Kevin Keegan has to have a huge clear out out of some of the existing squad, once th e summer arrives, at the same time he brings in new players. The class of players he can bring in will depend on which league we will be playing in next season.
Oba Martins – showed just how superior he is to Smith as a striker today
But one thing is clear this squad has something missing and some of those players need to be turned loose. Some are obvious and some are not.
We will see the end of Ameobi and Carr, because they are just not good enough, and we’d like to see Mark Viduka move on because he is simply not worth the £65K/week we pay him. You can hardly say he is interested in playing games for us, even though we are in dire straights with relegation staring us in the face. Probably thinks it’s nothing to do with him – move him out.
Other players who are probably not good enough include Alan Smith. By his own admission Kevin only sees Alan as a striker. But he hasn’t scored a goal all season, we rest our case. We don’t think he’s a good enough striker so let’s get him out of the club.
Young Oba Martins came on this afternoon looking annoyed, and so he should be when he’s kept out of the team by Smith. Oba hit the cross-bar from 40 yards with Reina beaten all ends up – in what would have been a goal of the season candidate. No wonder Martins looked angry.
Oba Martins can become a real Newcastle hero by scoring key goals for us, and keep us in the Premier league – but he has to play first.
Kevin – are you reading this? 🙁
40 yards from goal and Smith usually passes to the opposition. Show Smith the door in the summer.
We will either be building for an assault on the Premier League next season or we will be consolidating in an attempt to get out of the Championship at the very first try. In either case, some players currently in the Newcastle club are simply not good enough or not interested enough – and need to be moved out.
Here’s a short list of six players who need to be moved out – for one reason or another:
Shola Ameobi – not good enough, and he’s never fulfilled his promise – will move to Norwich and Glenn Roeder
Stephen Carr – not good enough and his contract ends this summer – don’t renew it
Alan Smith – not good enough – a striker who doesn’t score any goals
Charles N’Zogbia – if he doesn’t want to stay he’ll be move out – it’s as easy as that
Mark Viduka – a player on huge wages who hardly plays and doesn’t seem interested
David Rozehnal – not good enough
One player we don’t include is Nicky Butt – but we think Nicky can still do a job for us at Newcastle – but we know he’s not popular with a lot of our readers.
What do you think? Who needs to go?
Comments welcome.
55 comments so far
Tom_Toon
Mar 8, 2008 at 6:54 PM
Comment #1Ye a clearout is needed, starting with Smith follow by Veegan.
Graham
Mar 8, 2008 at 7:02 PM
Comment #2I didn’t see the game today but have read reports etc. Until now i wasn’t concerned about relegation but I have just looked at the table and i am shitting myself at the possibility of going to Crystal Palace and Stoke next year.
Alan Smith must never play for us again but i doubt that will happen. I have said all along that Oba is potentially world class.
I agree with Eds choices for shipping out but how many more will move out if were playing championship football?
Maybe we need a reality check – maybe we dont deserve to stay in the prem league and really need to start from scratch – a big crowd doesn’t make you a big club.
Although I disagree with some of Keegans selections, its Freddy Shepherd who has pretty much killed our club by making that egotistical tosspot Allardyce manager and stripping all self confidence from our players.
I live 500 yards from Shepherd and am really tempted…. really tempted!
ScottyT
Mar 8, 2008 at 7:03 PM
Comment #3follow the ones u mention with cacapa duff geremi barton (for definite) ramage and thn its more realistic
Graham
Mar 8, 2008 at 7:04 PM
Comment #4Tom_Toon – go elswhere please – its people like you who want to change a manager whenever things are bad who have got us in this mess.
ace_3
Mar 8, 2008 at 7:05 PM
Comment #5Get rid of Butt, Barton, Rozehnal Geremi, Smith, Viduka,Ameobi and Emre. They are all shite and should be shipped off.
ScottyT
Mar 8, 2008 at 7:06 PM
Comment #6agree ttly graham
billygee
Mar 8, 2008 at 7:07 PM
Comment #7You forgot Barton and Taylor
Tore T
Mar 8, 2008 at 7:12 PM
Comment #8Good analysis, however I’d like to add Nicky Butt to that list. He’s way past it, and at 33 he’s good riddance.
beright
Mar 8, 2008 at 7:50 PM
Comment #9The Duke, Owen, Smith
Duff, Barton, Emre, Butt
Rozenhal, Cacapa, Carr
Three new strikers and creative and hard working in the midfields. Bullard wouldnt be a bad replacement for Butt and Geremi isnt a terrible squad player
Martins
Mar 8, 2008 at 7:52 PM
Comment #10F***K nicky butt i hate him so much plus add cacapa to the list also he is old and past his best. Big clearout needeed indeed.
IrishMan
Mar 8, 2008 at 7:52 PM
Comment #11Graham, Stoke could well be playing in the Premier League next season, so you may not be going there (unless we pick up ten points, and we meet them there).
Ashton
Mar 8, 2008 at 7:57 PM
Comment #12just keep martins emre and beye
Jim
Mar 8, 2008 at 8:08 PM
Comment #13Keep:
Given, Harper, Forster, Beye, Faye, Taylor, Cacapa, Enrique, Butt, Milner, Emre, N’Zogbia, Duff, Martins, Owen…
The rest can hadawayanshite!
We need a RB, CB, LB, RW, 2xACM, 1xDCM, 2xfrontmen!
The ‘9!’ new signings should all be first choice players for Barca, Milan, MankU, Liverpool, Arsehole, Chelsea. Perhaps a couple of current reserve players could come through along with 6 massive signings which would allow us to break into the top 8 next season. We could then consolidate and try for top 6. In KK’s 3rd full year. all being fantasy, a top 4. KK could then sign another contract and win the league!
In the real world, I think KK has too much faith in Smith and Barton (when legal). I don’t like the way they’re always in the starting lineup. I would keep Butt, Given, Cacapa ,Taylor, Enrique, Duff and Martins as subs and use the new signings along with Harper as no. 1 choices.
That’s if we stay up and if we can attract true class. It’s looking shakey!
Jim
Mar 8, 2008 at 8:14 PM
Comment #14At least the Keeper position is covered already!
trevo
Mar 8, 2008 at 8:22 PM
Comment #15Am I the only one who thinks Taylor is an absolute liability who drops his fellow defenders in the brown stuff constantly. If he was Spanish he would have been shown the door a long time ago. Yes he’s young and to have the best brought out in him he needs a decent centre half next to him. But I think at the minute he needs to be taken out of the firing line, he seems to be dropping huge clangers week in week out which makes the players playing along side him look even worse than they are. He either makes a complete hash of a tackle and clearance or completly looses the player he’s marking and leaves whoever he’s playing along side completly exposed. I don’t want to see him leave the club but he needs to be taken out of the firing line, he’s playing with his heart and not his head at the minute. He could do with lending some of his heart to duff and co who are looking like men who have come from a title winning squad playing out the final years of there careers in 2nd gear, St James has turned into a graveyard for hasbeens partly due to Sam’s transfer policy. We need a huge clear out we have the wrong blend of players in both age and size. We should be used to being embaressed this season but it doesn’t get any easier!!!
Pete
Mar 8, 2008 at 8:23 PM
Comment #16The following players are simply not good enough : Alan Smith, Nicky Butt, Geremi, Stephen Carr, Cacapa, Joey Barton, Mark Viduka, Shola Ameobi, Rozenhal, Ramage. If we can find replacements for Emre(always injured), Milner(too slow, can’t cross to save his life), Michael Owen(doesn’t look interested, huge wages, Owen-factor) that’d be fine with me as well..
I guess that’s about 13 players out the door, and seeing as we’re already short on numbers we’ll need about 15-16 new players for the next campaign. C’mon Ashley, fork up the 2 billion needed
Dragoner
Mar 8, 2008 at 8:45 PM
Comment #17carr, viduka, smith, butt, ramage, emre, n’zogbia (if he wants) milner, owen, geremi all need to go
king
Mar 8, 2008 at 8:57 PM
Comment #18Im so tired of you blaming Smith all the time!!
Do you guys think Owen is any better??? Hell no!! HE IS S…T!! And dont get me started on Taylor…..
WE NEED SMITH!!!!
Ed
Mar 8, 2008 at 9:02 PM
Comment #19No, we can’t let Milner go, however any of the others would not be missed. Also, put enrique on loan as he clearly isn’t good enough at the moment.
BUT if we go down, i can’t see martins, given, or any other of our half decent players staying..
daiv
Mar 8, 2008 at 9:13 PM
Comment #20The first out the door is KEEGAN. sam would have kept us in the league. KK and his cronies… Butt Smith Barton and Carr will get us relegated. Any manager who believes a striker called Smith is “golddust” is clearly mad and needs to be sectioned.
Cayden
Mar 8, 2008 at 9:37 PM
Comment #21we need to kick alot of people out of the squad
owen viduka barton emre zogbia(shame) infact all thats over the age of 26 and these
imho we need english players or if not no player that comes from anywere from mid france or below
they usually dont like it up here and always want away within 2 years at best.
Mad_Magpie
Mar 8, 2008 at 10:06 PM
Comment #22To say Keegan should go is a disgrace.
“sam would have kept us in the league” – funny that, I didn’t think the season had ended yet!
AdamCF
Mar 8, 2008 at 10:51 PM
Comment #23It’s nice to see that we haven’t jumped on Enrique. It was a clear fluke that the clearance ricocheted off Pennant’s boot. Poor bugger will remember to punt it straight out for a corner next time.
Michael
Mar 8, 2008 at 11:35 PM
Comment #24Keegan first out the door.
Ant (Smith and Barton are SHIT)
Mar 8, 2008 at 11:39 PM
Comment #25THANK GOD!!!!
People wanting to drop Taylor from our first team…Cacapa and Faye with Enrique and Beye for me…can’t go wrong…Best defence in the world – no…better than most? Without a doubt
Anyone who wants that tasty turk to leave is a FOOL.
The toon weren’t THAT bad today…bring on the rest of the season…bring on next season and IF we are relegated I’m not worried…time to rebuild…nd we still get in the league and FA cup….We can just make them priority…Europe here we come…regardless of league
Anyone complaining about KK can f**k off…
HAWAY THE LADS
Mat
Mar 8, 2008 at 11:47 PM
Comment #26Viduka- the scapegoat. “Ship him out he’s not good enough…”??? Ed, how can he not be good enough when hasn’t even played?
‘He’s always injured, doesn’t want to play, ship him out…”???
Last game we saw him, he was on the bench, (obviously fit then). He also looked mightily pissed when he didn’t get a run, (obviously wanted to play then). Hasn’t played since coz of a ‘niggling injury’. That’s a KK euphemism for won’t play him cos he’s too fat and slow.
So, we haven’t seen him since because Keegan won’t pick him. Rumours are that they had a run in over tactics, (well Keegan’s hardly impressed there) and that he’s too old and slow to start, (ffs, he’s 32 and has never been able to run – hasn’t stopped him scoring a 100 goals in the prem) He got offered the same money at Boro but came to Newcastle because he wanted to win trophies, but no, all he cares about, according to you Ed and fans looking for a scapegoat, is money.
The truth is, Keegan’s not playing him because he’s too slow nothing more… and in KK’s simple mind that means he doesn’t get a game. The fat f*cker could still score half a dozen to a dozen in sh*tfull team to keep them up, has a track record of doing just that with Boro and yet one-dimensional simpletons like KK and others can’t get their head around that possibility.
Punk Skunk
Mar 8, 2008 at 11:52 PM
Comment #27Er!..Fat Sham bought smith & Barton ffs!..I still can’t believe we bought smith for £6m, i couldn’t believe it then & i’m still wondering how/why today…what a complete waste of £6m!..
…This season is doin’ my phuckin’ heed in…I haven’t been so depressed about football since the 80’s, shit!..
Rob
Mar 8, 2008 at 11:52 PM
Comment #28One keeper has to go in summer i pick given he will bugger off to the arse hole asernal when he does not start he is in a strop
richie
Mar 8, 2008 at 11:55 PM
Comment #29i actually think sam put us in this position with his signings.its bad very bad..4th from bottom will do and complete rebuild in summer
keep barton
Punk Skunk
Mar 8, 2008 at 11:58 PM
Comment #30How the hell can KK pick smith over Martins?..That beats the hell outta me!..Or smith over Viduka or smith over Carroll or smith over Ameobi or smith over the friggen tea-lady?..
Punk Skunk
Mar 8, 2008 at 11:59 PM
Comment #31Richie, if the Polis don’t take him away, y’mean?..
sohic
Mar 9, 2008 at 2:39 AM
Comment #32Owen is to blame , obviously the coach sets him as target man.
all the players are creating chance and space for him. you see how wasteful he is….
are u guys really watching????
ObaFan2
Mar 9, 2008 at 4:52 AM
Comment #33Players to wear black n white:
Oba
Harper
Shay
Beye
Faye
Duff ( had a bad day today)
jury still out:
Cacapa
Geremi
Emre
Zog
Milner
Owen
Duke
Enrique
Butt
The others…. well some aren’t even worth a mention.
Ausgeordie
Mar 9, 2008 at 7:16 AM
Comment #34Smith showed what he was all about in two moments of the game. He lost the game in a fair tackle, stopped and put his hand up instead of trying to get the ball back and at one stage got crowded, passed and then stopped. Didn’t keep running and creat space just stopped dead to let someone else do the work.
I can understand if he was used as a mid because we are short of quality in mids. But with Martins and Carroll in the wings as strikers surely we should not keep going with a strikeforce that has not scored goals in games.
Cyprus Mag
Mar 9, 2008 at 7:57 AM
Comment #35Ed I am surprised as a former senior manager at the simplistic view you take on shipping out the losers. When a business is failing the hardest people to lose are those who caused it to fail. These guys have contracts and we pay top dollar who is going to take them? The easy people to lose are the one’s you want to keep, mind you thats not so many of the current squad.
Nick Dryden
Mar 9, 2008 at 8:42 AM
Comment #36The trouble with a lot of our ”deadwood” is that they were already washed up, ”sicknote” rejects at their respective clubs, long before they came to us as mercenaries.
Their clubs were only too happy to get them off the wage bill when their collective legs had gone. Add in some gross incompetence and interference from Shepherd and we were only ever going to go one way.
Tom Toon you may not have been around for the last reign of King Kev (finished 2nd twice, 3rd and 6th). Tom, you have to give KK some time purely on the basis KK is the complete opposite to Allardyce. In my book that can only be a wonderful thing. If things don’t turn around then we finally, finally have to go for a top foreign coach.
To go
Given 2.5M. Well seved with younger keepers .
Carr FREE
Roz 1.5M
Cacapa FREE
Faye 1.0M
Butt FREE
Smith 2.3M
Barton 2.3M
Duff 2.1M
Emre 2.2M
Geremi FREE
Viduka FREE
Owen 4.5M
I would take a chance on KADAR, EDGAR, LUA and TROISI right now. They have the hunger, energy ad pride in the shirt we so desperately need an injection of.
GEORDIE69
Mar 9, 2008 at 9:07 AM
Comment #37Nick nice valuations! Why not Owen 4.2 million
Swepalle
Mar 9, 2008 at 9:53 AM
Comment #38Butt Barton Smith Viduka Cacapa Carr Rozenhal
OUT in with the young players that will fight for us …..
Jack Franklin
Mar 9, 2008 at 11:07 AM
Comment #39I can’t believe people want Keegan out already! Everyone seems to be blaming him for picking SMith/Butt, but remember, the players need to perform and they didn’t under Sam, they aint now. They need a reality check and fast. I hoped maybe the threat of Championship football might wake them up. Let’s hope it does. Big games coming up soon.
Leo
Mar 9, 2008 at 11:24 AM
Comment #40daiv “KK and his cronies… Butt Smith Barton and Carr will get us relegated” keegan didnt sign these players. so lay off please