Why would anyone ever choose to support NUFC?:
Well I am sure there are some reasons; great fan-base, nice stadium, sometimes impressive performances (emphasis on sometimes)... But with the recent events coming out of St. James' Park, a Newcastle fan really has to ask himself, firstly, 'what the **** is going on', and secondly how worth it this may all be. Do not get me wrong, I am in this for the long haul, committed til I die and all that, but to me it often feels as if Newcastle fans really get the worst of it.
Having been successfully promoted from the Championship it all started to look sunny again, with the woes of the 08-09 season left in the past, and the bright Premiership future giving many fans reason to possibly think Mike Ashley had turned things round. How naive it seems we were. The sacking of Chris Hughton, Andy Carroll's sale, Kevin Nolan's sale, Joey Barton's 'dismissal', Jose Enrique's imminent sale. All events which have taken place in the last year under the stewardship of big MA and DL (Derek Llambias). All events which seem to have had an entirely negative affect on the team developed in 08-09.
The owner and his cronie seem to be choosing an approach to club management which (as a club 'source' supposedly said) is "un-sexy" but will benefit the club in the long-term. This is in effect a business plan based around Mike Ashley's attempts to create a club that is self-sufficient. This in many ways seems like a positive approach considering the debts involved in modern football, yet the fact that it seems to be tearing the team apart is to the contrary.
New signings Yohan Cabaye, Sylvain Marveaux, Demba Ba and Mehdi Abeid are positive moves for the club. Three out of the four above however were free signings, which suggests Mike Ashley is keen to keep funding to a minimum this transfer window. Having cashed in on Carroll, followed by Nolan, you would imagine that Newcastle's current net spending would be more than £500,000 at this point in the transfer market, with 30 or so days to go. With a serious need to build on our current squad, and with the imminent departures of Routledge, Barton and Enrique (add to that transfer listed Nile Ranger, Leon Best, Alan Smith and James Perch) I cannot help but feel concerned. If Ashley is unwilling to spend this window, yet keen to unload so many players, where will our squad stand on September 1st?
The rise of young talent and return from injury by many players has seen additions to Newcastle which were missing last season. Dan Gosling has returned from an injury which saw him make only one appearance (after signing from Everton) for NUFC, and is looking sharp. Haris Vuckic, the 18 year old linked with Man United and Chelsea last season, has also returned from injury and grabbed 2 goals in 2 senior friendly appearances so far. Ben Arfa was back for three games only to be again injured and ruled out for a further 3 weeks, meaning he will miss massive games against Arsenal and Scumderland. All these returns are positive for Newcastle, yet not enough to suggest more investment is not needed.
I am an avid follower of anything NUFC based on twitter (@jesserivers11 wink wink) so have been absorbed by recent events involving Barton and all Newcastle's transfer dealings. Over-riding pessimism seems to have dwarfed the #NUFC tag line in recent weeks. Rumored attempts to sign Mevlut Erdinc seem to have come to nothing and interest elsewhere seems sparse. I believe that we will now need the following:
- 1 further striker with pace and flair to work off the bigger players such as Ameobi and Ba.
- A left back to replace Jose Enrique
- A midfielder (probably based on the right) to replace Barton
These are all essential signings and anything else would be lovely. Links with the Swiss, Leverkusen based Barnetta in replacement for Barton have not left since the opening of the transfer window, similarly links with Cheick M'Bengue and Wayne Bridge at left back seem to continue. The agreed fee for Mevlut Erdinc may not mean anything as he seems very reluctant to come to Newcastle. Apart from him NUFC have been linked with Shane Long, Defoe and numerous players who are unlikely to make the move north.
Ashley's recruitment system seems to follow a continuous theme. All new signings must be below 28 or so. All new signings must take a fairly standard if not small Premier League wage. All new signings must have the ability to gain a profitable selling on fee (fairly easy if gained for free!). And, it seems, all new signings will come mainly from France, as scout Carr may view the revolution in French national football as a chance to steal any up and coming international talents i.e. Yohan Cabaye.
Considering this, sales of players such as Nolan (who wanted a 5 year contract at the age of 29) fit Ashley's business plan. He knows that in a few years, when Nolan has past his peak, his high wages as captain would have been an nag similar to that of Alan Smith who currently warms the NUFC bench on £60,000 a week. Being honest I saw a lot in Nolan that I did not like last season, and his lack of pace and clinical pass would only be exaggerated as the years went on. Joey Barton however showed a whole new side to his game, and he will be greatly missed. He wanted a four year deal and the club offered 3. He had previously declined contract talks twice. Ashley was having no more and with the addition of his frequent twitter outbursts was being seen as more of a disturbance than a help in the NUFC dressing room.
The clique of 08-09 that held the team together and provided promotion and last season's security has slowly but surely been removed by Ashley as he looks to gain complete, dictator-like control of the club. He has a business plan which is ruthless and a disposition that should not be tempered. In my honest opinion I do not agree with his plan, it is far too risky and although he clearly has a vision ( we hope ) which will lead the club to greater things in the future, he is destroying the current team. The big question is whether the puppet Alan Pardew has what it takes to keep this team together and secure another successful season with NUFC. That question must wait, as the results of this summer's transfer window will be vital on September 1st; a first step which Newcastle can feel they may judge the summer dealings.
This write up must surely be pretty dull for all those with no affiliations with NUFC, yet I have sat by and said very little for a long time.
Thanks
Jesse
