Sure. Demba Senior and Papa's Demba (Demba Junior).
Cisse looks like a lethal finisher - a real 'paint-brush' striker! If we sign a defender as well, then the last leg of the season looks very promising.
Toon Fans
Still waiting for our new defender. Tav looks to be off on loan into the Championship - a positive sign for the lad. Cissokho appears to be a discard for less savvy buyers. Dunk, perhaps? A bit young to rely upon.
edit: GOOD GRAVY, 1000 replies in the Toon thread! That's 100 troll posts from Arsenal fans, 100 posts of flirtation/horsing around, and 800 actually on topic!
Stripes2012-01-20 11:32:17
You had better not give us too much space this weekend, or we will punsh you.
Fact.
Apparently Pardew's next target is a new deal for Coloccini. There's also talk about bringing a new defender in. Supposedly, the club is looking at:
Yohan Benalouane (24, Cesena) - currently rated at about a million quid, he's a center half who can provide cover at left back. He's mainly a back-up for the Serie A outfit. While Yohan's a regular in their Cup side (and picked up a goal), he's mustered less than four hours in the Italian top flight this season. I understand that the plan is to pick him up on loan initially.
Rhys Williams (23, Middlesbrough) - Anglo-Australo-Indo-Welsh Right-Center-Attacking-Defending-Midfielder-Defender Williams is currently rated at 1.25 million pounds, and could certainly fill a few gaps in our squad. Supposedly, he wants to stay at Middlesbrough to fight for promotion to the EPL.
James Tomkins (22, West Ham) - Tomkins is valued at four million and is most comfortable in the center of defence. He's a regular in the Hammers squad, keeping Winston Reid on the fringe of the squad. West Ham have refused two bids already, so it would be a surprise to see this deal come off in the near future.
I think it's most likely that Benalouane will be brought in on loan to preserve squad balance (2 Dembas, 2 Yohans).
You had better not give us too much space this weekend, or we will punsh you.
Fact.
Are you drunk?
I think it's most likely that Benalouane will be brought in on loan to preserve squad balance (2 Dembas, 2 Yohans).
Thanks for the link to the blog. I should read it more often. Wasn't Toonsy leaving the blog last year? I see he still writes for it tho.
You had better not give us too much space this weekend, or we will punsh you.
Fact.
Are you drunk?
GOOD GRAVY, 1000 replies in the Toon thread! That's 100 troll posts from Arsenal fans, 100 posts of flirtation/horsing around, and 800 actually on topic!
I'm sure I've posted more than 100 times.
GOOD GRAVY, 1000 replies in the Toon thread! That's 100 troll posts from Arsenal fans, 100 posts of flirtation/horsing around, and 800 actually on topic!
I'm sure I've posted more than 100 times.
Sometimes you're horsing around the topic.
Thanks for the link to the blog. I should read it more often. Wasn't Toonsy leaving the blog last year? I see he still writes for it tho.
I think he was leaving .com. There are a lot of nufcblog.something.whatevers. Toonsy actually runs .co.uk, and does a very good job for a dyslexic.
...
Too close to faint praise. Toonsy does a very good job. All the more remarkable, as he's dyslexic!
Cheers. I do need to look at these a bit more, I thought the site had been revamped! I like Toonsy's work too.
Ed Harrison is still editing .com while he fights cancer. He's past the chemotherapy. Fingers crossed!
Tough decision with CAN. Do we support Ivory Coast, Senegal, or just hope that Demba Ba's knee doesn't explode and shower Cisse with shrapnel?
Big Al's put his managerial talents in the shop window again.
looking forward to seeing demba and demba pt 2 up front for us.
any further rumours about a defender?
any further rumours about a defender?
haha..that was a classic freudian slip .
looking forward to seeing demba and demba pt 2 up front for us.
any further rumours about a defender?
[/QUOTE]
any further rumours about a defender?
[/QUOTE]
It's still important to the club. Ed at .com has thrown Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa (22, Montpellier) back into the mix - we were linked with him at the start of the month.
edit: Apparently we're linked to Chris Samba again, but so are half the clubs in Europe.
[QUOTE=Whitehartlane] haha..that was a classic freudian slip .
I have assumed from your handle and posting in the Spurs thread that you support Tottenham'. Newcastle will be giving 'Arry's lads a lot of space in the weekend - about 260kms, give or take - without any risk of being 'punshed'. Did I miss something? 
Stripes2012-01-21 11:33:09
Ed Harrison is still editing .com while he fights cancer. He's past the chemotherapy. Fingers crossed!
The signs don't look too great for poor old Ed. He writes:
Other match previews abound:
Coming Home Newcastle expects to see The Mask, while Leazes Terrace is too busy drooling over Papiss Demba Cisse to come up with a timely tactical preview.
If all of that's getting you too worked up, there's soothing green squad sheets at the Guardian and austere white charts at Soccernet.
Tough decision with CAN.� Do we support Ivory Coast, Senegal, or just hope that Demba Ba's knee doesn't explode and shower Cisse with shrapnel?
Senegal begin their campaign against Zambia (kick-off should be at 10am tomorrow morning, New Zealand time). Match previews: Eurosport, Beeb, and Supersport.
The CAN covers five games:
Q.P.R.
at Fulham
at Blackburn
Aston Villa
at Spurs
Players who don't make it out of the group stages will be back for the Spurs match - the only particularly tricky fixture in that list.
Q.P.R.
at Fulham
at Blackburn
Aston Villa
at Spurs
Players who don't make it out of the group stages will be back for the Spurs match - the only particularly tricky fixture in that list.
The CAN covers five games:
Q.P.R.
at Fulham
at Blackburn
Aston Villa
at Spurs
Players who don't make it out of the group stages will be back for the Spurs match - the only particularly tricky fixture in that list.
Q.P.R.
at Fulham
at Blackburn
Aston Villa
at Spurs
Players who don't make it out of the group stages will be back for the Spurs match - the only particularly tricky fixture in that list.
"In the first half Newcastle did not miss Tiot� or Demba Ba one iota. To ascribe this defeat to their absence would be a grotesque oversimplification. Newcastle's defence simply had a collective brain melt, failing to cope with passes played over or through them."
No shit. At half-time you were winning 1-0...
No shit. At half-time you were winning 1-0...
So, you now think it's stunningly obvious that the CAN had very little to do with the result? Sort yourself out.
Speaking of sorting things out: SENEGAL, GET IT TOGETHER! Already 1 goal down at 15 minutes, and just through an episode of play where they could have conceded another and had their 'keeper sent off.
(I'll confess that Zambia's goal celebration made me happy.)
edit: And they've now conceded a second. Zambia are saving energy on the celebrations in anticipation of more goals.
Stripes2012-01-22 10:23:01
Senegal have more of the play in the second half, but they lack any real cutting edge. Demba Ba just shot wide from a good position. 
Cisse on for Moussa Sow at 66 minutes - the striker we bought replacing an earlier link. He looks lively, making a chance for Ba with his first touch.
Stripes2012-01-22 11:25:52
And that's full time. 1-2, full credit to Zambia for their defending. I am not dripping with confidence about the 2 Dembas, though Senegal's real problems were further back.
I'm just happy for you guys that the Fulham match wasn't a 'particularly tricky fixture' or it could have got ugly out there.
I'm just happy for you guys that the Fulham match wasn't a 'particularly tricky fixture' or it could have got ugly out there.
Touched by your concern. It would have been pretty hard to swallow an 8-2 or similar by defending like that against a title contender.
Yeah it is always a particularly tricky fixture going to OT.
Trying to be positive: if Senegal's rotten form persists, Ba and Cisse will be back for our clash with Spurs.
Now if only Ivory Coast can crash & burn as well! 
Good teams every now and then ship 5 goals. Sh!t happens.
I'd be really upset and embarrassed if we'd let in 8 goals however.
I'd be really upset and embarrassed if we'd let in 8 goals however.
Ed at .com is talking up a story from the Sunday Sun. Apparently, Newcastle will sign 25 year old Adrian Mariappa for 3 million. Considering how close Pardew's holding his cards, I don't take this too seriously. The club's in the market for another defender (or two?).
Apparently, the release clause that 'Arry was talking about doesn't exist, and Arsenal are looking at paying 18 mil. for Demba Ba. We signed him on the 17th of June on a free. KA-CHING! The same source reckons that the bidding for Tiote will start at 25 million. KA-CHING!
Caughtoffside also brings us the shock news that Newcastle is scouting Dutch players.
And in case you haven't seen the result yet, Ivory Coast edged Sudan 1-0 thanks to Drogba's headed effort.
The link with Douglas is being put about again. Here's a discussion of his qualities in the context of a possible Oranje call-up.Stripes2012-01-23 23:47:51
Davide Santon is hoping to get an Italy call-up. Don't really care for the last lines, though I guess for now we're happy with the lad.
With Senegal's early elimination, the Dembas will be back just in time for Blackburn. .co.uk is mulling over whether Cisse should be brought in gradually, but I think that's a matter for the professionals.
For whatever reason, Mariappa seems to have been our main target. Third bid now declined.
Whoever comes in for cover needs to be better than Jimmy the Fish.
The CAN covers five games:
Q.P.R.
at Fulham
at Blackburn
Aston Villa
at Spurs
Players who don't make it out of the group stages will be back for the Spurs match - the only particularly tricky fixture in that list.
Q.P.R.
at Fulham
at Blackburn
Aston Villa
at Spurs
Players who don't make it out of the group stages will be back for the Spurs match - the only particularly tricky fixture in that list.
Glad I didn't mention the FA Cup tie in that post. 