making a big fat rich syd a bigger fatter richer syd!
Didn't Remy have a shirt on dedicated to Carver's dad passing away?That would certainly say he's got the players respect.
Europe would be great but for Pardew he is in a very good position with long term contract and no real aspiration from the club other than survival,top 10,buy low,sell high..rinse,repeat..ho hum.
Last performance was great to watch though so enjoy the football I guess.

 

[NUFC Tiger]

Pretty thorough summary of the current state of play NUFC Tiger and not too much I'd disagree with.
However it is all in the context of an operation which is alienating its fanbase to the point where members are chucking in their seats!
For a great club which has been characterised by fanatically loyal support,week in week out,through thick and thin it's a pretty sad statement and an indictment of Ashley's regard for the heart and soul of the club;cash register for a brain with zero interest in the club either on or off field except as a cash-cow.Not great to follow a club which is being transformed into nothing more than a mechanism for making a big fat rich syd a bigger fatter richer syd!
Didn't Remy have a shirt on dedicated to Carver's dad passing away?That would certainly say he's got the players respect.
Europe would be great but for Pardew he is in a very good position with long term contract and no real aspiration from the club other than survival,top 10,buy low,sell high..rinse,repeat..ho hum.
Last performance was great to watch though so enjoy the football I guess.

Yeah you're not wrong scon. Hard as it is to say, the current hierarchy are very good at sucking the soul out of the club and just generally trying to distance the fans.

We are probably biased but we do deserve better and I think we deserve to be among the elite in the game in England. Our fanbase is more loyal, passionate and loud than any other in England IMO - heck, we had something like the 5th best attendance even after being relegated to the championship!

It's hard to love the club when the owner and his cronies seem to just run the club to make a buck and disregard the fans, who at the end of the day, are why a club exists to begin with. The only way we will be able to get rid of him I think is to hit his pocket but that can't happen unless you have 52,000 fans boycotting every game.

I guess we can always hope some mega billionaire who wants to rub shoulders with the rich boys of the EPL comes along and decides to buy the club from Ashley - there is great potential there!

 

[NUFC Tiger]

Looking ahead to the game, bit of a mixed bag.

We get Colo back (don't think we needed him given Yanga and Williamson looked good together against Hull) but lose Remy and Debuchy to injury (which is a bigger hit than getting Colo back IMO).

Might hopefully open the door to Ben Arfa (who apparently has scored 3 goals in his last 3 games vs Fulham). If we play like we did against Hull, fast and on the counter, HBA could do some dangerous things. Just needs to make sure he tracks back to help out the team. Alternatively, could hand Cisse another chance to try and find the net though his confidence seems shot sadly.

 

[scon]

Catch-22 with Cisse unfortunately;needs a solid run of consecutive starts to regain confidence, which isn't going to happen(barring injury)because his confidence is shot.
Ben Arfa does need to mature and get his defensive game together;so much potential as a last third playmaker,but he ain't no Messi in terms of the relentless workrate required to play at the level.
Not a lot in it and they all offer something different but Colo is the most complete package of the 3 centre-backs,or 4 if you include Saylor,IMHO in terms of heading,tackling,positional,reading/anticipation and building play from the back but we do have an embarrassment of riches back there.
Unfortunately off to yet another family do and won't see it live but I would think a solid win is minimum pass mark.Having said that one of the real disadvantages of a weak squad is that there's minimal pressure on the incumbents.
Howay...

 

[NUFC Tiger]

Catch-22 with Cisse unfortunately;needs a solid run of consecutive starts to regain confidence, which isn't going to happen(barring injury)because his confidence is shot.
Ben Arfa does need to mature and get his defensive game together;so much potential as a last third playmaker,but he ain't no Messi in terms of the relentless workrate required to play at the level.
Not a lot in it and they all offer something different but Colo is the most complete package of the 3 centre-backs,or 4 if you include Saylor,IMHO in terms of heading,tackling,positional,reading/anticipation and building play from the back but we do have an embarrassment of riches back there.
Unfortunately off to yet another family do and won't see it live but I would think a solid win is minimum pass mark.Having said that one of the real disadvantages of a weak squad is that there's minimal pressure on the incumbents.
Howay...

Yeah true about Cisse - I hope he gets some game time and gets a bit of luck. We could certainly use another reliable source of goals to help Remy!

Would also love to see Ben Arfa unleashed - maybe of the bench, if we need a goal.

Colo's return is pretty handy as being the captain, his leadership will be needed even more with ever with Pardew not being around to issue instructions and shout encouragement.

Really looking forward to seeing more of De Jong, he is starting to look a bit more settled and sharper and hopefully isn't too far off getting his first goal for the club. Loved his work rate against Hull. Dropped back and got stuck in!

P.S Good win for your purple boys last night scon. Hope my Tigers can do the same against the Suns! (and then the Toon cap off another win for us both!)

HOWAY THE LADS!!

 

[NUFC Tiger]

Pretty poor game - annoyed I stayed up to 4am to watch it (at least it was a weekend!).

Just looked off the pace all day and sorely missed Remy's pace, invention and creativity up front.

Cisse missed a great chance (again) felt for him and in typical fashion, Fulham rebounded and scored on the break (a bit like we did against Hull last time out for the opening goal).

Krul really should have stopped that one though - was just slow to get down.

The only positive from the game was seeing young Armstrong make his debut - the next Geordie number 9? Second youngest debutante for the club I believe. Has a bright future - I hope in the black and white stripes.

Palace at home next, let's hope for a big improvement!

 

[scon]

Thanks for the tip Newcy I won't bother with the replay at 11pm tonight.Armstrong sounds interesting;don't say too much though or he'll be sold.

 

[NUFC Tiger]

Yeah, not worth watching the replay mate unless you want to see Armstrong (think he came on in the 85th min from memory).

The way the club is run, it wouldn't surprise me if they sold him if he showed some promise!

Today's headline: "Adam Armstrong hungry for more after making Newcastle United debut"
Tomorrow's headline: "Out of Toon - Newcastle sell prized youngster for lamb kebab" (assuming JoKe Kinnear was still at the club)

 

[NUFC Tiger]

Very winnable game tonight against Palace at home so let's hope for a much improved performance from the team.

No Debuchy, Remy or Santon from our usual best 11 but the return of Ben Arfa is a massive boost as he is the type of player that can produce a bit of individual magic to inspire and lift the team. Perfect stage for him to score or set up a goal and put himself back into the starting frame.

 

[NUFC Tiger]

1-0 win. Great to get the points but from all accounts, a pretty poor performance (fell asleep so haven't seen the game except for the goal).

Bit of magic from Ben Arfa and Cisse finally gets a bit of luck in front of goal. Hope that is the start of a nice run of goals to come!

 

[scon]

The last 35mins of the 2nd half that I managed to keep one inebriated eye open for was all about us trying to break them down and them being very much the away team trying to hang on to the point.No-one was outstanding for us(although little Anita in central midfield must have had 100000 touches)but everyone was solid.Cisse had missed an easier chance about a minute earlier and it looked like his barren run was turning very sour indeed.Then he jumped up and scored a bloody good header and the joint erupted!!!I was rapt for him,all the supporters,players and staff because despite being a bit pissed and prejudiced I thought we deserved the win.

 

[NUFC Tiger]

The last 35mins of the 2nd half that I managed to keep one inebriated eye open for was all about us trying to break them down and them being very much the away team trying to hang on to the point.No-one was outstanding for us(although little Anita in central midfield must have had 100000 touches)but everyone was solid.Cisse had missed an easier chance about a minute earlier and it looked like his barren run was turning very sour indeed.Then he jumped up and scored a bloody good header and the joint erupted!!!I was rapt for him,all the supporters,players and staff because despite being a bit pissed and prejudiced I thought we deserved the win.

Haha! Yeah saw the extended highlights - Tiote had a shot that hit the crossbar as well (which led to the earlier Cisse chance I believe?). Apparently, Cisse had a few good efforts but just couldn't beat the keeper. Glad he had a bit of luck - was a nice assist by Ben Arfa also, when he cut in, I was assuming he would try and shoot but he put it right onto Cisse's head and he did the rest.

Read it was Cisse's 6th injury time goal for the club! Could be a handy super sub if he stays around next season (though I hope he can find the magic he had when he first joined the club and was scoring for fun from every possible angle).

Great scense when he scored though - really pleased for him

 

[NUFC Tiger]

Watched that poor excuse of a game on Saturday night and really felt sorry for the fans who made the trip (apparently had to leave Newcastle at 6am just to watch that rubbish!).

Clearly the players seem to be in holiday mode already. We were battling Southampton to finish as the best team outside of the big 7 and served that up. Very disappointing.

Elliott had a decent game standing in for the injured Krul - made a lot of saves but wasn't helped out by his team mates.

At least we have the footy back as it seems our EPL season will just peter out

 

[Moo]

Really disappointed in the way we are just closing out with a whimper.

At least we avoid Europe but on the flip side less cash and just that bit harder to attract quality.

God I both love and hate this club!

 

[scon]

Did you read the bit about Cashley trying to surreptitiously sell off land adjoining St Jame's earmarked for future expansion??

 

[NUFC Tiger]

Really disappointed in the way we are just closing out with a whimper.

At least we avoid Europe but on the flip side less cash and just that bit harder to attract quality.

God I both love and hate this club!

Very much so! Given we were only 5 points off Man Utd in 7th, there was still a bit to play for - imagine finishing about Man Utd! That would have been something.

While I think we really struggled last season with the Europa League, we had a ridiculous injury list as well which surely wouldn't be replicated again...Given the choice, I would have loved to have European football again on the cards - give the younger kids more opportunities (Good, Dummett, Haidara, Armstrong, Campbell, Bigi, Vuckic, Abeid, Sammy etc) while hopefully showing the club have some ambition in order to attract better players.

I tell you guys, it sure is a brave thing to be a Toon fan

 

[NUFC Tiger]

Did you read the bit about Cashley trying to surreptitiously moving to sell off land adjoining St Jame's earmarked for future expansion??

Haha yes...saw that a few weeks back - should we be the least bit surprised by Mike's dodgy dealings?

On a better note, the club have definitely got Category 1 academy status (meaning more funding from the FA and a larger geography to draw local talent from). Three young players have also been handed professional deals to reward their progress. (the flip side is that Mike might see this is an excuse to not invest in the squad!).

 

[scon]

Or see how much the market will pay per kilo for the kids??

 

[NUFC Tiger]

Or see how much the market will pay per kilo for the kids??

If they show a hint of promise in the first team, you can bet they will be sold off to the highest bidder! So much for keeping the local talent in the local team

 

[scon]

All we can say here is we have been cracked and dismantled by a team that ain't playing nothing flash.******* sad to bed;no I've stopped having a lot of hope and expectation and we were really quite undermanned for a skinny squad.

 

[scon]

The Mag are foldingI've really enjoyed this mob over the years so another unfortunate development.

 

[NUFC Tiger]

The Mag are foldingI've really enjoyed this mob over the years so another unfortunate development.

Saw that - very sad to see! 26 years it's been around apparently. Always had interesting articles and stats that none of the mainstream media ever seemed to mention. Hopefully they can still hang around in some capacity (maybe even just online articles or something?). A big shame

 

[NUFC Tiger]

I didn't even bother to watch the game this weekend - I think our season is pretty much over. Players have mentally checked out and don't seem to care anymore.

I think some serious questions start needing to be asked of Pardew. Some very glaring stats coming up over the weekend that I saw on some Toon sites.

• Before Alan Pardew arrived, since 1993 Newcastle United have lost 35 Games by 3 Goals or more. Alan Pardew is up to 19 Games on his own.

• NEWCASTLE UNITED PL HOME RECORD. PLAYED- 16. WON- 7 LOST- 7. DRAWS- 2. GOALS SCORED- 19, GOALS CONCEEDED- 26.

I can understand if we don't win every game with our current squad but these massive blow outs are very concerning.

In other sad news, Chrissy Hughton was sacked by Norwich this morning (strange timing!). Wouldn't mind him back - he might at least get the players playing with a bit of spirit and heart.

 

[NUFC Tiger]

Some interesting (but unsurprising) news - we have a new Managing Director and it's one of Ashley's 'yes' men.

Club statement:
"It is a real honour to be confirmed as Managing Director. I have been with the Club for almost 15 years and have seen a great many changes in my time here.

"The Club has never been in such a stable and healthy financial position, which gives us the best possible platform from which to grow.

"I am confident that with our dedicated, hardworking and loyal employees, together with Alan Pardew and his backroom staff, we will progress the Club, both on and off the field over the coming years.

"Our immediate priority of course is to finish this season as strongly as possible. Our minimum target for this campaign was a top ten finish, but I can assure our supporters that everyone at Newcastle United will do their utmost to ensure the Club finishes in the highest league position it can.

"At the beginning of the season all our staff and players were incentivised should we finish in tenth position and above, and our commitment to achieving this will continue right up until the final whistle on 11th May.

"To their credit, the players, led by the captain, agreed to this incentive scheme despite our 16th place finish last season.

"Looking ahead to future seasons, our primary focus will remain the Premier League

"Our preparations for the summer transfer window have already begun of course, and our challenge is to make sure we spend the funds we have available in a careful and considered way in order to ensure that we get the maximum benefit from every pound we invest in the squad.

"We will continue to operate in a financially responsible manner and live within our means. This Club is financially strong and there is money to spend if the deal is right and we are confident a player can add quality to the squad.

"That said, we will not pay over the odds or make knee-jerk decisions. Every player we sign represents a major investment and mistakes are costly which is why we will continue to be prudent in our transfer dealings. This is the reality of a well-run football club like ours.

"We can be proud that we already meet, and in fact exceed, the requirements of UEFA's Financial Fair Play regulations and in our latest set of published accounts we recorded a profit for our third consecutive year.

"We will continue to manage our finances in this sustainable manner and will not accrue debt in order to achieve short-term gains.

"It is also important that we don't over-promise and under-deliver for our supporters, players and staff. False expectations lead to disappointment and frustration, hence why we will keep our transfer business confidential and will not be drawn into commenting on the media speculation and rumour that exists in this digital world.

"As a board we will continue to make the final decisions on all player transfers. Clearly, however, the manager and his team have a very significant involvement in such decisions and will be instrumental in making recommendations in relation to the squad.

"Our transfer policy and strategy is very clear and will remain unchanged. We will focus on identifying and recruiting young players whose best years are ahead of them, which in nearly all cases means players in their early to mid-20s and not beyond.

"We don't look at transfer windows in isolation, but rather as a full trading year, and our intention for the first team is to sign one or two players per year to strengthen the squad.
(the absence of the word permanent in that last sentence speaks volumes for our "transfer policy")

"In addition, we aim to strengthen the squad underneath the first team in order to make sure we have a strong group of players pushing our regular first team for a starting place each week. This is essential to bring out the best in everyone and provide an important element of continuity to the squad for the longer term.

"To achieve that it is crucial that we have a youth development strategy that is producing home grown talent who can develop and feed into the system, thereby contributing to the depth within our squad.

"Our Academy's Category One status gives us an excellent platform for maximising the potential of the region's young footballing talent and providing the best possible opportunities for local youngsters.

"We have invested heavily in our Academy to achieve Category One status and have made significant improvements in terms of staffing, infrastructure and facilities. Our aim is to be the best Academy in the region by a considerable distance, ensuring that the most talented local players end up at Newcastle United, not elsewhere.

"This is why it is important that we grow and strengthen our links with the local community. A strong relationship between the football club and the region is of great mutual benefit and it is something we are committed to.

"Some fantastic work is already undertaken by the Newcastle United Foundation, as well as by our Academy staff, reaching out to local boys clubs, engaging with schools and community groups and providing soccer school coaching programmes around the region.

"The Club has long been focused on keeping football affordable for our supporters and that will remain a priority for us.

"Our average attendance for league games so far this season has been more than 50,000, making us the third best supported club in England. We want to see St James' Park full throughout the season and we will continue to operate a ticketing policy and pricing structure that keeps Newcastle United one of the most affordable clubs in the Premier League, encouraging family attendance and rewarding our most loyal supporters with long-term price guarantees.

"We are also committed to our current strategy in relation to communication between the Club and its supporters. At the beginning of the season we launched a new Fans Forum, with members representing our diverse fanbase. It has been an open, honest and productive forum and it will continue to be our primary means of direct supporter communication and engagement.

"The commercial side of our business will also be an important priority for us moving forward. While at the moment we can't compete with the commercial strength of the top six, whose income from sponsorship and advertising deals dwarfs other clubs in the Premier League, we will work hard to drive up our commercial income to give ourselves the best possible chance of competing on the field with those wealthier clubs.

"Of our three core income streams - broadcast, matchday and commercial - it is only our commercial income that we are able to affect to any great degree, especially given our commitment to keeping ticket prices affordable for our fans.

"We have made great strides in this respect recently, having secured the most lucrative sponsorship deal in the Club's history, with Wonga.

"We are delighted to have them as a partner from a commercial perspective but also because of their desire to work closely with our supporters and in our local community.

"There is however still a lot of work to be done to ensure we are maximising every commercial opportunity available to us

"Our plans to host the stadium's first music concert since 2007 this summer, together with our participation in a high profile pre-season tournament this August in Germany, are evidence of the type of commercial opportunities we are pursuing.

"The extra revenue we are able to generate from commercial deals translates ultimately to the amount of money we have available to invest in the Club.

"We will look, where possible, to use this revenue to invest not just in the squad, but into improving other areas of the business, including the stadium and its facilities, the Academy, the first team Training Centre and more.

"Supporters will be aware that we have recently announced plans to build a new multi-million-pound state-of-the-art training complex which we hope will be completed in early 2016.

"This is our vision and strategy for the years ahead. The purpose of this statement is to communicate with our supporters in an open and transparent manner and we hope that it provides a clear outline of our intentions.

"We all want to see Newcastle United improve, but we are convinced that the best route to achieving this is to do so sustainably, building each season without risking the financial health and stability of the Club.

"I can assure supporters that the board and everyone associated with the Club aim to make Newcastle United the best it can be, pound for pound."