Nolan’s contract negotiations stall – player considering his future

Posted on June 5th, 2011 | 51 Comments |

Nolan considering his future at Newcastle United after contract negotiations stall.
Contract woes?
Contract woes for Nolan now at Newcastle United?

According to The Mirror, Kevin Nolan is having difficulty getting a new contract out of the club.

He has two years left on his current contract and was supposedly in talks to extend that by at least another two years, however it seems to 28 year-old has been told that there will be no further contract discussions for him until the end of next season.

The Mirror alleges that this now has Nolan reluctantly considering his future with the club.

Now before we get carried away, I should point out that there are no direct quotes in the Mirror’s article and it all comes from ‘sources close to the player’, so it could just as easily be a load of garbage intended to whip up a storm at our club. It wouldn’t be the first time the press have done that.

However, it does seem odd that a few weeks ago we were hearing all sorts of noises about Nolan entering into contract negotiations and then nothing further was heard.

Nolan’s wage bill will no doubt be large and we’re all aware that reducing the wage bill is a long-term aim of the club, but we’re talking about our captain here and a player that umpteen others have come out to praise as being a great influence on them.

Of course Joey Barton was recently placed in a similar position. Well, actually he was placed in a worse position because the club did not even tell him they’d open contract negotiations at the end of next season (as far as I know).

This is of course all against what Alan Pardew has insisted all along, which is that he wanted to secure the services of the likes of Nolan and Barton as a priority.

Is this all part of an ongoing policy to rid the club of hefty wage bills? Is there some specific disapproval at a high level for Nolan and/or Barton? Or is it just a load of hogwash invented by the press to stir up trouble?

So what do you think? Any truth in this? If so, what does it mean for the club?

NUFCBlog Author: Hugh de Payen I'm a baby-boomer of the punk rock persuasion, currently exiled in Somerset for crimes committed in a previous life where locals keep trying to poison me with something called 'scrumpy'. Hates sprouts, coat-hangers, Cilla Black, ornaments, Steven Seagull movies and 50 Cent (he's not worth 10). Hugh de Payen has written 634 articles on this blog.

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51 Responses

  2. Most, including myself, thought this was part of the usual negotiating posturing that goes on in the game.
    But the fact we are rumored to be looking at any number of midfielders has changed my mind.
    It appears to me that top management would like to see players, such as the two scoucers sold for what they can get and rebuild the entire mid field, with a “younger better and cheaper” bunch, to quote Joey.
    Also the fact both players wield a lot of influence in the locker-room, perhaps too much influence.
    What Pardew`s role in this is, who knows ?

  3. If we lose Barton, Enrique, Nolan and Carroll(Judas) within 1 season we’ll be in some serious shit.

    That’s ripping the entire heart of our team out. Doesn’t matter who we bring in they won’t be fighters for NUFC like these lads are. Ashley’s treating them like disposable, worthless assets-great impression to give any prospective future players looking at us.

    As Nolan’s got 2 years left it shouldn’t matter but you know that something definitely isn’t right because Nolan said himself weeks ago that he thought his new contract would be done and dusted easily by now.

    We’re getting rid of all the wrong players! Another Mr Ashley wonder stroke on the horizon?

  4. You’d expect negotiations to start now if the club wanted to keep Nolan, maybe January 2012 but you wouldn’t expect them to let it go into his last year so if true it suggests he’ll go.

    He has two years left so he might not go anytime soon which doesn’t smell to me like they want him off the wage bill straight away. Unless of course an offer comes in.

    Nor do I think it’s deliberately getting rid because he has too much influence (or wages) I think it’s a question of ability & his age when his contract runs out…

  5. It is obvious. Ashley is too cheap to hold on to the best players. If you pay peanuts you get monkeys.
    Ashley is only intersting in milking the club for money, buying cheap, and selling our best players for profit to himself. His only goal is to keep us in the PL, not to win anything.
    NUFC can only be a top club again if he sells us to a bilioner who wants to do some huge upfront investment to make a push for Champions League.

  6. Thing is with 2 years left on his contract , is it not a bit early to be giving him a new one . Who says he will even get in the first 11 next season let alone in 2 years time , after all as good as he is ghosting into the right positions and getting goals he is not that mobile and HBA is . Pardew has already said he wants more mobility and pace in attacking positions .

  7. really.. who gives a to55? sell em al land be done. i am over the lot of it. nothing by a selling club with zero ambition. it will never change under dekka and ashley and their rent boy of a manager who bends over and takes it up the ar5e on every single issue without so much as a whimper.

  8. Chuck says:

    “What Pardew`s role in this is, who knows ?”

    Take a wild guess Chuck :)

  10. Oy Expert, “If you pay peanuts you get monkeys.” I sincerely hope you are not referring to Cheikh Tiote. That would be racist. Really racist.

  12. Nolan is a quality player, a little slow but he still holds his own. A 5 yr contract would take him to 32. Perhaps an extension of 1yr to make it 3yrs left and a possible 1yr after that.

    Obviously contracts mean nothing (carroll/Ranger). I think under Ashley we just have to hope we stay a premier team until he sells because it doesnt look good under his control.

  13. Nolan was our top scorer last season and I also get the impression he’s the ‘glue’ that holds a lot of the team spirit together.

    There are better ‘pure’ midfielders than Nolan but few score as many goals as him.

  14. He’s got two years on his contract left so he’ll be around to score his goals & maintain that team spirit…

  15. Look, though i am no fan of Ashley, but face it NUFC is a business.
    And like any business has to make a profit.
    We may not like what Ashley does, but it`s his club lock stock and barrel, he finances it and is entitled to run it (which he does)as he pleases.
    All the talk about players loyalty to the club, badge kissing, leaking stuff to the media, etc.
    It`s bullshit, most are well compensated for doing something a lot of us did for pleasure.
    Tell you the truth, this club without change is going nowhere.
    Soh ! it`s time to bring in some,(quoting JOEY again) younger, better, players.
    I for one would like to see a totally revamped side, a side that plays entertaining and exciting football and looking at some of our proposed targets, if we land them, then that`s hopefully what we will get.
    And for those that believe in loyalty to players, forget it, look what happened with AC.
    They are all well paid and their loyalty is to whoever the are currently playing for, it`s all about dosh, nothing else.
    Do you really want to see the same old faces, not knowing who`s gonna show up on any given day, not me.
    I want to watch a side thats competitive, technically and tactically aware.
    I would also like to see a manager who can call the shots and as long as this guy is here, “hae ma doots”

  16. Whats the rush? he is 29 at the end of the month, his contract will expire close to the age of 31 in two seasons time, i think he will get a one year extension maybe next summer. I agree he is very important to the team spirit and he is a great captain but he wont be around forever, i would not be worried about him yet.

    I will only worry if smith is offered a new deal :-) Or throw myself from a bridge if xisco gets a new one. But i think this will be our last season with smith,ameobi, lovenkrands, and guthrie, all their contracts expire.

  17. Chuck i think Pardew can call the shots up to a point because he is Ashleys choice , the thing is as you point out its Ashley keeping shop at the minute and not even a Morinho or Van Gall could play the boss over him . Trouble is no owner would let the manager have total control .

  18. Chucky…you been trawling through my posts, taking all my quotes, and posting them yourself to make yourself look knowledgeable… ;-)…burned your Anti Ashley bra or summat ? :lol: :lol:

  20. “Now before we get carried away, I should point out that there are no direct quotes in the Mirror’s article and it all comes from ‘sources close to the player’, so it could just as easily be a load of garbage intended to whip up a storm at our club. It wouldn’t be the first time the press have done that.”

    Nah Hugh, they probably got the idea from the story I wrote ten days ago. :-)

    https://nufcblog.org/2011/05/is-nolan-stalling-on-new-contract-now/

  21. It just goes to show that Pardew is either a liar or a puppet.

    What is going on now was predicted on some sites.

    Gone are the days of NUFC. It is simply a franchise for Ashley.

    Hughton, Carroll, Barton, Nolan, Ranger, Enrique, Jonas, Coloccini – cash in now, get cheap replacements, sell them on. Why do you think it is now called sportsdirect.com@stjamespark?

    It’s just another of Ashley’s sports outlets where he gets in players and sells them at whatever profit he can get.

  22. Axel
    I may not have made myself clear, on calling the shots, i attempted to say, can he direct the side on the field, can he direct training in both a tactical and technical manner,
    Is he up to the job ?
    Sure i realize he`s got SBR`s old assistant Carver, to keep him straight, but is that enough.
    I guess i just have no faith in this guy.
    On bringing in a serious manager, aint gonna happen, Ashley is obviously too much of a control freak and they are aware of it.
    Not much goes un-noticed in football.

  25. OK chuck i understand it now , only time will tell on that side of things . One thing i do know is he likes his team to attack and play with the ball on the deck and although he has won nowt until now , he did actually make a decent go of things at Southampton (on the pitch ) they started that season with i think it was -15 points because they were in administration and got them on to the brink of the play offs . In other words the rest of the division had a 5 game head start on them . From what i have read and heard he had them playing some decent stuff .

  26. ….the papers always go mental this time of year, stupid hacks get bored. No story? Make one up, it sells papers.

  27. The fact is in case no one noticed, Ashley is a control freak as are a number of EPL owners, Abramovich @ Chelsea, well you get the idea.
    When BSA and his entourage were @ St. James there must have been some discontent, Sam being a take charge guy.
    Then KK was`nt exactly a yes man, getting the point here, following that everyone had the message and went with the flow.
    Chris Hughton being the smartest, which probably rubbed Ashley the wrong way.
    Well now we have Mr. “Walkey Talkey”, who constantly puts his foot in his mouth by making statements he has to retract or say he was miss quoted.
    But unfortunately we have become inured to this schmuck and it all rolls off him like he`s made of teflon.
    So the point is in case you missed it, give up any hope of ever getting a decent manager here as long as Mike Ashley owns the club!

  29. Well we done done this subject to death, gittin close to Amstel time in the City.
    Gotta red eye flight to europe to-morrow, possibly catch a game or two at the seasons start or pre-season friendly, could even catch a game at The Stadium of light, heresy? no! just catch whatever live games i can in the allotted time span, see y`all in “The Three Bulls’

  30. Chuck says:
    June 5, 2011 at 7:54 pm

    “could even catch a game at The Stadium of light, heresy? no!”

    Nothing wrong with catching a Benfica game Chuck. Hope you have a great time!

  31. May the board think they are playing Football Manager !? It’s not all about profit and ability like the game.

  32. Why does he want another contract?
    He has still got 2years left
    If I was Ashley I would tell them all to f*** off

  33. GeordieDan(3) is right Nolan and Barton at the heart of the team. Yes, they are approaching 30 but both embody the fighting spirit which helped us emerge from the championship doldrums, and the quality which has seen us stay up with a measure of comfort. The spirit in the side is the best its been in years and give the team a clear identity which new players can slot into. If Arsenal teaches us anything it’s that you need experience in your squad and experience costs money. I’m sure Kevin and Joey earned every cent of their wages this season.

  34. Alan, you miss the point. At his age, Nolan is able to buy himself out of his contract at the end of next season, as are Jonas and Colo.

    The members of the team who stayed and got the club promoted again are all being squeezed out, as was Hughton who did his bit in getting us back up.

    The heart of the group that was loyal to the club have been shown no loyalty. Having dumped on the supporters over a number of things, and not liking thr backlash, Ahsley seems to be hell bent on dumping on the supporters even more.

  35. what a lot of mugs you toon fans are. How many more times
    are you going to let Ashley F##k you up, Come the season start 50.000 turn up MUGS HA HA.

  36. snipe thats because we care about our club and are real supporters you sad tw@t and Ashley will never be more important than the club w@nker

  42. snipe 711 says:
    June 5, 2011 at 9:30 pm

    “HY Axel. forgot to tell you, I like fishing as well and you are my first BITE tonight HE HE.”

    And you are my first bite tonight snipe.

  43. Anyone still not got the system yet?
    Players 30+ by the end of their contract will probably get 1 year add-ons at best, from now on, or they’ll be sold for decent cash before it runs out.

    Hello?

  44. May be the club are playing on what it means to nolan to be captain and how proud he is of it,to get him to take a pay cut.

  45. welcome to the “sports direct” school of business

    buy in lots, very cheap, then sell on at a profit (however small)

    I’d be disappointed if Nolan was to go, he seems to have been a positive influence around the club, especially with his goal tally considering our lack of a forward line

  46. Sorry to mention this but Craig Chisholm has been spouting falsehoods so I need to set the record straight.

    Those two comments that got deleted Craig….. They wouldn’t be the same two posted here would they? At No 28 and No 33

    http://www.nufcblog.co.uk/2011/06/04/could-shane-long-be-next-on-the-list/

    For good measure I notice you’ve also posted one here at No 51, which also hasn’t been deleted…….

    In fact none of your comments have been deleted.

    Hope this clears a few things up :)

    It;s nice to see how people can go by previous history with me. Nobody can change though can they? Nobody can make mistakes and nobody can learn from them eh?

    Well they can. I ballsed up repeatedly on here but I’ve learned from it. People do change you know ;)

  48. i cant be ar5ed checking if you have put my comments back in order not toonsy. i did even put a post up on your blog asking why… you never replied though.

  49. I dont understand why everyone is so upset

    Nolan has 2 years on his contract and will be 31 at that time. What is the point of signing these young players with potential if you are going to hold on to high priced players in their position.

    We have just signed Abeid who is an attacking midfielder and 18 years old. So in a year if he doesnt look like he will be making the grade then give Nolan a new contract. That seems like perfect sense to me in football terms not business terms.

    Im glad the club has decided when they will be giving the contracts out and not when a players agent gets in his ear. Hopefully Nolan is a bit smarter than Judas and makes up his own mind because he is valuable to the team in my opinion. But if he wants big bucks til he is 33 then go somewhere else.

    We need him in the side but not at the expense of the development of Vukic and Abeid

  50. Craig – Because I’m virtually never there anymore. That’s what I’m saying. about changing. There used to be a time, on here, where I’d sit here for hours on end. Not anymore, I just let it roll.

    I’ve not deleted any of your comments. Did I ever do it on here? No. So why would I do it now? :lol: :roll: The fact is that I’ve been at work all weekend. If you like I can show you my clocking in records that even say that I was at work when you posted those comments. How can I delete them when I don;t have access to a computer anymore?

    The fact is that people say I don’t allow an opinion…. Why is that? Is it because I argue back? I mean at the end of the day, all I’m doing in return is having my oopinion. It’s not problem if you can’t handle, and it would appear that is the case as the slagging off is only happening one way at the minute :)

  51. And if you think I’d keep hold of a deleted commment for two days just to restore it you’d be sadly mistaken. I thought I deleted the Craig, so how can I restore them? :lol:

    How many times do you need me to say that I don;t have a problem with you, or anyone in fact. Are you seriously so insecure that you need to hear it again?