News of the screws have Bobby saying that if Nobby carries on playing for Peru then he will flog him and replace him with a top quality player.

-- Anonymous, September 02, 2001

Answers

end of the Peruvian at SJP?

-- Anonymous, September 02, 2001

Barcelona is said to be thinking over a 10m offer......

10m is alot of money !

-- Anonymous, September 02, 2001

Idiotic. He's our best player by FAR and even if he misses 6 games a season he should stay.

-- Anonymous, September 02, 2001

Nobby has missed far less games since he signed that Dyer the Wonder Boy. Keep him I say.

-- Anonymous, September 02, 2001

Nobby has exceptional skill+has been our main source of creativity- just a pity he has so many off games + tends to drift in+out of matches. Id rather see Dyer on the right espec now we have Robert.

-- Anonymous, September 02, 2001

Still, is Nobby really good enough for La Liga?

-- Anonymous, September 02, 2001

If we can start a bidding war between the top Spanish sides, we could pocket maybe £12m for Nobby, which IMHO is a great bit of business.

Dyer is more than capable of playing right wing - as shown for England (although it was a wing back role, he stayed forward most of the time)

It could also give Gavilan a chance, who cost the same as Nobby did. He's got a hell of a lot of caps for Paraguay for such a young player and is being wasted in the reserves by the looks of things. Why don't we send him off for a loan to a first division club or something?

-- Anonymous, September 02, 2001

The passage wrotes "A top quality player would be the replacement of Nobby". Can we have his name before we judge whether we should sell Nobby. Honestly, 10-12M is a good sum of money, I would say sell him and get a creative central midfielder. Put Dyer and Robert on both wings and the replacement at the centre. Of course, assuming no injury in the rest of the season.

-- Anonymous, September 02, 2001

I think we saw against Germany what sheer pace mixed with a decent amount of skill can do. The Beckham/Solano type player is great and has their place but the pace of an Owen/Dyer will kill people more often.

Robert and Dyer on the wings would petrify oppostion defences in a way we haven't done for a few years. If we lost Solano and bought a good ball playing enforser in midfield then we'd be flying. Lua Lua as a sub for either of the wingers would be a nice threat to have on the bench too.

Everyone has their price as Stam has shown. If we got 10-12 m for Solano I'd be at Roeder's door shouting at him to come out and say how much for Carrick and not let him go away until he gave a price. West Ham have swapped Lampard for Hucthison and £6m in spare dosh. A decent bit of business to me. £1-12m for Solano would be equally good business for us. Could even ask about Arca !!

-- Anonymous, September 02, 2001

Because top quality players have demonstrated how eager they are to join us, haven't they? If he ends up at another PL club, it'll be awful.

-- Anonymous, September 02, 2001

Nobby's missed less games than Shearer, Dyer, Marcelino, Ferguson - pretty much ever player we've bought £6m +.

-- Anonymous, September 02, 2001

Damn statistics

Solano has 85 starts in 3 seasons, 28 per season

Dyer has 52 starts in 2 seasons, 26 per season

Shearer has 130 starts in 5 seasons, 26 per season

Roughly the same, except I feel all Nobby's non-starts are from international appearances, i.e his choice

-- Anonymous, September 02, 2001

I suspect this story is nowdeveloping an inevitability to it, with both sides preparing their public positions, and that Nobby will soon be on his way.
If so, I only hope the Toon are already working on lining up a replacement so that we don't have to put up with the usual months of endless speculation, the inevitable refusals, frustration and disappointment.
It would be nice if for once we could get our act together.

-- Anonymous, September 02, 2001

You don`t buy Dyer wide right with Gavilan as fill-in then Clarky? Means we get to spend the cash on other much-needed areas. The more I think about it the more it grabs me. Nobby`s been a great signing but he`s not as effective as Opta would like him to be. Of course, it would be helpful if YBR doesn`t do a deal until I`ve vacated Peru in 6 weeks time !!

-- Anonymous, September 02, 2001

If Solano goes, there won't be a hint of a replacement because the sale will be for all the wrong reasons, and will probably be a rush job just so Bobby can show everybody who's boss.

In a well considered transaction, everything would be planned in advance, but it seems to me that this sale would go through with no room to manoeuvre for any of the parties involved.

What's Sol supposed to do ? Okay, he may be in the wrong, but if Bobby is mouthing off the way he's reported to be doing, Solano will be left with very little option but to look for an out.

With our PR record I can see this being another episode that will end in the rags having another field day.

On the other hand, if it's just another storm in a teacup, hopefully, everybody concerned will come to their senses and we can get on with winning something.

If you believe that you'll believe anything.

-- Anonymous, September 02, 2001

It's just like Stam. Can't believe Ferguson planned to go for Blanc, nor that he intended to sell then buy, although that does make for better bartering.

I seem to remember when Ferguson bought Pallister Bro kept upping the asking price, eventually agreeing £3m (or whatever) was enough. This was lots more than he should have cost. Boro went straight out and bought a £1.5m replacement with the dosh, (don't remember who) BEFORE they'd signed and sealed the deal with Man U. Ferguson went back to Boro and said he wasn't sure now, as it seemed very expensive. Boro had committed to the replacement, couldn't afford to buy him without selling, and had to cut the price on Pallister to make sure they got their cash. Canny Scot !

-- Anonymous, September 02, 2001

I was thinking of Stam as an analogy too Mac. If Nobby does get sold it`ll be purely becauise the situation has become untenable ... for both parties. Mind you, I heard YBR making some conciliatory-sounding noises regarding the lad in the press after the mackems game so I`ll prefer to stick with storm in a teacup for now

-- Anonymous, September 02, 2001

Actually LT I do like your idea - in fact, I was discussing this with a couple of mates earlier today. I'd love to see Dyer and Robert as our wide players, with AS and CB in the middle - genuine pace AND finishing power.

However, BR has been saying in the Press recently that he intends to play Dyer exclusively as a central midfield player when he's fit. Can't see it myself as he simply isn't strong enough to play there, and it would put way too much pressure on the other central midfielder. Play him there and I reckon he'll spend more time on the treatment table than on the pitch.

-- Anonymous, September 02, 2001

unless of course our defence ever learns to defend and/or we actually crack playing 3 at the back along with wing backs who actually know what they`re supposed to be doing and have the talent to play the role.

DUCK - there`s a squadron of pigs heading for your heed!!

-- Anonymous, September 02, 2001

That's what does my head in. Are we really seeing all these apparent shortcomings that Bobby can't or won't see ? I mean, when it comes down to it, what do we know ?

The best we can say is that a lot of us are very knowledgeable fans. Does that automatically mean that what we see as failings shouldn't be as obvious to the guys whose responsibility it is to design the team that will match our ambitions ?

Do we, in fact, expect too much ? I think not because I can't see why our expectations should be any less than the expectations of the fans of any other club in the world.

The mags seem fated perpetually to underachieve, with the occasional blip. So what is the problem ?

-- Anonymous, September 02, 2001

What I want is what is best for NUFC and I think Nobby is a bliddy good player. I understand the argument of international commitment and club priorities and I realise Bobby is very upset - almost calling Nobby a liar if I can simplify things - however, Nobby will imo become a better player playing in a more balanced team.
I not quite sure of my facts here, but It seems to me Nobby has Puroo obligations for a couple of months until they bomb out of the WC then he will be free to play for us for a long time (two seasons?).
What I hope happens is the club can allow an international player to do his biz and accept that top players have to do their duty. Then, in two months Nobby is free. If he is sold we will be weakened and the mouth watering prospect of AS, CC, LR, NS & KD as our attacking force with SA, CB & LLL fighting like buggery for a first team place will not happen.
Pace, skill, power, finishing, brill!
If I were a betting chap I think Nob is a gonner, I just hope a face saving compromise can be reached.

-- Anonymous, September 03, 2001

Dyer's role is, and has been, a big discussion point on here.

His key asset is his pace, his key deficiency his frame that allows him to be so fast, and seems to stop him winning tackles.

On the wing he will have only slightly more tackling power than Nobby. He would though have the ablity to beat a man that Solano hasn't. We will end up with a new Gillespie.

The same pace asset holds where ever he plays in the team. If he plays as a central forward midfield player as close to their defenders as possible then I feel he is an even bigger asset. Just as Owen scares the living daylights out of defenders then so would Dyer. Out on the wing if he beats a player he then has to centre well and find a colleague who finishes. This requires centring skill from him, and finishing skill from the forward. If he plays in the middle and beats a player he has more options - direct to goal, the same, but shorter pass to a fellow forward, or passes left and right to colleagues. The extra options available to him will stretch the opposing defence more.

BEST for me is Dyer and Solano and Robert, we have two players with scary pace and one with excellent centring skills. We are close to the Ginola, Beardsley, Gillespie options. All (!) we need to make it work is Batty/Clark/Venison and Robert Lee. I don't really see any of Speed, Lee, Acuna being good enough, either individually or collectively, and that's where the weakest link is now.

No matter what you do there is always a weakest link.

-- Anonymous, September 03, 2001