Sébastien Bassong (now retired)

[ChezGiven]

So was Llambias talking utter shit then?

 

Iirc it was someone other than Derek at the meeting who asked the question 'who have been this seasons best players?'

 

 

[TRon]

So now Keegan signed all the players?

 

Wonder why he left then?

 

No, Keegan only signed the good ones

 

Fair question though, everyone is clammering stake this as evidence that the club is run by liars without taking account of the fact that it undermines the claim that Keegan 'had to leave because of interference'.

 

What fucking interference?

 

The only players we now know for a fact he had a hand in signing were Guthrie and Bassong. Jonas, Colo, Xisco, Gonzalez are still unaccounted for but due to the league they played in i'd wager Wise, Vetere and Jiminez were behind them.

 

There is also the matter of the Milner transfer and the noises made with regards to areas we needed to improve in. Oh, and there's also the Owen contract which Keegan was calling to be extended all summer.

 

Just because Keegan signed one player (To be honest I had it on good authority that Guthrie, Bassong and Zayette were KK's only dealings. I was thrown when DL said otherwise.) doesn't mean there was no intereference. There are still a boatload of unanswered questions, such as why Mike Ashley said that there would be no interference until Keegan left when apparently he knew he wouldn't have control. It's not a black and white issue.

 

With him on the record as being happy as fuck about Jonas and Colo, it seems a massive shame that the club's fortunes have been determined by a disagreement of opinion over a non-entity like James fucking Milner.

 

What a waste if true.

 

Getting rid of Milner for £12 million looked like a masterstroke...until it was revealed they've got until around 2030 to pay off the fucking transfer.

 

I don't think it was the only problem, but along with Barton it was the one that broke the camel's back.

 

Thats my point, this stuff about Bassong shows there was less areas of contention than previously thought.

 

I don't think it does. As i've said i've been told that Bassong and Guthrie were Keegan's only two signings. Aside from tampering with the players we've bought and sold there's other elements such as lack of transfers, squad depth, Owen's contract and the apparent breakdown in communication between Llambias and Keegan which resulted in  Llambias "wanting to punch him".

 

The camel in question had a lot of shite heaped on it before the Milner deal was thrown on the pile.

 

The shite that the camel had heaped on it is the same sort of shite that most camels have to put up with tbh. Not many managers can dictate who gets contracts for how much and what the transfer spend should be, which players are not to be sold at any price etc.

 

 

[David Icke - Son of God]

So now Keegan signed all the players?

 

Wonder why he left then?

 

No, Keegan only signed the good ones

 

Fair question though, everyone is clammering stake this as evidence that the club is run by liars without taking account of the fact that it undermines the claim that Keegan 'had to leave because of interference'.

 

What fucking interference?

 

The only players we now know for a fact he had a hand in signing were Guthrie and Bassong. Jonas, Colo, Xisco, Gonzalez are still unaccounted for but due to the league they played in i'd wager Wise, Vetere and Jiminez were behind them.

 

There is also the matter of the Milner transfer and the noises made with regards to areas we needed to improve in. Oh, and there's also the Owen contract which Keegan was calling to be extended all summer.

 

Just because Keegan signed one player (To be honest I had it on good authority that Guthrie, Bassong and Zayette were KK's only dealings. I was thrown when DL said otherwise.) doesn't mean there was no intereference. There are still a boatload of unanswered questions, such as why Mike Ashley said that there would be no interference until Keegan left when apparently he knew he wouldn't have control. It's not a black and white issue.

 

With him on the record as being happy as fuck about Jonas and Colo, it seems a massive shame that the club's fortunes have been determined by a disagreement of opinion over a non-entity like James fucking Milner.

 

What a waste if true.

 

Getting rid of Milner for £12 million looked like a masterstroke...until it was revealed they've got until around 2030 to pay off the fucking transfer.

 

I don't think it was the only problem, but along with Barton it was the one that broke the camel's back.

 

Thats my point, this stuff about Bassong shows there was less areas of contention than previously thought.

 

I don't think it does. As i've said i've been told that Bassong and Guthrie were Keegan's only two signings. Aside from tampering with the players we've bought and sold there's other elements such as lack of transfers, squad depth, Owen's contract and the apparent breakdown in communication between Llambias and Keegan which resulted in  Llambias "wanting to punch him".

 

The camel in question had a lot of shite heaped on it before the Milner deal was thrown on the pile.

 

The shite that the camel had heaped on it is the same sort of shite that most camels have to put up with tbh. Not many managers can dictate who gets contracts for how much and what the transfer spend should be, which players are not to be sold at any price etc.

 

 

 

I think you'll find most top flight managers get to do just that, as seen by the outpouring of sympathy towards Keegan by other Premiership managers after he walked.

[AyeDubbleYoo]

I think you'll find most top flight managers get to do just that, as seen by the outpouring of sympathy towards Keegan by other Premiership managers after he walked.

 

They like to come across as being completely in charge, but I wouldn't be surprised at all if a lot of them have a whole range of restrictions on them.

 

After all, the manager isn't the head of the football club, he's part of the structure.

 

(Disclaimer: obviously when the club is so successful that you can afford to spend almost anything and never need to sell, the manager's position is a lot stronger. e.g. Fergie)

[David Icke - Son of God]

I think you'll find most top flight managers get to do just that, as seen by the outpouring of sympathy towards Keegan by other Premiership managers after he walked.

 

They like to come across as being completely in charge, but I wouldn't be surprised at all if a lot of them have a whole range of restrictions on them.

 

After all, the manager isn't the head of the football club, he's part of the structure.

 

(Disclaimer: obviously when the club is so successful that you can afford to spend almost anything and never need to sell, the manager's position is a lot stronger. e.g. Fergie)

 

They have limits imposed on them regarding fees, both transferwise and wagewise. Nothing much else though.

[Unbelievable]

No surprise to see the usual suspects twisting and turning to make it look exactly like it is: within days of Llambias coming out with a bold statement regarding the subject he supposedly can't talk about for legal reasons he is shown up as downright lying about it. I don't know  what frustrates me more at this point: the incompetence of those in charge or the unconditional faith shown to them by some people on here.

[Guest]

No surprise to see the usual suspects twisting and turning to make it look exactly like it is: within days of Llambias coming out with a bold statement regarding the subject he supposedly can't talk about for legal reasons he is shown up as downright lying about it. I don't know  what frustrates me more at this point: the incompetence of those in charge or the unconditional faith shown to them by some people on here.

 

What about the people who twisted/ignored the fact that Keegan spoke to Xisco, welcoming him, and laying out the plans for the club to him the day before he signed? That still never stopped people saying Xisco was signed above his head.

[AyeDubbleYoo]

I'm not showing anyone 'unconditional faith' BTW, they certainly haven't done anything to deserve that. All I'm saying is that the picture of what happened is completely unclear and I'm not going to slag off my club based on rumour and speculation.

[TRon]

It's pretty typical that who signed Bassong is now being used as something else to bash the club with. I'm pretty sure Ashley would have preferred Keegan to still be here signing more players if things hadn't gone pear shaped anyway.

[Jayson]

Its down to Ashleys decision making that Keegan ISNT still here.

 

I fail to see how they cant be blamed. We now find out our best player was a keegan signing & not wise.........what a suprise.

[johnnypd]

if Llambias was 'lying' about Bassong why are people accepting what he said about Xisco? Considering the legal issues and looking at bit closer at his comments it was apparently said that Bassong was a wise signing "in so far as he did the negotiations" or words to that effect, so its obvious that Llambias is speaking in technicalities rather than full out saying Bassong is Wise's or Xisco Keegan's. If he is using a mere technicality to put Bassong down to Wise, then he may well be doing the same with Xisco, knowing that Keegan met with him and perhaps okay'd the deal based on the assumption he was getting other players in who never materialised.

 

my problem with his comments arent so much with who he says signed who, but the fact that he IS saying that, that he thinks it's at all important. it shows the divisive attitude which caused the problems within the club originally still exists. i'd expect fans on a website to vent hot air and point score by dividing up the squad, but it's downright unprofessional for the club chairman to attempt the same. i dont think Llambias has it in him to act clearly and objectively as a mediator between different facets of the club (or even between fans and club) based on press releases sanctioned by him (the 'it is a fact' farce) and by what he's reported to have said in these discussions. out of his depth.

[S.S.R.]

Not that I particularly give a damn about who signed Bassong, or any of this other mundane rubbish, but I don't think Bassong knows exactly who "spotted" him or who facilitated his transfer. In all likelihood , it makes the player feel better about coming to a club, if he thinks the manager has been looking at him. As he says himself, "it was a big thrill when Kevin Keegan wanted to sign me". I doubt he's jumping with glea because Derek Llambias is an admirer.

 

No. Bassong said first contact was his agent to Keegan, because they knew each other.

 

Then Keegan went to his games to see how he fared.

 

Bassong signed because he respected Keegan.

 

Pretty clear cut.

 

I'm a KK acolyte, but Bassong is such a good defender, I'm surprised he didn't give him a trial, knock him back and let him go to Liverpool, tbh.

[TRon]

if Llambias was 'lying' about Bassong why are people accepting what he said about Xisco? Considering the legal issues and looking at bit closer at his comments it was apparently said that Bassong was a wise signing "in so far as he did the negotiations" or words to that effect, so its obvious that Llambias is speaking in technicalities rather than full out saying Bassong is Wise's or Xisco Keegan's. If he is using a mere technicality to put Bassong down to Wise, then he may well be doing the same with Xisco, knowing that Keegan met with him and perhaps okay'd the deal based on the assumption he was getting other players in who never materialised.

 

my problem with his comments arent so much with who he says signed who, but the fact that he IS saying that, that he thinks it's at all important. it shows the divisive attitude which caused the problems within the club originally still exists. i'd expect fans on a website to vent hot air and point score by dividing up the squad, but it's downright unprofessional for the club chairman to attempt the same. i dont think Llambias has it in him to act clearly and objectively as a mediator between different facets of the club (or even between fans and club) based on press releases sanctioned by him (the 'it is a fact' farce) and by what he's reported to have said in these discussions. out of his depth.

 

We don't know for a fact that Llambais is lying though, Bassong was clearly one of those players who fit the profile of the type of player the club were looking to sign. Like Guthrie this was one of those signings that both Wise and Keegan were on the same page on, that was how the system was supposed to work ideally.

 

 

[Disco]

Hope to fuck this cunt doesn't leave if we stay up.

[Yorkie]

Hope to fuck this cunt doesn't leave if we stay up.

 

If Kinnear gets the job then i'd blame no one for leaving. No one. The club would officially be going absolutely nowhere.

[Disco]

Hope to fuck this cunt doesn't leave if we stay up.

 

If Kinnear gets the job then i'd blame no one for leaving. No one. The club would officially be going absolutely nowhere.

 

Know what your saying. If JFK stays i don't blame any of our players for seeking a move problem is it'll only be the ones we want to stay that will leave we'll still be left with the shit in the squad such as Duff, Shola, Butt etc etc.

[Unbelievable]

if Llambias was 'lying' about Bassong why are people accepting what he said about Xisco? Considering the legal issues and looking at bit closer at his comments it was apparently said that Bassong was a wise signing "in so far as he did the negotiations" or words to that effect, so its obvious that Llambias is speaking in technicalities rather than full out saying Bassong is Wise's or Xisco Keegan's. If he is using a mere technicality to put Bassong down to Wise, then he may well be doing the same with Xisco, knowing that Keegan met with him and perhaps okay'd the deal based on the assumption he was getting other players in who never materialised.

 

my problem with his comments arent so much with who he says signed who, but the fact that he IS saying that, that he thinks it's at all important. it shows the divisive attitude which caused the problems within the club originally still exists. i'd expect fans on a website to vent hot air and point score by dividing up the squad, but it's downright unprofessional for the club chairman to attempt the same. i dont think Llambias has it in him to act clearly and objectively as a mediator between different facets of the club (or even between fans and club) based on press releases sanctioned by him (the 'it is a fact' farce) and by what he's reported to have said in these discussions. out of his depth.

 

We don't know for a fact that Llambais is lying though, Bassong was clearly one of those players who fit the profile of the type of player the club were looking to sign. Like Guthrie this was one of those signings that both Wise and Keegan were on the same page on, that was how the system was supposed to work ideally.

 

 

 

We don't?

 

Things were starting to heat up now and when the matter of transfer policy was returned to and specifically DW’s role at the club someone asked, who bought Xisco; KK came the immediate reply. Gonzalez; ah, that’s a difficult one, move on. Pressed again about DW, DL reiterated his undying love support for the little man, the work he was doing and the fact that he had an office at Benton. Obviously riled, DL mentioned Bassong as a Wise signing; in so much that he completed the deal asking who we thought had been our best player so far this season and answering Bassong, along with most of the gathered group

 

“I came to Newcastle because my agent knew Kevin Keegan and my agent told him he had me and that I was a good player at Metz.

 

“Kevin Keegan had seen me play one or two times for France Under-21s and he asked my agent if I could come for a trial to see how I was with my teammates and how I felt about living in England.

 

“After the trial, Kevin Keegan was happy, the staff were happy, so I signed. It was a big thrill for me when someone of Kevin Keegan’s stature wanted to sign me.

 

Keep twisting and turning..

[BeloEmre]

“I came to Newcastle because my agent knew Kevin Keegan and my agent told him he had me and that I was a good player at Metz.

 

“Kevin Keegan had seen me play one or two times for France Under-21s and he asked my agent if I could come for a trial to see how I was with my teammates and how I felt about living in England.

 

“After the trial, Kevin Keegan was happy, the staff were happy, so I signed. It was a big thrill for me when someone of Kevin Keegan’s stature wanted to sign me.

But Keegan emerged after the game to tell me: “I thought Sebastien did very well, and he now goes back to Metz.

 

“We’ve got a chance to sign him, and I’ll talk with Dennis, and just see where we go from here.

 

“That’s the first time I’ve seen him in a match. He’s a nice lad. We had him all week. He’s in the French Under-21s so he’s no mug – he can play.”

 

 

[James]

Tbf, it would be a typical KK white lie to boost his confidence.

[Guest]

I came to Newcastle because my agent knew Kevin Keegan and my agent told him he had me and that I was a good player at Metz.

 

Kevin Keegan had seen me play one or two times for France Under-21s and he asked my agent if I could come for a trial to see how I was with my teammates and how I felt about living in England.

 

After the trial, Kevin Keegan was happy, the staff were happy, so I signed. It was a big thrill for me when someone of Kevin Keegans stature wanted to sign me.

But Keegan emerged after the game to tell me: I thought Sebastien did very well, and he now goes back to Metz.

 

Weve got a chance to sign him, and Ill talk with Dennis, and just see where we go from here.

 

Thats the first time Ive seen him in a match. Hes a nice lad. We had him all week. Hes in the French Under-21s so hes no mug he can play.

 

 

 

Hahaha.

[Taylor Swift]

I'm guessing the quote is fake... ?

[Guest]

Au contraire.

 

http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/nufc/newcastle-united-news/2008/07/28/keegan-and-wise-hold-talks-on-bassong-72703-21417929/

[Unbelievable]

I came to Newcastle because my agent knew Kevin Keegan and my agent told him he had me and that I was a good player at Metz.

 

Kevin Keegan had seen me play one or two times for France Under-21s and he asked my agent if I could come for a trial to see how I was with my teammates and how I felt about living in England.

 

After the trial, Kevin Keegan was happy, the staff were happy, so I signed. It was a big thrill for me when someone of Kevin Keegans stature wanted to sign me.

But Keegan emerged after the game to tell me: I thought Sebastien did very well, and he now goes back to Metz.

 

Weve got a chance to sign him, and Ill talk with Dennis, and just see where we go from here.

 

Thats the first time Ive seen him in a match. Hes a nice lad. We had him all week. Hes in the French Under-21s so hes no mug he can play.

 

 

 

Hahaha.

 

So are you saying Bassong is lying now, or could Keegan have been referring to seeing Bassong play in the flesh/in a black and white shirt for the first time?

[Guest]

If he was referring simply to that, you'd have thought he'd have said when he mentioned the, "He’s in the French Under-21s so he’s no mug," line that he'd seen him before surely?

[Unbelievable]

If he was referring simply to that, you'd have thought he'd have said when he mentioned the, "He’s in the French Under-21s so he’s no mug," line that he'd seen him before surely?

 

Similarly, Bassong would have referred to people from the club watching him as a France U21 performer, rather than specifically mentioning Keegan as the one approached by his agent because of their previous dealings together..

 

Why would it bug you if Bassong wasn´t a Wise find by the way?