Wallace

http://www.journallive.co.uk/nufc/newcastle-united-news/2012/03/03/pardew-hoping-to-call-on-talisman-shola-ameobi-61634-30449999/ Ameobi is something of a talisman given his record in derbies – he has scored six times in the fixture and has only been on the losing side once. The striker was absent from training yesterday with what seems to be the initial signs of a cold, and Pardew is hoping the Lemsip will be doing the trick tonight in order for the player to make it into St James’ tomorrow morning. And even if he does stagger in and is clearly not fit to play, Pardew hopes Ameobi will still be standing long enough to give the troops an inspiring send-off. He said: “I’m definitely tempted to start with Shola, although I’ll have to wait and see how he is because he has a headache and feels like a cold is coming. “Shola’s a bit delicate like that, so we’ll be sending some tablets round and stroking him a little bit! It will be important to us that he’s in that dressing room. “Fans should not underestimate just how important Shola is to us in that dressing room. Whether he plays or not, he’s always the same. He’s extremely influential. “He never swears, but he makes it very clear to everybody how important it is to wear that jersey. I don’t care how ill he is, I will have him in that dressing room on Sunday.

What no Sports Direct in the background!

Like the way they have concluded that this news means that Ba is definitely leaving!

Agreed as the club's preferred method is usually a statement on the website rather than a press conference.

Thrilled about Krul because it was seemingly accepted in the media that it was a done deal that he would be going to Spurs in the Summer.

Have just got a text from the club to say "big, exciting news" to be announced at 9.30am. They are really building this one up!!

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/football/4168578/Newcastles-Ryan-Taylor-targets-more-derby-glory-v-Sunderland.html Ryan hopes to go over the wall again 2nd March 2012 THERE was only one person happier than Ryan Taylor when his free-kick fired Newcastle to derby glory last August. Stadium of Light went suitably bonkers. Boss Alan Pardew and, especially his Geordie No 2 John Carver certainly lapped up the moment. But deep in the away end sat Taylor's dad Darren, who was having the time of his life as his little boy dramatically etched himself into Newcastle folklore. Ryan "Over the wall" Taylor is not the kind of nickname which slips off the tongue. But the former Wigan midfielder loves it — and will never tire of thinking about his old man joining in the celebrations on the delirious fan buses heading back to Tyneside. He said: "I get reminded of the goal all the time. There is hardly a day goes by without someone mentioning it to me. "It has got ridiculous since I joned Twitter, they are all pleading with me to do it again this weekend. "It is a great memory to have and one I will never forget. "I have been offered drinks and stuff like that but to be honest, I am not really a drinker and have not really taken anyone up on it. "If anyone wants to buy me a lemonade, I will take that! "My Dad was there with my little brother and some mates and said he has never experienced anything quite like it. "The whole lot of them said it was the best time they have ever had at a game. "They said the fans were incredible, they could not believe the singing went on all game and then after the game as well. "They had to stay behind with the rest of the fans and said it was just rocking. Then they had to get one of the buses home because they could not go by car. "When they were on the bus, people started to realise who they were. I think it is safe to say they had a very good night." With one flash of his magic right boot, likeable Scouser Taylor, who started out at Tranmere, went from bit-part player to local hero. He has established himself as a key man at St James' Park under Alan Pardew. And he added: "It was great for the team but also for myself in terms of confidence. "It gave me a massive boost. It was so early in the season and it got me going but what has happened since is down too me training hard every day and showing the gaffer that I want to play. I would not say that goal kept me in the team because it is about performances and not just goals." There is plenty at stake tomorrow lunchtime other than local bragging rights. Toon are still bang in the Euro hunt while Sunderland have the FA Cup in their sights and a strong end to the season could see Martin O'Neill making a late top six push. Pardew said: "I would hate to have been sitting here saying this game was the be all and end all of the season. "It would have been awful if we were 12th, they were 13th, we were both out of the cups and this was all either of us had to play for. It's not like that. "They're still in the cup and we obviously have a great chance of getting European football. It isn't the be all and end all, although you try telling that to the fans who'll be turning up on Sunday. "This is a fixture that as a southerner, which I am, I'm slightly detached from. That might be of benefit. Am I going to be like John Carver on the sideline? No I'm not. "The atmosphere and passion of the game is not passing me by but I've got to make sure that my team perform and the biggest focus is that we perform better than we did against Wolves last weekend. "If we perform like we did in that game, we're going to get beat." [email protected]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2109546/Alan-Pardew-says-buzz-returning-North-East.html Newcastle’s Ryan Taylor can testify to the local importance attached to this fixture. The 27-year-old scored the only goal of the game with a free-kick when the sides met in August — and now there is a song sung by supporters in his honour. In fact, Ryan Taylor, over the wall (sung to the tune of Tom Hark) has even caught on in the dressing room this week, where Fabricio Coloccini and Jonas Gutierrez have been singing it. Taylor said: ‘The first time I heard it was at Scunthorpe after the derby and it seemed to go on for ever. Someone did a good job and it made me giggle. There is hardly a day that goes by without someone mentioning the goal to me and it has got ridiculous since I joined Twitter. They are all pleading with me to do it again this weekend. ‘The nice thing was my dad was there in the away end with my little brother and they said they’ve never experienced anything like it at a game. ‘When they were on the bus home and people realised who they were, well I think it is safe to say they had a very good night.’ Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2109546/Alan-Pardew-says-buzz-returning-North-East.html#ixzz1o0grBMOi

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2012/mar/02/davide-santon-newcastle-sunderland Davide Santon feels the fever of a Newcastle-Sunderland derbyNewcastle's left-back has experienced Milan derbies but he is expecting the Tyne-Wear version to be something else Louise Taylor guardian.co.uk, Friday 2 March 2012 Davide Santon is discussing the devotion to detail shared by José Mourinho and Alan Pardew when he realises that even Newcastle United's meticulous manager may not have catered for one particular contingency. "If I score a goal against Sunderland Alan Pardew will have to substitute me straight away," he says, straight-faced. "I will just want to carry on celebrating, to run out of the ground and into the street. It would be the perfect moment for me." Considering that the former Internazionale full-back is yet to score in senior football it may seem an unlikely scenario but derbies have a habit of turning into sunny days for the likeable 21-year-old. Santon approaches Sunday's Tyne-Wear duel at St James' Park with the confidence befitting a man whose record against Milan during his San Siro days reads played three, won three. Particularly memorable was the game three years ago when he fully eclipsed David Beckham, then on loan at Milan from LA Galaxy. "Bellissimo," he says, smiling at the memory. "They were beautiful occasions, special games and some of the best I played in. Of course, it made all the difference that we won all of them. Perhaps that is why I love derbies so much. They've made me very happy. "I cannot compare Newcastle v Sunderland until after I've played in it but everyone here has been telling me just what it means. There are 90,000 fans at San Siro but they tell me it will be even noisier here." He is certainly not about to repeat Ruud Gullit's famous mistake of 1999 when the then Newcastle manager claimed, sneeringly, that likening England's north‑east derby to its Milanese equivalent spells sacrilege. Santon has been made well aware that, within days of dropping Alan Shearer and losing to Sunderland at St James', Gullit apologised for "massively underestimating" the match's significance before resigning. "Don't worry, I realise how important it is for Newcastle to win. Sunderland is as big a game as Manchester United." In January, Newcastle beat Sir Alex Ferguson's champions 3-0 on Tyneside. "Hopefully history can repeat itself," says Santon, speaking through an interpreter. "As a team we were really up for Manchester United, our mentality was right and we played our best game of the season." He is gradually recapturing the optimal form that, when he was a teenager, led both Mourinho and Marcello Lippi to liken him to a young Paolo Maldini. While Mourinho spoke glowingly of Santon's "interesting, intelligent personality" and "tactically versatile, highly technical football ability" an unusually complimentary Cristiano Ronaldo offered the then 18-year-old his shirt following Santon's Champions League debut in a home draw against Manchester United. "The game against Ronaldo was really strange, even now I can't really believe it happened," he says. "Five months earlier I'd been playing against Ronaldo on PlayStation and then, suddenly, I was doing well against him on the pitch. He asked me for my shirt and told everyone how good I was. I couldn't quite believe it when he came over for the shirt, it took a moment to sink in." He giggles at the memory. In an instant, the charming, poised young man sitting across the table swaddled in an Italian designer quilted jacket seems transported back to childhood. By the time he marked Ronaldo he was already a firm favourite of the Special One. "José Mourinho was the one who discovered me, the one who had faith in me, the one who converted me from a right-winger, the one who pushed me forward and I will always owe him for that," Santon says. Basking in the warm glow of such patronage he thrived in both full-back positions, swiftly accruing the first of seven full Italy caps and a Serie A winner's medal. Then injury intruded. An abrupt reminder that the Azzurri's latest rising star was mortal after all meant that Santon spent much of the 2009-10 season on the sidelines after undergoing two operations to repair cartilage damage to his right knee. Although the scars left by his surgeon were superficially small and neat, the internal cuts ran much deeper, the knee took time to settle and the psychological damage inflicted by the initial surgery failing proved tougher than expected. "It was a difficult time," he says. "A frustrating time but I'm fine now." Once he was ready to resume his Inter career properly Mourinho had joined Real Madrid, Rafael Benítez's brief tenure was under way, poisonous personality clashes festered in the dressing room and, confidence ebbing, Santon found himself loaned to Cesena. With Inter unable to offer anything more than a bit-part role, last summer's £5m move to Newcastle came as a welcome release. When Santon's first day of training concluded with a badly swollen knee and a trip to a consultant the portents looked gloomy but, happily, it proved a minor scare. Even so, it was October before a defender who sat out Newcastle's 1-0 win at the Stadium of Light in August made his first-team debut. "I'm really grateful the manager allowed me time to settle in, to adjust, to learn how the team worked," he says. "I wasn't impatient, those first few quiet weeks really helped me." Since then Santon has demonstrated precisely how effective right-footed left-backs can be, augmenting his evident defensive class with sometimes brilliant control and distribution in addition to searing pace on the overlap. Like that of the France midfielder Yohan Cabaye, his recruitment can be seen as a statement of Pardew's intention to construct a technically accomplished team capable of challenging regularly for Europe. As Mourinho mentioned in a recent interview, the Tyneside air certainly seems to be reviving Santon's career. "I was very happy when I heard that José had said I was playing well again here," he says beaming. "My dream now is to return to San Siro." Not, he hastens to add, by rejoining Inter but with sixth-placed Newcastle in the Champions League. "It will be very difficult to qualify this season but it's possible. When I first joined, no one thought we could be in such a high position but it did not take me long to realise there are many good players here and, like Mourinho, Alan Pardew is a very thorough manager who prepares you very well for games. I think we can get into the Europa League this season. Then who knows? I can't wait to play for Newcastle at San Siro and win." In the meantime the boy from Portomaggiore, 50 miles south of Venice, who arrived unable to speak a word of English is making impressive strides in learning the language and has become a regular visitor to Newcastle University where he also enjoys a game of badminton. "I'm terrible at it though," Santon says. By way of compensation his new English friends are taken, frequently, to the city's assorted Italian restaurants, with the Sardinian cooking at Adriano's in Gosforth a firm favourite. Lately he has detected a distinct change in the local atmosphere. "Everywhere you go, everyone's talking about the derby," he says. "They tell me we have to beat Sunderland. I've been told it will be an absolutely fantastic experience but I know I'll have to keep my emotions in control. The most important thing is to stay calm." Unless, of course, he scores.

I wonder if the Council could officially rename the area St James' Park and then it is actually part of the address even if the club chooses to ignore it. It would be one way to make sure the name lives on for future generations.

Have any long drawn out contract negotiations been resolved successfully under Ashley as yet?

On Saturday most of his cleared headers went straight to a Wolves player. Hope he sorts that out for the derby as a couple of their midfielders are rather fond of a long distance shot.

It's f***ing depressing. Aye. I'm f***ing livid about this HBA situation, and i makes me a sad panda. I would have given so much to see a player like that get a descent chance in this team... I think i have to let the whole HBA thing go, just accept he will not be here next season, instead of thinking about what could have been etc... Driving me nuts. Ben Arfa is still in that first season syndrome of adjusting to the Premier League as he has missed so many games. Unfortunately, he is not being given the chance to get used to playing in the league and not every player has the immediate impact of Tiote or Cabaye.

Could be this, just a fiver instead. Snide. I really don't understand the membership thing and why you have to be a member in order to buy a season ticket. What do you get for being a member that you don't get by being a season ticket holder (apart from some naff badge)? Surely being a ST holder is enough with a commitment of several hundred pounds a year. For non-ST holders, you get the priority for match tickets but ST holders don't need that nor do they need it for away games. It is just a con on the "price freeze" offer. And is the membership fee going to go up £10 every year? After 10 years, that would be a fairly high fee on top of the ST.

A bit of unfair of Redknapp as I am sure Pardew will have been asked the question directly by the journalists as Redknapp would know himself. Whatever answer Pardew gave would be perceived as a negative.

Without naming any, I think we are in a far better position than a year or two ago as far as that is concerned. I would just like someone who thinks we can do better than Pards to actually name someone. No-one seems to want to do it. Oddly enough. There are managers out there that would do a better job but how many of them would be willing to work in the structure we have and for quite low wages as well.

Won't he have to take it down again in a few months for the Olympics?

Yeah it is i agree but no worse than the other signs. Some reactions are actually worse than when this all happened the first time. itl be similar to when the writing on the east stand came down. hardly surprising its worth when he takes things away than merely adding the signs Am talking about the East Stand sign/replacement monstrousity It also makes you think that there is absolutely zero interest in buying the naming rights otherwise he wouldn't waste the money on a temporary replacement which is why I thought they had been left untouched since he renamed them.

Is there anywhere outside the ground that says Newcastle United FC? It struck me once when walking past the ground that all the signage relates to SD and nothing mentions the football club by name at all.

Agree with that. It is easy to judge from a distance but fans often have a different opinion to others as they watch the team every week and stats don't always tell the whole story. As you say Allardyce is a perfect example. That's why it can be quite interesting to browse the forums of other clubs because you get a totally different view of a team or a player compared to the perceived media image.

So many other clubs seem to be in chaos this season (Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea, Wolves, Villa, Everton) whilst all is calm at SJP (for now).

Don't think so but he is often very provocative towards us on Twitter.

Liverpool alienating the media further by doing today's press conference with LFC TV only and excluding all other media.

It was similar yesterday on the radio which was immediately dismissed as unhappy Spurs fans skewing the vote rather than lose their manager. Since the media all love 'Arry, they seem to be under the impression that al the fans do as well but I have never met anyone who likes him.

Official text - joined Cardiff on an initial on month loan.