Mike Ashley’s rash decision to entrust the First Artists agency with putting every single player up for sale in the first team squad, has caused deep concern with some of the Newcastle players.
Steven Taylor – doesn’t want to leave Newcastle (ever?)
A Newcastle insider was quoted today:
“Everybody knew that there would be casualties because of relegation and that some big names would be on their way down the road.”
“What has to be said though is that there is a group of players who are still willing to fight on for the club and try to get back to the Premier League at the first attempt.”
“The players thought that it would be a case of going away for the summer and Alan Shearer would be the manager when they get back.”
“And that’s also something that is worrying them as professionals because of the unbelievable amount of instability in the last few years.”
We are sure some of those players are Steven Taylor, Nicky Butt, Steven Harper, Damien Duff, Habib Beye and some of the others who have already said they want to stay at the club, and help take it back to the Premier League.
And we understand Oba Martins would also like to stay on at Newcastle, but this would only be true if Alan Shearer was managing the club.
We have to believe the groups vying for control of the the club would install Shearer as manager, with the Newcastle fans so overwhelmingly in favor of the former England and Newcastle great.
But not all these players will be able to stay, because we will not be able to afford their wages, unless the new owners are willing to pay those wages to keep some of our better and more dedicated players at the club next season.
In fact if things turn out well in the next few weeks, we still have hopes that Seb Bassong will stay on Tyneside, but we’ll have to wait and see on that one, and the club will need to sort itself out very quickly, otherwise he’ll be on his way.
And in fact Bassong did not get his first cap for Cameroon in their 0-0 draw with Morocco on Saturday, although Geremi was capped yet again for his country, and now has 103 caps.
Comments welcome.
53 comments so far
Billy Bunter
Jun 9, 2009 at 5:25 PM
Comment #41i think it was when ashley paid off the mortgage, he wanted to do sell the land cheap so he could rent it and take the profit from us.
Nick 69
Jun 9, 2009 at 5:51 PM
Comment #42obafan – they did always own the land, ashley never sold them it for 1 pound.
billy bunter- i know ashley is dumb, but if he wanted to make profit, selling the land for 1 pound then renting it back wouldnt be the way to do that!
jimiley
Jun 9, 2009 at 6:15 PM
Comment #43The high earners at this club can all clear off. They let the club down and now want to stay to get us back up. Loyal players. Bollocks. Most of them did not care. The only reason the likes of Duff and Martins want to stay is because no other club in the world would pay them 70 or 80 K a week. And we are in the Championship. They are proving that they are lazy and greedy all over again. If they want to help us back into the Prem and prove their loyalty, let them offer to take a massive pay cut. Fat chance. Clear off to some Prem club and cop 30 grand instead of 80. Fat chance!!!! Loyal players? Greedy wasters.
Rangerman
Jun 9, 2009 at 6:55 PM
Comment #44It’s hard to have any sympathy for any of them after the gutless performances they put out over the past season.
Tom_Toon
Jun 9, 2009 at 9:31 PM
Comment #45Bewildered?
How? Why? WHAT!
They see their paychecks at the end of the week/month and they’re probably on more than some of us think.
Honestly, I wouldn’t put up a fight for any first teamer, bar Guthrie. Guthrie and a handful of youth players are the only ones i dont mind not seeing the back off.
Isaac Hunt
Jun 9, 2009 at 9:53 PM
Comment #46Had a crazy thought last week. The council own the land. Let’s imagine we drop into the 1st and struggle to stay there. Let’s imagine the council buying the club. It’s as close to Barca as we could get. It’s what we want. Sponsored by Mr Ching’s Fenham crack-house 🙂
Tom_Toon
Jun 9, 2009 at 9:58 PM
Comment #47–
Isaac Hunt
Jun 9, 2009 at 10:23 PM
Comment #48I went to Blaydon Races
‘Twas on the 9th of June
Eighteen Hundred and Sixty Two
On a Summer’s Afternoon
We took the bus from Balmbras
And she was heavy laden
Away we went along Collingwood Street
That’s on the Road to Blaydon
Chorus:
Oh me lads, you should’ve seen us gannin’
Passing the folks along the road
just as they were stannin’
Aal the lads and lasses there
aal wi’ smilin’ faces
Gannin along the Scotswood Road
To see the Blaydon Races
We flew past Armstrong’s factory
And up by the Robin Adair
gannin ower the Railway Bridge
The bus wheel flew off there
The lasses lost their crinolenes
And the veils that hide their faces
I got two black eyes and a broken nose
gannin t’ Blaydon Races
Oh me lads…
Now when we got the wheel back on
Away we went again
But them that had their noses broke
They went back ower hyem
Some went to the dispensary
And some to Doctor Gibbses
And some to the infirmary
To mend their broken ribses
Oh me lads…
Now when we got to Paradise
There were bonny games begun
There were four and twenty on the bus
And how we danced and sung
They called on me to sing a song
and I sung ’em ‘Paddy Fagan’
I danced a jig and I swung me twig
The day wi’ went to Blaydon
Oh me lads…
We flew across the Chain Bridge
And into Blaydon Toon
The bellman he was calling then
They called him Jackie Broon
I saw him talking to some chaps
And them he was persuadin’
To gan and see Geordie Ridley’s show
At the Mechanics’ Hall in Blaydon
Oh me lads…
The rain it poured down all the day
And made the ground quite muddy
Coffee Johnny had a white hat on
Shouted ‘Whi stole the cuddy?’
There were spice stalls and monkey shows
And owld wives selling ciders
And a chap on a ha’penny roundaboot
Saying ‘noo me lads for riders?’
Oh me lads… (to fade)
Isaac Hunt
Jun 9, 2009 at 10:25 PM
Comment #49‘Paradise’ was an area just off Scotty road.
SHEARER 4 TOON
Jun 9, 2009 at 10:37 PM
Comment #50Don’t you just love The Blaydon Races
lesh
Jun 10, 2009 at 8:13 AM
Comment #51All good stuff eh! Bassong et al in the departure lounge!
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/gallery/2009/jun/09/newcastle-united-potential-transfer?picture=348630219
Tom_Toon
Jun 10, 2009 at 11:43 AM
Comment #52#######
toonluvva
Jun 10, 2009 at 5:56 PM
Comment #53Unfortuntely it’s not the players who seem to decide whether to stay at a team or not but the agents.
I’ll bet that every single one of the senior players currently on the books will be contacted by their agents about possible moves either abroad or to another Premiership Club.
The only way we can keep them is to continue paying their vastly inflated salaries, and that is not an option.
You all know who should go (and in my mind there are only about 6 who should stay), this will reduce our £74m wages bill, and hopefully with the money we get for the departees we can replace them with some decent players.
I confess that I haven’t followed the Championship this season. I didn’t expect us to get relegated until the final game of the season, hell I even bought a 3 year season ticket.
We need new owners, and quickly. We desperatley need a manager who can sign good players and motivate them to put in a full 90 minutes in every match they play. If we can achieve that then a return to the Premiership is almost assured.
Keep the faith, they say the darkest hour is just before dawn.