danswan

http://www.journallive.co.uk/nufc/newcastle-united-news/2007/12/14/damien-closes-in-on-return-61634-20248127/

Damien closes in on return

Dec 14 2007 by Luke Edwards, The Journal

 

DAMIEN Duff made a scoring return to action for Newcastle in a behind-closed-doors friendly yesterday but neither he nor Brazilian defender Claudio Caçapa will play at Fulham tomorrow.

Damien Duff

 

United manager Sam Allardyce was delighted to see the pair come through the game against a Hartlepool United XI unscathed, but he will not take a chance on either of them as the Magpies look to rediscover their winning touch on the road against a Fulham side with one of the worst home records in the Premier League.

 

Duff will not even travel to the capital so that he can work on his fitness on Tyneside, while Caçapa will only be considered for a spot on the bench as Allardyce looks ahead to a gruelling Festive fixture list.

 

The game will come a week or two too early for Damien because he is well short of match practice, said Allardyce, who warned the Magpies that Fulham are a far better team than their lowly league position would suggest.

 

He came through the game well and scored, but were not going to take any silly risks. He is just really happy to be out on the pitch again and the light at the end of

 

the tunnel is a really big one for him now. Im sure hes very relieved and we are looking forward to having a fit and firing Damien Duff available for selection.

 

I dont know when that will be. He needs another couple of behind-closed-doors games before he can be considered for the first team and the problem is the reserve league shuts down for Christmas. Were desperately trying to get some games for him.

 

Caçapa will be in the squad which travels to London this afternoon, but the Brazilian will not come straight back into the team, even though his manager is adamant the blunders in his last game the 4-1 home defeat to Portsmouth on November 3 are long forgotten.

 

He said: That game is so far gone, it has gone down the River Tyne, into the sea and its on its way to bloody France now. We will not be talking about that again.

 

Caçapa looked good and he will be back in the squad on Saturday. But I cant see him starting the game, hes still a little rusty and hes short on match practice.

 

Like Duffer, he needs a bit longer yet, but it will be great to be able to use them at some point over the busy Christmas period because the squad is going to be stretched.

 

Allardyce hopes to add to his squad in January, but while he would like to sign Manchester United centre-back Wes Brown, he said: I dont know if Wes Brown will be allowed to leave Manchester United in January, Im not convinced he will, so for the moment, we are having to look at targets elsewhere.

 

Fulham have won just two games at home in the league all season and are only kept out of the relegation zone by their superior goal difference to Sunderland. Newcastle, meanwhile, have won just once on the road so far under Allardyce and the Newcastle boss knows something has to give tomorrow.

 

He said: I think Fulham are a better team than their league position suggests. They have been in the lead a lot this season and drawn games they should have won and lost games they should have drawn. They have conceded a lot of late goals, but they are close to being a top-half-of-the-table side in my opinion. They are a bit like us because we could be in a higher position than we are for the same reason. Weve been talking about the need to be better at the back all season, in fact were sick of talking about it.

 

Its time to go out there and do it on the pitch.

 

I think Sam needs a geography lesson.

I personally believe he should have stayed in charge longer, and any problems we were having, he would have fixed.

 

And even if he didn't fix them, he wouldn't have massively exacerbated them as our scottish friend did.

 

I agree that Robson had pretty much reached the end of the line, I don't think sacking him was necessarily a mistake, although the timing and the manner of it lacked class. As others have said, it was the choice for his successor that was the big mistake

When i get more info I'll pass it on.

 

I think anybody would be jizzed up if SBR walked into your building.

 

Indeed. To the Max!

I can remember watching a particularly long unbeaten (in fact 100%) run ending at St James's Park with a 0 - 1 score against Grimsby.

 

Not sure of the year but, I was standing in the Milburn Paddock at the time at the Gallowgate end of the Milburn stand, I think the Gallowgate was being developed at the time.

 

It was the promotion season of 92-93 - we had just come off an 11 game winning run, finishing with the win at Joker Park the previous week...ironically, it was AT Grimsby, in May the following year, that we clinched promotion with a 2-0 win ; Andy Cole got the first, just after half-time and Ned Kelly clinched it on around 85 mins - one of the best nights supporting NUFC I've ever had ; was lucky enough to get into the Directors' Box at Blundell Park, we were all going berserk when Ned scored. KK had a bucket of water chucked over him by Ned afterwards - always wondered if that was why he let Ned go to Wolves after the season ended(just joking !).

 

Aye what a night that was. Cleethorpes was like little newcastle that evening. The following night I shook David Kelly's hand in the bogs of the Shahenshah in Whitley. Funny that the hygene implications of that have only just registered :-[

Bloody hell I'm sure half of the fuckers on this board are waiting for him to die!!

evary other post about Bobby is "thought you were going to say he was dead" or

"he looks really bad now dreading the day he die's"

I think for what he's been through he looks a picture of health..

 

Stop bieng so negative!!

 

Settle down man, thats the last thing everybody wants.  I was just passing on info.

 

 

Well what with your lass being an NUFC ambassador and all, I suppose it would be easy for her to swing this

    Tho i dont recall me ever saying wor lass was ambassador, @i'm sure i said she stands more of a chance than me or thee.

 

Well why didn't you put that he was in your lasses building in the title??

Bobby Robson is in...................... Take you pick.

 

Isn't it obvious? He can't say too much

Well what with your lass being an NUFC ambassador and all, I suppose it would be easy for her to swing this

    Tho i dont recall me ever saying wor lass was ambassador, @i'm sure i said she stands more of a chance than me or thee.

 

Oh ok. I get it. 

 

 

 

There's only a select few know about it.

No he is in wor lasses building having a meeting, talking about cancer and wanting to raise awareness and money.  He asked to come in himself.

 

Wor lass said he didn't look over well 

 

Well what with your lass being an NUFC ambassador and all, I suppose it would be easy for her to swing this

 

 

When Di Canio asked why he cared so much about the result of a friendly, Capello shot back with a barrage of expletives and added: "Your face looks like a penis." Di Canio never played for Milan again.

 

that quote is wrong. di canio said "im not going to hang around here and look at your ugly penis face anymore" to capello.

 

I read that Capello said Di Canio was an ugly Cunt and his face looked like a Penis.

as good a manager as england could get.

 

however i still think fifa should change the managerial qualification requirements to be the same as the players. (ie a national of the country concerned)

Would stiffle development imo in the 'lesser' nations. It's funny though - before Keegan resigned, I don't think a foreigner had ever been really considered for the England job.

 

I think post-Keegan was the time that it really hit home what a lack of decent English managers we had/have. Whether that is due to clubs bringing in foreign managers because it became 'fashionable' to do so, or because the english managers really are that shite is the point for debate.

 

IMO it's a bit of both.

I agree with both Wullie and indi.

Capello will take no shit from the players. I can't wait until one one of ours tries to have a word with him, and he retorts that they are an ugly cunt and their face looks like a penis (what he said to Di Canio when he was whinging on about being subbed).

Aye, I did add him. We had that Gudjohnson too didn't we? The shit one?

I'm a lot more confident about people who have played in Scandinavia settling well in this country. Dunno why like (Tommason... Pingel....Andersson.. sure there's a few more)

Flashy cunt

Aye, surely by the summer the ship will have sailed.

 

Sailed?

 

It will be lying next to the Titanic.

 

 

 

A submarine then?

I 'd like to see O'Neill get it,and despite statements to the contrary,i think he'd take it.

 

The guy has a clause in his contract that he can leave if England come knocking (allegedly). You dont have a clause like that and then say 'no' when they ask.

Speak for yourself

NUFC could do some with him in an ambassador role or something.

 

I said the same thing to wor lass on Sunday night.

 

What has your lass done to deserve an ambassadorial role at the toon gimpy?

What's wrong with this one?

I may now be able to afford to push my kids through the turnstiles, wait outside for 2 hours and collect them afterwards.

 

9 December 2007

HOTLINE SPECIAL - Sam Allardyce

BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE

 

Under-PRESSURE Newcastle manager Sam Allardyce wants to strengthen his midfield with a £10million swoop for Werder Bremen's Brazilian star Diego, 22, when the transfer window opens at the beginning of next month.

 

Taken from the bastion of truth - The Sunday People.

 

Heard the name, don't recall seeing him play. Any good?

Best player i saw in England was Glenn Hoddle.

Best i saw for Newcastle was Peter Beardsley.

Best overseas was Zidane.

 

In no particular order

 

Zidane

Hoddle

Beardo

 

:thumbsup:

 

 

And...I was always a massive fan of Batistuta.

 

Not one mention of Batistuta?