Xisco is coming in from the cold (baby it’s cold outside), and we were wondering when he would be playing again for Newcastle, since he’s been sighted in training during the Alan Pardew press conferences he gives to nufcTV.
Xisco – in training recently at Benton
The 26-year-old Spanish U21 International, who we paid an astonishing £5.7M for just four years ago from Deportivo, and who are paying £50K/week to on his five year deal, has only appeared 11 times for the Newcastle first team, and scored one goal and that was on his debut against Hull City at St. James’ Park – just after Kevin Keegan had left the club in September of 2008.
If you include his transfer fee and his wages over the last four years, that’s close to £1.5M per appearance and about £16M per goal Newcastle have paid out for the Spaniard.
That’s even a worse deal than we got out of Michael Owen – and that’s saying something.
Both those deals were not the best Newcastle have made in their history – in fact they are the worst – by far.
The Spaniard has been included in the U21 squad to play at Aston Villa tonight in the Professional Development League.
Xisco spent most of last season on loan at his former club Deportivo La Coruna, and he helped them to get promoted back to the Spanish first division with two good goals late in the season, but we suppose Deportivo didn’t want to take him back on loan this season, and no other club came in for him either.
Here’s the full squad for tonight’s game:
Mehdi Abeid, Jak Alnwick, Romain Amalfitano, Adam Campbell, Dan Gosling, JJ Hooper, Bradden Inman, Marcus Maddison, Brandon Miele, Conor Newton, Michael Riley, Lubo Satka, James Tavernier, Haris Vuckic, Freddie Woodman, Xisco
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177 comments so far
Toonboy_84
Oct 8, 2012 at 4:17 PM
Comment #1Who mentioned him on the last thread then? Own up!
🙂
Ibizatoon - Back by popular demand
Oct 8, 2012 at 4:18 PM
Comment #2😉
Toonboy_84
Oct 8, 2012 at 4:21 PM
Comment #31.5 mil per game? Bargain!
Munster Mag
Oct 8, 2012 at 4:24 PM
Comment #4Tequila, I think the long ball stat speaks for itself. We just dont pass the ball well. The team is regressing in my opinion – not drastically, but definitely going backwards, largely due to :
1. Poor first halves of nearly every game
2. Tactical uncertainty – 442 v 433
3. Key players not playing well ( and injuries, to be fair)
4. Lack of investment to strengthen the first team/squad.
In reality, Ben Arfa and Ba have carried this team this season. We didnt invest when we should have, as was pointed out so many times by me and others, only to be told we didnt understand or we didnt see the big picture, or we would have to wait till close of the window etc. In reality, it we had paid 2-3 million more we might have two exta players by now, and who says we would be considered a soft touch in the market for that? Its a ridiculous argument. Liverpool were a soft touch, but if they toughen up in transfers now, that image will soon be forgotten. We played a Forest reject and an ex Pompey centre half, because its all we have!! Its not all doom and gloom – we have a decent manager and some good players – but we are not doing well and we need to face facts, not hide behind the fact that Man U are a good team. Up till yesterday, they were playing really badly, with a weak central defence and were there to be attacked. Reality is if you sleepwalk into a 0-2 scoreline, and dont have centre halves who can clear a ball from a set piece, you’re on a hiding to nothing. In the meantime, we play ball with a bunch of knacker shirt sponsors and Ashley laughs with his mate. Its not panic time, but a few things came home to roost yesterday. Hopefully we will see improvement soon. The Mackems game will focus the minds, and hopefully the effort. I saw them on the box and they looked decent enough – passed the ball more than i would have thought?
tequilamag
Oct 8, 2012 at 4:28 PM
Comment #5@ Munster I replied to your post, its on previous thread.
Tom4Nufc
Oct 8, 2012 at 4:41 PM
Comment #6Am I the only one who find’s it quite odd that a 26 year old can be included in an U21’s squad?!
Tsunki
Oct 8, 2012 at 4:44 PM
Comment #7The 26 year old who has to be developed into a professional player in a U-21 squad. And he’ll be a sub. Priceless.
Well we had this coming its been over a week since the last xisco thread. Didn’t he turn up at the team photo shoot recently, a sort of Spanish ‘Where’s Wally’?
If we ever have to turn to him as a striker option I will start agreeing with Ketsy.
JDdubai
Oct 8, 2012 at 4:47 PM
Comment #8Having watched both teams quite a bit this season, the mackems have played far better football than we have and look dangerous. They play 442 but have dangerous players on either wing where as we dont and a front 2 that work well with Sessegnon playing behind Flethcer to create, ie a partnership. Not 2 forwards who dont have a clue how to work together.
If we dont improve the performance against them we will lose, simple. This is the first derby Iv looked at for a while where I think we will struggle.
Come on Pards, get the team at it from the off, but someone control Tiote please. Hope he doesnt look for revenge on Cattermole, am sure Cattermole nailed him in the first few minutes last match with a cheap shot??
Kc-Toon
Oct 8, 2012 at 4:48 PM
Comment #9i wouldnt mind if someone could clarify the difference between last years reserve league compared to this under 21 development league? I remember seeing luis saha pitted against young alex kitchen in the derby match, along with a few other oldies
Tom4Nufc
Oct 8, 2012 at 4:49 PM
Comment #10I apologise for this but…
… It’s a shame we weren’t WISE to Xisco before we bought him!
I agree with you though Tsunki it’s just ridiculous!
mattyNUFC
Oct 8, 2012 at 4:49 PM
Comment #11JDubai
in fairness they looked better than us last season this time too. still can’t comprehend how we ended up with 3 points. def didn’t deserve anything at that fixture last year
davybtoon
Oct 8, 2012 at 4:50 PM
Comment #12Well lads what the crack is the world about to end bcoz of yesterday’s defeat or are we being positive
My view is first 15mins cost us no one to blame the whole team sat to deep which cost us the goals n the games I actually thought willo n perch were very good n santon n ferguson at full back was a joy to watch IMO
We’ve only been beat off man utd n Chelsea no disgrace in that
beefman13
Oct 8, 2012 at 4:54 PM
Comment #13Munster, so your not happy as usual, and everything you say if we had of done we would have been top 3/4 by now, did you think last season we were strong enough to miss the champions league by 1 min, not in a million years you didnt, did you think we would win the coca cola and remain unbeaten at home not in a million miles did you.
In fact your thoughts would have been the exact opposite to the way the club thought.
SO now everything that you are saying is a fact or otherwise things go all pearshaped.
Im sure you and the majority could have ran the club better in the last three years mmm not in a million miles could you.
All the so called pundits who said you have to spend massive to get in to europe to compete in the prem were wron as well, we still made very decent signings in the window, again i would have liked a centre half, just as most wanted brian ruiz last season and then kicked up a stink only for us to sign a striker ain january who scored in virtually every game after the new year.
Just hold your horses for god sake, We are way further than most thought and are a feared team by everyone in the prem, is it still not good enough for you.
have we got to do things the way you and the majority want to do things, i dont think so we would be in deep debt further if we went down that road again.
we run the club from within itself and are getting more funds all the time to do that we will buy in january, be happy for were we are right now.
Most are saying we missed a trick not bringing this one in and that one in, the same ones who said we would still be in the coca cola!!!!!including you munster mag.
davybtoon
Oct 8, 2012 at 4:56 PM
Comment #14Jddubai are u a mackem in disguise they’ve been terrible McLean n sess have been shocking all season not mention sess ain’t a striker, they 3 corners in 5 games that’s how much they attack, I’ve seen 4 of there games they should of been beat in ever single one
mattyNUFC
Oct 8, 2012 at 5:01 PM
Comment #15mclean and sessignon have hardly been shocking
good to see you haven’t lost your guile….you could put a spin on genocide to make it sound as if all’s well
davybtoon
Oct 8, 2012 at 5:05 PM
Comment #16Matty all is well its jus muppets over react to a defeat, yea ain’t playing well but we’re still hard to beat
N I don’t believe a cb n fb in the summer would have made a single bit difference to any result we’ve had this season
mattyNUFC
Oct 8, 2012 at 5:07 PM
Comment #17davyb
agree to an extent re having had a CB and/or FB come in.
think it’s how you coach them in training (which, fair enough, i can only surmise) and how they’re assembled on match day. those are my qualms
t00ntime
Oct 8, 2012 at 5:07 PM
Comment #18@matty havent seen much of sess but when ever i flicked on mcclean looked sh1te :S they only ever seemed to counter attack and thats how they got there goals. Just like us i never saw them take control and create something from passing it around. Both teams play the same way.
To me the game is more even then last year performance wise but on paper we are still a step up from them, its just weather we can actually perform or not. If we can perform and take control we will win but if we cant perform and neither take control it will be an exciting game but wud rely on who has the better strikers on the night, ba+cisse VS fletcher/Saha (dont know who they play next to fletcher if anyone)
+ to whoever said “hope tiote doesnt attack cattermole” (or something like that)
1) it happend after 40secs if tiote wanted to hurt him he wud of last time.
2) is cattermole not serving his last match ban (after the red card)?
beefman13
Oct 8, 2012 at 5:08 PM
Comment #19Daveybtoon, of course your right the first 15 mins man utd out thought us and tactics wise were spot on so fair play to them.
They did not have another shot on goal for 50 mins after that and we reshuffled, they caught us unawares and turned us over in that first 20 mins!!
I thought we came back at them well, and showed the right spirit.
After the first 20m willo and perch were ok but before that were nowhere near when those two goals flew in, bordeaux on thursday could have been two up easily but did not take their chances as well as their players up front were not picked up either, man utd took their chances.
fergie again did nothing wrong for me and was getting in to gear big time when man utd had to change the formation bringing on valencia to curb the threat down the left, thats how dangerous they thought we were looking.
All in all no disaster at all we just got out thought at the start, we did the same to them in january, but we did it for just about the whole 90 mins.
davybtoon
Oct 8, 2012 at 5:10 PM
Comment #20Matty – I’d put good money on it pardew did not send them players out to sit back n put no pressure on man utd for the first 15mins yesterday but some reason they did that
mattyNUFC
Oct 8, 2012 at 5:11 PM
Comment #21toontime.
which one’s their ginger? i think that’s mclean and if so that’s who i’m talking about. his movement is incredible and he will turn into a top, top player. their other ‘starlet’ who play wide on the left i think i have been less than impressed with. reminds me of amalfitano….a bit awkward, a bit gangly, but mainly unproductive where it counts
mattyNUFC
Oct 8, 2012 at 5:12 PM
Comment #22…given that’s probably a bit too harsh on amalfitano…have seen the sunderland kid more than him….and i think roman’s younger
davybtoon
Oct 8, 2012 at 5:13 PM
Comment #23Beefman – like I’ve jus said ill put money on it pardew didn’t send the players out to do that in the first 15 mins, no one is the blame for player wise bcoz the whole team sat back which in turn lead to the corners, then pardew gets into them n we do what we should of been doin by pressing them high up the pitch
beefman13
Oct 8, 2012 at 5:13 PM
Comment #24Daveyb, sometimes you cant do anything about the way the opposing team are playing they had five up front, we were caught off guard they steamrollered us in that first 20 mins and played their best football for a long time, we just got suckered in to it, they arnt a bad team to be fair are they!!!
davybtoon
Oct 8, 2012 at 5:16 PM
Comment #25Beefman I agree am not complaining am happy with the way things are going, n don’t know who has been goin on about us playing long ball but its total myth, there was a move yesterday which must of had about 40 passes in it b4 we shot just wide it was brilliant
Tsunki
Oct 8, 2012 at 5:18 PM
Comment #26Worst thing by far is we have two weeks of bitchin’ and moanin’ about the ManU game thanks to the break. Then we’re off to face jddubai’s Real Unwashed for a hiding by their superstars. Maybe Xisco could step up for that one – would he turn his image full circle if he did? (wavy lines across vision start to form accompanied by harp strumming) 🙂
davybtoon
Oct 8, 2012 at 5:19 PM
Comment #27N forget about debuchy thought santon was class at right back n fergie at left back aswell
beefman13
Oct 8, 2012 at 5:21 PM
Comment #28Davey, i agree the fact that fans have went over the top with criticism over the defeat, we are not far away from being a really top team IMO, they tacticaaly called the shots early on and we could not handle it, but we ended up with 53 per cent of the play and showed real spirit, that again is a massive plus for us.
Hopefully colo and saylor back for the mackems, ITS GOT A DRAW WRITTEN ALL OVER IT FOR ME ANYWAY BUT WE WILL CREATE CHANCES AS WE DO IN ALL GAMES.
Tsunki
Oct 8, 2012 at 5:22 PM
Comment #29davyb – the ‘longball’ myth was perpetuated by the fact that Man U closed us right down back to the goalie preventing us from playing out – its why Harp was suckered into dithering painfully, he was caught trying to find someone he could actually play to.
The difference between them and us is what they did off the ball and on it, sounds stupid but what I mean is when they had the ball, each player made sure they had no marker, and passed it right around us. When they lost it they harried us tight. We did exactly the opposite. Here endeth the footballing lesson by Man U.
beefman13
Oct 8, 2012 at 5:26 PM
Comment #30Davey i like santon without doubt at right back, i like fergie either left wing or left back, maybe a bit more left wing, but he as not ever let us down in any way that lad.
Debuchy no doubts looks a good kid maybe we may go in again in jan who knows but we really do need a strong commanding type of centre back in january, we need that cover at centre half and it needs to be quality.
t00ntime
Oct 8, 2012 at 5:27 PM
Comment #31@matty i thought colback was the ginge (but i think he plays LB/cm)
If u were watching mcclean (we shud probably pay more attention to who is who xD) its possible that i only saw his bad parts (as i have only flicked over to see how they were doing havent a full game of theirs this season)
Whoever it was playing well lets hope he has a shocker in two weeks 😛
Tsunki
Oct 8, 2012 at 5:28 PM
Comment #32And apart from that, I thought many of our ads played very well yesterday, just crucially not linking together. Santon looks good, but he was not effective enough without the right partner up front. Fergie was much better up front than at back, but again did not get the service he needed from Jonas, who now looks uncomfortable coming too far across the half way line. Its like we have the players around the pitch but cant agree on the line of supply. One thing that did work recently was swapping HBA and jonas, someone suggested they randomly switch during the game and I would second that, it knacks most teams marking system when you consider HBA usually has a two-man magnet on him.
Ben_BKK
Oct 8, 2012 at 5:30 PM
Comment #33I think you’re allowed to have three players over the age of 21 in your U21 teams. Similar to how teams at the Olympics are allowed three players over the age of 23.
What do all of you think about the decision by the FA not to take any action against Van Persie for his blatant attack on Cabaye? I’ve just had a debate with a ManUre fan on Facebook about it, who predictably brought up the Tiote challenge on Cleverley and a couple of other things, and said that me having a problem with the FA not doing anything was just an excuse to bash ManUre.
Tsunki
Oct 8, 2012 at 5:30 PM
Comment #34Anyway, need to stay on-topic, got to get this Xisco situation sorted….damn – 4 years too late! 😉
beefman13
Oct 8, 2012 at 5:31 PM
Comment #35Tsunki, man utd played at a ferocious tempo throughout, they knew it was a very dangerous game for them, they played it as if it were the champs league.
That is massive respect to us, and after the first 20 we were as good as them, more possesion more shots more corners. we move on to the mackems, but we were far from disgraced against a pumped up man utd.
Tsunki
Oct 8, 2012 at 5:33 PM
Comment #36Ben mate its a waste of time, notice how their ref purposely went over to nod at the players concerned so he could write in his report – ‘decided to take no action’ thereby cutting the FA’s retrospective discipline procedure off at the ankles. Nice Move. Manc.
Tsunki
Oct 8, 2012 at 5:37 PM
Comment #37beefman – its a learning curve, maybe now Pards will see that we cant just allow a team to have at us for the first half hour.
Also dunno if anyone noticed, Man U did a top job of not letting us get out of the traps second half for the traditional 15 minute onslaught. Killed us right off, that and the jammy goal.
Munster Mag
Oct 8, 2012 at 5:41 PM
Comment #38Beefman, you’re completely full of shit. When did I say we would be in the championship. I have supported Pardew ardently since day 1, but have consistently pointed out that thge lack of ongoing investment is not going to help us develop. Believe me , I have no issues dumping Michael Owen etc and running the club smartly, but we are getting some key issues wrong like investment. Now if you want to have a fair discussion with me about the club, the team, tactics and how the club is run, them make some fair points, not some ridiculous inaccurate claptrap about things you claim I said. You might as well say I am a Man U supporter or something.
NUFC_LEAZES END
Oct 8, 2012 at 5:48 PM
Comment #39Anita has to be one of the worst signings we’ve made since our recovery from the old days
Tsunki
Oct 8, 2012 at 5:51 PM
Comment #40Nufc_Leazes, what – worse than Abeid, Amalfitano, Marveaux…………..
Anita is a Dutch International, who needs time to adjust to the prem and find his role in midfield, which imo is a bit of a shambolic place to be at NUFC lately.