Isegrim

I think the server problem is down to so many people wanting to whinge about the potential signing of Owen 17224[/snapback] They've closed the board down because someone mentioned Owen outside of the "Official" Owen thread. They're running searches for mentions of the word Owen in all other threads and will be re-opening the board when this problem has been eradicated. 17249[/snapback] If anybody's bored when they get the board back up how about starting a few Owen threads? 17254[/snapback] Nah, zey hav vays to keep you silent.

I think the first time when Robson really looked to address the problems was when he signed Butt and Carr. He also tried to sign other players like Seitaridis before but wasn't given the thump by the fat controller. Robson also thought to have solved the centre half problem with signing Woodgate, who was sold against his wish (a deal the only in hindsight seemed to work out).

Absolutely Spot On 17192[/snapback] Yes, I was prejudiced against him right from the start. Then he nearly conned me with his first appearance at the BBC where he said those charming things like "it's the best squad I've ever worked with", "it's about fine tuning", "I am the most attacking minded manager this club ever had" etc. pp. Though I rescinded my decision to give him time quickly again, because I have only seen rubbish performances. No game plan, no flair, no fitness...

Is it Brett Emerton? 17064[/snapback] Nah, most likely to be Paul Dickov...

You dumbasses. He probably wasn't talking about attacking-players but attacking players.

United agree record fee for Owen Aug 24 2005 By Alan Oliver, The Evening Chronicle Newcastle United today agreed a club record fee in excess of £15m with Real Madrid for Michael Owen. United lodged the bid after Owen sensationally admitted that he will move to Newcastle - if a return to his former club Liverpool falls through. And while Liverpool may still be in the driving seat, the news that England's current centre forward is ready to join United on a season's loan is a tremendous boost to Freddy Shepherd, Graeme Souness and just as important the club's fans. A brief statement released by Newcastle this morning suggests that United are still hoping to land Owen on a permanent transfer rather than on loan, and that may yet prove a sticking point. The statement read: "We have met Real Madrid's asking price and conditions and the agreed fee would be a record transfer for Newcastle United. "It is now up to the player and his advisors." And still on the good news front, I understand that United have made a breakthrough in their bid to sign another striker apart from Owen, and this will happen in the next 24 hours. Certainly, United have not given up hope of still bringing in Albert Luque from Deportivo La Coruna after offering the Spanish club e12m - £8.5m - for the 27-year-old striker. But Owen was the talk of Tyneside today, and the 25-year-old striker has the blessing of Real Madrid president Florentino Perez, who has promised to help him to try to seal the move back to Anfield. Failing that, the player is prepared to accept a one-year loan deal with Newcastle, with his first-team chances at the Bernabeu further limited by the summer signings of Robinho and Julio Baptista. Owen said today: "I met the Real Madrid president before last night's friendly at the Bernabeu and we discussed my future. "I said that my ideal situation was to start the season in the Real Madrid team and if not I would prefer to return to Liverpool. "The president understood and said he would try to help me achieve this. If the transfer cannot be finalised in time I have agreed to go to Newcastle United but only on a one-year loan. I need to be playing regularly in World Cup year. "I am most grateful to Senor Perez for his personal concern about my career. I have really enjoyed being part of his Real Madrid team." Owen scored 158 goals in 297 games for the Reds, before leaving the club for Madrid last summer. Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez insists his main priority is to sign a centre-back and already has Djibril Cisse, Fernando Morientes and Peter Crouch as his frontline strikers. "I want other players first - I am happy with my five strikers even now Milan Baros has gone," the Spaniard said after his side's 3-2 aggregate win over CSKA Sofia in the Champions League last night. A return to Anfield for Owen would be popular among Liverpool supporters, who idolised the striker. He scored 16 goals for Real last season despite being used primarily as a substitute behind Raul and Ronaldo, and with Robinho and Julio Baptista now on board his prospects of first-team football diminished further. The Chronicle revealed a fortnight ago that Owen had told United privately that he was interested in joining them but only if Liverpool and Manchester United did not come in for him. Owen is also on record as saying he is an admirer of Graeme Souness. [What record? A medical one before he got his head checked?]

Except of that I think that Luque for the right money would have been a decent buy I agree that in contrast to all the other players mentioned so far this potential transfer gets me excited on the sporting level. I think we will pay over the odds, but at least we will get a fantastic player in return.

Apologies for appearing less than the full picnic hamper, but Owen's own words (reproduced faithfully on NUFC.com) are that it will be a loan at Newcastle if the deal to Liverpool cannot be done in time. The shite on .cock will probably just be banner waving in order to get some glory and encourage one or two season tickets to be bought. Cynical, moi? 17005[/snapback] The problem is that it's not just up to Owen to decide what sort of transfer deal it is. Whatever he said this morning, the sort of deal that apparently has been agreed between the clubs is a direct transfer. If Madrid will abstain from its demands when Michael Owen is saying that he is not interested in anything else than a loan deal is another scenario that isn't on the agenda - yet.

After agreeing a transfer sum I don't think a loan deal is on the table any more. As I said, I think it is an attempt of pricing Liverpool out of the market. I don't think you must be a genius to get this idea, in fact en contraire... Anyway, I'll remain sceptical about the deal going through and I don't think it is a clever piece of business. But hopefully it will work out for the better of Newcastle United.

Well if we spend over 16m for him I think it might make us the only bidder, because I can't see Liverpool pursuing their interest any further and making a 5m loss on a player they only sold one year ago. As much as I am excited about the prospect of seeing Owen at Newcastle I do think it is a desperate attempt of Fat Fred to appease the masses by doing economical nonsense.

http://www.nufc.premiumtv.co.uk/page/NewsD...~703883,00.html So much for paying over the odds...

To be fair we do have tactics. Hooooooooooooooooooooooooof..... 16930[/snapback] To quote the great man again: "It's not everyone's cup of tea but they get results, and if you're going to get something there, your defenders have to do well." Graeme, spot the difference between their and our hoofing game...

"It's a hard place to go," added Souness. "Bolton play a kind of football that suits the players they have there. Wow, what fantastic observation. This is called tactics. Maybe Newcastle should also start to play a kind of football that suits the players...

For a decent price Fatty wouldn't be a bad choice. But what we need is a striker who gives us a bit of pace up front not another centre forward that has the movement and velocity of a supertanker.

As long as I don't see Jimbo's TV I believe nothing!

Most sites say Souness is on a five year contract. I was under the impression that this was what was reported first but later said it was only a two year one. Has Alzheimer already settled in? Though I stumbled across a nice article... http://www.blueandwhites.com/news/article00172.htm

Also the interest of Luque who was really thought of joining Real this summer demonstrates it. I think there would be the chance of appointing a high profile manager, though probably not just a couple of games into the season. That this isn't an ideal scenario I know myself. That leads me to another question: When is Souness contract running out? Didn't he just sign a two year contract? (I'll start googling it myself now anyway)

And Isegrim - I don't think FS will ever, ever admit he's made a mistake. His over-inflated ego is too great for that. 16674[/snapback] Oh, I didn't meant it literally. I never expected Fat Fred appearing in front of a Sky camera saying "Sorry, I was wrong, I'll buy everyone a pint." I rather meant that he would take his last appointment into consideration and learn from his mistake.

It certainly wasn't me if that's what you're suggesting. Hmm, I thought it was you who answered the question of who you wanted to have as a replacement that it is not your job to find replacements. But I am sorry if I am mistaken and it was the other way round and it stared with HTL saying it wasn't his job I have taken part in fee negotiations as it happens, not that that's really relevant. The point is that in our position we have to accept that to an extent we are at the mercy of the seller. I don't think that £1m is a small amount of money, but I think a figure like that can be foregone when you consider the impact being successful in one of these signings could have on our league and cup performance - one extra round of the cup with a sold-out St. James Park would make that money back. 16673[/snapback] It's just that negotiations doesn't work like in the "life of Brian" where somebody is prepared to pay whatever is needed. And if you do it once you won't get taken seriously in the market anymore. Newcastle have paid over the odds for players in recent history anyway (last time in January). And I am not too sure about the speculation that the money might pay off by future success. First my local club here in Germany went bust because of that kind of speculation so I am always wary of that kind of speculation. Second, who says that this sort of speculation wasn't already included in the calculation of how much money Newcastle can afford to pay? Seeing as there is no European football this year then 20m.

It's just that I have it from a source I trust that Stuttgart were prepared to pay up to 7m Euro for him after the initial bid of a loan with an option to buy was rejected. 16643[/snapback] 7m Euros straight cash? Seeing as we were valuing Viana at £4.5m in the Luque deal, we wouldn't have turned that down* *Please note, the above point used conventional business logic. Any use of such logic by NUFC is purely coincidental. 16665[/snapback] As much as I heard the representative of Stuttgart (Briem) first made a bid to loan Viana. That was rejected. Then Stuttgart asked how much Newcastle wanted to have for Viana and got told a double figure in Euro and shown that negotiating wouldn't make much sense. So Stuttgart said "Auf Wiedersehen" (what rather meant we won't come back here), spend their money on Gronkjaer and signed an unknown Croation (Carevic) from somewhere in Arabia.

I don't know what happens then. My hope would be that Fat Fred has learned from his last mistake. And I think Souness was his first appointment that was wrong right from the start. I don't blame him for appointing Dalglish, because he seemed perfect to make a winning team out of what KK had left over. I loved the appointment of Gullit because I adored him as a player and loved his idea of "sexy football". And only an idiot would say that appointing SBR was a bad idea. So don't trust in Fat Fred or have faith, but I hope he makes a sensible appointment again. I don't know who else than Bruce and Allardyce were approached last time. I fear Souness was in fact very high up the list anyway. If I were in the position I'd give the likes of Curbishley a thought, asking Keegan out of retirement. My very own idea and probably as a chairman I would get hung for is someone like George Burley who I think has loads of managerial potential. In another thread I already said that I am already writing this season off and would consider an interim solution. Probably not Roeder but again someone like Keegan could be asked to do a job for just ten months and prepare the ground for somebody to take over at the end of the season and give the club time to get a first choice manager. Anyway, whatever happens in my eyes it can't get worse than it is at the moment. P.S. Who was it again who started the it's not my job to find a replacement malarky? P.P.S. How come so many consider 1,000,000 pound (and more) as a tiny sum? Do some of those people have ever took part in contract negotiations (not only football related)?

It's just that I have it from a source I trust that Stuttgart were prepared to pay up to 7m Euro for him after the initial bid of a loan with an option to buy was rejected.

Which obviously can get classed as a protest. Not as a form of organised, but as a reflection of a dull game where people had nothing better to. But we also can have a lengthy discussion about the etymologie of the word "protest". * folds his arms and stamps with his foot in a huff *

Make no mistake. I am in agreement about Parker and Emre if even I am not sure it was the right decision to sign two central midfield players before concentrating on other positions. Again, I don't really disagree. Though he couldn't be a worth signing compared to what sort of defenders walked in before. But I have still to see one really top performance that is anything close to Woodgate having a bad game... Unfortunately I can't see how a player who didn't set the world alight in the SPL and the Bundesliga where except of his first game he looked out of depths and pace can shine in the superiour english league. To compare him with Tomasson is absolutely nonsense in my opinion. JDT was a young boy and was asked to play in an unfavoured position where he had to replace the then best centre forward of the premiership.

Well, I know a couple of German clubs who won't be too happy now because of what they were told by Fat Fred...