Guest Emmet Posted February 11, 2008 Share Posted February 11, 2008 For people that say Martins wont make much of a difference i say this - his goals last season effectively staved off a relagation battle. This is fact, he scored some very important goals in the PL last year, and im sure given fresh impetus under KK he could knock in a few between now and the end of the season. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr Venkman Posted February 11, 2008 Share Posted February 11, 2008 i'm not a fan of martins on the whole but i've got to admit putting him in the team now does look worthwhile, at least he might create something himself, he might miss it, but at least we'll turn the defenders around and make them think Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
hakka Posted February 11, 2008 Share Posted February 11, 2008 For people that say Martins wont make much of a difference i say this - his goals last season effectively staved off a relagation battle. This is fact, he scored some very important goals in the PL last year, and im sure given fresh impetus under KK he could knock in a few between now and the end of the season. I'm certainly hoping for this. The lad took a while to start scoring when he first played for us, I'm actually hoping that under KK he may get a different type of football being played around him which lead to him getting better chances to score. We know he can hit them... and he is a confidence player. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gazza ladra Posted February 11, 2008 Share Posted February 11, 2008 He's got to start. Keegan making Owen captain to me is worrying. Nothing but a vote of confidence for Owen. But the team needs a leader on the field. Can't see Keegan finding space for Martins. The team is better with him on the pitch-- his presence is important. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mozy Posted February 11, 2008 Share Posted February 11, 2008 When he returns he starts with Owen, can weave his mgic and both players are very under rated in the air. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skirge Posted February 13, 2008 Share Posted February 13, 2008 http://www.journallive.co.uk/nufc/newcastle-united-news/2008/02/13/keegan-excited-by-martins-return-61634-20468021/ Keegan excited by Martins' return Feb 13 2008 by Luke Edwards, The Journal OBAFEMI Martins will return to training this week with Kevin Keegan confident the Nigerian international will add another dimension to his side’s offensive threat. Martins had wanted to make an early impression on his new manager following his return from the African Cup of Nations, but was ruled out of the trip to Aston Villa last weekend with an ankle injury. The striker has still not returned to training but, according to Keegan, it will be a matter of days rather than weeks until he does, as the problem will clear up with rest rather than surgery. And having been aware of Martins’ potential when he was still in Italy with Inter Milan, Keegan believes the young forward will give his side more impetus going forward as they look to end a run which has seen them fail to win any of their last nine Premier League games. Despite Michael Owen’s recent return to goal-scoring form and Martins’ absence from the last eight games due to injury and international commitments, the African remains Newcastle’s top scorer this season with seven goals in all competitions and could start against Manchester United in just under two weeks’ time. “Oba will be fine, he just turned his ankle before he came back and he’s had to have a couple of days’ rest,” said Keegan, who has still not secured his first win as a manager since he returned to St James’s Park more than three weeks ago. “We’re confident he will be back in training with the rest of the group by the end of the week. “I’m looking forward to him joining us because I’ve seen quite a lot of him previously and I know what he can do. It’s just a case of having a close look at him on our training pitch now. He’s got great pace and he’s still our top goalscorer, even though he has been at the African Cup of Nations for the best part of a month.” Keegan will also be happy to welcome back another one of the club’s African players this week when Geremi returns to England. The 29-year-old’s form has been disappointing for the Magpies since he arrived on a free transfer from Chelsea last summer and some critics have suggested he no longer has the pace to cope with the speed of the Premier League. Geremi was stripped of the captaincy by former manager Sam Allardyce before the start of the African Cup of Nations because he had lost his place in the side, but the Cameroon international was one of the stars of the tournament as the Indomitable Lions finished as runners-up to Egypt in last weekend’s final in Ghana. Geremi was named in the team of the tournament this week and Keegan hopes he can maintain that sort of form on his return to Tyneside. He added: “We’ll also have Geremi back this week after his efforts with Cameroon and he will be in training by the end of the week as well. It’s more the merrier as far as I’m concerned.” Meanwhile, Joey Barton will not face any further action from the Football Association following a scuffle with Aston Villa’s Shaun Maloney last weekend because of “inconclusive evidence.” Television pictures suggested that Barton had flung an arm out at the Villa player in the first-half of the 4-1 defeat for the Magpies on Saturday. As referee Lee Mason had not seen the incident and had not mentioned it in his match report, the FA were able to take retrospective action using television evidence, but even that has failed to clear up the matter and the case against the midfielder was dropped yesterday. Barton, 25, was recently released from prison on bail after an incident in Liverpool city centre over the Christmas period, and he is due to return to Liverpool Magistrates’ Court on March 12 to face charges of assault and affray. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Isegrim Posted February 13, 2008 Share Posted February 13, 2008 Keegan's talking about players comes directly from the Viv Tudor school of player motivation... "Oh, he is gaaawwgeous!" Not that I think this is a bad thing... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest sondre Posted February 13, 2008 Share Posted February 13, 2008 imagine if martins someday will see that it may actually be possible to just kick the ball past defender and run...he allways stops when hes 1on1. every defender in the world fears his pace, and theyre praising themselves lucky everytime he stops up to slow down the attack. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest alex Posted February 13, 2008 Share Posted February 13, 2008 Aye, it's that simple. We should sign Dwain Chambers in fact. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest sondre Posted February 13, 2008 Share Posted February 13, 2008 Aye, it's that simple. We should sign Dwain Chambers in fact. sometimes it actually is. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
AyeDubbleYoo Posted February 13, 2008 Share Posted February 13, 2008 Aye, it's that simple. We should sign Dwain Chambers in fact. Not until he's passed a drug test Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Posted February 13, 2008 Share Posted February 13, 2008 It'd be one more successful pass than Oba tbf. I JEST! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest alex Posted February 13, 2008 Share Posted February 13, 2008 Aye, it's that simple. We should sign Dwain Chambers in fact. sometimes it actually is. Like when? In your head? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skirge Posted February 13, 2008 Share Posted February 13, 2008 http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/nufc/newcastle-united-news/2008/02/13/oba-martins-i-want-to-score-for-king-kev-72703-20469823/ Oba Martins: I want to score for King Kev Feb 13 2008 by Lee Ryder, Evening Chronicle NEWCASTLE United star Oba Martins today revealed he cannot wait to get to work with King Kev. Martins has had a 2008 to forget so far with a loss of form coinciding with Nigeria’s shock early exit from the African Nations Cup in Ghana. And to make matters worse, he also returned from his African nightmare with an ankle injury, which meant he played no part in the trip to Aston Villa last weekend. Ironically, Villa Park was the venue Martins made his debut for the Magpies, where he left the field on a stretcher with a quad muscle injury. Yet with United gunned down 4-1 by the Villans on Saturday, it’s clear KK would have benefited from Martins’ lightning pace and the unpredictability that has often left defenders at sixes and sevens this term. Martins will be hoping to be fit for the clash with Manchester United on February 23, when he will resume his interrupted campaign on seven goals with 12 games of the season to go. Speaking on the prospect of working with KK today, he said: “He did a lot for Newcastle and all the fans love him. “That’s why they brought him back here. “They call him the king, so I think it’s very good. “It’s very good for him as well, and the players are going to try to play for him and try our best just to make him proud.” Nigerian ace Martins blasted home 17 times for Newcastle last season after joining the club from Inter Milan. But he knows he is up against it this time to repeat that remarkable achievement. Martins picked up his ankle injury on the dry pitches in Ghana, but hopes the problem will only be a temporary setback. He added: “I’m sure everything will be OK. Let’s wait and see. “I think Kevin is very busy at the moment, but he had the doctor call me to see if I’m OK.” And talking on his deep disappointment after his loss of form, ankle injury and African Cup exit, Martins, who hopes KK can help him erase painful memories, said: “It’s very disappointing. “We played very well in our last game with Ghana, but I don’t really know what was going on. “I think what was wrong with us was about 10 minutes before the end of the game we relaxed a little bit and Ghana took their chances – and that’s why they got the goals and won. “But I will return to Newcastle now. “Everything has changed. We have a new manager and he’ll have changed a lot of things. “I think it’s not a problem for me to go back and focus on starting playing.” Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tgarve Posted February 13, 2008 Share Posted February 13, 2008 We shoot up the league to Intertoto heaven. no we wont the intertoto cup doesnt exist next season Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve_69 Posted February 13, 2008 Share Posted February 13, 2008 Fat Sam broke our Oba. Keegan will fix him! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest alex Posted February 13, 2008 Share Posted February 13, 2008 Fat Sam broke our Oba. Keegan will fix him! He was pretty shit for about the last four months of last season too tbf. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve_69 Posted February 13, 2008 Share Posted February 13, 2008 But we have seen what he is capable of. I think Oba is the kind of player that will thrive under Keegan. He'll tell him to run at defenders, use his pace and hit shots from outside the box - the things that made him so dangerous when we first signed him. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest alex Posted February 13, 2008 Share Posted February 13, 2008 I think his return'll be a boost and he's a confidence player, and Keegan was always good about handling players the right way. Agree about his shot in particular, that's his best asset for me (doesn't use his pace enough). Not so sure about his long-term future. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparta Posted February 13, 2008 Share Posted February 13, 2008 Martins and Faye must start every game when fit and so must enrique. HArper Beye Faye Taylor Enrique Butt Zog Milner Duff Owen Martins Subs Given Cacapa Barton Emre Viduka why oh why would you have mr. Butt in the starting line up? i would rather have given there! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
LoveItIfWeBeatU Posted February 13, 2008 Share Posted February 13, 2008 We shoot up the league to Intertoto heaven. no we wont the intertoto cup doesnt exist next season I read that Man City have applied to enter a week or two ago. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colos Short and Curlies Posted February 13, 2008 Share Posted February 13, 2008 Those 2 newspaper reports are FM tastic, Manager praises player, player praises manager etc Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
olliemort Posted February 13, 2008 Share Posted February 13, 2008 In fairness Smiths only good performace this season was up front with Oba .I would still way prefer if we played Owen and Oba up front together though Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nobody Posted February 13, 2008 Share Posted February 13, 2008 Would be madness to drop either Oba or Owen at the moment. Owen is just returning to form (well, two goals in two games...), and Martins is still our top goalscorer, and to be honest, our only striker who can get a goal outside the penalty area. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldtype Posted February 13, 2008 Share Posted February 13, 2008 Oba's unpredictabilty alone makes his inclusion worthwhile. He's a player who can be shit for 89 minutes and then pick a goal out of nowhere. Exactly what we need for our bland, workmanlike team. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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