Monday 8th August 2005

Well following my shenanigans in Cork it’s another curtailed week but as ever plenty to talk about.  My week begins as I step off a plane at Smogside Airport (I’m not having any of this Durham/Tees Valley nonsense either – it’s still a shed on a runway.  When I left the carousel was knackered and we almost had to load the thing ourselves) and into the build up for the intertoto 2nd leg fixture with Deportivo.  A match that proved once again that arm waving, high wasted, continental referees and diving Mediterranean prima donnas never make for a flowing game.  It also showed how desperate we are for left back and striking cover, how we still seem unable to learn from mistakes and that our squad is woefully unbalanced and in key areas paper-thin. 

Despite losing revenue I tend to think yes when asked,  “will a season out of Europe do us some good in the long run?”  (Article)  Oh and another thing, given what happened at the Crystal Palace/Origami game last season you’d imagine that we’d think twice before supplying the crowd with projectiles before kick off.  But no, and thanks to The Journal for their brilliant idea of the foam footballs.  What next?  Rusty Japanese throwing stars?  Darts soaked in Ebola virus?  Let’s just hope Strongbow doesn’t want to sponsor a game at St James’ this year.  It’ll make any wing play look like a scene from Indiana Jones and the Stadium of Woe.

The ominous omission from the team for the Depor game was JJ.  The initial line was that he was injured. (Article)  Whispers were however that all was not well.  Ever with his finger on the pulse, George Caulkin at The Times was amongst the first to suggest a transfer request may well be on the way.  (Article)  And so unfolds yet another very public moment in the NUFC media circus.  JJ claims he is unhappy at “living his life in a goldfish bowl.”  (Article) (Article) (Article) (Article).  Whatever is going on there is a hell of a lot more to it than this. 

For what its worth my twopenn'orth is as follows; It’s a goldfish bowl, but one that pays very well isn’t it?  I can’t remember the last time JJ put in a full 90 minutes stint of the likes we should be seeing from him week in week out.  In fact I think the last time he did anything of note was playing out of position at full back against Spurs in last season’s FA Cup.  Before that what?  He is an undoubted talent and he is the sort of player we should be looking to build a team around.  Realise his ambitions by having him at the centre of an ambitious team.  Whilst we cannot in reality offer too much of that at the moment surely he has to be looking at himself and wondering why he couldn’t force his way into a team in his favoured position ahead of say Butt, Faye or Bowyer.  Either knuckle down and get playing in a midfield with Emre and Parker (like you have pretty much been assured that you will if YOU want to…) or feck off and if someone is happy to pay silly money for you we’ll take it, with regret.

Certainly we can’t be having unhappy faces around the dressing room (Article) there’s enough in the stands as it is.  And I can’t believe I have actually just agreed with FFS there.  Wonder if he’s noticed the ones in the crowd yet?  Or more importantly the ones who WON’T be there come kick off.  By the weekend the manager had taken it upon himself to call Sky Sports directly (taking a lead off the chairman no doubt) to “set the record straight” (Article) (Article).  Or muddy it even further by suggesting our asking price for JJ is now £15 million.  (Article)  Mind you that doesn’t quite add up to £6million plus Kanoute as suggested by The People (Article) does it?  Watch this space as the week unfolds for further developments.

All this has brought up the question, “just how are transfer decisions made within NUFC?”  A good question indeed.  If it really is the case that Souness names the names and it’s up to FFS to sign them, (Article) then we all know where the blame for the current lack of incomings lies.  He’s big with the mouth and not so big with the chequebook it would seem after all.  Souness is looking to sign apparently (Article) (Article)  so where are the funds? 

Going into Kieron Dyer’s back pocket perhaps? (Article)  Far from being out the door, the king of bling and owner of the only blue disabled parking badge for “Newcastle Hamstring Syndrome” has finalised his new contract and will sign this week.  But if he thinks for a moment he has been forgiven by the majority of fans he is mistaken in my opinion. (Article)  There are plenty who would still happily see you driven out of our club.  Lets see you on the back pages for the right reasons and then, just perhaps, you may get a reprieve.

Definitely leaving the club this week was Nicky Butt, taking his cement boots with him to Birmingham.  (Article) (Article)  Good riddance.  Next! 

Meanwhile the rumour mill continues to suggest we are in for Michael Owen. Martin Samuel at The Times reckons he’d be a hit on Tyneside (Article) whilst most others seem to be a lot more cautious (Article) (Article) (Article)  By the weekend this had just gotten silly with the BBC quoting Shearer that we are interested (Article), the News of the World having us in for him at £11 million (Article) whilst The People has him rejecting us in favour of Man U (Article).  Que sera sera, as the song says.  But seriously if you were Michael Owen would you accept our poison chalice right now?

One definite incoming this week was Italian left back Francesco Coco (insert own clown joke here) (Article) (Article).  A full back that could be described as a “journeyman” with injury problems.  Inspiring.  Mind you, you don’t get 17 Italian caps for nowt and if he can prove his fitness, unlike our other left back option at the moment, he could be useful and we wish him well.

Finally this week I noted the Telegraph’s Mihir Bose added his voice to the alleged “takeover” that was in the offing last week.  (Article)  A curious little article, almost throwaway and yet when this guy speaks, especially on football finance, people listen.  Just what is he hinting at?  I’ll leave you to decide your own opinion on that!

NM