Is N'Zogbia's exit inevitable? (Maybe not - Page 24!)

[matta]

Still injured/not match-fit or just plain out of favour?

 

No place for him in a 4-3-3.

 

And it looks like when we switch to 4-4-2 then Duff is the favoured option, possibly because Zog is proving to be a huffy bugger.

 

Could we not scrap Geremi and bring in Zoggy?

 

Geremi seems to me to be the weakest link in the mid.

 

 

 

who's gonna get the assists then?

 

 

Geremi had a few the last weeks..

[fredbob]

Still injured/not match-fit or just plain out of favour?

 

No place for him in a 4-3-3.

 

And it looks like when we switch to 4-4-2 then Duff is the favoured option, possibly because Zog is proving to be a huffy bugger.

 

Could we not scrap Geremi and bring in Zoggy?

 

Geremi seems to me to be the weakest link in the mid.

 

 

 

who's gonna get the assists then?

 

 

Geremi had a few the last weeks..

 

Also with 3 in midfield its pretty imperative that things are kept simple and we DONT lose the ball. Zog hasnt got that in his game, he loses the ball alot.

[Unbelievable]

Potentially our best midfielder by a mile, but yeah, let´s get rid..

[Guest Sniffer]

Potentially?

 

Means fuck all when you can't be arsed to do anything other than pick up your wages for the best part of two years.

[Baggio]

Charles N’Zogbia has been a rare bright spark during some dismal times for Newcastle United but the young Frenchman still believes he needs to leave. Chief sports writer Luke Edwards urges him not to make a big mistake.

 

ACCORDING to Kevin Keegan, Charles N’Zogbia’s desire to leave Newcastle United is not due to football reasons, it is simply because he is homesick.

 

Such a condition is not unusual for a young man living hundreds of miles away from home and the distress it causes can lead to a loss of motivation, bitterness and resentment at what keeps you apart from the familiar faces and comforts of a family environment.

 

In such a case it is difficult not to feel sorry for N’Zogbia, a 21-year-old living on his own in a plush city centre apartment on Tyneside, except that the midfielder wants to move to London, not back home to France.

 

Instead of a chance to live with his family and be surrounded by friends in Paris, the dubious logic behind N’Zogbia’s strange thinking is that, if he lives in the capital rather than Newcastle, it is easier to get a flight back to his homeland.

 

That could be a reasonable explanation, but when you consider N’Zogbia left home when he was just 16 to join the Academy at Le Havre and was then willing to move to England to join a Premier League club when he was just 18, is homesickness something he really suffers from?

 

We can only take N’Zogbia’s words at face value, or rather we can only accept the information that Keegan has passed on to us, but there is a nagging suspicion it is the bright lights and glamour of life in London, rather than football, which is really pulling him away from St James’s Park.

 

Last summer, N’Zogbia was adamant he wanted to join Fulham before Geremi arrived at the club and persuaded Sir Bobby Robson’s final signing as Newcastle manager he would be taking a backward step if he moved to Craven Cottage.

 

That decision to stay was followed by some excellent performances, a switch to left-back, a pay rise and a long-term contract from former manager Sam Allardyce.

 

N’Zogbia, in a rare interview shortly after the ink on his new deal had dried, insisted he was happy at the club following the sacking of Glenn Roeder and spoke excitedly about what the future might hold. By January, however, that stance had changed again and with Tottenham Hotspur keen to take him south, N’Zogbia claimed his homesickness had returned.

 

“It’s well documented and it’s on record, so I’m not saying anything you don’t know, but he wanted to move just as I came in,” said Keegan, who selected the player as a substitute against Chelsea for the first time in more than a month. “I came in with eight days left of the transfer window and I told him what I think was common sense, that looking at my players, and the limited chances I had of getting anyone in, I’m not going to let you go now. But if you still feel the same way at the end of the season then you can go, but it will be on our terms. That’s exactly what I said then and that’s exactly how it is now.”

 

Of course, N’Zogbia would not be the first foreign player to believe that a life in London is more rewarding than one in the north of England. His fellow Frenchman, the centre-back Alain Goma, made a similar mistake when he decided to leave Robson’s revolution on Tyneside to sign for perennial strugglers Fulham. The Magpies team-mates he left behind went on to play in the Champions League, while he struggled to keep the Cottagers in the top flight.

 

Yet, in the modern world, if N’Zogbia wants to leave, there is little Keegan and Newcastle can do to stop him and if the France Under-21 international plays against Everton at Goodison Park today many fear it will be his final appearance for the club.

 

Given that N’Zogbia’s pace and ability to beat players with the ball at his feet has been a rare cause for excitement over the last two disappointing campaigns, his loss will be acutely felt by supporters who relish attacking flair as much as good engines and work rate.

 

N’Zogbia’s attributes would also appear to make him a Keegan-type player. Sadly, he has failed to grasp the fact that Keegan will help him develop and has spent much of his time going through the motions since January.

 

“I think that Charles has shown the desired reaction following our chat a few weeks ago, even though he had to wait to come in,” said Keegan, who was unwilling to even give N’Zogbia a place on the bench when he failed to show the necessary commitment to the club and his team-mates.

 

“To be fair to Charles N’Zogbia, he has trained fantastically well and he has had to wait for his opportunity to get back into the team because there’s no way I was going to put players in when the players who were in possession were doing so well. It’s a different thing now with Everton because there’s no Mark Viduka or Joey Barton because of his bail conditions so there are opportunities and I will take one or two young players with us.”

 

We are likely to be given indication as to whether Keegan will make one final attempt to keep the player at the club by what happens at Goodison Park. If N’Zogbia starts, his manager will be showing him he is still part of the plans. If he does not, it is more than likely one of the most exciting young players to be seen at St James’s Park in the last decade is on his way to a new life in London.

 

 

http://www.journallive.co.uk/nufc/newcastle-united-news/2008/05/10/n-zogbia-falls-for-lure-of-the-capital-61634-20889161/

[ShearMagic]

That's disappointing.

 

I also couldn't understand the logic about homesickness and therefore moving to London though.

[fredbob]

Hope he sticks it out for one more year. I think every footballer out there would struggle to have a bad time when there team is playing well and doing well. Think he'd benefit massively from the fans if he came out next season and produced what we know he can - theres no place like nufc when the place is buzzing and the football club is the heartbeat of that buzz.

[JH]

Geremi's corners are dire, but his cross for Owen's goal was absolutely perfect. Why can't he do that from a corner?!

 

This has led me to think that it may not necessarily be his fault. He ALWAYS hits the first man, Faye is always there challenging.

 

I think our chief set piece aim is to hit Faye as he is the only decently sized mobile player in there.

 

Then again, if that were the case, why haven't we realised it doesn't work yet?

[Zero]

Bernard again.  Good riddence.

[Colocho]

That's disappointing.

 

I also couldn't understand the logic about homesickness and therefore moving to London though.

 

Probably because he can get to France in 2 hours.

[Wullie]

That's disappointing.

 

I also couldn't understand the logic about homesickness and therefore moving to London though.

 

Probably because he can get to France in 2 hours.

 

You can get from Newcastle to France in not much more than that, man.

[Rich]

He just wants away, man. As long as we get decent wedge for him (we'll be lucky to get more than £5m IMO, unfortunately) then I suppose it's for the best.

 

Pointless keeping players who don't want to be here, no matter how much potential they've shown at times.

 

I'll guess West Ham for his destination.

[olliemort]

Thats a shit excuse...hes homesick?So go back to France then...what the fuck is he going to London if hes homesick?It could be bullshit but if its not he can fuck right off!We have played better as a team since hes being dropped anyways.If he leaves,I can see him being a flop anyways!Pity because he looked like he could have a being a good player for us,oh well! :-[

[johnnypd]

That's disappointing.

 

I also couldn't understand the logic about homesickness and therefore moving to London though.

 

Probably because he can get to France in 2 hours.

 

You can get from Newcastle to France in not much more than that, man.

 

the difference between flying to paris from london and newcastle is half an hour.

[Guest Sniffer]

He's done fuck all for two years except pocket his pay and doesn't deserve any sympathy. Sell the twat and put the money toward  somebody who wants to play for us. 

[tmonkey]

He might find more French restaurants/designers/shops/bars/clubs/people in London than in Newcastle.

[fredbob]

That's disappointing.

 

I also couldn't understand the logic about homesickness and therefore moving to London though.

 

Probably because he can get to France in 2 hours.

 

You can get from Newcastle to France in not much more than that, man.

 

the difference between flying to paris from london and newcastle is half an hour.

 

Is there as many flights to Paris as there is at Heathrow? I mean, its not like he can go back to france everyday after training whereas London may be more accesible for his family.

[LoveItIfWeBeatU]

That's disappointing.

 

I also couldn't understand the logic about homesickness and therefore moving to London though.

 

Probably because he can get to France in 2 hours.

 

You can get from Newcastle to France in not much more than that, man.

 

the difference between flying to paris from london and newcastle is half an hour.

 

Is there as many flights to Paris as there is at Heathrow? I mean, its not like he can go back to france everyday after training whereas London may be more accesible for his family.

Is that his family who strangely live in London (said to be courtesy of his agent Willie McKay)?

 

The shit thing about N'Zogbia wanting to go to London is that it limits the clubs we can sell him to. There hasn't even been any recent rumoured interest that any of West Ham (who are supposedly on a tighter budget now) Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham are interested in N'Zogbia.

 

" End of big spending at West Ham"

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/w/west_ham_utd/7389885.stm

[Rich]

They could probably get him for less than £5M. Hardly a big fee these days.

[Guest justin99.]

club should just tell him they won't sell to another premier league team. If he's not happy with that he can spend the remainder of his contract watching the reserves.

[johnnypd]

That's disappointing.

 

I also couldn't understand the logic about homesickness and therefore moving to London though.

 

Probably because he can get to France in 2 hours.

 

You can get from Newcastle to France in not much more than that, man.

 

the difference between flying to paris from london and newcastle is half an hour.

 

Is there as many flights to Paris as there is at Heathrow? I mean, its not like he can go back to france everyday after training whereas London may be more accesible for his family.

 

there's 6 flights a day from NCL to Paris, and 6 more in the opposite direction, which is more than enough. desperately needing to move clubs cos heathrow has a couple more flights a day or the need to save 30 mins in travel time is slightly tenuous.

[Rich]

Doesn't his family live IN London though? I thought that was the issue more than anything else. Nowt to do with France.

[LoveItIfWeBeatU]

Doesn't his family live IN London though? I thought that was the issue more than anything else. Nowt to do with France.

Is that his family who strangely live in London (said to be courtesy of his agent Willie McKay)?

That's the big joke. If he wants to leave let him buy out the new contract he signed this very season. That would probably cost him more than £5 Million.

[Baggio]

Keegan has already said he will only go if the deal is right for us so he can sulk all he likes.

 

If Spurs are interested then we should push for Huddlestone, Lennon or Bale as part of the deal.

[Rich]

Spurs were in for him in January, but signed Gilberto instead, so I'm unsure as to whether they'd try for him again.

 

Apparently it was them lot who turned his head again.