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Woodgate!


Guest Bramble OG

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Guest smoggeordie

I also got told once that he tried to do a runner from Central Park (smoggie italian place) because a waitress turned him down :lol:

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Woodgate content to keep options open

By Rob Stewart

 

Jonathan Woodgate will make his 27th appearance of the season for Middlesbrough today when he returns to St James' Park and believes he has already made Newcastle regret their failure to re-hire him last summer.

 

   

The clubs were locked in a race for Woodgate's services when Real Madrid let him leave the Bernabeu on loan last summer after two injury-blighted seasons that saw the former Newcastle player figure just 12 times among the galacticos. Since then Woodgate has regained his place in the England squad, while excelling in Boro's defence. Newcastle have struggled at the back, with just four clean sheets in the Premiership compared to their neighbours' seven.

 

As he looked ahead to the Tyne-Tees derby, Newcastle manager Glenn Roeder hinted at former misgivings over the reliability of a centre-half his club sold to Real for £13.4 million in 2004.

 

"That's Glenn's opinion but it might have backfired on him a bit," Woodgate said.

 

"I was always confident in my ability to stay fit this season. I'd done a full pre-season with Madrid and not had a niggle. Even then I expected to get back into the England squad."

 

 

Woodgate was won over by the lure of his home-town club. "I always said if I had the opportunity to come to Boro, I would come. I am a Boro lad," Woodgate added. "Newcastle wanted me but I don't know if they wanted me as much as Boro."

 

Woodgate will leave any decision on his long-term future until the summer. "I've not ruled out a move to another Premier League club but I'm a Madrid player," said Woodgate, whose future will be settled by three factors: happiness, ambition and European football. "My options are open," he said.

 

 

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Woodgate content to keep options open

By Rob Stewart

 

Jonathan Woodgate will make his 27th appearance of the season for Middlesbrough today when he returns to St James' Park and believes he has already made Newcastle regret their failure to re-hire him last summer.

 

   

The clubs were locked in a race for Woodgate's services when Real Madrid let him leave the Bernabeu on loan last summer after two injury-blighted seasons that saw the former Newcastle player figure just 12 times among the galacticos. Since then Woodgate has regained his place in the England squad, while excelling in Boro's defence. Newcastle have struggled at the back, with just four clean sheets in the Premiership compared to their neighbours' seven.

 

As he looked ahead to the Tyne-Tees derby, Newcastle manager Glenn Roeder hinted at former misgivings over the reliability of a centre-half his club sold to Real for £13.4 million in 2004.

 

"That's Glenn's opinion but it might have backfired on him a bit," Woodgate said.

 

"I was always confident in my ability to stay fit this season. I'd done a full pre-season with Madrid and not had a niggle. Even then I expected to get back into the England squad."

 

 

Woodgate was won over by the lure of his home-town club. "I always said if I had the opportunity to come to Boro, I would come. I am a Boro lad," Woodgate added. "Newcastle wanted me but I don't know if they wanted me as much as Boro."

 

Woodgate will leave any decision on his long-term future until the summer. "I've not ruled out a move to another Premier League club but I'm a Madrid player," said Woodgate, whose future will be settled by three factors: happiness, ambition and European football. "My options are open," he said.

 

Well considering he wanted Huth rather than Woodgate and saw us ending up with neither I have slightly more misgivings concerning Roeder himself.

 

I hope this put to an end any further spurious speculation that Woodgate might come back because it sure as hell doesn't look likely under Glenn. Mr reliable Anton 'where the fuck has the ball gone now' Ferdinand on the other hand....  :undecided:

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Guest Bramble OG

To be fair no one expected Woodgate to stay fit - That said for a loan signing it would have been worth making more of a effort for him.

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Guest smoggeordie

Jonathan Woodgate returns to Newcastle today insisting Glenn Roeder's concerns over his fitness have backfired on the United manager. Woodgate revealed yesterday he had met the Magpies boss to discuss a return to St James's Park before deciding to move to his hometown club on a season's loan from Real Madrid.

 

Although the former Leeds star was tempted by a move back to Tyneside - and has not ruled out a return in the future - he suggested the emotional lure of his hometown club and the enthusiasm of Gareth Southgate and chairman Steve Gibson swung a difficult decision in Middlesbrough's favour.

 

Roeder yesterday admitted he had some interest in signing the talented centre-back but also said he was not certain the England international had finally recovered from the injuries which have blighted his career. Woodgate, who has played 25 games for Boro this season in all competitions following his return to England, said: "I talked to both Newcastle and Middlesbrough. Glenn seemed keen enough, but I liked the way Gareth and Steve Gibson were.

 

"Glenn seems like a really nice bloke and so is the Newcastle chairman, but I decided to opt for Boro because I am from here and the manager and the chairman were really good."

 

Despite talking to Woodgate in the summer, Roeder conceded he had misgivings about his fitness record following two disastrous years in Spain.

 

He said: "When he has been fit he hasn't done anything to change my mind about what a good defender he is, but you needed a crystal ball, nobody knew.

 

"You're talking about a guy who's hugely talented, but I don't think he'd started 10 games in basically two seasons so how the hell could anyone be certain that he'd play as many games as he has?

 

"He's had a few minor injuries and I bet there were plenty of people who thought that would be the start of him being out for six months. He has always come back in one or two weeks."

 

Woodgate, though, is adamant he was never in any doubt that his fitness problems were behind him after a gruelling programme with former Leeds physio Dave Hancock last Spring and a pre-season under Fabio Capello at Real Madrid. He said: "If that's his (Roeder's) opinion, that's fair enough but obviously it might have backfired on him a bit because I've come to Middlesbrough and stayed fit.

 

"I always knew I would stay fit because I had done a pre-season at Madrid which was probably the hardest I had ever done. I'd played in all the pre-season games and worked hard on my own everyday.

 

"When I came to Middlesbrough I knew they had a great medical team behind them. When I saw Gareth I knew this is where I was coming. I came back from Madrid in April to see Dave Hancock and I knew I'd be all right when I went back to Madrid in the June. I was confident in my own ability to stay fit and obviously Middlesbrough Football Club were as well.

 

"Newcastle wanted me because they spoke to me, but it was my decision. I don't know if they wanted me as much as Boro, but at the end of the day it was my choice and I made the right decision."

 

A victory for Boro over their North-East rivals would lift them above Newcastle in the table, but while that will be Woodgate's objective this afternoon, he has not ruled out a move to Newcastle in the summer as he pledges to keep all his options open.

 

He said: "I will decide at the end of the season. I'm extremely happy here, but I still have a contract at Madrid and I'm their player. I'll take all my options into account. My long term considerations are happiness and an ambitious club.

 

"I've not ruled out a move to another Premiership club, but I am a Real Madrid player on loan at Middlesbrough. I still have affection for Newcastle and I enjoyed my time there massively. I still care for them.

 

"I always said if I had the opportunity to play for my hometown club I would do, but my options are fully open about the future."

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We face fight for Woodgate

Mar 7 2007

By Luke Edwards, The Journal

 

Kieron Dyer will use all his powers of persuasion to try to bring Jonathan Woodgate back to Newcastle United in the summer - but he fears he is already fighting a losing battle.

 

Woodgate's first return to St James's Park last weekend fittingly brought him a clean sheet and a point for current club Middlesbrough, as the centre-back gave a timely reminder of his class.

 

But although United have been linked with an attempt to re-sign the Real Madrid stopper when his loan deal at Boro expires at the end of the season, Dyer has hinted his close friend will have plenty of other suitors who could turn his head.

 

Woodgate has refused to reveal his plans after this campaign, with Boro keen to turn his temporary move into a permanent deal, but Dyer feels the 27-year-old could be looking for a guarantee of Champions League football.

 

None of English football's big four - Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United or Liverpool - have publicly expressed an interest in the former Leeds man, but every one of the quartet could be attracted to a fit-again Woodgate if Real Madrid decide to sell him. "I would love him to come to Newcastle but it's going to be difficult," said Dyer, who has known Woodgate since they played in the same England Under-21 side. "The way he is playing at the moment, the fact is, it isn't just going to be Newcastle and Middlesbrough who are after him.

 

"I honestly believe the likes of Chelsea, Liverpool, Arsenal, all of them will be interested in him. There are clubs who can offer him the Champions League and one of those is Real Madrid, so who knows what is going to happen, it will be up to Jonathan because he'll have a lot of options available to him after the season he's had at Middlesbrough.

 

"I wouldn't be surprised if Real Madrid wanted to keep him. He's proven his fitness and he could go back to Spain at the end of the season. He's certainly good enough."

 

Dyer had to give up his money when he lost a bet with Woodgate on Saturday after insisting the Magpies would score against Boro, but he will not give up easily when it comes to trying to persuade the defender to return to St James's Park as a United player.

 

He said: "We saw on Saturday what a class act Jonathan Woodgate is. He's a top player, but I don't know if the manager wants him. I don't make those sorts of decisions in the transfer market.

 

"If we do try to get him in the summer, I will be on the phone every day trying to persuade him to come back to Newcastle. I did that last summer when I knew he was coming back (to England) and I did the same when he was at Leeds and Newcastle had a bid accepted.

 

"But at the moment he is a Boro player and there were reports during the last international break that they were close to getting him, so it's a bit disrespectful to be talking about trying to get him to come to Newcastle at this stage."

 

Meanwhile, Newcastle manager Glenn Roeder is expected to make a decision about whether to sign Whitley Bay striker Lee Kerr this week.

 

The 19-year-old, who has scored 20 goals in the Arngrove Northern League this season, has been on trial with Newcastle and played for the reserves in their 0-0 draw with Bolton on Monday night.

 

Kerr had a couple of decent chances and, although he failed to take them, the Jarrow teenager is still believed to have impressed the coaching staff at St James's Park, having initially caught the eye when he scored in Bay's shock victory over Newcastle's reserve team in the Northumberland Senior Cup last month.

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Guest Geordiesned

From today's Chronicle;

 

The United chief was also bemused to read reports today that Kieron Dyer was trying to persuade Jonathan Woodgate to return to St James' Park, as the defender is not on Roeder's summer shopping list.

 

And in any case, all the talk in football is that Woodgate will be on his way to Arsenal in an £80,000-a-week move in the summer.

 

FFS Oliver! The story was written by the bloke at the next desk!

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