Jonas jets off for the summer.

Posted on April 26th, 2010 | 172 Comments |

Heading away for a well earned break.
Heading away for a well earned break.
After getting the chance to lift a trophy in front of the home fans last Saturday, Jonas Gutierrez now heads off to the sun for a well earned rest before the start of the World Cup in the summer.

There is no need for him to stick around Tyneside when he isn’t needed and all the targets that really matter are all sorted already, so why not give a player that is sure to be heavily involved this summer the chance to rest for a while? After all, he has been one of our most consistent performers of the season and has worked wonders when combining down the left hand side of the pitch with another one of the three amigos, Jose Enrique. We have even got to have a look at this Spiderman mask malarkey that we had heard about, the one that the Premier League wouldn’t allow as part of it’s ‘no fun’ policy. As it happened it was largely irrelevent anyway as Spidey never really looked like scoring in what was a fractured team last season.

Fast foward a year and look how things change. Gutierrez now has confidence and a bit more of an understanding of the English game. We know he has talent, he demonstrated that on his debut at Old Trafford last season and was the tip of many a pundit to be ‘Signing of the Season’, plus he will be starting at the World Cup in one of world’s best international teams. Sure you could argue that he is playing against an inferior opponent this term and won’t be afforded so much time on the ball next season, but he has largely been double marked or looked at least to be earmarked for ‘special’ treatment from opposing teams this term.

Not only that, his work rate and attitide have been exemplorary this term, and will be vitally important next season when providing an advanced barrier in front of Jose Enrique whilst defending. It won’t hurt that he doesn’t play against QPR in the last game of the season on Sunday, and Chris Hughton giving Jonas a welcome extended break will surely sit well with the Argentine and increase any respect and appreciation there is already between them.

Which brings me onto team management, and more particularly man management. In my experience as a manager, albeit it not in a sporting environment, when you show respect and a bit of understanding to the people who do the job where it counts, on the pitch in this example, then you generally get that back when asking the person to do something extra. Doing a favour is generally not forgotten basically, and if it is then you have to look at the character of the person in question and ask yourself if they fit into your team.

Could Chris Hughton reap the rewards of this favour?

It certainly shows some understanding and compassion on the part of the management, and could be a master stroke by Hughton that could pay dividends next year as the majority of players return from South Africa having to have played up until the last ball has been kicked of their respective domestic campaigns. This could lead to a Jonas Gutierrez that is more refreshed and feeling better than the majority of players who have been involved over the summer and give us an edge in the first few weeks of next season.

Maybe I’m getting ahead of myself, but I still think it’s a smooth move from Hughton and is yet another indication that the former coach is using up all his experience and turning into quite the manager before our very eyes. I wouldn’t be surprised to see a few more senior players rested up on Sunday to be replaced some of the youth players that have performed so well over the course of the season. I’m not saying rest all of our players, but maybe Sunday could be the time to see the likes of Haris Vuckic in senior action?

Here’s to hoping!

NUFCBlog Author: toonsy toonsy has written 643 articles on this blog.

Related Posts:


172 Responses

  1. Some good points, well made toonsy.
    Like the bit about CH becoming a manager in front of our very eyes.
    All the best to Jonas in the WC, at least we’ll have someone to support there.

  2. Toonsy another good one ;) I think your right jonas has worked well this season and whats the harm in letting him go early, you normally allways remember when your boss does you a favour or a good turn. It could be an indication that Vuckic might be getting a run out. I see there is still no sign of Icedog hope all went well for him ;)

  3. I read the article this time, toonsy.

    Very good. Well done!

    Jonas deserves his holiday, I just hope he takes the same form into the PL. We desperately need him, that has been shown this season.

  4. Toonsy,
    maybe a blog on which of our players will be at the WC?
    Are there any others confirmed?

  5. Vuckic and Kadar to start against QPR! Well played Spidey; what a belting season he’s had!

  6. nice to se more sense comeing from toonsy,ie man management i think you will never get team spirit of any value without it,like the old time players used “break down doors for some managers even another 10% can get you a result,good post toonsy

  7. Stuart79 says:
    April 26, 2010 at 7:14 pm

    “I read the article this time, toonsy.

    Very good. Well done!”

    It’s just taken me nearly 10 minutes to pick myself up off the floor! I fell over through shock when I read that 8O

  8. BIG DAVE,hows tricks young fellow,think your forcast was out a bit ;) but we are there anyway,so wont rub it in,well maybe a little :)

  9. CLiNT – I think any more players that go to the World Cup won’t be known until the squad is announced.

    Colo stands a good chance and will probably get selected on a preliminary basis. Whether he makes it to the full squad I’m not so sure.

    Jose, excellent though he is, probably won’t make it. If we were in the Prem this season and he performed as good then maybe. Unfortunately I just think he has been a victim of us playing in the Championship.

    Harper, same as above but has looked less reliabke in recent weeks.

    Krul still plays with U21’s.

    Carroll – Too soon.

    Vuckic – Still too young.

  10. How you been buddy? Did your lad enjoy your ticket on Saturday?

    you bet he did, was feeling a bit rough he made sure i felt worse never shut up about it,wait till he wants a sub lol

  11. Aye whey,
    y’never know, we might buy someone who’s gonna be there.

    Yea, i know.
    :)

    I’d still take Harper & Hart, cos james & green have shipped tons & green in particular looks shite.
    Bottom of prem shipping scores of goals or top of the champ with confidence?
    ;)

  12. CLiNT FLiCK says:
    April 26, 2010 at 7:39 pm

    “It could be worse chuck, we could be called the ‘cottagers’.”

    There is one of those type of hotspots right near me :D

    And yes I do realise how that sounds!

  13. aye ime here well inbed like,clint was thinking i had lost my sight in one eye lol with goal-keepers glad you brought it up for green lovers what are they seeing,for me one of the poorest keepers in epl,god help us in world cup if they think hes our best

  14. icedog says:
    April 26, 2010 at 7:47 pm

    “BIG DAVE i mate bit rough and sore didnt think they had hammers that big lol”

    Icedog, I hope that comment wasn’t related to Toonsy’s and Clint’s comments about “cottaging”. :-)

  15. ice,
    aye mate,
    they don’t get much worse than green like.
    He looks well dodgy, they can’t rely on him, surely?
    He musta played himself out of contention.

  16. workyticket says:
    April 26, 2010 at 7:55 pm

    “Icedog, I hope that comment wasn’t related to Toonsy’s and Clint’s comments about “cottaging”.”

    8O 8O 8O

  17. i know i might upset a few lads but i have real dounts about a few toon players in epl next year,have been watching few games on disc over and over while in bed,i know we had one of the best def in the ccc,but imo we will get done epl,first simpson isnt good enough,harper has lost it lately,colo has made some real bad mistakes,even that 17yr old done him twice on sat,maybe mardonna has dounts to,rant over

  18. Simpson and Harper are 2 I worry about aswell. But still, they will get the chance to prove us right/wrong in due time I guess.

  19. Is he that good, that he can go to S.A. with Slovenia and have a starting role for us in the PL ?
    Only asking, have`nt seen him play, must be pretty good if he can displace Nolan, Joey, Routledge or Jonas.
    Think he may get a few starts and sub a bit but doubt if he will be a regular starter, this league is a lot tougher than the quality he has played against and experience means a lot here, which makes me think he will be brought along more slowly by CH, but certainly introduced.

  20. TOONSY cannot turn my back for a minute,bloody good photo of dog gone,phone call to rspca comeing here,least big dave has poor storey “its my wifes com oh i

  21. i will do it later toonsy,will put the bitch dog on next,quack said not a young fellow now will take bit longer,well thats what i told wor lass like ;)

  22. Everytime I think of the Enrique/Jonas left side I wish we could duplicate that play on the right side. I think Routledge can hold up his end but a improvement over Simpson would be nice.

  23. MDS with you on that one m8 i like that hutton who plays for the dark-side,was talk at one point that he was talking to toon,strange remark from hull chairman saying they pay higher wages than the dark-side

  24. BIG DAVE had your computer fixed yet m8 or are you still takeing advantage of your lass?

  25. I think it’s a bit harsh on Harper to say he’s been dodgy lately, when the season’s been done for us for a few weeks.
    We were always gonna slacken off a little.
    It’s normal.
    But when it really counted the defense was there for us.

  26. TOONSY,whats your take on the hull chairman remarks that they pay higher wages than the dark-side 4 players get 190000 in wages and have got 8 goals between them,and have no sell on value

  27. icedog says:
    April 26, 2010 at 8:40 pm

    “MDS with you on that one m8 i like that hutton who plays for the dark-side,was talk at one point that he was talking to toon,strange remark from hull chairman saying they pay higher wages than the dark-side”

    We’ll get to see just how bad the mess at Hull is now. I hear they have already spent a bit of their projected parachute money.

    Naturally I’ve been frequenting the Hull City message boards and forums quite a bit recently ;)

  28. Ice yeah got it back mate thank fuk as I had tonnes of work on it so I needed it back badly. So did you get to hear any of the match or see any of the celebrations. It was nice to see Taylor and Carroll with their arms round eachother as I want the both of them here in the prem

  29. Shola ameobi was in burger king tonight, he asked for two whoopers. The lass at the till said “you’ve got a great first touch and you’re going to the world cup!”

  30. BIG DAVE,yeah m8 thats all i watched on my back,i want both of them to stay,thought there was a poor coverage on the whole show imo.has your game lost much work in this down turn,or have you muddled through,always had your side-bets to keep you going like ;)

  31. A see that hull are looking to sell stephen hunt would anyone have him a the toon?!

  32. Ice in the studio we are fully booked till the end of august so no down turn for us ;) even last year when there wasn’t as much money about we we’re still booked solid. and your right about the coverage I was wrecked sat night and sat up to watch the football show at 11.30 and I was disgusted about 3-4 mins :(

  33. BIG DAVE great m8,cannot keep a good man down eh.quality products never fail like :)

  34. well lads “mammy”says painkiller time and kip lol,thanks lads for your good wishes,later,never know might have new signing tomorrow,i wish

  35. I see botteli or whatever he’s called is going to be available at the end of the season from inter Milan. Supposed to be super talented if a little tempremental.

    Only 19 and could be a good investment for somebody.

  36. Balotelli – Reckon he will end up at Chelsea. Looks a bit like Martins to me, flatters to decieve.

  37. toonsy, I don’t know many 19 yr olds that don’t flatter to decieve.

    People I’ve heard talk about him talk very highly of him. Don’t think we can talk about him and martins in the same breath to be honest.

  38. My teaam for QPR will be;

    Krul
    R.Taylor Williamson Kadar Enrique
    Routledge Barton Smith Vuckic
    Carroll Best.

    Subs; Harper, S.Taylor, Simpson, Butt, Guthrie, Lovenkrands, Ameobi.

    I know Vuckic isn’t the quickest and isn’t as effective wide left but when Barton/Guthrie played there they always came inside and am sure Vuckic is quicker than Barton/Guthrie so hopefully could play well there.

    ANY THOUGHTS? :)

  39. Mario Balotelli is absolutely first class, a seriously, seriously talented player with perhaps the worst attitude I’ve ever come across in modern football, including Charles Nzogbia and the rest of the wining Frenchmen! He is pure class, and if he could climb down of his lofty pedastool he would have the potential to be one of the world’s greatest strikers. He’ll be world class whether he sorts his attitude or not, he is truly an incredible player!

  40. Balotelli basically thinks he is bigger than any one club and thinks he is better than he is, if someone like Fergie could nurture him then he could become one of the best.

  41. He’s basically the most arrogant piece of sh*te imaginable! You should have seen the way he behaved against Barca, Mournhio through him on with 20 odd minutes to go, 3-1 up at home against the European champions, and he couldn’t have cared less. He was so disinterested that the crowd got right on his back, then he raged out because the crowd were’nt happy with his performance, through his shirt on the ground at the final whistle etc. Lol some of the comments from the inter players were hilarious, they didn’t try and hide their contempt for the kid, “You’ll have to ask him what goes on in his head cos I certainly don’t know” etc.

  42. thing is though daan, if Mourinho can’t temper the kids arrogance, who the hell can? I doubt Fergie would have the energy anymore, Baloteli’s too much of a long term project.

  43. Cheers Daan4tooN,
    sounds like an interesting character.
    :)
    Where do they find these guys?
    :)

  44. yeaah mate haha. he got a few jeers when he came on before so then he said that he is a AC Milan fan to get back at them basically!

  45. yeaah haha, anyways i posted this on ed’s blog but didn’t get muuch of a response because barely anyone comments, but here it goes;

    for next year i would say:

    out: Butt, Hall, Pancrate, Xisco, Sholaa, Best, Lualua, Smith, Ranger & Kadar (LOANED OUT) – might bring us about 6m altogether and about 200k a week saved in wages.

    in: Van Aanholt (loan), Onouha, Wilson, O’hara, S.Hunt, Wickham, Rodallega. – that would come to about 22m i would say and would leave us with a squad of

    Harper, Krul, Forster

    Simpson, Onouah, S.Taylor Williamson, Coloccini, Wilson, Enrique, Van Aanholt

    Routledge, S.Hunt, R.Taylor, Barton, Nolan, Guthrie, O’hara, Jonas

    Carroll Rodallega Lovenkrands Wickham Vuckic.

    :D:D

  46. We’re at that horrible time of the year when all interest in football kind of ceases to exist for a couple of months until there are signings. At least we have the world cup this summer I suppose.

  47. Off topic, but I just read the ESPN interview.

    GREAT stuff, my friends. Thank you all for representing the Toon Army so exquisitely well. Eloquently spoken and summed up exactly how any Toon supporter would feel.

    I proud to be an [adopted] Geordie :D

  48. Who does wickham play for?
    That’s very well thought out mate & very reasonable too.
    Though i can’t see us hoying out Best yet tbh.
    Not sure chelsea would give us van & would manc give us Onouah?
    Rodallega might want out of wigan.

    Decent shout man.
    ;)

  49. Daan4toon

    I know Ed’s blog used to be the biggest but it never recovered since he went away for a few months and now I think the honour goes to toonsy.

    Good ideas man. I would like to see us get some of them.

  50. Yeaah i agree with Van Aanholt but maybe if we agree that he plays a certain amount of games and yeaah a do think we can get Ounouha because if they qualify for the champions league, he wont get a game at all, he rarely does now and yah probably right with Best and Wickham plays for Ipswich and is the one that scored the first goal vs us, hes just turned 17, real class act :)

  51. I think we may do well to go down the loan route, especially as we have young players who need time to develop. It would mean we wernt tied down to older players for too long.

  52. Daan,
    of course,
    he did look canny like.
    Nice touch.
    Adam for blackpool looks canny too.
    & that swindon boy too.

  53. yeaah wouldn’t mind Adam, can play cm, cam, lm and a decent age. Austin from Swindon does seem quite good but look at Cox the year before he got more goals than Austin and only has 11 for Wba this season ina team that scores lots but they are two different players. i know one thing for sure Austin would cost alot less than Wickham!!

  54. ahaha anna, i think people get overhyped about Dorrans he probably wouldn’t have half his goals if it wasn’t for pens, same with Bent at the scum, ano it takes skill to keep stepping up and scoring them but both of them get far too many and its more likley there going to score than not

  55. What do you guy’s think of this for an idea.

    Look at the players that are being heavily tipped for a world cup place but just miss out. After the world cup the big rich clubs sign the players who have impressed most and we quietly sign decent well rested hungry players that havent got all the hype.

  56. DJG – sounds like a good idea but i would suspect we already have our targets set, maybe 1 or 2 last minute ones, but yeaah sounds like a good idea, certinally could find cheap hungary buys :)

  57. thing with buying that 17 year old is he wouldnt get a game. maybe we could make the buy with a clause that he stays at ipswich for the season on loan with a min number of appearances or something. work it out so they could take vuckic on loan as well or something to sweeten the deal.

  58. recently spoke to lambias. He says there are no funds. Looking to bring back ex players who know and have passion for the club. Olly Bernard, nobby and lumana lua lua have all been invited back for trials over the summer. Hughton realises he has to keep the team spirit high and this is their master plan along with the best prospects from the lower divisions. Beckford deal is done and dusted along with chopra returning.

  59. The amusing transfer talk regarding us has already started then. Taylor to barca with puyol coming the other way, haha. A 1mil bid for Blackburns Roberts also reported..sadly the latter wouldn’t surprise me, lol.

  60. Should stay away from loan deals by and large. They don’t really bring anything to the party unless their playing for a long term contract. If they are you often find they do well while on loan then get the contract and stop performing.

    Also players coming and going every few months doesn’t do anything for team understanding and building team spirit.

  61. Yep listen to Stu everyone – if it wasn’t for those rubbish loan signings CH made we would have easily got over 300 points this season.

  62. Toon Chicken says:
    April 27, 2010 at 9:36 am

    Personally I think it was the permanant purchases that made the biggest impact – Routledge and Williamson.

    Routledge changed the entire dynamic of the team and Williamson has been a bit of a rock in defence.

    VanHaalt was an emergency loan to cover Enrique – The fact that we only have ONE left back at the club is a joke, we cannot just get a loan player in everytime Enrique is injured!

    Emergency loans are fine but loans to cover a position long term is ridiculous.

  63. I people are bored, but do you really have to get all wobbly over press transfer rumours? You know they are all complete buttocks and we’ll know nowt about anyone in or out until the day the deal is done.

    As for Jonas going early, I’m with Toonsy – sound management. Again.

    As for him returning refreshed, I certainly hope so. Much though I love wor Spidey, I sincerely hope they get knocked out in the group stage, preferably by a blatant hand-ball goal. Then he can have a proper rest.

    And if we can arrange the same for Germany, Italy, France and Portugal (well, Ronaldo anyway – can someone please amputate his legs just below the neck?) I’d be very grateful, ta.

  64. The same players you insisted weren’t of the standard we should be signing?

    You do make me laugh Stew-pot. I can see why you’re such a fan of old misery guts Gordy Broon… actually come to think of it – your names not Stuey Broon is it? ;)

  65. Chicken,

    When did I ever say that Routledge and Williamson would or were bad buys?

    I never have! I actually said we wouldn’t be buying any PL players in January as we weren’t in the PL at the time.

    You have just totally and utterly fabricated that to try and make a point – Due to the fact that we have fundamental differences in the way we would take the club forward.

    Really poor on your behalf – If you have to lie don’t bother debating with me please.

  66. Stu – I’d love to see Van Arnie back permanently. He’s just the kind of buy we need. Can’t see Chelski letting him go, though, but you never know. Certainly need Jose cover. RB is trickier; I’d argue that Simpson should be cover for a new signing there.

    My favourite signing this year has been wee Routledge. Not just because of his style of play, but because it was the clearest statement that CH and co knew exactly what was needed and were capable of uncovering the perfect buy to meet the need.

    Now, if only we could keep from jumping on all the press stories! Some never learn…

  67. Stu – you’re constantly changing what you say to fit your argument – it must run in the family.

    So please don’t call me liar.

  68. Boys – handbags away, please.

    Anyway, are we all in such disagreement? Everyone seems to believe in variations slightly either side of:

    1. No more vanity signings
    2. Evolution, not revolution. Keep the team and keep the spirit.
    2. Need to spend 8 figures in the summer (£10 – £25m)to be safe (ish) from coming back down.
    3. More Routledges and Williamsons, please, but up the budget a bit to encompass players suited to PL. Perhaps a few million rather than £1m?
    4. If we get the right player at the right price, perhaps splurge more (up to £10m?) in one or two key places, depending on who leaves.

    Anyone disagree with any of that?

  69. Toon Chicken says:
    April 27, 2010 at 10:05 am
    Stu – you’re constantly changing what you say to fit your argument – it must run in the family.

    So please don’t call me liar.

    Still waiting for proof of me complaining about of January signings…

    You haven’t got any!

    Liar!

  70. laurent robert is to be brought in for cover for the left wing. . . Shearer is considering a comeback as well if we dont get the quality strikers we need. . . Got to be happy wid dat like. Ex toon and england centre forward back in the big time. At least it shows the club are still thinking big. . Shearer is still a massive name world wide and could do a job up front. Me thinks.

  71. puyol,roberts,see the press are back on song with toon,fk me man what next,messi and ronaldo..

  72. 101 hitman says:
    April 27, 2010 at 10:29 am
    puyol,roberts,see the press are back on song with toon,fk me man what next,messi and ronaldo..

    They are our Jan Transfer targerts! Just keep it to yourself tho

  73. I see West Ham have put every player up for sale apart from Scott Parker.

    Would we have anyone from them?

    Carlton Cole?

  74. cannot understand why some people on this blog,seem happy to park players on long contracts.
    more players like routledge?granted good signing for the championship,but at prem level he’s a two time loser.
    is is just me or has fat boy won his battle with the fans?newcastle going down has really played into ashley’s hands,fair enough expections should be curtailed,but are you that desperate now,that you are happy to feed on the scraps from fat boy’s sizable table.
    the reality is,newcastle will probably be the lowest net spenders in the prem next season.
    sunderland will spend more on one player than newcastle’s entire budget,i’m not advocating spending money the club might not have,but surely ashley must spend the right amount of money on decent players,and not journeymen.
    the old adage speculate to accumulate comes to mind,as in the prem the higher you finish the more money you make.
    the sort of budget being rumoured,and that is what it is at the moment speculation,but does anyone really think 15 mil will get you the sort of quality reqired for a tough season in the prem?granted we have the odd sucess story,stoke,bolton of the past,wigan,but for the most part most who try fail.
    we see this year in year out clubs trying to bridge the gap between the championship and prem,most end up straight back down,i seem to remember a certain mr mcarthy at sunderland given 15mil to spend,and look what happened lowest points total in premier league history.
    i can understand the fiscal strategy at clubs like burnley for instance,and i dont want to go down the deluded fan line,but with the fan base newcastle have,how long will they hold on to the fans before another mutiny?it’s hardly the greatest pitch for selling season tickets is it?the question is are newcastle too big to be given the mike ashley sports direct treatment?maybe if he was at watford,with greatest respect to them,they would probably appreciate ashley’s style so to speak after their recent troubles.
    i know no club has a divine right to be in the prem etc…,but is it wrong for a club like newcastle to be up there challenging with the best?
    as far as i’m concerned this club cannot be kicking it’s heels for too long doing nothing,ashley needs to get it right quickly,or definatley move on and let someone who wants to move this club on have a go.

  75. TROJAN,

    I have advocated for a while now that a club with over 1 million supporters and who get 50,000 plus supporters at home every game should demand more than ‘just surviving’ and having a transfer criteria that reduces your choices by 50%.

    Hell of a risk in my opinion – When you first go up you need to have a choice of as many players as possible, not reducing the pool of players you can get.

  76. Interesting that while the daft fa wanna give relegated clubs 4 years parachute payments instead of 2. Why not give teams coming up payments to try & even up the playing field-Der!
    Typical sweet fa bullsh-right there.
    Mongs!

    Ignore the press mongers, purlease!
    They are gonna keep up with their crap, especially if fans just lap it up & bother to even debate such shit.
    Howay!

  77. trojan u are talking crap! clubs in the prem are buying less and less each year. 70% of clubs in the prem league wont spend much this summer. for u to say that we would probley lowest net spenders then i think u dont no anything about football. first of all u wont no that until the summer is over. the gap your talking about is easier because the teams are getting worse. wolves and birmingaham stayed up how much did they spend and did they go down stop living in the past.

  78. totaly agree trojan comment 105…
    i think we will be struggling at the bottom of the prem next season,but i live in hope..

  79. asim says:
    April 27, 2010 at 11:31 am

    So if clubs won’t be buying many new players in the summer, I presume they will be keeping their current players – So there will be less players on the market. Will that not drive up transfer fees?

    Makes sense – If you’re not buying anyone, you won’t be selling anyone, as you won’t want to weaken your squads.

  80. Sorry, fellas – but IMHO, your route isn’t the way to go for a simple reason: it won’t work. How do I know? Because it’s what we did for the last 10 years. Then Ashley came in and went in the opposite direction with even worse results. Then we swung back into the middle (the January window) and bingo; perfect result.

    In my job there is a simple mantra: “rushing takes longer”. If you shoot for mid-table, you might well get there, and if you fail you’ll end up just below but ok. If you shoot for top 6, you’ll end up in a relegation battle.

    We’re stable. We’re winning. We have spirit and ability in the team. We have a sustainable business model. Why would you scrap all that and return to ‘spend and bust’??

  81. asim has points.
    There is no cover all set of ‘rules’ for staying up, doing well, winning the league, going down.
    Anyone who’s watched football for more than a year should know that.

  82. Whumpie :)
    Cos we have some fans that just don’t get it & want instant glory & think that it’s nailed on that if you go for glory signings we’ll be sorted.
    Even though we’ve been there, done that, printed up the t-shirt & sold it on a wet wednesday down the market.
    Silly season is upon us once more.
    :)

  83. A few astute signings is the only way.
    Keep the bulk of the team.
    Build on what we’ve got.
    Add a bit of quality.
    & a bit of strength in depth.
    Sound like a business plan?
    :)

  84. I have a suspicion that the few clubs with financial clout (cash or borrowed) may spend big this summer. With Platini’s new fiscal rules on the horizon they’ll want to re-stock with young galacticos while they still can.

    BUT that’s probably 3 teams at most. The rest will either stock their youth ranks only, or sell. Several will have fire sales.

    We spent far more than most prem teams in January, and I suspect we’ll do the same in the summer. It’s just that it may only take £10m to achieve that.

    And yes, I’d be happy with bottom-half next year, PROVIDED it’s then higher each year until we get back to where we belong. If it takes five seasons, so be it – much rather that than the Fat Fred style “sh*t or bust” gambles that so nearly killed us completely.

  85. Whumpie says:
    April 27, 2010 at 11:38 am

    Nobody is saying go back to the days past. It just seems to be one extreme to the other. Although this is just speculation at the minute, which makes blogs like this fun.

    “We’re stable. We’re winning. We have spirit and ability in the team. We have a sustainable business model”.

    I can’t take the argument I’m afraid. We’ve been playing at a different level. Ok, we’re stable but winning in this division is totally different to winning in the PL.

    How can anyone come on here and tell me we shouldn’t be looking to achieve more than Wigan, Bolton, Stoke, Wolves, Birmingham, Blackburn, West Ham and Fulham?

    We generate more money than these teams, we have a larger fan base and we should be in a position to attract and pay for better players than them.

    I’m sorry, but I don’t accept that we should be competing with these teams, it’s ridiculous – Our fan base and average attendances demands we should be looking at higher aspirations than these teams.

    Where is our plan, and why does our new transfer criteria reduce the choice of players we have available to us?

    Surely that’s not the best way to go forward – We need as big a pool of players to choose from as possible.

    We just need a manager who knows how to pick a player – Hughton could well be that manager, Ashley has to trusy him, not tell him that he can only buy players who fit this criteria.

  86. hear hear whumpie, you’re bang on the money there, yet again. Must be the southwest air!

    Stuart, whilst your advocation that a club of our size deserves a more flamboyant approach to transfers is, in all fairness, a very reasonable one, I still think we need to get to such a position gradually over the course of about 5 years. Our name and reputation wont diminish so much by then that we are unable to attract the right class of player, and once we have the solid foundations of a top 10 side we can really start to push on.

    2015, the year of the toon!

  87. Clint Flick, an extract for you from this morning’s Times regarding Mario Balotelli:

    On Tuesday, while his Inter Milan team-mates celebrated their 3-1 win at home to Barcelona in the first leg of the Champions League semi-final, Mario Balotelli threw a tantrum by ripping off his jersey and hurling it on to the pitch before storming off. The forward, who had come on as a substitute, revealed that he was rattled by José Mourinho yelling at him and a portion of the supporters criticising him after a misplaced pass and a lackadaisical attempt at tracking back.

    Fans will put up with a lot, but when millionaire footballers disrespect the shirt, it’s a step too far. Inter’s supporters wrote him an open letter, culminating in the words “to us, you no longer exist”. Massimo Moratti, the Inter president, called his gesture a “public suicide”. Even Mourinho and some of Balotelli’s Inter team-mates, who have backed him for much of the season, say they have had enough.

    Come the summer, Super Mario is likely to become somebody else’s problem.

  88. Look how long it took Sir Bobby Robson to get us challenging for europe , but he didnt get it one year and didnt a section of fans turn on him? MMM I wonder what type of fan would turn on a manager for finishing 5th? Fans who want instant success or fans who belive in slowly building up the team/club? Anyone any ideas? Funny that was when the club went into decline after SBR was sacked and the mass spending spree happened…..

    Im not suggesting any person on this board called for Sir Bobby to be sacked just thinking outloud

  89. Whumpie says:
    April 27, 2010 at 11:38 am

    ‘We’re stable. We’re winning. We have spirit and ability in the team’

    I’m not so sure you will be saying that 10 games in to next season unless we invest in 4 or 5 quality players.

  90. devonmag says:
    April 27, 2010 at 11:57 am

    Flamboyant signings?

    I don’t really know of any supporter asking for that. I’m asking for a more aggresive transfer policy than the clubs I mentioned. That is not unfair and unrealistic.

    Although when people go on about our ‘glory signings’ of the past I only really remember Owen.

    Not exactly a recent history of huge ‘glory signings’ is it?

  91. We have no ‘RIGHT’ to anything.
    That just plays into the hands of those that like to perpetuate the myth that we’re deluded Geordies that ‘deserve’ to be glorious.

    We ALL want Newcastle to kick everyone’s butt all over the pitch.
    But, we are, at this moment in time, a team that has got back to the prem, as champions, with a great fan base, looking to do well next season.
    & THAT’S IT!
    ;)

  92. Ta devon,
    he sounds like a right ‘box of frogs’.
    I’m sure he’s got something special going on, but ‘dissing’ the shirt-Eeeeek!
    What a case!
    :)
    Wonder if he gets a game v barca?
    :)

  93. It’s a fine line Stuart,
    Big bucks on players you think are gonna be ‘world beaters’ can be described thus, hey?
    Luque, Martins, Marcelino, Owen, Kluivert, Robert etc etc.
    Especially when you lose money on them when it doesn’t pan out.

  94. some people seem to miss the point! yes i have said i dont like CH and people have had a go but people still having a go at ashley to spend money, he has by keeping this club going by putting 25- 30 mil pounds in. if that was on players ever 1 would have been happy. we are in the prem league and with money coming in. he will make money and spent what is needed he isnt going to make that same mastake again. nobody would!plus this is going to be the first time for 3 years we will have money coming in from other sponcerships and new 1s this summer and players money we have sold last summer. fat fred got all are sponcership money up front so we had nothing coming in. i hope it will be new and improved newcastle going forward.

  95. CLiNT FLiCK says:
    April 27, 2010 at 12:04 pm

    I fundamentally disagree with you there, CLiNT.

    I believe that a fan base as big as ours has the right to expect certain things from the club.

    One of those expectations should be to achieve more than the perenial bottom half finishers in the PL.

    Not because we automatically deserve it, but because we have a huge fan base that creates a much larger income for the club than them smaller clubs.

    Then it’s up to the owner to appoint a manager who can spend that money wisely.

  96. MA has now got the chance to ‘start again’ or at least ‘start a fresh’.
    Going down has cleared the decks & all links to the past boom & bust under FFS.
    I’m not saying he’s sorted, let’s all love him or owt.
    Just that it is finally his club now & that offers him an opportunity to impress his business model.
    It could be the making of NUFC, maybe not, only time will tell.

  97. CLiNT FLiCK says:
    April 27, 2010 at 12:12 pm

    I didn’t see Martins as a flop – Just inconsistant, possibly his age.

    Marcellino certainly wasn’t a ‘glory signing’.

    Although most clubs do have their moments in the transfer market – Veron anyone? £28m…. Shevchenko? – £32m…

    So we don’t have a monopoly on poor signings. It just suits some peoples argument to pick out certain players that haven’t achieved what we had hoped they would.

  98. Stuart,
    while i don’t totally disagree with you.
    I think you know where i’m coming from mate.
    We have no divine right to be successful, just cos we’re a big club with top & loyal support.
    I do agree that we should be able to compete with most clubs in britain, based on money coming in.
    But that means nowt if we don’t spend shrewdly.
    I think CH has showed he has a good eye for the astute buy, with one eye on team spirit.
    He also knows how to work within his limitations (financial), seemingly & work with his board. That’s got to offer you some hope, hasn’t it?

  99. It’s a much to do with ALL of Martins missed sitters last season, than anyone else.
    He was a £10m + wages FLOP!
    He coulda/shoulda/woulda keep us up single-handedly if he had a modicum of cool in front of goal.
    The best thing about him was getting 9 of the £10m back when he left to FLOP somewhere else.
    Marcelino had rave reviews that year & was a coup.

  100. “Spanish newspaper Sport have produced one of the most unlikely transfer stories for some time this morning linking Barcelona with a move for Newcastle defender Steven Taylor .

    According to Sport, not only are Barcelona interested in taking Taylor to the Nou Camp, they predict a swap deal for Carles Puyol who would lead Newcastle into the Premier League next season.”

    http://www.imscouting.com/global-news-article/Barcelona-in-shock-link-with-Newcastle-defender-Steven-Taylor/7349/

    Almost certainly tripe like.

  101. stuart u are missing the point! 15 years ago we were good then came that fu..king crap dogliesh who put us back 10 years why didnt they fu.king let him buy rush and john barnes on a free for tino and ginola that was the end for us. then we got it back with robson for a while then we have been living in dreams for the past 5-6 years.

  102. worky,
    the press mongers have stepped in something there, then wiped it on some paper & sold it as ‘news’.
    Hilarious!
    :)

  103. I’m in the same boat as you hitman. Hopefully a mix up, always seemed like a top bloke and one of my favourite players we’ve ever had.

  104. Stuart – I think what you are saying is entirely fair; we should expect to be among the elite. It’s just the timing that has to be realistic. I think anyone who believes we have some devine right to top-6 aspirations NEXT SEASON is as daft as a brush.

    Our fan base and other sources of income (‘cos that’s all we are) point to a kitty of roughly the size people are speculating – £15-20m. More than that is more than we could afford as a club.

    That amount is, if properly used, enough to move us forward and stabilise in the prem. The same again the following year will get us into the top half. Then you’re looking at one or two positions higher each season until you’re back where you ‘belong’.

    So yep, I get what you’re saying… as long as you don’t mean next year.

  105. Whumpie says:
    April 27, 2010 at 1:54 pm

    I don’t mean next year we should be in the top six – I think we’ll find it absolutely incredibly difficult to finish top six in the next 5 years unless we spend more than £20m a year.

    I only say that because we are so far behind the likes of Villa, Spurs, Liverpool and not to mention the top 3 plus City.

    But it does beg the question – What’s the point of having one wealthy owner if he’s not going to invest any of his own money in the club for transfers, now we’re in the PL?

    He promised us £20m a year – Now it’s we have to live within our means – Well we don’t need a wealthy owner then – You and I could own the club and keep it going within it’s own means. We wouldn’t achieve much though.

  106. Yes, being a ‘big club’ with a large fanbase bring alot of money through the turnstiles, but more money comes from being in the Premiership (and the TV revenue it brings), and, moving up to the top, The Champion’s League.

    Being in the Championship for a year, even with crowds that would be the envy of most of the Premiership was a huge financial broadside for the club. It lost over £50 million in one year minus the ‘parachute’ payment.

    In today’s football world, the revenue which comes from a large, faithful fanbase in a big stadium IS very important, but it is less than half the battle at the top.

  107. We’re in the PL now though Worky.

    Even if we don’t get all the money up front, the owner of a club would normally loan the money to improve the squad while the money comes in installments.

    Otherwise one single wealthy owner has no business owning a football club. Unless of course it’s just to promote his own business, world wide.

  108. worky,
    i don’t think Stuart’s gonna get it mate.
    We’ve been round & round this block many times over the weeks & months.
    & still he chooses to overlook certain key points.
    It’s understandable like, he clearly loves the Toon, as we all do, & wants the best.
    I know it’s frustrating, but anyway, all everyone is doing is speculating at the end of a good season. We don’t know if any of it is true, we’re all just assuming.
    Based on tidbits.
    MA surprised almost everyone in jan, so there’s a precedent for more of the same.
    Or,
    He guns down the whole squad in a revenge attack & throws a wet bed sheet ower the fans.
    It could happen.

  109. Stuart79 says:
    April 27, 2010 at 2:34 pm

    “We’re in the PL now though Worky.”

    Parachute excepted, they’re not going to give us back the £50 million we lost though. I know what you’re saying, Waldorf, but it also works the other way. Clubs the size of Newcastle just aren’t supposed to get relegated, and with all the the big time charlies who weren’t offloaded until we were into the Championship season etc etc we just weren’t equipped for it at all, and took a huge hit financially.

  110. Anybody going to answer my question then?
    ‘If were going to be living within or means or even less than our means, what’s the point of having one wealthy owner’?

    So back to his £20m a year he said was his part of the deal????

  111. 156 Stuart79 says:
    April 27, 2010 at 2:50 pm
    Anybody going to answer my question then?
    ‘If were going to be living within or means or even less than our means, what’s the point of having one wealthy owner’?

    So back to his £20m a year he said was his part of the deal????

    Its like your suggesting we can pick n choose our owner there….

    His 20 million a season this year went into the day to day running of the club , page wages n bills etc etc to cover the mass amount of money we had lost due to relegation,

    The season beofre i suspect alot of the money he pumped in went on transfer fees we owed for Owen n Martions to name a few

  112. CLiNT FLiCK says:
    April 27, 2010 at 2:52 pm
    solvency?

    Don’t quite get that, to be honest.

    He has loaned the club that money to keep the club a going concern – Now we don’t need it for that, does he just stop investing?

    He actually said he would invest £20m a year – Now next season we will be in credit, so does that investment stop?

    Why wouldn’t he invest in new players instead?

  113. Also, the £20 million has been shown up in the accounts that have been published previously.

    Them payments are one thing where Ashley has stuck to his word I’m afraid.

  114. Johno Toon says:
    April 27, 2010 at 2:55 pm

    I understand where his £20m a year has gone. Although this year he hasn’t given us the money, he has loaned the club the money – Massive difference!

    But I’m talking about the future – We don’t need his money to keep us solvent anymore, we do need it to invest in good players.Do you think he will still invest £20m a year now were in the PL and are on a good financial footing?

  115. I honestly think he will , He will run a tight ship but he has said in the past the money would be there for the right player , didnt we almost sign modric? But the proof as they say will be in the pudding

  116. Looks like we are being linked to every player with a manager, not surprised really as we are in need of strengthening.
    It`s going to get worse as time passes, rumors and wish lists from now untill the start of next season.
    Thank goodness for the world cup to keep us distracted,
    could`nt take another off season period like the one when KK arrived back.
    The expectations were high with Modric, the Turkish kid and a host of others expected, what did we get “the cisco kid”
    Moral of the story, keep your wish lists to yourself and dont expect too much.

  117. I dont think our wishlist we be leaked too much this summer , Everything seems to be kept quiet for a change which for me a is a good thing

  118. that barcelona story is hilarious. can you imagine? harper would have a tough season in net. between puyol and colo, would be pretty tough seeing the game through all that mess of hair in front of him ;)

  119. Stuart – nicely done getting down to the key question. My answer:

    For a start, you need a very wealthy owner to be able to speculate that kind of money. Let’s face it, it’s not like you can just pop to the bank to borrow £20m these days. Yes, it’s a loan, but it has to be.

    But beyond that I personally do NOT want to see any success which is the result of some sugar daddy throwing money at things with no interest in getting it back. That’s Citeh and Chelski and I have no respect for anything they achieve.

    Also, Platini is at last going to level the playing field to stop that kind of ‘cup-buying’ approach. While I think it’ll be a long time before the stranglehold on the top few places relaxes, I think we should arrive at their level at roughly the right time.

    So if you’re hoping for Ashley to buy us into contention with Citeh, then you’re on your own, fella. It’s a fools’ game that and there’s no pride to be taken in it.

    I may not like the fella, but I totally agree with Ashley’s recent approach to things. Please gawd don’t let him screw the pooch now…

  120. As for transfer rumours:

    1. They are ALWAYS wrong; can we PLEASE learn?
    2. The press are desperate to stir the shit on us, and daft, unsettling rumours are their primary weapons.
    3. On the rare occasion where it’s not completely made up and an agent is involved, it’s just the agent trying to unsettle his client so he can get another huge wedge by moving them on.

    And they know they’re succeeding by how much outrage and discussion they can spark on sites like this one. So please people, can we avoid discussing these daft stories beyond “it’s crap”?

  121. Whumps,

    I don’t personally want to be relying on a billionaire to the degree that city and chelski are but £20m a season along with what we generate would allow us to grow organically.

  122. that barcelona story is hilarious. can you imagine? harper would have a tough season in net. between puyol and colo, would be pretty tough seeing the game through all that mess of hair in front of him ;)

  123. stu,people like asim are missing the point of what i was trying to say.
    i’m not advocating spending fortunes,but if we shop in the bargain basement,then we will be in the relegation dog fightend of story.
    the combine harvester brigade,who couldn’t find newcastle with a searchlight,like to hear themselves on.
    do you honestly want to put your faith in the likes of routledge to keep newcastle up.