Just seen the goal on Sky.

As Clarky pointed out - he hardly looked ecstatic!

Something in the pipeline with this lad?

-- Anonymous, December 17, 2000

Answers

Do you think it crossed his mind he might be scoring against his soon to be local derby neighbours......or is he wondering if someone will buy him some sun glasses for Christmas for when he moves to Italy.

If Keane comes back to the EPL, I reckon Inter will steam in with a decent offer for him

80)

-- Anonymous, December 17, 2000

Three posibilities.

1 ... He's moving to Italy, in a swap deal for Robbie Keane.

2.... He's beeing sold to Ither Man U , Leeds or Liverpool so that Bobby Robson can have the funds to buy Robbie Keane.

3 .... He's been told that he'll have to fight for the right midfield position with Nobby and Gavilan when Robbie Keane arrives on Tuesday.

-- Anonymous, December 17, 2000

Been drinking Rik?

-- Anonymous, December 17, 2000

I dont read to much into goal celebrations as to what a players is feeling, he was probably being Cantonaesque in arrogance, you know like saying, 'No big deal I do this every day!'

But if he was to go, we must get a price as close to 20m as possible, because we desperately need two new quality strikers, to give Al a much needed rest.

Also, if he does go -to me- it is a big sign of negligence of our previous two managers in not providing decent back up and competition for our first line of defence(We couldn't hold the ball up for toffee against Arsenal and look what happened.). They have wasted vast resources, on positions in the team of less importance. A high proportion of our resources in the past SHOULD have gone on decent cover. We are paying for this now! Believe it, 'we could go down with out Shearer,' in my humble and hard opinion! I think Bobby feels this too, and is playing for 40 points, then Shearer will be rested.

Perhaps our gem Kieron really needs to be cashed in.

Is it just me or have we been fecked right up by our two previous managers. Perhaps they were playing for a huge cash payment after their sackings or something?

-- Anonymous, December 17, 2000

Sorry Rik.....methinks you've got what is technically known in the medical profession as a Keane fixation.....alas there is no known cure for it.......certainly not one that Newcastle United can afford anyway.......wrong health region and all that you know!

-- Anonymous, December 17, 2000

Thanks pete for not mentioning "Drug induced speculation" and Rik in the same sentance, and know I'm not drunk yet.

I am quietly confident that a cetain young Irish striker will be wearing the Black and White shirt against Derby next week.

-- Anonymous, December 17, 2000

IF your confidence manifests itself in Robbie Keane playing for the Toon, then I shall buy you all the beer you can drink before and after the next game I get to Rik.

All bbs contributors can act as witnesses

I'll throw a pint or two in for all present aswell

-- Anonymous, December 17, 2000

Hey, Pete....That's a very sweeping offer you're making there......do you remember the advert a while back that went along the lines of Drink Canada Dry.......well when he heard it, Rik had a bloody good attempt at doing just that........

Rik.....can Aaron Hughes or Shay Given play striker? - I reckon they are likely to be the only Irishmen in B&W stripes against Derby mate

-- Anonymous, December 17, 2000

Ive never seen Dyer look ecstatic after a goal expect perhaps his everton peach. Great guy....plays as a makeshift striker and scores 3 goals in 5 games. 2 of them truly exceptional and major reasons for 6 points in the bag.

-- Anonymous, December 17, 2000

Spud, you're spot on, Dyer may not huff & puff but he's class enough to not look out of place in any position. He's someone who must be held onto & made to feel he's in club who are going to compete. He can't feel like that right now.

Pete's right we were really kipperised by our previous two managers, not so much by Gullit who's purchases will yield a profit despite some obvious blunders but were still counting the cost of TSM. I was reading Ginola's book in waterstones the other day & while I boo him every time he touches the ball his account of the Daglish is all too believable & hastened the exit of the better players.

-- Anonymous, December 17, 2000

Dyer had a good second half. It's amazing what a bit of confidence can do. Let's hope he continues in this scoring vein. Mind - he shudda scored the easier one after 4 minutes.

-- Anonymous, December 17, 2000

Sorry to be in bill mode, however I have this wet blanket here and I aim to use it.

What makes any of you think that if we sell Dyer for 20 million we will still have enough to buy Keane and others.

They will probably say, right we have the 20 you can have 6 or 7 for new players.

-- Anonymous, December 17, 2000

Along the same lines as Gus, why is everybody so sure that Keane's any better ? I take the view that selling players like Dyer before they've fully proved themselves says more about the attitude of the club than it does about Dyer.

We become branded as a selling club along with everything else, because we aren't big enough to weather this kind of storm without selling the family silver.

Call me naive, but I believe we should be in the class of clubs that would hang onto Dyer AND buy Keane. When players are no more than commodities, we have no right to whinge when the club use them as such, and screw up any hopes of continuity.

Keane, and whoever, arrive, and we have to start all over again trying to find a workable pattern, in the meantime of which, we run the risk of having the psis taken, results wise. I'd far rather we erred on the side of caution.

-- Anonymous, December 18, 2000

Give me one reason why Keane would want to play for Newcastle United. Anyone?.... thought not

-- Anonymous, December 18, 2000

I thought he had an excellent game given what he was asked to do. To play arguably our lightest player as a target man was an outrageous request. He was trying to head the ball against some man mountains and never wimped out. Deserves a pat on the back

-- Anonymous, December 18, 2000

Robbie Keane might want to play for Newcastle United because:

* its one of the top 10 Clubs in the PL
* it has the revenue potential to make it one the top Clubs in Europe
* it has an excellent Team Manager who could make him a better player.
* he represents one of perhaps three top-class additions needed to enable the Club to compete at the very top
* it is a great city in which to live. * it has the best fans, anywhere - and he knows he has the skill and potential be become an all-time hero, worshipped in perpetuity by the B&W hordes, a la Milburn & Beardsley
* it has the 2nd biggest stadium in England, and potentially the very best atmosphere in which to play
* not ALL players are greedy gold-diggers. * he realises that personal fulfillment is not necessarily about walking into manure's team and picking up a medal every other week. Being a key part in achieving that kind of success from scratch would be infinitely more rewarding.

I'm sure there are dozens more reasons if I took a few more minutes.

-- Anonymous, December 18, 2000

Gus,

I've been one of the Board's strongest critics, but to be fair you could never criticise them for not supporting successive Team Managers with cash to buy players. It's only when the money has run out that things have become difficult.

My argument has been that I don't believe there have been adequate checks and balances to ensure the money was being spent wisely.

Unless the Bank Manager has them under severe pressure to pay down debt in the short term - which I don't believe is the case - there's no reason for us to believe money received from outgoings would not be made available to BR for player acquisitions.

-- Anonymous, December 18, 2000

I think you're right Clarky. It's starting to look like the club have been hanging fire till the transfer uncertainty was sorted, and now that it looks like it is, maybe we'll get a decent Christmas box.

Can't say I'd be going into the Xmas fixtures with much confidence if there haven't been one or two major signings. Not sure stopgaps would be even a temporary answer - our luck being what it is they'd probably conk out after one game, although I suppose under those circumstances, we could just send them 'whence they came', and look for somebody else.

Worst case, we could be 9 points worse off come the start of next year.

It's a worry innit ?

-- Anonymous, December 18, 2000

I thought Dyer played well, apart from his fluffed "trademark lob" early on. I've just caught a glimpse of a headline in one of the papers in which Shearer asks fans to get off Dyers back. I'll go along with that.

-- Anonymous, December 18, 2000

I thought his goal celebration looked like "fuck off the lots of yiz" and the huddle he went into with the other players suggested this was the case. He has no doubt heard the critics.

-- Anonymous, December 18, 2000

Perhaps he's been lurking on here!!

-- Anonymous, December 18, 2000

Well, it isn't beyond the realms of the possible, is it Clarky?

-- Anonymous, December 18, 2000

Clarky, What happened in the past re funds will never happen again.

Was there an amount for YBR in the off season we were all waiting to be spent?

I think that this is one of those times when there is no money. It is because of the past buys etc. How can the transfer funds be accountable? Do we start buying by committee next?

The club backed the last 3 managers with lorry loads a cash and look where it got us. I think the clubs strategy is to build the foundations now, not go for a quick popular signing. Look at the buys that have been made. The age and style of player. We have a full first team out with injuries almost. If that is not reason enough to release some of these mythical funds for a short term fix what is?

The money is there buy a player, if not look and look and look to find a bargain on loan. Which of the above do we appear to be doing?

The city has 2 great things going for them at the moment, 1. Transfer uncertainty, this "announcement" means "f" all. It only addresses U23s and it will fall apart if the transfer system is changed anyway. 2. YBR, 99% of the supporters are still behind him. Even with a couple of tactical blunders only a few have criticised him. There is a universal belief that he is building the club and the fans will be patient. These 2 things have given the club some breathing space.

Not convinced? Why have Arse L'pool and Leeds to name 3 sides with CHAMPIONSHIP asperations stopped buying players, DOH silly me they haven't have they?

I am afraid the club is hiding something or just not telling. No I do not mean transfer names etc, but it appears we are returning to the Gullit days where Swifts taxi driver gave us more news than NUFC did.

You will note however in the above I have not placed any criticism. I still believe my other posting to be valid. I do not believe that if we sell Dyer for 20 million YBR will be allowed to spend at best option 50% of it.

Re Dyers celebration, if it was a 2 fingered salute to the bbs he probably would have lifted his shirt to reveal a t-shirt saying "who the Feck is Rik?"

-- Anonymous, December 18, 2000

It looked like a two-fingered salute at the whole of the Gallowgate.

-- Anonymous, December 18, 2000

Gus,

1. BR spent £12 million in the close season. Whatever other figures were bandied around were Press figures, NOT commitments by NUFC to their Manager - we have no idea how much BR was promised, if ndeed he was promised any particular amount.
David Stonehouse told me last week that Bobby had four players on his close season wanted list. Cort and Bassedas were acquired; the Club tried very hard to get the other two, but they just weren't available, for different reasons - and eventually Cordone and Acuna were brought in instead for much less money.

2. I wasn't advocating a Buying Committee, but any proposal to spend vast sums of the Cubs money should be subject to internal checks & balances to ensure insofar as possible that the money is being spent wisely, and to minimise the risks.
What do I mean? I mean ensuring that the Manager does not buy players purely on the strength of watching them on videos circulated by their Agents. My information is that this has happened, more than once: ensuring that full and adequate medical checks have been carried out to make sure we don't sign any more crocks: ensuring that some rudimentary checks have been carried out into the players background and character to reduce the risks of signing trouble-makers, 'loose cannons', and players who just won't fit in, and indeed who could prove disruptive to the team and team spirit.
We should also have a forward plan that addresses both current and playing potential weaknesses, so that we are working continually to identify candidates, and then monitor there playing progress and development. If we were doing this correctly now we wouldn't be having a panic every six months or so. My information is that even SAFC are light years ahead of us in relation to this sort of thing.

The Club is undoubtedly short of money right now because of the profligacy of the past. There are huge uncertainties regarding the future of the EU transfer policy that no plc can afford to ignore. Both of these factors - plus the not insignificant matter that continually spending money on players has not worked in the past - make it difficult for the Toon to spend big right now. Remember also that just because Leeds and Liverpool are spending big right now, doesn't necessarily mean that they've got it right.

We have to recognise that the Club is in a very difficult situation. I believe they wish to rebuild gradually, develop their own talent, and increase the number of British players at the Club. However, injuries, and the lack of impact of BR's signings has created a short-term hiatus.
They appear to be trying to address this with a couple of decent loan signings, but are finding it very difficult to spring the kind of players Bobby wants to fill the gaps, until the players he really wants to sign become available.

I'm as frustrated as anyone, and yes, as ever, communications with the fans at such a difficult time is bloody hopeless. However, like the Team Manager, Management and the players, we all need patience and steady nerves - for the long term good of the Club. This is a very critical time for the Toon.

-- Anonymous, December 18, 2000

Clarky, our lack of a network of scouts was the first thing Bobby identified as being a problem. Remember he scouted for Barcelona and has files on thousands of players. Wadsworth went to Argentina to watch Bassedas and saw Cordone at the same time in a reserves game. I think it was Milne who first spotted Acuna. Wadsworth identified LuaLua although Bobby certainly went to watch him. Rob Lee claims that Gavilan will be blinding and we just need to give him a season to get a bit stronger. I don't think we still are just watching videos although I think we probably did in the past.

-- Anonymous, December 18, 2000

Did Gullit buy Dyer on the basis of video evidence ;-)

-- Anonymous, December 18, 2000

Why, are you implying he got something right Windy?

-- Anonymous, December 18, 2000

I hope no one thinks that we disagree hear clarky, put together both our postings and most of what is wrong at the moment will be covered.

Re your 4 player explaination, if Acuna was not a first choice I would like to know who was. I think he is the pick of the signings.

I was not suggesting Leeds etc have got it right, just that no matter what the situation is or will be, a player became available or was sought by them because they needed a player.

We need at least 3 and are looking for one on loan. If that does not indicate anything to anyone then what does?

-- Anonymous, December 19, 2000

I've had a word with that friend of mine who knows James Beattie - and 'suggested' to her to 'suggest' that he'd do well up here. She met Keiron Dyer a while back, so i told her to keep well away....

; o )

-- Anonymous, December 20, 2000