Toon Fans

Well we need a few now. 

If Enrique and Gutierrez leave then colocinni will probably want to leave aswell

I always have the best scoop.

Anyway, I wouldn't count on Barton leaving.  He's since reaffirmed his loyalty to the club.  The story about Jonas and Jose leaving was from Joey tweeting that the three of them would be next.  It's too soon to say.

Kev, for all that he is a great man, is a bit slow and (assuming that the club's striker crisis is resolved) we don't really need his goals.  His departure still leaves 3 good senior players (Barton, Tiote, Cabaye) for the engine room, with Guthrie as a back-up and kids like Vuckic and Richardson coming through.  If Chaz comes back, we're looking at the creative midfield being stacked with him, HBA and Jonas (with Gosling, Ferguson and Sammy Ameobi starting to compete for spots out wide).

Still plenty of time in the transfer window.

Switch to decaf, mate.   Colo gets on well with the other Latin types, but he's very well paid at SJP.  I don't think he'll be asking for a transfer in a hurry.

El Toro is looking for European football, and a way to force his way into the national side.  But I'm not sure he can get it with a transfer next season, and the one after - well, he might be able to pick that up at SJP.  Too soon to say.

Jonas has talked a bit about going to Italy, but there's nothing on the table.

In short: DON'T PANIC.

haha aslong as we sign a quality striker or too we dnt need nolan

Well, we just got a decent striker - Demba Ba.  His knees are stuffed, but hopefully more likely he'll be more like Ledley King than Owen Hargreaves.  (Considered comparing Ba to another Owen, but that one only seemed to be injured when it was convenient...)

Note that, while Demba plays for Senegal and came to West Ham from Germany, he was born in - France.  Another Gaul to fight against Caesar Ferguson!

A quick note on Gervinho.  He's not coming to NUFC.  Apparently, the club's management were not impressed by his character, and rejected him.  Rumour has it that 4rsen4l is now looking to feed on the scraps.

Keep it coming Stripes.

Imagine - our club rejecting someone because of their character!!

Nice terminology for Ar5ena1, I guess it is to distinguish it from 5under1and!

Pardew has told us that Cabaye is not a replacement for Nolan.  Fair enough - the lad is more a provider than a goal-scorer.  However, Blaise Matuidi can score some beautiful goals.  Or the implication could be that Chaz will be giving goalkeepers sleepless nights at SJP again.

I'm a little sorry to see that Leon Best will be moving on.  He did a decent job in the games he got to play, and perhaps should have had a chance to compete for a first team position in pre-season.  Mevlut Erding is apparently lined up to replace him in the squad, though, so there'll be further improvement in our available strikers.

Captain Marveaux signed.

NUFC now linked with Brazilian duo Givanildo Vieira de Souza and Julio Baptista, as well as US-born starlet Steve Rogers.
Stripes2011-06-19 09:01:34

Steve Rogers? Captain America?

Good to see you guys snatch one from Liverpool.

Cheers mate.   Though we still have plenty of Avenging to do!

Apparently, an older gentleman with an interest in young men has taken a shine to Joey Barton.

Rumours emerging lately claiming Adel Taarabt is interested in a move to Toon (linked to United today though by the very reputable caughtoffside.com ). Had him quoted as well - sorry don't have source as I was reading the article a couple of days ago. Also Blaise Matuidi - would be an awesome signing for you - Arsenal were linked last week. Real Ligue 1 flavour to the midfield - Cabaye, Ben Arfa, Matuidi, Taarabt. Not sure you need Matuidi with Tiote there?
I like what Pardew is doing though.

Fair enough Stripes, although I honestly don't think we wanted him enormously. Maybe he wanted too much money, maybe he failed his medical (although that seems ridiculous) or maybe he wasn't keen on joining us much, who knows? However, I really think we would have gotten him if we were desperate to sign him..

Turns out Toon love guys who fail medicals at other clubs . Demba Ba and now Marvaeux. I'm pretty sure ole Tony Pulis will be a bit dark he didn't take the risk on Ba before he went to West Ham.

We have a long and proud history of signing injured players.  The biggest was HBA - he signed a permanent deal with us while the doctors weren't even sure if he'd keep the leg!

Yeah haha I was going to ask if you wana be my FM tactician.    That line up sounds pretty strong - obviously dependant on those transfers going through but even with Barton there and no Matuidi its still strong.

Good assessment. The club doesn't need another over inflated ego in its ranks:

"I helped QPR win promotion but they will not offer me a better contract. I understand that QPR have changed my life. People had almost forgotten me when I joined from Tottenham. But I don't think they are being fair to me.

"People say Newcastle will be good for me, that the fans love players like me. It is fantastic to play in front of 50,000 supporters every week. I do not need one of the very big clubs at this stage of my career."

sauce

I'm still playing '08, where the AI (especially the EPL AI) doesn't quite understand false 9s (CF w/ backward arrow) and modern center-halves (DM w/ backward arrow).   What that game really gets right is the weight of decisions, rather than super-tactics.  The right subs will have a huge impact.  If you don't shut up shop at the right time, even weaker teams can come back.  Team talks - especially at half-time - are very important.  (Do I tell my midfielder he can change the game on the strength of 3 key passes, or just include him in the general encouragement to the team?)

Now, back to your regularly scheduled transfer tattle:

Zog appears to have been deemed too expensive, too greedy and too playing-in-the same-position-as-Marveaux to continue targeting.  There's talk about a loan deal for Sturridge (especially if Chelsea sign Neymar).  Tranquilo Barnetta is lined up, possibly to replace Jonas?  Pardew still wants Neil Taylor from Swansea - this one should be wrapped up shortly.

Players going out: Kazenga Lualua is heading to Brighton, Routledge perhaps to QPR, the Lone Ranger likely to Bolton, Smudge perhaps back to Leeds to lead them gloriously back to the EPL (this seems the only way he'd take a pay cut to move on), Bestie to whoever wants him, Xisco to somebody - anybody!

And, the big one: Jimmy the fish is looking to swim in the waters of the Championship again.   THE SKY IS FALLING!!!

Ca va bien!

Transfer talk has gone a bit quiet, so a change of pace:

Underneath the aggro, local rivalries are built on respect.  After all, that's why it means something to have a better team than the one down the road!  So, fellow Newcastle fans, take a moment with me to salute the North-East's other great football club, and wish them all the best in improving on mid-table anonymity this coming season.

Bon courage, Gateshead!

Coming up on TV3's nightline:  What do you get when you cross a donkey with a zebra?

Breaking News: Demba Ba has described the squad as "some cool dudes".


He also said something about wanting to score more than 10 goals...

1st pre-season friendly, against BSP side Darlington.  2-0 (Barton, Ameobi).

That's Sammy Ameobi, not Shola, scoring off the bench.  When he was brought on, the 6000 travelling fans chanted, "If Sammy scores, we're on the pitch."





Darlington fans didn't appreciate it, started punch-ups, hit a steward.  Game nearly had to be called off, but an appeal to reason from Pardew, Carver, Smudge, and Joey Barton led to order being restored.

Hatem Ben Arfa has suffered a serious ankle injury.  The outlook is bleak.

Yeah, same format as the Kevin Nolan one, but this time I'm not joking.

Thanks for the link Stripes. Hopefully the full assessment will have some better news...

Any more news on Ben Arfa? Junior822011-08-05 15:46:35

If you are right then he will be an great asset. If not then he will be a big liability.

First point of the season

"Gervinho was lying on the floor attempting to make a meal of minimal contact in a fair challenge by Cheik Tiot� when Joey Barton came across to tell him to get on with the game. Gervinho took offence, a scuffle turned into a melee and, amid all the handbags, the Ivorian connected with a girly slap to Barton's temple. Barton probably did not need to fall down as if poleaxed, though he did, and Peter Walton probably did not have to produce a red card, though he did. Barton was given a yellow card, which was possibly slightly harsh, and Alex Song went unpunished after an earlier stamp on Barton, which was caught by the cameras. "

So Barton was annoyed with a dive from Gervinho?  Fair enough.  It wasn't even a good dive, but dives are bad enough as it is.  Why, then, did Barton dive after the lightest contact from Gervinho?  How he can be given a yellow and Gervinho a red is absolutely ridiculous.  Though I shouldn't complain, Gervinho was so poor we needed him off.

Barton should have gone for his part but it was disgusting that Song went out there with the intention to provoke Barton in the previous challenge. Up until that point Barton was fine.

I heart Joey.

Fixed.

I've come to realise that Barton is best judged by Italian standards.  He was not "annoyed" by the dive.  He was trying to wind up Gervinho, and probably made some condescending remark while "helping the other man up".  Making a show after getting slapped was all part of the routine.

As for the referee's decision: Having watched the replay a few times, I don't see Barton attacking Gervinho.  Getting into an argument with another player is unsporting and deserving of a booking, and both would have been booked if the Gunners man hadn't lost his head.

Now that we're done with that, Arsenal fans can go back to their tissues and Fabregas posters.

And knowing some of you, the vaseline as well.

he cracks me up.