The Toon Army Thread

[NUFC Tiger]

2-1 FT.

After an ordinary first half, we really played well in the second half and were unlucky not to get something from the game.

That's close to the best we've played in the new year and we can probably take a bit of confidence and belief from that going into the derby where we need a win.

Sad that Janmaat was our best CB.

Gouffran still useless.

 

[robertg22]

Palace are now ahead of us. When Pards took over they were in the relegation zone. Enough said.

 

[tige19]

Palace are now ahead of us. When Pards took over they were in the relegation zone. Enough said.

Like I saud, Pards looks like a genius in comparison to the idiot we have.

On the game, we played well and certainly deserved a point.

If one day we become fit then our squad is quite strong and should we get a decent coach then we have the makings of a top 7 club.

Hurry up and end PL.

 

[NUFC Tiger]

Some interesting comments from Pardew here...

Reflecting on this season he said: “We had a difficult start. Then we went on a fantastic run and then lost both goalkeepers which is pretty unique.

“At that point the fans fell out of love with me. It’s very difficult for a manager to win that back.”

On missing being at Newcastle:

“You get difficulties as a manager and you have to see them through. I had five years there.

“People come up to me and say: ‘You must be so pleased you are away from Newcastle’. I actually miss Newcastle.

On the good times:
“The next year we finished fifth with an unbelievably great team and won at Old Trafford.

“Unfortunately we could not build on that and then I felt we had another great side not that long ago when we had Cabaye and Remy were firing then that window (January 2014) really hurt us.

“We lost Cabaye and Remy got injured. It is difficult to try to stay with those top clubs when you have not got investment.

“We got so close - probably closer than Southampton are this year. We were two or three games from being in the Champions League.

On the lack of investment:
“The whole area - it’s tough because it’s got the most unemployment in the country and the government need to look at that and they need some investment in the North-East.

“And therefore you could get more sponsorship coming into the ground and more corporate money coming in which would boost the funds.

“The funds at Newcastle are way, way below Liverpool and Spurs and that’s the teams that Newcastle expect to compete with.”

Biggest regrets:
“If I was to be critical of my management there, I didn’t win the derbies and I didn’t do well enough in the cups.

“Unfortunately they are emotive games for Newcastle fans and it’s a real regret of my management there.

“But I am proud of everything else I achieved.

http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/spor...alan-pardews-newcastle-united-regrets-8894598

 

[NUFC Tiger]

Talk about a bit of spin!

I think he lost most of the fans well before the successive injuries we got to Krul and Elliot - surely he realises that?

Also, the bit about investment - the problem lies with Ashley and how tight he holds the purse strings, not the lack of 'corporate sponsorship'. If it was a genuine concern for Ashley, we wouldn't see all his Sports Direct banners splattered across the stadium now would we? Poor Ashley, he must be so upset to get all that free of charge advertising in the most globally followed league in the world!

In Pardew's defence - he may have done better with some investment behind him. I guess we'll never know. And while not a big fan of him, he probably would be an improvement over Carver!


I liked Paul Merson's comments about Ashley.

“Yeah, yeah, he is a businessman, isn’t he?” Merson said on the Sky Sports’ Gillette Soccer Saturday show when asked if Ashley will be pleased if Newcastle finish fourth from bottom.

“I don’t know the man, but he cannot sit down with me and say: ‘I am here to take the team forward and get them into the top four’.

“Of course, he doesn’t. He named the stadium after his company. Why would he do that? This club has been going for a gillion years.”

 

[NUFC Tiger]

Rolled my eyes at this too - surely they are just trying to con the fans into renewing season tickets again...

“It’s a difficult situation. I’ve spoken to Lee who has obviously spoken to Mike, and they acknowledge the fact that we’re a little bit short at the back and particularly at centre back. There’s a process in place, I’ve been involved in that process for a few weeks now, there’s big meeting in place in the next couple of weeks with Lee Charnley and Graham Carr to talk about the future, and to talk about investment.

“I’ve seen who we are looking at and without going into detail there’s a lot of work going on behind the scenes. This football club will invest in the summer, because it needs it.”

They will look at how much the club will make and then decide how much they can realistically get away with not spending more likely!

 

[tige19]

I really enjoyed that Pardew article, I was a big critic but the guy has some class and it came across well in that piece. He was never going to be the right fit, Geordies like managers with flair and have their teams play attacking and exciting football, that's not Pardew.

Ashley is a billionaire, one of the very richest people in Europe and he could, at the flick of the switch invest in the club on field and turn us into a solid top 6 team. This is what frustrates our supporters, here we have a mega rich guy who has the cash but is not interested on spending it on the field to improve us. Like I've said previously Ashley could be loved within a month on Tyneside, buy some big players, pay the wages and invest in a manager who knows what he's doing. This offseason will tell is everything .

 

[NUFC Tiger]

Reckon Jonas could be off this summer (unlikely the club will give him a new deal given his age anyway but his comments here won't help matters - see Barton and Enrique for how Ashley likes to deal with players who criticise the hierarchy).

Also, pretty poor form the club didn't help pay his treatment and how they treated him on his return. This is a guy who stayed when we went down and helped to get the club back up again. Great repaying of the loyalty there!

There is so much that needs to be fixed/replaced with the club - but the surprising thing is it doesn't necessarily have to cost them a whole lot of money either. Heck, even improving the communication between fans and the club would be a welcome sigh of relief and step in the right direction.



But his return to Newcastle was not a happy one.

Gutierrez explained: “I returned mid-November and at the beginning to mid-December the manager said I should find myself another club, that it was best... er, I understand a lot of things about football that, well, that for the directors it is a business, no?

“It is clear that they look after the club’s interests, but I think in a situation like that, you need to save (consider) other things, even more if you see I had been playing for five years before having this problem, I was always playing.”

Gutierrez was loaned to Norwich City during this time, but he picked up an injury after only four games and then former United boss Chris Hughton, a great supporter of the Argentinian, was sacked by the Canaries.

So the player returned to Newcastle where he had a contract until 2015, which included a clause of automatic renewal according to the number of games played.

And this is where more problems arose with Newcastle.

Gutierrez said: “I won’t be able to forgive the way I’ve been treated, no?

“Because I understood the team at that time (wasn’t doing so well?) that one needed to fight to return to the pitch.

“Well I don’t think it was the right time nor the circumstances and I think at times like that, you should look after the individual, the player.”

It is believed at this time that Newcastle did not pay for their player’s medical expenses.

Gutierrez added: “I never asked for anything. I paid for it because for me, the most important thing, as I told you, was my health.

“If they thought it was OK to do it that way, then it’s OK.

“I never asked for anything and that’s it. I wasn’t interested.”

http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/spor...nas-gutierrez-never-forgive-newcastle-8915656

 

[tige19]

Disgraceful and heartless.. I'm gonna focus on Bristol.

 

[NUFC Tiger]

Would anyone want to see Carver take a punt on Armstrong leading the line in the derby?

Has been in fine form for the England U18s - of which he captained over the weekend. Has 3 goals in 2 games and was singled out by Rooney (his idol) for some praise/mentoring.

http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/spor...castle-uniteds-adam-armstrong-singled-8942795

In selection news, Haidara is apparently out for the season after undergoing surgery and Aarons is a possible chance to make the squad for the derby.

With Haidara gone, surely Raylor will now need to do the job at LB for the rest of the season?

In other news, contract talks with Aarons have been put on hold until the summer. Not too worried about him leaving - he will get more game time playing for us...just hope he doesn't get swayed by a big club and the promise of money/success!

 

[NUFC Tiger]

Our back 4 is going to be makeshift again it would seem. Wouldn't mind this team if Abeid is fit - Colback did well at RB against Arsenal but I think we need his tenacity in the middle next to Abeid (hopefully) to protect our vulnerable CB pairing. Anita has looked okay at RB - where his pace and small size protect him from being outmuscled by the bigger CMs.

If we want to get anything from the game, you'd expect Cabella and Sissoko would be key to the result. Perez looks best behind a striker and I'd opt for Armstrong (who at least has some confidence/form, plus realises the importance of the derby) over Riviere (who struggles by himself anyway).

----------------Krul------------
Anita---Janmaat---Willo---Raylor
---------Colback--Abeid--------
Cabella-------Perez-------Sissoko
-------------Armstrong----------

bench: Woodman (GK), Satka (CB), Obertan, Kemen (CM), Riviere, Jonas, Ameobi.

Gouffran should be as far from the team as possible! Aarons on the bench if fit, maybe for Kemen.

 

[NUFC Tiger]

Finances announced for 13/14 season.

Main headline is - Newcastle United announce an £18.7million profit but still owe Mike Ashley £129million

http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/spor...tle-united-announce-187million-profit-8945258


The Mag also raises an interesting question (given the debt isn't being repaid).

"...no explanation why costs have gone up £28.5m."

http://www.themag.co.uk/2015/03/newcastle-united-finances-leave-28-5m-unexplained/


Most likely gone to Cashley's backpocket. Why isn't the fool repaying and reducing our debt to him? That's 4 seasons in a row I think we've posted a profit. Surely we could have paid off a big chunk in that time. Once he gets that debt repaid, surely it will reduce any future asking price he puts on the club...

 

[robertg22]

Our back 4 is going to be makeshift again it would seem. Wouldn't mind this team if Abeid is fit - Colback did well at RB against Arsenal but I think we need his tenacity in the middle next to Abeid (hopefully) to protect our vulnerable CB pairing. Anita has looked okay at RB - where his pace and small size protect him from being outmuscled by the bigger CMs.

If we want to get anything from the game, you'd expect Cabella and Sissoko would be key to the result. Perez looks best behind a striker and I'd opt for Armstrong (who at least has some confidence/form, plus realises the importance of the derby) over Riviere (who struggles by himself anyway).

----------------Krul------------
Anita---Janmaat---Willo---Raylor
---------Colback--Abeid--------
Cabella-------Perez-------Sissoko
-------------Armstrong----------

bench: Woodman (GK), Satka (CB), Obertan, Kemen (CM), Riviere, Jonas, Ameobi.

Gouffran should be as far from the team as possible! Aarons on the bench if fit, maybe for Kemen.

I like that team because it contains no Gouffran. Would be nice to get Anita out too. Raylor RB, Jonas LB?

 

[NUFC Tiger]

I like that team because it contains no Gouffran. Would be nice to get Anita out too. Raylor RB, Jonas LB?

Yeah, I thought of Jonas at LB as well though given his comments (speaking out against Pardew/the Club), I get the feeling Mike might not want to let him play...

 

[NUFC Tiger]

We (I mean Mike Ashley) could be entitled to $500,000 if Rangers get promoted to the SPL as part of our loan deal to them.

http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/newcastle-united-pick-up-500000-8952810

 

[NUFC Tiger]

Also, some talk from the Daily Fail (mail) that the club want Steve McClaren as our next manager.

Would be kind of underwhelming IMO but if that means Carver isn't manager full time, I'd take it!

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/fo...-Derby-boss-Steve-McClaren-St-James-Park.html

 

[NUFC Tiger]

Luke Edwards would have to be my favourite Newcastle correspondent - always writes good pieces/asks questions of the regime unlike many other publications.

Bolded the below bits which really sum it all up. What's the point in being very profitable as a club if the money isn't reinvested into the team? And for that matter - isn't repaying the debt to Mike Ashley?


"We haven’t seen the full accounts and the full figures yet, so there are plenty of questions to be answered,” said Michael Martin, editor of the True Faith fanzine and board member of the Newcastle United Supporters Trust. “It’s still a level of profit that should enrage supporters given the state of our squad and the club’s disgraceful lack of ambition

"Anyone who believes Ashley is going to become all ambitious for Newcastle United all of a sudden is deluding themselves.

“The kind of summer I’m expecting is one of players sold to generate income to buy new ones, who will be attracted to the club with the prospect of putting themselves in the shop window for moves to ambitious clubs. The overall standard of the squad will remain the same – mediocre and that’s your lot.”

Norman Watson, chairman of NUST told the BBC: “None of this profit is being reflected on the pitch. The club went nearly 18 months without signing a full-time professional player on a permanent deal.

“Fans want to see money invested in the player staff. Before the Arsenal match we had only 13 fully fit first-team players - the squad is extremely thin on the ground.”

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/fo...re-been-a-rise-of-25m-in-operating-costs.html

 

[tige19]

“Our results were released on Monday and show that the Club has become profitable, and we announced both record revenues of £129.7M and record profits of £18.7M.” Those are good figures and show we have managed the Club well financially.”

“However, we want to move to the next phase for Newcastle United now that we have fully stabilized the club financially.”

“Along with Managing Director Lee Charnley and Chief Scout Graham Carr and the new head coach when he arrives, we plan to make Newcastle successful on the pitch, as Lee Charnley alluded to on Monday is his statement accompanying the financial results.

“We also want to be more forthcoming and say that from now on, we want to challenge for the top six in the Premier league and be back in Europe again every season, as the Club was in the early 2000s.”

“Our aim is to now try to win a trophy for the Newcastle fans, and end the drought we have had since we won the Inter-City Fairs Cup in 1969, when Bob Moncur was captain and is now our official Ambassador for the club.”

“And that means we will be changing our policy and field strong sides in both the Capital One Cup and the FA Cup.”

“In order to do that our aim is to increase the quality of the squad and also to increase the relative size of it, so that we can compete initially on three fronts in England, and then on four fronts once we are back in Europe.”

“By necessity we have been frugal over the last few years in an effort to bring some much needed stability to the Club – but our aim now is to move forward and bring some success on the pitch for our fans.”

“That will start this summer when we will invest significantly in new players, and significant financial funds have already been allocated for this summer.”

“It’s been difficult over these last eight years, but now we should be able to bring some success to Newcastle United on the pitch.”

“That’s now our major goal moving forward – to make Newcastle United great again.”

 

[moomba]

Will be interesting to see if words will be backed up by actions over the next 12 months.

 

[tige19]

That statement is direct from Mike Ashley. Now Ive said a million times all it would take is some significant investment from him and our supporters would get behind Ashley, now it's all well and good to say these things however this guy never releases statements and the fact he has done so could have some real meaning.

I'm a wee bit jizzing in my dacks, the guy has serious cash and if he really wanted to could turn us into a power. Let's wait and see guys, no harm in getting a little pumped up after the miserable year we've had.

Ohhhh and the best part..... Ashley has basically sacked Carver in that statement, how bloody BRILLIANT!!

 

[NUFC Tiger]

Thought it was too good to be true but I think this was just a massive wind up for April Fools day.


Bottom of the article had this:

That’s really great news from the Newcastle owner.

If you are having trouble locating Mike’s statement on the Newcastle web-site you should clear your cache, since it’s only just been posted.

And if you still cannot locate it – then you may want to check today’s date.

Isn’t this the 1st day of April.

Isn’t that April Fools Day?

Sorry if we raised your hopes – but you never know.

https://www.nufcblog.com/2015/04/01/ashley-statement-i-will-make-newcastle-great-again/


Further to that, it doesn't appear on the club's official news section either.

If only...I want to be able to dream of glory once again. All I can see is more of the same to come.

 

[NUFC Tiger]

If only he cared about the club, I think a lot of fans would forgive him for his past mistakes. We're not expecting to compete with City and Chelsea for transfers but the squad is in dire need of investment and has done for a few seasons now - we've still got the same CBs we did when we were in the championship for crying out loud!

A bit of investment and transparency with the fans - give us hope and reasons to be optimistic again.

 

[tige19]

Oh bugger.. Didn't even see anything like that!! Friggin Jesus

 

[bkozican]

Got to love public holidays. Will finally be able to see the boys play again

 

[NUFC Tiger]

Recommend this for a read lads - great piece about Cashley's time with us.
http://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2015/apr/03/newcastle-united-mike-ashley-david-conn

The last bit is spot on sadly.
"Yet football is a game of hopes and dreams, heroes and memories, not a mere exercise in financial soundness. Newcastle United, one of England’s grandest clubs, does not feel right as a billboard for a company dedicated to cheapness."