Kick Off Time?
Are we finally about to see things start to happen in the transfer market? The rumour mill now certainly seems to be going into overdrive as KK takes to his seat today and plots his way to some form of success this coming season.
Our main targets of Turan and Arshavin seem to be escaping our grasp now that their prices and suitors will have increased during their extended displays in Euro 2008. Quite frustrating when we could have had either player alot sooner. The waiting game may have backfired somewhat?
Hopefully this new structure of Jeff Vetere, Wise and Jimenez will have a list of other backup targets for all their swaning about over the past few months.
We are certainly doing our homework as it appears our lads have been contacting agents with enquiries for many players including Pablo Aimar who has fallen from grace a bit since his great days. Whether he could be a budget buy by KK remains to be seen but it is possible that Kevin Keegan could get the best out of him again much like Aaron Lennon.
Kevin Keegan certainly seems to have identified bolstering his creative options to provide the bullets for Martins and Owen next season.
A foil is certainly a must for both lads especially now Shola seems destined to leave and Viduka out until Christmas (no shocks there) as Viduka certainly made a difference towards the end of last season. KK seems to have identified another striker which is fair enough if Ameobi is going out the door.
Then there is the task of bring in another centre half or 2. Plus an extra full back at each side to add competition and back up for Beye and Enrique.
Add to that the replacement to be phased in for Nicky Butt and Keegan certainly has his work cut out and it will be some relief when at least one new face heads through that door I would imagine.
Certainly interesting times ahead.
June 23rd, 2008 at 12:07 pm
Seems we can forget about Arshavin. We wouldn’t really be a step up in club or wages and his dreams are in spain so it’s pretty pointless.
Our season starts right now as far as I’m concerned and points could be won or lost by what happens in the next month. There is too much to leave till a couple of weeks before kick off if we are to have ambition of being in a much stronger position this time next year. A necessary evil perhaps but last year knocked us back a long way however you look at it.
June 23rd, 2008 at 4:43 pm
The club has been knocked back a long way from the time FatFred refused to sanction the purchase of any players apart from Lee Bowyer on a free for Sir Bob. From then on in the wheels fell off as we shortly later got knocked out of the Champions League qualifiers to Partizan Belgrade. We are still now paying for that muckup. 2 seasons in the Champions League back to back would have had us sorted. We’ve never recovered since as far as I am concerned and it is going to take something special to get us back there. We need a signing in the next fortnight or we are up shit creek for next season. Thats my opinion. No point signing players for players sake but tbh with the bodies thats gone out again fair play never played but they are still bodies our squad has never been so thin. Its bad for the players morale and the fans. As Bon Jovi sang on Saturday in a very wet Hampden we’d be ‘living on a prayer’. Quite frankly I don’t think any Geordie fan could put up with that again. I think its getting to the time where certain people need to be putting up for KK so he can do what hes best at.
June 23rd, 2008 at 5:06 pm
“I think its getting to the time where certain people need to be putting up for KK so he can do what hes best at.” Amen. I agree about the Lee Bowyer period but I do feel we still held some get out of jail cards and shite decisions kept getting made. I still remember the moment I read Souness had been given the job which is very much in keeping with most tragic news.
June 23rd, 2008 at 5:57 pm
LOL @ “with most tragic news”. Sourpuss was awful. Along with Big Sham Allardyce. Have either been offered jobs again in football yet? Nope… LOL! They’ve been found out and my opinion on both getting the job was that on their CV’s they had under skills “Great at the back hand” and not the type known with Tennis Elbow. A certain chairman employed both. I felt a bit sorry for Roeder as I don’t think he was entirely useless but he lost the dressing room. He did try his best and managed to stop us getting relegated and into Europe! People forget that one but he did lose the plot a bit. I wish him all the best at Norwich but Allardyce who is bleating on about ‘Why I didnt want the Blackburn job’… who gives 2 flying F@*#’s you weren’t wanted more than likely. Much like Steve McClaren who’s stock has also dropped immensely.. and these were 2 of the best candidates for the England job with one getting it!? You got to be kidding me. There is very few people in english football management these days who is genuine to do the best and right thing for a club and we are lucky to have one in charge. Just got to see him backed now? If he aint I must admit i’ll become a bit dismayed.
June 24th, 2008 at 10:14 am
Yup, I’m starting to get a bit edgy and I was pretty relaxed a week or so ago. Looking at our defence, we’ve only got 6 defenders in total, two of which I wouldn’t want anywhere near the teamsheet. As you say, we need about 3 new defenders (Geremi can cover for Beye), a left winger, a right winger would be good, a big centre forward to replace Viduka and one or two central midfielders. I make that 8 new players, without the possible replacement of Milner, Owen, N’Zogbia etc. They’re no point releasing the players we have unless you intend on bringing in better players, so 8 good players is quite a bit of shopping. I still think Turan is a possibility although Arshavin looks like he’s gone. Aimar could be a good player and would be a great statment of intent… Lennon and Dawson are being mentioned a bit – I’m not entirely convinced by either. A friend who watches Spurs a fair bit seems to think he’s simply a fast player and has little end product – hopefully he’s wrong. Either way, the next week or two are hugely crucial…
June 24th, 2008 at 12:09 pm
chaps, hello, been a while.. July 1st is getting closer, and KK is back in the Toon, hopefully plotting to take over the premiership once again. I’m sure there is a reason sa to why we havent made any solid offers on players just yet. If we go back to previous seasons almost all our flop buys have been due to buying for the sake of buying.. we dont need to do that again.. BUT.. i say that and i too am edgy like Simo.. Apart from Modric we havent put any solid offers in on any players.. we have shipped out 6 or so already and surely more to sell.. and with an already tiny squad havent even looked as if we are going to buy.. i just hope we are boxing clever, and have targets waiting in the wings.. achievable targets
June 24th, 2008 at 12:39 pm
Certainly seems like they are putting the feelers out with the comments from agents which is a positive. Buts its getting them signed which counts. Aimars agent has released that statement to try and get other clubs interested… Oh he’d go to Newcastle so we should bid… Footy agents are getting like Estate Agents in that they after hyking prices to get their bigger %’s. Simply annoying. Blood suckers on the game as far as I am concerned. Aimar would be a good signing and Lennon. Lennon has bags of pace and hes only 21. I think id rather have Lennon than Milner. Lennon has England caps and hes probably gonna cost less? Milner has plenty hard work as I have said before but I dont think has an end product either. I think in the Premier League alot can be said for pace if you can carry the ball. Milner often looks like hes running through quick sand. Hes not actually a fast player. I think pace causes problems and our most successful times have been when our teams have been full of it. Counter attacking is a great tactic. We’ve just simply had no legs in our team for quite some time apart from Martins. No point having that if no one can get forward with u to pass to. I think Lennon could be worth a punt. KK could work on him. Dawson ive never been impressed with. Hes always looked poor everytime seen him. Fair play hes still young though but we have Taylor? We really need to get some bodies in. Some statement of intent’s and some bodies to help bolster the squad. You cant have a squad of World class even Chelsea dont have that but they have the bodies. I have to say though that if the board situation fooks things up heaven help them. I dont think the fans will take it. They’ve had a sort of grace period but all this tinkering etc behind the scenes…. Hmmm… I think the bodies out and if they dont do something coming in wise there really will be an uproar and I could see us in a relegation fight.
June 24th, 2008 at 1:31 pm
Lol you gotta love the Chronicle… Yesterday Newcastle Lennon today revealed Newcastle not after Lennon… What a load of tosh. They have naff all to fill their back pages…
June 24th, 2008 at 3:26 pm
lol This is like trying to understand dungeon master; predicting who we are after. That is a good thing so long as there is actually substance in something behind the scenes! :O)
June 25th, 2008 at 10:06 am
I give no credit to that paper now. I think since Ashley took over they dont have a leg to stand on as they get no information leaked like Fat Fred used to every time he opened his mouth.
June 25th, 2008 at 11:06 am
I totally agree – I think that either there’s a very clever plan being hatched, hence the complete blanket on information, or there’s really nothing going on and the board have banked on getting players that we won’t now get. I personally don’t think the board is even vaguely stupid enough for the second to be true, so I’m holding faith with the first.
Wise and Keegan will know exactly how much the squad now needs bolstering, even purely in terms of numbers, and will have impressed this strongly onto MA and the rest. They’ve said today that bids for Milner are being resisted, which either means “up your bids or sod off”, or that they genuinely want to keep him. If we did get Lennon (and Keegan thinks he can teach him to produce crosses and goals), maybe they would be thinking of switching Milner into the middle? He played there at times for Leeds and may be more suited to the position?
Either way, the papers know nothing, absolutely nothing, so I’m happy to sit back and wait to see who actually signs on the dotted line.
But honestly, I think that by the time the window closes, we’ll have a squad that we’re happier with than the one we have at the end of last season. If not, the board will have no one to blame but themselves when the fans kick off (which they shouldn’y do until that point). I don’t think we’ll have a star studded squad, but definitely a better, leaner, more skillful and more competitive one.
June 26th, 2008 at 9:02 pm
Looks like we’ve landed Aaron Spear anyway, the 15 year old wonderkid striker from Plymouth. Good to see the youth signings are rolling in, now we just need a few that can go straight into the 1st team…
June 27th, 2008 at 10:58 am
Ive heard good things about this kid and if Arsenal wanted him we’ve done well to get him. Good to see them getting picked up but as you say now we need to start adding some 1st teamers.
June 29th, 2008 at 9:26 pm
Well looks like our first signing could be Swiss youngster Erin Derdiyok. At 20 years old he was the youngest player in the tournament and had 2 assists in the Swiss team. Relatively quiet still on the transfer front…
June 30th, 2008 at 12:32 pm
what ever happened to us signing daniel van buyten?
June 30th, 2008 at 12:34 pm
or should i say trying to sign?
July 1st, 2008 at 2:25 pm
Yeah that link went dead a bit back in January Snick. Whether KK thought he dont fit our blue print i just dont know.