BottledDog

Did we magic up a top 5 quality side (according to at least one person on here) out of thin air? Ashley's not some evil lunatic ffs. If we can get better players for a realistic price, of course we'll invest.

It'll be someone else next. I am absolutely 100% convinced AP is on a bonus for % profit on transfers. I really would love to know where this daft notion came from apart from ridiculous paranoia Here's where it comes from................ AP is pretty much the worst paid manager in the top tier. MA pays all of his key staff bonuses based on performance in every single one of his businesses. It has been widely reported that MA has given AP an 'incentives' based contract - Llambias said so when he was in charge in his programme notes. Given that we know the top 4 is a pipe dream and unrealistic the next best thing is Europa league which we know the club don't want. So what is AP's target? Finish as close to, but not in, the Europa League every year and he'll get what? A sports direct mug? If MA's incentive is to tick the business over in as positive a financial state as humanly possible to attract a buyer at a premium, AP is absolutely vital in that. Which other managers would accept their best players being sold from under them and be completely complicit in it? What is the incentive for AP? Can only be financial. Call that paranoia if you wish. I'll call it reality. It's utter bunkum. We know quite a bit about Pardew and all the staff and players bonus schemes. There is absolutely sod all evidence for what you're suggesting.

And where is that money going after that? Montpellier.

Sadly the fuckers have us by the balls this time by the sound of it. They know we're screwed if Cabaye goes and we don't get a replacement.

Fair enough, you may be right. Fancy doing a positional like for like? http://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/en/tottenham-hotspur/kader/verein_148.html http://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/en/newcastle-united/kader/verein_762.html I'm a married man !!!!

Fair enough, you may be right. Fancy doing a positional like for like? http://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/en/tottenham-hotspur/kader/verein_148.html http://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/en/newcastle-united/kader/verein_762.html

Sorry, just for the craic, can you specify which of the top 5 we have a better first 11 than. a) Arsenal b) Manchester City c) Chelsea d) Liverpool e) Tottenham Hotspur

He doesn't have to say "No comment," he can simply say that he's not willing to talk about players coming or going until contracts are signed. Probably the best answer he could give but there is no way he wouldn't be criticised for it. Does he get criticised for refusing to talk about potential incomings? Can't remember seeing that. I don't want to be disrespectful but, what? You're implying that he'd get grief for saying nothing about outgoings, right? Well he says nothing about incomings and I can't remember him ever getting grief for that. Why would he? This is very 'comparing apples with oranges'. Why? Transfer dealings are a private matter for the club, not the media. In or out. Because rumoured outgoings have a negative effect on the club far more than rumoured incomings. Whether true or not the media and fans want to know about the state of your team and if a players is rumoured to be 'want-away' then as manager you need to answer questions and spell out whatever the situation is. You can't just keep stum and let the story simmer.

He doesn't have to say "No comment," he can simply say that he's not willing to talk about players coming or going until contracts are signed. Probably the best answer he could give but there is no way he wouldn't be criticised for it. Does he get criticised for refusing to talk about potential incomings? Can't remember seeing that. I don't want to be disrespectful but, what? You're implying that he'd get grief for saying nothing about outgoings, right? Well he says nothing about incomings and I can't remember him ever getting grief for that. He'd get a hell of a lot of grief if he did. Especially from the players other clubs and managers I'd imagine.

Cajun is actually spot on here. There's been a lot of times especially this season where the narrative of a post-match press conference has been transfer related. He'll be asked about match incidents of course, but I've seen instances in which a string of questions are posed about keeping a particular player or the transfer policy. It's very rare it digresses to actual tactical discussion or anything deeper and I think he's in a very difficult position because of that. If he states 'no comment' then it's read into, if he says he won't be sold he knows he's making false promises. You have to remember that a lot of journalists use these press conferences to get specific quotes that enhance the narratives they wish to write about. Bingo.

I've not know a Newcastle manager to have to field so many questions about our players leaving since the Carroll nonsense. Whether that be Jose, Barton, Ba, Tiote, Coloccini, Yohan... I don't think it's because Pardew wants to talk about it particularly, it's just the first lazy question every journalist asks when players are doing well, or in the case of Colo, rumours of a juicy story just won't die. He fields so many questions because he's happy to give an answer. Wenger was asked about transfers yesterday and refused to answer, that was the end of it. Yep, there's a simple solution to it. A simple solution? Managers can't be expected to continue to avoid questions about their players. Wenger is no different. Did he refuse to talk about Van Persie etc potentially going at the time. No, of course he didn't.

I agree but isn't it more our willingness to propagate the notion everyone is for sale at the right price and those prices being bandied about continuously . Especially for our better players, I wouldn't mind hearing obertan is available for 3m more often mind . What prices have been bandied about continuously?

I've not know a Newcastle manager to have to field so many questions about our players leaving since the Carroll nonsense. Whether that be Jose, Barton, Ba, Tiote, Coloccini, Yohan... I don't think it's because Pardew wants to talk about it particularly, it's just the first lazy question every journalist asks when players are doing well, or in the case of Colo, rumours of a juicy story just won't die.

What bothers me is the message it gives the player, it's not 'we're going to fight to keep you so don't bother agitating for a move' it's 'well if somebody bids for you...' That's the message you choose to interpret it as though. In reality we have shown we'll fight to keep players, as Cabaye knows all to well. Is fight to keep the player or get the fee we feel he's worth. Slightly different reasoning imo. I can't see much difference. Even the much lauded Martinez quote about Barkley only went as far as saying he wouldn't be off in this window due to the disruption it would cause. He knows full well there is a point where the difference the money would mean to the club outweighs the usefulness of the player, he's just lucky that unlike Cabaye, Barkley is unlikely to be pushing for a move at this stage.

What bothers me is the message it gives the player, it's not 'we're going to fight to keep you so don't bother agitating for a move' it's 'well if somebody bids for you...' That's the message you choose to interpret it as though. In reality we have shown we'll fight to keep players, as Cabaye knows all to well.

He's really not like. Aye, not at all. 'Screaming' that was he? Honestly, I just don't get it. There must be some perverse pleasure to people winding themselves into a froth over the snippets we pick out (this one seeing him seemingly answering a question with a standard straight 'no shit Sherlock' answer). What actual evidence has there been to suggest we have any sort of policy to flog our players at the first hint of a profit? Heck, one could quite easily argue that we have been actually better at keeping the decent ones over the past few seasons than at almost any time over the past few decades.

He's really not like.

Hope Kinnear sticks one on him. Prick.

Sssshhhhhhhh

The home top, really? The closest thing it resembles is some Arab sheikhs night dress, or a pair of your nans 1970's barely closed curtains. Awful. Just awful.

Sounds awesome.

He hasn't been on the bench though, we've had other matchwinners like Obertan and Shola regularly using up those slots. He was on the bench ahead of Obertan last weekend. Thought his body languge was suspect, but time will tell whether he did enough to make that seat his own.

I duno I think people see him for what he is, a player that keeps things simple and can unlock the door, but who disappears way too often Apparently disappears way too often in training too... It's disappointing that we don't see more of him, but equally there has to be some onus on the player himself to give the manager less choice in the matter. How hard do you have to train to sit on the bench? About as hard as he has been doing apparently. Maybe he can stop being so irrepressibly 'but i am le tired' and one day force his way back onto the pitch. Are people saying he doesn't try in training? Or just assumptions on here? I'd imagine Ben Arfa trains pretty hard, still sits on the bench People have made assumptions about his attitude in the past, not to training (as we have no evidence of that, nor do we for Ben Arfa I assume), but from how he's come over in the odd reserve run out. This is the first time to my knowledge that Pardew has actually come out intimating that if he steps it up in training he can get back in the team. Hope he does.