Newcastle have brought in two center-backs in January, and both players look more than decent.
Fabricio Coloccini – shown dedication to Newcastle United
We bought Portsmouth’s Mike Williamson for around £1M, and the player looks a bargain at that price.
We also brought in QPR’s Fitz Hall, on loan through the end of the season.
Both players are 6’4″ tall, and should be good in the air, and they look to be just that.
If Newcastle decide to bring Fitz Hall permanently into the club during the summer, then we’ll have Coloccini, Williamson, Steven Taylor, Fitz Hall and 19 year-old youngster Tamas Kadar – all challenging for the two central defensive positions.
We wonder if things are being set up to sell Argentine Fabricio Coloccini, and get his reported £75K/week off the wage bill.
We think that would be a mistake, because the Argentine has been a mountain at the back for Newcastle this season, and has amply shown his dedication to the Newcastle cause.
Fabricio will also be motivated next season to show he is a Premier League class player, after a spotty first season last year.
With the experiences of his last two seasons in English football, we have to believe he will be a lot better in the Premier League next season, if we get promoted.
What do you think? Do you think the club are maneuvering to sell Fabricio this summer?
Let us know – comments welcome.
29 comments so far
Ericles
Feb 19, 2010 at 12:10 PM
Comment #1I reckon fat Ashley will sell Coloccini because he wants to cream NUFC for all he can get. If he is serious about a 30,000 wage cap he will offer out any player he can sell to reduce the pay bill. Even if he wants to stay I can see the fat man putting Steven Taylor out to the highest bidder. Roll up, roll up, and come and see fat Ashleys middle of the road middle of nowhere NUFC for season 2010 to 2011. On your bike fat man and leave our team behind you.
Tom4Nufc
Feb 19, 2010 at 12:13 PM
Comment #2The first thought that came to my head was ‘No, I don’t think so’ this is because he is an Ashley signing and part of his regime rather then the past era. Although in saying that maybe the club are putting themselves in a situation where ‘if’ Coloccini has a cracking world cup (assuming he gets into Argentinian squad) a bid comes in of say 8-12million pounds, it would be hard to turn down especially as we have a sterling replacement in Williamson and an up and coming star in Kadar.
I also think signing Fitz Hall on a permanent deal would be a mistake as to me he seems between average to good for the Championship and will just get destroyed in the Premier League ‘if’ we go up. If we don’t go up (God Forbid) then he is exactly the type of player we want for next season, strong and quick for this level as well as committed…Although lets not think about that! 😀
kkma
Feb 19, 2010 at 12:14 PM
Comment #3Frankly, he is dedicated this season. We should keep more premier class players to compete in PL next season provided that we can get promoted.
Ericles
Feb 19, 2010 at 12:19 PM
Comment #4I thought about Captain Beefheart’s Prem-o-Meter and fiddled around with a calculator – but not with his obvios mathematical prowess. So I came up with the following extrapolation based on averages and the assumption there will be no sharp deviations from progress so far. Thus in May we will have NUFC (92 points), West Brom (89), Nottm For (84), Cardiff (75), Swansea (74), Leicester (72). I am assuming we keep our unbeaten home record as well. Just a couple of dodgy results could still see us in the play-offs methinks.
Captain Beefheart
Feb 19, 2010 at 12:21 PM
Comment #5Colo is a class act, we have precious few left. Kadar is well short of even Championship standard and One Size is no more than a stop gap from what I have seen to date. That leaves us three viable centre backs only for the Prem if we make it – and there’s already talk of Taylor leaving. Look at the results with Colo, and those without. He has never been fully appreciated.
Aza9
Feb 19, 2010 at 12:24 PM
Comment #6With Colo on a reported 80k a week, i think Hughton would allow him to go if a decent bid came in to free up wages and transfer funds. Wouldn’t be too annoyed if he goes but Jonas and Jose could follow which would be my only worry.
Captain Beefheart
Feb 19, 2010 at 12:24 PM
Comment #7Ericles, Beefy’s one and only (c) PROM-o-METER will be back after the weekend fixtures. That’s where the truth lies!
derekm
Feb 19, 2010 at 12:33 PM
Comment #8You have to laugh at the way people knock Ashley trying to cap salaries – some of even the biggest premier clubs are in serious trouble financially and FIFA are starting to change the rules to stop the top clubs being ridiculously funded multi – billionaires toys. The writing is on the wall for the frankly obscene salaries and Ashley has always stated that he wanted to follow the Arsenal method. They have had salary caps for many years, are very profitable and play the sort of football we can only dream of. No one moaned when the Owens and Martins of this world moved on and allowed us to begin rebuilding to a new level whereby the club is sound and stable. Collocini struggled badly in his first premiership year – time will tell if this was due to him being forced to settle into a much higher quality of opposition than he was used to, or if he is just not good enough against the world’s best. A good world cup will decide if he stays or goes!
Sav
Feb 19, 2010 at 12:34 PM
Comment #9Its a balancing act. For Colo’s salary we could pay two other decent Premiership salaries. And I have to say, good as he’s been for us in the Championship season (ans all credit to the lad for knuckling down to do a job for us without moaning or getting an agent to spout off about wanting to go to Real Madrid etc. as so many others have) the fact is the jury is still out on Colo in the Premiership. As Ed hints, is he good enough or not?
I think a big offer after a decent World Cup and it will be ‘adios’ with Fat Mike eager to get some of his dosh back. Get yer ration books oot, lads an’ lasses.
G
Feb 19, 2010 at 12:48 PM
Comment #10Agree with Sav here, Colo still has to prove he is up to the prem. Historicaly speaking Argies seem to have a tough first season over here, which may explain his performances in the prem, however, I think we would be mad to sell him until we at least give him a run out in the prem (assuming we get there!).
NUFC-0809-Oh Dear
Feb 19, 2010 at 12:56 PM
Comment #11I wouldnt be surprised if cA$hley shows Steven Taylor the exit door as he is one of our most saleable assets.
GeordieMeerkat
Feb 19, 2010 at 12:59 PM
Comment #12It depends if we can get a good replacement for whatever money we get for him.
I’d still like Onuoha to come in and Addison is very good too altough he’s had a lot of injuries this season.
Ericles
Feb 19, 2010 at 1:23 PM
Comment #13Look forward to the next Prom-o-Meter Captain Beefheart. Agree about Colo – I reckon there is more to his play than he gets credit for. The fat man knows it and will try and capitalise on him if he gets a good show in the world cup.
workyticket
Feb 19, 2010 at 1:52 PM
Comment #14Ericles // Feb 19, 2010 at 12:10 PM
“If he is serious about a 30,000 wage cap”
Ericles, when have the club ever mentioned anything about a £30,000 per week wage cap?
MacToon
Feb 19, 2010 at 1:53 PM
Comment #15Anything can happen with this owner here, nothing will surprise me.
What I’m dreading is another season in the prem getting thrashed by the best teams and struggling against the rest.
Harper, Staylor,Colo, Enrique and Jonas are our best players, sell them and our team will be $hite.
Butt and Smith are on high wages and should be replaced for next season IMO.
toonboyjake
Feb 19, 2010 at 2:50 PM
Comment #16workyticket // Feb 19, 2010 at 1:52 PM
Ericles // Feb 19, 2010 at 12:10 PM
“If he is serious about a 30,000 wage cap”
Ericles, when have the club ever mentioned anything about a £30,000 per week wage cap?
Workyticket im pretty sure that it was mentioned throughout the transfer window, not sure if it was true but it has been said
Newutd
Feb 19, 2010 at 3:17 PM
Comment #17Fitz Hall will prove to be shite…
I hope we keep Colo, and I agree with you MacToon with almost everything. Would keep Smith tho.
workyticket
Feb 19, 2010 at 3:18 PM
Comment #18toonboyjake // Feb 19, 2010 at 2:50 PM
“Workyticket im pretty sure that it was mentioned throughout the transfer window, not sure if it was true but it has been said”
Jake, The Sunday Mirror said they were told by a “Toon source”.
Shot Bru
Feb 19, 2010 at 3:27 PM
Comment #19Sell him at the end of the season. No pace and poor in the air, two of the main assets you need as a centre back in the PL. We’ll be lucky to get £4 million for him.
will die for the toon army
Feb 19, 2010 at 3:51 PM
Comment #20The wage cap is 60,000k per week if we go to the EPL. That is what I heard and for COLO, he is going to stay. I dont think we are going to sell any more quality and I dont think MA is that stupid. Lets look at all the players he has sold;
1. Emre – Injury prone had to leave.
2. Milner – Villa wtd him so badly and kept meeting our bids.
3. All those after relagation wtd to leave so. He has never forced any sell.
If what is said is true abt the wage bill coming from 75m to 35m. Then I think no one is going to be sold.
will die for the toon army
Feb 19, 2010 at 3:55 PM
Comment #21Shot Bru, abt pace I remember on the Aston Villa game he chased Gabby and on the Man U game the first one he chased Wayne Rooney and got there before all of them.
Colo played well until he started getting criticized. Last season the whole team was sh@t.
Ericles
Feb 19, 2010 at 4:13 PM
Comment #22Workyticket – check the Evening Chronicle for around January 24th. See article by John Richardson and following comments.
workyticket
Feb 19, 2010 at 5:10 PM
Comment #23Ericles // Feb 19, 2010 at 4:13 PM
“Workyticket – check the Evening Chronicle for around January 24th. See article by John Richardson and following comments.”
The article by John Richardson was in the Daily Express, Ericles. This was the story
“NEWCASTLE United’s unpopular owner Mike Ashley will impose a wage ceiling of £30,000 a week on any new signings if they win back a Premier League place.
“That would mean the Geordies, who have paid huge wages of up to £110,00 a week for stars like Michael Owen in the past, will be unable to attract the top players to St James’ Park in the summer.
“Ashley believes that gigantic wage bills are crippling clubs and he wants to make a stand.
“Newcastle have confirmed our Sunday Express exclusive that they are ending their 14-year association with kit suppliers adidas at the end of the season in favour of Puma.”
It was was little different from the Sunday Mirror story, and that’s all it stands on. There has been absolutely nothing from the club on it.
yorkshire toon
Feb 19, 2010 at 6:34 PM
Comment #24im getting sick and tired of all this slagging ashley , no one from the club has said that they intend to sell anyone evryone was moaning in january that they wasnt making any signings then out the blue 5-6 signings in 2 weeks and he is still getting slated for that, williamson is great cover for colo and taylor a good signing , then routledge everyone was posting on here that nothing was happening down the right they identified that and made another great signing,i dont no what else ashley has to do to win people over but you get fans calling him fat man and chanting ashley out i wouldnt blame him for cashing in on all the best players he has . I bet if shearer had come in the summer got rid of owen duff and co got the toon top of the league , then brought in williamson routledge and co for less than 5 million in january the man woudnt be a legend anymore he would be GOD , i no ashley made some horrible mistakes but he has apologised for relagation and since he appointed hughton full time i think he has got it right so far tthis season ,so come if we keep calling him he will be buying no one and he could sell the club to anyone and we dont want to end up like portsmouth do we ..
Shropshire Northumbrian
Feb 19, 2010 at 11:39 PM
Comment #25I agree totally with yorkshire toon – Ashley did not have a clue last season and it looked that he was going to finish the club, but credit where it is due. I’m not sure what more he could have done this season and without him we would have been in administration.
Warwick Toon
Feb 20, 2010 at 12:19 AM
Comment #26—> yorkshire toon
Oh how quickly you forget…
1. Mike Ashley made a policy of lying to the fans.
2. He was and still is so arrogant that he thought he could simply do everything his way and f****d us over completely.
3. His own stupidity has lost him a fortune on the club, and then he’s tried to recoup as much of the loss as possible before he sells the club.
4. He was and still is (probably) desperate to sell the club and be shot of his “bit of fun gone wrong”
5. He lied about his intentions with Shearer, who, I believe would have made an excellent NUFC Manager given time and a year in the Champ to sort the club out.
6. Ashley has had a number of significant question marks over his other business interests and their activities/practices/ethics, which makes me question the ethics of the man.
Sure, no one expects an angel, but we Toon fans deserve better than this dodgy spurs fan, who couldn’t give a crap about the Toon aside of getting as much of his money out as poss before he goes.
I think he deserves all the sh1t he gets actually, the lowlife (albeit a rich lowlife)
I’ll add one positive…straightening out the wage bill and the to$$ers we had last season is good, but any sensible business should have seen that as a priority. Ashley had to do it as a crisis measure after relegation. If we’d stayed up, would the fat twat have kept on grinning in the stands? Dunno. Maybe.
nightfa11
Feb 20, 2010 at 2:39 AM
Comment #27for those who criticize colo based on his last years performance..newsflash…all players were horrible last year 🙂
yorkshire toon
Feb 20, 2010 at 7:19 AM
Comment #28Warwick i get all you are saying and agree with most of it , but the point im trying to get across is we are stuck with ashley for a long time yet unless you want to end up under foreign ownership. I think ashley came here with good intentions and yes he got it horribly wrong i think the biggest one was bringing keegan back which i beleive he did cause he was listening to the fans to much, then when keegan walked it was always goner be a disaster end of season which left us relagated , sinc the n he admitted he got it wrong and apologised for relagation he didnt take shearer on because that would have been listening to the fans again and i also think he was demanding to much wages which is fine if we was a proven manager which he isnt . I just think we need to cut ashley a bit of slack and we might get a bit back but we wont get anything chanting ashley out !! fat man !! its ok all this
BUT WHO THE HELL IS GONER BUY US OUT
yorkshire toon
Feb 20, 2010 at 7:29 AM
Comment #29SHEARER WILL BE A GREAT NUFC
IN THE FUTURE