Hughesy

I am bit confused - I thought you want him to stay? Surely if you want him to stay, you should be delighted at what Hurst has said? Or are you just upset at poor little Joey's reputation being besmirched?

Is there some sort of website where you can find out someone's market value? Sounds incredibly useful this whole 'market value' thing. We should tell more people about it.

Can't disagree with a word of that.

Is Hughesy an anagram for Derek? I suppose I shouldn't bite - but seriously - is that the best you've got?

Course not, but agents can be prone to exaggerating in the media to achieve what they want. No idea whether £40k a week is what he's worth, what he should be paid, too much or too little. All football wages are mental. But I wouldn't go as far as to say that means we should pay every player whatever it takes to get them. Do you? Would we be having this debate if we'd offered him 50k, or 60k? Just seems like a discussion that's purely subjective. Say we've offered him the same as Cabaye is on, that seems fair to me. If we genuinely want a player then we have to pay what is necessary, both to satisfy his club and the player (plus his agent I guess). What that figure actually is, and what other players like Cabaye are on is totally irrelevant; each is its own case. If we want him, we'll have to pay what it takes. If it's too much for us, the transfer simply isn't happening. This is apparently the player's agent, how often do you hear agents come out with reactions like this? It's not common to deride an offer like this. He claims we've known what he's on for some time. Perhaps foolishly I assume Llambias can operate Google and knows his current club is in the Champions League and has far better prospects than us. To therefore not offer somewhere near what it takes to get him is just stupid. Like we did for Owen, Duff, Geremi etc etc. Don't get me wrong - offering less than someone is on is stupid. But we shouldn't pay whatever a player asks for and should be within our wage structure. Ignoring the debate over whether a wage cap is a good thing or not, if our structure is that rigid then we should know within one or two phonecalls whether players are going to be attainable or not. We shouldn't even be wasting time and resources scouting them. Again, there's simply no excuse after all this time. Oh, and that's an interesting set of names you mention considering one was signed by Ashley and one was supposedly offered the biggest contract in NUFC history... by Ashley. Once again, if we have so much trust in our scouting team to deliver value for money, we should be willing to back his judgement. I am not denying that some ridiculous contracts had been offered by Ashley. Clearly though, there has been a shift towards a wage structure. Like it or not, that is what we are operating under. So just offering what a player wants is: a) never going to happen; and b) slightly stupid anyway. I do, however, agree with your point re backing our scouting team.

Course not, but agents can be prone to exaggerating in the media to achieve what they want. No idea whether £40k a week is what he's worth, what he should be paid, too much or too little. All football wages are mental. But I wouldn't go as far as to say that means we should pay every player whatever it takes to get them. Do you? Would we be having this debate if we'd offered him 50k, or 60k? Just seems like a discussion that's purely subjective. Say we've offered him the same as Cabaye is on, that seems fair to me. If we genuinely want a player then we have to pay what is necessary, both to satisfy his club and the player (plus his agent I guess). What that figure actually is, and what other players like Cabaye are on is totally irrelevant; each is its own case. If we want him, we'll have to pay what it takes. If it's too much for us, the transfer simply isn't happening. This is apparently the player's agent, how often do you hear agents come out with reactions like this? It's not common to deride an offer like this. He claims we've known what he's on for some time. Perhaps foolishly I assume Llambias can operate Google and knows his current club is in the Champions League and has far better prospects than us. To therefore not offer somewhere near what it takes to get him is just stupid. Like we did for Owen, Duff, Geremi etc etc. Don't get me wrong - offering less than someone is on is stupid. But we shouldn't pay whatever a player asks for and should be within our wage structure.

At least it sounds like he is at least entertaining the idea of coming to us... if we offer him the money he wants.

Never quite get the view on agents - yes some of them might be complete pains, but in reality footballers do need someone to represent them and negotiate contracts on their behalf (as well as sponsorship, endorsements etc etc) and that person is always going to charge for that service. To be honest, I don't know why more players don't use lawyers (who have a professional code of conduct that regulates them and normally charge by the hour as opposed to receiving a percentage of wages or transfer fees etc) to be honest.

Surprised he is on £40k a week at Leverkusen.

If you were a multi-million pound footballer, would you want to be lugging around a rifle in some god-forsaken corner of the Korean wilderness for two years at age 35, being commanded by kids literally half your age? Doing any kind of miltary service at all wouldn't be ideal.. I suppose I just thought it might be better that way as at least he could then have an uninterrupted career.

What are the problems with him taking option 3? Why is that much worse?

The realisation might be setting in that few, if any, clubs think Barton is quite as good as he thinks he is.

Nice fact statement. Alan Smith has 281 PL appearances.

Yes because I know each and every manager and football staff personally. So what is your opinion based on? FM?

Sol Campbell in Mandarin Hotel in London.

Becoming clear he doesn't respect anyone really, especially authority, bosses etc, he's the bloke you know who has been sacked countless times after arguments with his bosses but its never his fault. Strange that he didn't seem to have a problem with his bosses before now, though. Aye. It's not like he was kicked out of City or squared up to Shearer in the dressing room is it? Bloke has never had a problem in his career: Dec 2004 - stubbed a lit cigar into the eye of young team-mate Jamie Tandy during Manchester City's Christmas party. Fined six weeks' wages by City. Forced to pay four weeks' salary - approximately £60,000 - immediately, with a further two weeks suspended for a year. Barton says: "If I was to do something similar, I'd be the biggest fool ever." May 2005 - breaks leg of 35 year-old pedestrian while driving his car at 2am in Liverpool city centre. July 2005 - involved in an altercation with a 15-year-old Everton fan at City's team hotel in Bangkok, where the team are playing in the FA Premier League Trophy. Fined eight weeks' wages by City after being found guilty of gross misconduct. Accepts punishment and agrees to undertake a programme of rehabilitation. Says: "When people talk about my dark days, when I sit down and think about it - the misdemeanours I've had, with the things that go on in the real world - the things I have done are stupid and foolish. But they are not war crimes." Sept 2006 - drops his shorts in the direction of Everton fans following City's 1-1 draw at Goodison Park. Charged with improper conduct and/or bringing the game into disrepute by the Football Association and fined £2,000. Says: "The shorts thing was only intended as a light-hearted joke but some people didn't take it that way unfortunately. I don't know whether the fans see me as the Evertonian that got away or what. I was there when I was a youngster and have had a couple of chances to go back and it's never been right." Feb 2007 - wins his first international call-up despite public criticism of the England team's performance at the World Cup and subsequent releases of autobiographies. Says: "England did nothing in the World Cup, so why are they bringing books out? 'We got beat in the quarter-finals, I played like s**t, here's my book'. Who wants to read that? I don't." March 2007 - arrested on suspicion of assault and criminal damage in an incident involving a taxi driver. He is later charged with criminal damage, which he denies. Says: "He (the taxi driver) didn't seem to be in control and seemed to be going really mad. I said 'Let's forget about the money and get out of the cab and get to safety', but he wouldn't stop the cab." May 2007 - suspended by Man City for the rest of the season after a training ground altercation with Ousmane Dabo. He is charged with assault and appears in court but is spared jail. Says: "I am very thankful to the media of this country. If it was not for them vilifying me I may have p****d my career up the wall. " Dec 2007 - arrested in Liverpool city centre in connection with an allegation of assault. He later admits assault and affray and is jailed for six months at Liverpool Crown Court. Says: "My last night out probably cost me £500,000 plus my reputation. I must have been as close as you can get to self destruct. I had two choices basically. Either you carry on doing what you're doing and your career's gone, or you address it." May 2008 - jumps a red light and undertakes dozens of cars in a bus lane driving to meet a probation officer while followed by the press. Says: "Why are they following him? It is a disgrace. What would you do if people followed you in a car? What is the guy meant to do? He doesn't know who is in the car, does he?" July 2008 - receives four-month suspended sentence for assaulting Dabo. Says: "Whether you're the best footballer in the world, or the best golfer or the best cricketer, you're a human being. You might be good at that, but you might be crap at life." July 2008 - released from prison. Says: "My reputation will always precede me to the day I die and for some people that probably can't be quickly enough. I'm not asking for anyone to feel sorry for me. I am indefensible." Sept 2008 - banned by the FA for 12 matches - six of which are suspended - and fined £25,000 after admitting violent conduct charge in relation to the Dabo incident. Says: "When you've been in as much s**t as I've been in, you've got to grow up. You can say, 'Do I really deserve this?' but you do. We live life in the limelight and there's nothing I can do about what's happened now. May 2009 - sent-off against Liverpool for late challenge on Xabi Alonso. Suspended until further notice by Newcastle manager Alan Shearer for the rest of the season following an explosive row between the pair which saw them held apart at Anfield. Says: "I think that was more because of who I was than what I did. The great thing about English football is it is so competitive. I hope that never changes." Nov 2010 - caught on camera punching Morten Gamst Pedersen in the stomach during Newcastle's 2-1 defeat against Blackburn, for which he only received a yellow card. July 2011 - criticises US immigration laws on Twitter after being denied a visa because of his six-month jail sentence for assault and affray in 2008. It means he misses the club's pre-season trip to the United States. Says: "Visa story is correct. They told me am not allowed in until I have 5yrs without any trouble. 3yrs down, 2yrs to go. Totally hypocrisy considering what they get up to but rules are rules." July/August 2011 - Tweets a series of cryptic messages hinting at problems behind the scenes at St James' Park before revealing he will make a more clear cut statement about his future at the club. Says: "If only we as players could tell the fans exactly how it is, without them above fining us lots of money. If it wouldn't effect team morale and cause unrest within the dressing room, am certain Jose's comments would be the tip of the iceberg..... And again it would be left to those magnificent fans to pick up the remnants of their once great football club."

Would think they'd learnt a thing or two from Joey and Jose. Tread carefully. There's been complaining-ish tweets/updates from Simpson, Guthrie and a couple of youngsters. There's absolutely nowt to undermine that he is a disruptive figure though. Well, except a couple of written things re Ryder. Convenient that there is a reason why there is no public support for Barton.

Has anybody came out and confirmed that anything in the Chronicle is true? Like who?

He's got too much dignity for that you know.... he he.

If Joey is so certain the Chronicle is lying, he can put his money where his mouth is and sue them for libel.

Better get used to it. That's what he is. If you don't like the term you'd be best advised to stay out of this thread. If it's all the same to you, I'll make my own decisions about which threads I read.

I think patsy is about to replace apologist as the most irritating word of the week.

As good as relegated without Barton? You serious? Losing Nolan and Barton in one summer is very, very risky. So you stand by 'as good as relegated'?

As good as relegated without Barton? You serious?

Probably an Ashley apologist in an "I'm not an Ashley apologist, but..." kind of post. It's certainly the way it's most commonly used now. A sighting from 2009 - http://www.newcastle-online.org/nufcforum/index.php/topic,61980.0.html