371 replies to this topic

[mascho]

Great win. Very impressed with Krul today. He may have been out too far on Dempsey's goal (and came out very far on a free kick late in the match that had my heart in my throat) but he made a number of big stops today.

Liked what I saw from Obertan today. Good pace. Nice to have some speed up front.

As Apisith said, this isn't a bad squad. One or two more signings and they will be very competitive.

[ethangl]

Davide Santon's been signed to replace Jose Enrique. He made the Italy squad for the last World Cup but has had a rough go since then.

[Seven Costanza]

Santon is 20, can play both sides, and at one point was considered the next Maldini.

From what I understand, he just had people ahead of him in the pecking order at Inter.

Lots of chatter about the Maiga deal finally going through- new today is a rumor that Macheda will come from Man U on loan.

[ethangl]

Santon is 20, can play both sides, and at one point was considered the next Maldini.

From what I understand, he just had people ahead of him in the pecking order at Inter.

If being blocked was the only problem, they'd just loan him out until he was ready -- they certainly wouldn't dump him for £5M.

[Zomp]

Santon came up way too quickly and prospered under Mourinho but faltered after he left. Maturity questions were raised and he had a spotty loan move in Cesena. The talent is there, no question...but I he is a project, not someone who will come in and perform right away.


I'm excited about Macheda going on loan to you guys. Was just writing in the Man Utd thread the other night how a loan spell could really get him going. The only thing he lacks is pace, but he could be a great #9 for you guys.

[Seven Costanza]

If being blocked was the only problem, they'd just loan him out until he was ready -- they certainly wouldn't dump him for £5M.

We just sold our previous 25 year old LB for a tad bit more than that- would you consider that a dump?

I mean, It's not like I've seen a ton of Santon's play or anything like that, I just hold cautious optimism.

EDIT: I realize that Enrique was exactly that- a dump- because he had no intention of playing for Newcastle. Regardless, I wouldn't put a ton of stock into the transfer fee. Hell, we got Danny Simpson for 500k from Man U 2 years ago- and he's more than a servicable RB.

Edited by Seven Costanza, 30 August 2011 - 02:34 PM.

[Seven Costanza]

Newcastle also signed Rob Elliot from Charlton today on a 5 year deal as cover for Krul and Harper.

[brienc]

Newcastle United owner Mike Ashley's Full Monty strip in a Chinese restaurant

PARTY-LOVING Newcastle United owner Mike Ashley strips to his undies during a boozy night out at a Chinese restaurant.

The tycoon, 48, peeled down to boxers and socks as he gyrated to The Full Monty film tune You Can Leave Your Hat On.

Ashley, once worth ­£1.9billion, took centre stage at a karaoke session during a birthday party for one of his Sports Direct staff. As he undressed, workers yelled “More” and “Get ’em off Mike boy”. One said later: “Mike was in great form. The DJ started playing that song and all the blokes were egged on by the girls.

[mascho]

I just thank god Ashley wasn't modeling some of the new items available for sale on NUFC.CO.UK.

Lingerie from NUFC.

I wonder how my wife will react to receiving an NUFC thong for Christmas....

[mascho]

Ba had yet to score this season. Scored twice so far. 2-0 NUFC over Blackburn in the first half.

[Joe D Reid]

I hope they draw Barca in the group stages of the Champions League next year.

Well, probably not. They've played a bunch of lousy-to-mediocre teams so far, and the reckoning will no doubt be harsh (they have ManU-City-Chelsea in consectutive weeks in November). Still, this is how you end up a top-half team--by stomping all the non-Big 6 clubs. This is a likeable young team.

Edited by Joe D Reid, 26 September 2011 - 03:33 PM.

[Infield Infidel]

Happy to say, Jonas re-signed for 4 years.

[mascho]

Um, so this club has enjoyed a pretty decent start.

Big test Sunday with the Spurs.

[Infield Infidel]

Big test Sunday with the Spurs.

THE?

anyway, it's a huge test. We probably aren't getting any points off Chelsea/ManC/ManU, but If we really deserve being in the zone for Europe, then getting a result here, at home against Spurs, is crucial.

We play Chelsea/ManC/ManU three weeks consecutively next month, so for god's sake we need all the cushioning we can get

Edited by Infield Infidel, 10 October 2011 - 03:19 AM.

[Apisith]

We've had a fantastic start to the season so far. I'm loving it. The atmosphere around the club is excellent. I was at the Molineux two weeks ago and the away fans were brilliant (I unfortunately had to sit in the home end). The players look confident, they work hard and we're being rewarded. This is a very likable team, and there is still room for improvement because our best player - Ben Arfa - has only played twenty minutes so far. I'm really excited. If we beat Spurs today, hoooooo... I don't want to dream.

[mascho]

Good result. Proud of the way they fought back.

[Infield Infidel]

classy late goal by Cabaye to get three points of Wigan. After years of Nolan and Barton in the midfield it's crazy to see how much speed this team has. Ben Arfa and Marveaux put great pressure on the set up the goal, and then we just played keep away.

[Infield Infidel]

I really love Demba Ba

Striker Demba Ba claims that playing darts has helped him settle in and start scoring at Newcastle United.

"It's a nice way to relax - playing with my friends when they come to visit. It's brilliant," Ba told The Sun. "My former agent introduced me to darts by saying it was a game that would be a lot of fun.

"He knew I had to concentrate on hitting three 20s or a double or a treble - as this is a target you must achieve. Your mind is focused on accuracy.

"And it's the same in football, where I must strike the ball just to the right or left of a post. You must also be accurate to score a goal so darts is a great way of learning how to concentrate on a target."

http://soccernet.esp...=972795&cc=4716

[Infield Infidel]

dp

Edited by Infield Infidel, 23 October 2011 - 12:23 PM.

[Apisith]

Lovely strike by Cabaye.

We have Stoke away next then Everton at home before a killer set of games against City, Man Utd and Chelsea. My target is 5 points, so a victory against either Stoke or Everton is a must.

[BigRed07]

Anyone have a link for today's game?

[ethangl]

Two goals in the 90th minute and another at the end of the first half of ET have crushed newcastle-online.org. 3-3.

...aaaand we lose 4-3.

Edited by ethangl, 26 October 2011 - 04:39 PM.

[Seven Costanza]

I told myself I would not show my face in here again until Newcastle lost.

Well, they lost.

And won again. Chelsea, Man U and Liverpool have all gone to Britannia this season- and none have come away with 3 points. Newcastle did.

3rd place. I'm totally infatuated with this team. Alan Pardeux for God.

[mascho]

Yeah, I freakin' adore this team. Played terrific football today. Really love their style of play.

And yes, the Cabaye away jersey is en route to me as we speak. Pulled the trigger after his winner against Wigan.

[Infield Infidel]

I'm enjoying the flair with which they play. It's exciting football. I'd kind of like to have a jersey that just says "Ba".

It would be ideal to get points vs. Everton on Saturday before the two matches in Manchester and then home for Chelsea

[Apisith]

I love this team. We work hard, we try to play good football and we have some outstanding players. I freakin love Cabaye. This team so much reminds of me SBR's team in that we play good, pacy football and we have an abundance of youth.

And we've done all of this without arguably our most talented player: Ben Arfa.

The board have offered a new season ticket deal which is selling like mad. Hopefully we get 50k+ at St James' again and regularly. The fortress that we had when SBR was here is hopefully coming back.

[mascho]

In the wake of my Cabaye jersey order, I received an e-mail from WorldSoccerShop.com titled "The Top of the Table is On Sale." It contained this image:

Needless to say, that left me giddy.

[ribbito]

As a new soccer fan and only picked Newcastle because of their Puma jerseys, I have a question. Should I buy a Ben Arfa kit or just a team one without the name on the back? Everything I've read says Ben Arfa is our most talented player and I am aware he is coming back from a serious ankle injury. Unfortunately I am in a situation where I cannot watch any soccer (deployed) and the little information I can get is from here, the EPL website and goal.com. Any other places to get quality info would be dandy.

[Apisith]

There's a risk with getting player names on our shirt at the moment because they can be sold in the blink of an eye. This risk is more acute for someone like Ben Arfa who hasn't played enough games to merit a starting place yet, and with his questionable temperament, there's a chance that he might not last long at the club. It's only a small chance, but when I buy shirts and getting names on it, I tend to stick to safer picks, so someone like Cabaye or Coloccini - who is actually our best player at the moment, our captain and the best defender I've ever seen play for us - would be a better pick albeit not as sexy as the Ben Arfa one obviously.

Obertan is out for a month so it's a chance for Marveaux/Ben Arfa to claim a place in the starting eleven. I'm actually kind of happy about the injury because Obertan's been one of the weak links in our team, and with Pardew being reluctant to change a winning team, this injury means he's able to play the better player - either Ben Arfa or Marveaux - in place of Obertan without rocking the boat. We'll be better off for it.

[mascho]

As a new soccer fan and only picked Newcastle because of their Puma jerseys, I have a question. Should I buy a Ben Arfa kit or just a team one without the name on the back? Everything I've read says Ben Arfa is our most talented player and I am aware he is coming back from a serious ankle injury. Unfortunately I am in a situation where I cannot watch any soccer (deployed) and the little information I can get is from here, the EPL website and goal.com. Any other places to get quality info would be dandy.

As you can see, I recently pulled the trigger on a Cabaye shirt. Last season I pulled the trigger on a Ben Arfa top, so I can see the draw. However, and as Apisith said, my second choice was a Coloccini shirt. He's playing inspired football right now and I think he'll be with the club for a long while.

[Joe D Reid]

Honestly, if length of tenure is your major criterion, Tim Krul (the keeper) might be the answer. He's very good, young, and plays a position where guys play deep into their 30s. Only problem is that goalie shirts tend to be ugly beyond belief.

[mascho]

Honestly, if length of tenure is your major criterion, Tim Krul (the keeper) might be the answer. He's very good, young, and plays a position where guys play deep into their 30s. Only problem is that goalie shirts tend to be ugly beyond belief.

This one is not that bad:

[Seven Costanza]

Get an Alan Shearer shirt. No problem there.

I woke up late for the start of the 2nd half- was Cabaye's injury serious?

[mascho]

We have Stoke away next then Everton at home before a killer set of games against City, Man Utd and Chelsea. My target is 5 points, so a victory against either Stoke or Everton is a must.

They took six from Stoke and Everton.

Was not a fine performance, but taking the full three is huge.

[Apisith]

Cabaye seemed to have a groin problem. Shouldn't be too serious; I would say a few weeks, maybe even less because he played on for about ten minutes after first feeling it. Marveaux also went off, which is more worrying because his injury record isn't too good. Guthrie had an excellent match; he was my MotM. The defence did well again, especially at the end when we just couldn't keep the ball.

Up to second. If only for a couple of hours

[Joe D Reid]

Get an Alan Shearer shirt. No problem there.

I woke up late for the start of the 2nd half- was Cabaye's injury serious?

Didn't look too bad--seemed like he tweaked his groin. He was still moving around OK when they took him off,

This game also goes a long way to answering the shirt question. While they still played hard, they looked sort of frantic without Cabaye and Tiote calming things down in midfield. If I was getting a shirt, I'd get one of those two.

Still think their best MF has those two plus Ben Arfa and Gutierrez, but we haven't seen much of that combo yet because of injury.

[mascho]

Didn't look too bad--seemed like he tweaked his groin. He was still moving around OK when they took him off,

This game also goes a long way to answering the shirt question. While they still played hard, they looked sort of frantic without Cabaye and Tiote calming things down in midfield. If I was getting a shirt, I'd get one of those two.

On the Cabaye/shirt issue, my Cabaye away jersey arrived at 6:45 pm last night, so I put some of the blame on my shoulders for his tweaked groin.

Other than a few errant passes, was impressed with Amoebi the Younger today. Played well down the stretch, won a corner or two near the end of the match to help salt away the win.

[Seven Costanza]

I for one am glad his shirt has 'S. Ameobi' on the back. So we don't get him confused with his older brother, S. Ameobi.


He's one lanky bastard, but I love his work rate.

I am so excited for the next 3 weeks. ▓██ N █ U █ F █ C ██▓▒

[Apisith]

International break coming up, and boy do we need it

Let's go beat those cunts in Manchester with a rested, healthy and first-choice midfield.

[Apisith]

On the Cabaye/shirt issue, my Cabaye away jersey arrived at 6:45 pm last night, so I put some of the blame on my shoulders for his tweaked groin.

Other than a few errant passes, was impressed with Amoebi the Younger today. Played well down the stretch, won a corner or two near the end of the match to help salt away the win.

Yeah, I liked the look of him too. He was a bit nervous in the first half but towards the end, he ran them ragged down the left. Lots of potential does young Sammy have.

[Joe D Reid]

Cabaye out for the City match, but Tiote will be back.

[ribbito]

FWIW, I ended up getting the home kit with no name on the back. I figured it is a good way to commemorate my foray into the EPL. As soon as I get home I will be wearing it proudly. Thank you for the advice folks.

[Apisith]

How the hell did you end up supporting/picking Newcastle?

I hate to say it, but you're in for years of suffering

[ribbito]

I went on leave in June and attended my nephew's tourney. Traveling soccer team...yadda yadda. Anyway, I really enjoyed myself and started watching/reading about the EPL and MLS. It seemed like a good idea to just pick a team in each and start with one team rather than the whole league. I try not to cheer for teams that friends or co-workers of mine cheer for. I am a huge fan of the brand Puma and Tottenham is leaving Puma for Under Armour or something I believe either next year or the year after. Based on these two things there was really only one team to cheer for. Newcastle.

[sachmoney]

This should go over well. St. James' Park will now be known as Sports Direct Arena. I will be using the new name because it will annoy you guys every time I use it, but I am sure you all will still refer to it as St. James'.

Edited by sachmoney, 10 November 2011 - 02:42 AM.

[LondonSox]

The name thing is weird. The excuse is they need the money. But they sold the name to the firm mike ashley owns. So the only way there is money gained for newcastle is if they are raping shareholders. Shareholders who are to a large extent the owners of the club. Hmmm

Anyway I will say I'm shocked at the season so far and I hate ashley but I do respect being competitive while running a company sensibly. I think the business of football is a joke and some big clubs will do a Leeds. Newcastle seems to be healthy and you try to build from there.

[cjdmadcow]

Indications are that the name change has occurred now to show prospective naming-rights partners of the future that they are prepared to do it. And quite frankly, fans would be more willing to accept a big-name partner after having to put up with something like the Sports Direct Arena.

One wag suggested that Sarah Jessica Park(er) should get involved and then at least the initials would stay the same.

[mascho]

Yeah, um, about that shirt discussion we were having? Might want to hold off for a while, at least until after December. Unless you like the idea of having a vintage shirt:

Northern Rock Newcastle United sponsorship deal ended early.

[SoxFanInCali]

Yeah, um, about that shirt discussion we were having? Might want to hold off for a while, at least until after December. Unless you like the idea of having a vintage shirt:

Northern Rock Newcastle United sponsorship deal ended early.

This gives you a chance to return to the best sponsorship deal in sports history.

[Apisith]

I still have that!