TRon

Exactly. This is a player who most posters here will say can't perform in centre midfield these days and is more effective floating wider where he doesn't come under so much pressure on the ball. It doesn't seem that much different to Owen who had to drop into the midfield because he'd lost the sharpness needed up front. You can't blame Barton for trying but the club can't just hand out daft contracts through sentimentality. How do we know what he wants is daft? It might be that the pay cut they're offering is daft. If they've even made an offer at all. All we can go on at this stage are the words of McKay, slimy as he is. Those words are that NUFC have opted against offering Barton a new contract, despite the manager frequently singing his praises and claiming in March that he believed he was easily good for ages yet at this level. Well the manager is hardly going to say in public that Barton will be shot to pieces by 2012 is he? The fact is everyone is drawing their own conclusions whether it's Barton asking for a 4 year deal or Llambias being a speccy cunt.

Exactly. This is a player who most posters here will say can't perform in centre midfield these days and is more effective floating wider where he doesn't come under so much pressure on the ball. It doesn't seem that much different to Owen who had to drop into the midfield because he'd lost the sharpness needed up front. You can't blame Barton for trying but the club can't just hand out daft contracts through sentimentality.

He may get a club in the current top 11 though. If he does good luck to him.

f***ing Llambias man. Dunno why any player or agent would want to deal with this c*** If it's Willie McKay I'm glad it's that c*** Llambias dealing with the c***. I know its hard for you to look past Willie but we are going to lose one of our better players & more than likely for non footballing reasons. Barton's one of the players I'd prefer to keep but not at any price.

Fucking Llambias man. Dunno why any player or agent would want to deal with this cunt If it's Willie McKay I'm glad it's that cunt Llambias dealing with the cunt.

I agree. FWIW I think the fact that the club has stood firm will increase the chances of both Nolan and Barton staying. Neither are likely to play for a club of this stature if they move and if Nolan realises that there isn't going to be any leverage via Barton's deal being tied in to his own, there's more likely to be a compromise. I am not sure what the stature of Newcastle United is these days. We have a good stadium and large support but it takes more than that to produce a top club. as we all know. So far we have lost Carroll and Enrique and Barton look like they could soon follow. And I have no faith in the FCB and Partridge to replace our better players, if they do go, with replacements who are at least as good if not better. We lost Carroll and will probably lose Enrique because they are good enough to attract attention from the top clubs. Now we might not be able to compete with Liverpool for players but the sort of clubs which will be interested in Barton and Nolan will be a step down IMO.

I agree. FWIW I think the fact that the club has stood firm will increase the chances of both Nolan and Barton staying. Neither are likely to play for a club of this stature if they move and if Nolan realises that there isn't going to be any leverage via Barton's deal being tied in to his own, there's more likely to be a compromise.

At least he's on the radar, so all this talk that he has to leave Newcastle to get international football looks off the mark.

I don't think Taylor's agent actually said his client was going to sit out his contract and leave.

Of those 5 only 2 are players that are really top drawer though. What matters is whether they are replaced with as good or better.

That's how I see it as well. Barton has struggled when playing in the centre he gets caught on the ball a lot. Out wide he's done well, especially when Carroll was here but not so much since. I doubt we'd lose much if Larsson replaced him. Similar game and very good delivery to the strikers. Although we could really be ambitious and go for someone who is a bit quicker as well.

He'll only leave for the right club and on the right terms. I recall he played hardball when we signed him and we ended up paying his loyalty bonus to overcome the stalemate he had with City.

I doubt Joey is that great on the camp spirit side. He wasn't even part of it for most of the season we won promotion. In any case a player who is willing to move clubs to get the right deal isn't going to be one to instil team spirit at his current club. Neither's one that'll take anything like a bitch... You know for a fact that he's being offered a bad deal? You know for a fact he isn't? Just pointing your last sentence was untrue and essentially nonsensical. Essentially this is about Barton wanting the best deal possible v the club paying what they think he is worth. Barton might get a better offer somewhere else but I'd be surprised if it's a top side. Of those clubs mentioned, Villa is the only feasible one IMO but I don't think they will be in either. If he does leave it will be interesting to see where he ends up.

As if Liverpool would be interested.

I doubt Joey is that great on the camp spirit side. He wasn't even part of it for most of the season we won promotion. In any case a player who is willing to move clubs to get the right deal isn't going to be one to instil team spirit at his current club. Neither's one that'll take anything like a bitch... You know for a fact that he's being offered a bad deal?

I doubt Joey is that great on the camp spirit side. He wasn't even part of it for most of the season we won promotion. In any case a player who is willing to move clubs to get the right deal isn't going to be one to instil team spirit at his current club.

The club has taken the right decision, unpopular though it may be.

Sounds good in theory. The reality is it probably won't happen. In which case Bothroyd and Best doesn't have quite the same ring to it.

I'm in the currently not arsed group until I see a title change claiming he's been in cash converters in town or something, then I may watch his compilations and knock a batch out Same here. I'm not interested in any compilation videos until there's news that he wants to be here.

Like I said, Nolan's got two years left on his contract, and as far as I'm aware has been offered a new one. It might be that both Barton and Nolan feel they can get a better deal elsewhere in which case it's understandable if they don't sign new contracts and just sit out their current ones. I don't have any problem with that.

I can only see this happening if Gameiro has his heart set on coming here like Ben Arfa. This has obviously been made public by his club to start a bidding war. I would imagine other clubs will pitch in as well.

I'll wait and see if we buy a genuine quality forward before I decide if it's good or bad. I can't really see Bothroyd wanting to join a club as back up.

Nolan's been offered a new deal even though there's still two years left on his contract. Good captain or not I don't think we can hand out lucrative long term contracts to a player who has clearly physically declined since his Bolton days. We have one or two players who we need to hold onto because the best clubs will be in for them - they are that good. Neither Nolan or Bartoon fit into that category for me. I'd prefer to keep Barton especially but we might be better just letting them play out their contracts and looking at it again when they are done.

3-0 up at home inside the second half then to concede 3 goals two of them after tactical substitutions doesn't look good. If he's being paid according to the position he achieves then he pretty much shot himself in the foot. Paying Kuqi for doing fuck all while losing £3m in a nano-second isn't going to help his cause either.

I'm a bit concerned that Barton and Nolan seem to be using each other as bargaining chips to get favourable new deals. Being last off the pitch is great but it doesn't count for much on it. Joey went missing second half yesterday for me. I wouldn't give him a new contract if he's trying to tie his mate in as a condition.