Newcastle United manager Kevin Keegan has less than two weeks to add to his small squad at the Tyneside club, until the January transfer window runs out.
Wes Brown - Newcastle would still like him in January
It’s believed Kevin has sufficient funds from Mike Ashley to buy 3-4 good players in January. Kevin would presumably like to bring Jermain Defoe to the club, and the name of Wes Brown has also come up.
That’s not surprising, since the Newcastle chairman approached Manchester United about Wes Brown earlier this month, but were turned down by Alex Ferguson. Brown has stalled on a new contract at the Red Devils, but he will also be available for a free transfer in June when his current contract ends.
In an attempt to get Brown at the club in January, Newcastle may try to entice Alex Ferguson with a transfer fee, so they can pick up the player this month. The fee being reported is £3M, but that may be a bit high, given we could probably get Wes for nothing in June. We could even have Wes sign a pre-contract agreement in January, so the full contract could be completed in early July (for free).
We believe Ferguson is still hoping he can keep Brown at the Manchester club, but Brown would be an excellent signing for Newcastle United and he may even be worth paying an appropriate fee for in January.
We’re sure that Chris Mort has taken Kevin Keegan through the transfer target dossier the club had in place when Big Sam was at the club, and some of the players may still be viable targets – like Brown. But other players said to be on the list, like Kevin Nolan, would probably not interest Kevin too much.
The Evening Standard are reporting Keegan is a big fan of Brown, who can play anywhere across the back four, and is hoping to convince the defender his future lies on Tyneside. We’ll have to wait to see how things unfold, but we could certainly use Wes through the rest of this season.
Comments very welcome.
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129 responses so far ↓
1 ToonKing // Jan 17, 2008 at 21:27
i’m really hoping that Wes and Defoe were wanted first by Sam and then by KK and not by Ashley all along.
I really want the board to stay out of Kev’s way.
2 Astidores Sanchez Blanco // Jan 17, 2008 at 21:28
Personally I would not expect Kevin Keegan to have an extensive list of transfer targets at this stage.
He has been out of the loop for a while and only came back into management just over 24 hours ago and I think he’ll assess what he already has first.
He has a good squad in my opinion which has been playing below its potential. The likes of Duff, Owen, Cacapa and Enrique all looked as though they had had a weight removed from their shoulders last night and I think these are good players going through a bad time.
I think he’ll get through the Bolton game first then look at signing players. However, I imagine himself and Mort will be working around the clock and you never know.
Brown would be a good signing as he’s an underrated player in my opinion, a good defender and good at bringing the ball out of defence. Defoe is a good finisher and would add much needed goals. Nolan would not fit into the Keegan ethos.
3 Tom_Toon // Jan 17, 2008 at 21:33
He wont sign him.
4 adam // Jan 17, 2008 at 21:35
MAYBE a darren bent. he has the potential to become a really good player, but needs to develop under keegan. good example would be andy cole and sir les. and we would probably only pay a fraction of the stupid 17mil they paid for him.
just throwing it out there.
we need someone who can head and score goals consistantly
5 James // Jan 17, 2008 at 21:36
Personally I don’t rate him at all. Makes lots of mistakes which is why he never makes the starting 11 for England. But if we can get him cheap then it might be worth a gamble.
Although he probably just wants more money to stay at Man Utd and is using us to get what he wants there.
6 Gordon // Jan 17, 2008 at 21:37
Sick of unwanted, second rate Man U reserve players who couldn’t hold down a place in the first team without a rash of injuries.
I’d look pretty good if I had Ferdinand and Vidic alongside me! And the guy hasn’t even played at centre back for a long time…
Dunne, Metzelder, Laursen, Campbell or even Woodgate would be better…
7 James // Jan 17, 2008 at 21:37
Adam - we buy a right winger that can actually cross the ball (unlike Milner) and Owen will score LOADS of goals under Keegan
8 James // Jan 17, 2008 at 21:38
Gordon - completely agree with you. We took Butt and Smith off them and look how crap they are!
9 Tom_Toon // Jan 17, 2008 at 21:40
Metzelder is a Real Madrid cast-off and is injured every other game.
10 adam // Jan 17, 2008 at 21:42
james - i agree, though would still like to sign someone with heading ability. cant see owen out jumping a defender, or matins making that run to get into position of heading the ball.
i would love it if we could get santa cruz. love it
11 NathanB // Jan 17, 2008 at 21:44
James, how can you say Butt is crap?? He’s been great since his loan spell.
I’d be happy to see Brown at £3M thats a bargain!!
12 ToonKing // Jan 17, 2008 at 21:45
NathanB - oohhh ahahahha hahahahahahha thats a good one mate…ohhh good laugh………………………………….oh wait….what….. …………it wasn’t a joke ??!!
13 Nev // Jan 17, 2008 at 21:46
IMO david bentley would be a fantastic signing … mite cost £10mil+ tho … duno if hes worth that much tbh
14 Tom_Toon // Jan 17, 2008 at 21:47
I saw the comment and its taken me long to reply because ive only just stopped wetting myself.
‘Butt is crap??’ - Genius
15 ALAN OLIVER RIP // Jan 17, 2008 at 21:47
if butt hadn’t been playing this season we would have been in a worse pos in the league. hes been one of are best players this season
16 hadrian // Jan 17, 2008 at 21:49
you post these articles like they are so matter of fact ed . instead of approaching them as conjecture .
these papers are hardly credible , look at the saga we have just went thru appointing a manager , they were totally clueless and ‘way off the mark’ .
keegan may have spent last time at the club , but he spent well and never wasted cash , to think he would fork our sums for a guy who’s out of contract in a few month , never mind 10 million (supposedly half of the jan budget) on someone likes defoe , is more than jumping the gun.
i hardly expect kevin to walk into this shambles of a club and go on the advice of those here before him on the kind of transfer targets he would like to make .
17 Gordon // Jan 17, 2008 at 21:49
Gotta agree with James, not a fan of Nicky Butt - his style of play really divides people but I think, while he’s a trier, his ability has long since left the building.
PS - £3m? We thought Smith was good value for £6m too…
Oh and I think Brown is fine to have in an already good defence, but to build a defence around - no way!
18 James // Jan 17, 2008 at 21:51
Alan Oliver - If Butt hadn’t been playing this season we’d all be a lot happier.
Gave the ball away 37 times against Man Utd. Yes I counted.
19 Tom_Toon // Jan 17, 2008 at 21:52
We’d be happier and in a better position if Butt wasnt playing.
20 AlexW // Jan 17, 2008 at 21:52
i think we should go for frank ribery
21 James // Jan 17, 2008 at 21:53
Guys the thing about Wes Brown and the reason he shouldn’t be an option, is that Keegan will want to play Gung Ho attack (like Fergie plays) and to do that in this league now you need a top class central partnership at the back. Wes Brown does not fit into that. But someone better with Taylor would be great.
22 ALAN OLIVER RIP // Jan 17, 2008 at 21:55
butts won more silverwere than all are players put together
quality player
23 Obafan // Jan 17, 2008 at 21:56
Not a bad defender, but Man U will not sell him to us…
24 CARL J // Jan 17, 2008 at 22:00
obafan
that’s true now keegan is here ferguson will not sell a player to a team managed by keegan. still totally buzzin bout keegan thou
25 James // Jan 17, 2008 at 22:00
Alan - That’s true….TEN YEARS AGO! He used to be one of the best defensive players in Europe like Keane. But that was a long time ago.
Next time he is playing count how many times he gives the ball away to the opposition. The record so far is 59.
26 Anth // Jan 17, 2008 at 22:01
two players i love to see would be , van der varrt he is a creative player that very consistant, an vincent kompany a belgium defender can play rb ,cb , and cdm i ve seen him play twice in person reminds me of the rock marcel desislly (you know who i mean ) but theses guys a good qualty young and potention to be world classs
27 James // Jan 17, 2008 at 22:02
If not Wes Brown, what top class defender would we like to see alongside Taylor? Someone that we can actually attract at the moment…
28 Tom_Toon // Jan 17, 2008 at 22:03
Kompany is a great player, very injury prone though, the best comparison to him is Kaboul they both love to go on attacking runs and end up on the wing
29 valle // Jan 17, 2008 at 22:03
I would like Desissy too
30 CARL J // Jan 17, 2008 at 22:04
anybody think the mystery team biddin for mcfadden could be the toon. He would be a useful squad player.
31 scott9 // Jan 17, 2008 at 22:04
brown n defoe would be great signing if we can get rid of one of or strikers i think midfileders are essentail though i wonder if keegan still has his knowledge in the transfer market i cant see us getting anymore than one player this january
32 Anth // Jan 17, 2008 at 22:05
he’s had 1 week out this season which show an improve ment and he is only 20 or 21 ish kompany will be world class with taylor
what better than two good youngsters learning there trade and play together for a good five years
33 James // Jan 17, 2008 at 22:06
It really would be great if Shearer was involved in the new set up, because he would help Keegan understand who is worth buying and who isn’t.
34 Tom_Toon // Jan 17, 2008 at 22:07
Anth this season is still early, last season he played about 5 games because he basically needed a new hip and a new back.
35 James // Jan 17, 2008 at 22:07
Don’t know much about Kompany. Who’s he play for and how much you reckon he would cost?
36 Tom_Toon // Jan 17, 2008 at 22:08
Hamburg and because of his potential probs about 13 mil.
37 Anth // Jan 17, 2008 at 22:09
i mean who coudl we get than for a back up rb , i see alot of german football as i work for t-mobile , and rafinha looks like a good prospect? tom what do u think of van der vaart?
38 James // Jan 17, 2008 at 22:09
Speaking of Germany based defenders how about a cheeky bid for Lucio?
39 Tom_Toon // Jan 17, 2008 at 22:10
What does everyone who has seen vVDV think about him, great midfielder at everything except the defensive side, can score and create out of nothing. Dont think we will ever get him though.
Rafinha, nows thats a keegan player, hes a possibility, would cost a few bob and i like Beye and i dont think Rafinha would settle for back-up.
40 Anth // Jan 17, 2008 at 22:11
good defender lucio but no pace for the premiership have you seen alex play for chealsea its that slow
41 Tom_Toon // Jan 17, 2008 at 22:11
Thats gonna be a big cheeky bid James, hes quite attacking which is good, ive heard he off to Juve though.
42 Hammy // Jan 17, 2008 at 22:13
Hey c’mon guys let’s give Keegan a chance, I mean he managed to make Warren Centre Parting Barton look half decent at times. I don’t think he’ll have any trouble from Mort and Ashley as regards who he buy’s……in the past it looks like the chairman has been picking them, probably more for money laundering purposes than technical ability, er that’s all alledgedly of course.
No Keegan managed to make average players look spectacular first time round so I think we should trust his judgement. back him and not INTERFERE….
43 Anth // Jan 17, 2008 at 22:14
well eve for 1st choice right back rafinha is awesome like a version of ashley cloe but can defend and has great vision 1 and half years on his contract has some itallian conection so he can get wp no probs , what about mertsaker or naldo very big strong defenders we coudl get naldo for about 7 mill
44 James // Jan 17, 2008 at 22:15
Beye was an amazing signing for Newcastle. Terrific defender and likes to attack too. Keegan will love him when he gets back from ANC. If I was manager Beye would be a strong candidate for Captain.
The only top class players we can get in January are those players that are not getting regular first team football elsewhere.
45 Howie // Jan 17, 2008 at 22:15
off the topic a bit but just thought if someone was in a coma for 11 years and woke up today they would think newcastle are the most sensible club in england
46 Tom_Toon // Jan 17, 2008 at 22:15
Dont think Mertesacker would come, Naldo is ok, good free kick taker. Dunno really. Its just nice to be speaking of such players now we know we can probably afford them.
47 Hammy // Jan 17, 2008 at 22:16
Another thing…..seems to be a lot of potential European scouts on this blog, you guys should get yourselves down to the training ground with a handful of YOUTUBE dvd’s or something, seems to have worked for Sven.
48 Anth // Jan 17, 2008 at 22:17
there is so many players out there , that we coudl get to improve teh squad now , not in the summer , this season can be saved , with 3 to four good signings ,
49 Tom_Toon // Jan 17, 2008 at 22:17
You’d think that, but to be honest i dont think anyone sensible would judge someone on a youtube video.
50 James // Jan 17, 2008 at 22:19
The critics all talk about our Defence but as fans we know the problem is our midfield and getting the balance right there to let Nzogbia do his thing.
For me, Beye, Taylor and Enrique are locked down at least until the summer. And they are more than capable of dealing with the Premiership. Faye can also fill in at the back. But we need that wonder buy at the back. Just like Manure found Vidic and Chelsea got Calvaho. Somebody that would be undroppable.
51 Gordon d // Jan 17, 2008 at 22:20
what about the portugese player miguel can’t rember who he plays for but i’m sure we were linked with him 2/3 years ago good player.
52 Hammy // Jan 17, 2008 at 22:20
I dunno Tom who was that guy Sunderland bought for big bucks…Nunez or something like that……..now he was defo a YOUTUBE purchase.
53 Anth // Jan 17, 2008 at 22:21
hammy even my 10 year old son coudl tell a good player better than terry mac , oh man and how awfull is allan oliver did anyone see him on skysports what an embarresemnt that man in , as for baye as captian no way we need some one who has the passion and know withall smith has passion but needs to stop him self getting carded
, good player though
54 ToonKing // Jan 17, 2008 at 22:24
you are
55 CARL J // Jan 17, 2008 at 22:35
10 mil for defoe is a bit steep like
56 Nomis_jade // Jan 17, 2008 at 22:36
What do peolpe think about james mcfadden? I reckon he is class and still young. Scored some brilliant goals for scotland. I think he is the type of player keegan would like. Creative and plays just behind the attack. And at 5 million he would be a bargain. What do others think?
57 Hadji // Jan 17, 2008 at 22:36
We don’t need Brown at all,for me he’s ”Manchester Bramble”.
We dont need Defoe aswell cause if he comes for sure Owen or Martins will leave.We cant have 3 short strikers in the team.
How about Pantelic from Hertha
Excellent replacement for Viduka,also Jovetic from Partizan Belgrade.
Lets see Keegan’s choise during this transfer window but i doubt he’ll be intersted in someone who is not English.
Thats why i think that Chris Coleman would be best option for our number 2 cause he spent some time in Spain.
58 Oba Martins // Jan 17, 2008 at 22:36
Van Buyten is available from Bayarn Munich he is much more of a realistic target. Please dont get Brown.
59 CARL J // Jan 17, 2008 at 22:40
WARREN BARTON SAYS WE NEED TO BY NEW WINGERS. I AGREE WE COULD DO WITH A RIGHT WINGER INCASE JIMMY MILNER GETS INJURED . IT JUST SHOWS HE HASN’T GOT A FOOKIN CLUE JUST LIKE ALAN OLIVER RIP YOU ASS WIPING MACKEM
60 Leo* // Jan 17, 2008 at 22:42
anth i agree with you about giving taylor a player he is used to playing with on a regular basis and he will improve more so but i do think that beye is worth a shout for captain, he has loads of passion, really loads.
61 ToonKing // Jan 17, 2008 at 22:43
funny you mention that Nomis_jade, i was thinking the same thing and then a few minutes later i found this :
http://www.teamtalk.com/football/story/0,16368,2483_3056166,00.html
hmmmmm ….could be ….
62 Ears to tha groond // Jan 17, 2008 at 22:44
Rumour has it that Keegan approached Chris Coleman about assistant job on monday. He is in Newcastle tonight, and will be unveiled tomorrow at the press conferance. The first Keegan signing is supposed to be Darren Fletcher.
BTW i didnt get this info of Anal oliver!!!
63 cooldj // Jan 17, 2008 at 22:44
mcfadden - not for me at all though a mystery club has just bid for him. i mean he’s good but not worth 5mil imo and doesn’t have the required flair to stand out from our current set of attackers. we could do worse but he won’t set the world alight.
64 Tom_Toon // Jan 17, 2008 at 22:44
aye ToonKing i thought that too, ive got a slight feeling. Dont want him though.
65 ToonKing // Jan 17, 2008 at 22:45
also it seems Coleman is out of the No.2 race :
http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11678_3056193,00.html
Shearer surely!!!!!!! or Beardo!!!!!!
66 b3v // Jan 17, 2008 at 22:45
Excellent article from the times, makes me forget about mourinho…
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/premier_league/newcastle/article3207352.ece
67 Tripp // Jan 17, 2008 at 22:46
Beye would make an excellent captain in my estimation. Not too many cards, has previous experience in the role, and has been a rock in the RB position so he can lead by example as well. The language barrier is the one potential hang up. Taylor is too young. He’s one for the future.
68 CARL J // Jan 17, 2008 at 22:46
hadji
i agree brown the manchester bramble. Wes Brown looks decent in Man U’s team with there good squad of players. The same as John O’shea and Darren Fletcher playing with good players makes them look better than what they actually are. Why do you think yhey are still there now when they’ve never been first choice because they no there half decent and would sruggle in any other first team.
69 Patrick // Jan 17, 2008 at 22:49
There is a clear need for a commanding centre back in the mould of Woodgate.Kompany is awesome.i remember chelsea were keen a while back.think it would jus give confidence to our beleaguered defence. as for attacking players, i have a feeling duff, milner and zoggy are all gonna prosper massively under king kev. so jus leaves a defensive midfield player i reckon…like sissoko but maybe im being a tad optimistic. like the look of van der vaat if we r looking for some creativity (which i hope we are).
really don’t want brown…he’s no better than what we’ve got to be honest. he only looks alright in manure team cos he’s playing alongside the likes of ferdinand and vidic.
what peoles thoughts on bent?…kind of reminds me of sir les.i reckon he’d be the sort of player to thrive under keegan. not so keen on defoe…unless we offload owen for a reasonable price
70 ToonKing // Jan 17, 2008 at 22:49
a good article, it seems that KK will have all the money he wants.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/premier_league/newcastle/article3207352.ece
EDIT: b3v you beat me to it
71 cooldj // Jan 17, 2008 at 22:53
whats that on the times article about keegan telling lee newcy was closer to london than smoggieville??
72 Nomis_jade // Jan 17, 2008 at 22:56
Cheers for the thoughts guys. i reckon he mcfadden really has alot of potential, but for some reason moyes doesnt give him a chance. But i guess he has his reasons. I dunno, its just that whenever i have seen him pay for scots against france italy ukraine etc he has been really good. And thats against some top sides. I saw that article to, which is what made me wonder.
73 cooldj // Jan 17, 2008 at 22:59
found it on wiki….not as amusing as i thought it would be!
74 Ears to tha groond // Jan 17, 2008 at 23:04
Arda Turan.Would love it if we got him!!!
75 James // Jan 17, 2008 at 23:21
we agree mcfadden is a good player and has scored some great goals - but Newcastle need to and will look to a higher level of player.
We paid £7 million for Smith who had scored once in 38 league appearances (and that goal was for Manure). Never again.
76 Tom_Toon // Jan 17, 2008 at 23:26
Id have McFadden over Smith any day of the week.
77 Carl Roberts // Jan 17, 2008 at 23:27
James- How old is Mcfadden.
78 Carl Roberts // Jan 17, 2008 at 23:29
Mcfadden is different class compared to Smith. Mcfadden scores goals and makes goals.
79 James // Jan 17, 2008 at 23:31
Tom_Toon - I’d have a pub footballer over Smith
Besides, we don’t need to address the striker situation until the summer - Keegan will be told that.
Just sort out the players that are creative enough to give the service to them.
Lineker wouldn’t have scored half his goals at least if it wasn’t for Beardsley. Owen needs and prays for the same service. Gerard used to give him dream passes all the time. Beckham set up most of his goals for England. Hopefully a fit Duff can do the same.
Based on Viduka’s refusal to get into shape for Newcastle it’s quite clear he came here for the money.
80 nufctj // Jan 17, 2008 at 23:31
Found this article on BBC. Obviously KK has been out of the loop for a while. Three years is a long time in footballing years:
“I mean I haven’t watched a game of football, I mean live, since my last game at Manchester City and I can’t even remember what game that was now.”
So how is he going to spend Ashley’s money wisely? As glad as I am to see KK back, this worries me a bit.
Read the whole thing here:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/7044692.stm
81 ObaFan2 // Jan 17, 2008 at 23:48
Dunne, easy choice. Partner Taylor and Shay would be so much happier.
Beye–Taylor–Dunne–Enrique
Looks good to me. Beye has been great so far, Taylor much improved only Enrique to prove himself.
82 James // Jan 17, 2008 at 23:53
Obafan - I actually think Dunne is someone who Keegan might go after cause he knows him very well from City days.
If Enrique develops into half the player he was at Villeral we will have one of the best left backs in the PL. He just needs to get up to speed thats all. Look at Evra for Manure it took him a year to get going and now everyone wants him. But for the first year he got slated.
83 ObaFan2 // Jan 17, 2008 at 23:53
“carte blanche†That’s 2 billion to spend then we have his overdraught limit aswell which must be 50 million. Oh and what about his visa’s another 50 million.
GO ON spend it all lmao.
84 James // Jan 17, 2008 at 23:56
I’d like Ashley to extend the stadium to 80,000
85 ObaFan2 // Jan 17, 2008 at 23:56
James, I just think it’s such an obvious choice but are Man City gonna let him go? He’s 27 ? or 28 good age, seems to have a great reputation and well respected.
86 James // Jan 17, 2008 at 23:57
Obafan - Dunne would pick Keegan over Sven any day. If Keegan wants Dunne he will be a Newcastle player.
87 ObaFan2 // Jan 18, 2008 at 0:01
I think most here appretiate Shay as one of the best keepers around but he’s lacked confidence and understanding of his back four, mainly because it’s been a different line up every other week or so.
He’s played probably 40 or more times with Dunne with the republic so there has to be an understanding there.
How much do you think he’s worth ?(Dunne)
88 Mac // Jan 18, 2008 at 0:33
In todays climate i’d pay 5 Million for Dunne,easily one of the most consistent and talented defenders in the prem
89 Tooner // Jan 18, 2008 at 0:39
New central midfield and a top quality CB to partner Taylor.
Wes Brown is not a top quality CB.
90 nufctj // Jan 18, 2008 at 0:42
IMHO a player like Dunne is not going to want to come to Newcastle at this point. Maybe if we can salvage our season and finish in the top half of the table we will be able to attract more quality.
91 yongMalyasia // Jan 18, 2008 at 1:34
i think we shld go for quality and creativity Midfielder and Defender first, Striker we hav now already more than enough, but they are bad finishing, sell Ameobi and replace with good finishing Striker…
92 ObaFan2 // Jan 18, 2008 at 1:43
Dunne
Carrick
Crouch?
93 hadrian // Jan 18, 2008 at 1:44
dunne has shay and duff here aswell as keegan , i think he’d be here in a flash.
94 ObaFan2 // Jan 18, 2008 at 1:47
£5 million seems a good price but know nothing of his contract at City like how long is left.
95 Stantos // Jan 18, 2008 at 1:58
Hi guys, been working so not had chance to post but……..
We ve all put up with real bad times since KK left with the exception of Bobby. I ‘ll freely admit that I lost complete faith in the Toon, to a point where I could’t bring myself to watch MOD because I knew how poor we were. This season included….
Now.. Whether the appointment of KK is good or bad (you can’t please everyone) I had a feeling last night that I forgot even existed, I had tears of joy when KK walked through those doors, yes my wife gave it the “for gods sake its just a game” but do I care ????? Nah….
Last nights sleep consisted of those memories we all have ” Take a bow son” “Phillipe Albert… Arghh” that feeling of belief that we could win, goals flashing around in my head, Ginolas volley, Pedro running rings arounf 60 defenders you get the picture…
I’m 26 and I cried last night because the King is back and just seeing the man and the look in his eyes made me feel 15 again and brought back memories of the best time of my life.
Can we win a trophy? You bet we can, i’ll tell you something there’s more tears and they aint far away. They’re being saved for when we lift that trophy !!! Not sure when or what but it’s coming.
Can’t get to the game Sat but take that freaking roof of guys !!!!!!!
Howay the lads !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
96 howay the lads // Jan 18, 2008 at 2:22
I love this site but i have heard enough shit being spouted, not about the management dream thats become reality but about the players so to set it straight:
a) Nicky Butt or Alan Smith can both play centre midfield and be excellent for NUFC but not together, they just need a creative player alongside either of them. I have seen Nicky Butt chasing the ball off the oppos centre halves this season and thats because he is not being allowed to perform the role he has made a career out of, and i believe Smith is his natural replacement in the future. Smiths all round game is great but not quite big enough as a target man or skillfull enough to play a creative role. If the Glazers had not bankrolled the Carrick and Hargreaves transfers he would still be playing Roy Keanes role for United. Furguon realised that he needed a finnished product at that stage in their development cycle, in that position , with so many young attacking payers to develop.
b)N Zogbia may potentialy be the creative lynch pin in our centre midfield, and be wasted on the left, but he still needs to develop and the player I think the player they should buy for him to learn off is Juninho at lyon as he would come in and play freelyand can speak french, or Deigo, as they know how to mix up picking a pass and dribbling.
c) Dean Ashton would be a great buy as he is a great foil for a small striker with the potentil to create his own goal on the ground and in the air!, I like Shola hes a great lad but will always be an excellent Championship striker, when fit, but just like Carl Cort (sorry Sir Bobby) lacks that little bit extra at the highest level.
d) Milner has been slated for not having the raw pace to beat the last man to geta cross in, and being a try hard with no end product, but this is unfair. He is a modern day Rob Lee, a skillfull player who is never going to be lighting quick and I believe like Lee will move infield later in his career. He has been stitched recently because not only being played on the left he is going to be easy to read as will always cut back onto his left foot, he also has been doubled up on due to the the lack of attacking threat from our centre midfield. With a pair of two from Butt /Smith/Geremi the oppo knows they are not at threat from a rapid burst ino the box, mazy run or killer pass on the ground through the middle and hence all season have bee able to get two players out to the NUFC wingers. That guys is why BS played Milner on the left, he knew he would have numbers put n front of him and has been actively encouraged to check back and cross without beating the player.
I support all your views that Baye is class, and think Enrique needs to be given games and time. Lets get Taylor signed up with a class partner….Metzelder would be a good buy, he is not injury prone, like Woodgate but is an equally gifted player and reader of the game, he was awesome for Germany, Real just have no ideashow to get plyers back fit after injury.
I must say its great to listen to all your views, i certainly don’t agree with them all but its great that the passion we all share for the club is here in a nutshell on this site. But i must say to tom-toon and his championship manager mates, we are fans if you have played a good level of football like I have then make some decent tactical, analytical points, even put togther your best team with a few key buys ….. BUT JUST REGURGITATING THE NAMES OF UNPROVEN OR UNNOWN PLAYERS OFF “FOOTBALL_GEEK.COM” TO TRY AND LOOK LIKE A MANAGER ACTUALLY MAKES U LOOK LIKE A COCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
97 howay the lads // Jan 18, 2008 at 2:26
sorry milner will cut back onto his right foot its been a long day
98 CARL Johnson // Jan 18, 2008 at 2:33
money money money
99 oz andy // Jan 18, 2008 at 2:34
I totally agree with all the comments highlighting our midfield as the key issue. if you get that right and they control games it takes the pressure of the the defense. our fire power up front is only as good as the delivery…we all know this right but worth reminding ourselves before we we crucify individual positions at the back or up front. whilst the man u game was disturbing the game for me that highlighted our problems was the man city game. man city naturally a side with much less ability than their cross city rivals brought little to the game but were still able to exploit our lack of imagination and desire to hold any shape and discipline combined with a complete lack of any ideas on how to go…forward with any meaning or menace. kk may or may not end up being an inspired appointment but at the very least there are better times ahead for the toon…
100 phoonCK // Jan 18, 2008 at 2:41
“I mean I haven’t watched a game of football, I mean live, since my last game at Manchester City and I can’t even remember what game that was now.†— that just meant he didn’t watch live games. so he could have been watching taped games. and that also doesn’t rule him out in getting in touch with football scouts and colleagues.
if KEV’s really out of touch and/or out of involvment with football managment, do you think a guy who’s made billions would be so hasty and not taken serious consideration before apppointing his first manager?
of cos i dont mean KEV will bring us to glory like the good old days. we’ll still have to wait and see if he is successful in his second coming, but what i know/believe is appointing KEV is a thorough and well-planned move rather than a hasty and hush-hush decision made by Mike and Chris.
and if you continue to read on, “ KEVn was linked with a return to Newcastle in the summer as director of football after lifelong Magpies fan Mike Ashley took control of the club. Manager Sam Allardyce was reportedly unhappy at the prospect but KEV says he would never go back to St James’ Park in that capacity.â€
there were already plans to get KEV back to St James, and now is the perfect time for them to do it.
anyway, BBC reported Mike as a lifelong fan of Newcastle, but there were reports too that he is fond of Tottenham.. So which report is true?
Anyway, what i can’t wait to see is for Newcastle to play free-flowing attacking football again, and not highly-constrained defensive-long balls game. KEV will allow players to attack, which i’m sure will definitely release the attacking prowess of Emre, N’Zogbia, Duff and Martins.. (the midfield failed to perform becos they weren’t allowed to attack freely or the formation/tactic didn’t allow them to do so)
Yes Stantos, i had tears in my eyes too and memories of the KEV era in the 90’s flashed across my mind as i laid on my bed last night, and i dreamt of good times ahead..
Howay the Lads! Bring on Bolton!
101 ObaFan2 // Jan 18, 2008 at 3:04
Papers reporting that :
Bridge
SWP
DECO
Daniel van Buyten ? Bayern defender
oh and Wes Brown !
all on the shopping list.
Even Dunne and Carrick apparantly mentioned.
Your “FOOTBALL_GEEK.COM” comment was funny howay the lads.
I always think of the un-tested in epl syndrome whenever foreign players are mentioned but some prove good buys.
102 kelvin // Jan 18, 2008 at 3:15
Obafan2 that list looks very promising and has all the elements we need right now. i hope it’s the real one, I would be very happy if we got all those targets.
103 nufctj // Jan 18, 2008 at 3:27
phoonck
spot on reply to my post!
I too share in the great hope that King Kev has brought us.
I remember those days and miss them dearly.
But I think that needs to be tempered by reality.
KK needs to surround himself with the right people. I for one say with 100% confidence that AS should be on the coaching staff.
The next few weeks will be crucial. If he makes the right decisions in his appointments theres no telling what we can do.
Can you imagine going to the emirates and taking it to Arsenal? idk if we can do it by the 26th but by this time next year hopefully we can go in there with a fighting chance.
howay the lads!
104 nufctj // Jan 18, 2008 at 3:32
one more thing.
I am sure many of you already are frequent visitors,
But http://www.nufc.com really deserves our patronage. These lads do a great job (Biffa and the lot). And their match reports are second to none.
Dr. Ed thanks for this great site.
Keep it up mate!
105 KKN39 // Jan 18, 2008 at 4:26
if Dunne is that good, get him to partner with young Taylor (tho i think Woodgate is a more complete CB gettable out there) - they together w/ Shay will probably make our central defence a rock. Beye n Enrique complete the fab 4. Cacapa kept for his Euro experience; classy backup n potential part-time coach for rising teen defenders at club. Faye the 3rd choice CB, but like Rozehnal, he should be played more in the midfield as Butt needs to be dropped if not released/sold. dont think Roz is a bad player as some ppl hv said; rather may be our new Hamann in disguise, but he shld be relieved from the back4 as much as we can afford.
106 smc894 // Jan 18, 2008 at 6:37
If we can get Dunne we definitely should. Always liked Woodgate so he would be very welcome back in my books. New coaching staff and training pitch = less torn hamstrings now hopefully
107 Vitorbarbosa // Jan 18, 2008 at 7:10
It seems we have money to spend. We might not need to get people who is running out of contract just because they are cheaper. If they are good, why not?
108 Yorkie Dave // Jan 18, 2008 at 7:14
Brown will Sign, ive no doubt about that. Defoe story well im not so sure could this be a screen for the MIGHTY BERBATOV???????
109 keith // Jan 18, 2008 at 7:27
KK need to get his assistants first before he can make any signing.. he hasnt been in the game for 3 years, someone has to help him first
110 nightfall // Jan 18, 2008 at 7:55
good morning mates
IF kevin wants to play with 4 AMCs i think we should go for sbd who’s mentaly and physicaly strong, sbd who players respect and is not afraid of defenders such as terry, rio, vidic…i’m not fond of lampard, but IF kevin wants to play attacking (4 AMCs) i think he might just be the player we need…
i’d still prefer DMC, someone like vieira, ‘cos we won’t win by playing attacking if we don’t win the midfield…we need sbd to break opponents attacks, and smith (doesn’t read the game well, just runns after a ball and fouls the one who has it), butt (gives way to many balls away), geremi (not good enough anymore) are not up for the task…
i agree dunne would be best defender for us..at this point…shay trust him, he’s not old…just perfect to partner taylor…
however, i still think midfield should be our priority…we need sbd who’s presence will motivate the squad…sbd players respect, can win a lot of balls, sbd opponents will fear,…i think vieira would be perfect…he’s a leader,…plus inter already have stankovic, cambiasso, maniche, dacourt,…so i think we might get him…
p.s.: i’ve been saying all along handanovic will be the best goalkeeper in the world someday…guess what….AC milan and tottenham want him… they guy is the next petr cech…plays for udinese (4th in serie A..thanks to him) and he plays great…he’s only 22 and he got better marks (several times) then any of the man united players in that hystorical win over roma… (that’s only for people who said he sucks)…
any comments?
111 AdamCF // Jan 18, 2008 at 8:12
Like to see a few come in.
Dunne & Hutton in Defence.
Lutzenberger, Arshavin and SWP in Midfield.
Fabiano & Defoe up front.
6 or 7 in. None out, as yet.
112 AdamCF // Jan 18, 2008 at 8:15
Or even Scott McDonald.
113 Aaron D // Jan 18, 2008 at 8:30
I don’t think buying average players is going to be worth it, with all this money about will be able to attract big names, bought a bunch of average players in the summer and will need to be shipped out if we are wanting to be a top 5 club. The premiership is the best league in the world even clubs like Fulham can attract bigish players, we now have a quality manager who’s style of football alone will attract players, we have a great stadium that is full every week, are super rich. Fair enough we are not in europe but i reckon could easily attract most players from Dutch, German and French league and lot from Spain and Italy.
Think Carr, Butt, Geremi, Viduka, Ameobi, Emre will be leaving.
Need a defender, Kompany would be good, cost Hamburg £5.1m in 2006 so probably would cost £10m plus. Would be able to easily double his wages. Same goes for Diego would cost £15m but is what we need. Has scored 9 goals in 17 games this season.
114 Kevin Hann // Jan 18, 2008 at 8:43
Get a new thread about Berbatov going, Ed! Can talk alot about him and there is as much truth in his possible capture as in Defoe’s and Brown’s.
Plus I can comment pretty much about him, watched him play long before he even went to Leverkusen
115 Aaron D // Jan 18, 2008 at 8:46
Who will Keegan Sign first from Paddy Power:
Wes Brown 8-5
Defoe 9-4
S Downing 13-2
Berbatov 8-1
Fred 8-1
Andy Cole 14-1
Robbie Keane 16-1
Deco 20-1
Ronaldinho 25-1
Drogbra 25-1
Ronaldo (Brazil) 33-1
Henry 40-1
116 ELFER // Jan 18, 2008 at 8:51
First of all we have 2 excellent finishers and good backups, why would we need defoe? He’s absolutely not worth his 10mio £ pricetag!!
WES BROWN is good, but DUNNE would be outstanding (also for given)!!
I heard also some munckles about SWP
117 chennai toon // Jan 18, 2008 at 9:15
almost every papers reporting that we are after defoe and swp………….
and keegan’s wish list includes deco,van buyten,jarque,wes brown,scott brown………………
118 Mick G // Jan 18, 2008 at 9:20
I Think NUFC should sign Stelios ,he’s good in the air, he’s fast ,cheap and experienced all over Europe.I don’t mean the bloke from Bolton,I mean the bloke from easyjet
119 thelongshanks // Jan 18, 2008 at 9:29
I have a feeling he is gonna bring carrick to the toon as signing a geordie would be a shrewd move.Like to see ameobi,barton and smith go asap.Bring in ashton and giles barnes.
120 James // Jan 18, 2008 at 9:35
If money is no object Mr Ashley please give Manure £50 million for Carrick and Rooney.
Thanks very much
121 Kevin Hann // Jan 18, 2008 at 9:39
Check out Ivelin Popov from Litex (attacking midfielder, decent winger and very young), rising bulgarian international.
122 Aaron D // Jan 18, 2008 at 9:42
Stephen Appiah - £4m - £6m
Huntelaar - £15m
Diego -£14m
Brown - £2m
123 Sloop Jon B // Jan 18, 2008 at 9:44
Carrick. Diego. Huntelaar. Berbatov.
Yes all great- however unlikely.
Best news is the Nolan- he of wonder goal glory at the weekend- is not coming!
124 Sloop Jon B // Jan 18, 2008 at 9:48
Kevin Hann-
From wikipedia-
Ivelin Popov (Bulgarian: Ивелин Попов) (born 26 October 1987) is a Bulgarian footballer, currently playing for PFC Litex Lovech as a right midfielder/supporting striker. He is known for his outbursts on and off the field, as well as womanizing ways.
On October 28, 2006, Litex Lovech ordered him to get married in order to curb his volatile temper.
Maybe Barton can show him around the Bigg Market!
125 Sloop Jon B // Jan 18, 2008 at 9:55
Yo Kev-
is this the sort of player we want……?????
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6IPmXxJ0_w
126 ToonKing // Jan 18, 2008 at 9:56
ordered him to get married ??!! lol, that can’t be true.
127 Kevin Hann // Jan 18, 2008 at 10:39
It was a joke between the club and the player. Yes, he has had some temper control problems, but nothing like barton. His problems come from burning into the game, but he is pretty young yet
I don’t say he is world class, just the most exciting prospect of my country atm. His style definitely belongs to the Premiership, no idea if he will have the stamina to endure though.
128 Kevin Hann // Jan 18, 2008 at 10:41
plus, he is still single and isn’t a wonderkid-idiot, taking erotic sessions with his silicon chalga singer girlfriend instead of playing on the field (like Bojinov)
129 nasher // Jan 18, 2008 at 12:54
ED- Yeah is there any truth in berbatov being a toon fan,
or is this just gossip?>
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