Woody to be the Buzz of the Toon?

[Meenzer 15432]

You are missing one very salient point, old boy, and that is: I don't lie. Phact!

 

So true they even wrote a song about it.

[manc-mag 1]

People are literally still looking on stunned as the pun dawns on them thanks to yours truly. Ritchie has been lurking in here for 15 minutes now, possibly catatonic.

[snakehips 0]

It's quite obvious that the more, how shall I say it, up-to-date, amongst us chose to ignore the strikingly obvious pun in the title so as to see which dunce chose to mention it - thus claiming to be on the ball!

 

But here: If it makes you feel better.

 

[manc-mag 1]

I'm going to accept that with the sincerity and grattitude that it was offered with.

[snakehips 0]

I'm going to accept that with the sincerity and grattitude that it was offered with.

 

Sent with good grace. I even polished it first wiv me sleeve. There'll even be a rosette in the post - Royal Mail, so don't hold your breath.

[Fop 1]

great defender but he's still a sicknote.

 

Past year and a half he seems to have lost his injury tag but had a slump in form tbh.

 

I think the injuries have done for him a bit.

 

Still got the football brain, but not sure the body is really up to it now (even when fit).

[Jusoda Kid 1]

Done well to get off the brown tbh

[JaMoUsE 0]

Skysports.com understands that Newcastle have opened talks about talking Jonathan Woodgate back to Tyneside.

 

 

 

In news that will shock many Middlesbrough fans, Boro seem set to let the England defender depart The Riverside.

 

 

Woodgate rejected the chance to re-join Newcastle in 2007 when he opted instead to pen a permanent deal with Boro - where he had spent the previous season on loan from Real Madrid.

 

 

However, Woodgate is understood to have become increasingly unsettled with life under Gareth Southgate at Boro and he could now be set to depart his hometown club.

 

 

With David Wheater and Roberth Huth performing admirably, and with Chris Riggott and Emmanuel Pogagtetz, also available to him - Southgate has seemingly decided that he can do without Woodgate.

 

 

Woodgate spent 18 months with Newcastle up to August 2004 - when Madrid paid more than £13million to secure his services.

 

 

 

Advanced

 

 

Tottenham are also thought to have expressed their interest, but a deal with Newcastle is much further advanced and Woodgate is reported to have met Magpies officials in the last 48 hours.

 

 

Newcastle boss Kevin Keegan handed Woodgate his England debut and he has remained a firm fan ever since, with the player still popular with the Toon Army following his earlier stint.

 

 

Boro paid around £7million last summer to take Woodgate from the Spanish capital and they are set to make profit on the 27-year-old with a fee of up to £9million being suggested.

 

 

Despite the fact Boro are well stocked in central defence, and they would make money, the move is likely to be met with dismay by many sections of the Boro faithful who are still licking their wounds from Mark Viduka's decision to swap Teesside for Tyneside last summer.

 

 

 

they seem to think a deals nearly done.... hmmmmmmmm

[smoggeordie 0]

Good news is true, but skysports.com isn't the most reliable of sites.

[Tooj 17]

I can see Ritchie is reading this.

 

I know how he likes those British players, the old xenophobe that he is.

[Howay 12496]

Good player, I'm sure most would struggle for form in that woeful team.

[Papa Lazaru 0]

The worry is that as Alex said he's been relatively injury free but hasn't performed like you'd expect. My mate knows a couple of Boro fans who go to all their matches and they don't seem to think he's the same player and has lost some pace.

 

It would be a real shame if he never gets back to what he was as he was among the best in the world quite frankly and would get into any team going if he'd been injury free.

[Jusoda Kid 1]

Wouldn't pay over 5mil for him tbh....9 million is a fucking joke

[paddy 17]

Jonathan Woodgate is being lined up for a sensational return to Newcastle United Football Club.

 

The England international enjoyed a fine eighteen month spell at St James Park before moving to Real Madrid for £14million in August 2004, yet his time in Spain was blighted by a series of injuries.

 

Woodgate actually rejected the chance to return to the Magpies when he came back to England, instead opting for his hometown club Middlesbrough who forked out £7million to take him to the Riverside Stadium.

 

And in a move that would stun and dismay the Boro faithful, it now appears that the 27-year-old is on the brink of joining Kevin Keegan’s Newcastle revolution, with a fee of £9million being thrashed out between the clubs.

 

Reports claim Woodgate met United officials in the past 48 hours, and the move could even be tied up for the weekend FA Cup clash at Arsenal – in which he would be eligible to play after missing Boro’s third round tie at Bristol City.

[Sima 0]

£9M

 

Outdoing all of Shepherd's business in selling the crock in the first place.

[Big TRon 0]

Words fail me.

[snakehips 0]

What's the difference between a Campbell who has lost his pace and Woodgate 'who has lost his pace' ? Why is Campbell okay to sign, but Woodgate isn't?

 

Woodgate is nowhere near Campbell's age so would be a better bet, longer term?

[Ketsbaia 0]

What's the difference between a Campbell who has lost his pace and Woodgate 'who has lost his pace' ? Why is Campbell okay to sign, but Woodgate isn't?

 

Woodgate is nowhere near Campbell's age so would be a better bet, longer term?

 

Concurage.

 

Both brilliant defenders. Yes, Woody may have lost a yard of pace but he's the most professional CB I have seen at Newcastle in a long time. The type of player that could allow Taylor to excel IMO.

[Big TRon 0]

What's the difference between a Campbell who has lost his pace and Woodgate 'who has lost his pace' ? Why is Campbell okay to sign, but Woodgate isn't?

 

Campbell is usually fit enough to actually get on the pitch?

[Fop 1]

What's the difference between a Campbell who has lost his pace and Woodgate 'who has lost his pace' ? Why is Campbell okay to sign, but Woodgate isn't?

 

Woodgate is nowhere near Campbell's age so would be a better bet, longer term?

 

Several million.

 

I dunno £7m was decent for him, £9m is maybe a bit much though, he really doesn't seem to be the player we sold (although I hope that's just down to the team, but we'll see I guess).

[Jimbo 174]

From The Times

January 24, 2008

Kevin Keegan joins race to lure Jonathan Woodgate from Teesside

 

George Caulkin

 

Tottenham Hotspur have made contact with Middlesbrough regarding Jonathan Woodgate, although the North London club are expected to face competition from Newcastle United for the centre half. Kevin Keegan is a known admirer of the 28-year-old – he handed him his England debut in 1999 – and may attempt to take him back to St James’ Park.

 

As of yet, no bid from Newcastle has been forthcoming, but Keegan is understood to have taken soundings from associates of Woodgate, who spent 20 months on Tyneside before signing for Real Madrid for £13.4 million in 2004. There are unconfirmed suggestions that the defender has become unsettled at his hometown club, even though he joined them on a permanent basis only last year.

 

After his successful loan spell on Teesside last season, Woodgate’s form has dipped and while he has been troubled by cramp and hamstring injuries, Gareth Southgate’s team have appeared more assured without him.

 

The return to fitness of Robert Huth and Emanuel Pogatetz have been supplemented by the superb form of David Wheater, whose emergence from the club’s academy has more than compensated for Woodgate’s inconsistencies and frailties. Middlesbrough have not encouraged suitors and there has been no official word from Newcastle, but any offer would be considered.

 

Sam Allardyce had also been monitoring Woodgate’s form and Keegan made reference to Newcastle being obliged to sign “awkward” players this week. It is a category into which Woodgate, who has had off-field difficulties, falls. “In this area, we’re not always going to get the very best,” Keegan said. “We sometimes get the ones with warts and all.”

 

The approach from Tottenham, which was made on Tuesday, is intriguing, given that Woodgate becomes the third Middlesbrough player to be targeted by the club during this transfer window. Having had little luck in pursuing Adam Johnson and Stewart Downing, they have turned to Woodgate as they seek cover for Ledley King.

 

While they have been credited with an interest in Shola Ameobi, the Newcastle striker, Middlesbrough hope to sign Fred, of Lyons, and Afonso Alves, his fellow Brazil striker whose purported transfer from Heerenveen to AZ Alkmaar was declared void by Dutch authorities last night. AZ claimed they had a signed agreement with Alves, delaying his move to Teesside, but their case has been dismissed.

 

Alves has met Southgate and negotiated personal terms with Middlesbrough. Although a fee has to be determined, a sum of about £11 million has been mentioned. Alves, 26, has scored 48 goals in as many matches in all competitions for the Eredivisie club over this season and last. He would, however, require a work permit.

 

Goran Pandev, the Lazio forward, insisted yesterday that Newcastle have made a bid for his services. The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia player has been at the Italian club since 2004 and his versatility would make him attractive to Keegan, who has said that his team lack creativity.

 

“This morning the club told me about an offer from Newcastle,” Pandev said. “I am used to [receiving] offers recently, but I don’t decide, so it’s not up to me again. Several days ago we agreed with Lazio that I would stay until June, but anything is possible.”

[Toonraider 0]

God, I'd forgotten Robert Huth existed

[David Kelly 1224]

Woodgate is the best centreback we've seen here by a million miles and I'm sure the vast majority would drive him here themselves to get him back.

The talk of a lack of form is to be expected (having to breathe the air down their is bound to effect you) but the niggling injuries mentioned is more of a concern.

[Big TRon 0]

This has all the hallmarks of a classic January signing. Paying over the odds for a player with a long history of fitness problems. Bobby Robson described him as having joints worse than his iirc. FWIW I think he's the best central defender in England. I'm optomistically hoping Shola will be going the other way for around £2m and the fee for Woody will be based on appearances.

[Guest Stevie]

We could sign Cannavaro and Kaka and some negative wank would complain. I don't think there's a club in the country with more tossers in their support than us, and it's well represented on this board.