Comments on: For Sale: Geordie Yoyo

By: Toonrobbybobson

Toonrobbybobson — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 09:23:41 +0000

Great posts lads. You are right you can attract good young hungry british talent without the pulling power of europe and they would probably work far harder than anything we have got. I would be sad to see Owen and Zogbia go. Taylor won’t be away yet sure hes still got year or two on his contract but he hasnt set the world alight this year niether. He is prone to diving in and making other costly mistakes but that isn’t all his fault. He needs an experienced centre half alongside him to coach him along. We have a long way to go but it isn’t impossible. Hopefully we can get some crap out and some good stuff in and have a good start to next season and build on from there. Our step for next season should be to try and finish bottom of the top half and continue to build from there. That would be a really good season for us based on our current mess. I am still 100% behind Keegan.

By: Simo

Simo — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 21:19:24 +0000

Can you tell I’ve got uni work to do?

By: Simo

Simo — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 21:18:52 +0000

I’ve just been thinking who will go in summer and I must admit I’ve no idea who will be leaving. My feelings are that replacing more than about 6 or 7 players in a squad would be a huge task when you have one month and you end up having to settle for a few bog-standard players to make up numbers as happened last summer, getting us into this pickle. Who we’ll lose I don’t know - I think there are some certainties:
Ameobi
Carr
Barton may have his contract terminated (although I can’t see him being sold or let go otherwise)
N’Zogbia.
Plus possible exits for any number of:
Butt (too old although may be kept for another 6-12 months)
Enrique (if he hasn’t settled)
Viduka (if he’s simply knackered or can’t be bothered)
Cacapa (I haven’t seen much of him, is he as bad as people say?)
Taylor (if he doesn’t sign a new contract he’s off and I’m worried…)
Geremi (isn’t producing much, isn’t getting a start and might produce a fee)
Emre (can’t string games together, talented but isn’t really producing either)
Owen (probably wants out of this circus)
Smith (striker that doesn’t score. Works hard but I just think that broken leg has done something to him…)
Phew, okay, so there’s plenty of possible exits. Annoyingly there are players I’d like to keep who may simply be looking to leave, whilst the lazy ones will be happy to pick up their cheque and will need paying off…
Anyway, in regards to bringing players in I’m not too worried. We finally look to have a good scouting network for the first time in a long time. Look at Man City - who’d heard of any of those players before they arrived? Plus they were rubbish last season so there was no huge pull factor apart from a big, underachieving club that is in the Prem and a rich owner. However I’d like to see us sign some exciting young British players like Tottenham have done (again they’ve had no real European football to offer until recently).

By: snick

snick — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 14:19:02 +0000

hey chaps, its all fair and good that we want to get rid of the rubbish, but how much is it going to cost to a) pay off the rubbish that is here, and b) replace them? also once we do this major squad overhaul, who is going to replace them. I dont mean to be negetive, but what quality players are going to sign with a relegation threatened team? i cant see us finishing above 14th this season, meaning we wont have any european football to tempt big name players to come across. unless the Kevin Keegan pulling power works its magic, we’re going to struggle. Maybe its time to blood the youngsters for next season, give guys like carroll a go, and edgar and even lua lua? i’d obviously like to get in some quality in the off season, but i just cant see who will come. I hope our scouts can find some talent that would be available to us.

By: Toonrobbybobson

Toonrobbybobson — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 09:48:11 +0000

Very good points lads and I think most fans are thinking the same. The only thing I can think of with Enrique is communication problems but tbh the lad has never really looked that bad. Certainly got to be better sticking him in there and pushing Zog in a more threatening position. KK came out and said Viduka just injured. If thats the case we need shot of him. We can’t afford more treatment table muppets. I can see a few different names on the teamsheet for Blackburn…

By: Simo

Simo — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 21:10:26 +0000

Oh and Carr can go too, that goes without saying! As for signing Wes Brown, would he be another case of a Man Utd cast-off (see Smith, Butt) who would see it as a nicely paid semi-retirement?

By: Simo

Simo — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 21:08:16 +0000

I must admit I’m not sure what’s up with Enrique either. Is he a trouble maker? Is he not fit? Is he homesick? Or is he simply rubbish? I’ve no idea but I’d like to know. N’Zogbia isn’t a defender and the longer he’s played there the less effort he’ll put in. He knows he’ll be going in the summer so he won’t bust a gut unless he’s playing somewhere he enjoys. Duff might be better at leftback too… Then again what do we know, we don’t see them in training etc.

As for Viduka and Barton, I agree they’re at the front of the queue - why isn’t Viduka playing these days? I’m a bit mystified as to why Smith is so bad too, he was a good player at Leeds and to some extent at Man Utd, maybe the leg break has ruined him mentally? I’d like to see Butt replaced too, possibly with him staying for six months whilst the new lad settles in. We also need a new attacking midfielder, Barton is off (to jail maybe?) and Emre never seems able to get a run of games. I’m happy with Milner, Taylor (when is he getting a new contract, or is he stalling?!), Given to some extent (although these new young keepers we have coming through can replace him in a year or two), Beye, Faye as well as some of the younger lads like Edgar and Carroll, who might be preferable to Viduka and Smith at the moment. Oh and Ameobi is definitely off when you see Carroll play ahead of him…

Sorry, that was a bit of a stream of consciousness, hope some of it makes sense…

By: Penti

Penti — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 14:47:17 +0000

Didnt see the game, and to a certain extent I’m glad….

I agree with the Zoggy comments, as we always look far more threatening with him running the left wing than Duff (apt name tbh). Duff has had long enough to get his act together, as have far too many other players. We need wholesale changes as there are too many “passengers” currently.

Although I must confess to not having seen too much of him, but Enrique has looked ok. Am I entirely wrong? Is he injured or something? Cant understand playing a left winger at Left back when you have a dedicated LB on the bench?

Viduka, Duff, Barton can definately go for starters. Wes Brown looks like he could be available come the end of the season. LuaLua wants to come back (not sure if we would need another striker tho) and I’m sure plenty of money will be made available.

What about short-term tho? I dont have the answers, but I do have some ideas….

By: Toonrobbybobson

Toonrobbybobson — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 11:32:02 +0000

Yeah apologies for not being around of late ive been well laid low with Flu Bah! I got myself together for the match and just hoped to see some signs of improvement and some +’s and there was a few! Carroll for instance being one big one and should have himself on the teamsheet for the Blackburn game. Players not good enough? Hmmmm Barton, Smith, Butt (but he has been good servant but we need a younger replacement in summer), Duff, Given. Beye, Faye and Taylor certainly didnt have great games. Taylor back to his dive in approach. He certainly could have done better for the 3rd. We had a bit of character tho even when we went 1 down we still went at them. 2nd half we still went at them and we knocked the ball around there box plenty. We should have had a penalty at 0-0 but still I think we would have got beat after all id say they the best club team in the world. Barton was truely awful playing with an invisible man at times. Wonder if it was Jekyll or Hyde? Annoying that players like Emre are injured and obviously Viduka has chucked his toys out of the pram and should be sent packing in the summer? What we paying the muppet for. Carroll had bags of fight and purpose about him with some nice touches and is strong in the air. He’ll listen to Owen as well as he wont have an ego. I think he showed he is ready and we look far more like scoring than Smith will playing a seasons worth of football. Zog is not a left back and needs pushing forward whether through middle or out wide left. Duff needs to do far more to justify being on the teamsheet. Id even try him at left back or put someone else there as it is wasting Charlie where we need him instead of him being a liability. Plenty to think about and ponder but a bit of a tweak and cut some mistakes out and we could be a good match for Blackburn at home. That one we NEED the crowd up for! WE MUST GET 3 POINTS! THE PLAYERS HAVE TO KNOW THAT!

By: Simo

Simo — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 19:09:33 +0000

Well, yet another thrashing… Wasn’t at the game (don’t have a season ticket), but was just wondering, who do you think needs shipping out? Mention on 5Live that we simply don’t have any quality in the team and that several players, many of whom have just signed, will need paying off. Who do you think needs to go and who should stay?