Woe for Ireland, temptation for Barton and Pardew wants a big Dong

April 28th, 2011 | 21 Comments |

No doubt you’ve all heard that Stephen Ireland is crocked for the rest of the season with an ankle injury. That, and the fact that he’s only made two substitute appearances for Newcastle, might mean he’s crocked as far as his future at our club is concerned too.

Alternatively, if Pardew is still keen on Ireland and thinks his spate of injuries is only temporary, it might allow the club to offer a fee somewhat under the player’s market value to take him off Villa’s hands.

In my post yesterday I said that I expected Joey Barton to sign a new contract for Newcastle this summer. However, since then – and in a move simply designed to make me look daft – Kenny Dalglish is apparently mulling over the idea of making a £5m bid for Barton. So now I’m not so sure about Barton’s Toon future. I’d like to think he’d sign for us out of some sense of loyalty, but Liverpool might be a tempting proposition for the player. (more…)