Mo Diame has often expressed his disappointment at some of his performances last season, but he still played very well in a number of games, but it’s clear he will be trying to show his worth to the side next season.
Mo is a good guy and has recently retired from International football after the African Cup of Nations earlier this year in Gabon, as he gives his all to be part of the second phase of the Rafa revolution on Tyneside and it promises to be an exciting journey for the ever faithful Newcastle fans.
Mo Diame – keen to impress next season
Since we had an average attendance in the second division of 51,108 – the biggest since way back in 1959 when the grounds were not restricted with all-seating – we dare say in the home games next season in the Premier League, St James’ Park will be sold out.
Get your requests in for your season tickets – they will sell out very quickly this summer with Rafa leading Newcastle in the Premier League.
Mo Diame has been interviewed in the Chronicle today and this is what he has said:
“Now people know why I came here. It is a massive club.” “It is a club that deserves to be in the Premier League and now we are there.”
“We are going to do everything to shine in the Premier League next season.” “I think the situation at Hull was a little bit difficult.”
“But as I say when Newcastle call you, the decision is an easy one.” “They have amazing fans and despite being in the second league we have had 50,000 home fans every game.”
“It is something crazy.” As a footballer, it’s something you want to live through every weekend.” “Even when we had a bad start they kept coming.”
“They are the best fans in the UK.” “It was an amazing season.” “We expected to get promoted at the beginning of the season.”
“We knew it would be tough but the team responded very well.” “The boss has been right behind this team and I think everybody has played a part.”
“We needed to get out of the Championship and we won it and are now promoted.” “I think we have responded on the pitch.”
We were a little disappointed in Mo last season, mainly because he wasn’t as consistent as he could be – and he is a much better player than he showed some of the time last term.
Diame played 41 times for us last season with 6 goals and 3 assists and by his own admission he was a little disappointed in his form.
But it’s probably some teething problems and it sometimes takes players time to adapt at Newcastle, but he has a great coach in Rafa Benitez, who is always trying to bring out the very best in him.
So we hope to see a better player next season in Mo – but at just £3.5M he was still a bargain buy for the club since he has plenty of Premier League experience with a total of seven full seasons playing for Wigan, West Ham and Hull City.
By our reckoning Mo has played a total of 179 Premier League games so far in his career and he was one of three players who was willing to drop down from the Premier League to play for us last season.
🙂
Comments welcome.
84 comments so far
G
May 22, 2017 at 3:36 PM
Comment #1Last season he looked like a spent force for most of the season. Still, as he has little or no resale value, lets let him have another crack next season and see how he gets on. Worst case scenario we can get shot of him during the winter on a loan.
jezza442
May 22, 2017 at 3:59 PM
Comment #2every season should be the same be the same attitude as last season, one game at a time try to win them all regardless of which league we’re in,aiming for mid table is dangerous we’ve played that game for too long! reach for the stars in say see where we end up.
Essex Geordie Bill
May 22, 2017 at 4:00 PM
Comment #3Personally I thought he was hopeless last season, he’s going to have to improve immeasurably to convince me he’s worth keeping. I reckon Saivet, even though we’ve seen next to nowt of him, is probably a better option.
I had to laugh when they put up the match stats after the Chelsea game, an attendance of 41,000 for the presentation game, top team???
But for Abramovitches money they’d be relegation fodder each year.
lochinvar
May 22, 2017 at 4:02 PM
Comment #4Ok so Diame’s now making waves about staying so he can play in the Premiership despite admitting his performances were often poor in the Championship.
He better hope that Rafa can help him to realise what’s needed or otherwise he’s down the road to Sunderland, Boro or back to Hull in part exchange for McGuire.
Earn your crust springs to mind.
lochinvar
May 22, 2017 at 4:04 PM
Comment #5Absent from the Scotland squad to play England are Matt Ritchie and Grant Hanley, who have been promoted with Newcastle United. Surprised about Ritchie – has Strachan be told the lad needs a rest ?
hibbit
May 22, 2017 at 4:06 PM
Comment #6Essex Geordie Bill
41000 is a full house at Stamford Bridge. they can’t do much better than that !!
Essex Geordie Bill
May 22, 2017 at 4:06 PM
Comment #7When does pre-season training start?
Essex Geordie Bill
May 22, 2017 at 4:07 PM
Comment #8Hibbit I know that it doesn’t invalidate my comment though.
hibbit
May 22, 2017 at 4:10 PM
Comment #9Essex Geordie Bill
of course it does they can only sell the seats they have and they did that
Essex Geordie Bill
May 22, 2017 at 4:13 PM
Comment #10Lochinvar
Sending him to Sunderland would be a bit cruel, he should go to a team with better prospects like South Shield.
By the way congrats to them, love to have watched it.
Swapping him for McGuire sounds like a good idea though.
barkel
May 22, 2017 at 4:25 PM
Comment #11lochinvar @5
Apparently Ritchie had a hernia op towards the end of the season after he was given a two match ban
gaz 44
May 22, 2017 at 4:29 PM
Comment #12lochinvar, think he had operation same as lascelles but from what I’ve seen of Scotland he only appears as a fringe player as of late. Think him and strachan may of had a fall out even though I’ve not heard anything of it
Toonces
May 22, 2017 at 4:31 PM
Comment #13EGB
I think Chelsea also pull >£60M/year from their 41,000 seat Stamford Bridge while our 52,000 seat stadium generates about £35M/year – our virtuous policy of offering affordable football. Mind you they have also been able to put a few more games on their pitch most seasons.
hibbit
May 22, 2017 at 4:37 PM
Comment #14Abramovich’s plans passed for new 60,000-seat Stamford Bridge which may be ready for 2021-22 season
unlike our owner selling the only land the ground could be expanded on !!
Essex Geordie Bill
May 22, 2017 at 4:45 PM
Comment #15Hibbit
My point is that teams with either lower capacity stadiums or lower fan bases wouldn’t be able to compete at the higher level without the backing of a Multi billionaire.
You’d get teams like Bournemouth, Burnley, Southampton etc competing for champions league places with the same backing despite having lower gate attendances.
Toonces, I wasn’t aware of that fact but that could be down to them having the bigger bought star players and their fans being willing to pay more cos of it.
hibbit
May 22, 2017 at 5:01 PM
Comment #16Essex Geordie Bill
not sure the have a smaller fan base and thay are increasing stamford bridges capacity to 60000
Hail Wor Ashley
May 22, 2017 at 5:04 PM
Comment #17We got him for £4.5m due to a release clause, we should be able to get at least that back if we decide to sell. Every Champ club would want him in the right circumstances.
giimps
May 22, 2017 at 5:09 PM
Comment #18moyes resigns as scumberland manager, its a shame, i thought he did a good job ,I was actually hoping he would repeat it next season
Chancel My MBembaship
May 22, 2017 at 5:21 PM
Comment #19giimps – was just coming here to say exactly the same thing!
AncientC
May 22, 2017 at 5:23 PM
Comment #20Sunderland would not have been in a position to pay Moyes off. He has done the honourable thing. You do not see that very often in modern football.
hibbit
May 22, 2017 at 5:26 PM
Comment #21Essex Geordie Bill
just sitting here wondering where we would be if Rafa had not stayed
we might have been in a total different position but for a rich owner and 52000 fans
AncientC
May 22, 2017 at 5:26 PM
Comment #22You wouldn’t catch Pardew “resigning” without compensation for the good of a club. Moyes’ doesn’t even have any emotional ties to Sunderland – Pardew did with Palace. What a difference in character.
lochinvar
May 22, 2017 at 5:28 PM
Comment #23With Moyes resigning who’s next for the unwashed, Pardew or Barton ?
Think they might try to get the Huddersfield Manager if they don’t win promotion.
With no Rafa bingo now we can while away the barmy summer hours sipping our cool beers and occasionally lapsing into idle chit chat as to the next Sunderland manager in much the same way as we swap notes on who’s got a parking ticket. Such is life.
Hail Wor Ashley
May 22, 2017 at 5:29 PM
Comment #24Monkey heed Peter Reid to make a comeback!
@KeyaNUFC
May 22, 2017 at 5:30 PM
Comment #25Perfect time to share my pic ha-ha! >>> https://twitter.com/KeyaNUFC/status/866689431855652864
Average_Contents
May 22, 2017 at 5:41 PM
Comment #26Haha, the creature from lord of the rings resigns.
Bit gutted in all honesty because if he’d of stayed they might of gone down again.
Let’s hope they get the king. Couldn’t think of a better match tbh.
GeordieTwo
May 22, 2017 at 5:50 PM
Comment #27I don’t like it when Mo exudes. They have to come in and clean it up with mops and buckets.
GeordieTwo
May 22, 2017 at 5:51 PM
Comment #28Percy and the Mackems. It sounds like a great new adventure for both of them. Percy leads the club to no wins in the second half of next season. Sets a new standard for failure.
firebug666
May 22, 2017 at 5:53 PM
Comment #29I think Moyes has done a runner because Ellis Short won’t give him the funs he would need to mount any sort of challenge.
Anyway make of this statement what you will:
Official Sunderland Statement 22 May 2017:
‘Sunderland AFC has announced that David Moyes has resigned from his position as manager of the football club.
David advised the chairman and chief executive of his decision to leave the club at a meeting in London this morning (Monday 22nd May 2017).
Speaking about the decision, chairman Ellis Short stated: “I pursued the services of David Moyes for a considerable period prior to his appointment last summer, which makes the announcement of his departure difficult for everyone concerned.
“Having worked tirelessly throughout the campaign to avoid relegation from the Premier League, David has chosen to leave the club without compensation, which is testament to his character.
“In the days ahead we will take some time for reflection, and then focus on recruitment and pre-season as we prepare for our Championship campaign. We wish David well in the future.”
David Moyes said: “I would like to thank Ellis Short and the Board for giving me the opportunity to manage Sunderland and the fans for always being so passionately supportive of their club.
“I wish the players and my successor well in their efforts towards promotion back to the Premier League”.
David Moyes – 11 May 2017:
“Sunderland will be the biggest club in the Championship and that should help us attract players.
“There are different parts to it – if you buy youngsters, there are no guarantees; if you buy senior players they help you initially but you don’t get resale value – all these things are part of it.
“We have to look and see what is the best way to do it.
“The club’s position over the last few years has meant that sometimes we have not been able to get the top player off the shelf.
“The wage bill is big and it will be a problem next year too because it will affect what we are able to do.
“You need players who give you value for money by playing Saturday-Wednesday-Saturday-Wednesday nearly every week.
“Getting the wage bill down is something that will happen because everybody has that in their contract anyway.
“But it will still mean that our wage bill is high for the division, so that will need to be kept down as well.”
Think reading between the lines, Moyes would have stayed, but during the meeting it has become apparent that he was never going to get the money to invest.
GeordieTwo
May 22, 2017 at 5:59 PM
Comment #30And this just in from the Sunderland Daily Suppository:
Ellis Short: “The club is convinced that with my complete lack of financial support we can take steps to establish a new record minimum number of points in the Championship. I will make it my main focus in the off season to flog as many of our players as I can and replace them with various figurines and wax dolls.”
ShirebrookToon
May 22, 2017 at 6:00 PM
Comment #31That was nice of Moyes to resign. Saved them mackems a few quid! Will help them in their relegation battle in the champo!
GeordieTwo
May 22, 2017 at 6:04 PM
Comment #32Percy in the Champo! Percy in the Champo!
Boom, boom, boom, boom!
GeordieTwo
May 22, 2017 at 6:06 PM
Comment #33And more news:
Ellis Short has nominated King Percy as new part time low budget coach and Neville Snivels as his on again off again Managing Director. They are now passing the hat around to collect the new player funds required for next season.
firebug666
May 22, 2017 at 6:11 PM
Comment #34Wonder if you can guess who my choice for next unwashed manager could be:-
Next Sunderland Manager Market
Kevin Phillips 3/1
Aitor Karanka 9/2
Nigel Pearson 5/1
Ryan Giggs 7/1
Garry Monk 8/1
Kevin Ball 10/1
—————————
Alan Pardew 11/1
—————————
Claudio Ranieri 14/1
Alex Neil 14/1
David Wagner 14/1
Tsunki
May 22, 2017 at 6:15 PM
Comment #35Please let it be Alan Pardew. They need to understand fully what it is like. That’s why it must be Alan Pardew.
firebug666
May 22, 2017 at 6:21 PM
Comment #36Tsunki
But if not the inept one, how about a certain John William Carver, probably the best manager in the history of the Premier League. 😀
GeordieTwo
May 22, 2017 at 6:24 PM
Comment #37Percy will dominate the interview process.
Percy: “If I’m honest I’ve always known I would end up managing this wonderful club. I’ve kept my favourite pencil and notepad for this, my ultimate challenge. Leading the club to the bottom of the standings will take every bit of my football knowledge. I’m looking forward to working with a minimal budget and my good friend Neville Snivels.”
GeordieTwo
May 22, 2017 at 6:26 PM
Comment #38Johnny C! Johnny C!
Bring him in and set the bar as low as possible!
And free spa treatments as well for Ellis Short.
AncientC
May 22, 2017 at 6:31 PM
Comment #39I could see Nigel Adkins getting the job.
giimps
May 22, 2017 at 6:31 PM
Comment #40Cant understand why Joe Kinnear isnt on that list, he knows the area and has an exceptionally good way with words, his man management skills are second to everyone and could get Scumberland back to where they should be