Mo Diame was our Man of the Match against Huddersfield as our two midfield players Mo and Jonjo Shelvey ran the show last weekend.
But Mo had to go off with what looked like a foot injury, but when he ran off the field, we thought maybe it’s not that bad.
The Chronicle is reporting today that Newcastle are still awaiting news on his condition and whether he will be OK for our next test – at Leicester City on Saturday.
Isaac Hayden or Mikel Merino will deputize for him on Saturday if he cannot make it – but we would expect him to be OK.
Mo Diame – in action against Huddersfield
This is what Mo has said as reported in Chronicle Live today:
“Everything is alright at the moment.”
“We just need to keep going, as I have said before, it is important to finish as high as possible and then have a different target next season.”
“We don’t want to be fighting relegation all the time.”
“We are now on a good run, we go to Leicester with a lot of confidence.
“We’ll try to win there too.”
Two years ago we got 12 points from our final six games, and Rafa will want to achieve that (at least) this season.
Finishing as high up the league as possible is vital for at least two reasons.
One is to get as much money from the Premier League as possible so Rafa can use it for transfer funds this summer,
And the higher up we finish the easier it will be to attract (very) good players.
Comments welcome.
59 comments so far
Jail for Ashley
Apr 5, 2018 at 10:48 AM
Comment #1hibbit,
You’re probably right but there’s no Dirk Llambias and Alan Pardew threatening him with rotting in the reserves if he doesn’t want to move.
RobLeenio
Apr 5, 2018 at 10:59 AM
Comment #2I don’t see Lascelles being sold this Summer – Ashley has a history of allowing his investments to mature and Lascelles’ valuation hasn’t yet topped out. Plus, if he did sell him from under Rafa’s feet, that would likely be the straw that broke the camel’s back in their relationship.
That said, for us to progress we will need to sell our better players at some point to grow the squad / buy a big name. All our managers have done it, it’s part of managing successfully, but it should be the manager’s decision when it happens
JP...from The Rock
Apr 5, 2018 at 11:00 AM
Comment #3Ed you’re on fire today son! How many articles has that been already? Lol
JP...from The Rock
Apr 5, 2018 at 11:09 AM
Comment #4RobLeenio- You’re right that you usually have to sell a star of the team to fund even better players. Every team does it. Though I think we’d be wrong in selling Lascelles. If he keeps improving at this rate he will be immense and a mainstay in the England team in years to come. He has all the qualities to be a legend here and we should not sell him. We could sell other good players of ours to fund for an upgrade but I really think Lascelles is the bees knees.
This summer should be really interesting to see who we bring and Rafa now has an even clearer picture of what is needed and what our limitations are. One thing that could work against us is the World Cup as clubs will be reluctant to sell until it’s over.
The fat man really has few excuses to not supply Rafa with a healthy transfer budget this summer. Interesting times ahead.
Budge123
Apr 5, 2018 at 11:14 AM
Comment #5Does anyone know when the Spurs date will be confirmed?
And any idea what the actual date might be?
RobLeenio
Apr 5, 2018 at 11:15 AM
Comment #6JP, absolutely you’re right. Lascelles can be the heartbeat of our team for years to come, potentially the England rock also given time (and a pair of Northward facing binoculars at St George’s Park). However, we should be aware of the fact that if Rafa sees a young Centre back in a couple of years who has the potential to be the new Lascelles or even better and he can free up £70M for other transfers, he may well be tempted.
Lascelles himself may want to leave at some point. Not this Summer, but who knows in 2 seasons’ time?
I was gutted when Andy Cole left, still haven’t got over it. Yet he missed large parts of the next two seasons with shin splints, so who’s to say KK wasn’t right at that time?
DubaiMicky
Apr 5, 2018 at 11:17 AM
Comment #7Veltman (repost)
Ayatollah. Well this is an interesting one, comes from ayat (sign (of)) allah (god). You can’t directly translate Arabic to English, it’s all in the nuance of the words.
Basically the ??? ???? (hope that came out, if it didn’t it’s the Arabic script for ayatollah), it was used initially to show that God exists because of the signs that show he does, what it’s grown into is a male Muslim Faith leader that can act as a judge on Islamic text and their meaning.
Interestingly, in the 1700 years or so since the Quran was written, it’s only in the last 100 or so years that it’s come into common use.
Hope that helps.
Jib
Apr 5, 2018 at 11:17 AM
Comment #8Wednesday May 9th.
Kick-off is at 8pm but contrary to NUFC’s
initial announcement it’s not live on Sky Sports.
from .com
DubaiMicky
Apr 5, 2018 at 11:18 AM
Comment #9@Budge123 Spurs game, Wednesday 9th May, 8pm.
Budge123
Apr 5, 2018 at 11:19 AM
Comment #10Cheers
DubaiMicky
Apr 5, 2018 at 11:19 AM
Comment #11I’d think it will be live on Sky mind you, no other games that day – so far.
DubaiMicky
Apr 5, 2018 at 11:21 AM
Comment #12Sorry, I’m wrong:-
Chelsea v Huddersfield Town
Leicester City v Arsenal
Manchester City v Brighton & Hove Albion
Tottenham Hotspur v Newcastle United
JP...from The Rock
Apr 5, 2018 at 11:24 AM
Comment #13Robleenio- you know what bugs me is the amount of stars we’ve missed out for not paying an extra million here or there under Ashley. Delle Alli, Modric, Aubamayang, Lacazette etc.. the list goes on and on. Most are worth a fortune now and we would have had an unbelievable team that would have made The Entertainers team look like crap. Hopefully with Rafa at the helm and possibly new owners those days are behind us. I don’t think I am exagerating when I say we could have been a constant top 6 side all these years if we had paid the going rate for our targets then. But ‘IF’ is a very powerful word in football and we can’t think of the past but must look on to the future. I think if Rafa stays we have a bright future ahead. If Rafa stays and Fatty leaves the future will be so bright it would hurt our eyes. Let’s hope the latter really comes to pass.
Budge123
Apr 5, 2018 at 11:25 AM
Comment #14Hopefully nothing riding on it for us other than a day out at Wembley!
Is that Spurs last home game?
If it is might be harder to get tickets
posada
Apr 5, 2018 at 11:41 AM
Comment #15If someone offers 30 million for one of your players and you don’t accept are you obliged to offer the player a contract commensurate with being a 30 million pound player.
Legally no, but practically yeh.
Otherwise yoy have a very unhappy player.
Why? If a player gets hurt badly he may never get an offer like that again.
A firm offer that is. Not speculation. I believe clubs are able to tell the difference with a formal process when offers are made. Or perhaps not ? Who knows.
posada
Apr 5, 2018 at 11:43 AM
Comment #16Then you have to consider your wage structure.
Will the rest of your players want a pay rise.
It’s a difficult one.
RobLeenio
Apr 5, 2018 at 11:44 AM
Comment #17Posada, if clubs can’t tell the difference, then players’ agents certainly can and therefore the players themselves will be very aware of when they are being welched.
JP, yep our transfer dealings have been shoddy. Carr identified a wide array of good talent, we just took the budget end of it. Ashley will never learn the difference, sadly.
toonincheek
Apr 5, 2018 at 11:54 AM
Comment #18JP
It’s not realistic to cherry pick from the players that
we have been rumoured to be interested in, then
speculate how much better off we would be.
Point is that there have been many many other players
that we have been rumoured to be interested in that
went on to achieve next to nothing.
Nicky the ball tosser
Apr 5, 2018 at 12:00 PM
Comment #19We haven’t sold any of our better players under Ashley that didn’t want to go. Hopefully under Rafa our better players will now want to stay. But if a big offer comes in for any player, then of course you need to consider it.
toonincheek
Apr 5, 2018 at 12:15 PM
Comment #20Nicky,
I reckon Rafa would consider Lascelles position and
give him good advice as to whether or not to move.
IMO Rafa would not insist that Lascelles honour his
6-year contract when it could be in Lascelles interests,
and that of NUFC, that he move on.
But if MA tries to force the issue, I can see Rafa calling
it a day.
AncientC
Apr 5, 2018 at 12:17 PM
Comment #21Carr’s legacy lives on in the form of Lascelles and a few others—although there can be no doubt Benitez deserves credit for helping Lascelles to realise his potential. I may not rate Benitez as currently in the top 10 managers in the world, but he is easily in the world top 10 defensive minded head coaches/managers.
Dagwoodz
Apr 5, 2018 at 12:26 PM
Comment #22Telegraph reporting that Spurs are now interested in signing Lascelles as a replacement to Alderwiereld, should he leave. The buzzards are circling…not that we’re dead or anything. Be curious to see how it all plays out this summer.
RobLeenio
Apr 5, 2018 at 12:37 PM
Comment #23Nicky, beware of swallowing Ashley propaganda hook line and sinker. The official club line was that Andy Carroll was happy to leave, the player himself has suggested he was forced out.
RobLeenio
Apr 5, 2018 at 12:45 PM
Comment #24Another one we missed out on was Eden Hazard. Would have loved to see him the black and white stripes, even for a couple of seasons.
Nicky the ball tosser
Apr 5, 2018 at 12:46 PM
Comment #25Rob, I’ve run a very critical eye over Ashley’s entire tenure and see both the good and bad relatively clearly I think. I’ve bashed him with the best of us on here, when I think he’s deserved it, as Nicky the ball tosser and jimmysmith. I take an ambivalent view of the owner, which I think is appropriate, but all in all i think it’s time he gave someone else a go. Not inclined to fall for anything.
Nicky the ball tosser
Apr 5, 2018 at 12:48 PM
Comment #26Carroll was initially in two minds I believe, but ultimately was happy to go, and it was of course a great bit of business for us. Nolan encouraged him to make the move.
RobLeenio
Apr 5, 2018 at 12:57 PM
Comment #27Hilarious article on The Mag this lunchtime, listing the worst 20 teams by final points tally in Premier League history. We don’t appear, despite our two relegations, but Sunderland appear 3 times in the top 6 worst teams.
I can’t laugh at their current plight, but that stat is unbelievably good.
Jail for Ashley
Apr 5, 2018 at 1:00 PM
Comment #28Well if Nicky the ball tosser takes an ambivalent view, who are you then?
Nicky the ball tosser
Apr 5, 2018 at 1:03 PM
Comment #29Sorry?
Jail for Ashley
Apr 5, 2018 at 1:05 PM
Comment #30Who else are you then ffs.
Jail for Ashley
Apr 5, 2018 at 1:06 PM
Comment #31Who else fawns on Jimmy Smith I wonder?
Nicky the ball tosser
Apr 5, 2018 at 1:10 PM
Comment #32A change of name hasn’t coincided with a change of attitude toward the owner if that’s what you’re getting at. The lay of the land has been changed by Rafa of course, and that I think must impact on the owner’s behaviour. There’s little reason to think he’ll behave exactly as he has in the past.
Nicky the ball tosser
Apr 5, 2018 at 1:11 PM
Comment #33eat a dick. that’s who
lochinvar
Apr 5, 2018 at 1:15 PM
Comment #34Remember this Ed ?
Maybe if Ashley sells then the new owners can dust down the plans.
Only problem is you can bet that Ashley has his fingers in some pies here.
http://www.nufcblog.com/2008/01/19/its-getting-time-to-expand-st-james-park/
Jail for Ashley
Apr 5, 2018 at 1:32 PM
Comment #35I don’t remember anyone by that name?
Jail for Ashley
Apr 5, 2018 at 1:33 PM
Comment #36You got a heart from who ever else you’re posting as, how nice.
Pitmatic
Apr 5, 2018 at 1:34 PM
Comment #37Lascelles is unlikely to win England caps under Southgate, as he’s expressed a preference for “footballing” centre-halves. He’s already jettisoned Cahill and Smalling for the same reasons, so not necessarily to do with anti-NUFC bias (and Southgate must know plenty about him from the under-21s). If the top clubs come circling for him though, you’d have to demand top money. But right now it should be a case of over our dead bodies – he’s far too important and our continued PL survival is probably dependent on him for the next year or two at least. Luckily he seems to absolutely love the club and the honour of captaining it, so hard to see him agitating for a move like van Dijk.
magscar
Apr 5, 2018 at 1:38 PM
Comment #38On Carroll as I recall Ashley/Lambias went back to Liverpool late on deadline day seeking a silly amount which they, now replete with the Torres cash, duly offered and it was gleefully accepted. Carroll’s camp tried ( not unreasonably) to seize the advantage and wanted an increase on the contract he had only signed the previous October – commensurate with his now £35M status. Club refused and Carroll then reluctantly accepted the move.
There were rumours at the time that Carroll’s injury was causing a muscle problem elsewhere – a bit like Woodgate and would be a possibly recurring problem. He has certainly struggled with injury ever since – what has been his longest injury free run since then ? I doubt he has reached double figures?
RobLeenio
Apr 5, 2018 at 1:41 PM
Comment #39Loch, that’s a good link. The optimism over Ashley’s reign and what could be achieved with King Kev at the helm. if only it had worked out that way.
Also noticed Ed posting on his own thread. I’d love him to interact the same way now.
What happened to all the posters from back then? None of the names are familiar.
Pitmatic
Apr 5, 2018 at 1:43 PM
Comment #40Both the Spurs and Chelsea games will come at a great time for us, as their respective fates will have been decided long before then – star players likely to be in World Cup protection mode. Ditto the Arsenal game, which comes three days after their trip to Moscow – star players likely to be suffering from strange virus…
All in all I can’t see a single fixture that looks remotely intimidating, so I foresee a charge into the top ten. In fact, if it wasn’t for Burnley’s recent upturn, a European place would not have been out of the question. Probably best avoided for now in any case though.