Shola Ameobi is part of the Nigerian squad for the friendly against South Africa in Durban tonight, and he has been interviewed in the local papers today and the big man says he welcomes competition from new players such as Loic Remy.
Shola Ameobi – looked good in pre-season
But the 26-year-old French International striker will not be available for our first game next Monday night at the Emirates, so Shola may see himself getting a start, maybe even on the left-wing in place of the injured Jonas Gutierrez.
This is what Shola said to the press today:
“It’s been mentioned quite a lot that we’re in need of strikers, so if that’s what the club feels they need, that’s what they’re going to bring in.” “Obviously, Remy is a great addition to the squad, because the squad was light last season.”
“It’s important we get the right players in. It’s a great signing for us. You can see he’s a top player.” “Hopefully, he can do the business on the pitch.” “It’s been a tough pre-season – I think as players, we needed that.”
“It would have been nice to get a few players in, so we could have bedded them in. That hasn’t quite materialised.” “So hopefully, in the next couple of weeks, we can do that and really get the season going – this pre-season has been great for us physically and mentally.”
The thing that may be worrying Shola is that after Demba Ba left in January Newcastle never replaced him, yet Shola saw very little playing time in the first team, and when he did get on at West Brom he injured himself and wasn’t seen again last season.
But with Newcastle short of strikers we hope that Shola stays at Newcastle for the last year of his contract, and hope he keeps showing the good form he showed in pre-season.
And if Newcastle sign no new strikers this summer we will have Remy, Papiss Cisse, Shola Ameobi and Yoan Gouffran as players who can play as central strikers in the side.
That’s better than we had for the second half of last season, but we still need to bring in at least one new striker in the next three weeks, and we are still hoping that striker can be Bafe Gomis.
So it’s over to Joe Kinnear to get that job done – and the sooner a striker is brought in the better it will be.
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35 comments so far
jayphoto
Aug 14, 2013 at 9:45 AM
Comment #1jayphoto // Aug 14, 2013 at 9:44 AM
Doubt Pards reads the blogs but i’m pretty sure the clubs fans or press relations read some of the big ones!
Pardew irritates me in how he constantly undersells are club! We have 50,000 each week, and it ain’t cheap to go, i work all round the world and i’ve never been to a country/city and not seen a toon shirt somewhere during my time there, we are one if the only clubs that took a profit last season, so why can’t we compete with the likes of swansea etc?? We should be roughly around Spurs in terms of spending and budgets, very similar sized clubs! Pards talks as if we’re wigan or Hull! (Both of whom have outspent us this summer so far) makes me wonder how Ashley has got the financial side of the club set up? He may take very little out but does all the money that comes in go into the club or into other set up businesses?? I know the money from matchday food is its own business! As is money from the club shop! Means it doesnt appear on the club finances as its seperate businesses
jayphoto
Aug 14, 2013 at 9:45 AM
Comment #2Repost
Doubt Pards reads the blogs but i’m pretty sure the clubs fans or press relations read some of the big ones!
Pardew irritates me in how he constantly undersells are club! We have 50,000 each week, and it ain’t cheap to go, i work all round the world and i’ve never been to a country/city and not seen a toon shirt somewhere during my time there, we are one if the only clubs that took a profit last season, so why can’t we compete with the likes of swansea etc?? We should be roughly around Spurs in terms of spending and budgets, very similar sized clubs! Pards talks as if we’re wigan or Hull! (Both of whom have outspent us this summer so far) makes me wonder how Ashley has got the financial side of the club set up? He may take very little out but does all the money that comes in go into the club or into other set up businesses?? I know the money from matchday food is its own business! As is money from the club shop! Means it doesnt appear on the club finances as its seperate businesses
jayphoto
Aug 14, 2013 at 9:46 AM
Comment #3Bloody iphone sorry
pawl250
Aug 14, 2013 at 9:46 AM
Comment #4We need a striker, I agree, who would you go for?
Personally a dream window would be
Wjnaldum, Alderwield and De Jong
If I had to be realistic I would imagine
Wjnaldum, Long
If we can get them over the line, through the door, in the pot, or whatever …. we have a decent squad.
Alderwield I would love, but would not come, my opinion as stated.
In January go for Siem De Jong.
jesperfuglsang - captain of the lemon crew
Aug 14, 2013 at 9:50 AM
Comment #5pawl…I think we need another forward now, and not in January 😉
Our Toon
Aug 14, 2013 at 9:50 AM
Comment #6REPOST!!
Morning Lads, have to say I’m very surprised at the amount of people on here saying sell Cabaye or take £20m for etc…..what planet are you people on, that money won’t be reinvested, once bitten twice shy comes to mind, can anyone on this blog honestly say that they believe the £20+ will be reinvested if he is sold? Stop living in a fantasy world, reality is that we will buy someone for around 5m-8m if we are lucky. Keeping our best players as other clubs i.e. Spurs/Liverfool have tried to do with Suarez and Bale is the only way of progressing not constantly selling your best players for cheaper downgrades.
As a club we have possibly 2/3 players who actually create chances (limited amount of chances) for the team and Cabaye is possibly the most creative player or 2nd to Benny and people on here saying they would find it acceptable for him to be transferred out, who is going to create the chances? Where is the creativity in the team? Wake up people stop buying into the phoney model of buy small and sell big.
People talk about Marveaux as if he is some fantastic play who unfortunately doesn’t get a game, the guy is poor at best and only ever plays well in small bursts hence being on the bench for most games (Pardew doesn’t get much right but with Marv he is spot on) as an unfortunate season ticket holder of 15 + years I had great hope for Marv last season (especially during pre-season where he was really good) but he is shocking (on par with Downing) I saw enough last season to prove this theory. Needless to say I have given up my season ticket until this MOB are out of our club, but we have to fight as fans to keep our best players as money will never be reinvested!!
lesh
Aug 14, 2013 at 9:50 AM
Comment #7“It would have been nice to get a few players in, so we could have bedded them in. That hasn’t quite materialised”
How many have been saying that and for how long? Do, will these clowns running the club ever learn? They seem oblivious to the realities of football!
Blaydon-Toon
Aug 14, 2013 at 9:51 AM
Comment #8Has our first league game been switched to the Emeriates thought we has Man City not Arsenal !
Wiz
Aug 14, 2013 at 9:51 AM
Comment #9According to The Journal Kinnear has twenty million to spend. It is astonishing we can’t sign anyone despite immense and laborious scouting efforts and huge outreach structures, especially in France. The problem will no doubt be money – we won’t pay anyone the going rate because that will upset the players we have already signed on cut-price deals. It doesn’t help to have a Fred Karno frontman and an ignorant bully in the boardroom. Interestingly, The Journal’s reporter, writing in the Daily Telegraph the other day, has Pardew as his bet for the first managerial dismissal of the season. And there are rumours that Kinnear is still trying to get a deputy in place after Mick Harford turned him down. It is almost as if it is in Kinnear’s own interests to starve Pardew of players.
jayphoto
Aug 14, 2013 at 9:55 AM
Comment #10For me Marveaux doesn’t do enough to warrant starting 11! Don’t feel i ‘ve ever seen him play in the #10 role though that he is best suited for! Got a feeling if we signed David Silva he’d be made to play as an out n out winger too! Marv is similar to Silva in style (unfortunately hes s bit behind him in ability) Marv is just another case of a player at newcastle being wasted out of position! Remember us doing that to Hugo Viana, a world young player of the year nominee at centre mid that only ever got a chance on the wing a few years back! We’re always jamming square pegs in round holes at nufc
Indian Magpie
Aug 14, 2013 at 9:55 AM
Comment #11NUFC’s DOF is a perfect job for some one with a Heart Condition.
No Pressure just sit on your Sorry A**
paul24
Aug 14, 2013 at 9:57 AM
Comment #12@Our Toon
I wouldnt want to sell him, but it looks like we wont have much choice if the stories are true.
pawl250
Aug 14, 2013 at 9:58 AM
Comment #13Jesper,
If you read my comment, you would see I said buy Shane Long, Wjnaldum.
Long in my opinion is underrated, he is a goal scorer. I really think he could reach double figures every year in a more creative team. (Not that we are like!). Should be cheap, last year of his contract n’all, a decent back up.
Wjnaldum, another goal scorer from midfield, the centre attacking midfielder everyone wants and wishes for on here. He is very creative, and he can played out wide (both sides), and upfront if needed. His versatility alone would be a benefit to the club. Certainly will challenge for first team place.
If we get them….
———————- Krul
Debuchy – Mbiwa – Coloccini – Santon
————- Cabaye – Sissoko
Ben Arfa —— Wjnaldum ——– Remy
——————— Cisse
Elliot, Haidara, STaylor, Tiote, Anita, Marveaux, Long
Still have likes of Jonas, Williamson, Gouffran, Obertan, Bigirmana, Vuckic, Dummett, Shola as back up.
OR my current preferred formation
———————- Krul
Debuchy – Mbiwa – Coloccini – Santon
——- Cabaye – Wjnaldum – Sissoko
Ben Arfa ———- Cisse ———- Remy
It would depend on how much Wjnaldum would work for ball contention.
He currently plays in a similar, perhaps slightly more advanced role for Ajax.
He could certainly replace Remy/Ben Arfa should injuries occur.
nico
Aug 14, 2013 at 10:00 AM
Comment #14Even if we do bring players in, there’s no time to get them used to playing together. Problem is, the people who run the club have no idea about football.
Don’t no why I’m even saying this as our business is done. One loan signing!!
Look what Swansea and Southampton have done.
Pardew was saying the other day that those teams were in a far better financial position to buy players. HOW COME??
Partizan
Aug 14, 2013 at 10:01 AM
Comment #15I hate when people say that we’ve been outspent by clubs like Swansea,Hull,Cardif etc.
You need to understand that they have no choice,they must spend if they wanna survive cos their team is full of Championship players so basically they’re building it from the scratch and for that takses a lot of money,we don’t need to compare ourselves with their spending.
Look at our team,full of International players but brainless manager who doesnt know how to play them.
nico
Aug 14, 2013 at 10:01 AM
Comment #16I wouldn’t read to much into stories about our players leaving. Nothing seems to happen about the stories of players coming.
Nothing to worry about really.
We can’t sell Cabaye at this late stage though, would be stupid as he’s our most creative player.
Wiz
Aug 14, 2013 at 10:03 AM
Comment #17pawl, Sissoko is a good runner, but it’s hard to see how he adds much in creativity. I would still pick Tiote ahead of Sissoko, and would pick Anita alongside him, once Cabaye has been sold. I agree with you we need more creative midfielders, but we are after a centre forward and a winger.
nico
Aug 14, 2013 at 10:03 AM
Comment #18Partizan
Sorry, but Swansea’s team is not full of Championship players at all. Look where they finished last season. They have progressed again this season. I would have liked players like Shelvey at the Toon. I think he may become a very good player.
paul24
Aug 14, 2013 at 10:04 AM
Comment #19@nico
Because our owner is tighter than a jews purse string, if Pardew goes to see him hat in hand wanting money no doubt he’d be bleeting on about balancing the books and finacial fair play and all that s***e.
jesperfuglsang - captain of the lemon crew
Aug 14, 2013 at 10:05 AM
Comment #20Pawl…just read your post again mate – seem I missed that the first time around 🙂
Had an interesting talk yesterday with paul24 about “highly overpaid” Gourcuff, and even though he has underperformed massively for Lyon he’s still a player I would rather much like at the Toon!
…but it seems wages will be a stumbling block…sadly 🙁
Wiz
Aug 14, 2013 at 10:05 AM
Comment #21Partizan, there is a long list of clubs which finished ahead of us in the Premiership last year which are outspending us as well.
nico
Aug 14, 2013 at 10:06 AM
Comment #22paul24
That is very true. If we don’t buy anyone this season we will make a profit of somewhere in the region of 30 + million. 4 or 5 more years of that and that loan will be paid.
Partizan
Aug 14, 2013 at 10:07 AM
Comment #23Nico…70% their team was Championship players in their first season in PL.
paul24
Aug 14, 2013 at 10:08 AM
Comment #24@nico 16
I wouldnt be so sure, he’s been linked with 5 different clubs, all of them can offer better wages and most will be playing in the champions league.
Greebol1892
Aug 14, 2013 at 10:08 AM
Comment #25Wiz
Like I said, this public player-hunting by JK is just a smokescreen. Yes, I believe JK has 20m to spend but only when he becomes manager after Pardew’s gone.
Although I don’t want him to, I believe Cabaye will go. He wants away. I watched Al Jazeera last night when Shearer said he expects us to do better than last season when we “under-performed”. He said we over-performed the season before. So mid-table finish then?
The “football experts” on the Al Jazeera panel were Monkey’s Heed, Ray Clemence, and Andy Gray. All three said quite emphatically that our best player / most wanted is Cabaye who could get into any Premiership team. Cabaye is class and would be unreal at Manure.
Personally I predict 14th spot because there are still worse teams than us and I hope we can keep Cabaye but the clock’s ticking on Pardew….. JK to take over at xmas and guide us from relegation spots to 14th.
Exciting players, dull manager.
Jail for Ashley
Aug 14, 2013 at 10:09 AM
Comment #26Jayphoto,
That makes perfect sense about the other businesses being set up, I always wondered how our revenues had fallen so far behind Spurs, so Mashley may not be actually pocketing money but him and the association with SD are diverting funds away.
Wiz
Aug 14, 2013 at 10:10 AM
Comment #27I know I’m in a minority about Pardew, because I think he’s an excellent manager, but what he is completely brilliant at is the manoeuvrings necessary at our great and ludicrous club. He is quite superb at the politics. He has Kinnear exactly where he wants him, and the local papers who rely on him for stories are turning up the heat very nicely on the foul-mouthed and senescent cardiac risk.
Partizan
Aug 14, 2013 at 10:11 AM
Comment #28If this current team had Jurgen Klopp as a manager for sure we would be top 5 every year,but i blame the owner for that..you buy a Ferrari for a truck driver.
geordiemark
Aug 14, 2013 at 10:16 AM
Comment #29oh I think ashley knows all about football yes hes made mistakes but he knows the score, the man just doesnt want to spend money at all he doesnt mind raking in the 50-60m sky money other money as long as it heads towards his back pocket he doesnt give a monkies as long as the 52,000 people go to the matches buys there season tickets and all his crap stuff from sports crappy direct then hes a happy man, hes out to get his money back to when he done the cock up with the books his own fault yet were all paying for it when hes collected the money thats when he will sell up because by then the whole of newcastle be on his back well 99% is already on it
Wiz
Aug 14, 2013 at 10:17 AM
Comment #30Greebol, the longer we go on without buying anyone the more plausible the scenario you set out becomes. I am certain Ashley relies on Kinnear for player judgements and not Pardew. Ashley says virtually nothing about football publicly, as is well known, but one of the things he is on record as saying is that if Kinnear had not had a heart attack we would have stayed up. He really rates Kinnear, and that’s another reason why I think you’re right about Pardew being sacked.
geordiemark
Aug 14, 2013 at 10:19 AM
Comment #31dont expect any transfers in now its a bit to late, but I still expect cabaye to go, like ive said most people expect us to get nowt at man city but the game is the west ham game thats when all hell will break lose if we get beat
geordiemark
Aug 14, 2013 at 10:21 AM
Comment #32wiz
your right there, pardew was well in there when penfold was there but now penfolds gone pardew is shitting himself because no ones there to defend him hes on his own now and I do think hes a useless manager god knows how he become a manager in the first place the man has no tactics at all ive seen more sence in a dead dog
magpie6699
Aug 14, 2013 at 12:13 PM
Comment #33paul124@19 – nice to know you’re a racist and anti-semite
renzo
Aug 14, 2013 at 1:28 PM
Comment #34my choice would be gabby agbonlahor and siem de jong maybe spend 20 mill in total – not cheap but there has to come a time that you go for it and now is the time
toonicle
Aug 14, 2013 at 4:55 PM
Comment #35Shola should not be starting over Gouffran!