For those of us who think the Newcastle squad is just not big enough and hoping for new recruits coming in to bolster the squad in January, we may have to think again after Derek Llambias’ interview in the Northern Echo.
Derek Llambias – will continue strict financial controls
Derek has insisted that Newcastle have to be very careful with what money they spend, and we cannot for instance have two top players vying for each position – like Jose Mourinho set up at Chelsea when he arrived in the summer of 2004.
The Newcastle Managing Director says that’s just not possible, because Newcastle cannot afford it.
This is what Derek said in the interview:
“We’ve made it quite clear to everyone. We have 11 positions that are grade A players or Purples, as we call them.” “Then, under them, we have the players who come in under them to take the positions so the squad gets bigger.”
“We’ve made it quite clear to everyone. We have 11 positions that are grade A players or Purples, as we call them” “Eventually we’ll have 33 players who will be pushing everyone. Where we are we have, in effect, 11 Purples if you count Vurnon Anita.”
“He can play midfield, right-back, left-back. They are there. Centre-backs you have Colo and Steven Taylor, who are fantastic centre-backs.” “To bring in another centre-back then you have James Perch, who is doing a fantastic job, Mike Williamson, who is doing a fantastic job.”
“You can’t have two purples per position because the club can’t afford it. You have to be realistic.”
Newcastle have been hit badly by injuries this season, and we already have both Ryan Taylor and Haris Vuckic out for the season, and Dan Gosling out until the new year, and we’ve also missed Colo, Steven Taylor, Cheick Tiote and Tim Krul recently.
But it seems the Managing Director will not budge from his position, and he will keep the club’s purse strings under tight control in the near future.
This is not particularly good news to hear, when the squad has been hit so hard by injuries so far this season, and the results reflect that.
What do you think?
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28 comments so far
clinath@ed
Oct 13, 2012 at 7:57 AM
Comment #1How can you argue with a man who sees it so analytically? You have a first team player in position “A” and two players to cover, so why do you need more? The question I would like to ask DL is, how do you improve? If you have 11 “purple” players who know they are first choice, where does the pressure for places come from? I like the idea of bringing youth through but, by definition, there must be a gap in talent and/or experience between those two level. That gap has to be bridged as quickly as possible in any team, tha Fans obviously want it closing quicker than the management!
spitfire_
Oct 13, 2012 at 8:00 AM
Comment #2So… they told us that we will compare with the big guns but in the same time we can afford only 11 class A players or “purple” as they call them and the rest of the squd is just to push the first eleven… with the other words 11 class A players and the rest is just for the numbers… not a single word for the quality of the rest of the players… brilliant! Llambias speak only for “the bigger squd”… what about the quality of the squad? Is this important or what? Heart attack for this clown… bring back Mort.
spitfire_
Oct 13, 2012 at 8:01 AM
Comment #3For “compare with the big guns” I mean this season the goal is CL places… Pardew said that.
toonarmydownsouth
Oct 13, 2012 at 8:01 AM
Comment #411 if you count anita? Whos the first teamer whos not regarded as a “purple player”
clinath@ed
Oct 13, 2012 at 8:05 AM
Comment #5What is wrong with selling a first team player for a ‘better’ one?
johnnyjohn
Oct 13, 2012 at 8:06 AM
Comment #6Every time this chump does an interview he comes across as a total ass clown. The lack of ambition and understand of football he portrays I laughable
pbNcl
Oct 13, 2012 at 8:13 AM
Comment #7Dorty Des speaks
eaststandgeordie1982
Oct 13, 2012 at 8:16 AM
Comment #8Last time he spoke he said they take “nothing out of the club” and now we can afford to buy extra “purple” players, theres alot of money disappeared then and the debt hasn’t gone down.
eaststandgeordie1982
Oct 13, 2012 at 8:17 AM
Comment #9Last time he spoke he said they take “nothing out of the club” and now we cant afford to buy extra “purple” players, theres alot of money disappeared then and the debt hasn’t gone down.
clinath@ed
Oct 13, 2012 at 8:19 AM
Comment #10Always thought managing a football club was about managing expectations. Getting the balance between the current teams performances and the future squads potential right. You take your eyes off either one and you’ll be in trouble somewhere sooner or later. The summer spending just gone appeared to concentrate on the latter, especially after the youth clear out, and not first team improvement.
GFH
Oct 13, 2012 at 8:38 AM
Comment #11It makes it hard to understand our much publicised bids for ( amongst others) Luuc De Jong , De Buchy , Andy Carroll. To argue that Simpson would have been sold for De Buchy ignores the difference in their cash value.Similarly the bids for eithr of the two forwards would in no way be matched by the possible departure ( as it seemed then ) of Ba. If there IS no money , how were these deals possible ? . Were we being kidded then or are we being kidded now? What does Alan Pardew know or believe about those bids and the current Llambias announcement? How can we square his comments about getting in defenders and especially MA’s alleged query of “Have you signed a new centre-half yet?” These circles aren’t easy to square!
tjrowe89
Oct 13, 2012 at 8:42 AM
Comment #12We are crying out for a decent CB perch and Williamson aren’t good enough if we want to improve
voodoo85
Oct 13, 2012 at 8:44 AM
Comment #13@4 – thats what i asked also
If we class the following 11 as ‘purples’
Krul
Simpson
S.Taylor
Collocini
Santon
Ben Arfa
Cabaye
Tiote
Jonas
Ba
Cisse
then Anita would make 12 so who does DL not see as purple from that list ?? Maybe Simpson due to contract situation i dunno ??
GeordieDan
Oct 13, 2012 at 9:01 AM
Comment #14Where’s this “extra player on the pitch” Uv continuous prattled on about this last week from our fantastic Wonga deal then Derek? U lying little ****
This time u didnt even wait a couple of days before revealing u were talking utter Shite yet again.
As per everyone expecting it : the fantastic Wonga deal was fantastic but for 1 person: Fatman.
Lying little scrote. :#
GeordieDan
Oct 13, 2012 at 9:02 AM
Comment #15Where’s this “extra player on the pitch” Uv continuous prattled on about this last week from our fantastic Wonga deal then Derek? U lying little ****
This time u didnt even wait a couple of days before revealing u were talking utter Shiite yet again.
As per everyone expecting it : the fantastic Wonga deal was fantastic but for 1 person: Fatman.
Lying little scrote. :#
GeordieDan
Oct 13, 2012 at 9:05 AM
Comment #16Where’s this “extra player on the pitch” Uv continuous prattled on about this last week from our fantastic Wonga deal then Derek? U lying little ****
This time u didnt even wait a couple of days before revealing u were talking utter Shiite yet again.
As per everyone expecting it : the fantastic Wonga deal was fantastic but for 1 person: Fatman.
Lying little scrote. :#
GeordieDan
Oct 13, 2012 at 9:07 AM
Comment #17Woah. Apologies for multiple posts. Blogging from phone doesn’t work very well at all. 🙁
south coast toon
Oct 13, 2012 at 9:23 AM
Comment #18so whats pards going on about if ba and cisse go off to acn we will bring in another striker, what colour will he be, purple people eater,and what colour were all the centre backs and right and left backs going to be we offered on in the summer, was douglas going to be a purple and drop collo or taylor down a colour, we should be buying poeple of better quality than we already have,but then they drop down a colour and thats 2 new colour shirts to buy so based on that we will only bring in players below the purple people eaters, based on cost of shirts , shut up lamearse and let pards talk as youir just making everyone look like the telly tubbies
Wandering Geordie
Oct 13, 2012 at 9:31 AM
Comment #19Cant afford players ,but Ashley can go out and buy 16 JJB sport shops.
Is he also talking about those purple Quality street?What a joke
ArtyH
Oct 13, 2012 at 9:34 AM
Comment #20Time to sell Williamson then and get a better replacement, Perchino is a much better asset in my book, but thats just MHO.
south coast toon
Oct 13, 2012 at 9:35 AM
Comment #21i hope its not the purple quality street ,they got soft centres, surely cheik s not a soft centre lol
DG MAGPIE
Oct 13, 2012 at 10:16 AM
Comment #22South coast.
Purple quality street have an even harder nut in the centre 😉
south coast toon
Oct 13, 2012 at 10:38 AM
Comment #23harder nut thats a bit easier handle, might be one of the probs with our passing in some games this year none of the purples are allowed to pass to another colour and vise versa
Ian Magpie
Oct 13, 2012 at 10:48 AM
Comment #24Thats it Derek………..Dampen down the enthusiasm before this season fades out into mid table mediocrity through lack of squad investment! After all Derek, why spend? We won’t get relegated will we!………….Rat!!
Ketsbaia9
Oct 13, 2012 at 10:53 AM
Comment #25Haha, Mike Williamson is doing a fantastic job? Is he mad? He is costing the club money.
Simpson is a liability, that’s why Lambias has emphasised that Anita is in our best 11 (playing at left back).
numba9
Oct 13, 2012 at 11:12 AM
Comment #26i am afraid del boy u really know nothing about football if u think willo and perch are doing fantastic jobs at centre back, and i think you are very silly to expect to fill in every position in the team, he cannot cover if say there is 3 players out injured, bottom line is you should have spent on players and of a better quality than willo . leave football to the manager . isnt that why you employ him???? and if he identifys that we need defenders, dont be a cheap skate and penny pinch because you are putting us at a disadvantage and we now have to play catch up
numba9
Oct 13, 2012 at 11:18 AM
Comment #27anita cannot fill in 3 positions at once u bloody twonk dezzy boy u are as thick as condensed custard
nico
Oct 13, 2012 at 10:50 PM
Comment #28Lambias just doesn’t get football does he. F–king purples, maybe get some pinks signed up. Really we have only 8 purples as Anita filled 3 positions.
I think this is us for a considerably long time. Mid table team. I for one will be giving up my season ticket as I can’t afford to watch every game of the season knowing we are going no where. Very disappointing to hearfrom him. Wonga off.