Alan Pardew was asked about on-loam striker Luuk de Jong during yesterday’s press conference for the Southampton game, and the manager said he needs to improve his all around game at Newcastle, but that he was coming off a bad experience in Germany over the last eighteen months, so Newcastle fans need to give the 23 year-old some time and patience.
Luuk de Jong – time and patience
This is what Alan said yesterday about the 7 times capped Dutch International:
“I won’t make a decision until the end of the year’” “I think our fans need to recognize where Luuk is. It’s very difficult for a player who has been at a club and has not been used after a big money move from Holland.”
“He was a big player, a big personality who scored more goals in Holland than Wilfried Bony for example. He goes to Germany and it doesn’t work out, for whatever reason.”
“I’m not blaming the club, but to get him back to where he was is a process and that’s the process he’s going through.” “Our fans need to give him a bit of time and understanding because there is definitely a pedigree there.”
“That’s not my opinion, that’s pedigree proven in Dutch football.” “I have tried to introduce him and give him games where he can regain his confidence. I think he has had some good displays for us but I think there’s more to come.”
“I hope between now and the end of the year that he shows that to our fans. We know at this club that we need strikers and I’m hoping he can tick a box for us between now and the end of the season.”
“I think it’s important his all round game improves from where he is right now. But that will come from confidence and I can see him growing every day here. I know he likes the environment he has found himself in and players flourish when they start enjoying their football.”
“And hopefully he can start doing that again because he has had a tough time in Germany.” “At the end of this period he will have had three-and-a-half months with us and he needs to be pretty close.”
Luuk has now played 8 games for Newcastle, but he hasn’t looked like scoring many times in those games, and we hope that changes tomorrow at Southampton.
Close to three in four fans don’t think Newcastle should sign Luuk, from what they have seen so far from the the striker.
Luuk needs goals, but we suppose Newcastle could always try to get him on a season long loan next season, if he shows enough promise in the last seven games of the season.
Comments welcome.
Note: Andrew Todd is a passionate Geordie first, and a final year student at De Montfort University second, and he’s busy working on his dissertation. His questionnaire is only for people in the UK Retail Sector, and takes only a few minutes to complete here it is.
7 comments so far
Himanshu Dhingra
Mar 28, 2014 at 7:55 AM
Comment #1There was a Similar article yesterday!
Same today??????
Jail for Ashley
Mar 28, 2014 at 7:57 AM
Comment #2I’ve seen him twice now and he doesn’t look great, but in all fairness he’s not been brought into the most creative team brimming with confidence, still baffles me why we had to sell Cabaye first before bringing him in.
Blofal
Mar 28, 2014 at 8:11 AM
Comment #3To be honest it’s hard for him to look great when we aren’t creating many chances. That and he is effectively being told to play as a number 10.
So far for me he looks like a decent holding striker. If we can get him cheap I personally would take him.
He would be a good striker in a 4-5-1. I dont like playing 4-5-1 but if we are going to play it (and we often do) then he is definitely your man.
jesperfuglsang - captain of the lemon crew
Mar 28, 2014 at 8:12 AM
Comment #4And why is he played in the hole between our lone striker and midfield?
…I could think of some many other players to bring in if that was the kind of player we were looking for!
Himanshu Dhingra
Mar 28, 2014 at 8:20 AM
Comment #5Against palace he was tracking back making clearances.
Before making judgements play him as a sole striker ahead of HBA
You cannot judge him on his time here in this season
Another player PARDEWED.
May be get him loan again
beermonkey
Mar 28, 2014 at 8:28 AM
Comment #6to be fair to ldj he aint looked to bad as a target man and in a couple of games he has looked ok,
I will wait till the end of the season before I have an opinion on whether we sign him or not, its not like we create a lot for our strikers to work with, cisse seems to have come alive next to him
on gomis I don’t think we actually wanted gomis 9mill at 28 for an unproven striker from a league we know the players take time to bed in, have we paid a loan fee for ldj? if we had why didn’t we just put that fee into 3 mill to buy gomis
cant see us signing him on a free he is 29 and will want 4 5 year deal as he know it will prob be his last contract and we wont offer that,
but with fullham going down I am sure pards will be championing bent again and while he at it he will prob want sidwell and parker as he wants English players
toonarmydownsouth
Mar 28, 2014 at 9:05 AM
Comment #7JFA from previous
We didn’t go for him because we planted nicely in the top half of the table with survival all but sewn up, sewn up to the point we felt comfortable enough to sell our most influential player and not replace him despite *cough *cough substantial bids….
Personally at 29, wouldn’t really want him, never played in any other league and if on a free will be commanding big wages for a final paycheck
On LDJ
It’s really hard to get a fair reading on the lad being played in the whole in a team that just doesn’t have any creativity
I would say it’s a big error playing him there because his shots from distance look as weak as a wet paper bag so until we’ve seen him actually play as a CF it’s going to be tough to judge the lad imho