22 year-old Newcastle midfielder Isaac Hayden is resting at the moment as he recovers from a few knocks from the long hard season just completed.
And therefore Issac is not part of the England U21 squad that will participate in the European Championships in Poland starting in a less than two weeks time.
Issac has talked to the Chronicle today on what he thinks it will be like next season in the Premier League and he thinks it will be totally different from the way the three teams promoted last season approached the Premier League.
One reason is because we have an experienced world-class manager in Rafa Benitez, who knows more about the Premier League than any other league and certainly more than he ever knew about the Championship.
And we did very well last season to finish top of the English second division.
Newcastle as a club are also united and stable now, which we haven’t been for a long long long time – but everybody associated with the club backs Rafa Benitez to make us great again.
And that’s just exactly that the manager wants to do and the quicker the better.
Love it!
This is what Issac has said in the Chronicle today when asked if Newcastle could perhaps learn anything from promoted teams Burnley, Middlesbrough and Hull’s campaigns and their approach to last season:
“I think it’s more the mentality of the teams.”
“You look at Burnley and you have got Sean Dyche as the manager and you have got the players that they have – it’s a very hard-working team, Burnley.”
“They’d do well in any league because the basis of their game is hard work, tactical knowledge and being defensively strong, and that’s the difference.”
“Boro had a bit of a problem in terms of management, so that can affect the group, and Hull have come up and they struggled.”
“They’ve not really had a squad at the start of the season and they have had a change of manager, so if they stay up, then fabulous for them.”
“But I think this will be different if we have the stability and we have the manager behind us and the backing from the fans.”
“I think it will be totally different to any of the teams who were promoted last year.”
“The fans have been brilliant, the manager has been brilliant, the whole club has been united and moving in the right direction.”
“It’s not been the best of times over the last few years for the football club.”
“I can’t really comment on past years because I haven’t been here, but since I’ve been here, it’s been fantastic.”
“As long as it does move in the right direction now that the manager is staying then hopefully we can move forward and go on to bigger and better things.”
“This football club shouldn’t really be in the Championship, it should be in the top 10, top eight in the Premier League challenging for the European positions.”
“But it’s about being realistic. It’s about a platform that we have built here now and it’s about over the next few years – not just next year, but the year after that, the year after that.”
“We want to steadily improve, improve and get better and better and back to where this club belongs.”
Newcastle have momentum right now following the great achievement in getting straight back to the Premier League in an automatic promotion position (top), which is so much more difficult to do now than it was seven years ago – the last time we did it.
That’s because there’s now much bigger money to be made in the Premier League, where teams can make anywhere from £100M to £160M every year depending principally on where they finish in the league table.
That’s a lot more than the £7M each Championship club gets every May, wherever they finish in the Championship table.
The other reason is that the Premier League games get more global coverage than any other sports league in the world and the league is also not surprisingly the most popular sports league in the world.
So if English football clubs want to build a global brand and become well known world-wide, which can only help their commercial ventures, they must be in the Premier League.
That’s where Newcastle are right now – and we are hoping to push on to achieve bigger and better things under the leadership of Mr. Rafa Benitez.
What do you think?
Comments welcome.
79 comments so far
firebug666
Jun 6, 2017 at 12:53 PM
Comment #41More details emerge of former Newcastle United player Cheick Tiote’s death
Former Newcastle United star Cheick Tiote died in hospital after collapsing during a training session in China.
His club, Beijing Enterprises, confirmed the 30-year-old’s death on social media and revealed the midfielder had “fainted without any warning”.
Tiote, who joined Newcastle in 2010 before leaving in February of this year, was immediately taken to hospital but doctors could not revive him and he died around 7pm Chinese time, or 12pm GMT.
A statement from Beijing Enterprises added: “Since joining the team, he had made an outstanding contribution to the club and won praise from the club, the coaching team and his team mates with his superb skills and professionalism.
“Beijing BG football club expresses our deepest sorrow following Mr Tiote’s passing.”
Tiote was a known Muslim and his death comes at a time when many practicing Muslims are fasting during the holy month of Ramadan, which lasts until June 24.
Newcastle manager Rafa Benitez, who worked with the player for almost a year during his time on Tyneside, led the tributes to Tiote.
He said: “It is with great sadness that I have this afternoon learned of Cheick’s death.
“In the all the time that I have known him, he was a true professional, dedicated and above all, a great man. Our hearts go out to his family and friends at such a sad time.”
Former England manager Steve McClaren, who managed Tiote at Dutch side Twente as well as at Newcastle, also paid tribute.
He told the BBC: “I knew him first as a young player at Twente. He was the toughest player I’ve ever seen.
“On the field and in training he was such a competitor. He wanted to win every game, kick every player and win every tackle.
“He was a winner. I just can’t believe it. Some days we would have to pull him out of training because he was such a ferocious competitor, such a winner. He was a warrior and could play too.”
Tiote made 156 appearances for the Magpies during a six-and-a-half year spell at club, after he signed for £3.5m.
But the moment which Tiote will always be remembered for by fans was his magnificent 25-yard injury-time equaliser against Arsenal during the famous 4-4 draw with Arsenal at St James’ Park in February 2011.
http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/more-details-emerge-former-newcastle-13144545
firebug666
Jun 6, 2017 at 12:55 PM
Comment #42Essex
Their can be only one lol………Pardew is favorite for the Leeds Job.
martoon
Jun 6, 2017 at 1:05 PM
Comment #43firebug666 – More cutting edge, insightful reporting by the Chronicle – Pretty sure any of us could have predicted Gouf, Anita and Hadaira would be leaving this Summer!
YoungMag :P
Jun 6, 2017 at 1:08 PM
Comment #44Good afternoon fellas.
I’m actually getting tired of all this Semedo talk to be honest. Seems like a decent signing but Sporting are playing hard ball. Not sure if he’s worth all this hassle. Would rather we went back In for Mangala in my opinion.
Mag52
Jun 6, 2017 at 1:09 PM
Comment #45Essex Geordie.
There’s proof if ever you wanted it that two seasons are a long time in football.
firebug666
Jun 6, 2017 at 1:10 PM
Comment #46martoon
True, but then they are a bit closer to the club than us and no doubt pick up a few whispers here and there.
I can’t wait to see the retained list, but out of those mentioned for the chop, I’m not too bothered, I trust Rafa (if not yet the club) to do the right thing, that is to trim the squad and bring in the quality we need for the Premiership battle ahead.
Ibizatoon
Jun 6, 2017 at 1:12 PM
Comment #47I like that line about having to pull Tiote out of training. I remember a few years back it certainly was a fan theory as to why we got so many injuries on the training pitch 🙂
Also the bit about wanting to win every game, “kick every player”.
JP...from The Rock
Jun 6, 2017 at 1:12 PM
Comment #48Not looking good on the Semedo front;
https://www.fourfourtwo.com/news/semedo-will-move-laliga-confirms-agent
so-far-king-quick
Jun 6, 2017 at 1:12 PM
Comment #49If we are indeed looking for a new left back I’d rather see us get gael clichy through the door then gibbs or taylor, his contract runs out the 30th of this month and hes only 31 bags of premier league experience way way better going forward then dummett and he’ll cost nothing so shouldn’t matter so much about the high wage.
kc2012
Jun 6, 2017 at 1:13 PM
Comment #50Semedo will join Villareal Today according to Fourfourtwo – His agent has confirmed it
Ibizatoon
Jun 6, 2017 at 1:13 PM
Comment #51Nice to see the rumours of outgoings start. Certainly going to play a big part in what we do this summer as I can’t see Ashley allowing us to bring in more players than we need / are allowed to register (not a dig at Ashley) whilst we wait to offload others.
firebug666
Jun 6, 2017 at 1:14 PM
Comment #52Ibiza
Yeah, I had a chuckle at those lines too, I can just imagine Tiote after training having to go to the physio’s room to apologize to the four or five players lying there… 😀
Essex Geordie Bill
Jun 6, 2017 at 1:15 PM
Comment #53Mag52
Sorry, I’m a bit thick but what is that a reference to.
Essex Geordie Bill
Jun 6, 2017 at 1:16 PM
Comment #54Aah JC I assume!
YoungMag :P
Jun 6, 2017 at 1:16 PM
Comment #55Players I’d like to see gone:
Goalkeepers:
– Elliot
– Krul
Defenders:
– Anita
– Haidara
– Hanley
– Lazaar
– Good
Midfielders:
– Colback
– Diame
– Gouffran
Strikers:
– Murphy
– Mitrovic
AncientC
Jun 6, 2017 at 1:16 PM
Comment #56A 50% sell-on for Semedo wouldn’t bother me in the slightest – that is if the club is getting some discount on the asking price. Should Semedo go on to become valued at £40 million, then the club would be taking a £20 million loss by selling, in which case, a disincentive is in place should Charnley get any ideas.
Ibizatoon
Jun 6, 2017 at 1:17 PM
Comment #57firebug 🙂
Ibizatoon
Jun 6, 2017 at 1:19 PM
Comment #58Ancient…Agreed. If he’s the player the club have identified and want, having to give part of the re-sale fee to them (presuming he improves and warrants such a re-sale price) shouldn’t be the deciding factor.
That is unless they do have as good options in the pipeline. We sit, we wait.
Klatoon
Jun 6, 2017 at 1:22 PM
Comment #59Semedo suits La liga better, that ball carrying flamboyant style would be a major liability in the EPL. His positioning is suspect and he often relies on recovery pace to bail him out. In the prem you get punished before any sniff at recovery.
firebug666
Jun 6, 2017 at 1:24 PM
Comment #60Ibiza / Ancient
His agent recons he’s off to Villarreal, so really it’s immaterial, But a 50% sell on price wouldn’t bother me either, I would just keep him here until either we got a massive offer for him, or he retired and left for nowt.
Ibizatoon
Jun 6, 2017 at 1:27 PM
Comment #61Klatoon…I don’t really know much about the player, but do have faith in that Rafa was happy that he would be able to adjust to the PL…otherwise they wouldn’t have been pursuing him in the first place.
Firebug…It would seem so, so you’re absolutely correct, it’s immaterial now. I wonder if it was the sell on clause that prevented the deal. I doubt we’ll know, hopefully we wont even care once we do our summers business. That would make a nice change.
AncientC
Jun 6, 2017 at 1:31 PM
Comment #62If Semedo is signing for the ‘Yellow Submarine,’ the Sporting player we are tracking still remains a mystery it would seem.
firebug666
Jun 6, 2017 at 1:32 PM
Comment #63Ibiza
I’m confident Rafa will have a plan A,B,C, etc. And his third choices will likely be of similar quality to his first choice, and not based on sell on value or lowest price bargain bucket remnants as in the past.
Oh I dare say he will look for value for money too, but not at the expense of what we need for the next season.
SPRINGY
Jun 6, 2017 at 1:36 PM
Comment #64Klatoon
Read he was one of the best passers in the league if not the best in his position and made one the highest percentage of tackles, interceptions and made no goal conceeding mistakes…this was just stats and views of whomever wrote the article….do watch portugese football regular,as in live in portugal?….coz your views seem to differ a lot from that article….not looking for a kick off mate… just lookin for as much info on the lad,thats all
Ibizatoon
Jun 6, 2017 at 1:37 PM
Comment #65firebug…Being smart or business savvy has never been the issue for me, it’s when they prioritise it over footballing matters when we hit a problem.
As you say, with Rafa at the helm, I’m a lot more confident we’ll do it the right way and he’ll find the required balance.
Just looking at your picture. Was it you who had the Google T-Shirt pic a couple of years back?
firebug666
Jun 6, 2017 at 1:45 PM
Comment #66Ibiza
Yeah, I still have that shirt, the pic with it on was in Istanbul I think. This new pic on here is one of an emotionless, psychotic, killing machine hell bent on taking over the universe, The other is Dalek Khan, we were on a date at the BBC Newcastle. 😀
Ibizatoon
Jun 6, 2017 at 1:48 PM
Comment #67Firebug…Nice to see you’ve found someone that matches you emotionally.
Hope you don’t mind me saying though, i fear what your offspring may look like 😉
firebug666
Jun 6, 2017 at 1:53 PM
Comment #68Ibiza
Nah, I’m fine with whatever you say marra, I don’t take offence so easy, and the blog need a little humor now and then otherwise we would all get board. Anyway it’s Khan you have to worry about, with that Exterminate and all.
I remember that shirt properly now, (actually just looked up the picture) “Fcuk Google Ask Me”, was going to send it to Jib. Nice you remembered it though.
Ron Knee
Jun 6, 2017 at 1:58 PM
Comment #69Report: NUFC to double Lejeune’s wages
“Spanish news outlet Marca are claiming that Newcastle are prepared to double Florian Lejeune’s current salary to bring him to Tyneside.
“The French defender has excelled at Eibar this season and as we reported earlier this week he has a £8.7 million release clause in his contract.
“The report says Newcastle will offer him a four year deal and comes after news that Newcastle are likely to miss out on another defensive target in Ruben Semedo.”
(Chronicle)
firebug666
Jun 6, 2017 at 1:59 PM
Comment #70From NUFC Official site:
Newcastle United’s youngsters will return to Northern Ireland this summer to take part in the SuperCupNI.
The Magpies have won the competition – formerly the Milk Cup – twice, in 1985 and 1989, and were runners-up in 2012 with a side including Rolando Aarons, Adam Armstrong, Jamie Sterry, Freddie Woodman, Lubo Satka and Adam Campbell.
And United will again compete against talented young sides from all over the world when the event begins in Coleraine on Sunday, 23rd July with its traditional welcome ceremony at the Showgrounds after competing teams have paraded through the town centre.
Newcastle will face local side Co. Antrim on Monday, 24th July before taking on Beijing Morning Star United of China the following day and Komazawa Uni FC from Japan on Wednesday, 26th July.
Finals night is Friday, July 28th, at Ballymena Showgrounds.
Tournament chairman Victor Leonard said: “It is fantastic to see the club continue to join us. We have established a strong relationship with St. James’ Park down the years.
“We have a strong entry from across the globe this year. Our event has always prided itself on quality, not quantity, and we wouldn’t have it any other way.”
firebug666
Jun 6, 2017 at 2:07 PM
Comment #71Document ‘proves’ Newcastle United agreed a deal for defender, very strange situation
After a confirmation from his agent this morning, it seems very likely that Ruben Semedo is joining a Spanish club. The Portuguese newspapers say it’s Villarreal, who outbid Newcastle United and Southampton in the fight for the defender.
We must recall that last week, O Jogo had claimed there was an outline agreement between Sporting and Newcastle for the player to move on a €14m transfer.
And it looks like it wasn’t just a made up story. Jornal de Notícias published an article on Tuesday which still said Newcastle have a deal for the defender, obviously because it was published before Semedo’s agent confirmed the transfer to Spain.
But their claims are backed up by a document they had access to. In a file dated on May 30th, Sporting football director André Geraldes signed an agreement between the clubs, which included a €14m transfer fee, a 20% share of a future sale and even an anti-rivals release clause.
Jornal de Notícias made some calls before writing the story. Sporting refused to comment on the matter and agent Cátio Baldé ruled out a move to Newcastle.
So even though Semedo may indeed be on his way to Spain, this is a reasonable proof that Newcastle were very close to signing him. The latest reports from Portugal say Villarreal are getting him for an extra €1m.
It’s all very strange, but Sporting are involved so that’s no great surprise.
http://sportwitness.co.uk/document-proves-newcastle-united-agreed-deal-defender-strange-situation/
Klatoon
Jun 6, 2017 at 2:11 PM
Comment #72Springy, yes those stats are not way off the mark but you have to consider the fact Portuguese teams dont press high up the pitch so defenders have alot of time to pick passes. If you look at the league stats you notice alot of CB’s with high pass percentages. The tackling is more of an indictment on his positioning, he strays alot and most of these are “sprint-and-slide” challenges. Take Mbemba and add abit more flair+technique on the ball but nothing on the defensive side. Just my opinion though
firebug666
Jun 6, 2017 at 2:12 PM
Comment #73From NUFC Official site:
Newcastle United has been named as the fasting-growing football club brand in the world by industry experts Brand Finance.
The result was announced as part of the organisation’s annual ‘Football 50’ report, which is the only study of its kind to analyse and rank top clubs by the value of their brand.
United’s on-field performances, culminating in an instant return to the Premier League, continue to be the major influence on the club’s off-field success, while the size of the Magpies’ fanbase and level of fan satisfaction, overall brand management and social media presence are among other factors considered.
Despite spending the 2016/17 season in the Championship, United already sit ahead of several existing Premier League clubs in the rankings.
Overall growth in the club’s brand value is recorded at 92% over the last 12 months, with Champions League runners-up Juventus achieving the next best percentage growth globally with a 72% increase.
Joslyn Pannu, communications manager at Brand Finance, said: “Newcastle United have just passed the most valuable threshold in world football; promotion to the Premier League.
“The Magpies have deep roots in the Premier League and the restoration of such an iconic club will boost the brand strength of the league as a whole.”
Real Madrid, who won both La Liga and the UEFA Champions League in 2017, are named as the world’s most powerful football brand ahead of FC Barcelona and Bayern Munich, while Manchester United – fourth overall – are England’s most valuable football brand.
Brand Finance is the world’s leading independent branded business valuation and strategy consultancy. You can read the full ‘Football 50’ report, here.
SPRINGY
Jun 6, 2017 at 2:16 PM
Comment #74Klatoon
Welcome to hear your opinion mate,any info is usually good to know….seems we may be missing out on him tbh….and we are swaying towards the french lad…need to get the ball rolling on the transfer front b4 this blog explodes with frustration!Lol
SPRINGY
Jun 6, 2017 at 2:17 PM
Comment #75Glad to hear your opinion….not welcome…ya na what i meant! Lol
Belfast
Jun 6, 2017 at 2:22 PM
Comment #76Yes left wing Lesh give it a bloody rest on the politics front.
ScoopSouthAfrica
Jun 6, 2017 at 2:46 PM
Comment #77Hi Firebug666…
Newcastle United has been named as the fasting-growing football club brand in the world by industry experts Brand Finance.
LOL are they on a diet (fasting) however point taken, just a bit of levity…….
WWSBRD
Jun 6, 2017 at 2:49 PM
Comment #78firebug
If the document about Semedo was the same one doing the rounds on Twitter it was completely fake and honestly a little worrying that publications think it isn’t
WLtoon
Jun 6, 2017 at 2:57 PM
Comment #79So yet another so called TARGET, Semedo, has decided not to join us. he,s decided to opt for that huge Spanish outfit Villereal, Not Real Madrid. That concerns me a wee bit. Like i said in a previous blog, im not so sure we have the finances that some people are quoting. I hope i am wrong and that its just a case of biding our time for players to get OVER THE LINE,but what happened in January regarding no signings still fresh in the memory. Our targets seem to be lower budget deals than a few wks back, and that also is starting to ring alarm bells for me. The fact that Semedo has opted for The Yellow Submarine instead of us suggests that alot of players dont think we are that attractive an option, or maybe , we are,nt prepared to pay the going rate. has Ashley really seen the light?