Two pieces of news today, the first of which is a positive message from manager Kevin Keegan in that he thinks the players we have at the club now will not let the team drop into the relegation zone.
Kevin Keegan - has confidence in players to avoid relegation concerns
Kevin said today when it was put to him that this time at Newcastle was similar to 1992, when he was first appointed manager, when the team at that time was in danger of being relegated from the Second Division - he said today:
“That was totally different, as the team were in danger of relegation to the Third Division. The players weren’t up to the standard that we’ve got today.“
“I’m much more confident with the players we’ve got today at this football club.” “As I said from day one, it’s one thing having good players, but we’ve got to get them playing better and believing and trusting each other a bit more.”
“It’s sounds simple, but when you’re on a bad run like us, they’re major issues.”
We’re pleased that Kevin has that confidence in the players because we really hope we’re not dragged into a relegation battle. But the time for talking is running out, and the players will soon have to produce where it matters - on the pitch.
The second piece of news is rather surprising, and it comes from the Youth Manager at Atalanta in the Italian League. He’s now complaining about Newcastle taking Fabio Zamblera from Atalanta, in last month’s transfer window.
Fabio Zamblera - Newcastle’s 17 year-old 6′3″ Italian Striker
The Atalanta youth manager Mino Favini said today:
“I don’t like having to comment on this because we have been powerless to prevent it happening,” “I feel demoralized by the actions of these foreign clubs who come here and harvest our crop of young players.”
“I’m convinced that rules exist that could be applied to prevent this from happening.”
“But at the moment, unfortunately, young players are being attracted by the God of money.”
That’s a strange comment from Favini, and must only reflect his own views since the club must have been willing to sell their youngster. Of course Mino’s job is to bring through the youngsters at the club, and he’s obviously disappointed at losing his best youngsters. But if Atalanta didn’t want to sell they could have done a number of things about it to keep the youngster.
It sounds more of a complaint about the higher ups in his own club, than a criticism of Newcastle United, who are perfectly in their rights to scout, assess and bring in top youngsters to the Tyne-side club.
You can hardly blame Newcastle for that, but it’s probably good news from our point of view, because obviously Favini rated the youngster very highly, otherwise he wouldn’t be so upset. Well that’s life, and good players, including the youngsters - move on, that’s the way it works.
Comments very welcome.
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44 responses so far ↓
1 Kash2 // Feb 11, 2008 at 17:05
Apparently Dennis Wise responded that it was like “Taking Candy from a Baby!”. And we all know that consdiering Wisey’s vertical stature, he probably has taken plenty from a bunch of babies!
2 Eve // Feb 11, 2008 at 17:23
You know I’ve a wee feeling, an awful feeling that Sunderland will end up finishing on top of us this year, I don’t know why. I don’t think either of us will be relegated though. I think, technically it’s a possibility that we could be but I think the relegation fear is a bit premeditated and wee bit dramatic.
3 Mighty Mouse // Feb 11, 2008 at 17:26
Does anyone else believe that going down to the championship might be the best possible outcome for Newcastle? Think about it if we went down we would have to cut ties with all of our “big name” players and basically start again.
Personally I would only keep Tayls, Enrique, N’zogbia and Oba from our current crop.
4 Tom_Toon // Feb 11, 2008 at 17:34
Mighty Mouse my mate thinks its a good idea because we can build a proper squad.
But i dont even think we will get promoted back to the prem, we will lose basically every single player we have, so basically we are Leeds.
5 ChrisM // Feb 11, 2008 at 17:35
Love Keegan. Glad he is back, but……
Nevermind trying to lift spirits………He needs to give those lazy bastar#s a kicj up the arse.
And those players saying they area devatstaed and he’s giving us a lift…..shut the fu#k up and let your actions do the talking. Yous are making KK look like a right twat!
Get shot of the majority of them. Can think of about 6 players i’d keep…….
Taylor, Faye, Shay, Harper, milner…..oops no thats only 5.
And wor Charlie…….let him go if he wanst. Nee good having grumps and whingers bringing the dressing room down.
No-one else has tried or shown a glimpse of giving a damn.
6 ChrisM // Feb 11, 2008 at 17:40
Mighty Mouse - Think you’ll find that even when did get promoted again (and it would happen cos we could afford to buy the best of the championship players) we wouldnt be having a huge impact on the premiership………we would have to struggle on for ages to establish ourselves.
Going down would knock us back 10 years or so I reckon from ever being a glimpse of what we (the fans) think we should be like.
It would be a disaster!!!!!!!
7 GraemeR // Feb 11, 2008 at 17:47
Mighty Mouse - the only problem with that is the players you would want to keep would flee faster than rats and ailing ships - if you follow my drift.
8 Geordie Joe // Feb 11, 2008 at 18:00
WE WON’T GET RELEGATED! Fortunatly there is some real rubbish in our league. I just can’t see anybody that is already below us finishing above us, let alone 5 of them finishing above us.
9 Leo* // Feb 11, 2008 at 18:09
haha. complaining about us stealing their players, what does he want more money or something, too late for that buckio haha
10 cloudstrife // Feb 11, 2008 at 18:12
as mighty mouse said, maybe relegation wouldnt be the worst thing. we could get rid of all the excess baggage. the difference between us and leeds is that they had a ton of debt and still couldnt sign players even after gettin rid of their big names.
if we go down, the money we’d make selling off the big names, plus Ashley’s milions would allow us to buy players good enough to win the Championship. we could also blood our youngsters. in the short term, it would be a disaster, but in the long term it might prove useful. and i’m not a Newcastle fan for the short term, coz if i was, i’d have jumped ship a long time ago!
Relegation isnt a disaster lads, it would be like taking a sabbatical and coming back stronger!
11 Jamie // Feb 11, 2008 at 18:17
Ok in 2003-2004 season 33 points and under went down, same in 2004-2005, 34 points went down 2005-2006 and last year 38 points went down.
Last year seems a one off for a high number of points getting you the drop over recent trends.
I think we can get at least 9 points from our remaining games, leaving us with 37 points,
This year baring Derby, all the clubs around there are close together meaning the points to go down should be lower than 38 that of last season.
12 Tom_Toon // Feb 11, 2008 at 18:47
This year i think 34 points or below is relegation even though when i went on BBC predictor we are already safe.
13 Punk Skunk // Feb 11, 2008 at 18:50
i can’t be arsed with who to buy/sell for next season, it’s now that counts. KK please play this team ’til the end of the season-Consistantly!..
…………………..Harper…………………
Beye-Faye-Taylor-Enrique
Milner-Emre-Zog-Duff
Owen-Viduka/Martins
Subs(from): Given-Carr-Butt-Geremi-Barton-Lua Lua-Smith-Carroll, anyone we find down the back of the couch!..
…We need to play the same team 3/4/5 games
straight, bollox to all this chopping & changing!..
…Continuety, consistency, solidity, call it what you like!..
14 Punk Skunk // Feb 11, 2008 at 18:54
How, Tom_Toon, does that bbc predictor suggest us pickin’ up any further points?..
15 Hadrian // Feb 11, 2008 at 18:55
going down would cripple us .
never mind of cashin in on the big names , we lose everybody worth keeping hold of , your milners, taylors , zoggys , owens , duff’s .
infact i cant see many that would stick around and not activeate their relegation clauses .
we’d have to buy championship players from the clubs around us , paying over the odds to get them to move to another team in the same division thats competing with the selling team .
after all this and we did manage to come back up , we’d be like derby , team full of championship players in the prem .
going down would ruin this club .
16 Tom_Toon // Feb 11, 2008 at 18:56
Nh mate its my opinion and we will just get 40 points, ive put it on a bbc article for all to read:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/606/A32260961
17 Hadrian // Feb 11, 2008 at 18:58
i gotta add , allerdyce should have been sacked after the loss to derby away , its those games why we are in such a mess and keegans taking the blame for our league position , and he’s never had the chance to play any of the bottom teams yet !
18 Punk Skunk // Feb 11, 2008 at 19:04
Hey, your predictions seem fair enough to me mate…
I’d take that right now!..But hey, this is the Toon, we’ll prob. get beat by fulham & beat spuds or everton???..
19 Bill F // Feb 11, 2008 at 19:14
Last time we went down it took us forever to get back up again. Gates dropped dramatically (although they were still the best in that league) and we had rubbish teams coming to St James does any one really want to go through that again. Relegation would be a disaster and I don’t think Ashley would want a broken toy to play with. It would be at least another two seasons before we could even contemplate European football. I have seen the past before and do not want to see it again.
Relegation NO!!
20 ToonUSA // Feb 11, 2008 at 19:19
All,
if there is anyone watching the reserve game tonight would love a review of the youngsters. City is playing most of their starts so it is a great oportunity to see the standard of our youngsters.
21 daiv // Feb 11, 2008 at 19:20
Relegation would not be a disaster because we would come back stronger without the money grabbers…most of the team. You lot talk about who should be in the starting line up and we all know roughly the best team. Unfortunately the manager has lost the plot totally and seems to think the magic 3 (worst players at the club Butt Smith and Carr) will save us. Time for the taxi Mr Keegan.
22 Punk Skunk // Feb 11, 2008 at 19:22
Right on BillF…At least we’ve got a couple of weeks before the manure game to try & impress some defensive tactics on the team!..& we’ve got the same time for the African lads to have a rest!..But please Kev, pick a solid team & sick with it!!!..
23 thelongshanks // Feb 11, 2008 at 19:22
i Did bbc preditor and we ended up 14th on 37 points must be wrong cuz the scum beat us by a point.As long as we dont get relegated and we buy top players in the summer im happy.in my predictor Bolton fulham and derby went down and arsenal won it..
24 Punk Skunk // Feb 11, 2008 at 19:25
Hey Daiv, are you just saying that to try & offset the MASSIVE DISAPPOINTMENT you would feel if it happened?..
25 Tom_Toon // Feb 11, 2008 at 19:27
thelongshanks what was the relegation tally? about 34 pts?
26 cloudstrife // Feb 11, 2008 at 19:28
i really hope this Keegan experience will ultimately come good. i wanted a better manager but i’m fully behind KK. unfortunatley we havent been any better than under Allardyce.
i hope i never have to call for Keegan’s head, but did we make the right decisionabringing him back?
27 true // Feb 11, 2008 at 19:47
ED do you know how many of the curent crop of academy boys have been offered pro contracts?
its ok buying in tallent but it would be comforting to know we can develope our own.
28 Keltik // Feb 11, 2008 at 19:49
Hey ED will you write a peice regarding the farsical Extra game to be played abroad news?
if anyone wants to vote fr or against the stupid 39 game idea then please go read the info and vote at http://www.fsf.org.uk/site-pages/poll.html
29 iain // Feb 11, 2008 at 19:54
“i Did bbc preditor and we ended up 14th on 37 points must be wrong cuz the scum beat us by a point.As long as we dont get relegated and we buy top players in the summer im happy.in my predictor Bolton fulham and derby went down and arsenal won it..”
i did the same and ended up with us on similar points. arsenal won the league by 3 points. and fulham/derby/reading went down.
30 Ed Harrison // Feb 11, 2008 at 20:58
Keltik I wrote a piece on it last Friday
http://nufcblog.com/2008/02/08/newcastle-news/what-are-premier-league-oweners-thinking/
31 Atrocious_Footwear // Feb 11, 2008 at 21:24
I agree witht he Atlanta fella. This is what is killing the bringing on of young talent in this country, no matter what Arsene Wenger says on the matter. Wor kids will never be good enough if they are NEVER given the support and opportunity.
P.S. F**k the ‘39th’ Game.
32 thelongshanks // Feb 11, 2008 at 23:23
Tom toon i think it was bit less but i had us down to get 1 point in next three games and we still stayed up.Smith,ameobi,carr,barton(in trouble again),rozenhal,butt,prob viduka to go.sell zog for 10m if he wants to leavem,we should replace him with downing 8m.maybe make a cheeky bid for huntelaar,nasri and van buyten.Any world on us sending new lads out on loan especially Fabio Zamblera football is so different to italian league,but as he seems to be tall and powerful he cud be a luca toni for us.
33 Jimmynails // Feb 12, 2008 at 0:39
Gotta be kiddin is king kev feeling alright like no way Toon going down man no way like. We are really poo like and its not like toon to be poo. A few results and well be ok like but justabout. Is anyone lookin to buy a scootar?
34 Jimmynails // Feb 12, 2008 at 0:43
cause u can borra my scootar cycle down to kev like and tell himToon aint happy with this poo.
TOON ARMY AGAINST POO
35 Nobby! // Feb 12, 2008 at 4:38
OMG… We’d be a Leeds? NOOOO!!
36 Tippo // Feb 12, 2008 at 4:59
Newcastle needs three or four wins and a draw here and there and I surely cannot see them failing to do that in 12 matches. Relegation nothing to worry about at the moment I think.
37 AdamCF // Feb 12, 2008 at 7:35
Nobby! We’re Leeds already, with Milner, Smith and Viduka.. not to mention Wisey.
38 Bill F // Feb 12, 2008 at 8:51
Perhaps Ken Bates can be co-opted onto the board.
39 GM // Feb 12, 2008 at 9:01
the one blessing…i think is that we have to play reading, fulham and mackems at home plus b’ham think we should be able to get 8 points from this, as much as i hate the scum, i cant see us beating them i’m guessing a draw, unless our form picks up dramatically, they will just do a bolton stick 10 men behind the ball and kick us to pieces, same goes for b’ham away, point there as well, so we still need to find 4 from somewhere, dont think b’burn at home is a banker either.
40 faroe islander // Feb 12, 2008 at 9:48
Newcastle Unitet - team and supporters - let us show the world that:
“Few things in life are black and white, only the most important things”
41 Rich // Feb 12, 2008 at 10:08
id take 8 points from now in that would give us 36 and see us safe! Trust me 34 points will be the 3rd bottom teams tally, iv checked all the bottom teams fixtures and all have difficult run ins ,I think Brum and Reading will both finish on 34 and goal difference will count!
42 alex // Feb 12, 2008 at 12:24
Anyone who thinks that going down would be a good thing is a fool.
The money is in the premiership - billionaire owner or not.
And the championship is a really hard league to get out of.
43 kagthemag // Feb 12, 2008 at 12:49
alex, I dont want us to go down, however your comment about the championship is a hard league to get out of is flounded. Sunderland have done it & look how many teams come back up or are there abouts. Of the subject I know but a fact.
back on the subject, we need to scrap & let KK start afresh next season (god how many times have we heard/said that?)
44 Tom Thumb // Feb 12, 2008 at 13:55
Love the 39th game idea. Football is global, we can rule the world.
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