With Newcastle United again having huge injury problems this season it turns out that Joe Kinnear has almost canceled the training this week.
Nicky Butt – doubtful for Saturday
Kinnear, probably wisely, has trimmed down the amount of training the lads are getting, just in case others get injured, that’s how thin our squad is right now.
Jose Enrique, Nicky Butt and Shola Ameobi are all doubtful for the Saturday game at Hull City in spite of playing in the debacle last Sunday, when Liverpool showed Newcastle fans that our team has a long long way to go – but we kind of already knew that.
Joe has almost canceled regular training and he talked about this today:
“It’s been more or less a case of canceling training and wrapping all my players up in cotton wool, and then we’ll see if we can get 11 out for Hull,”
“It’s tough, but it’s my job to keep them all up for it. I have to face it, and it’s my job to lift whoever’s fit to play.”
Joe will wait until at least Friday to see what the likely starting eleven will be, when Butt, Enrique and Ameobi will have their fitness tests.
Kinnear continued:
“In terms of injuries, we’ve gone backwards since I arrived here.”“We didn’t have any full-backs to begin with, and now we are back to that, with Habib out for two months and Enrique struggling.”
“We have several injuries we’re sweating on, and the pain in the neck is that I won’t know what my team is likely to be until Friday.”
“Obviously, we want a decent cup run, and we’re up for Hull, but it’s dependent on which players we have.”
“With Viduka, Martins and Shola injured at the minute, we have just Michael Owen and Andy Carroll to go with up top.”
We don’t want to sound like a broken record, but maybe Joe can look into why Newcastle seem to have so many more injuries than other Premier teams over the last several seasons.
There’s got to be areason for it, and it at least seems worth the effort.
Comments welcome.
53 comments so far
Watch Football Highlights
Dec 31, 2008 at 12:52 PM
Comment #1I think Kinnear did what anyone should have done. They surely don’t want to lose anymore of the players. There are already more than 5 players that are doubtful for the next game.
Turkish Magpie
Dec 31, 2008 at 12:55 PM
Comment #2the reason is bad luck !
Murphy
Dec 31, 2008 at 12:58 PM
Comment #3Why doesn’t kinnear even recognise Xisco, he’s a newcastle striker that cost £6 million pounds and he doesn’t get infront of Andy Caroll!! does anyone recon he’s already been sold? and they have an agreement to keep him off the pitch to keep him fit?
Turkish Magpie
Dec 31, 2008 at 1:04 PM
Comment #4Teams for Hull without the 3 doubtfuls
———————Given—————
—Edgar——Colo—–Bass—Nzogbia
—Jonas———-Guthrie——–Duff-
——————-LuaLua—————
—————Owen——Xisco———
that way Taylor, Carroll and Geremi cover for defence strike and midfeild so we’re covered a bit for injury!
LuaLua is pure Class too! and deserves a chance!
Marty-TOON RISING
Dec 31, 2008 at 1:05 PM
Comment #5Maybe this means ranger will get a place on the bench too
neeraj
Dec 31, 2008 at 1:06 PM
Comment #6kinnear
you have a striker named- xisco
reillers
Dec 31, 2008 at 1:09 PM
Comment #7Ah yes, just what we need after the Liverpool game and the smashing preformance that went along with it, very little training.
StevieA
Dec 31, 2008 at 1:11 PM
Comment #8I agree play Xisco or Ranger. Why is Carrol getting all these chances? Yes he’s hard working and holds the ball up fairly well but is he really the answer to our problems at the moment?
We could play N’Zogbia at left back with Edgar at right back. Not ideal but they should be enough against a not very creative Hull side.
I hope Lua Lua get’s a chance. It’s about time we started to give the young players a chance. Especially Ranger he looks brilliant!
nightfall
Dec 31, 2008 at 1:11 PM
Comment #9team against hull should be:
harper
taylor bassong colo kadar
lualua geremi guthrie zog
duff xisco
toonmadtom
Dec 31, 2008 at 1:12 PM
Comment #10thats a good point that murphy. if we pay 6m for a striker we have to play him ahead of the reserves otherwise its sending out bad signals to any targets in jan.
StevieA
Dec 31, 2008 at 1:14 PM
Comment #11Does anyone think Xisco is going back to Dep La Coruna? Perhaps a swap deal?
Chris Hughton said this recently about Xisco – “”It hasn’t been easy for Xisco,” said Hughton. “He came here on transfer deadline day and didn’t have a pre-season with us.
“We’re still finding about him and he’s still finding about us, but he’s still a young player at 22 and we’re expecting that he’ll get better and better.”
So maybe it just means they are taking there time with him? Letting him settle in?
Macas
Dec 31, 2008 at 1:14 PM
Comment #12Kinnear gets to see Xisco in training every day, we don’t. Maybe the lad just isn’t up to it.
toonmadtom
Dec 31, 2008 at 1:17 PM
Comment #13i dont think zog should play as a lb. he is an attacking minded winger. owen and duff up front
StevieA
Dec 31, 2008 at 1:20 PM
Comment #14What about Ben Tozer? Bit of a radical idea I know! Playing a youngster and all..
Murphy
Dec 31, 2008 at 1:22 PM
Comment #15All I can think of is that he’s terrible in training! it’s a horrible bit of business if he can’t get into the first team ahead of reserve strikers and we paid 6 million for him. I just wish we’d give him a chance to prove himself as he surley can’t be that bad and you never know he might suprise a few doubters. I’d play :-
………………..Harper…………………
Edgar..Collocini..Taylor..Bassong
Jonas..Guthrie….Geremi..N’zogbia
………………….Owen………………….
………………………Xisco……………..
nightfall
Dec 31, 2008 at 1:23 PM
Comment #16StevieA – radical only for JK…not for wenger, roeder, robson, ramos, o’leary, o’neill,…etc.etc.etc.
Alex
Dec 31, 2008 at 1:26 PM
Comment #17Apparently Finnan wants to come back to the premiership from Spain , he is a right back so if Xisco does not figure in Jk plans then how about a swap deal ? we get a premiership experienced defender and Xisco goes back to his home country . Good deal for everyone
steve
Dec 31, 2008 at 1:28 PM
Comment #18nightfall – you’re having a laugh, putting xisco and duff up front = zero goals mate
StevieA
Dec 31, 2008 at 1:30 PM
Comment #19I would go with
…………………. Given ……………….
Taylor..Colocini.. Bassong.. Tozer
Jonas.. Guthrie.. N’Zogbia.. Duff
…………………..Owen ………………..
………………… Ranger ………………
Or if it’s ‘too soon’ for Ranger swap him with Xisco. Andy Carrol will never be a goal scorer I don’t think, would much rather see Donaldson in the first team squad myself. Send Carrol out on loan again.
Champion
Dec 31, 2008 at 1:32 PM
Comment #20Give Xisco a chance! He needs a run out. Would like to see Lua Lua play as he looks a future talent same could be said for Kadar who couldn’t be any worse than Taylor or Colo at the weekend.
Legs
Dec 31, 2008 at 1:34 PM
Comment #21It seems we’re all getting canny pissed with the lack of youth opportunities within the first team.
Its a joke like. I just wanna kick JK up the arse and slap him about a bit. Although hes doing an OK job, theres no doubt hes an idiot.
reillers
Dec 31, 2008 at 1:35 PM
Comment #22I’d love Finnan, great player, lots of experience. He’s a great defender and Liverpool should never have gotten rid of him, Rafa had a problem with him, he just didn’t rate him.
But he’s a great player and a defender that Given actually trusts in front of him.
ToonAsia
Dec 31, 2008 at 1:36 PM
Comment #23the line up should be
—————–Given——————–
Edgar–Colo–Taylor–Bassong
Jonas–Geremi–Guthrie–N’zogbia
————————-Duff—————–
it’s waste to use N’Zogbia on left back
ToonAsia
Dec 31, 2008 at 1:36 PM
Comment #24the line up should be
—————–Given——————–
Edgar–Colo–Taylor–Bassong
Jonas–Geremi–Guthrie–N’zogbia
————————-Duff—————–
—————Owen———————
it’s waste to use N’Zogbia on left back
Champion
Dec 31, 2008 at 1:39 PM
Comment #25Yeah i would like to see Finnan too, would add a lot of PL experience to our back 4. Think we should a t least get him on loan till the end of the season with option to sign.
Murphy
Dec 31, 2008 at 1:39 PM
Comment #26Legs – it’s a bit difficult letting youngsters into the first team in the position we’re in. If we were sitting in mid table with a few points to spare i’m sure he’d rest some first teamers but the state we’re in he can’t take ANY chances. That’s the problem Ashley has let us get into, we’re not giving youngsters a chance we’re now relying on some of them to perform to get us points on the board – it aint a run-out like most teams would give youngsters. We also haven’t had a confortable lead to let them have 20 minutes or so, we’ve always had to keep our stronges side out to avoid conceding late goals etc.
Turkish Magpie
Dec 31, 2008 at 1:45 PM
Comment #27Why dont we go for an expereinced team with an all young bench?
bench: Krul,Edgar,Kadar,Carroll,Ranger,LuaLua,Tozer
that way if we have to make a sub a youngster comes on and gains expereince.
By the way, did LuaLua make an apperance against Wigan or Lpool?
StevieA
Dec 31, 2008 at 1:47 PM
Comment #28The cup game is a perfect opportunity surely? Especially for the likes of Ranger who is a natural goal scorer. Tozer is a very highly rated player too.
We seem to have a fear that the youngster will be scarred for life if he doesn’t play a blinder but sometimes you just have to give them a run out, it doesn’t matter how young they are. Look at Man Utd and Arsenal as examples of a good youth policy and giving youth a chance to break into the first team.
Champion
Dec 31, 2008 at 1:50 PM
Comment #29Turkish Magpie – Yeah Lua Lua came on for Owen against L’pool
Legs
Dec 31, 2008 at 1:52 PM
Comment #30Murphy, I get what your saying.
But the fact is most other clubs class a young player as 16. I remember keegan saying bassong was one for the future but he’s 22. Luckily due to injuries he got a chance to play otherwise he’d still be on the bench waiting to mature.
As far I as I’m concerned they’d be more reliable then some of our first team players.
tino97
Dec 31, 2008 at 1:52 PM
Comment #31I would give the youngsters a go. Play as many as possible. Kadar, Lualua, Ranger etc. We have got nothing to lose. Staying in the league is the priority. We can’t afford to lose any more first teamers. At least the youngsters would have a point to prove. They are clearly good enough!
TORONTOON
Dec 31, 2008 at 1:53 PM
Comment #32i read something a while back, saying that our training ground needed a major make-over; Sir Bobby tried to address this but fat Fred wouldn’t have any of it.
also i read that because of the location, our grounds are physically harder than other grounds because of the cold. is there any truth is this? we just seem to always have a lot of players injured…
GOERDIE IN NORWAY
Dec 31, 2008 at 1:53 PM
Comment #33come sing with me. (tune.lennon. give peace a chance)
all we are saying, is give youth a chance
Champion
Dec 31, 2008 at 1:56 PM
Comment #34Agreed, we shouldn’t risk injuries to any more of our 1st team. God help us if we lost someone like Given, Guthrie or Coloccini.
Toon1978
Dec 31, 2008 at 1:57 PM
Comment #35Kinnear talking about loan signings in the Chronicle which imo is not the way forward. Why doesn’t Ashley spend the money necessary to keep us in the EPL. We cannot even get hold of a CC player in Kightly what a joke. Ashley better splash his money or he will have a mob on his back again. We shouldn’t have to dip into the CC it shows our ambition and how greedy if the talk be true that how tight Ashley is.
Legs
Dec 31, 2008 at 1:57 PM
Comment #36GOERDIE IN NORWAY,
what a perfect chant for jk.
tino97
Dec 31, 2008 at 1:59 PM
Comment #37I would rest Colo he seemed tired and we can’t risk Owen as he is our fit striker really. Give the kids a go. Look what happened with Bassong.
Murphy
Dec 31, 2008 at 2:01 PM
Comment #38Yeah I get what you’re saying, but these big clubs give the youngsters a run out cause the cups mean nothing to then, it’s just more matches to play, so they don’t really care if they win or not. If we field a few youngsters the likley hood is that we’ll get beat – and there’s another seaon without even a sniff of a cup. I’d really like a good run this year so I hope JFK will field the strongest team he possibly can with-out risking further injuries.
I guess he’s in a pretty bad situation, does he play his first teamers in a cup and risk players like Owen and Bassong getting injured and sending us further down the table or does he go for it and hope we get a good run in the cup.
Champion
Dec 31, 2008 at 2:01 PM
Comment #39I think there is an element of bad luck, who would have guessed Lee Catermole would first take out our best CM and then cripple our only RB
ObaFan2
Dec 31, 2008 at 2:01 PM
Comment #40Murphy, it’s a cup game so imo would be an ideal opportunity for some younger players to play 1st team football, as most seem to be saying here.
I seem to remember Roeder had to rely on some younger players during his better spell (ok Shearer was helping him lol) and it seemed to work.
Just needs good management…. is JFK up to it? 😆