Wallace

On the radio last night, they said Newcastle were offering £10m but they expected them to come back with a bid of £12m (could be euros) which seems more than we would pay.

I see in that Category 1 fixture list that we are to play Wolves at SJP at 3pm on Saturday, 17th August. First day of the Premier League season but we don't play until the Monday night. Brings back memories of the old Central League when the reserves would play at home on a Saturday when the first team were away.

What is the normal or expected amount of time to receive updates on Gomis? No idea, Ryder's a strange bloke. That tweet was a complete no sequitur. No build up, just some cryptic remark. George Caulkin ‏@CaulkinTheTimes 4h There is substance to Lyon's claim that #Nufc have expressed interest in Bafetimbi Gomis. He and Darren Bent leading targets at this stage.

I don't think we can risk selling Ben Arfa, Cabaye, Krul and Cisse. I would think 2 of those might go but to lose 4 would be a huge risk as they are all first team players and would need to be replaced by first team players. 3 of the 4 are offensive players and that is the area we are severely lacking in as well and we would also have to buy a quality keeper to replace Krul because Elliott is not good enough to be first choice. I don't think Kinnear could cope trying to get 4 quality players seeing he is struggling to get one over the line.

I would hope that Ashley's vindictive side would rise to the fore should a bid materialise. They tapped Enrique up which meant that we were compromised on the fee and they refused to deal with us when we wanted Carroll back on loan. I hope we would just refuse to sell to them although I know that is an unrealistic hope.

I wonder who made the decision for him not to travel. As it is pre-season, I don't see why they cannot let him wear unbranded kit for the time being. The matches are not being televised and there will only be still photos from the training sessions where they can just ignore him. If he ends up staying, he won't have the levels of fitness as other players so will be trying to catch up.

Pardew said in the NUFC TV interview that Perch wanted to leave after Pardew couldn't give him regular first team football. Perch wanted to play every week. Pardew said it was only fair to let Perch go. Make of that what you will. Never came over like that in the interview in my opinion mind When Perch was on Radio Newcastle last week, he said he was told back in February that he would not be getting a new contract so he had to consider his options with only a year left.

If West Ham want £4m for Tompkins then surely Taylor is worth more than that?

I might have misheard but I am sure in that Radio Newcastle interview that Pardew said he was OK with the defence and that his main concern was the left side and the striking areas. I didn't get the impression that he was looking to offload a key defender. He said they had cover for right back because MYM could play there as he was a right-sided player.

I think you can do that. Well you can on Football Manager anyways Our homegrown players from January of this year: Rob Elliot Tim Krul Shola Ameobi - Nearly out of contract Dan Gosling - Selling Steve Harper - Retired James Perch - Sold Danny Simpson - Sold Ryan Taylor - Injured Steven Taylor - Linked with move away Mike Williamson - Linked with move away yeah getting Pardew's pov on wanting some English players, we'll need to sign a few just to comply with the bloody squad rules JFK is probably not aware of the homegrown rule.

Surely they should get rid of Williamson before even comtemplating selling Saylor.

Here's another comment piece from Mark Douglas which is also depressing in its content. http://blog.sundaysun.co.uk/2013/07/silence-isnt-golden-in-newcast.html Silence isn't golden in Newcastle's summer of discontent By Mark Douglas on Jul 5, 13 03:51 PM AROUNA Kone to Newcastle would have been a transfer that completed the Mike Ashley cycle. The deal seemed to tick a lot of the Ashley boxes: cheap(ish) but useful, Wigan striker Kone would have been a very decent addition to Newcastle's squad. Not the high end replacement for Demba Ba they require, but an upgrade on what United had last season. And as a final kicker, it was also a story broken by Ashley's new venture: Sports Direct News. So Newcastle fans despairing over their owner's profligacy in the transfer market are now drawn to a website advertising his leisurewear to read about said recruitment drive. It's pretty ingenious, and I'm sure he'll be using it again in the future to filter out Magpies news. That slow meshing of the Sports Direct brand and Newcastle United has been going on for a long time, of course - never more so than when the stadium was renamed. But this new development shows very clearly where Ashley's motivation for keeping hold of Newcastle lies: it is a very smart marketing tool for his very, very successful business. Whatever: the signing of a player like Kone would have been worth celebrating amid all the uncertainty and chaos of your typical murky Newcastle United summer. Alas, it didn't happen and enthusiasm remains at a low ebb. It is worrying. Given that a top level French source told me the club had missed out on three French targets this week, they need a boost. The pack drill was no names but it seems likely that one was Marseille striker Pierre-Andre Gignac. One of the others was a centre-back, apparently but the other one seems to have been a younger player for the development squad. How sorely Newcastle - in danger of running into a tide of negativity before a ball has been kicked - need something to come off soon. It is not that new signings salve all of the wounds that Mike Ashley has re-opened this summer, you understand. But they might at least give the Magpies a fighting chance of generating some momentum in a close season that thus far, seems to have flattened any case for optimism. I've seen the relationship between Ashley and Newcastle described in a searing editorial in the True Faith fanzine this week as a loveless marriage and it's a pretty appropriate analogy. Neither seems to want each other; neither seems to care for each other anymore. But the financial bottom line is enough to keep both parties involved for the moment. What I don't understand is that if Ashley doesn't want to invest any more, why on earth is Joe Kinnear there? If he doesn't care, why throw Kinnear into the chaotic mix? Eventually, someone who is employed by Ashley will have to put their heads above the parapet and formulate some kind of explanation but another week has passed without anyone of standing even mentioning the "K" word. As we stand, Steven Taylor is the only serving Newcastle employee to pass any kind of comment on Kinnear - apart from the man himself. Derek Llambias did, of course, but his hearty welcome for the new Director of Football looks a bit empty in the context of his hurried resignation less than 24 hours later. Sometimes, silence is golden. Sometimes, it says a lot more than words ever could and on this occasion it is an accurate reflection of the prevailing mood inside St James' Park. No-one knows, no-one dares speak: there appears to be an unreal air of uncertainty about the club and that, after a while, becomes corrosive. Traditionally, Ashley has come to rely on Alan Pardew breaking cover in these circumstances. When Andy Carroll was sold, he defended the decision within 24 hours despite the fact it had made him look pretty helpless given his own forthright denials the striker would be sold. Similarly, Pardew defended the sale of Kevin Nolan two summers ago. He was there when the Wonga announcement was made and trod a delicate and smart political line when the stadium was renamed too. Kinnear's arrival is different, it seems. Three weeks on, he is still yet to name-check his new Director of Football. If you think that's just a happy coincidence, you might also be interested to hear Father Christmas doesn't exist. It is most definitely deliberate. The result is unequivocal: another week passes with the fog of uncertainty refusing to shift over St James' Park. At some point, someone involved in this awkward dance will have to attempt to inject but there doesn't appear to be any undue haste from anyone involved at the moment. Which is ironic, really, given that time is one thing Newcastle don't have. There is no more than five weeks until the start of the season and Newcastle have signed no-one, they've sold a reliable and versatile campaigner and they've said very, very little. All we have right now is the hope that Ashley is hiding another rabbit up his sleeve in the shape of new additions of the sort of calibre required to vanquish last season's demons. Because in case you'd forgotten, Newcastle had problems before Kinnear came. Thus far, his addition to the mix has complicated an already unsettling situation.

Perch is on Total Sport on Radio Newcastle tonight.

It might be different behind the scenes (I hope so) but for all our much touted scouting and transfer policy, they are giving the impression that they are starting from scratch with a blank piece of paper. I don't get the Tompkins link at all. I understand that Pardew wants him but surely he would be coming in as 4th choice but for £8m? If they pay that much for him then he has to go straight into the first team and I would not say he is better than either Taylor of MYM. If he is the 4th choice then he should probably stay at West Ham.

That's who i mentioned yesterday who i wanted us to sign, absolute joke we haven't bothered to at least put ourselves in the hunt for him. 2 million is a bargain for a decent English prospect, would have really liked to see him here and he's a certain upgrade on Sammy and Obertan. Could also involve Ferguson in the deal as well.

http://blog.sundaysun.co.uk/2013/06/say-it-aint-so-joe.html Say it ain't so, Joe By Mark Douglas on Jun 17, 13 01:27 PM DAY one of Joe Kinnear's second coming and Newcastle United's director of football is confronted with an in-tray the size of Everest. For those of you who remember Kinnear from the first time around, that was the mountain he claimed he used to fly over with the Crown Prince of Nepal when he was managing the tiny principality. Verification was never forthcoming on that point, but I digress - Kinnear's workload is undoubtedly mountainous. Transfers, departures, assessing the playing staff - all key parts of Kinnear's new role that require immediate attention. Perhaps his first order of business should be closer to home, though. He should start with a clarification of what exactly he meant when he asserted that "Geordies are Geordies", extending the point to claim that the fans of the club are uncomfortable with anyone from outside the area working at St James' Park. It might seem like a trifling point that will be buried under the avalanche of intrigue about to descend on Barack Road but it's really not. It's a lazy, damaging and utterly false stereotype that has no place being repeated by a senior employee of the club. For the last couple of years United's most consistent message has been that they want to make tickets affordable. Derek Llambias talked of packing the stadium full of Newcastle supporters - especially younger fans and families. And they backed it up with novel ticket pricing initiatives and themed days aimed at tempting fans through the doors. You can see the tension here. Club employees have worked hard to try and reconnect, and have made some strides too. It doesn't help when club employees are deploying the tired old cliche about North East supporters placing disproportionate importance on someone's birthplace. Kinnear should know, too, that fans never mentioned his birthplace during his first stint in 2009. Any concerns were expressed when fortunes begin to slide at the turn of the year, and were always for football reasons. I doubt Kinnear meant to cause offence. He never does and he's a decent, say-it-as-I-see-it kind of guy. Working with him first time around was a whirlwind and he never really bore a grudge, despite the sweary fury. The real question is whether he is up to the job - and what the job has been created for. Kinnear has contacts: he knows people. Arsene Wenger still takes his calls, apparently. But there are serious concerns about whether a man who has only been involved in front-line professional football for five months of the last eight years. The Premier League is a competition that evolves at break-neck speed - and United were caught standing still last season. For Kinnear to walk into that environment and make a flying start is a challenge of monumental proportions. I wish him the best. There are serious questions here; and pressing concerns. All this froth about Geordies only wanting to engage with one of their own is a toxic sub-plot that needs to be put to bed quickly.

Mark Douglas said that Llambias was on a transatlantic flight yesterday and that all the senios bods at the club had no idea. Maybe Llambias didn't even know himself. Also that JFK has (surprise surprise) somewhat exaggerated his role but he is basically going to be Mike Ashley's eyes and ears around the training ground. Most DOFs are pretty discreet but he is going to blab to the media at every opportunity.

Is he referring to the fact that Llambias is now supposed to be able to concentrate on the Finance side?

I wonder what Ashley thinks when every journalist (national and local) says it is a ridiculous decision and can only result in disaster and that their perception is that it is a deliberate attempt to undermine Pardew. They cannot accuse the fans of being hysterical in this instance because everyone is totally bewildered by it. On Sky this morning, the journalist said that Kinnear was the oldest of old school and that a Premier League coach he knew was just incredulous that such a decision could have been made. At least he mentioned that Kinnear has a slim grasp on reality if only referencing the fact that he said he had won 3 managers of the year when infact it had only been once. I wish the journalists would challenge Kinnear when he says these things rather than just let him continually spout such nonsense.

The last person you could trust or confide in is Kinnear. If he is the link between Pardew and the boardroom, how can Pardew even begin to trust him? The guy has no grasp on reality and every sentence he utters is a lie. Can this really be Ashley's way of pushing Pardew towards the exit door because he doesn't want to pay out the compo. There was no need to give Pardew an 8 year deal - he wasn't further enough into his deal to even be given a new contract and everyone else thought it was an idiotic thing to do at the time. If he wants rid then he should just man up and admit he made a mistake and sack Pardew. Could this result in yet another lawsuit for constructuve dismissal.

Mark Douglas ‏@MsiDouglas 2h @tfeditor1892 Its rocked #nufc to its foundations. Again. When senior club employees don't know, you know it's come from left-field

No doubt at the press conference they will send Kinnear out on his own so there will be no clarification about exactly what his role entails and he will just embellish it even further. I don't think I have ever seen such a hostile response from all of the media (local and national) to an appointment before. I guess Ashley will think it is all a bit of a larf.

Neil Farrington‏@Neilfarrington57m My final word on #nufc for the night: can anyone anywhere now still doubt the spite for the fans that exists within SJP? #nufc

Well that is what the media are saying. He obviously would prefer to join us and they are just throwing everything at him to get him join them. Makes no sense to me when the player is obviously so reluctant.

(Editor of The Journal) Brian Aitken ‏@brianjnled 34m Been trying for ages to think of something positive to say about the return of JFK to SJP. Some method in the madness. But nope, nothin. Brian Aitken ‏@brianjnled 14m You've given your manager an 8-year contract. Last season didn't go well. What could you possibly do to make him walk #jfk