| News - August 2007 |
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| If you buy them, they will come... August 31st
 Final update...In As we expected... Abdoulaye Faye has SIGNED from Bolton. Although there is no confirmation, the player is expected to join for around $4 million. Habib Beye, the Marseille right-back has alsoSIGNED for around $5.4 million. Out Nobby Solano has signed for West Ham on a free transfer (see above) and Paul Huntington surprinsingly joined Leeds for an undisclosed fee... Sensible Soccer August 31st
This game is tape delayed on Fox Soccer Channel (US) and Live on Fox Soccer Channel (Canada)So we’ve played three games so far this season, and although we remain unbeaten, with the exception of our first half against Bolton, we’ve been a little sensible and lethargic. We are lacking that cutting edge – surprisingly in midfield, that could have seen us take maximum points to date. Given our rubbish starts to the season in recent years, we aren’t doing too badly, and a victory against Wigan tomorrow would have us at won 2, drawn 2, lost 0 – which many of us would have taken prior to the Bolton game. Victory in mid-week against Barnsley allowed us to not only break our scoring duck at home, but also give Given, Solano, Capaca, Enrique, Emre, Owen and Ameobi the chance to stretch their legs and show what they can offer the first team – and with the exception of our Turk who was a little dazed and confused, they impressed. Our opposition Wigan were one of the favorites to go down this season but have made a decent start – despite having our friend Titus at the back. How will he take the pressure on his return? Sibieriski has also been scoring goals for fun and will no doubt look forward to making young Taylor’s life difficult. That said, we need to be beating teams like Wigan, especially at home and if Big Sam gets his tactics right and either adapts – or scraps the 4-3-3 he’s determined on playing, then we have enough quality in the squad to comprehensively beat Wigan. Although the same could be said for Villa and Boro… ToonArmyUSA Prediction: NUFC 1-0 WAFC (so far we are 0 for 3!) Possible Line-up: Given, Faye, Rozenthal, Taylor, Enrique, Geremi, N’Zogbia, Milner, Martins, Viduka, Owen Right back where we started August 30th
News from the club today announced that Peter Ramage
has had an operation on his knee, similar to the one Owen had in the
summer of 2006, and our versatile defender is expected to miss 6 to 7
months of action. Not great news for the player who was expected to
have a "make or break" season...Meanwhile Stephen Carr is expected to miss 6 weeks with an injury picked up in the same game. Again, just like last season, this leaves us with no out and out right-backs and should Solano leave before tomorrow then we'll be in real trouble. To ease our minds a little, rumors of Habib Beye the Marseille defender being a potential target have surfaced again (the player was linked heavily all summer) while some eagle-eye fans at the game last night spotted Bolton defender Faye in and around the ground. Toon Cruise into Next Round August 29th
 Final score from St. James Park:Newcastle 2 (Owen 57, Martins 87) - Barnsley 0 We scored our first goals at home since FEBRUARY of this year to seal a rather easy victory against Barnsley in the Carling Cup. Goals from Michael Owen (his first since December 05 - for Newcastle anyway), and Martins were the difference between the sides although Newcastle dominated for much of the game. The injuries sustained by Carr and Ramage against Boro (some would say a stroke of luck), meant Nobby Solano had to fill in at right-back while new boys Capaca and Enrique made their first competitive start for the Toon. We also welcomed back Given and Emre from injury while Ameobi also started for the first time. So ahead of the Wigan game Big Sam has a selection problem with Owen, Ameobi, Emre and Given all knocking on the first-team door and let's hope the competition for places hots up even further by some new signings before the deadline closes on Friday. Look at what we could have won... August 27th
Final score from the Riverside Stadium:Middlesbrough 2 (Mido 28, Arca 80) - Newcastle 2 (N'Zogbia 22, Viduka 77) The Smoggies (and SkyTV) love to call this game the "Tyne/Tees Derby" - so for what it's worth we'll go along with them - although we all really know the fun stuff starts on November 10th. So we we started with the same 11 that took the field against Villa last weekend, with that odd 4-3-3 shape that BS loves (allegedly); Harper, Carr, Rozehnal, Taylor, N'Zogbia, Smith, Butt, Geremi, Martins, Viduka& Milner. Quite frankly we can't quite get away with this odd formation at ToonArmyUSA (it always looks imbalanced and odd to us) It does seem that they need a bigger supply of match tball's on Teeside - that's for sure. The start of the game mysteriously delayed 2 - 3 minutes for the want of a game ball, with crowd, players, officials and a worldwide live audience looking on. (only on Teeside folks) Either way - when we did eventually get going Newcastle struggled to take the game to Boro' with chances and creative play few and far between (ED: "er, what do you expect with Smith and Butt in the middle?") The slow start was slowed even more as Carr limped off (like the gimp he is) inside the first ten minutes. Another long-term injury sees Carr sidelined for "6 - 8 weeks" with a hamstring injury. Not that he'll be missed. (ED: "Dear Mr Ashley: Can we have another right-back?..this one is knackered - again"). Anything that we did create was always going to come down the left flank with Jimmy Milner and Charlie N'Zogbia showing slightly more invention than than the rest of the team. So it wasn't any great surprise to see the ball break to Zoggy on the left hand side, then see him side-step a couple of challenges and lash a curling/dipping strike into the top-left corner of Mark Schwarzer's net. (Cue delighted celebrations from the 2,300 traveling Geordies). A great goal in a "derby" for sure. The joy lasted precisely six minutes when Rochemback was given way too much time by the Toon midfield and he lofted a pass up to Mido - for the fat Eyptian to easily out-muscle Taylor and steer the ball around Harper into the net. Mido was booked for milking his goal too much in front of the Toon faithful. This put Newcastle on the back foot for the rest of the half and we limped down the tunnel devoid of ideas and in the need of a strong cup of tea. When we started the 2nd half, Big Sam did away with the odd 4-3-3 formation and pulled Milner back into a regular 4-4-2. However, things got worse before they got better with Ramage falling awkwardly after a Mido challenge. Early reports are suggesting an "Owen type knee injury" for the hapless Ashington youngster. (ED: "Nee luck young-un") Taylor then filled in at right back with Brazilian, Cacapa moving alongside Rozehal in central defence. When Owen came on with about 20 minutes left for the lifeless Martins (who apparently went striaght down the tunnel - heading to more transfer speculation this week?) he was almost played in on goal by a speculative long ball. However, he didn't react quickly enough and the chance was gone. It wasn't earth shattering stuff from Newcastle by any means but when Geremi swung a cross into Viduka on 77 minutes, the big Aussie flicked it around Woodgate, out-maneuvered him and fired a low shot into the corner. No celebration from 'Dooks' but game on. This is, however, the Toon - so how long could this 2-1 lead last? Answer: 3 minutes. Poor defending around the box gave ex-mackem Julio Arca the chance to find the corner of the net - easily beating Harper. Jeezus. As the game drew to a close Cacapa showed a few nice touches and also a good turn of pace to out-sprint the Boro sub inside the last five minutes. FT: 2-2 So - points dropped, or a point gained? Glass half full, or half empty. We'll let you decide. I think we'd all have taken 5 points from the first 3 games and an unbeaten run going into two very winnable home games this week (Barnsley in the League Cup and Wigan in the Premiership). Boro in for haunting? August 25th
This game is live on Setanta. To get Setanta for as little as $15 a month, click here.The lads will be looking to make it a rare two away wins in a row tomorrow when they face Middlesbrough in the "Tyne-Tees" derby (although let's be honest, it's a derby for them, not for us). We'll be looking for a lot more creativity than what we saw against Aston Villa on Saturday, and the return of Emre and Owen will hopefully give us this. Viduka and Geremi return to their old club and hopefully will be able to give Big Sam some insider information. and haunt their old colleagues. New Spanish left-back Jose Enrique will make his debut against Barnsley on Wednesday rather than tomorrow, while Given, Babayaro, Duff and Barton are all still missing through injury. Boro meanwhile are about to lose arguably their best player if rumors of Yakubu's transfer to Everton are true, while ex-magpie Woodgate is injured. New signing Mido from Spurs is expected to play. Boro haven't got off to a great start of the season and we if Newcastle play with the same commitment against Villa BUT are more lively infront of goal, we could leave with all three points. ToonArmyUSA Prediction: Boro 0 - 2 Newcastle - Enter Your Prediction! Possible line-up: Harper, Carr, Rozenthal, Taylor, N'Zogbia, Geremi, Butt, Milner, Smith, Viduka, Martins Get those Predictions In! August 25th
 Prediction
Corner is back up and running for the new season and we've ironed out
the kinks we encountered after the first couple of games. It's not too
late to join the fun and start winning great prizes. For more
information on how to join the game, visit the Prediction Corner page, or view the latest standings.Adios Luque! August 25th
Dutch
side Ajax has confirmed they have signed our Spanish forward Albert
Luque for a "disclosed fee" on a three year contract. The "disclosed
fee" part was probably to cover up the fact there was no fee as
Newcastle were desperate to get rid of a player who cost over $22
million when he joined from Deportivo La Coruna in August 2005.Despite impressing in every pre-season, including this one, Luque never made a serious impact on the first team, scoring only twice in competitive games - away to Palermo and away to the Mackems. At one point over the summer it looked like Luque would be Big Sam's first project as our manager is well known for resurrecting careers but he was obviously a lost cause as our squad gets even thinner and the transfer window closes at the end of next week. 8 Days to Go August 22nd
8
days to go until the transfer window shuts until January and Newcastle
are still looking to conclude a couple of deals - in both ways.Incoming, the Faye deal which looked a certainty last week is apparently off due to Newcastle and Bolton not being able to agree a fee, while yet another Barcelona player - right back Belletti is being rumored to give Carr some much needed competition. Outgoing, Nobby Solano is doing the rounds down south to find a new team although it's believed neither Portsmouth or Watford can afford his wages. Finally, Albert Luque continues to look for ANYONE who will take him for nowt. Prediction corner is back up again. I guess we missed a comma out or something....We will have the latest tables with you before the Boro game. We Don't Know What We're Doing! August 19th
Big
thank you to all of our Prediction Corner players this season. We've
got 116 players so far and expect that number to increase in the next
few weeks. Good luck to all; we will be announcing prizes shortly.Due to our inability to manage anything technical, we are having issues with the way the scoring is being calculated so we're waiting on our tech whizz to come in and sort out the gremlins. We will publish the tables soon - hopefully before the Boro game. Meanwhile, keep the Predictions coming in, they are being entered into out database. If you haven't signed up yet, you can do so here. Howay the lads! All Commitment - No Creativity August 19th
Final score from St. James Park:Newcastle United 0 - Aston Villa 0 Newcastle demonstrated their commitment yesterday by putting in another solid performance but unlike the Bolton performance a week ago, we lacked creativity and ended up producing very few scoring chances - despite playing a 4-3-3 formation. Again we looked solid at the back although we had goalkeeper Steve Harper to thank for saving a point-blank header from Villa defender Martin Laursen in the early exchanges. Meanwhile at the other end it was one of our defenders - David Rozenthal who came closest to breaking the deadlock when his volley was well saved by Scott Carson. In the second half, Big Sam tried to spice things up by sending on Michael Owen but the player was clearly nowhere near full fitness and by replacing Martins, we lost our pace and creativity up front - as Viduka was merely a spectator and Smith was forced to help his midfield out for long periods. Petrov almost snatched a winner for Villa at the death but again Harper was equal to it. At the other end, Carson had absolutely nothing to do as we failed to create even a glimmer of an opening. So not quite the performance that deserved the boos by sections of the home crowd as we did play well and matched a very good looking Villa side but we lacked the killer touch as our goalless streak at home rolls on... Two on the Trot? August 17th
Newcastle welcome Aston Villa to
St. James Park tomorrow as the toon look to make it two victories in a
row - and pick up our first three points at home since February.After the fantastic performance against Bolton, many of us might be thinking this game is in the bag, after all, Villa aren't great on the road and have already lost this season to Liverpool. However, we support Newcastle United where nothing is what it should be, and Big Sam has warned that we need to put in another high-level performance should we want to see off Martin O'Neill's side. Our record against Villa in the last few seasons hasn't been great, although we did beat them 3-1 at SJP last season, somewhat unconvicenly if memory serves. No new injuries to report with Given, Babayaro, Emre, Barton and Duff all missing through injury but Owen is fit again after playing two friendlies in mid-week and Brazilian defender Cacapa is also in contention to make his competitive debut. ToonArmyUSA Prediction: Newcastle 2 - Aston Villa 1 - Enter Your Prediction! Possible line-up: Harper, Carr, Rozenthal, Taylor, N'Zogbia, Milner, Smith, Geremi, Butt, Viduka, Martins 8 Years and no love? August 16th
Kieron Dyer's
transfer saga was finally over today as it was confirmed that London
side West Ham had signed him for somewhere between $12 and $16 million
on a four year deal. The transfer looked dead a couple of weeks ago
when Newcastle pulled the plug in the 11th hour - requesting more money
and it appears our demands were met, when West Ham raised their bid.We think it's fair to say most Newcastle fans aren't fond of Kieron - seeing him as a playboy character whom despite his millions, spent much of his time at Newcastle on the injury table. Then there was the infamous incident with team mate Lee Bowyer, which ended up with both players serving lengthy bans. Kieron will then no doubt be pleased that Bowyer is one of the former Newcastle players currently at West Ham, along with Scott Parker and Craig Bellamy. There is no doubt that on his day, Kieron could rip defenses apart - sadly he very rarely had his day. Meanwhile, there are no further developments on the Solano situation, with Big Sam expressing his desire to keep our popular Peruvian, while Bolton defender Abdoulaye Faye is reportedly close to signing for his former boss, although Big Sam says the deal is still somewhat distant from being completed. Finally, Championship (league below ours) side Barnsley will be our opponents in the Second Round of the League Cup. No doubt it's a good draw for us but we all remember last time a Championship side were at St. James Park.... Christmas Carroll August 14th
News from club today that forward Andy Carroll
has joined Preston North End on a 6-month loan. Our promising striker
played a few times last season - and pre-season but has seen new
signings Viduka and Smith, and fit again Ameobi and Owen claim their
places ahead of him.It's a logical move by the club and one that could benefit a number of our younger players, especially those struggling to break into the first team (a la Pattinson, Huntington, Troisi, etc.) Meanwhile both Michael Owen and Shola Ameobi played in a friendly last night - the latter netting twice. Owen played an hour of the match and told reporters afterwards he felt fine.....just in time for the next England game! Finally, no new transfer news to report. Size matters! August 12th
Final score from the Reebok Stadium:Bolton 1 (Anelka 50) - Newcastle United 3 (N'Zogbia 11, Martins 21, 27) The game billed as Big Sam vs. Little Sam ended up being determined by size as our new gaffer steamrolled his old side in our first game of the season. From the first whistle to half time, our lot passed the ball with confidence and looked like a completely different side to the one that we had seen last season. With new signings Viduka, Smith and Rozenthal all involved, Newcastle produced the early pressure and there was little surprise we took the lead when an N'Zogbia free-kick eluded everyone and ended up nestling into the left-hand side of the goal. Past-Newcastle would have then got numbers behind the ball and tried to defend the lead for 80 minutes - as we did last season, (albeit unsuccessfully), but this Newcastle side just kept on pressing and were rewarded by a second goal when a Milner cross was fantastically converted by an overhead-kick from Martins. Cue frantic celebrations in bars across the US - but wait, by the time many people had just got back to their seats following numerous replays of Martins first goal, he had a second when a long-range drive took a deflection, wrong footing the Bolton goalkeeper and ending up trickling into the back of the goal. 3 goals up, away from home before half an hour? We found it hard to believe. Bolton's only chance in the first half was cleared off our line with a combination of Smith and Taylor but that just typified what we were about yesterday, Smith throwing himself horizontally across the goal to block Speed's goal-bound effort. We were grafting hard. The second half was always going to be an usual one, not many times we find ourselves 3-0 up, and a few nerves settled in when Anelka outpaced Carr to pull one back. Although the expected onslaught never came, and one good save from Harper combined with, wait for it......SOLID defending, helped us pass out the second half incident free. So a fantastic start from our lot with the type of gritty performance which if consistent, will almost certainly see the club finish in a European position. We must remember it's early days but let's enjoy yesterday's result and make sure we build on it next week. Seven Up, Up and Away... August 11th
 Get
in there Enrique, you little bugger! Not exactly what Big Sam would
have said, but I bet he was thinking it. The promising left back is the
seventh of BS’s summer signings, and like the six before him, he
comes with a pedigree and expectations to make a bit of a name for
himself in the black and white.The quality of BS’s signings speak for themselves, don’t they? Where Sounness saw the cure to Newcastle’s defensive ailments in Boumsong, a creaking Craig Moore, and renewed confidence in Bramble, Allardyce has opted for Capaca, Geremi, and Rosenthal. Where one plugged holes in the dam with his fingers, the other simply built a new dam. Now hinny, you’d think with all the rosy news on Tyneside we’d all be as positive as Albert Einstein in a relativity contest, but, well, that wouldn’t be Toon fans would it. Despite the influx of players, the exodus of dross, and the undeniable change in attitude and professionalism at the club, there are still those who see the (brown ale) glass as half empty. For instance, there’s been that much chatter about Michael Owen’s injury you’d think Osama Bin Laden had been spotted doon the Three Bulls Heeds having a game o’ darts and supping halves of stout. If the poor lad’s injured (and who can really fault the boy, it’s not like he’s bringing this on himself, unlike other United *stars* we’ve seen down the years), not to worry; we’re covered with Martins, Smith, Viduka, and Ameobi. Dear me, you’d think we’d only George “Rambo” Riley in reserve. The aim is to have a healthy Owen for a long stretch of the season; not to get our Y-fronts in a knot cos he misses the first couple of games. Mind you, if there’s any cause for caution this year, it shouldn’t be because of what we have on the playing field. Mr. Ashley’s takeover has brought with it positive changes at the club. However, with any takeover there comes great risk. Football is a business (Geordie Rowell is surprised it’s taken this long for an outsider to buy the club, given the size of our gates and unquestionable fan loyalty… a testament to the grip of Fred Shepard, no doubt), and most clubs now operate within these confines. Is there enough market-share for all clubs to be profitable? For every club that has been taken over and run successfully, there are two (at least) that have failed. Primarily, it comes down to the motives of the individual. What type of owner will Mike Ashley be? Will BS have to go through the press each time he needs money for a new player? As wor lass often says when I ask for my monthly leg-over, we’ll just have to wait and see. It is Allardyce who has been the undoubted agent of change at the club. He’s made astute signings (not his own money, of course), instituted a new, more up-to-date approach to training and playing, and as importantly, he’s been quick to clear the rot and dead weight from the dressing room (though not entirely, but see if Steve Carr doesn’t handle himself better this year under BS). Now how often have we been able to say that with a new season approaching? There’s nowt wrong with healthy skepticism. But if you cannot get yourself excited for this season then Geordie Rowell recomends a long hard look in the mirror. Why are you really supporting the team? This is not to say there’s always going to be entertaining football this term. Most definitely there’ll be some ground out, long ball (direct football as BS often states) football played. Results matter more than performance, substance always over style for the new gaffer. But one look at this still shaping squad has old Rowellster rubbing his old hands like he’s got a 5 to 1 accumulator on the Mackems being relegated and Roy Keane chinning his entire first team before Christmas. There’s promise kids, lots of promise. Now the lads in the shirts (fans and players alike) have to live up to it. Go on son! Geordie Rowell. P.S. As usual, all feedback is greatly appreciated at toonarmystaffer@yahoo.com PPS. It’s good to be back. The final trumpet blow? August 10th
Somewhat surprising news from the usual sources today was that our Peruvian trumpet-playing midfielder Nobby Solano was close to joining West Ham - on a free!The right-sided midfielder - turned right back, was one of out best players last season and throughout his 8 year spell at the club has been one of the few players we can trust to get us out of the numerous sticky situations we find ourselves in. It will be a major loss should he leave, given that Milner is our only other out and out right-sided midfielder and not many players in the Premiership can cross and pass the ball like he does. Meanwhile Spanish mis-fit Albert Luque is being linked with another free transfer move - this time to Spanish side Levante. Luque has improved considerably during pre-season and there is a slight chance that Big Sam can actually turn him into a decent player, but given the previous false starts, the club could look to cut their losses and take him off the wage bill. Neither Solano or Luque are expected to play against Bolton tomorrow. Let the show begin! August 10th
This game is Live in the US and CanadaHere we are again girls and boys the eve of another Premiership season. It's what we've been waiting for all summer ever since a lackluster 1-1 draw with Watford in early May. The rollercoaster that is Newcastle United is about to take off from the station... Geordies and optimism go hand in hand like Paris Hilton and Nicole Ritchy, but ulimately somewhere in the 10 months of football that follow the opening day of the season we are brought back down to reality. And how they did it last year! Injuries galore, humilation against lower league sides in the cups and a manager who couldn't seem to sign anyone. Season 06/07 was instantly forgettable. This though was the summer of change. Not only do we find ourselves with some new faces - faces that aren't at the end or very start of their career either! (take note Mr. Roeder) but we have a new manager who did wonders with his previous Premier League employeers and to top even THAT, we start the season without Freddy Sheppard who has finally been poked from his perch. That's not to say that we aren't still running into the problems we had last year - namely injuries. Tomorrow we will be without Given (not so Lazarus anymore!). Babayaro, Emre, Duff, Barton and Owen (surprise, surprise!). Of the new signings, Rozethal, Viduka and Smith are all expected to play some part - with Enrique and Cacapa not quite ready. Bolton hasn't been a great hunting ground in previous seasons but the optimistic feeling we have senses that fate brought us here on the first day of the season and Big Sam is going to show them what they're missing. ToonArmyUSA Prediction: 2-2 Possible Line-up: Harper, Carr, Rozenthal, Taylor, N'Zogbia, Butt, Geremi, Milner, Ramage, Martins, Smith Don't forget to enter your predictions! Spaniard signs-on August 6th
As
reported last week, Newcastle United have completed the signing of José Enrique
Sánchez Díaz or simply José Enrique. The
Spanish left-back has signed on a five year deal for $12.6 million -
slightly more than what we paid for Alan Smith.Mr Enrique is barely known in the footballing world but has played for the Spainish Under-21 side on several occasions and impressed during his time with Villareal. During an interview today, José Enrique mentioned he first wanted to join Newcastle after playing against us during pre-season last year. The player will wear the number 3 shirt although his level of fitness for the Bolton game is unknown. Meanwhile Serbian defender Ivica Dragutinovic now looks like he is set to stay at current club Seville after agreeing new contract terms with them. This might not be a bad thing though, as he made some odd comments about only wanting to join Newcastle for the "financial opportunity." Player only joining us for the money - who would have thought!! Smith off to great start
August 5th
Full
time from St. James Park:Newcastle United 1 (Smith 59) - Sampdoria 0 Click here for the goal Newcastle claimed victory in their final game of the pre-season this afternoon, beating Italian side Sampdoria 1-0 thanks to new boy Alan Smith. Smith headed home a Geremi corner just before the hour mark and could have scored earlier had he not been flagged for offside. Newcastle started with Viduka and Smith up front - a familiar partnership for Leeds fans, although it was Sampdoria striker Montella who almost got on the score sheet first, a great save from Shay keeping him out. Our new striking duo had a couple of a chances in the first half with Smith looking particularly impressive although at times we looked a little hesitant at the back - N'Zogbia playing in a unfamiliar left-back role. The second half started with Martins and Shola on - and Smith had the ball in the back of the net shortly after, only to be unfairly judged offside. That didn't seem to bother him much though as 10 minutes later he powered home a Geremi corner much to the delight of the SJP crowd. We could have scored more had Martins showed more composure infront of goal - the Nigerian even missing a sitter from about 3 yards out. So unlike Big Sam's prediction that we wouldn't win a pre-season game, we've won 4, drawn 1 and lost 1 - and I think it's fair to say we've won the important ones (against Hartlepool, Celtic, Juventus and Sampdoria). The team looks in good shape ahead of Saturday's match against Bolton. Hopefully by then we'll have a left-back who can immediately come in and start playing, and the lads spend the next week injury-free and gearing themselves up for the big Premiership kick-off. Dyer move off
August 5th
West
Ham manager Alan Curbishley has annouced that Newcastle have pulled the
plug on Kieron Dyer's transfer to the London club.It's reported that Mike Ashley demanded an additional $4 million out of the transfer, leaving Dyer's future unclear. He wasn't involved in todays game against Sampdoria. Newcastle signings are like
buses...
August 4th
You
wait a month for one of them, and then three come along at once.
Yesterday saw the club confirm two new signings with a third (or
possibly fourth) to be announced over the weekend.First of all, Manchester United forward turned midfielder Alan Smith signed for $12 million on a five year contract. Smith who started his career playing alongside recent signing Mark Viduka at Leeds, moved on to Manchester United where he made 61 appearances although a major injury curtailed his final season at club. When he did regain fitness however he was back in contention for Alex Ferguson's team and he even made the England squad. Smith will take the number 17 shirt and is likely to play against Sampdoria tomorrow. Following Smith into Tyneside is Brazilian defender Claudio Roberto da Silva - or Cacapa as he is more commonly known. The former Lyon captain moves on a free in a two year deal with the possibility of a one year extension. The 31 year old brings experience to our back four although the fact he was released by his former club and has been a free agent all summer is a little worrying although at this point, any defender is welcome. Meanwhile Spanish side Villareal are claiming a deal has been agreed for José Enrique Sánchez Díaz aka José Enrique who is a 21 year old left back. Although nothing has been confirmed by Newcastle, the player is believed to be on Tyneside and there is no doubt that left-back is our weakest position. Still in Spain - Ivica Dragutinovic the Sebian defender is reportedly close to joining us for a fee of $5 million. The central defender who can also play at left-back is currently with Seville, although has already spoken to the press about his desire to move to England. However, that deal may depend on the outcome of a bid for Wigan left-back Leighton Baines who is talking to both us and Everton - although it's reported today that he would prefer a move to Everton. So a busy week for Newcastle with Big Sam finally getting in some new faces. With the exception of Smith, I doubt anyone had even heard of our new signings before yesterday but given our situation and Big Sam's ability to find talent everywhere on the globe, we look forward to seeing what these news guys can do for us. Meanwhile the Kieron Dyer transfer to West Ham has taken an interesting twist with Newcastle now requesting a bigger fee for the player believed to be in the region of $16 million. How this plays out we will soon see, but the feeling at ToonArmyUSA is just to let the player move on - regardless of the fee. One in, one out, one in
(Update)
August 2nd
Thursday
Update - Alan Smith and former Lyon captain Claudio Roberto da Silva
(central defender) are on Tyneside concluding their respective deals
and confirmation from the club of signing at least one of them should
be made tomorrow.One in: Post-match comments from Big Sam this evening indicated that the club were close to signing one or two new players and that these deals would be concluded by the end of the week. At the moment, the rumor will has us linked closely with Faye from Bolton (not the same lad we sold to Charlton!), Ivica Dragutinovic a central defender from Seville and Alan Smith from Man Utd. One out: Big Sam also announced that Kieron Dyer was in-talks with West Ham and that a move is likely - again before the end of the week. It's no secret that he's not happy up north... One in: Given our lack of defenders, we let just one goal in tonight, as we went down 1-0 to Hull. The goal was a deflection just before half-time. From our first team squad, only three players were used - Martins, N'Zogbia and Geremi - and all were taken off at some point. Canadians get the big league
August 1st
 From Tuesday's Globe and Mail:A new soccer channel with extensive rights to live English Premier Leaguegames is set to begin operation in Canada in a matter of days. Setanta Sports, an international content provider, will launch a Canadian channel in partnership with Rogers Communications. Roger Hall, chief executive officer of Setanta's international operation,confirmed Monday that the channel will start in "the very short term." Shane O'Rourke, president of Setanta's North American operations, was even more explicit. He said it will be on the air in time for the start of the EPL season on Aug. 11. To subscribe,consumers will pay about $15 a month. Score Media acquired EPL rights last year. It then flipped the package to Setanta but kept the Sunday 11 a.m. (Eastern) game, which often show cases the best matchup of the week. The Score has built additional programming around the Sunday morning telecast, including a Friday evening show that will preview the weekendgames, a Saturday evening recap of the day's games, and a Sunday morning pre-game show. As well, the Score has retained broadband highlights rights and will stream its Sunday morning telecast. The third carrier of EPL games will be Rogers Sportsnet. It has bought a Saturday 10 a.m. game from Setanta, but probably won't get first pick from the 10 a.m. slate of match-ups. It didn't hurt Sportsnet in its bid to acquire one game a week that it is owned by Setanta's partner, Rogers. The bulk of EPL content - a full Saturday schedule, additional telecasts on Sunday and midweek telecasts - will air on Setanta. |