Playing devils advocate,as you do, i would like to give my opinion,based on nowt but observations ,on Laurent Robert. The way i see it is that if he is really a £10m player surely the spanish and the italians would have been sniffing around him.P.s.g are one of Frances larger clubs yet they still sell him!? Why? Do you think there may be more than meets the eye? Why did he take so long to sign?And has he played for France yet? If not,why not? They just played in the confederates cup and were short of players.If,and i dont know either way,he was not there and they were crying out for players do you not think that he is not rated? As i say,it's all just speculation onmy part.

-- Anonymous, August 02, 2001

Answers

Play away Superkev - oops, no pun intended ;-) No different to Dyer when he signed and look at what he's rated now. Not to mention Jeffers and many other "highly rated prospects". I believe The French Gadgy has already played for the full international team and expect he will play many more in future now that he's with a good team ;-)) As for taking so long to sign, much of that is down to agent gadgies. We know how they behave and played it straight down the line. Unlike others (eg BZ) LR appears to have been very professional in the way he conducted himself. At least he didn;t lie about which team he playted for ;-)))

-- Anonymous, August 02, 2001

15 goals in 22 games last season, from an attacking midfielder will do me fine !!

Three goals in the Champions League last season will also be useful for us next season.

He has played for France and was apparently gutted at missing out on Euro 2000 having been in the squad picked but not the final 22.

Every player would rather play for Real Madrid say, than for anybody else. He has chosen to play for us. I'm happy with what he has done rather than what he hasn't.

-- Anonymous, August 03, 2001

'superkev' seems to have a bee in his bonnet about Robert. You might not know anything about him but that doesn't mean the manager doesn't.

nice to see you so worried that we haven't bought badly though. Your concern is touching.

BTW we could give you lots of 'observations' on your new players but we can't be arsed!

-- Anonymous, August 03, 2001

It's the World Cup next summer and Robert is trying to make the squad of the world champs. It's put up or shut up time for the lad, the only way he will make it is to be feckin brill for us.
I'm sure if we didn't get a result in Jormany in the first leg the other week Robert wouldn't have come. Now the position for NUFC is to qualify for Europe and give a mid-week TV platform for Robert and for that matter Dyer.
In top class football it is vital to spend, take a chance, please the fans, show ambition, sign off-the-shelf class. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t; you either compete or you do not compete.
All of the big clubs are doing this, together with investing internally of course. IMO if you don’t failure will be the result. Personally if Newcastle’s summer in any way resembled Shittyderland’s I would be under whelmed.

I saw a little of Robert on Eurosport or some sure playing for PSG last season and you know when you just know? 80)

-- Anonymous, August 03, 2001

Do you think anyone at, say, PSG has heard of Phillips? Would you nonethless think that he would be a good addition to their side? In fairness, they have Anelka and Ronaldinho up front so he'de never get a game, but you take my point, don't you?

-- Anonymous, August 03, 2001

I have been away for a while, what do you mean no one has noticed?

Anyway, you lot be civil to superkev, he has said he will clean up his act and until he reverts to the other side he should be spoken to as we do to any other guest.

He really got up my nose and I ignored him, the problem I had is a 13 yo daughter reading the filth he put on here. He has now asked a decent question. Lets answer him.

The others have said that a) he has played in a full international, b) he did not play in the Confederation Cup as he had to play for PSG in the inter toto.

Even if he is not all that well known he is rated in the top 22 of the World and European champions.

He is a gamble, however he also plays in the spot we need a player. That makes him another international in our team.

-- Anonymous, August 03, 2001

I'm more than happy to gamble £10m on some one with his credentials than £3.5m on some other French gadgy without the credentials

-- Anonymous, August 03, 2001

Nicely put, Gus. Well said that man. And an interesting point Mr SK.

-- Anonymous, August 03, 2001

Mac

I agree with you but gamble £10m - where's the world going.

Ho hum

Josh

-- Anonymous, August 04, 2001

The way you describe the lad Robert, he sounds like Ginola. Dodn't Barca offer to double our profit on him a year after we bought him? WE'll be happy with that.

-- Anonymous, August 04, 2001

Thing is superkev that we simply had to buy a good ready-made left-sided midfield player - we were abysmally lop-sided last season without a decent left-sided player - other than Glass, who clearly had an Johnson/Summerbee kind of problem with BR - and we just couldn't sensibly contemplate another season in a similar vein.

It seems to me that the Club identified Robert and Zenden as the best available talent, and set about signing them.
Zended didn't fancy it, for whatever reason; Robert did, but only after extended negotiations with both his Club, and then his Agent - who appears to have hawked him around the top Clubs as we wouldn't meet his initial wage demands of £30k per week.

Will he work out? Who knows: only time will tell.

BTW - Robert has 9 French caps.

-- Anonymous, August 04, 2001