Transfer rumours

[Guest Howaythetoon]

Aye, same. I was the same with that kid we got from Queen’s Park last season too. Interesting to see how they pan out.

 

This for me as well.

[James]

Just compared his Peru trajectory to Solano. He’s about 18 months behind in terms of appearances etc.

 

At this age Solano was playing in Peru and wouldn’t go to Boca until next year.

[huss9]

a wonderkid? he's 21 ffs. should be regular international if that was the case.

 

Mahrez was still playing Ligue 2 football at 23 mind. Ayoze Perez was a similar age when he came from Tenerife. Obviously it’s expecting a lot but there may be the odd one or two hidden gems still out there.

 

Kante was in Ligue 2 at the age of 22/23, integral in the Leicester side that won the PL 2 seasons later.

 

yes and none of them were being called a wonderkid at the time. thats what i meant. i was having a go more at the article, than the player.

just the hyperbole in certain media outlets trying to fool us into thinking we'd made a  great signing.

nothing against the signing - but call him a "promising youngster" rather than a "wonder-kid"

[Kanji]

Bruce lowering expectations today with his patter that he doesn’t see more incomings. You know just 2 weeks after saying how well he gets on with Mike and Mike is pledging support etc.

[Happinesstan]

Bruce lowering expectations today with his patter that he doesn’t see more incomings. You know just 2 weeks after saying how well he gets on with Mike and Mike is pledging support etc.

 

I've no doubt Mike will support his latest announcement.

[KaKa]

OH MY GOD ...this is a must read

 

Graham Carr talking about scouting for Newcastle and Ashley.

 

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-8761341/Super-scout-Graham-Carr-reveals-Newcastle-United.html

 

We started talking about Ben Arfa. Mike had this thing with a 4-4-2, first-team players on £40k a week and understudies on £20k. 'He couldn't understand why we'd want Hatem and Jonas Gutierrez, two left wingers, on £40k. I knew Hatem could be brilliant, so I cut in, 'He's a No 10, actually, and he can cut in from the right'. That was it, done.

 

'But he had this plan — buy them younger than 25, with sell-on value. If I asked him to spend £10m on a 29-year-old, he'd f***ing laugh at me. Over time, that plan hasn't worked. But I do believe that he meant well.'

 

It was often said that Pardew was frustrated with Ashley's trust of Carr's judgment over his own.

 

Carr insists he has a good relationship with Pardew, but does laugh as he tells one tale from a St James' Park transfer summit.

 

'Alan had a new centre forward in mind and the analyst was ready with the clips. I'd been brought up on Jackie Milburn and watched Malcolm Macdonald, Alan Shearer. And there on the screen was (Bradford striker) Nahki Wells!

 

'I'm thinking, 'F***ing hell'. Sometimes, you have to think how the fans would react. That one never happened.'  :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

That leads into perhaps the most revealing conversation of all — the ones that got away. Carr takes a deep breath.

 

'If the club were honest and went through the records… Hakim Ziyech, Wilfred Ndidi, James Maddison. I saw Raphael Varane play for Lens when he was 17 and I called Derek Llambias (managing director) that night. You get excited when you spot one.

 

'Mike and I went to Saint-Etienne to watch (Pierre-Emerick) Aubameyang. Mike just said, 'Who am I watching?' You recommend them, but then you just don't know what happens sometimes.'

 

Riviere was the £6m striker signed on Carr's say-so in 2014. He scored even less than Joelinton during a disastrous two years on Tyneside, culminating in relegation. 'He'd played for France Under 21s and was doing well, we liked him. And then he came here…' The manner in which Carr trails off is telling.

 

I kind of want him back  :lol:

[Raconteur]

Those quotes are hilarious when they should be despairing.

 

"Which one am I watching?"

[KaKa]

After reading that I genuinely feel MA was trying to get into it, but was just so damned clueless abut football

 

However, if under Carr we had got the right manager that really knew the players he was bringing in and could organise a team to play good football, I really think things would have worked out.

 

The biggest tragedy is that when Carr finally got the chance to bring in a manager, and I'm sure he knew which ones could have got us playing decent football with the players he brought in, he went and opted for his fried McClaren instead. Terrible stuff.

[Interpolic]

I thought this bit was the funniest tbh:

 

'Benitez wanted to do it his way. I went into the boardroom and Rafa was with the head of HR, that was me done. I walked down the corridor and Lee Charnley (managing director) said, 'Cheerio, Graham'. I just kept walking. It was sad the way it turned out, especially when you love the club. And I do miss it, a lot.

 

FFS Charnley

[KaKa]

 

The Nakhi Wells one for me man.

 

Bloody Alan Pardew. So wretched.

[triggs]

I thought this bit was the funniest tbh:

 

'Benitez wanted to do it his way. I went into the boardroom and Rafa was with the head of HR, that was me done. I walked down the corridor and Lee Charnley (managing director) said, 'Cheerio, Graham'. I just kept walking. It was sad the way it turned out, especially when you love the club. And I do miss it, a lot.

 

FFS Charnley

 

What a knob

[Dinho lad]

I trust Carr's judgement overall, but the signing of Riviere was inexcusable! He's always been crap. I remember watching him for St.Etienne during his early days of his career, I was thinking to myself: 'That's the French Shola Ameobi'.

 

He was worse, of course.

[TRon]

Ironically I just wrote in one of the other threads how all things being equal, we'd be a top 6 club anyway if we hired an even half competent director to oversee the football side of it. Beggars belief that we were having minimum wage scouts reporting to a casino manager to advise about transfer targets.

 

There again, we did just take govt money to furlough our head scout for the summer so not like much has changed.

[Happinesstan]

I can kind of sympathise with Charnley for his "Cheerio Graham" but it demonstrates precisely why he shouldn't be the one in that position. At that moment he should have realised it.

[Happinesstan]

I trust Carr's judgement overall, but the signing of Riviere was inexcusable! He's always been crap. I remember watching him for St.Etienne during his early days of his career, I was thinking to myself: 'That's the French Shola Ameobi'.

 

He was worse, of course.

 

Aye. That coming at the end kind of ruined the moment for me.

[xLiaaamx]

He got a player wrong, so what? He clearly knew football and had a passion for it- and we're worse off without his input. We've generally been less effective in the market without him than we were with him.

 

If he'd been made DoF and not had to go through Charnley and Ashley we'd be better off.

[huss9]

I trust Carr's judgement overall, but the signing of Riviere was inexcusable! He's always been crap. I remember watching him for St.Etienne during his early days of his career, I was thinking to myself: 'That's the French Shola Ameobi'.

 

He was worse, of course.

 

Aye. That coming at the end kind of ruined the moment for me.

 

nee one gets it right all the time.

[KaKa]

He got a player wrong, so what? He clearly knew football and had a passion for it- and we're worse off without his input. We've generally been less effective in the market without him than we were with him.

 

If he'd been made DoF and not had to go through Charnley and Ashley we'd be better off.

 

I have to agree man. It made no sense to allow Rafa to let him go, and then not let Rafa sign the players he wanted!

 

Sounds like the guy wants the job back. I would trust him ahead of anyone we currently have.

 

If only he had brought in a competent manager when he was finally given that responsibility man. That was his biggest error really.

[Guest neesy111]

Carr was one of the reason's we got relegated, he wanted McClaren ffs.

[KaKa]

I trust Carr's judgement overall, but the signing of Riviere was inexcusable! He's always been crap. I remember watching him for St.Etienne during his early days of his career, I was thinking to myself: 'That's the French Shola Ameobi'.

 

He was worse, of course.

 

Aye. That coming at the end kind of ruined the moment for me.

 

nee one gets it right all the time.

 

Riviere would have been the cheapest option at the bottom end of his recommendations too. It was MA being cheap.

 

Now MA is prone to spending a bit more money I would love to see what Carr could do.

 

Goodness knows what he would have done with that £40 million last summer.

[xLiaaamx]

He should have been working with a younger manager for sure. For an old English bloke, Carr really loved technical players rather than old fashioned British style lads.

 

 

[triggs]

Carr was one of the reason's we got relegated, he wanted McClaren ffs.

 

A scout clearly shouldn't have the responsibility to choose managers though. He was good at finding good players

[Happinesstan]

I trust Carr's judgement overall, but the signing of Riviere was inexcusable! He's always been crap. I remember watching him for St.Etienne during his early days of his career, I was thinking to myself: 'That's the French Shola Ameobi'.

 

He was worse, of course.

 

Aye. That coming at the end kind of ruined the moment for me.

 

nee one gets it right all the time.

 

I know that. But you can't deny after talking about the possibility of PEA, it's a come down to reflect on the reality of Riviere.

[TRon]

Charnley is the real problem. He's not a football man, so he's in no position to hire competent managers in the first place. It also means he's in no position to tell Mike Ashley to keep his nose out and stick to buying retail stores.

[Happinesstan]

Charnley is the real problem. He's not a football man, so he's in no position to hire competent managers in the first place. It also means he's in no position to tell Mike Ashley to keep his nose out and stick to buying retail stores.

 

That "Cheerio Graham" suggests he's barely a human man.