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Enrique clarifies controversial “I aspire to more” comments.

Posted on February 18th, 2011 | 54 Comments |

Enrique: Comments taken "out of context"
Enrique: Comments taken "out of context"
Newcastle United left back, Jose Enrique comments in a Spanish publication caused something of a storm in a teacup yesterday, when his comments in Spanish were translated to imply that he may be seeking a move to a bigger club in order to play in the Champion’s League.

The comments were translated as:

“It is flattering that Liverpool are interested.

“I’ve also heard that Manchester United and Aston Villa have asked about me.

Perhaps the most controversial part of the (mis)translated interview was quoted as:

“They are both big teams and I’m not closing the door on anyone. I’m ambitious and want to play in the Champions League.

“I want to win things. I’m OK at Newcastle but I aspire to more.”

However the player has come out in an interview on the club’s official website to say that the comments were taken completely out of context. Enrique explained:

“I had a good chat with a Spanish journalist about how things were going this season. I told him we’re having a good season and how I’ve been enjoying the games, playing well and focussing on the good year I am having at the club. We are ambitious and, like all the players here, we want to play at the highest level we can.

“Newcastle is a great club with some excellent players and I hope we can kick on and continue to progress.

“From this interview, two or three lines have now appeared in the English papers, and because they are totally out of context with the rest of the interview, I am very disappointed at being portrayed in this manner.”

However the defender concluded by qualifying that he wanted to ensure that Newcastle United have ensured Premiership survival before discussing a new contract at the club, saying:

“The position with my contract has always been clear and both myself and the manager have talked about it openly.

“I would like to ensure that we have secured Premier League status for next season before we discuss a new deal. It is natural for me, as it is for every player, to want to play at the top level.”

If the team were relegated again, which of course would take a very bad run of games from this point, there would almost certainly be several of the top Newcastle United players seeking an exit from the club, as thay did last time. Enrique however did stay with us through that season, though of course, a series of excellent performances since that time have put him more firmly in the sights of other clubs in the Premiership and elsewhere.

NUFCBlog Author: workyticket workyticket has written 1083 articles on this blog.

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54 Responses

  3. Thanks Hugh de Payen. This is good news. I think he’ll stay if we don’t go down and make a few signings.

  4. Look regardless of what El Toro said, does anyone believe that professional footballers have any real loyalty to the clubs they play for ?
    Yeah some of course have a familiarity and if paid well are content to stay, others are ambitious and want a bit of glory and silverware.
    But the main reason players change clubs is for the dosh.
    Hey it`s a short career at big bucks, they have to optimise their earnings, just like any other career.
    Question is for us, which direction will Ashley take, offer a decent extension to those who`s contracts are coming to an end or sell.
    The difference is between a possible top six or a side facing a fight to avoid the drop.

  6. Put yourself in the shoes of a 25 year old Spanish full back who, although well paid at the moment, knows that his next five years are likely to be his most productive ,in terms of income, before a gradual decline sets in.

    There are some who would appear to suggest that because he plays for us he has no right to improve his lot in life and we’re already starting to see, based upon a few spurious web headlines, the narrow minded nature of some fans who immmediately jump into knee jerk mode and slag poor Jose off because he has the temerity to suggest he needs to consider his career options.

    If NUFC are ambitious then we’ll keep Jose, if not he’ll go.

  7. are you there?? Mick G
    now i have your attention,
    perhaps you should believe some things people tell you, before saying things you did earlier, some of the others on here are not much better after saying how good his comment back to me was, and now he is being made to look like a total pr1ck who’s having the last laugh now idiot!!
    just goes to show the class of the people on this site i’ll go back to the decent blog
    shame i used to like it here.

  9. There now, lost in translation. That’s ok then. Jose, if your sincere, learn from this and trust us fans. If you go we’ll understand if you go to Real Madrid or Barcelona. But, you must understand that we value you more than the likes of liverpool ever will.

  11. Paul (7)
    Totally agree with your upset, but why leave the best blog because of a couple of tw4ts. Just don,t bite back mate .They,re not worth the ink.

  12. I think we all know that the prospects for this team are the best we have known in years.But only if we keep it! and do some fine tuning.Lose some of better players and we will be back to major surgery.Ambition must be shown from the top I’m sure the team has it and the fans have always had it.This summer will be crucial.
    Anyone else think we are playing better without AC as target man?

  13. Well Nutmag the Lads have scored 13 goals in the 9 games since AC last played. With 7 different players scoring.
    So I’m not complaining.

  14. Anyone who has read any of my copy on here will tell you that I have been championing NO more Charismatic No 9s @ Newcastle United. They only lead to one dimensional strategy, hence we have not won anything of note for such a long time. We certainly should be looking for midfielders as well as strikers that are not shot shy, thus spreading the load across the whole team instead of putting too much ptessure on the likes of Ranger who, I think will score loads when the weight is off him.

  16. Nutmag,
    some of us were starting to think about our possible 1D approach with ‘you know who’ as target.
    We tend to keep the ball on the floor more now, which i, for one, prefer.

    Aye,
    Paul, divn’t despair mate, you’ll get people that overreact from time to time, watta off a ducks back, ‘n all that man.
    ;)

  17. Nutmag at 12 has summed it up in a nutshell. Mike Ashley, over to you: Keep our top players, buy a few more, and you will have a really strong team of committed lads who love playing for this great club and who are ambitious to win things. And if you show this kind of commitment Mike, and build a really strong team and club, you can recoup all that you have invested and more. Do otherwise and you will all too easily undo the outstanding grit and spirit that has infected this team and find yourself gripping a greasy pole that slides down to the Championship.

  18. Porcie – except we have had some great charismatic midfielders too who scored lots of goals, and yet we still have won nowt. So sorry but I dont agree.
    Goal scorers are always going to make the headlines. Just so happens that here at NUFC we have a tradition that goes back decades of great number 9’s who have scored many goals AND won trophies etc. Just not recently.
    But we live in hope and should IMO keep that tradition going.
    AC could have been the next legend here, but HE blew it. Not the club and not us the fans.
    I do think tho that the 9 shirt should be earned and not just given to the next striker thru the door. (Martins)

  21. Not that I care too much but the Liverpool side that played last night was worse than us in our darkest days.
    Hope Judas gets the service he thinks he’s going to get
    Sorry sorry I promise never to mention him again honest!!

  22. Yes :D
    Thats why I struggled to understand AC leaving so easily. As HE of all people KNOWS what it means, being a local lads (ex)Tosser! Grrr
    But I’m nearly over it now :lol:

  23. CLiNT FLiCK says:
    February 18, 2011 at 8:58 pm

    “We tend to keep the ball on the floor more now, which i, for one, prefer.”

    I’m not so sure about that one, Clint.

    Back on the Enrique thing though. It doesn’t seem to be as mistranslated as Enrique suggests, and he mentions stuff about promise not kept, a shallow squad which will buckle with a few injuries, he’s working hard so that he may arouse the interest of the “red ones” some day (Liverpool and Manchester) but I think he says that he wants to be good enough to be an automatic choice in those teams? He wants to get into the Spanish team as well.

  24. workyticket workyticket says:
    February 18, 2011 at 8:56 pm

    Hugh de Payen says:
    February 18, 2011 at 5:53 pm

    “My mistake, that’s the extract. here’s the original: http://www.marca.com/2011/02/17/futbol/futbol_internacional/premier_league/1297928544”

    Do you know Spanish, Hugh? Some bits of that are very interesting.

    ====

    Spanish isn’t my best language and I know little beyond holiday phrases, so I have to rely on things like Google Translate, which are less than ideal.

  25. Nutmag, AC will regret what he has done for the rest of his life IMO. There’s no going back either.
    His loss.

  26. you trying to stir up the hornets nest again worky???
    I thought we nearly had the cork back in the bottle on that now.

  28. BB, I suggest you look at that Spanish original and make your own mind up. If you can get a better translation than Google it would help though!

  29. Beardsley Boots He that I said I would’nt mention may not regret it “Where theres no sense there is no feeling” and we know with him the lights on but nobodys in.

  30. Just…Back on the Enrique thing though. It doesn’t seem to be as mistranslated as Enrique suggests.

    and..he’s working hard so that he may arouse the interest of the “red ones” some day (Liverpool and Manchester)

    Thought perhaps you were implying his statement on .co.uk was BS :?:
    just me soz.

    Fuggin hate red.

    Nah cant speak spanish. struggle with English sometimes.
    :lol:

  31. Didn’t really want to comment on AC, but he wasn’t a 1D player and the long ball game wasn’t his fault. I feel it may have been some of CH’s tactical ideas that promulgated it.

    Irrelevent now though, still can’t see how LPool are so well off they can buy all of these pricey players and be eyeing up more, a dodgy rags to riches event, even with the Torres windfall. They only just avoided administration!!

  32. Beardsleys Boots says:
    February 18, 2011 at 9:34 pm

    “Thought perhaps you were implying his statement on .co.uk was BS”

    BB, I used the word “mistranslated”, but I should have used the “out of context” as Enrique did.

    They are selectively edited for certain, but I wouldn’t say that they were completely out of context. While he is happy at the club currently, there are certain things at Newcastle United that he isn’t completely happy about, referring to “promises not completed”, and a squad that has little depth when injuries come. He’s an ambitious player who wants to play in the Champion’s League and for Spain, and he would probably jump at the chance to join the kind of team that would take him there. I don’t think that’s distorting what he’s saying in the interview, but I think it’s understandable. He’s a professional footballer.

  33. Grumpy Old-Toon says:
    February 18, 2011 at 9:35 pm

    “I feel it may have been some of CH’s tactical ideas that promulgated it.”

    What are Chris Hughton’s tactical ideas, Grumpy?

  34. Worky, don’t really know, :)
    But the long ball or upfield lump may have figured somewhere. I suspect that every manager with a big CF can be prone to that sort of mistake some of the time.

    ie Zigic and the Scots manager (just forgotten his name, duhh)

  35. I think the long ball over the top tactic has its place in a match, and often leads to a goal, all teams make use of it at times. Even manure etc.
    But when its your sole plan of attack ala fat sham, its pathetic and sole destroying, for players and supporters.

    Hoots did use it at times, but when we humped Aston Vile (spit) 6-0 we never used it once.
    Perhaps its just when we,ve been under the cosh that we use it more out of desperation. Dunno.

  36. I’m more bothered about the tactic often used by our central defenders to allow opo strikers to have free headers in the pen box from set pieces.
    Twice against Brum, zigic over the bar and some other clown straight into Harps. A better team would have scored those, which is a tad worrying.

  37. worky,
    i certainly wasn’t implying that all our football was lovely, sweetness & light like.
    But there does seem to be less ‘hopeful’ balls into the box though.
    & love him or hate him, PL does like to attack the front post, as he showed in the week to good effect. Something totally lacking in our arsenal before now.
    I just think the team are having to rethink their attacking approach atm.
    Which is just in time as we were getting found out.

  38. BB,
    aye on the defense thing mate, although with a 7′ CF, it’s what you’d expect from brum.
    Bit difficult for shorter defenders to get at him without resorting to stuff that gives pens away.

  41. BB,
    good job he’s not that accurate like.
    :)

    Bolton should be an even tougher test, although brum are no pushover at home normally.
    Early goal was key though & forced some desperation down their throats.

  42. are yous worried aboot Sturidge like. The twat’s scored 4 times now for bolton i think :evil:

  44. I think that this is nothing morethan a top senior players coming out to tryr to force shi@thead to spend the carroll cash as we all know (the players included) that cashely will not spend it at all and will instead spend about 3-5 million on several dross players. The players have obviously got together to put out stories and pretty much veiled threats sayign that if fatty dont come fodd on his word then they will all leave. i think everyone although love nufc, have had enough of the fat man and his constant crap and excuses fro not being able to spend a single penny on any players. It looks like everyone has had enough. its a good thing the lads are doing imo. i dont think any want to actually go, i just think that they will if ashley dont man up, step up to the plate and for once in his life do what he promised. if he dont i am sure they will all go. if barton and enrquie go we will soon crumble like pack of cards as the rest fo the team will be so naffed off at our woners lack of commitment to nufc.. they will all think… ‘whats the point’. this is very much in ashleys hands now. for me, i think he iwll spend nothing and that our players will leave. itswhat he has done in eevery window since he has been at ourclub. he always sells with ease but buying always complians its too hard and players are over priced.

  45. Dross players like Tiote? MA is wise not to spend money like many other clubs. But he’s going to have to invest the money in the side he already has as much as we need new faces. We need a quality striker, but the midfield is well stocked. Another solid LB to push enrique is of course something that’s been discussed on here for ages. Fortunately, enrique’s usually fit.

  46. Tiote was little gem but yes, dross players is normally what you get when you pay peanuts. Its a general rule of thumb in life that what you pay for is what you get, like tiote though, once in a while, someone comes along who is a hidden rough diamond. Its no good just looking at it like that though and if you think ashleys blueprint is good then you are mistaken. his blueprint has put us into the CCC and drags us through the mud every week without fail. The players want to play for a club that is AT LEAST trying to do its level best to progress as a team on the pitch. Ashley is trying to progress as a business first and foremost. i would argue that cant be done as both must go hand in hand, they need to grow together at an even pace. With Aslhey its all take take take without any re-investment on the pitch. I want the bloke to make money out of us cos he deserves that right. But sooner rather than later his lop sided blueprint will fall over again as we cant keep on letting best players go without investing in other quality players.In order for him to keep on earning cash out of us we need to stay in the premiership, simple as. I dont expect much but even 25 million of that carroll 35 would be a miricle and everyone knows it.
    TRIPP – you say ashley is wise not to spend money like other clubs. lets just clarify that – ashley has spent zero money on players since the day he has been at newcastle – zero. He is actually nearly 40 million up now. There is a word you will find common in every sucessful business, its called – REINVESTMENT!! Ashley needs to do a bit of it this summer and i hope he does.. but expect he will not.

  47. We can predict the ‘ unpredictable ‘ again this summer. We may spread the cash and sign 4-5 decentt players or may pay the peanut and get some monkeys. Anything is possible from us, nothing can surprise me except 1 thing ‘ Ashley sell NUFC to some Billionaire ‘

  49. Welcome back Paul.
    We are all guilty of spouting crap at some time on here and not all our views and opinions are the same.
    Thats what makes it interesting.
    Divvnt take it personally mate and spite yourself by not coming back. Just gloss over it.
    You did nowt wrong fella.
    :lol:

  50. I agree with what you said Worky however I believe that “the red ones” refers to the Spanish national team. I used online translator to look at that interview and can come up with two senarios 1 is that he feels we are going nowhere and wants to make a move to further his career or 2 he is giving Ashley a warning that if he doesn’t invest and show ambition that he will have to look elsewhere similar to Barton etc… scenarios. Hopefully it is senario 2 as he is a very important team member.

  51. Craig, reinvestment and spending foolishly (like LFC and Chelsea, for example) are two completely different things. I’m simply stating that we can find quality players without spending loads of cash. We’re probably going to have to spend more on what we’ve got, which is what I was suggusting. That’s reinvestment. Bringing in 15M pound players is more speculative and NUFC have a terrible record on that front. Ashley apparently is running the club like a business, which is something that you English aren’t used to doing, not in the modern age anyways. The only top four team that’s actually profitable is Arsenal, and their supporters are constantly moaning about the lack of investment. Of course, in that situation, it’s Wenger that gets their ire, not the board. Same story, different verse.

  52. It`s true that in the interview, Enrique mentions both Liverpool and Man. U.and strangely enough Aston Villa as clubs interested in his services.
    Though as we know both Pool & United wear red, the red he mentions is that of the Spanish National side “La Rioja” and not Los Rioja`s
    And yes he admits to ambition and the fact we have a small squad, and in a sense the ambitions of the club hardly a secret.
    Would we want a player with no ambition?
    Well guess we can forget any offer from Man U., it`s rumored Evra is about to sign a new three year contract, as for L`Pool, doubt it, perhaps Milan may make an offer though.
    It`s also appears we are willing to sell for around twelve million.
    A five million plus profit, hey buy cheap sell high, fits with the retailers business plan.
    Glad we have a ready made replacement ?
    This could be the “summer of our discontent” with great changes both in and out and result in a side un-recognizable from the present side.
    We live in interesting times.

  53. One rumor i liked was that we intend to bring in Kranjcar, a player i greatly admire, very versatile, can play across
    the midfield, can score, a playmaker, doubt if he would be cheap, but still young and IMO quality.