sempuki

I agree with Invicta Toon... Nurse!!!!!

Not an A-Team but would do me - any chance of it happening? Wes Brown Gareth Bale Giles Barnes Pierre Boya Darren Bent I doubt we'll get Bent so that idea gets kyboshed - maybe Beattie (though hopefully not) though!

Predictable and disappointing although in the circumstances we have to be realistic. Roll on the transfer window.

We haven't lost (yet). Bit harsh it must be said.

Roeder cool on Carew talk By Alex Livie - Created on 26 Dec 2006 Newcastle boss Glenn Roeder has poured cold water on reports linking him with a January move for Lyon striker John Carew. Roeder is set to bolster his strikeforce in the January window, having lost Michael Owen and Shola Ameobi to long-term injuries. Obafemi Martins has proved his quality in recent weeks, but Roeder is eager to take some of the attacking pressure off the shoulders of the Nigerian and reports suggested he was planning a raid on the French champions for Carew. Roeder has revealed that he is close friends with Lyon chief Gerard Houllier and he has never spoken to the Frenchman about his forward. "One of my best friends in football management is Gerard Houllier at Lyon and if I was interested in signing John Carew, he would have been the first one I would have talked to," stated Roeder. "Well, I have not talked to Gerard because I am not interested in Carew."

It's a shame Edgar has to make his debut away at Bolton where he is going to get bombarded but Huntington has done well so far and hopefully he will too.

Good luck- we're going to need it today.

Pav makes ghost of it By DAVE KIDD December 26, 2006 PAVEL SRNICEK is ready to make his first Newcastle start for almost a decade as the Geordies enjoy a blast from a ghost of Christmas past. The popular Czech keeper, a star of Toon’s cavalier Kevin Keegan era, is likely to replace Shay Given for today’s trip to Bolton. Irishman Given was forced off with a groin injury in the 88th minute of Saturday’s 3-1 victory over Tottenham. Steven Taylor, one of three young locals in the Newcastle defence, was a St James’ Park ball-boy the last time Srnicek started for the Magpies in 1997. Srnicek, 38, has been back on Tyneside since August. But boss Glenn Roeder is set to give him a start at the Reebok with Steve Harper a long-term injury victim and Dutch youngster Tim Krul only just recovered from a knee op. Srnicek will join a buoyant Newcastle side, beaten only by Chelsea in their last 12 games. And Taylor insists they are showing glimpses of the entertaining football that thrilled the Geordies during Keegan’s reign. Taylor, 20, said: “Pav coming on against Spurs was a special moment. The fans gave him a great reception and it was fully deserved. “To come back after so long and play for us is amazing. He’s brought that extra bit of spirit into the dressing room as well. “He was here in the Keegan days and he’s back for us now. “During Pav’s last spell here I was a ball-boy and that was unbelievable. I’m not saying we have returned to the era of ‘The Entertainers’ but we’re playing some great football. Taylor insists Newcastle will no longer be bullied by Bolton — like they were during a 2-1 home defeat in October. He said: “Bolton will see a different Newcastle. We’re ruthless at the moment. “Ruthless isn’t a word you would always associate with Newcastle teams but our football is now doing our talking. “We know how difficult it was when we were near the bottom and new players were coming in and we had injuries. “When you see people slagging you off on telly and saying you’re going to get relegated, the best thing is to prove them wrong with performances and we’ve certainly shut a few people up.” Toon chief Roeder insists he has no qualms about playing Srnicek. He said: “Pav has not been round the block once but several times. “He picked it up very quickly against Spurs, showed no nerves and used the ball well. He’s got the experience that will give our young players confidence.” [email protected]

There might be the possibility that he could be offered to Southampton in exchange for Bale - the Burley connection and all that.

Krul to cover for Given By Alex Livie - Created on 24 Dec 2006 Newcastle have recalled Tim Krul from his Christmas break in Holland after Shay Given aggravated a groin problem against Tottenham on Saturday. Given, who has returned in fine form following an operation to rectify a perforated bowel, limped out of the win over Spurs in the dying moments. He was replaced by the man he succeeded on Tyneside some nine years ago, Pavel Srnicek, with the veteran Czech receiving a hero's welcome at St James' Park. Given is a severe doubt for the Boxing Day visit to Bolton, with the developments forcing Roeder to put an emergency call in to Holland. Krul is feeling his way back to fitness following a knee operation, but he could well be asked to spend Boxing Day on the bench at The Reebok. "We have managed to keep it quiet for a few weeks that Shay has had a slight groin problem," said Roeder. "It is unbelievable that he could go five seasons without any problems whatsoever and suddenly at Upton Park earlier in the season, he had an injury that is never seen on a football field, it is only ever seen in car crashes. "We got him back from that, and now he has picked up a groin injury that does not rule him out of the game on Boxing Day yet. "We will be recalling Tim Krul. He was on a flight to Amsterdam at 4pm this afternoon, and he will probably now only get a chance to have breakfast with his parents tomorrow before getting on a plane back to Newcastle."

If the story is true (it is from the Geordie Beano however) I'd be pleased if the 2 offers were for the 2 young lads mentioned yesterday - Bale and Barnes - 2 up and coming players with loads of potential. I'd much prefer it if he left the riskier signings - i.e. foreigners to loan deals.

Some recent news on Cavenaghi - seems to have lost his way a bit but is still young enough: Spartak Moscow have agreed to release Argentine forward Fernando Cavenaghi in the off season, the Russian Premier League club said on Wednesday. "There are several players the club has decided to axe. One of them is Cavenaghi," Spartak general director Sergei Shavlo was quoted as saying by the Russian media. "He is still a young player and has a bright future, therefore we don't want to make life difficult for him as well as the team." The 23-year-old striker has struggled to settle in Russia since joining Spartak from River Plate on a five-year, $11.5 million contract in July 2004. Cavenaghi has scored just nine goals in all competitions for Spartak in 2006 after hitting seven the previous year. The Argentine said last week that he wanted to leave Russia for Italy or Spain. In their final match of the year, Spartak beat Sporting 3-1 in the Champions League on Tuesday to finish third in Group B behind Bayern Munich and Inter Milan and secure a spot in the UEFA Cup.

Ollie will not play in black & white again Dec 24 2006 By The Sunday Sun Glenn Roeder has all but confirmed that Olivier Bernard will never play for Newcastle again. The French left-back is nursing a hip injury after failing to make a single first-team appearance since rejoining United in August. Bernard now requires an operation which will sideline him for the rest of the season. And with him only being on a one-year contract, the 27-year-old is set to be on his way again next summer. "He has an ongoing hip injury that is not going to go away," Newcastle boss Roeder said of Bernard. "That will at some stage in the near future need surgery which would take him out for the rest of the season." Bernard is on an estimated £4000-a-week, meaning he stands to pick up just over £200,000 for a year of inactivity at St James's Park.

Glenn orders a double! Dec 24 2006 By Neil Farrington, The Sunday Sun Newcastle boss Glenn Roeder has made approaches for two players ahead of the January transfer window. And while he waits to see if his moves for the duo - believed to be a left-back and a striker - are success- ful, Roeder is considering also turning to loan deals in a bid to cover the remaining gaps in his squad. "We've got a couple of permanent signings on the horizon," Roeder told the Sunday Sun. "We haven't got any feedback yet from those involved, but we're hopeful." But as well as those two planned cash buys, Roeder admitted he may use the loan market again - despite Giuseppe Rossi's struggle to make an impact during his temporary spell at St James's Park. The latest striker to be linked in Europe with a move to Tyneside is Spartak Moscow's Argentine star Fernando Cavenaghi.

Sounds like both Ramage and Huntington did well too.

3 goals scored and a good defence. Can't believe I'm typing about us TBH.

We've got to carry on this form for the Bolton and Everton away games. I'm not hopeful at all about New Year's Day although we're on form and stand a chance in our next 2 games.

Quasi for the Scousers.

Defoe injured in the warm up and out of the game. Replaced by Murphy.

Same as the Chelsea game.

Zat Knight has fractured his jaw so looks unlikely to be coming here.

We would have had Wycombe too! Typical!

COLEMAN IN SHOCK MOVE FOR BRAMBLE Exclusive By John Cross FULHAM boss Chris Coleman has lined up a shock cut-price swoop for Newcastle's blunder defender Titus Bramble. Bramble, 25, renowned for his defensive mistakes, is out of contract at the end of the season and Fulham have set up a £500,000 deal in the January transfer window. The former Ipswich defender could walk away from Newcastle on a Bosman-style free transfer at the end of the season and that has alerted Fulham. Coleman believes he can mould Bramble into a top quality centre-half and, as a former defender himself, is hopeful he can bring out his potential. Bramble has been injured but Fulham are hoping to bring him in January and the Suffolkborn defender would also welcome a move south. Coleman is hoping to get busy in January with a move for Everton's Simon Davies and he is also hoping to get Chelsea midfielder Lassana Diarra on loan until the end of the season. Newcastle boss Glenn Roeder has, in turn, confirmed he would love to snap up Chelsea's Shaun Wright-Phillips on loan.

Obviously our weakest position is RM!? Newcastle set to make loan bid for Chelsea star By Jason Mellor and Simon Rushworth Published: 23 December 2006 Newcastle United are ready to offer Shaun Wright-Phillips an escape route from Chelsea. Their manager, Glenn Roeder, has indicated his desire to take the England midfielder on loan for the rest of the season when the transfer window opens next month. Wright-Phillips is largely surplus to requirements at Stamford Bridge, and has made just 13 Premiership starts for the champions since his £21m move from Manchester City 18 months ago. Roeder, who faces competition from his City counterpart, Stuart Pearce, for the 25-year-old, said: "If Shaun is available for loan then we'd have to be interested. "Why he's been unable to force his way into the team at Chelsea I don't know. I wouldn't even try to reason why that's not happened, you'd have to ask Jose Mourinho," he added. Roeder has a long-held admiration for Wright-Phillips, whose arrival would add further congestion to an already well-stocked area of the Newcastle squad. He continued: "He's a highly talented player and without doubt he was Manchester City's best player when he was there. I think he's a huge talent. There's no reason for our fans to panic, we've got targets and we'll be dealing with those over the next 10 days and in the early part of January." It has long been a criticism of Newcastle United's colourful chairman, Freddy Shepherd, that his judgement is all too often clouded by an irrational passion for his home-town football club. Yet, at a time when his own future is far from secure with talk of a takeover sparking heated debate within the pubs of Tyneside, Shepherd is not about to perform the volte-face necessary to persuade the doubters he is suitably distant from grass-roots emotion. "I'm Fred the fan first, chairman second," said a bullish Shepherd as he prepared for this afternoon's visit of Tottenham Hotspur and, in the shape of the London club's chairman Daniel Levy, a business-like board member far removed from Newcastle's brash figurehead. "I first started watching Newcastle as a kid on the Gallowgate End and I'll continue watching until the day I die. "It's my club - and I mean that not as a chairman - but in the way every fan says it's his club. A lot of chairmen are passing through clubs but let me make one thing crystal clear. That's not me. I could never do what Ken Bates or Peter Ridsdale did and join another club's board if I ever left Newcastle. No chance whatsoever. It's in my blood. You can get rid of the wife or the bank manager, but a Geordie can never get rid of Newcastle." Maybe so. However, immediately after Newcastle's tame home defeat against Sheffield United at the beginning of November, the question on the lips of a sizeable minority of disaffected Magpies' supporters was just how to get rid of Shepherd. An impressive run of just two defeats - both against the Premiership champions, Chelsea, in the space of a week - in 11 games since that watershed display against the Blades has proved sufficiently encouraging to silence the agitators. Shepherd is now painting a typically optimistic picture of unity and stability as he prepares to support Roeder with the funds to strengthen a Newcastle squad undermined by injuries throughout a troubled 2006. "Considering the injuries we've had, Glenn has done a fantastic job," he added. "In fact, I doubt even Sir Alex Ferguson could have done a better one in the circumstances. You can only go to war with what you've got."

Eastwood won't be coming here. Roeder released him when he was at West Ham and Eastwood completely slagged him off in an article a few months ago.