Good words today from someone who we think will have a new career ahead of him at Newcastle United, so we’re happy he’s happy at Newcastle.
We’re talking about our great little midfielder from Turkey, Emre.
Emre – very happy at Newcastle United
Emre told the Evening Chronicle today:
“I would never say anything about leaving Newcastle.†“And I am focused on my future here.â€â€œI love the city and I am very happy in the dressing room.†“Now I have to show everything for the manager and everything for this club.â€
“My aim, though, is to play more times than in the last three months.†“My country has the European Championships in June so the next four months are important for me.
“They are the most important four months of my career and we have to try to finish as high as we can in the Premier League for the Newcastle supporters.†“I am happy. Kevin is a very honest man and a good manager.†“We’re all happy in the dressing room.â€
“I remember Kevin’s team the first time around and always talk about it with my friends.†“They could have been champions ahead of Manchester United back then.†“But time has moved on from then and we can’t dwell on that too much.†“We can only think of our future now and that’s what I will do. “Kevin is a legend for the supporters and for us after what he achieved as a player and manager.â€
“It was bad for me in the first game Kevin was here.†“But I don’t think about that now, it is in the past.†“I am sorry to the fans for getting sent off, but I was happy to be back against Middlesbrough after missing the previous three games.†“The future is more important and I am feeling fresh and ready to go.†“Even when I was banned, I was working hard in training.â€
Emre is just one of many of our current crop of players who should benefit greatly under Kevin’s second reign as manager of the club. Keegan plays good, open attacking football, which is how the game should be played. Not dour away games when as soon as we kick a ball we’re on the defensive -= holding out.
No, the game was meant to be played like the great Brazilians play it, and we hope within a couple of years, or sooner, Newcastle United will once again have that tag of playing great entertaining and attacking football. Oh, and we nearly forgot – winning fo0ftball too.
Charles N’Zogbia will also benefit from Kevin, because he has all the natural instincts of players Kevin just loves to have in his sides. Duff and Milner have a big opportunity and Martins and Owen will be under the tutelage of a former wonderful striker, which Kevin Keegan was.
We’re really pleased we still have Emre at the club, because as we’ve mentioned before, he could so easily have been been shipped out, if Big Sam was still here, and maybe replaced with Kevin Nolan from Bolton. But we think Mort and Ashley first had serious doubts about Big Sam when he went through his transfer plans, of who he was going to bring in and who he was going to ship out.
We think those changes at Newcastle that Sam planned may have made us harder to beat, but at the cost of playing safe, defensive and boring football, which Mike Ashley and Chris Mort just didn’t want. And after all Mike does own the club.
It’s great that Kevin is back here, and we really hope he can keep everybody currently in the squad he wants to in the summer – and that includes Charles N’Zogbia.
What do you think?
Comments always very welcome.
35 comments so far
Leo*
Feb 6, 2008 at 4:21 PM
Comment #1ive never heard a player say sorry for being sent off, well atleast not for a long time
Punk Skunk
Feb 6, 2008 at 4:30 PM
Comment #2Aye, the guy he fouled (took revenge on), shouldn’t have been on the pitch & he didn’t even get a yellow!..Howay Emre!..
Mr T
Feb 6, 2008 at 4:31 PM
Comment #3Emre is awesome for my money. Him and Barton could make a brilliant centre mid as both can do the defense, and both can go forward. Emre’s free kicks aren’t half bad either.
Emre’s debut; MOTD commentary: “he must be good for Shearer to leave it to him”…. Bang, goal!
The energy of a Zog, Milner, Barton & Emre midfield sounds good to me!
& in response to ‘Punk Skunk’ above, I’d have done the same thing myself in fairness.
James
Feb 6, 2008 at 4:33 PM
Comment #4He has struggled to produce his best on a consitent basis but deserves a good run in the team to do it. Far better than Butt and Geremi.
On a side note and i think someone mentioned it on here the other day, how about Milner as a central midfielder? He can’t cross but has a great engine and is a good tackler. Keegan once converted Rob Lee to central midfield for the same reasons and it proved to be the missing jigsaw for the team at the time. Maybe same again with Milner?
Punk Skunk
Feb 6, 2008 at 4:33 PM
Comment #5…P.S…Anyone that doesn’t wanna play for the Toon should sling their hook, whoever that happens to be!..Maybe they can get more money, games, a tongue up their ass, whatever somewhere else!..Howay the Lads!..
Punk Skunk
Feb 6, 2008 at 4:35 PM
Comment #6Mr T, ya’ knowarra mean?..That was yet again shite reffing of the lowest order!..
Mr T
Feb 6, 2008 at 4:39 PM
Comment #7People make mistakes and all that, but that was blatent, don’t know how the ref didn’t do more?!?! In a way fueled Emre’s anger in the first place, and he’s a firey get at the best of times!
Punk Skunk
Feb 6, 2008 at 4:40 PM
Comment #8How James, good possible on Milner. Also, it seems like Zog is starting to click with Duff on the left so maybe him at CML, what do ya’ think, i’m sure he said years ago that, that was his fave slot!?!..
Punk Skunk
Feb 6, 2008 at 4:41 PM
Comment #9Maybe that was the refs plan. They do tend to card based on rep A LOT!..
Punk Skunk
Feb 6, 2008 at 4:44 PM
Comment #10Yey!!!..Thank phuk Capello ain’t goin’ with Owen tonite…at least he shouldn’t get injured!..
ToonKing
Feb 6, 2008 at 4:46 PM
Comment #11I love Emre, and as many has said before, i too think that Emre Barton is our best combo in CM. It’s now up to KK to try it out, preferably with Zog on the left wing and Duff on the right.
Mr T
Feb 6, 2008 at 4:46 PM
Comment #12Maybe try 4-5-1 With Zog an attacking mid, and Milner and Duff pushed forward to?
Obv not with Mikey Owen uup front though
Nobody will agree with me, but Andy Carroll would do a good job with that I think.
Dan
Feb 6, 2008 at 4:56 PM
Comment #13I really agree with emre partnering barton in midfield… thats our best combi at the moment… with duff, zog and milner on the flanks…
Interesting prospect of milner playing central.. could increase his chances of staying in the first team next season…
Nobby's dad
Feb 6, 2008 at 5:24 PM
Comment #14Seen lots of his games home and away and he hasn’t produced it for me in the 4 seasons he’s been here. I’m yet to be convince he has a future at the Toon. Only time will tell – but for me he’s never dominated a game or took it by the scruff of the neck and imposed his authority. Plenty seem to like him – but I’m not one I’m afraid
Gordon
Feb 6, 2008 at 5:24 PM
Comment #15No idea why Emre has such mythical status amongst the fans. He has technical ability but gets bullied off the ball, doesn’t score enough goals for an attacking midfielder and takes too long to release a pass.
He’s not a lost hope, but he reminds me of a gifted player who’d just arrived in the Premiership – not one whose been here for years….
Still I think Barton Emre midfield is best we have right now.
Nobby's dad
Feb 6, 2008 at 5:26 PM
Comment #16Seen lots of his games home and away and he hasn’t produced it for me in the 4 seasons he’s been here. I’m yet to be convince he has a future at the Toon. Only time will tell – but for me he’s never dominated a game or taken it by the scruff of the neck and imposed his authority. Plenty seem to like him – but I’m not one I’m afraid
Howie
Feb 6, 2008 at 5:26 PM
Comment #17i remember emre got a long run in the team due to a parker injury in november-december 2006 and we were playing well and winning. he was integral in that. (eg) that winner against reading
Howie
Feb 6, 2008 at 5:28 PM
Comment #18but nobbys dad your ‘son’ did that the odd time too and produced some outstanding moments also
Swede1891
Feb 6, 2008 at 5:40 PM
Comment #19Emre is one of europes most genious mf:s when he´s fit…and, as someone here wrote, ” the only player in the nufc-squad who would actually do well in a team like Barcelona or Inter (again)”. . To see him on the bench over and over again during the Allardyce period was sooo annoying!! If he´s playing on 50% of his capacity, he´s still a hell of a lot better than Butt, Geremi or Smith in cmf…Maradona has said that Aimar is the only player he´d pay to watch nowadays..I say Emre is something similar to me..:)
Gordon
Feb 6, 2008 at 5:43 PM
Comment #20Aimar played for Argentina in the 2002 and 2006 World Cups. Diego Maradona later said that Aimar was “his legitimate successor as the world’s best player” and that he would pay to watch Aimar play (although it is worth noting that Maradona has said that about all players touted as his successor, including Andres D’Alessandro (also with Real Zaragoza), Carlos Tevez and Lionel Messi)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aimar
Nobby's dad
Feb 6, 2008 at 5:45 PM
Comment #21Howie…..you’re not seriously suggesting that Emre is of the same quality as Nobby? Solano is one of the finest to grace the SJP turf – a footballing God. Emre IMO is distinctly average.
Jeremy9
Feb 6, 2008 at 5:47 PM
Comment #22hate to bring race into it, but that might of had to do with no foul being called on Emre in that game where he was sent off, and then him actually being shown a straight red i think. he might have made those comments last year and maybe the ref remembered that.
Tripp
Feb 6, 2008 at 5:55 PM
Comment #23Wish we still had nobby. A fit and mentally readjusted Dyer would have been nice too. I’d wager our table position would be a bit better if we had those two. But lets face it, when Sam came in they were keen to get out. Solano is particularly missed.
Swede1891
Feb 6, 2008 at 6:00 PM
Comment #24sorry if the info regarding maradona/aimar was slightly inaccurate.. it shows you cannot trust swedish papers 100%:) thank you for updating me. A question:: nearly all of you people here (plus me) are of the opinion that Butt should be on the bench (at best)…and also everyone i know thinks the same…still he ALWAYS makes the starting line-up. Why??? Please explain this someone!!
Nobby's dad
Feb 6, 2008 at 6:01 PM
Comment #25Tripp….I’ve said it before about Nobby… but never has 2.5 million pounds been more wisely spent.
We owe Daglish respect for that purchase alone (plus Speed and Given). It was the rest of the rubbish he bought that was his downfall – plus the crap football!
Howie
Feb 6, 2008 at 6:07 PM
Comment #26speed,given and nobby for less than 10million. i remember when speed joined for 5.5m i thought we were ripped off but boy would i love a gary speed in his prime in our team at the moment
Black Caesar
Feb 6, 2008 at 6:38 PM
Comment #27Only a madman will call Emre distinctly average.
mitch
Feb 6, 2008 at 6:40 PM
Comment #28I love Emre for me he knows how to open teams up and when he has a good run in the team we do well N Zog can leave for me I think he is a great player but he constantly whinges off the field and any player who needs to be beside there mammy in London deserves to live in that sh*t hole
briss
Feb 6, 2008 at 7:08 PM
Comment #29That foul Emre commited was pritty soft and woulda been suprised if he got a yellow like. Referees are geting way too jumpy about those straight reds. they must be mackems! ahaha
briss
Feb 6, 2008 at 7:10 PM
Comment #30Swede i agree with you . it just must be that he is experienced and is a leader for the lads. but he is really doing nothing but holding the team back in my opinion!
hamzemre
Feb 6, 2008 at 7:14 PM
Comment #31am glad Emre’ll get another run of games to better our team & himself. Yea wish we’ve some1 like Gary Speed besides Emre in the pitch. miss so much Nobby Solano’s accurate passing fr. flank, what a legend he is.
Gordon
Feb 6, 2008 at 7:23 PM
Comment #32Hated Gary Speed tbh, thought he was the most overrated player to play for us in the modern era!!!
He used to walk around the pitch touching the ball about five times a half! He used to get regularly booed and picked out by the fans too along with Warren Barton, not sure why he has become such a saint since he left…
I was a Rob Lee fan all the way 😉
Arteta would be a great player to try and get – we need more technique and skill in the team, not more bruises and talentless ‘100 percenters’…
Swede1891
Feb 6, 2008 at 7:25 PM
Comment #33Emre´s one of the best players tonight (turkey vs sweden)…as usual! Some brilliant passes to Nihat..0-0 halftime..
hanzemre
Feb 7, 2008 at 8:37 AM
Comment #34indeed i’d prefered Rob Lee then Speed tbh he was great.
Graeme
Feb 7, 2008 at 10:10 AM
Comment #35Sorry, but I just dont understand this euphoria over Emre. He plays half a game, at best. Most of the time he’s injured or suspended. When he doesnt feel like it, he doesnt play.
Get rid of him in the summer along with the rest of the deadwood and bring in some real attacking midfield talent.