Steven Taylor has been interviewed today, and the local lad has told how the Newcastle squad is very much together and that they go out together, and of course Fabricio Coloccini had the first team squad over for dinner at his place in May, and there were some great photos coming out of that night in May – one is shown below.
Colo and friends at party in captain’s house in May
There was a report in the Daily Telegraph when things were at their lowest in April, saying there was some friction in the squad, especially with the many French players – but that article has been discredited a number of times, and we suppose the Telegraph reporters are still banned from St. James’ Park for writing that stuff.
There’s nothing like putting the boot in when you are down.
Stephen Taylor had this to say in the local papers today:
“We have nights where we play pool together or go to each other’s houses. We sit and have food together and watch games on TV when we aren’t playing.” “There is always something like paint-balling or bowling.”
“It is good having nights like that because it brings the squad together.” “It is always good for the banter.” “We also go out for meals. At the end of the night we stick our credit cards in a bucket then pull them out one by one.”
“Whoever comes out last has to pay for the whole night.” (editor’s note – they can afford it) . “It’s all part of the banter.” “I am in charge of the music on a match day.” “I always ask the lads who they want to listen to.”
“We have a good little mixture. Pitbull and David Guetta are very popular.” “A few of the French boys have tried to take charge but they get knocked off straight away!” “They have to remember they are in Newcastle!” “We have lads who enjoy each other’s company and a bit of banter as well.”
“We always play pranks on each other in the dressing room.” “I think you need that to brighten up the atmosphere.” “You can’t always just have a serious head on, you have to try to make things different.”
“That’s what we do at Newcastle.”
When the new players come in this summer, good ones we hope, it will be important to quickly get them into the swing of things at Newcastle, but it seems from what Steven is saying, that the team spirit is still strong at Newcastle.
That’s very good to hear.
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156 comments so far
solano
Jun 14, 2013 at 6:26 PM
Comment #121TDS…many on here claim to be ITK…but we all know who breaks the big stories 😉
Ibizatoon - Back By Popular Demand
Jun 14, 2013 at 6:26 PM
Comment #122Jesper…Good luck doing that with your arthritis. Bet you can’t even stay awake the whole game without a nap 😉
Ibizatoon - Back By Popular Demand
Jun 14, 2013 at 6:26 PM
Comment #123Solano…Indykalia? How’s life?
ToonDarnSarf
Jun 14, 2013 at 6:26 PM
Comment #124jesper – now you can pretend that you know how good these players are too! Don’t forget to refer to players as D/M(R/L) or such like to confuse people who have never played…
I haven’t bought the game for about 5 years as I know it would just take over my life!
ToonDarnSarf
Jun 14, 2013 at 6:28 PM
Comment #125Ibiza – FIFA sounds like a blasphemous game mate. I suggest you bin it immediately…
solano
Jun 14, 2013 at 6:29 PM
Comment #126Ibiza…it’s moi! 😉
Is the gates story a chunk of redirected transfer kitty and the big new arrival of the summer?
jesperfuglsang - captain of the lemon crew
Jun 14, 2013 at 6:29 PM
Comment #127Ibiza…we might have to start early and make a pot of cafetiere coffee 😀
ToonDarnSarf
Jun 14, 2013 at 6:30 PM
Comment #128Patoon – I really think they will have learned their lesson. But I also don’t think we’ll sign many players. Our squad is better than when we finished 5th, so we just need a bit of tweaking. I still think 7th would be a good result
ToonDarnSarf
Jun 14, 2013 at 6:31 PM
Comment #129solano
How about we play a game? You name as many players as you like. For every one that joins us by the end of this transfer window I’ll give you a tenner, and for every one that doesn’t, you give me a tenner?
Sound good? 🙂
solano
Jun 14, 2013 at 6:32 PM
Comment #130TDS…I note Alan Smith wasn’t mentioned in the previous thread when you asked about disastrous signings.
Ibizatoon - Back By Popular Demand
Jun 14, 2013 at 6:32 PM
Comment #131Solana…Ahhh, how silly of me. Of course it’s you 🙂
It’s pretty expensive moving gates you know? What with health and safety and the need for insurance. Still, installing them on the goal should help keeping the scoreline down next season. The big question is, which goal?
Ibizatoon - Back By Popular Demand
Jun 14, 2013 at 6:34 PM
Comment #132Jesper…Well you can’t have an early morning without a pot of cafetiere coffee…
solano
Jun 14, 2013 at 6:34 PM
Comment #133TDS…haha….I don’t get involved in the silly season. But you have a canny idea there.
jesperfuglsang - captain of the lemon crew
Jun 14, 2013 at 6:34 PM
Comment #134TDS…yeah it is a time consuming sucker isn’t it?
…I have given up on pretending nate 😀 I’ll leave that to the likes of Kets and his possy lol
jesperfuglsang - captain of the lemon crew
Jun 14, 2013 at 6:34 PM
Comment #135* mate
Patoon
Jun 14, 2013 at 6:35 PM
Comment #136ToonDarnSarf
7th would b great compared 2 this year, imagine the spring of next year without all the stress, thoughts and fears of relegation, ur rite about our squad being stronger but we lacked firing power up front when ba left and it showed, alot of people r very sore on Jonas, he tries real hard and puts in a shift every game, its not his fault he starts every week but Shola, he is pure shit and always has been, def not a premiership player, should move 2 the championship
Clematis
Jun 14, 2013 at 6:35 PM
Comment #137Dok/curt
I had a chance to see Mr Bungle at Notts Rock City. My lift blew me out to go and watch the toon v chelsea (0-0)! I saw fnm’s last gig with jim martin and tomahawk/fantomas a few times. Good to see some toon supporters with good taste! Anyhoo, this is a footie forum so…
ToonDarnSarf
Jun 14, 2013 at 6:39 PM
Comment #138solano
Alan Smith is a good shout! Though he did do bloody well for us in the Championship. I wonder if that had already been lined up with Big Sam and Shepherd before Ashley arrived though?
I reckon we should challenge any wannabe ITK to that game…
ToonDarnSarf
Jun 14, 2013 at 6:43 PM
Comment #139Patoon
Can’t fault most of the players for putting in the effort though, certainly not Jonas. I just don’t see where his abilities are suitable for the football we should be playing. As for Shola, he’s a handful, so he’s decent to throw on as a sub to try and find a goal. He’ll always be Shola “the mackem slayer” Ameobi to me!
We just need another top striker, a pacey attacking midfielder/winger, replace any “purples” who leave and replace any fringe players with young prospects. That will set us up for 7th I reckon. We’d still have to dislodge Everton to get that though, which would be a good result.
IITianToon
Jun 14, 2013 at 6:49 PM
Comment #140@Toon darn Sarf
Only problem is, post his goal against QPR, his only contribution has been to get a handful of the opponent’s shirt. He must have the worst minutes to freekick conceded ratio amongst PL players.
solano
Jun 14, 2013 at 6:55 PM
Comment #141TDS…Smith did contribute a little for the first 3rd of that championship season, though he seemed to get away with much more of his trademark bad tackling – he then got injured (as per the norm) and drifted off to collect his wages. A total bluffer as a player imho and a terrible signing in so many ways – not least because Lee Ryder (the Chronicle’s No.1 NUFC writer) wrongly thinks Shepherd signed Smith and uses him as an excuse for a very different but equally flawed transfer policy that exists now.
ToonDarnSarf
Jun 14, 2013 at 7:00 PM
Comment #142solano
I gave up paying any attention to anything Lee Ryder says a long time ago…I’d probably get more accurate journalism from the ITKs on this site than him!
I don’t think Smith was a bluffer, he certainly always tried damn hard, but his broken leg destroyed him as a player. It was a total waste of money to buy him, in a similar vein to buying Owen after his best days had gone too.
I don’t know who initiated buying Smith though, but I do know he was signed after Ashley had taken over and that he seemed to be his favourite player for some reason.
Jail for Ashley
Jun 14, 2013 at 7:00 PM
Comment #143I never liked Alan Smith, the grief he give Rio Ferdinand for joining Man U then promptly joined them as soon as they came in for him.
IITianToon
Jun 14, 2013 at 7:05 PM
Comment #144Just a little off topic, are there any Houston based NUFC fans here? I am off to Rice for PhD; hoping to get in touch with the local NUFC fan base there!
ToonDarnSarf
Jun 14, 2013 at 7:07 PM
Comment #145Jail
Don’t you think a young man could be forgiven for being annoyed by Ferdinand leaving Leeds when they were at their peak? Do you think every one of us should be judged by comments we make on a player?
Besides, I understand that Smith didn’t want to leave Leeds, but he volunteered to leave to help them sort out their finances. Whether that’s true or just a nice story that Leeds and Smith like to put out there, I’m not sure…
HullMag6
Jun 14, 2013 at 7:08 PM
Comment #146Musically they need to get it and keep it old school
Ac dc – back in black
Iron maiden – the trooper
Def Leppard – Animal
Van Halen – Poundcake
Metallica – Enter Sandman/wherever I may roam
Megadeth – Symphony of Destruction
Guns and Roses – Paradise City
To suggest a few…….
Oh the gates – another wonga funded gimmick?
solano
Jun 14, 2013 at 7:13 PM
Comment #147Hull…on the gates – it was obstructed by the club at every turn for nearly 2 years as it originally started out as a protest against the namechange.
The club and Wonga have tried to put their spin on it but myself and (I think) others on here, know the truth. But at least they will go up and it will be another addition to the facade of the stadium and a good focal point.
Sazzer
Jun 14, 2013 at 7:23 PM
Comment #148Similar to the Spice girl thing some blogger made one for Inbetweeners the other day. You could probably find it with some google magic.
Sazzer
Jun 14, 2013 at 7:30 PM
Comment #149Dennis Wise is drooling over this one:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21gVsvrAW5Y
AwToonnufc
Jun 14, 2013 at 7:55 PM
Comment #150Does anybody else think that junior hoilett would be a good signing…he has perm experience, and was awesome at blackburn, I think we could probably get him for about 5 mil, would solve our winger problem as he plays on the left..
geordie157
Jun 14, 2013 at 8:08 PM
Comment #151Greetings from download festival, any signings yet?
LGFUAD21
Jun 14, 2013 at 8:18 PM
Comment #152I’ve said it before but we should be pumpin thunderstruck by Acdc around the stadium before games. Imagine our lads shouting Thunder. It’s a war chant and a half.
On football subject. I’ve kinda lost faith in pardews decisions. Cabaye not played in his best role as a cam. Gouffran strike ability wasted on the wing ( although he did ok there).
Moussa in the number 10 role? Marveaux always looked dangerous in that position.
I get that a slump can be hard t break and it contributed to our season but to not be correcting simple errors repeated each weak.
Even with injuries we should have been able to make top ten.
Player of the season for me was santon who despite costing us a few goals also showed a much better all around game than last season. Still needs to learn how to mark and contain his man properly though.
Sazzer
Jun 14, 2013 at 8:20 PM
Comment #153AwToonnufc
Decent but not great. I would try to sign better players first and if that fails I would go for Hoilett then.
toon kk
Jun 14, 2013 at 8:33 PM
Comment #154Ive often wondered the logic behind Pardews ideas of playing so many players out of position and the crazy substitutes he does?
sparky55
Jun 14, 2013 at 9:02 PM
Comment #155Awtoonnufc…yes I’d take hoillet in a flash at 5million…more of a number 10 than a winger but a great little player
north east lincs toon
Jun 15, 2013 at 12:25 AM
Comment #156Wonder if they played spin the bottle!