Pardew bemoans agents as he tries to keep players at Newcastle.

Posted on January 14th, 2011 | 48 Comments |

Pardew: Not a big fan of middlemen it seems.
Pardew: Not a big fan of middlemen it seems.
Newcastle United manager, Alan Pardew has been giving an insight into the difficulties he faces keeping players at a club as football agents become an ever bigger part of the game.

Speaking in an interview with the BBC’s “Late Kick Off“, Pardew bemoaned the role of agents, and how they can destabilise players right through a club, from youngsters right through to the most seasoned professionals. He also gives some insight into his work at Newcastle so far, how he is determined to keep as many of the good players at Newcastle as he can, and how he also wants to add to the squad to make things stronger.

Below is a transcript. He begins by speaking of the contracts of players on the modern game, saying:

“The way the contracts are at the moment where you’re not allowed to talk to a player unless he’s out of contract of course you’re going to have agents, you’re going to have middlemen.

“That is the big problem because suddenly there’s a deal going on and you’re not even party to it until the very last minute and it’s almost done.

“That side of it is very, very frustrating, trying to keep players on an even keel when they’re getting these people in their ears telling them they’re this, they’re that, they can get them a move here, there and everywhere and that’s right through the club at the very, very top, and at the very, very bottom with the young players.

He then continued by giving some insight into his work at Newcastle United so far, and how the role of middleman may affect his work at the club, saying:

“My view with the board here, as I’ve tried to prove since I’ve been here, is to secure the one’s we’ve got, the good’uns that we’ve got as best I can.

“You can’t do it 100% because somewhere along the line one of the players will want to go from here, and he’ll give me the attitude that he has to go and we both know that as professionals that that happens.

“From what I’ve seen on the training ground so far, I’ve not had that from any individual player. So far, so good.

Finally, Pardew concluded by saying:

“And now we’ve got to add to that and make it stronger.

Here’s hoping he suceeds in that!

NUFCBlog Author: workyticket workyticket has written 1086 articles on this blog.

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Comment on this post

48 Responses

  1. See Birmingham have sh!t their pants. First Bentley on rediculous wages and must play clause, now Robbie Keane for £6M. Mugs. :)

  2. DJG says:
    January 14, 2011 at 6:07 pm

    “See Birmingham have sh!t their pants. First Bentley on rediculous wages and must play clause, now Robbie Keane for £6M. Mugs.”

    I quite like the Bluenoses, DJG. Their fans were jolly decent when they were on here the other day.

  4. I can never understand how football works.

    Why should the clubs pay the agents fee when the agent is working on behalf of the player? Shouldn’t it be the players who pay the agent?

  5. I consider other clubs strengthening there squads for the second half of the season as a challenge to ourselves too. Clubs like Birmingham, West Ham, Stoke etc will be investing to safeguard their position in the PL, don’t forget we have to play Brum twice this season.
    I fear a transfer window rife with rumours, going down to the wire, but with no-one of any substance coming in. I hope I’m wrong, because I feel we need reinforcements in certain areas, but we’ll see what happens.

    Agreed Worky, the Brum fans who popped up on here mid-week were canny lads.

  6. Obvious point by Pardew, having to fight somewhat to hang onto players, though it’s good to hear that we have a supposed happy ship and everyone is committed to the cause.

  8. Big Dave says:
    January 14, 2011 at 6:34 pm

    “I think it is a good thing for him to try to give us an insight into the workings of the club, and keep us in the loop.”

    Aye, Dave. But you could also say that when he gives fans an insight into the workings of the club, he also gives the media an insight too. As you know, this isn’t always a good thing, especially at Newcastle United.

  9. Well I suppose someone at the club is keeping us informed. Since Alan Pardew joined the club he’s never stopped giving interviews, left, right and centre !

  10. Why haven’t we tried to sign players like Santa Cruz and Yakubu? Proven premiership goal scorers. Apparently Larsson is going to join Blackburn at the end of the season and Ziani is going to Kayserispor. We’re missing out on so many players because Ashley won’t pay the going rate.

    We’re going to have to do with Jay Boothroyd now. He’s not good enough for the premiership.

  11. I am delighted to see other clubs pay way over the odds for average players and for once we are saying that we won’t be taken for a ride. fair play to us. We have better players and will getthe right ones in at the right time. If a player wants silly money to come then they aren’t the right character for us.

  12. Pardew should learn to keep his mouth shut and not constantly put everything in the public domain.
    If he`s not chastising our young goalie hes putting the clubs business dealings with agents about.
    Be a mensh like Chris. Hughton and keep it in house and stop whineing and get on with the job.

  13. he’s not really put any inside info out there. just kind of speaking in generalities and saying things that people pretty much knew anyway.
    not bothered at all missing out on players like yakubu and santa cruz or players demanding wages beyond what they’re worth.
    shows we’re actually running things smartly.

  14. Hey! owning a football club costs money, if you dont like it, then sell the club.
    Dealing with agents is also part of the job and it aint gonna change.
    You want a mediocre side, refuse to pay for the quality players needed.
    None of this is brain surgery, where that comes in is when you hire the right people to run the club and you won`t find them in a casino or being fired from clubs like West Ham and Southampton.
    And you aint gonna find quality players in the second tier, thats why they are playing there, well maybe if he`s a youngster.
    Then what do I know ?`

  15. pretty sure pardew has said it was his first priority when the window opened to lock up ben afra. done. quality player paid for. i hardly think the names being thrown about by the papers would drastically improve what we have and if the manager/board felt they would, they would have paid for it and got the deals done. they haven’t and personally, i’m not bothered by it.

  16. Chuck says:
    January 14, 2011 at 7:37 pm

    “Pardew should learn to keep his mouth shut and not constantly put everything in the public domain.
    If he`s not chastising our young goalie hes putting the clubs business dealings with agents about.
    Be a mensh like Chris. Hughton and keep it in house and stop whineing and get on with the job.”

    I completely and utterly agree, Chuck. Especially so with Newcastle United. He can also be quite insulting about the players before they have even done anything. For instance how he assumed they would resent him before he’d even met them. Also in this interview where he comments on how he is sure he will be getting trouble from some of the players and their agents trying to angle for a more lucrative move elsewhere in the future. The latter will almost certainly be true at some stage, but there’s no need to say it before anything has happened.

  17. You won’t find quality by paying over the odds for overhyped, has-beens, or never were’s, who are surplus to requirement at other clubs either.
    yakubu, keane, bentley, santa cruz-keep ’em.
    Over paid oldies that you get stuck with. Rash buying is pointless.
    Where the phuck do y’think new great players come from? They just grow in the prem, bollox!
    Kids come through from all manner of clubs, in different leagues, levels, countries.

  18. CLiNT FLiCK says:
    January 14, 2011 at 8:00 pm

    “Where the phuck do y’think new great players come from?”

    All over, but you either find them by putting in the work, spending years trying to develop them and taking the risk that they won’t develop as you hoped they would. Or, on the other hand you take the Man City approach, ie paying a fortune for them when their potential has been fulfilled.

  19. CLiNT;
    Yakubu is 28 years old and has scored 79 goals in 219 games while playing in england. Santa Cruz is 29 and has scored 26 goals in 77 games while playing in england. Both players were available on loan.

    Jay Boothroyd, who we will soon sign, is 28 years old and is basically a journeyman who has failed to impress at Arsenal, Perugia, Coventry and Blackburn.

    We desperately need a quality striker to partner Carroll and the only reason we’re getting Boothroyd is because he was the cheapest option.

  20. Jay Bothroyd has now said on his Twitter that Newcastle is a great club but he is staying at Cardiff.

  21. WORKY found problem should be fixed in 24/48hrs,talk-talk say there is crack in outside line after £££££££ spent on mobile phone :( will have to put up with it breaking up till then

  22. “Pardew should learn to keep his mouth shut and not constantly put everything in the public domain”

    Agree. Also find it strange that Pardew publically rebuked Jose for posting on twitter 4 hours before Spuds match that he wasn’t fit to play (which he probably shouldn’t have done tbh), but sees fit to inform the press that Carroll won’t be fit more than 2 days before one of our biggest games of the season.

    What’s good for the goose….

  23. ToonArmyPaul says:
    January 14, 2011 at 8:26 pm

    “Agree. Also find it strange that Pardew publically rebuked Jose for posting on twitter 4 hours before Spuds match that he wasn’t fit to play (which he probably shouldn’t have done tbh), but sees fit to inform the press that Carroll won’t be fit more than 2 days before one of our biggest games of the season.”

    Oh aye! Forgot about that one, Paul, and didn’t make the connection with the Carroll situation either. Well spotted.

  24. Clint Flik
    You talkin `n me !
    Hey! I dont want those guys either.
    I would take young Seamus Coleman @ Everton, to fill either an attacking right wing back role or right wing, been impressed by him, looks like another Gareth Bale.
    And we do need help up front and in defense, but do I think Pardew is the man to build this side ?
    Listen, he was dumb enough to have both the Argentino`s at West Ham and leave them on the bench, now that takes a lot of beating so you`l excuse me if i show a lack of respect for his abilities.

  25. icedog says:
    January 14, 2011 at 8:24 pm

    “talk-talk”

    talk-talk? Enough said, well, typed, Icedog. Have you had any problems with them before? I’ve never had anything to do with them, but every time I spoke with some who has, they start gannin’ radgie!

  26. Chuck says:
    January 14, 2011 at 8:34 pm

    “but do I think Pardew is the man to build this side ?”

    Have you seen his previous work, Chuck? It certainly isn’t encouraging.

  27. WORKY aye few problems with them e-mails were off for 3wks,been nowt but trouble after they took-over my tiscali account :)

  28. Free giveaways

    God I hope that’s true, when the owner is not putting his hand in his pocket to buy exciting prospects like El Arabi or tarabaat(wrong spelling I know) the last thing you want instead is buying more second raters. We already have a shed load of them: Perch, Smith, Guthrie, Campbell to name 4.

    I still can’t believe Pardew put Tiote on when we chasing the game at 2-0 down. the guy is utterly clueless and should not be here by default as he is

  29. icedog says:
    January 14, 2011 at 8:48 pm

    “been nowt but trouble after they took-over my tiscali account”

    That’s all I’ve ever heard about them, Ice.

  30. WORKY trouble is if you change,the gits want 12 to 2yr contracts,hate being told what i “have” to do

  31. icedog says:
    January 14, 2011 at 9:01 pm

    “WORKY trouble is if you change,the gits want 12 to 2yr contracts,hate being told what i “have” to do”

    Their “customer service” is legendary, apparently. Supposedly the worst in human history by all accounts.

    BTW Ice, have you ever read that James Dalrymple story written about Hughie Gallacher many years ago? I posted it for Micky earlier and I thought that you would like it too, though you’ve probably read it already. One of the best pieces about a Newcastle player that I’ve ever read in a newspaper.

    http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/a-hero-who-died-of-shame-1124187.html

    It brings a tear to the eye.

  32. WORKY kna never read it mate,i knew of it before and is too upsetting to read again,but sure some of the lads had not seen it

  33. icedog says:
    January 14, 2011 at 9:16 pm

    “WORKY kna never read it mate,i knew of it before and is too upsetting to read again”

    It shows that the media haven’t changed a great deal in all this time too, Ice.

  34. chuck, aye mate, i was aiming at you, soz like. I thought you were suggesting who i mentioned.
    I too would love Coleman from everton, that ain’t happening though, is it.
    Good shout though.
    ;)
    worky,
    hope that clears that up. Just happened to post just after you.

  35. I dont see Alan is revealing some great secret in the interview. There is nothing specific, no playersmentioned and he is not telling us anything we and everyone else does not already know. He is just trying to reassure the fans that they are doing the best to keep the players they have and get new ones in but they wont be held to ransom purely because an agent makes more money if his client moves constantly that if he stays in the one place.

    The best thing about our new contract policy and the wages we are paying is that we are less likely to get mobbed by agents trying to sell crappy players at high wages…unlike the old days

  36. Nick D;

    Exactly. Ashley always goes for cheap options like Perch, Guthrie and Best. After we made a profit on Bassong he think’s he’ll do it again with cheap young players.

    If you want extra quality, you have to pay high wages in todays market. I would love to see Bentley and Robbie Keane here, even if it was on 70k a week. They would improve us.

  37. I’ve heard Wright Phillips will go to Fulham now. So that’s Bentley, Keane, Wright Phillips and Ziani we’ve missed out on.

  38. “If you want extra quality, you have to pay high wages in todays market. I would love to see Bentley and Robbie Keane here, even if it was on 70k a week. They would improve us.”

    so by that logic, buying owen and paying his exorbitant wages should have guarranteed us silverware.
    So thats blown your argument out the water then.
    nuff said I think.

    No more overpayed over the hill mercenaries at NUFC please.
    Keep the Faith, but I do wish AP would shut his mouth for a while. Starting to get like JFK I’m sorry to say.
    Hoots had the right idea, say nothing but the bare minimum to the mong press. Plus he just talks utter drivel most the time. must love the sound of his own voice and ONLY his voice. He’ll be sorry in the end.

    Just for the record I dont have any faith that he will lead us to another famous victory over the unwashed on sunday. He’s shown himself to be no better than JFK so far. CLUELESS even. I think we are going to get hammered.
    But he’ll have all his excuses lined up for the press interviews post match.
    GRRRR!!!!

  39. BB,
    some good points mate.
    I mean, keane is the absolute epitome of a journeyman/mercenary, how many clubs?
    :)

    I must say i also loved CH’s approach to the press mongs.
    Treat ’em like mushrooms.
    :)

  40. To be fair Worky I would resent Alan Pardwho coming to manage me at my club even before he set foot in the executive washroom.

    The bloke belongs in the journeymen department of league managers along with Micky Adams, Brian Horton, Phil Brown and that stupid Scots twaat who used to manage the Toon before realising it was financially more rewarding to get sacked and take the compo from Fat Freddy.

  41. “I’ve heard Wright Phillips will go to Fulham now. So that’s Bentley, Keane, Wright Phillips and Ziani we’ve missed out on.”

    Who has actually confirmed that we have made any kind of approach for these players? If anything we have been distancing ourselves from them! Its funny how some people believe newspaper garbage so they can say that we missed on on this target and that target but when papers write that Carroll is set to sign for Spurs it definitely isn’t true because its just newspaper garbage.

    Also I distinctly remember everyone saying that they wanted to hear more from the club, that the club doesnt communicate with the fans enough and now all of a sudden AP communicates too much! Why can’t everyone just support the current set of players/manager rather than constantly moaning and getting on their backs!

    This time last year I would have killed a man to be sitting 8th in the PL!

  42. I played I hope NUFC are watching closely is young Brett Pitman currently top scorer for Bristol City. He used to train with my senior team when he was a kid and is a natural goal scorer. He would probably cost about 2M.

  44. Everyone complains when they hear nothing from the club but now we have Pardew doing regular interviews , he gets criticised.
    Some people are just never satisfied.

  45. Why do we need Pardew to do interviews? Bobby and his super insider will keep us all fully up to date with everything happening before even Pardew knows what is going on.

  46. Hmmm ! appears i`m not the only one unhappy @ the appointment of Pardew.
    Plus the prospect of bringing in a second tier player for five million, by a manager who left the likes of Tevez and his Argentino partner on the bench, while trying to avoid relegation @ West Ham, certainly does`nt inspire one in regards to him being a judge of players.
    Think of the proven talent we could get for 5m.
    The guy has always had a lot to say as i recall, mostly placing blame elsewhere.
    Dont recall any mea culpa`s from him on the Stevenage fiasco, oh! right, forgot, the lads were tired that day, yeah remember now.
    Perhaps he can get some help from that other footballing genius Llambias.
    I got the feeling this club is in trouble again, just when there was some light at the end of the tunnell.

  47. Chuck – To be fair, it wasn’t due to talent that Pardew left them on the bench. If I recall it was political between West Ham, that Joorabwhatshisface, and Pardew.

  48. chuck says:
    January 15, 2011 at 3:44 pm

    “Hmmm ! appears i`m not the only one unhappy @ the appointment of Pardew.”

    Chuck, I had the horrors the moment he was appointed. Unfortunately for us, he’s a lousy manager, self obsessed, poor tactically, poor in the dressing room and has a marked tendency to put his foot in his mouth at the slightest opportunity. We’ve taken a huge step backwards with his appointment once again.