It was more than interesting that Sebastien Bassong has been left out of the Newcastle United team for today’s friendly at Dundee United.
Seb Bassong – misses friendly today – although not injured
The news this morning was that the Newcastle club have already rejected a £10M offer from Tottenham.
And while Spurs manager Harry Redknapp has today denied any knowledge of that bid, it is thought that Seb’s departure from Newcastle may be close, and certainly it is understood that Newcastle officials rejected an eight-figure offer for the Frenchman from some club this morning.
With Alan Shearer announcing today he will return to Match of the Day and the BBC, it’s hard to see how Newcastle can persuade any of their players to stay at the Toon, with such a complete mess currently on Tyneside, and no signs of any new buyer on the horizon.
Who talks to the players to try to persuade them to stay is a good question right now? We have nobody leading the club as it drifts like a ship aimlessly in the wind.
Tamas Kadar, our promising young 19 year-old Hungarian defender, will partner Steven Taylor in central defence in Bassong’s absence at Tannadice, and Kevin Nolan will again play in the hole behind lone striker 20 year-old Andy Carroll.
Damien Duff returns from injury on the left flank, but there is no starting place for fellow midfielder Danny Guthrie, who unfortunately missed the Leeds game because of a groin strain.
Young 16 year-old Slovenian central midfielder Haris Vuckic is on the bench, along with 18 year olds Kazenga LuaLua and Ryan Donaldson.
19 year old promising defender Ben Tozer, who we signed from Swindon Town 18 months ago, is also on the bench.
Newcastle United:
Harper, R Taylor, S Taylor, Kadar, Enrique, Gutierrez, Barton, Smith, Duff, Nolan, Carroll.
Subs: Krul, Tozer, Geremi, Lua Lua, Donaldson, Vuckic.
Dundee United:
Steven Banks, Sean Dillon, Andy Webster, Darren Dods (c), Scott Robertson, Danny Cadamarteri, Danny Swanson, Prince Buaben, Morgaro Gomis, Mihael Kovacevic, David Goodwillie.
Subs: Conor Grant, Craig Conway, Jennison Myrie-Williams, David Robertson, Garry Kenneth, Paul Dixon, Greg Cameron, Ryan McCord, Johnny Russell, Ross Smith.
57 comments so far
Danish_Magpie
Aug 2, 2009 at 3:38 PM
Comment #1Bassong, Beye, and Coloccini left out of the squad; I would say we are due approximately 17-20m pounds in transfer fees soon. Add that to Oba and that’s 25-30m. Jonas, to go as well that’s 30 plus million in transfer income..
(oh, and Geremi, wont you please bugger off?)
beyethegreat
Aug 2, 2009 at 3:45 PM
Comment #2apparently the players are wearing the new 3rdstrip
ginkoh
Aug 2, 2009 at 3:46 PM
Comment #3No surprise at all. Bassong Beye Colo Jonas Geremi will all leave within next 2 weeks.
beyethegreat
Aug 2, 2009 at 3:46 PM
Comment #4i lactually quite like it its much better than the 2nd kit
beyethegreat
Aug 2, 2009 at 3:47 PM
Comment #5http://www.nufc.premiumtv.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10278~1741108,00.html
Tom Mo.
Aug 2, 2009 at 3:53 PM
Comment #6what are we inter milan
Rodzilla
Aug 2, 2009 at 3:58 PM
Comment #7Nolan looks absolutely over the moon in that third kit picture. It’s a massive improvement on the custard cream like.
Rodzilla
Aug 2, 2009 at 3:59 PM
Comment #8….just looked at it again. Jeeziz, could he look any more pi55ed off if he tried?
Rodzilla
Aug 2, 2009 at 4:01 PM
Comment #9On topic, I’m amazed Man sh1tty haven’t enquired over Bassong, or have they?
batty
Aug 2, 2009 at 4:04 PM
Comment #10iam surprised he fitted his belly in it the fat useless c@nt
pubcat
Aug 2, 2009 at 4:08 PM
Comment #11You know, it doesn’t even have to be too late for MA to be successful at the Toon but he’s probably too ignorant and stubborn to even know how.
By following these steps a long-term plan can still work:
send out an apologetic and honest statement to fans now.
appoint a chairman who is capable and knowledgeable, and let the CHAIRMAN communicate with the fans. MA, take a back seat.
appoint a capable manager, and let him get some players in and choose which experienced players to keep if we can afford to.
encourage young player recruitment again.
learn from past mistakes and don’t meddle!
It is genuinely not too late, IF MA did these things but it’s impossible to see it happening!
Doocey
Aug 2, 2009 at 4:11 PM
Comment #12David Craig for SSN said there’s definitely been a bid for Bassong but maybe not from Tottenham.
Perhaps Man City are the bidders? More reason they rejected a reasonable £10m ?
Tino 11
Aug 2, 2009 at 4:11 PM
Comment #13Pubcat – your forgetting the fact that MA was only ever in it to see if he could make money from it, he doesn’t actually care about the club, IMO.
magforlife
Aug 2, 2009 at 4:17 PM
Comment #14David Craig also said that there is no fire sale and the club is not under pressure to sell, so where does that leave all the constant speculation that the club are in serious financial difficulty?
Rangerman
Aug 2, 2009 at 4:21 PM
Comment #15Pubcat – your forgetting the fact that MA was only ever in it to see if he could make money from it, he doesn’t actually care about the club, IMO.
……
Harsh considering he never took a penny out and has covered our losses since the day he walked in.
I think he’s had enough now though and wouldn’t want to come back even if he had the chance.
Rangerman
Aug 2, 2009 at 4:23 PM
Comment #16David Craig also said that there is no fire sale and the club is not under pressure to sell, so where does that leave all the constant speculation that the club are in serious financial difficulty?
…..
We’re not in serious financial difficulty because Ashley is covering our losses, if it wasn’t for that then we would be.
Tino 11
Aug 2, 2009 at 4:24 PM
Comment #17Rangerman – It may be harsh, but if he’d put the money where we needed it (transfers) then we may have stayed up. I didn’t used to think that about MA but when i’ve read the reports about how he runs Sports Dirrect and treats the shareholders etc, plus his gambling stories it makes me wonder if he only bought us hoping to make a quick profit.
baro
Aug 2, 2009 at 4:27 PM
Comment #18Damien Duff gggggggggggggggooooalllllllll
Tino 11
Aug 2, 2009 at 4:28 PM
Comment #19Rangerman – Do we have any evidence MA is paying for the running costs, other than his say so?
I don’t know if he can be trusted to be telling the truth, what if he is not putting in as much as he says and the club is in more debt than is thought, and perhaps that is holding up the sale?
Big Dave
Aug 2, 2009 at 4:28 PM
Comment #20i think carrol scored there. Fuk it is slow today anyone a decent up to date link ??
Big Dave
Aug 2, 2009 at 4:30 PM
Comment #21Baro was it not carroll
Rangerman
Aug 2, 2009 at 4:31 PM
Comment #22Rangerman – It may be harsh, but if he’d put the money where we needed it (transfers) then we may have stayed up. I didn’t used to think that about MA but when i’ve read the reports about how he runs Sports Dirrect and treats the shareholders etc, plus his gambling stories it makes me wonder if he only bought us hoping to make a quick profit.
………
Running a business is not as simple as putting all of your money into one area at the expense of day to day trading, the reality is he said he would put £20 million in every season on top of what the club earns and he did that.
Ideally we would have had a wage bill the size of Everton’s which would have left us with a transfer kitty of around £30 million every season, unfortunately getting it to that level will take time as players on big contracts won’t walk out on them.
Big Dave
Aug 2, 2009 at 4:33 PM
Comment #23lads harper saved a pen so still 0-1 any decent links as the chron is slow
baro
Aug 2, 2009 at 4:33 PM
Comment #24It was one of them, carroll or duff
ian
Aug 2, 2009 at 4:34 PM
Comment #25There are unconfirmed reports that the club was sold yesterday.
Rangerman
Aug 2, 2009 at 4:35 PM
Comment #26Rangerman – Do we have any evidence MA is paying for the running costs, other than his say so?
I don’t know if he can be trusted to be telling the truth, what if he is not putting in as much as he says and the club is in more debt than is thought, and perhaps that is holding up the sale?
…..
The accounts are audited by Ernst & Young every year so we know exactly what has gone in and out, as well as paying the clubs debts he’s put in another £40 million as working capital to cover our shortfall in day to day running costs.
Rangerman
Aug 2, 2009 at 4:36 PM
Comment #27There are unconfirmed reports that the club was sold yesterday.
….
As in someone wrote it on the toon-talk blog?
Solaidback
Aug 2, 2009 at 4:37 PM
Comment #28Why would Al Citey want to buy Bassong when they’ve apparently secured Lescott for £20m??
Not sure who’s put the bid in but I’m glad to see that someone had enough sense to reject it, maybe it was the Spurts but Arry didn’t know anything about it would say maybe Leven has done it behind Arry’s back.. lol
We shouldn’sell him for anything less than £15m, along with Colo, Jonas, Beye, Gerimi, Duff, Barton, Smith, Enrique, Butt which should get us around £50m & reduce our wage bill down to around £35m.. lol
Tino 11
Aug 2, 2009 at 4:38 PM
Comment #29Rangerman – I take it the accounts will be at least 6 months behind though when published?
Solaidback
Aug 2, 2009 at 4:38 PM
Comment #30I saw that too Rangerman, said there would be an official statement on Tuesday 😮
I wonder if it’s true or just another bullsh!te wind up??
GatesheadMag
Aug 2, 2009 at 4:39 PM
Comment #31I’d let Bassong go, don’t want anyone who doesnt want to play for the mags! Get out of the toon!
Anyone watching Emirates cup, I think Arsenal could be the team to watch out for next year in premiership.
Rangerman
Aug 2, 2009 at 4:39 PM
Comment #32Rangerman – I take it the accounts will be at least 6 months behind though when published?
……
It’s the case with most businesses.
baro
Aug 2, 2009 at 4:40 PM
Comment #33ian
ya and it was uncomfirmed reports that the club was sold yestereday …………. to an DIC arab. He has $28 billion.
Rangerman
Aug 2, 2009 at 4:42 PM
Comment #34I saw that too Rangerman, said there would be an official statement on Tuesday 😮
I wonder if it’s true or just another bullsh!te wind up??
…..
I would say they’ve made it up off the back of Llambias’ quotes in the Sun, if something does happen they will claim that they’ve got someone with inside knowledge within the club to try and get more members.
Doocey
Aug 2, 2009 at 4:42 PM
Comment #35I think we’ll be sold very soon but to DIC I’m not too sure.
It was Andy Carroll who scored
😮
Tino 11
Aug 2, 2009 at 4:43 PM
Comment #36Rangerman – So do you not think it’s possible he may have stopped subsidizing the club now, perhaps for quite a few months? This may have shown up during the due diligence?
baro
Aug 2, 2009 at 4:44 PM
Comment #37http://www.tribalfootball.com/ashley-still-struggling-find-newcastle-buyer-260776
Which foreign buyer?
baro
Aug 2, 2009 at 4:46 PM
Comment #38http://www.leazesdigest.com/2009/08/01/dic-head-closes-in-on-toon-takeover/
Hope it is this foreign buyer Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum
Doocey
Aug 2, 2009 at 4:46 PM
Comment #39Don’t believe anything for “Tripe Football”
They’re absolute guff on most stories.
Big Dave
Aug 2, 2009 at 4:48 PM
Comment #401-1