Newcastle United Transfer Rumours and General Chat

kinaldo

therecklessone wrote: »

The "guttersnipes" had to do something to keep your club discussions going seeing as by their own admission some of your own fans weren't interested in talking when you were shipping goals like they were going out of fashion...

therecklessone, I like your posts, admire your hardcore approach to supporting your team, and I do think your opinions are generally fair and honest, but that's twice you've had a go at me for posting here less frequently lately and I feel I have to respond properly this time.

I stopped posting altogether for a while after I got banned for attacking the guttersnipes in this very thread. I simply got sick of this place, particularly after the 'Big Sam Sacked' and 'Newcastle a Big CLub?' threads. Constantly repeating myself, defending Newcastle and Keegan the whole time became boring. Now that most of the guttersnipes have left it's become less of a chore. Plus I've recently undergone two operations and was in hospital for a week.

For what it's worth, I was very critical of KK in one of the Premiership threads after the Villa game. I don't think he's the 'Messiah' but I do think he's a much better manager than given credit for and it's clear there's an affinity between him, the club and the people of Newcastle that's quite unique. With Ashley's money and everyone pulling together in the right direction I don't think we need a tactical genius to become trophy contenders again.

kinaldo

How awesome was Habib Beye yesterday? For all his crap football, Big Sam really signed a couple of canny fullbacks. Too bad he was afraid to actually play one of them, instead playing the new Le Sulk at left back the whole time.

Charlie

kinaldo wrote: »

How awesome was Habib Beye yesterday?

He was immense and, has been for a while now. Exactly what a full back should be. I really think the defensive jigsaw that has plagued us for years it alot closer than its ever been to being fixed. A Richard Dunne type 0player to partner Taylor and I think were there or there abouts with the back 4. I think it speaks volumes that despite us racking up the goals, the MOM for the last few games has gone to defenders of defensive midfielders.

kinaldo wrote: »

For all his crap football, Big Sam really signed a couple of canny fullbacks. Too bad he was afraid to actually play one of them, instead playing the new Le Sulk at left back the whole time

See thats the thing with Big Sam. On the one hand I am grateful that he signed those players and feel he should be given some dues for that (although he did also sign the likes of Roz, Cacapa ad Smith) but at the same time it shows how badly he was mismanaging them and that the squad wasn't as it was being painted.

therecklessone

kinaldo wrote: »

therecklessone, I like your posts, admire your hardcore approach to supporting your team, and I do think your opinions are generally fair and honest, but that's twice you've had a go at me for posting here less frequently lately and I feel I have to respond properly this time.

It was a light-hearted jibe and was not meant to offend, apologies if it did. Was aimed more at charlie TBH, you just provided the ammunition...:p

Wasn't aware (or forgot, one or the other ) that you'd been banned.

Charlie

Over on the Newcastle Chronicle board, one chap posted the following in relation to what we need to get in during the summer. I think he hits the nail on the head, what do you think?

---

Given


Beye

---

Taylor

---

New Signing

---

Enrique

---

Barton

---

New Signing

---

New Signing

---

Owen

---

New Signing

---

Martins


I know Viduka has done well but he is injury prone and goes in and out of form(although Keegan might continue to get the best out of him). I would try and sell N'Zogbia, Ameobi, Smith and Duff as we would get a pretty good return. We have quite a few youth players to come in if injuries piled up as they usually do.

I would look to spend big on 4 players that would go straight into the starting 11. From our 4-4-3 line up you can see we need 2 midfielders. I think Butt has been class but his legs are getting on a bit now. Our full backs have proved in recent games that it is so important to have full backs that get forward and supply good crosses. Very happy these 2 will be even better next season! Maybe sign Shorey on the cheap or free in the summer?

Would not spend 15m on a 30 year old that has never played in the Premier league either (Deco). Rather use that money and go all out for a centre back in the Micah Richards class.

I might be totally wrong, just my opinion.

Up the toon!

Was at the Fulham game lads. Was a great game to watch and a good performance from the Toon. Martins seems to be getting his act together along with Joey Barton.

Ekancone

In fairness to Martins, SA was hardly giving him a chance, was he?

kinaldo

therecklessone wrote: »

It was a light-hearted jibe and was not meant to offend, apologies if it did. Was aimed more at charlie TBH, you just provided the ammunition...:p

Wasn't aware (or forgot, one or the other ) that you'd been banned.

Aye, no worries. We cool.

How much would you pay for N'Zogbia? And do you reckon he's as good as or better than Lennon (not that difficult imo)?

kinaldo

charlie mchugh wrote: »

Over on the Newcastle Chronicle board, one chap posted the following in relation to what we need to get in during the summer. I think he hits the nail on the head, what do you think?

That would be about right if we're sticking to the 4-3-3. I don't know who we should sign really and I hate speculating this early but I'd really love to see Bentley here. Of the top 4 I can only really see Liverpool going for him, but if they don't, then we may be in with a shout. I also wish Viduka was a few years younger. He'll be most difficult to replace. He reminds me so much of Kluivert when he was here (I thought Kluivert was class for us whenever Souness didn't pick Ameobi ahead of him).

Ekancone

Crouch might be a decent replacement as target man.

Charlie

kinaldo wrote: »

That would be about right if we're sticking to the 4-3-3. I don't know who we should sign really and I hate speculating this early but I'd really love to see Bentley here. Of the top 4 I can only really see Liverpool going for him, but if they don't, then we may be in with a shout. I also wish Viduka was a few years younger. He'll be most difficult to replace. He reminds me so much of Kluivert when he was here (I thought Kluivert was class for us whenever Souness didn't pick Ameobi ahead of him).

Aye, Bentley would be the right kind of signing, and as you say yourself, Liverpool probably the only them of the big 4 who might be interested.

If i'm being honest though, I see Bentley sticking with Blackburn for at least another season if not two. However, big Mike has the funds, so signing Bentley might be statement of intent, and useful way of silencing those who thinks he's trying to sell the club.

If Bentley was out of reach, Andrei Arshavin looks to be the business. Surely we could offer hi more than he's on at present, and playing in the cold North East should be no bother.

I think Viduka has been useful at illustrating how the 4-3-3 works well for us, and that the man to replace him has to be strong, and excellent at holding and passing the ball on. Those strikers are hard to come by these days.

As I said previously though, a top class ball winner is where we need to spen big. Look at the difference. Butt playing well has made in the last month. However, he's 33 and will need replacing. I still maintain Diarra of Pompey is the man to that. I'll be rooting for a Cardiff win so that Pompey won't be playing in Europe next season.

Whoever we sign, I have faith in KK. He has a good eye for a player and won't be signing dross like Smith.

Oh yeah, I think we can expect at least 8 million for Zog considering 17 million was paid for Bent, and we don't need to sell players becasue of financial constraints.

Charlie

daithifleming wrote: »

Crouch might be a decent replacement as target man.

I'm torn on this one. I have always thougtt Crouch was under-rated and is getting an unwarranted benching at Liverpool at the moment. However, i'm not sure he would suit the style we are presently trying to play at the moment.

Viduka is very economic with how he uses his presence, and is always thinking two steps ahead as to who's running by him and where to lay it off. I'm just not sure if Crouch will do that for us.

But, look what KK has done for Owen as of late, so you never know.

My other concern would be the price. Liverpool paid 7 million for him, and I think should we buy him, we should pay no more than that. His lack of football at that club is only hurting his game in the long run. I've heard Liverpool fans bandy around figures of 12-15 million for crouch which seems OTT.

therecklessone

kinaldo wrote: »

How much would you pay for N'Zogbia? And do you reckon he's as good as or better than Lennon (not that difficult imo)?

I'd pay no more than £3-4m, I don't think he's good enough to start 35+ games a season so he'd have to be seen as a squad player. I don't want us spending stupid money on players when we need to strengthen in key areas of our first XI. I would like to have a player like him as an option on the bench (which we all hoped Taarabt could prove to be when he signed, because with Bale injured and Gilberto adapting to life in England we struggle to change the game from the bench these days. Tainio, O'Hara and Huddlestone are all a bit one-paced for my liking.

I can't see Newcastle doing business for anything like that of course.

Lennon would be a better player than him if he laid off the clubbing and learned how to cross a ball...:D

Heisenberg.

This post has been deleted.

LOTTOWINNER

[QUOTE= Quality striker IMO.[/QUOTE]

That's a bit strong isn't it! difficult to defend against maybe, because of his height and akwardness, but hardly a "Quality Striker".
If he's that good, why has he been sold so often?

Xavi6

Greetings sports fans!

As some of you may have seen, I am currently doing a bit of a survey on the soccer forum. I know some of you have responded so cheers for that but it would great to get as many people as possible.

It's just three short questions so pop on over!

Charlie

Xavi6 wrote: »

Greetings sports fans!

As some of you may have seen, I am currently doing a bit of a survey on the soccer forum. I know some of you have responded so cheers for that but it would great to get as many people as possible.

It's just three short questions so pop on over!

Aye Lads, represent the black and white!

Charlie

How are people feeling for the Pompey game?

This will be tough in that we will be playing against a lean defence for the first time since the Liverpool game. I still would stick with the same tactics though as I think offence is our best defence if you get me.

I really have a feeling Owen will have a route in one of his games before the season ends. Even though he has scored in his last four, in each of those games, at his sharpest, he would have had 3 or 4 with the chances he was given. Probably not gonna happen this week. Although with Martins pace we might be able to rough up Campbell and Distin.

I'm afraid I might jinx it by watching it on tele on Setanta this week when the last 3 games I have watched online?

EDIT: Just read a piece in today's Guardian by Lawrence Donegan entitled "Honesty, optimism: no wonder Keegan's spirit riles the cynics". It is a nice change from the usual bile we have to put up with. Here's the final paragraph, but I recommend reading the whole piece.

It is probably stretching matters too far to argue Wenger could learn a thing or two from Keegan, just as it is premature to say he will do brilliantly at Newcastle. But it is not too soon to say this: welcome back Kevin. It is good to have you around.

kinaldo

charlie mchugh wrote: »

How are people feeling for the Pompey game?

I'm confident due to the fact that they played in midweek, but they're a pretty strong team and I think a draw would be an excellent result. That's how it played out in a dream I had actually... we scored in the 88th minute (Taylor) and then ANDY COLE equalised in the 89th with an identical goal to ours (good cross, headed into the bottom corner) and we were hanging on for dear lives by the end of stoppage time. I also remember a strange feeling of guilt for not being more annoyed at this.

Ekancone

Ok, I'm quite happy with a draw, and we almost won it in the end!

Here is what we have left:

English Premier Newcastle vs Sunderland 20-04-2008
English Premier West Ham vs Newcastle 26-04-2008
English Premier Newcastle vs Chelsea 03-05-2008
English Premier Everton vs Newcastle 11-05-2008

I still reckon we can take the next two, and anything we get out of Chelsea and Everton will be a bonus. I'm really glad with the way Keegan has turned things around anyway.

Charlie

daithifleming wrote: »

Ok, I'm quite happy with a draw, and we almost won it in the end!

Here is what we have left:

English Premier Newcastle vs Sunderland 20-04-2008
English Premier West Ham vs Newcastle 26-04-2008
English Premier Newcastle vs Chelsea 03-05-2008
English Premier Everton vs Newcastle 11-05-2008

I still reckon we can take the next two, and anything we get out of Chelsea and Everton will be a bonus. I'm really glad with the way Keegan has turned things around anyway.

It was a smashing performance yesterday. Let's not forget, this is a Pompey side who have kept more clean sheets than any other team in the league, are in the cup final, and are pushing for 5th. Newcastle were the team yesterday walking away feeling that they should have taken 3 points and not just 1.

I thought we looked very solid at the back, except for the two times Faye went asleep (he needs to be replaced with an experienced CB), but we limited them to long range efforts. Enrique, despite a few stray passes out of play, looked good again his confidence is growing with each game.

The midfield was super again, particularly Butt and Barton (ho has kept his head down and put in some great shifts). Geremi was decent but at times was too slow, he'll be a squad player next season.

Upfront we did well, with the guts of our promise being Martins. Loved the fact he had a shot from the off, making a statement of intent, and his inside shot was just kept out. Owen was good again, particularly in linking the midfield and front, he really burst a gut for us yesterday, but he's still not as sharp as he can be (a good pre-season, injury free, should sort that out). He really should have put that one away. Viduka had a quiet game, but his style of play was always going be cramped against a defence like Pompey's.

This was a hard fought, well disciplined, and balanced performance. Another two fingers from Keegan to the guttersnipes.

6 points is certainly attainable in the next two fixtures, with Sunderland probably putting up more of fight than Newcastle Jr. At home I would actually fancy us to stick it to Chelsea. Their defence is a shadow of what it was 2 years ago, with them being poor on free kick deliveries (Geremi's style should trouble them). Alot I guess will depend on how the title lies at that stage. Everton will be the toughest of our remaining fixtures, Goodison is quite the fortress these days, but play like we did yesterday, and you never know.

I have no doubt that we'll at least put up strong performances in the remaining games, but irrespective, 3 clean sheets, 10 goals scored, and only 2 goals conceaded in the last 5 games is good stuff in my books. We have a lot to build on during the summer.

kinaldo

^ good post, everything you said is spot on!

Now for the Tyne-Wear derby next week. I don't think I've ever looked forward to this game so much in my life. I'm sure it's gonna be a cracker this time, and they're still playing for survival let's not forget...

Someone on another forum said we should give Duff and Smith a run out at against them given that one is Irish and the other is ex-Manc. Keane just needs reminding and it's like a done deal

Charlie

kinaldo wrote: »

^ good post, everything you said is spot on!

Now for the Tyne-Wear derby next week. I don't think I've ever looked forward to this game so much in my life. I'm sure it's gonna be a cracker this time, and they're still playing for survival let's not forget...

Someone on another forum said we should give Duff and Smith a run out at against them given that one is Irish and the other is ex-Manc. Keane just needs reminding and it's like a done deal

Yeah it should be cracking, especially as it may dictate who finishes abpove of who. I would love to be heading over!

Maybe give Duff a start. Geremi has been good, but has shown he is slow and clumsy with his passing, so I might be tempted to make a swap there. However, I wouldn't have Smith, I wouldn't touch with a bargepole! He is just not suited to the style we are playing at the moment, or any style for that matter. I can see Viduka, Owen, and Martins having a good time with their defence. This is the game I predict Owen to score a hat-trick, i'm putting that on record now.

Howay the lads!!!!!

Charlie

I would imagine that KK will have a bit of a conundrum for next season. Does he stick with Steve Harper and drop Shay Given or, does he restore Given to the lineup to reward him for sticking with us all these years, when he could have moved to a big 4 team.

I'm finding it difficult to come up with an answer for this. Whilst Shay is a top keeper, he does have weaknesses (:eek: shock horror I know), namely his distribution of the ball and commanding his back 4. Harper has always been a top keeper, but I think he has really stood out in the last 5 games, and hasn't done anything to warrant losing that starting place.

But Shay has been so loyal to us and surely he would move if he were not to get his game. Effectively playing Harper is saying 'thanks shay, but fcuk off now'. However, Steve Harper has also shown immense loyalty for sticking with the team for 15 years, when really, he could have been a starter for any no. of prem clubs.

Personally, I think Harper is slightly the better keeper. I have always said that Shay's distribution is poor (and often puts us under pressure) and for this reason alone, I am happier when Harper is between the sticks. I posted this on the 27th Feb. and I fully stick by it.

charlie mchugh wrote:

Oh yeah, someone said Given's absence will be a disaster. Not so in my books. Harper is a great keeper and has always been excellent when Shay has been injured. As a plus, he can kick a ball properly. Whenever I have seen the Toon live, Shay has always looked very ropey when kicking back passes.

The clean sheets and goals conceded of late is proof to a degree (i'm not attributing this soley to Harper, but he has kept a better reign on things back there). But like I said, Given has been super for us (probably past his world class days) and I would not like to see his loyalty go unrewarded.

So what do others think?

Limerick Dude

It is a really tough decision , but i dont see any of the big 4 buying Shay now, he is injury prone and is not as good as he used to be. I still would love him to get back to his best but overall harper has done absolutely nothing wrong with his time in the first team and it would be unfair to drop him. However i think it would be possible to do a bit of a rotating policy for the 2 goalkeepers.

Charlie

Limerick Dude wrote: »

However i think it would be possible to do a bit of a rotating policy for the 2 goalkeepers.

Never good policy in my books. The back 4 need consistency, consistency of knowing how your keeper comes for balls, how he reacts to certain situations, and what he expects from his defence.

Such a policy was used with United and Arsenal a few years back and failed.

TwoShedsJackson

Unfortunately we no longer have Titus Bramble to score us the winner at home to Chelsea at season's end, think he managed that 2 out of the last 3 years or something

smog

Chelsea may have a little less to play for when we get to them anyway

kinaldo

Shay Given is a much better keeper imo. Harper has done well recently but I've seen him play poorly enough times in the past. FA Cup final against Man Utd springs to mind. Last season he went on a bad run, had two mares against Pool, despite beating them at SJP.

I don't think it'll be much of an issue anyhow. He must know by now that he's forever destined to be second choice behind Given.

smog

he had a good day today in fairness to him, his first derby win as well.

Was a good day today, and even more impressed the way the held off through the second half. Back 4 done really well. Officially safe now and to manage that against Sunderland, good day all round

TwoShedsJackson

Only listened to it on the radio but sounds like we really let up in the second half, but some famous Toon defending kept the lead secure. Sounds like McShane had another shocker for Sunderland.

Limerick Dude

Definetly not our best performance in the past few weeks but 3 points are 3 points, and its even more satisfying with a win over the Mackems

kinaldo

Easy win today. Atmosphere on the telly looked fantastic, really wish I could have been there.

I have to say that Beye is fast becoming my favourite Toon player and Owen has almost completely won me over in his new role.

I was disappointed to see Martins taken off though.

Saw this on a Newcastle forum...

http://photos-a.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sctm/v215/17/28/712190867/n712190867_717104_3282.jpg

Classic

kinaldo

I don't think a Toon defender has ever one been voted our player of the year before, so it says a lot when so far 171 out of 242 (70.7%) people on newcastle-online have voted for Beye. Even when we were terrible he's been consistently good. Lately he's just been immense.

mike65

Jasus KK will have to stop this! I was looking at the teams Newcastle have played and beaten on thier run and you have been pretty lucky in your opposition so far, Chelsea will be a good measure of real progress. As for Crouch its still hard to know if he will be at Liverpool next season. He and Owen (IF you keep him) would be a handy combo alright.

Mike.

Charlie

mike65 wrote: »

Jasus KK will have to stop this! I was looking at the teams Newcastle have played and beaten on thier run and you have been pretty lucky in your opposition so far, Chelsea will be a good measure of real progress. As for Crouch its still hard to know if he will be at Liverpool next season. He and Owen (IF you keep him) would be a handy combo alright.

Mike.

Yeah, sure turning over Spurs 4-1 away and heading to Fratton Park is always a doddle.

kinaldo

http://www.4thegame.com/football-statistics/premiership/tables/currentform.html

Impressive stats all round lately.

Charlie

Not our best performance of late, but impressive nonetheless.

Great to see consistency of line-up yet again. That is something we have suffered from in the last few years, and it shows of late how beneficial maintaining the same 11 is. The defence I thought was superb today, and I loved how at ease Taylor looked, and was commanding in his stride. Beye and Enrique were great again, and i'm so proud of Jose at how he's coming along, Big Sam knocked alot of confidence out of that lad.

The midfield was as solid as ever, but I thought, for the first time, Geremi outshone the other two boys, he was particularly good in his crossing today. Barton looked a little quieter in this game, although Sunderland were crowding out the centre of the park.

The front men were as effective as usual. Loved the link-up play between Viduka and Owen for the penalty. Oba looked as dangerous as ever, and today was another example of how he flusters defences with his pace. I did feel though he was a little selfish at times shooting instead of squaring it across the box.

A whole paragraph goes to St. Michael himself. Brilliant header, and yet another example of how he is proving his critics wrong. I would love if sky brought back player cam, because to watch Owen's work rate today (and in the previous games) has been immense. He is being deployed in a deeper role, yet he still manges to get to the box and flanks at the pivotal times. There were times today when he was back in the midfield jumping and winning headers he had no claim to, out jumping players quite taller than himself.

By rights we should have stuck a couple more past them today, but once we got the second, we slightly lost our edge, and Sunderland were hustling for the ball alot, but without ever threatening with it. I think the lads knew the 3 points were in the bag and that they didn't need to get a 3rd or 4th to solidify the win, understandable I guess.

I understood why KK gave Duff a runout for Martins, but I thought Duff looked woeful. Fair enough, he didn't do anything badly, but he didn't grasp the opportunity he had to prove himself. I'm not expecting wonders from him, but there were times he looked reluctant in challenges and didn't want the ball badly enough. With the way the team are presently playing, that's unforgiveable if you're trying to prove your worth and earn back your place.

Thought young Edgar looked great when he came on, composed and slotted in perfectly.

Finally, Harper was on form again today. He didn't have too much to do, but the important saves he needed to make, he did them no bother. On a more subtle note though, I thought he was bossing the defence well, and seem to have good communication with Taylor on pass backs, collecting, and general tendering to the edge of the box.

estebancambias

Who would you like to see Newcastle buy in the summer?

Charlie

estebancambias wrote: »

Who would you like to see Newcastle buy in the summer?

- Dunne (Man City's revival should make this a no no, but his contract still hasn't been resolved. Exactly the type of player we need to sign).

- Benzema (Looks very potent and, should be able to afford him, but bigger teams may be in for him) .

- Obi Mikel (Seems settled at Chelsea, but their squad is Mass-efe. We need a ball winner in the centre and he has impressed me alot, except for his soft lad antics).

- Lassana Diarra (Been smashing at Pompey, and with the right bid I can't see Pompey turning an offer down. Could be others chasing him though)

- Bentley (Big stretch here, but Top 4 don't seem interested, so maybe enough $$$ would do it along with KK convincing him Newcastle will be pushing higher than Blackburn in 2 years time).

- If Bentley was a no goer, I would go for Andrei Arshavin, looks to be a great player, and playing in the North East should be no bother to him.

I know these are ambitious, but they're not totally out of reach, mainly because the big 4 probably aren't interested, with Benzema possibly being the exception. Diarra, Bentley and Dunne would be the three I would covet most. I think KK has illustrated that we have a stronger squad than we thought we had 6 months ago.

mike65

charlie mchugh wrote: »

Yeah, sure turning over Spurs 4-1 away and heading to Fratton Park is always a doddle.

Both those teams are on holliday, Spurs are midtable with a place in Europe so they dont care too much while Pompey have thier thoughts on the FA cup, and have a place in Europe.

Mike.

Charlie

mike65 wrote: »

Both those teams are on holliday, Spurs are midtable with a place in Europe so they dont care too much while Pompey have thier thoughts on the FA cup, and have a place in Europe.

Mike.

And if Chelsea have lost the league before they get to St. James and we get a result that will be another excuse. You can only beat the team that's out there, and it's not so much the results but how we're playing that's been satisfying (particularly after the miserable boot ball Fat Sam played). 4 clean sheets, the 3 men banging in the goals, and generally playing good, on the deck, football. That's what has impressed me about KK's turnaround.

mike65

No, well maybe - the CL and all that (Romans real target this season after all). You are playing well no question, a million miles from Big Sams sh-i-te and all the better for it.

I sense some needless sensitivity.

Mike.

Charlie

mike65 wrote: »

I sense some needless sensitivity.

Mike.

Not needless sensitivity Mike, just making sure KK gets the praise he deserves on account of so many guttersnipes(look back 10-15 pages on this thread) who had their pop upon his appointment have yet to come back for their serving of humble pie.

estebancambias

charlie mchugh wrote: »

- If Bentley was a no goer, I would go for Andrei Arshavin, looks to be a great player, and playing in the North East should be no bother to him.

Top player as I mentioned in another thread I share his second name.

I like your suggestions. I think Bentley would be pretty plausible. Liverpool are the only team I can see buying him unless someone like Chelsea want to stop him from moving there.

Don't you think its nearly pretty obvious that McGeady if he decides to leave Celtic will be a Newcastle player? Like Keegan basically spelt it out.

What about Cuellar at Rangers as well?

Charlie

estebancambias wrote: »

Top player as I mentioned in another thread I share his second name.

I like your suggestions. I think Bentley would be pretty plausible. Liverpool are the only team I can see buying him unless someone like Chelsea want to stop him from moving there.

Don't you think its nearly pretty obvious that McGeady if he decides to leave Celtic will be a Newcastle player? Like Keegan basically spelt it out.

What about Cuellar at Rangers as well?

Yeah cheers. About 6 weeks ago I wuld ahve had Wayne Bridge on that list, but Jose Enrique has come on leaps and bounds and looks to be a great prospect.

McGeady is a strange one. Fans seem divided over him, although more leaning towards getting him in, and KK seems to fancy him, and I would usually trust KK in the market (the quality he signed last time he was hear was great), but i'm still not won over by McGeady.

I know he just won his awards, but he has looked very average at times for Ireland, and a fair few 'top' SPL players have been found out when they moved south (Petrov, Maloney, Miller, Ferguson to name a few). Reports are that Celtic are looking for 12-15 for him, and for that money we could nearly get Bentley or your namesake. I guess only time will tell.

I would have similar reservations about Cuellar, we really got mugged of with Boumsong.

But hey, I could be proved wrong, and I would happily admit so if it's to the benefit of the Toon.

PHB

I'm sorry, these
Dunne [who if he leaves City, which is extremely unlikely, would be more likely to go south]
Benzema [who won't even sign for United, let alone Newcastle]
Obi Mikel [one of the most gifted young midfielders in the world]
Diarra [who has already said he is using Portsmouth as a stepping stone]
Bentley [who a top 4 club will be looking at, but even if they aren't, Blackburn are better]

You have absolutely no chance of buying, whatsoever. Your club is currently below all of their clubs in terms of quality and next seasons chances. It wouldn't even be a step sideways.
I think Newcastle need to be looking at top quality defenders most importantly, more than anything else. If Keegan bought 5 defenders this summer I'd be incredibly impressed with him.

Charlie

PHB wrote: »

I think Newcastle need to be looking at top quality defenders most importantly, more than anything else. If Keegan bought 5 defenders this summer I'd be incredibly impressed with him.

Have to disagree with you on this. Taylor, Beye and Enrique have shown how well they can play together, this is the unit for next season that we only add to, not replace. I would like to see us sign an experienced centre half to help Taylor mature, and then maybe a utility defender fr the squad.

I admit the players I cited are ambitious to say the least, but not impossible (unlike I were to suggest we'd snap up Messi, Terry and Ronaldo). Don't underestimate KK's powers of persuasion and and Ashley's deep pockets.

PHB

I think you're generalising too much from this run. Taylor is probably good enough for first choice back 4 for a UEFA challenging squad, but Beye certainly isn't, Enrique has shown some form lately, maybe he'll be good enough, but still yet to see.

I don't know who is out there, imo there is a serious lack of talent availible on the market.

After that, I think Newcastle could really do with two things.

An attacking midfielder who runs at people (I'm thinking maybe Giles Barnes would be a good bet)
A central midfielder who gets the ball down and passes it, in the Alonso/Carrick mould.

That would really improve them going forward. But defence is a must. You build league teams from the back.

Charlie

PHB wrote: »

I think you're generalising too much from this run. Taylor is probably good enough for first choice back 4 for a UEFA challenging squad, but Beye certainly isn't,

I'm sorry, but that's where I stop taking you seriously.

Beye has been awesome for us, not only of late, but all season, when everything else was crumbling around him.

The Geordie faithful, pigeon-holed for liking attacking players, have voted him, a defender, their player of the season. That speaks volumes.