Still not worthy of a thread

[Super Duper Branko Strupar]

22 minutes ago, The Prophet said:

1 hour ago, The College Dropout said:

Can you paste the article please?

 

It started getting good then it asked me to login.

 

I was hoping some kind soul might do it.

 

Quote

Not always the club’s fault’: The truth about Newcastle’s biggest transfer misses under Mike Ashley
 

Newcastle’s ex-chief scout Graham Carr on unearthing gems in France, Ashley missing out on Eden Hazard, Raphael Varane and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, and why Sandro Tonali will come good
The truth about Newcastle's biggest transfer misses under Mike Ashley

He is the man who helped turned the black and white of Newcastle into the red, white and blue of the French tricolor. But for Graham Carr, the former Newcastle United chief scout who recalls riding the Eurostar to buy four French players on one January afternoon ten years ago, there will be no split loyalties when Paris Saint-Germain come to town on Wednesday. “I love French football, I felt like I spent half my scouting career on a Eurostar to Lille watching one match or another, but Newcastle United is my club,” he tells i over a riotous hour recalling his rollercoaster seven years on Tyneside.

Carr is 78 years old now and has been semi-retired for five years but the phone still rings. Earlier this week it was the man from L’Equipe, a newspaper he became very friendly with when he was trying to attract the best of Ligue 1‘s talent for Newcastle’s French revolution. A judiciously placed story every now and then was one way of keeping the club on the back pages in France. The other was keeping black and white boots on the ground, and usually that meant Carr, notebook in hand, introducing himself to agents, rival scouts, taxi drivers. Anyone who spoke English and had a snippet of insider info, essentially.

“I lived between Northampton and Kettering station so within 50 minutes I could be at St Pancras station,” he explains. “Then I was an hour and a half from Lille – which was easier than getting to Manchester – and the players we were looking at were a hell of lot cheaper than the ones we’d have seen in Manchester.” And, in many cases, much better. “It was a great market and it worked for us,” he says. “Our wage structure was about £40,000-a-week. These lads were on about 20,000 Euros so a lot of them came to us for £30,000-a-week, which made a big difference to them but didn’t break the bank for Newcastle.”
 

Hatem Ben Arfa was his first big signing in 2011, persuading a sceptical owner Mike Ashley over a conference call that he was “a perfect number ten, able to come in from the left on his right foot”. Then came Yohan Cabaye, a player he’d first seen playing for France’s U18s in a tournament in Belfast. “Great attitude,” he recalls. “Not the biggest but a superb long range passer and a tough bugger.” Moussa Sissoko was signed in 2013 for £1.5m from Toulouse and Mathieu Debuchy nicked the same year, like Cabaye, from Lille. For a time it felt like he could do no wrong but he still recalls the ones that got away.

There was a private plane ride with Ashley to Saint-Etienne to watch a 16-year-old Kurt Zouma and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. Carr told him both would be worth tens of millions but “nothing came of it”. He alerted the club to a young Hugo Lloris, passed on a tip about an academy prospect called Eden Hazard and also remembers ringing managing director Derek Llambias excitedly about Raphael Varane, then a 17-year-old defender at Lens, and telling him Newcastle had to have him. “It wasn’t always the club’s fault though you know,” he says.
 

“Newcastle is a fantastic place – and Northumberland is beautiful on its doorstep – but some of these lads, their first thought was how cold it is up there and why would you want to play there? And with some of them, you knew their agents had bigger things in mind. “It’s why I’m so happy about where the club is now. You can sell them the Champions League and wanting to win things, which we couldn’t really at the time.” Despite the tight budget he got on well with Ashley, understood what made him tick and has remained on good terms with his former employer who – he admits – “Looked after me when I left”. Club meetings could be held on Ashley’s boat in Saint-Tropez and on one occasion, when a fed-up Carr was contemplating leaving, a helicopter landed close to his house and the owner turned up to talk him round.

 

“Mike’s first thought when you put a player in was ‘Will we get our money back?'” he admits. He left when Rafael Benitez pitched up on Tyneside. “Rafa just wanted to run everything,” he says. These days his football trips are restricted to Sixfields, where he is a director at Northampton Town. But he’s a regular visitor to son Alan, who he spent the weekend with in the company of Amanda Holden. Alan is writing a second series of his successful Changing Ends sitcom, the semi-autobiographical tale of growing up gay in a football mad household in which Graham was depicted by actor Shaun Dooley. “I met him and the rest of the cast for lunch, he did a great job,” he says. “The second series is when I won the league at Northampton so I’m looking forward to that one.” 

 

But the scout in him is never far from the surface. Before he hangs up he wants to chat Sandro Tonali and his mixed start in black and white and before long he’s selling him to me. “Good player, good age, short and long range passer. He’ll come good, you know…."

 

[MrRaspberryJam]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/67005713

 

 

Jude Bellingham: 'A little Di Stefano, a little Zidane' - Real Madrid have a new hero

 

 

It is a goal already being talked about as a possible Puskas award winner.

 

Picking the ball up 40 yards from goal, Real Madrid's Jude Bellingham waltzed his way past various Napoli defenders before curling into the net for a Champions League moment that will long be remembered.

 

Real may have been 3-2 winners in Tuesday's thriller, but it was the boy from Stourbridge who stole the show once more.

 

Just when you didn't think things could get any better for Real's 103m euro summer signing, 20-year England midfielder Bellingham made sure he was the talk of Europe across the newspapers, TV, radio and social media.

 

Nine games, eight goals. Bellingham's start to life at Real - after joining from Borussia Dortmund - has been simply sensational.

 

His arms aloft celebration is already becoming iconic among Real fans, while the Spanish media are purring in admiration.

 

'A little Di Stefano, a little Zidane' and 'It was like Maradona' were two of the latest headlines.

 

"I believe in myself, but I didn't know it would be this good," said Bellingham. "I owe it to the staff and my team-mates."

 

From humble beginnings to shining on the biggest stages

 

Asked about any comparison with former Argentina and Napoli great Diego Maradona, though, Bellingham was quick to downplay them.

 

"That's a bit too much," he said. "It was a nice goal. From what I've seen on YouTube and documentaries, his quality was a bit more than mine, or a lot more. I'm just trying to contribute in a Jude way.

 

"It may have been one of my best goals. We were facing a great team and in a great stadium. The most important thing has been the victory and having contributed to it. It is important to continue with this pace."

 

When Bellingham left Birmingham for Dortmund for £25m in 2020, becoming the most expensive 17-year-old in the history of football, the Championship side were mocked by some for retiring the teenager's shirt number, despite his only playing one full season.

 

Who's laughing now? He has been described as a possible three-time Ballon d'Or winner by former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand and is now seen as a key man for both England and Real Madrid.

 

Spanish football expert Guillem Balague has even described Bellingham as "the best player in the world right now".

 

After watching Bellingham drive Real to the top of La Liga and in control of their Champions League group, manager Carlo Ancelotti, said: "I'm surprised he's only 20 years old because he looks like he's 30 because of his character and attitude.

 

"He is always focused on the game and knows what he has to do. It's unusual for a 20-year-old. He has a lot of quality, physical strength and skill. He surprises me like he does to everyone else."

Forget Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema. Real appear to have found a new formidable partnership.

 

Brazil forward Vinicius Jr, just back from injury, and Bellingham have struck up a friendship on and off the field that will be ominous for the rest of Europe.

 

"He's incredible," Bellingham said of 23-year-old Vinicius. "He's probably the best in the world.

 

"He's one of the most talented players I've ever played with. He makes games easier for me with his speed and his ability."

 

The admiration is mutual.

 

"I wanted Jude at Real Madrid," said Vinicius after the Napoli game. "I sent many messages to Bellingham last year. I was texting every day and I was telling him: come to Madrid."

[Guest]

Turkey have withdrawn from the running for Euro 2028, does that mean the UK and Ireland bid gets it?

[Interpolic]

48 minutes ago, Super Duper Branko Strupar said:

“Mike’s first thought when you put a player in was ‘Will we get our money back?'”

 

 

[Magpie]

Klippity wants the Spurs game replayed ???

[jack j]

 

Just watched this

 

45 mins of indirect fergie bashing...

 

[joeyt]

 

“Ah, God, look at that. Stupid. Get front cover and pull a daft face. Typical.”

 

“You look quite young there.”

 

“Photogenic. Sort of natural.”

 

“It’s 6 years old”

 

“Yeah. I got it out today to throw it away

 

[toon25]

57 minutes ago, jack j said:

 

Just watched this

 

45 mins of indirect fergie bashing...

 

 

Probably because Ferguson was willing to call him out on becoming a celebrity more than a footballer.

 

Definitely been on the Botox too 

[GeordieDazzler]

25 minutes ago, joeyt said:

 

“Ah, God, look at that. Stupid. Get front cover and pull a daft face. Typical.”

 

“You look quite young there.”

 

“Photogenic. Sort of natural.”

 

“It’s 6 years old”

 

“Yeah. I got it out today to throw it away

 

I thought he’d given him the Huxley book when I first saw the pic would have been very random.

[Kid Icarus]

I thought that might have been what joey t was quoting at first but no, of course it's David Brent. It's never anyone else. 

[The College Dropout]

38 minutes ago, toon25 said:

 

Probably because Ferguson was willing to call him out on becoming a celebrity more than a footballer.

 

Definitely been on the Botox too 

Looks like a bit more than Botox.

 

Think he was a good professional mind.

 

Think Messi is looking to follow in his footsteps on owning a "franchise" right?

 

A lot of Messi talk - I wanted to hear Fergie bashing.

 

 

Edited October 4, 2023 by The College Dropout

[NSG]

Apparently the first 3 games of the 2030 World Cup will be in South America and the rest in Spain, Portugal and Morocco  

[joeyt]

8 minutes ago, NSG said:

Apparently the first 3 games of the 2030 World Cup will be in South America and the rest in Spain, Portugal and Morocco  

 

Sounds like absolute chaos

 

 

 

 

[54]

What in the clusterfuck is that  

[Ameritoon]

why can't they just be normal

[The College Dropout]

Geographically, the three host nations make sense. But I imagine it is much more difficult to navigate in reality.

 

 

The South American thing is just.....

[Orphanage]

Blast from the past . Imagine calling NUFC fans toxic cos they wanted Bruce out ? 

 

[Village Idiot]

I was too little to attend the 1982 WC, I hope to be able to grab tickets for this one. 

 

[Disco]

[Chapo]

I wonder will FIFA still shite on about “carbon neutral tournament”  during that one. 

[plenum]

Listened to the cnut last night and cringed. He's here on TNT tonight as well. He offers NOTHING. Why the hell can't they find a better punter than Ri* Feridicant?

[TheBrownBottle]

On 04/11/2022 at 18:14, Froggy said:

 

 This is one of the saddest things to read about constantly. Most supporters of teams with United in their name will call their team United. You ask 95% of football fans worldwide who they think of when someone says United and it's Manchester United. It's not a big deal.

 

So if we win our game in hand will Sutton start calling you Newcastle United and us United again? What a plonker.

Never arsed me people not calling us ‘Newcastle United’.  But calling Man Utd ‘United’ does arse me.

 

Personally, I think it’s because so few of your supporters come from Manchester that the ‘Manchester’ bit never was important to them …  

[hakka]

Wasn't there a thread on here dedicated to photoshoping things from recent matches? Would be fun to kick that off again. Who used to set them up each week?

 

Spoiler

Can't be assed to find it myself

 

[toon25]

Bring back Football in Paint thread imo 

[Superior Acuña]

Boca-Fluminense Copa Libertadores final confirmed. Should be a belter.