KaKa

Oba's value just went up to £20 million as the Nigerian coach has just excused him from ever having to play for Nigeria again!!! Surely that makes him a more valuable asset with no ANC to worry about and no AWOL scenarios right? June 22, 2007 COMMENT ON THIS STORY NIGERIA boss Berti Vogts says he would not blame Obafemi Martins if he quit international football. The Newcastle striker is recovering from the shock of an assassination attempt this week. Martins, 22, was lucky to escape with his life when his car was sprayed with bullets as he waited at a Lagos petrol station. Ex-Scotland boss Vogts, who lives in his German homeland, said: “Perhaps people will now understand why I do not want to live in Nigeria. “As a European, it is impossible to leave the hotel alone because you’d be sure to be assaulted.” The Nigerian FA provide Vogts with round-the-clock armed guards whenever he visits the country. He admitted: “I understand if Martins wants to stop coming to Nigeria.” http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2002390000-2007280790,00.html

I deleted those exact words from my post before I submitted it. Thought I was getting a bit ahead of myself Hope he can stay fit enough to take over from Distin as one of our first choice centre halves on a permenant basis next season. I have absolutely no doubt whatsoever about his ability to play in the Premiership on a consistent basis. I hope so. Definitely in the mould of Sol Campbell. Hopefully he doesn't get lost in all the new money you are set to get. He should be given a chance or at the very least be the third choice centre back.

What makes you say this?

Overall he did have a better tournament I agree. He is a beast. The next Sol Campbell. Onuoha just killed Anton Ferdinands England career.

Try reading the rest of the page? thats all ican find online,why whats there ? This page man! Edit: The previous page now! right so i've read the rest of the page,several times now....what you getting at ? Think you need an early night pal.

Same.

Sorry I wasn't clear enough. There was a debate going on recently about who would make it into the England first team first. The Spurs guys thought Huddlestone had a better chance than Taylor. Needless to say I found this article quite interesting thats all. If thats the case than Taylor is far better then Huddlestone.. The thing is, Taylor plays in a position that England have more than enough players playing in already, Huddlestone on the other hand have a bigger chance of getting in not because he's a playing in a position that can still be filled. I think the midfield competition is just as tough with the likes of Carrick, Barton, Parker (even though I don't rate him), Jenas (though he hasn't really done much internationally), Gareth Barry etc. Not to mention his two under 21 teammates who he couldn't get in ahead of in Reo-Coker and Noble. If we played a 4-3-3 on the other hand then I would agree that Huddlestone had a much greater chance than Taylor, as I think this formation is far more suited to his abilities.

I'm happy for him and hopefully this should really lift his spirits and give him confidence going into next season. This along with our new coaching setup and some experienced defenders to help guide him and he should be well on his way. How bad did this tournament make Bentley look? Especially given the way the players fought for it at the end. Big mistake not going, Ashley Young looked great too and so now Bentley has extra competition.

Sorry I wasn't clear enough. There was a debate going on recently about who would make it into the England first team first. The Spurs guys thought Huddlestone had a better chance than Taylor. Needless to say I found this article quite interesting thats all.

Sorry but this deserved it's own thread ... Nuff said tbh.

I did It's no coincidence we are buying so many defenders capable of playing centre back too you know! I reckon a 3-5-2 is nailed on, particularly if Owen stays. I will actually be placing a bet on it. - Beye, Hyypia/Rozehnal & Taylor in a back three. - Dyer/Sagna, Barton, Diarra, Emre/Boateng & Baines in a midfield of five. - Owen and Viduka up front. Something along those lines is what I am expecting. Emre and Dyer could be on their way out I would imagine. what have i missed...we've bought a centre mid and a forward and were interested in a centre half and are interested in one maybe 2 more,minmum even to play with 4 at the back. Just my opinion buddy so you just sit back and relax ... when it comes to fruition don't be surprised or alarmed. Just appreciate the wisdom and foresight.

I did It's no coincidence we are buying so many defenders capable of playing centre back too you know! I reckon a 3-5-2 is nailed on, particularly if Owen stays. I will actually be placing a bet on it. - Beye, Hyypia/Rozehnal & Taylor in a back three. - Dyer/Sagna, Barton, Diarra, Emre/Boateng & Baines in a midfield of five. - Owen and Viduka up front. Something along those lines is what I am expecting. Emre and Dyer could be on their way out I would imagine.

Quite agree. If Owen stays I can't help but feel that Martins will go and someone like Rigters will come in. A youngster with potential. This will leave us with about an extra £12 million to play with. We aren't in Europe this year so Martins won't get many opportunities with Owen and Viduka in the first team. £60,000 a week to sit on the bench isn't good business.

Now he's staying? WHEN WILL THE MADNESS END! Re-sign the contract without a clause or we will have this back and forth crap all summer for goodness sake ... Owen sticking with Newcastle George Caulkin Newcastle United are increasingly confident that Michael Owen will remain at the club next season, a development that will provide early validation for the new regime at St James’ Park. While Manchester United and Liverpool harbour an interest in the England striker, other targets are being pursued more vigorously, allowing his present employers to plan for life with their record signing in tow. That news will be welcomed by Sam Allardyce, the manager, as well as by supporters, whose delight at the prospect of Mike Ashley’s £133 million takeover has been tempered by speculation surrounding Owen and Obafemi Martins, his teammate. Both forwards have release clauses in their respective contracts, but it is thought unlikely that Owen’s will be triggered this summer. United’s pursuit of the 27-year-old stretches back to the World Cup finals, when Owen suffered a serious knee injury. Liverpool rivalled Newcastle for his signature in the summer of 2005, but were not prepared to match the £16 million fee accepted by Real Madrid and it is understood that Rafael BenÍtez, the manager at Anfield, is ambivalent towards their former player. Public discussion regarding the existence of a £9 million get-out clause infuriated Freddy Shepherd, the Newcastle chairman, who called upon Owen to commit himself to the club. That declaration has not followed, although Owen has never expressed any desire to leave Tyneside and used a recent column in The Times to confirm that he had enjoyed “a good chat” with Allardyce. Glenn Roeder’s replacement intends to transform the culture at Newcastle into a replica of the system he employed at Bolton Wanderers – where emphasis was placed on psychology, sports science and innovations in diet and fitness – and Owen has been impressed by his vision. In Mark Viduka and Joey Barton, there have already been two quality additions to the squad. Owen’s continued presence would also be a coup for Ashley, the billionaire businessman, who has assumed control at Newcastle. Ashley’s ambitions are high and that task will be assisted by Owen’s marketing potential and talent for scoring goals. Since joining Newcastle two years ago, he has been limited to 13 starts for the club because of injury and has acknowledged that he has yet to provide value for money. Martins could leave for £13 million, £3 million more than Roeder paid Inter Milan ten months ago. Juventus have been linked with the 22-year-old, who scored 17 goals in his first season at Newcastle, and Arsène Wenger’s admiration for the Nigeria forward may be hardened if Thierry Henry leaves Arsenal; Martins this week spoke of his desire to stay on Tyneside. If it is not dismantled, Allardyce’s striking quartet of Owen, Martins, Viduka and Shola Ameobi should be formidable and he has taken steps to bolster the rearguard. Having missed out on Tal Ben Haim, who joined Chelsea on a free transfer, he is expected to sign David Rozehnal, 26, the Paris St-Germain defender, for about £3 million and is also monitoring Sami Hyypia, of Liverpool, and Habib Beye, of Marseilles. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/premiership/newcastle/article1969201.ece

Too young so won't happen.

Tell you what though, we better start wrappign up some more signings because it seems as though Man City are going to come into this thing chasing a lot of players. I doubt Sven would go there unless he knew a lot of money would be made available. I wonder what odds I could get on SWP ending up back 'home' in a return of the prodigal son scenario

Did seem like a top bloke. Looks like he will be quite a funny character too, in a good way.

'British people cannot pronounce my name Shinawatara ... they can call me Sinatra instead' :lol: Does seem like a nice fella.

Anyone watching the Thai dudes interview on Sky Sports? Apparently the guy has a ton of loot and there is a rumour that Sven if hired will go for Owen straight away! Help yourself I say.

Huddlestone has to be in a 4-3-3 to be most effective I think otherwise he will find it hard to get into any team. He needs to have a strong ball winner and a goal scoring midfielder alongside him, which will allow him to be a playmaker, which is his strength. He would indeed develop into something quite extraordinary if he was used this way but I don't think Tottenham will be playing this way (i.e. in a 4-3-3) anytime soon with the strikers they have which is a shame.

Very cute.

I reckon the stripes will be light blue and dark blue (rather than white).

I was especially suspicious when the same info was repeated in the evening chronicle after it had appeared in the independent in the morning. It basically made the claims in the independent legitimate. Not only that, but the chronicle also felt the need to then repeat that Owen was available for £9 million just in case anyone forgot! I am not sweating it at all, provided we move people on in time and get new players in quickly. Defoe and Diouf are easily within reach and if we used the money for Owen and Martins on these two we would probably have an extra £6 million or so left over.

I don't think it is a coincidence this Martins story emerges after the shooting episode. Appears as though we are practically begging other clubs to make offers for bot Martins and Owen. I don't think we need to worry as there are a lot of options that we could go for to replace these two, players who would fit Sams 4-3-3 better. For example both Defoe and Diouf would be healthy replacements and would be more effective alongside Viduka in a front three.

Ashley wants troubleshooter to sort out Newcastle Louise Taylor Thursday June 21, 2007 The Guardian A summer of revolutionary change at Newcastle United will not be restricted to Sam Allardyce's overhaul of his first-team squad and backroom staff. While the club's new manager pursues fresh signings, Mike Ashley, Newcastle's new owner, will shortly appoint a troubleshooter charged with scrutinising all areas of the business. The resulting extensive review will encompass Allardyce's role and its findings are likely to define the scope of the former Bolton Wanderers manager's powers. The future of Freddy Shepherd, who still holds the role of chairman despite selling his shares in the club to Ashley, a sports retail billionaire, will also hinge on the troubleshooter's review. Shepherd, currently recovering from a serious bout of pneumonia, hopes to remain as a salaried chairman and effectively play a chief executive's role. Article continues -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "It will be the sort of thorough, objective, stragetic review that invariably happens when businesses are taken over," explained a source. "It will show how the club operates at every level including team manager and above." Although sources close to Ashley are anxious to dismiss suggestions that the fact that Allardyce was named in the recent Stevens report on the probity of football transfers - Lord Stevens was unhappy about a potential conflict of interest at Bolton involving Allardyce and his son Craig, then an agent - might have placed the Newcastle manager's job security in doubt, it is understood that Quest's findings will also be considered by the troubleshooter. Ashley is said to be "supportive" of Allardyce and enjoyed convivial and productive meetings with him at the training ground, but he did not appoint the manager, so Glenn Roeder's successor, hired by Shepherd literally days before Ashley's surprise takeover, inevitably has much to prove. "There's no great change in mood because of Quest. Mike is supportive of the manager," said a source. "But there is about to be a long, hard look at the way Newcastle is run." This will encompass the role of Kenneth Shepherd, Freddy Shepherd's influential son, who was mentioned by the Stevens report when it highlighted a potential conflict of interest in having relatives work so close together. Although there was no suggestion of wrongdoing by United officials, four of the 17 transfers that Quest refused to clear involved signings made by the club, namely Jean-Alain Boumsong, Albert Luque, Amady Faye and Emre Belozoglu. In fact eight of those 17 deals involved either Newcastle or Allardyce, the latter in his former capacity as Bolton manager and featuring the incoming transfers of Ali Al-Habsi, Tal Ben Haim, Blessing Kaku and Julio Correia. It has not been revealed whether the troubleshooter will be recruited from the ranks of Ashley's existing employees or be an external appointment but no one on Newcastle's payroll, from Allardyce and Shepherd to the tea ladies, can expect to be shielded from intense scrutiny. Meanwhile, Obafemi Martins has said he is happy at Newcastle after his future had been put in doubt when he failed to turn up for the club's final game of the season at Watford claiming injury. "I signed a contract with Newcastle and I am happy at the club, and the way the fans supported me even when I wasn't scoring was great. If I am fully fit, there is no way I will back out from playing any game for Newcastle," he said.