Newcastle signed Florian Thauvin from Marseille over the summer for around £12M – and it was a surprising signing and essentially in part exchange for Remy Cabella – who is currently on loan at Marseille.
But it was seen by many fans as a strange signing since Cabella and Thauvin were of the same build and fairly similar in their playing styles, and if Cabella didn’t make it why did Newcastle think Thauvin would make it?
Florian Thauvin – in action at Old Trafford
Cabella has now played 9 times for Marseille and once he plays 12 games the deal is automatically made – and Remy would be transferred to Marseille permanently in January – that’s going to happen.
The fee is said to be around £6M – half of what Newcastle are paying for Thauvin.
Steve McClaren did say the reason Newcastle signed Thauvin was for his crossing ability and we saw some of that that skill in the early games, but he’s not been able to retain his first team place and like Cabella is inconsistent when he plays.
Florian has made 7 appearances for Newcastle with one goal and three assists but they came against Northamtpon Town in the League Cup which we won 4-1.
There’s a report in Mercato365 that suggests that his time with the Magpies could already be coming to an early end, but there’s no way this lad will be leaving in January.
First of all it’s far too early and with Newcastle coming into some form now (hopefully) then it will be much easier for Florian to find his feet on the pitch.
The other thing is he cannot leave in January and play for another club, because he’s already played for two teams and would face the same restrictions Ben Arfa faced last January at Nice.
Ben Arfa had already played for the Newcastle U21 side and Hull City and that was two clubs according to FIFA, which was simply ridiculous – a Newcastle reserve side shouldn’t have counted – but the Frenchman was not allowed to play at Nice until this season.
Ben Arfa also seems to be making up for lost time this season at the south of France club.
But we certainly haven’t given up on Florian and he’s a talented player and also seems to have the right attitude.
He needs to be supported and it’s up to Steve McClaren and the rest of the Newcastle coaches to start to get the best out of him.
That’s very possible.
What do you think?
Comments welcome.
123 comments so far
manxpie
Oct 22, 2015 at 1:47 AM
Comment #81only at weekends tuff !
Mister Tuff
Oct 22, 2015 at 1:55 AM
Comment #82manx – come on – most of my posts have a gag in them.
And that’s me away to the pit.
Reyantoon
Oct 22, 2015 at 4:54 AM
Comment #83I have always rated GK Elliott highly.Glad he signed a long term deal and deserves it because the lad is a good GK and has potential.Never let the team down when given the chance to play.I think he will do a decent job in the absence of Krul.What i like most about him is- his quick ball throwings or distribution.If he stays injury free,i think we have got a real deal behind the back 4.
Liked the look of Toney as well.The lad looked calm and confident with good height at just 19.
I think he is a good signing.Resembles shola Ameobi the way he plays i guess.
McLaren should stick with the same starting 11
that started against Norwich.Tiote & Dummett,
who came back after long absence,haven’t done much wrong in the last game.So should start..
Haven’t seen much of Sunderland game this season.They looked poor the way where they are on the table but always play well against us.
It’s difficult game but we have momentum and a bit of confidence now.If we score first,i think we will hummer them.
We fear no one from now on 🙂
Jib
Oct 22, 2015 at 5:58 AM
Comment #84Reyantoon
Truth be told I’ve feared no one since Man United away. I was truly fearful of us getting battered there , and we more than held our own.
From then on it was obvious to anyone who knew anything about footy (not many on here like) that we had the foundations to make at least a top 10 side with some tweaking.
Sundays game is going to be tough and what they used to euphemistically call “character building” – dirty , a good preparation for some of our new players for (hopefully) a good run in the FA cup , meeting sides with little skill , but much physicality.
Reyantoon
Oct 22, 2015 at 6:30 AM
Comment #85Jib – very true.I feel the same way.Didn’t get the chance to see how we played at Swansea and westham away but we played quite well mostly from the games i saw.I started to feel positive after the Chelsea game.We still can make the top ten if we continue to play like that.Still disappointed the way we exited early in the league cup but started to feel relief like and encouraged after the Norwich game.If we show the same character and combinations that we showed against norwich on Sunday at our biggest rivals,surely our season will kick on more brightly..
Thump
Oct 22, 2015 at 6:40 AM
Comment #86Seems those in glass houses are throwing stones again.
Jib
Oct 22, 2015 at 6:46 AM
Comment #87Thump
Try talking about footy.
It’s really quite easy.
Jib
Oct 22, 2015 at 6:51 AM
Comment #88Reyan
My feelings on the Sheff Wed debacle are that the club reverted to type and decided that with such a bad start we had to concentrate on the League , understandable really.
Hopefully come the weekend of January 9th (the 3rd round of the FAC when EPL clubs enter) we will be in the frame of mind to give it a good go.
Toonfan8
Oct 22, 2015 at 6:54 AM
Comment #89This derby match will have a huge influence on our season, if we win there, we will gain great confidence….
firebug666
Oct 22, 2015 at 6:59 AM
Comment #90Toonfan8
It’s a game we have to win, there can be no excuses this time, we know the team can play now, so they better produce the good on Sunday.
catchy in norway
Oct 22, 2015 at 7:03 AM
Comment #91Jib Rey
I too think that things have been changing for the good under Shteve , we now look like a team that is trying to create goals rather than rely on individual bits of skill, we now attack down both wings and through the center, before hand it was pretty much all down the right.
Yes we still have a soft center ,but things will change in that department too, I don’t believe for one minute that Shteve sees colo as his no1 , I think he had to win the players over first and while colo was still there it was logical to keep him as captain, he has to much power , give Shteve one season to implement some football into the squad , get the players on his side , then colo will be gone, unless he has a dramatic change in form.
Some things just need to be done a certen way, to achieve the result you want
Toonfan8
Oct 22, 2015 at 7:10 AM
Comment #92firebug
I know we have better team now then them, but it is huge game, it doesnt have favorites. I am confident, that we will win this game, and it will give us great confidence…we can kick on with this game
Jib
Oct 22, 2015 at 7:12 AM
Comment #93If you stopped to think about it , it was clear that the Colo contract extension was more about club politics than anything else.
When a new coaching regime starts,compromises have to be made in order to make the transition as smooth as possible.
Reyantoon
Oct 22, 2015 at 7:14 AM
Comment #94Jib – true but the dissappointment is that we throwed in our strong eleven, if i remember correctly,and exited.If we had played fringes and lost,that ‘d have make a lot sense.
Catchy
You are spot on there @91 but i see you called Pardew S**t the other day 🙂
SUTTY1978
Oct 22, 2015 at 7:15 AM
Comment #95I think Carver would have got us more points than McClaren has.
Jail for Ashley
Oct 22, 2015 at 7:16 AM
Comment #96Nobody knows expect a few of the inner circle, why our yellow bellied want away curly haired captain was given a contract extension rather than being shipped off back to play in front of the Pope.
Jail for Ashley
Oct 22, 2015 at 7:17 AM
Comment #97Sutty,
That is a completely irrelevant point !
catchy in norway
Oct 22, 2015 at 7:22 AM
Comment #98Rey
I think my views on Pardew are well documented on here, I think he is the worst manager we have ever had , he can not coach, or talk to the press, it’s more about a sharp suit and a pair of glasses to make look the part
catchy in norway
Oct 22, 2015 at 7:23 AM
Comment #99Sutty
That’s only what you think. 😉
catchy in norway
Oct 22, 2015 at 7:23 AM
Comment #100100
Jail for Ashley
Oct 22, 2015 at 7:23 AM
Comment #101Catchy,
I think John Carver was the worst manager we ever had
SUTTY1978
Oct 22, 2015 at 7:25 AM
Comment #102Jail, agree but just putting it out there! People now seem to be rewriting history to suggest that we have been playing great football from the start of the season and that McClaren is working wonders. We’re on six points after nine games!
We have had two good halves of football plus one good full game. That means we have had 14 bad halves of football out of 18.
catchy in norway
Oct 22, 2015 at 7:25 AM
Comment #103Jail,
I don’t class him as a manager, he was caretaker manager
hibbitt
Oct 22, 2015 at 7:30 AM
Comment #104john carver should never have been offered the job never mind given it
catchy in norway
Oct 22, 2015 at 7:31 AM
Comment #105Sutty
I’m not rewriting history, but if you think that any new manager was going to come in and change the losing mentality that our club has instal a new winning one , change the style of play from a defensive to an attacking one , in the first 9 games against the teams we have played , u are a deluded man
Jail for Ashley
Oct 22, 2015 at 7:36 AM
Comment #106Sutty,
Also fully agree, I said before the Norwich game that if we get four points from Norwich and the mackems we’ll be ok, it’ll still be a long hard season but we now know that we can beat the likes of Norwich, but people seem to forget that we are still very much in a relegation struggle with a quarter of the season gone, Schteve is implementing a new philosophy yatter yatter, W Ham have had long ball specialist FSA for a few years yet Billic has somehow passed on his style fairly quickly and effectively, lets hope it works out for Mclaren but lets not get carried away.
Jail for Ashley
Oct 22, 2015 at 7:37 AM
Comment #107Catchy,
See Billic.
hibbitt
Oct 22, 2015 at 7:41 AM
Comment #108i think if we had beat watford people would be looking at things much more positive that was the game most fans expected to win 9 points would be looking good to go into the sunderland game with
Ron Knee
Oct 22, 2015 at 7:42 AM
Comment #109Jail
We also had luck on our side. Six shots at goal, six goals scored. How often does that happen in football? And how many times did Norwich hit the woodwork?
I think we’re going to need similar luck against SAFC.
hibbitt
Oct 22, 2015 at 7:45 AM
Comment #110ron thats ok the fat man says we now make our own luck……the elfs are working overtime
Ron Knee
Oct 22, 2015 at 7:47 AM
Comment #111hibbitt
They need to!
catchy in norway
Oct 22, 2015 at 8:02 AM
Comment #112Jail
Do you think West Ham were in the same situation as us ?. I don’t . Have West Ham had as many hard fixtures as us . I don’t think so.
Lilongwe Geordie
Oct 22, 2015 at 8:06 AM
Comment #113Catchy,
West Ham were just as bad as we were in the second half of last season. They have also beaten Arsenal, Man City and Liverpool so far this season – at least 2 away from home, but I think it was all three. Not exactly an easy start!
Still, they made greater changes in overhauling the squad which allowed for greater opportunities to dispel a losing mentality.
Jail for Ashley
Oct 22, 2015 at 8:09 AM
Comment #114catchy,
West Ham were dire last season, funnily enough losing their last game to us, they have played long ball for the last three years by all accounts managed by a ‘hoof ball’ specialist and everybody has played nearly half the teams in the division.
sing in the corner
Oct 22, 2015 at 8:09 AM
Comment #115Looking at the fixtures after the Watford setback, the Norwich and mackem games were always going to be the springboard. A win on Sunday or at the very least get a convincing performance if its a draw, and we can look forward to Sroke, Leicester, Bournemouth and Palace with confidence that theres some points to bag. I think we have to be brave and positive – put SAFC on the back foot, because we have to face it – our defence is woeful and we need to score goals.
4-4-2 is the only way. Play to your strengths and let Sissoko, Wij Perez and Mitro off the leash.
cyprus
Oct 22, 2015 at 8:11 AM
Comment #116I love it when the little guy sets lofty goals. People laughed early this year, on the national news, when people there reiterated their top 4 ambition. Really funny eh. Check the table 🙂
cyprus
Oct 22, 2015 at 8:12 AM
Comment #1178/14
http://www.footballfancast.com/football-news/new-12million-west-ham-signing-aims-top-four-finish
Ian Toon
Oct 22, 2015 at 8:14 AM
Comment #118Belfast – I hope you and yours are doing just fine. We can afford to shed a good number of contributors from the blog but your at the bottom of my list- for what it’s worth.
Tsunki- I see you( and a few others) have singled out Jib for using unacceptable language in describing a poster. This was wholly offensive. Yet because a poster used ” arrested development” a while ago when describing a fellow poster it went unnoticed. In the context used it meant exactly the same thing. At the time I drew this to Ibiza’s attention as he appeared to be in tandem in his then posts with the party. I am all for playing the ball and not the man ( or woman!!) – how about you.
I personally have not had a problem with Jib and neither have a good number of others. I am selective when I respond but equally am all for self regulation. Good to see a few having their wings clipped of late which is in everyone’s best interest.
Don’t worry I don’t plan to become a regular poster.
Sorry this wasn’t football related.
catchy in norway
Oct 22, 2015 at 8:16 AM
Comment #119Ron
It was six shots on target , but I seen a few more shots blocked
Ron Knee
Oct 22, 2015 at 8:23 AM
Comment #120catchy
That must have been when I was hiding behind the sofa!