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A walk down memory lane - regretful sales


Raconteur

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NOTE #1 I am aware this has the potential to descend into a slanging match on a couple of grounds (eg boardroom influence in the comings and goings, now and in the past). Please restrain yourselves lads! :lol: This is intended as a wistful walk down memory lane, with a tinge of what might have been!

 

NOTE #2 Please don't everyone say Craig Bellamy. Yes, I can appreciate that for a lot of fans he might be the number one regretful sale, but I'd love it if this didn't descend into a Bellamy v Souness (or whatever) flame war!

 

 

During my time of supporting Newcastle Untied they have always been a buying club, rather than a selling club. However, every club sees players come and go, so my question is "Which three players do you really regret leaving the club, and why?"

 

I guess part of my motivation is I've been watching club DVD's and am feeling melancholic, but also because we may have to face a new reality with the near-sale of Milner last summer and the likely sale of N'Zogbia next summer - are we about to become a selling club (as we were once upon a time)

 

They don't have to be the best players, just players you wish we hadn't of disposed of when we did...

 

For me, in no particular order:

 

1) Lee Clark (1997) Clarkie was one of my first Toon faves. I am abundantly aware that he wasn't world class, but I just loved the way he played, he had an exuberance that captivated me. Being sold to the mackems too, I never got my head around that. I always figured Dalglish was being plain mean

 

2) Steve Watson (1998) Another Geordie boy, who came through the ranks and busted a gut for the club for many years, playing all over the pitch when asked. Again, not the best player to pull on the black and white stripes and I guess a 4m fee dulled the pain a bit, but I always thought Gullit made a mistake there

 

3) Gary Speed (2004) Whether or not you believe what Bobby said in his book, the fact was Speed left the club, and a hole was created that still hasn't been filled nearly three years later. What's worse is that he still provides Bolton with quality service

 

I know this could be a long list - that's why there's only three, so everyone gets to have a go! :lol:

 

Who would your three be?

 

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Andy Cole - I still think Keegan only did it to show that he could. I know theres bollocks about all out play being aimed at him scoring but thats crap - if you have a 25/30 goal striker you can accomdate him into any system.

 

I'd rather have had Les Ferdinand and Andy Cole and not bothered signing Shearer.

 

 

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Guest kojak

 

David Kelly.

 

I'm sure Keegan was right, he probably wouldn't have cut it in the top division (didn't seem to with either West Ham or Sunderland), but I thought it was a real shame we sold him, particularly after the goals and effort he put in while we were fighting off relegation and the subsequent promotion. I thought he at least deserved the opportunity to play in the Premier League with us, but of course that's being sentimental which doesn't sit well with progressive football teams. Made quite a mark here considering he was only with Newcastle United for something like a season and a half.

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Guest johnson293
During my time of supporting Newcastle Untied they have always been a buying club, rather than a selling club.

 

Lucky you - some of us remember the 80's!!! (Waddle, Beardlsey, Gascoigne being sold)

 

Anyway, my 3 would be....

 

Paul Gascoigne - £2m to Spuds - Would have loved to see Gazza at his peak (90-91) playing for Newcastle. Would he still have 'imploded' without the bright lights of london, and woudl he still have gotten the crazy media interest had he stayed up here?? Guess we'll never know.

 

David Kelly - Did he join Sun'lun after us?? - As mentioned by someone else, think 'Ned' deserved the chance to play in the prem for us after his performances and important goals in 92 and 93. G(His goal against Pompey at home in 89th minute pretty much saved us from the drop to Div 2)

 

Les Ferdinand - £6m to Spuds - To this day, still can't understand how the directors felt that was a good deal for the club. >:(

 

There are others, but those three are the ones I'd have liked to stay longer than they did.

 

MJ

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Craig Bellamy - our best outfield player at the time he was shunted out of the striking positions and ultimately kicked out of the club.

 

Partick Kluivert - didnt perform well for us, but could of had he been partnered with Bellamy and used as a target man. His touch was still utter class at times.

 

Aaaron Hughes - never a top 6 Premiership fullback in terms of being a first teamer, but he was absolutely rock solid and reliable when filling in in either fullback position, and a considerably better backup centreback than the likes of OBrien, Bramble, Ramage, etc. Weve suffered so badly because of a lack of a competent fullback on one flank or the other, and have been knocked out of Europe twice because of shiite players at left back being one of the biggest factors in the resulting defeats (Elliott vs Depor, Huntington vs Alkmaar) as well as alot of goals conceeded because of shiite like Carr and Babayaro occupying the fullback slots. Hughes, although never a "good" player, was a vital player for us because of his consistency and reliability in these important positions.

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Ferdinand

 

Wasnt heartbroken at Cole, as Keegan signed more than adequate replacements, Watson, Elliott, Hughes, Bellamy, Robert etc, were all decent players, but IMO not title winners, the problem of their sales were that we didnt replace them well.

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Les Ferdinand-he was one of the best strikers here and his partnership with Shearer was pure class.Like someone else said its completely out of my mind why the hell we sold him considering the fact that Shearer was injured for the most of the season.Im not too sure maybe Shearer got injured after we sold him but nevertheless their partnership was awesome and he played alot more year after that.

 

 

David Ginola-again he was one of our best players during KK's time.I cant understand why Kenny Dalglish decided to sell him.Maybe it wasnt his decision but it was fatal mistake as it has proved after that.He won  PFA Players' Player of the Year and FWA Footballer of the Year award with spurs the same season.Huge mistake imo

 

 

Craig Bellamy-he was/is one of the best strikers in the game imo.With his pace and runs he is always big danger to the opposition's defence and his partnership with Sheaerer was really prolific.After we sold him he showed his class with Blackburn scoring alot of goals for them and he is doing the same now with Liverpool too.Class player but awful personality.SBR managed to handle him though

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Guest Emre05

Definitely Les Ferdinand - was a big mistake imo

 

Jon Dahl Tomasson - I know he wasnt great when he was with us but since he left he has turned into good striker playing for Milan along the way

 

Ginola - another player i hated to see sold , sold to Spurs just like Ferdinand...

 

 

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Guest johnson293

Les Ferdinand-he was one of the best strikers here and his partnership with Shearer was pure class.Like someone else said its completely out of my mind why the hell we sold him considering the fact that Shearer was injured for the most of the season.Im not too sure maybe Shearer got injured after we sold him but nevertheless their partnership was awesome and he played alot more year after that.

 

It was when we were playing in some pre-season tournament at Goodison Park. The Ferdinand deal was all but agreed the day before we played - then Shearer got injured - the directors tried to pull the plug, but Les decided that he had given Spuds his word, so went ahead with the transfer - doubt you could blame him really.

 

As you say, him and Shearer were an Awesome partnership scoring 40 or 50-odd goals between them the season before - but I think he had a few injuries in the run-in, and when Tottenham offered what we had payed for him, the board decided to cash in - never mind what was best for the team.

 

And our main forward that season once Shearer was injured - Jon Dahl Thomasson.

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During my time of supporting Newcastle Untied they have always been a buying club, rather than a selling club.

 

Lucky you - some of us remember the 80's!!! (Waddle, Beardlsey, Gascoigne being sold)

 

Aye, I know that we once were a selling club, and I'm kinda surprised it took half an hour for someone to mention those three players! :lol:

 

Actually no laughing matter, and as I said, part of my motivation for this stroll down memory lane is the fear that we may once again become a selling club... Lets's hope today's optimistic Chronicle report on the club's finances is more accurate than the darker picture painted by others...

 

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Les Ferdinand-he was one of the best strikers here and his partnership with Shearer was pure class.Like someone else said its completely out of my mind why the hell we sold him considering the fact that Shearer was injured for the most of the season.Im not too sure maybe Shearer got injured after we sold him but nevertheless their partnership was awesome and he played alot more year after that.

 

It was when we were playing in some pre-season tournament at Goodison Park. The Ferdinand deal was all but agreed the day before we played - then Shearer got injured - the directors tried to pull the plug, but Les decided that he had given Spuds his word, so went ahead with the transfer - doubt you could blame him really.

 

As you say, him and Shearer were an Awesome partnership scoring 40 or 50-odd goals between them the season before - but I think he had a few injuries in the run-in, and when Tottenham offered what we had payed for him, the board decided to cash in - never mind what was best for the team.

 

And our main forward that season once Shearer was injured - Jon Dahl Thomasson.

 

Ultimately another of the boards brilliant managerial decisions

 

Tino Asprilla was the other striker i think

Can you remember any reasons why we sold Ginola?

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