clintdempsey

It probably is as well. After all these years I'm still getting frustrated at being linked to players (in this instance a VERY GOOD player) that we have no intention at all of signing. But it makes sense I guess, us being linked to players from Spain and Portugal when you look at our last transfer window. That said, Meireles would be an immense signing for us, and probably a cult hero aswell...

Meireles would be one of the best and most important signings since Robert and Bellamy for us. Absolutely crucial to have a good DM. And the thing with Meireles is that he's a very good and tidy footballer as well. 2 goals and 2 assists in 12 games in the league so far, and 3 assists in 6 games in the CL. I would be pleased if we just managed to sign him in January.

Meireles would be a great signing. Really, really good DM with a good engine. Terrific passer of the ball and aggressive in a good way. But he'd probably cost >10 million pounds though...

There's a video clip on the way at Skysports.com...should be fun...

Send that one to the club Midds. Its fantastic! It's not mine to send in! Someone (clintdempsey) did it ages ago on an Inter shirt. It turned out the shirt itself was a fake but he changed the blue to white and kept the black stripes and it looks tiptop imo. Still needs to be sent to club to show them what a class shirt looks like imo. Yep, it was me who did it. I can categorically state that I absolutely love the design as well.

That's my fake design!

I also think this is good news. Would be nice to see everyone putting their own agendas to the side and try to support the club as one...

Good article from yesterday's Mirror... A plea to Michael Owen to take Newcastle's contract offer in solidarity with the fans By John Cross 18/12/2008 I really worry about the way my beloved game of football is going. Everybody is feeling the credit crunch this Christmas - apart from, it would seem, millionaire footballers. Michael Owen is likely to turn down Newcastle's offer of a three-year £80,000-a-week contract because it would mean taking a £25,000-a-week pay cut. We in journalism seem to have lost touch a bit too as "Why would he accept a pay-cut?" screamed one clever sub-deck in a newspaper. Er, because everyone else has faced up to the stark reality that this country is in financial meltdown but footballers seem to think that they are the exception to the rule. While the fans that pay hundreds and often thousands of pounds to watch them are being made redundant left, right and centre, footballers believe they should live in their own little bubble, exempt from the financial misery which is hitting the man in the street. They have long since forgotten what it's like to be hard up with their mock Tudor mansions, Baby Bentleys and pink champagne at Christmas parties. I've already been told by my employers that they want to impose a pay-freeze next year to safeguard jobs and I earn a tiny fraction of what Michael Owen gets paid. If Michael Owen signs on the dotted line then he will earn £12m over the next three years. That's not bad for a player who is 29, doesn't play as much as he used to, has lost his England place and is clearly in decline. A good player, certainly. In fact, I'd still have him in an England squad to be our supersub. But he's not the player he was. Owen has been earning millions since he was 18 and scored THAT goal against Argentina in the World Cup. But he's not capable of scoring THAT sort of goal anymore. He's a prolific poacher and his goal at Portsmouth on Sunday proved that. But more than not being the player he once was, Owen and a few other players should face up to the stark reality of real life and realise that football is going to be hit hard by the credit crunch in the next 12 months. I wouldn't mind betting that we see a sharp fall in the money spent in January. OK, you can point to Lasanna Diarra's £20m move to Real Madrid but only a few very big clubs, the crazy clubs like Manchester City and the very top players will be the exception to the rule. The Cristiano Ronaldos of this world can still command big pay rises. Manchester United can still dig deep for players. But you know something's wrong when even Roman Abramovich - himself a massive loser in the credit crunch - has insisted that Chelsea will have to sell before they can buy. That's a world away from last January's £15m move for Nicolas Anelka. Now Big Phil is looking at Wigan's Amr Zaki. A good player, but not exactly a Champions League striker in my book. And they'll only be able to bid for Zaki if they sell someone first. That's quite some change around. Even the Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy, who normally performs football's answer to Supermarket Sweep in the transfer window, told his club's AGM that they would have to be spendthrift in January - much to the annoyance of their wheeler and dealer manager Harry Redknapp. The point is that almost all of football is feeling the pinch even though footballers seem to be oblivious to the troubles of the outside world. The next TV deal could even go down and that is extremely bad news for clubs who have mortgaged themselves to the hilt on the promise of a never ending gravy train of cash. You only had to look at the crowd at Middlesbrough against Arsenal and big empty gaps to know that the Premier League cannot take things for granted. West Ham are a prime example of a club which is close to financial meltdown and will stage a January fire sale. There will be quite a few with reduced for quick sale tags on them, although their mega wages begs the question as to who will buy them and will the players take a pay cut to join other clubs? Not likely. Which brings us back to Michael Owen. I would love him to sign a new deal and stay at Newcastle. Not least because I love Newcastle. I love their fans, the crazy soap opera that is St James's Park and even that ****ing ****er Joe Kinnear. He's been brilliant fun. Always has been long since before the day, just recovering from a heart attack, he once chased me down his front path, hurdling a wall in the process. He's mad, but brilliant. Owen has found a little niche. He is a God on Tyneside and Everton, Chelsea and the other clubs looking at him may be keen but, please Michael, do us all a favour: stay at Newcastle. Show everyone that footballers have an affinity with real people, with real fans. You'll get this argument of people saying it's a short career, footballers should earn while they can. Michael has been earning millions since he was 18. Multi-millionaire? You betcha! He'll be a billionaire soon. So show some humility. Make the Toon Army's dreams come true and show that, while everyone else suffers in the credit crunch, you will take a pay-cut and sign on for a cool £80,000-a-week, taking a pay-cut in the process. Footballers are a world away from the fans that worship them on the terraces. What does it really matter if Owen earns £50m or £60m in his career? It's money that you and I can only dream of. In fact, with my socialist tendencies on show here, it's a bit sick really while we've got so many people in this country below the poverty line. Anyway, enough about real life and back to football. Please show some compassion, Michael. Swallow that £25,000-a-week and sign on for £80,000-a-week. It's a hard life. The rest of the world is feeling the crunch so please give a tiny sign that footballers are not as divorced from the fans who pay their wages as we currently think they are. http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/columnists/john-cross/2008/12/18/a-plea-to-michael-owen-to-take-newcastle-s-contract-offer-in-solidarity-with-the-fans-115875-20980008

Me neither. But he's got 4 assists so far for Villa from 10 starts and 5 sub appearances. So he must be doing something right.

Don't worry yourself, it'll never happen. Please Mr. Most Famous Steward/Soon-to-be-journalist, could I have your autograph, like? I meant in context of being a Footballer not me personally. Just messing with you

Safe on 49 pts

Don't worry yourself, it'll never happen. Please Mr. Most Famous Steward/Soon-to-be-journalist, could I have your autograph, like?

The thing is that if such a man was to buy us, our supporters would be critical as fuck as he's "only" worth 1 billion dollars, even less than Ashley.

Coloccini couldn't keep up with Fuller there...

It was a clear offside, by 2 meters

I honestly can't see what Enrique has done bad this half, defensively speaking. He's hit a few stray passes sure, but one-on-one defensively he's been assured. He's looks like he hasn't got any pace at all, but no one has gotten past him. The one defensive error he makes from time to time is the same as the one Duff is doing, he's inviting the opposition into the area far too much for my liking. Other than that, Bassong has been outstanding (Who said that a CB from a relegated French team would be disastrous?), Coloccini has been good, Gutierrez has been really good defensively and offers us something on the break. Owen has been anonymous offensively (as have the rest of the team) but has done a great job defensively. All-in-all it's been a good first half from the lads and the right team selection from Kinnear.

Enrique's been good so far...

Karlstad, Sweden

The few times I've watched Man City this season they haven't been anything special. Colo will probably be up for this game as will Jonas what with being Argentinians and all. I'd go for 3-1 to the Toon. Owen, Guthrie and N'Zogbia scorers... The key to beating Man City will be to close down their midfield as if we give them space to play in Robinho we'll be well fucked. Get a few heavy challenges in on the brazilians early and we should be cruising.

That was actually quite a goal...Go Dutty!

The same Chris Nathaniel who is the agent of Oba Martins...jobs for the boys and all that...

I'd say he looks class...

http://cache1.asset-cache.net/xc/82845613.jpg?v=1&c=NewsMaker&k=2&d=17A4AD9FDB9CF193F1A54CE2C4AF7C23C77407C2EE5A693AE30A760B0D811297

http://cache1.asset-cache.net/xc/82845613.jpg?v=1&c=NewsMaker&k=2&d=17A4AD9FDB9CF193F1A54CE2C4AF7C23C77407C2EE5A693AE30A760B0D811297 So I'd guess this is the man we want as our new manager then!

Number 18