Tuesday 12th July 2005

Well after all the posturing, threats, hints, allegations and comments in the press about this club, that club, turning up for training, not turning up for training and being given an “extended holiday” that has kept us all guessing over the last week, we finally have a winner in the “where will Bellamy start next season” sweepstake.  And the result is hardly one we really expected.

On Monday, just as were getting ready for the media circus rolling up to their reserved spaces at Darsley Park, the club avoided (or bottled, depending how you look at it) any ugly scenes by giving Bellamy an extra week “holiday.”  (Article) Or another week to fuck off that is.  (Article)  Either way, rumour was he was in Liverpool for talks with David Moyes (Article) who was desperate to get him to join Everton.  (Article)  Luke Edwards at The Journal was even more confident than that; he had him signed and away there.  (Article)  Remember you heard it there first.  All that article needs is another random and spurious list of names at the end of it that we have been “linked” with, for future gloating purposes.  Welsh team-mate Simon Davies was desperate for him to join the scouse makems (Article) but as with many clubs his wages were always going to be the sticking point.  (Article)  And so it seemed that as Everton, and Aston Villa (Article) dropped out of the hunt that surely just left an ever hopeful Celtic as a way out of Tenko for the Glamorgan Gob.  But of course this sorry affair had to end with a twist as it turned out that the Welsh connections at Blackburn Rovers convinced Bellamy to sign for the Lancashire club.  (Article) (Article) (Article)

Part of me wonders, bearing in mind the interest has been there almost since day 1 of Bellamy’s exile, if Mark Hughes has played a very good game of brinkmanship to get Bellamy to join him, his former Welsh number 2 Mark Bowen, and the equally irritable and former Welsh team-mate Robbie Savage.  The reaction to the move has been mixed.  Surprise at his choice of club given his comments about where he thought he should be going (hardly Bayern Munich is it?) Though the possible insertion of a clause to release him if a Champions’ League club comes in for him seems likely, and if I were a Blackburn fan I’d be questioning his commitment already.  (Article) (Article).  There were the usual warnings to Sparky about Bellamy, like this brief synopsis in The Mirror  (Article), the breakdown of what happens next for Souness and Newcastle (Article) and the ubiquitous “timelines”  (Article) (Article).

Overall no one is surprised that he has gone, but most seem surprised at his eventual choice of destination and most seem to hint that he’ll be off from Blackburn as soon as he can to find his “bigger club.”  I don’t believe for one minute this came as a result of a “chance meeting at a wedding.”  (Article) but they have to say something I suppose.  We have lost a player who could, on his day, open any defence and are poorer for it in playing terms.  But he has been lost to us since he called the manager a liar and it doesn’t matter where you stand on this one he has gone, and only now can we begin to try and heal some of the open, festering wounds that still divide the club and its supporters.  He leaves with the recommendation of SBR, who has obviously forgotten he doesn’t work at NUFC any more while he’s off touting our players to other clubs, and as another player who exits with “what if” after his name.  He says he doesn’t want any slanging matches and he’s not a troublemaker and with Souness saying he has “spoken his last words about Craig Bellamy.”  I somehow doubt either will be the case, and I give the Blackburn honeymoon period, in a dressing room with Savage, Dikov and Todd, until Christmas. 

And so what else has been happening in our black and white world?  In terms of outgoings, Darren Ambrose joined Craig Bellamy on his way out of St James.  Ambrose joined Charlton (Article) (Article) for the ever popular “undisclosed” fee.  Just why are so many of these deals “undisclosed” these days?  Perhaps they should come out of the closet on this one.  Just keeps us all guessing I suppose.  He’s another good lad who perhaps was not going to improve who suffered from the weight of expectation to replace Nobby Solano when he arrived with great hope from Ipswich.  He had a good run towards the end of last season and he goes with good wishes.  Of a purely platonic manly kind I must add.  Mind you I don’t get where Souness is coming from when he says losing professionals who don’t cause bother is “good for the club.” (Article)  Perhaps he got confused and thought he was talking about Bellamy again?

Meanwhile other possible outgoings included Bowyer to Charlton (Article) or Birmingham (again) (Article) along with Nicky Butt (Article).  Anyone, please just take them. 

At the same time Hugo Viana has finally accepted that he has to return to Newcastle and think about fighting for a place in black and white.  (Article)  Part of me would like to see him succeed, he has talent but just seems to lack bottle when it matters.  Time will tell, but I don’t expect to hear his name shouted with reverence from the Gallowgate very often this season. 

Not coming now is Daniel van Buyten.  (Article)  If he ever was like.  We don’t need another gobshite who runs to the press every five minutes, we have enough of them already even without Bellamy and Robert. 

The Emre saga, soon to be released in paperback with a Broadway musical in the offing, continues.  (Article) (Article) (Article)  He’s signing on Monday now.  What they haven’t said is which Monday of course.  Apparently the hitch is now political (Article) (Article) and he’s the Turkish David Beckham.  I must remember to ask my friend Mehmet what the Turkish for “does she take it up the arse?” is.  Sign, don’t sign, I’m past caring now.  Just stop dicking us about and don’t dare think about talking the piss if you do come.

Our striker search continues with this week’s links being Saha (Article), Saviola (the mini-Kluivert perhaps?) (Article), Bo Derek look-alike Diego Forlan (Article) and Sevilla’s Julio Baptista (Article) who surely would be more at home on Teesside, though I like the thought of actually signing someone who could become “Julio Geordio.”  The Luis Boa Morte connection grows stronger and he may be the next one through the door as we MUST strengthen over the next few weeks (Article) (Article) (Article).  That said it seems the management have one replacement already at the club in playing Dyer in a more advanced role. (Article)  This makes sense to me, the runs he makes actually create something when they are into the box and not picking the ball up from the back four.  There is one problem with this though.  GET THE BUGGER TO SIGN A NEW CONTRACT (Article) How far we have fallen when we worry about this little pillock dicking us about again.  GET IT RIGHT!

NM