The Sunday Sun has Sep Guardiola inviting BR to make him an offer to play for the Toon. He professes to be desperate to play in the PL, and is amazed no one has made him an offer considering he is available on a FT.
Perhaps someone should tell him he is asking for far too much money!

-- Anonymous, August 05, 2001

Answers

Ameliorated pay demands is the key you idiot!

-- Anonymous, August 05, 2001

Clarky, I have serious doubts about this bloke - largely because his agent has been touting him around to the highest bidder. Depsite the fact that Bobby was their most successful coach for a hundred years, he also slagged Bobby off after they won a game 6-3 because he didn't think it was attractive football they were playing.

-- Anonymous, August 05, 2001

I'd go for him if he was more realistic about his wage demands - but then so would half the bliddy Premiership :-(

-- Anonymous, August 05, 2001

Dougal,

Apparently, he's changed his mind and is now saying that he has respect for BR!
I actually think he's a very good player and in some respects just the kind of m/f player we need, ie. one who can put his foot on the ball and control the game. However, I have a couple of nagging doubts:

* he might find the pace of the PL, and the fierce scramble in m/f, a little to hectic for his natural style.

* it seems to me that the entire team pattern needs to be built around him. When he plays for Barca they all feed him the ball at every opportunity. I'm not sure that would be wise given his age and the fact he might only be here a season or two at most.

All in all I think Seth Johnson or David Prutton might be beter long-term alternatives.

-- Anonymous, August 05, 2001

Couple of interesting rumours from todays papers:

* WHU are prepared to offer Peyter £5mm to take Don Hutchinson back to Upton Park - and his wife back home!

* Gregors is considering making a major bid for either Kanu or the Munchkin.

-- Anonymous, August 05, 2001

Villa weighing up a 15m bid for Phillips!

-- Anonymous, August 05, 2001

Villa? £15M?? Are they joking??? What a step up in his career that would be! And what an attraction to live in the West Midlands with its Glorious coastline,ahem,Its magnificant countryside,ahem and its very personable and welcoming locals! Oh and that very likable bloke John Gregory.

-- Anonymous, August 05, 2001

Well, I guess one out of six isn't bad (better than Coley's average). You forgot to mention the better class of team he'd be moving to ;-)

-- Anonymous, August 05, 2001

Sunderland are they joking??? What a stagnation in his career that would be! And what an attraction to live in the magnificence of small town Sunderland ,ahem,Its magnificant facilities,ahem and its very personable and welcoming locals! Oh and that very likable, sweet talking bloke Peter Reid

-- Anonymous, August 05, 2001

I agree, SK, 15 million is way too much for someone with only two seasons' experience in the PL, one of which was very good, one of which was decidely average and who has so few England caps. Doug Ellis must be losing his marbles.

-- Anonymous, August 05, 2001

Oh deary me!Hangovers all round is it? And here was i tryin to be pleasant as well! As it happens i do not think that Sunderland is a bad place to live ,especially when compared to BirMINGham.His "average season" last year was still better than alot of strikers in the premier league ,mentioning no names.

-- Anonymous, August 05, 2001

How certain are you that Peyter and Rhoobob Murray would turn down £15mm for your alter-ego, super? I suspect they would, but they could just be tempted.
Ditto, with a £5mm offer from WHU for Hutch?

-- Anonymous, August 05, 2001

Well, both of our main strikers were injured for most of the season so you'd have to be a bit dim to be referring to any of ours.. on his return, Carl Cort was averaging a goal every two games which would do bearing in mind that he's only valued at about 8 million..

-- Anonymous, August 05, 2001

Years of selling our alledgedly best players have co-incided with years of ,shit,basically.I think that Peter and bob are in tune with the philosophy of keeping your best men. To be honest as well i dont really think that superkev is that sought after.Overlooked by England and not needed by Man u ,Liverpool,leeds,Chelsea,Arsenal ie the movers and shakers. He is at the best club he will ever play for.And at the age of 28 he is possibly not one for the future.Mind you (dig,dig)I certainly think he is more saleable than Poppins!

-- Anonymous, August 05, 2001

Reasonable assessment super - but remember that Gegors is a serious 'wannabee'. However, I seriously doubt he could persuade Deadly Doug Ellis to part with £15mm, as you say for a 28 yr-old - especially when Deadly will undoubtedly be thinking of firing Gregors if he gets off to anything other than a bright start.
Any top player seriously contemplating moving to Villa right now would have to be barmy.

-- Anonymous, August 05, 2001

There's a rumour on the Talk of the Tyne bbs that Speed may be going back to Everton! They apparently have called a Press Conference for tomorrow and everyone's trying to guess who they may be signing.

-- Anonymous, August 05, 2001

SK, Gregory put in an £18 million bid for Shearer when he was 28..

-- Anonymous, August 05, 2001

Was this for real though? Could you honestly say it happened? The wannabe comment from above is very relavent when talking about Villa/Gregory.If I(well the real Superkev) goes to Villa i will show me arse in Fenwicks window throughout the xmas windows extravaganza.

-- Anonymous, August 05, 2001

I think Shearer and Phillips probably have the same retail value at the moment.

SK has managed 44 Premiership goals on his career, has started to show a worrying inclination for getting booked, and is 28. His record over the last two years is .62 goals per game, playing in 70 Leagues games. He is 28 years old.

Shearer has managed 29 Premiership goals in that period, from 56 games, a poorer record of .51 per game. He has also scored 8 international and one UEFA Cup goal in that period and lots of FA Cup goals. He is 29 years old.

Phillips has scored well for Sunderland but last season made the previous season look like a "first season wonder" performance. 14 goals isn't special, 30 is fantastic, which is the norm ?

Shearer has scored all his goals in the top division with defenders knowing how to deal with him since he was 18, and him having to learn from that.

I think you're right in saying that Sunderland is as big a club as he can expect to play for. In that way he is a Steve Bull, and probably a Marcus Stewart. Always someone worthy of respect cos you can see he is scoring goals, but not someone quite at the top. If you'd gone up instead of losing in the play offs that year then things may have been different but I think you're probably safe in that no one will really put in an offer that Murray/Reid can't refuse.

-- Anonymous, August 05, 2001

14 goals isn't special but still more than others that i cannot be bothered to name(not your lot) His allround play has definately improved though.In your stats you put up shearers 'other 'goals yet Superkevs did not warrant a mention! Talk him down as much as you like,i see him more than you and i know his level of ability.Bet you are still worried on Aug 26th and Feb 23rd. As it happens i put a bet on in my local yesterday that he will score more than ANY newcastle player in the coming season.And that is from a natural pessimist(like all real safc fans)

-- Anonymous, August 05, 2001

I believe Shearer may actually be 31 Macbeth, or certainly close it. Based on that I suspect SK's resale value might be just a tad higher. ;-{)

-- Anonymous, August 05, 2001

There was a reason I didn't mention SKs career international and UEFA Cup, I 'll let you tell everyone what that was. Please. I must apolgise if I was selective with the stats, you must let everyone know the answer.

His FA Cup goals over the last two seasons were both scored against a side in the bottom half of the First Division which is why I didn't push that one either. I suppose he did score 4 against Rotherham a few years ago in the cup which was quite an achievement.

-- Anonymous, August 05, 2001

SK, he really did make the bid and admitted to it: it was during the Gullit season and Shearer basically said (as you are saying about Phillips) that at best it would be a sideways move..

-- Anonymous, August 05, 2001

Shearer is 30, I just can't to take aways very well

-- Anonymous, August 05, 2001

Shearer joined in 96, a few days short of his 26th birthday - he is 31 or just about to have his 31st birthday. I reckon.

-- Anonymous, August 05, 2001

31 on the 13th August

-- Anonymous, August 05, 2001

I can't see Sunderland selling Philips to AV or Philips wanting to go without evedence of Villa being on the up. At 28 he'll realise that He doesn't have much time left to collect silver cups so if he moved, I suspect for the sake of winning things he'd have to go to Arse or Leeds. Neither will buy him so he may as well stay with the Makems. After all, I hear the well to do players in the Makem side live in the glamorous area around the Tyne, not far from Sunderland.

-- Anonymous, August 05, 2001

lets be honest though. Only this week dyer was sent home to Re- cuperate in IPSWICH!!!!!!!! Simple fact is NO footballer lives anywhere near their club.Medina will NOT live in the toon.i know that and so do you lot.

-- Anonymous, August 05, 2001

Shearer is 31 this month - he was in the same school year as me. trust me.

nearly 31 and my footie career is far from over....;)

-- Anonymous, August 05, 2001

So I suppose you will become superjulio now?

-- Anonymous, August 06, 2001

SK, Nobby lives in Jesmond - which is relatively close and Dyer lives at the Quayside.

-- Anonymous, August 06, 2001

When did it start min?

-- Anonymous, August 06, 2001