Toon want it wrapped up before derby
Good morning. The Toon headlines are still pretty much dominated by the Joey Barton/Gervinho ‘Slappergate’ incident, which is beginning to make my Earl Grey taste a little sour and putting Tarquin, my butler, off his stride with the brushing of my tweeds in preparation for the day’s hobnobbing.
The Daily Mail comes to the rescue though, with allegations that we’ve upped our bid to £7m for much-needed left-back Erik Pieters. Presumably the hope is that the extra readies will act as a financial kick up the backside to both the player and his club and expedite transfer proceedings towards some sort of agreement ahead of next weekend’s game against the unwashed.
The weekend’s People seemed to think we have other options for a left-back too and are tracking both Wayne Bridge and Aly Cissokho alongside Pieters.
The Mail (again) insists that Nicklas Bendtner is still our current target front player, although I still have my doubts as to whether we’d be able to top Stoke’s £7.5m bid, let alone match Arsenal’s £11m valuation of the player. Arsenal are likely to be able to hold out a while too given that they’re due for a £30m+ windfall for Fabregas’s sale to Barcelona and around £20m for Nasri’s sale to Manchester City.
I suppose it’s always possible that Ashley will fork out maybe £8m or £9m and £50k-£60k/week for Bendtner, but I’d be very surprised.
Derek Llambias took time out from his hobby of leaping out of trees onto passing mice to reassure supporters that additional player acquisitions are on the way. In last weekend’s programme notes he said:
“We are fully aware of the need to add further players to our squad and we will be working hard to try and bring the right kind of players in before the transfer window shuts in 18 days.
“They are top-quality players who will hopefully make a big impression here, and added to the quality that we already have at the club, we are all very excited about the coming months.“
So, reading between the lines, it sounds like they have identified their targets and are – in the words of Sheriff Roscoe P Coltrane – in hot pursuit.
Personally, I’m still leaning towards the idea that our target striker isn’t Bendtner and is some player who hasn’t yet (or recently) been speculated to be a target of the club.
Meanwhile, Alan Pardew dismissed speculation about his future as the betting tumbled from 10-1 to 3-1 in favour of him being sacked:
“There are people who think we will struggle and one or two pundits are predicting we will be relegated and I can see the logic in that because it is a new team,” said Pardew.
“The proof is going to be in 38 games time.“
That’s assuming you last that long Alan!
NUFCBlog Author: Hugh de Payen
I’m a baby-boomer of the punk rock persuasion with a wife, two cats, a dog, no hair and an obsession with hats. I’m 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 625 articles on this blog.
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..Why not get a 
cissokho would be amazing…ahh if only fat ashley wasn’t our owner.
Huge, I’m sure a lot of folk both empathise and sympathise with your man, the long-suffering Tarquin. You’re not alone I can assure you but you must understand that a lot of fans, hoi polloi, are’t in a position to have staff these days. The cuts you know, we’re all in this together and all that bolony!
However, I’ve found that a breakfast of kedgerie with Quail eggs is a good starter….. it calm’s the nerves before the first eye-opener of the day and, no doubt your butler find life a little more tolerable.
Carry on and keep the flag flying, come on you chaps!
I agree Hugh or Huge as Lesh calls you (does he know something we don’t?) that if it’s not Bendtner then the club are doing a fantastic smokescreen and keeping their cards close to their chests.
I will amazed if the club don’t announce the arrival of Pieters by close of business Tuesday.
We have a week to get a top class left back and striker in.
If we don’t do it we’ll get everything we deserve at The Stadium of Plight.
And if we don’t do it before the window closes we’re staring relegation in the face as there is not one decent striker at the club at the moment.
Mr Kamar @3…… I most certainly know nothing! Anyone with any breeding knows that the name ‘Huge’, reflects the boundless talent shown in Hugh’s musings.
You’ve spoiled my breakast now, the Times’s all over the place now… Cad!
You’re evidently a man of breeding lesh.
Much bowing, scraping and tuging of forlock.
who’s this kid modibo maiga? is he any good?,rumours flying around we are to sign him from french outfit sochaux.
From the web (whether it is true or not especially the bit ‘…At Newcastle, I met everyone…’
Having boycotted the match against Caen on Saturday evening, Modibo Maiga also decided to skip training on Sunday in an effort to pressure Sochaux into accepting an offer from Newcastle United
The Malian striker has now triggered a stand off with Sochaux and stated to L’Equipe that his position is firm,
“There are offers that have been made for me, but the president does not want to discuss them. I saw him face to face and I took his position very badly. It was the first time I asked something and I find it disrespectful. Why refuse to discuss? I think it’s selfish. I can not understand. The amounts are important to me and the club. Sochaux will not lose. I will not go free, the club will collect money, and they can recruit, I’m not the only attacker. At Newcastle, I met everyone. They want me and it is not just any club. The English Premiership is a dream. This is the style of play I like, and it suits me well for my progress. I want to leave, he must agree to negotiate, “ warned the disruptive Sochaux striker, apparently determined to leave for the Premier League, for an estimated transfer fee of €8 million
Hey, does anyone know if Haris Vučkić was injured? Not sure why he wasn’t used, or at least on bench.
Yup Hugh @6, there’s some breeding in me genes somewhere down the line, but where….. haven’t a clue!
This striker/ LB scenario’s got all the makings of a disaster culminting with utterings such as ‘we tried our best, but….’
When will this lot ever learn or will MA be happy to sit tight until we’re in a deep hole by January?
lesh@11…your left back musings may come back to bite you in the bum…hope not mate…!
Hugh(Huge)/Lesh/Kamar,
sikovash,
what part of india are you from mate?