Newcastle moved for Thierry Henry

[Barney 0]

Newcastle manager Alan Pardew has played down reports he made an audacious attempt to sign Thierry Henry.

 

The Magpies boss is currently short of striking options following Andy Carroll's deadline-day move to Liverpool last week and Shola Ameobi has since sustained an injury.

 

Speculation had suggested that Pardew was keen to bring New York Red Bulls forward Henry to St James' Park but he admits it will not happen.

 

When asked about Henry, Pardew told the Evening Chronicle: "I don't think that's possible."

 

However, he did admit there could be moves in the free transfer market, adding: "I haven't even thought about it, if I'm honest, but we will do over the next 48 hours."

 

Newcastle ended last week on a high following their remarkable 4-4 draw with Arsenal in the Premier League, despite being 4-0 down at half-time.

 

But the lack of strikers on the books on Tyneside remains worrying and Pardew could turn to free agents to bolster his squad.

 

Former Middlesbrough forward Jeremie Aliadiere, with whom he worked briefly at West Ham, is thought to be one of the players under consideration.

 

Pardew remarked: "There are one or two players we are looking at.

 

"I don't think we are going to get anyone who could impact on the first team, but on the bench, I need to turn round to that bench and have people who can affect the game.

 

"We will look, perhaps, to that market for maybe one or maybe two if necessary."

 

Newcastle's next outing is a trip to Blackburn on Saturday when they will be hoping to build on their weekend heroics.

[Guest alex]

It's a bit like when Spurs were nearly signing everyone under the sun. Oh, how we laughed at them.

[trophyshy 7058]

However, he did admit there could be moves in the free transfer market, adding: "I haven't even thought about it, if I'm honest, but we will do over the next 48 hours."

 

He hasn't thought about bringing in temporary cover after selling the best striker we had for 35m?

 

Staggering, wtf he is up to? Nuts deep in Wilson's misses?

[Dolly Potter MD 0]

I keep trying to drill into people that out owner is worth £950million ish. We aren't owned by shareholders so he can afford to keep any player he wants.

 

Do you reckon if someone offered Sheik Mansour or Abramovich 50% more than Tevez or Terry were worth they would find they deal too good to turn down? Or would they just laugh and tell the other club to jog on.

 

Difference is Ashley made his money buying low and selling higher and is trying the same approach with Newcastle United. Other mobs are still making metric fuck-tons of cash out of natural resources and the like where they can't go wrong. Their clubs are their playthings for bragging rights amongst the mega-rich. Ashley's relatively small time, but still wants to do things his own way. He'll end up stepping on too many toes and noone will be interested in dealing with him on a club level and no players will want to come here because we won't compete on wages, there's no real ambition and St James' is a 50,000 seater shop window.

 

As everyone in retail has done since the beginning of time.

 

And as others keep saying [as reiterated by Shepherd as well] his approach in his own sector [where his ethics & practices have been heavily criticised as well] or comfort zone, doesn't translate to success in the business of football. This point continues to elude you.

 

Do you not have any objections to the club's metamorphisis [under this man's ownership] into the Lillywhites of English Football? ie. Cheap & tacky, despot operator sets up a new stall in a boutique & exclusive address, with a high volume customer flow to match. Much like the aforementioned store the club is now delivering low-end & inferior product, devaluiing the ambitious values as set by the establishment's immediate predecessors/custodians. A pretty fair comparison if you ask me.

 

Agree with everything placed in bold & underlined, within OTF's post.

Edited February 8, 2011 by Year Zero

[Christmas Tree 4438]

You are mistaken. I don't think the fact that he is an extremely successful retailer equates to him being a great football owner.

 

In retail the man has made a billion, whether you like his ethics or his pricing, has no bearing on how successful he is.

 

Rather than clouding the issue by constantly going on about his retail business, you would be better just concentrating on what he's doing wrong at Nufc, where most would agree.

 

You try to be clever and over complicate things and I don't really know what your base opinions are.

 

For example. Do you approve of him trying to get the clubs finances under control or do you think we should have kept gambling with debt like Freddy did (uncucessfuy in the last few years)?

[spongebob toonpants 3854]

You are mistaken. I don't think the fact that he is an extremely successful retailer equates to him being a great football owner.

 

In retail the man has made a billion, whether you like his ethics or his pricing, has no bearing on how successful he is.

 

Rather than clouding the issue by constantly going on about his retail business, you would be better just concentrating on what he's doing wrong at Nufc, where most would agree.

 

You try to be clever and over complicate things and I don't really know what your base opinions are.

 

For example. Do you approve of him trying to get the clubs finances under control or do you think we should have kept gambling with debt like Freddy did (uncucessfuy in the last few years)?

 

That's a false choice it's not an either or question.

[Guest alex]

As I've said before (and almost everyone would agree I think) a happy medium would be preferable.

Edited February 8, 2011 by alex

[Christmas Tree 4438]

As I've said before (and almost everyone would agree I think) a happy medium would be preferable.

 

Yup

[Dolly Potter MD 0]

You are mistaken. I don't think the fact that he is an extremely successful retailer equates to him being a great football owner.

 

In retail the man has made a billion, whether you like his ethics or his pricing, has no bearing on how successful he is.

 

Rather than clouding the issue by constantly going on about his retail business, you would be better just concentrating on what he's doing wrong at Nufc, where most would agree.

 

You try to be clever and over complicate things and I don't really know what your base opinions are.

 

For example. Do you approve of him trying to get the clubs finances under control or do you think we should have kept gambling with debt like Freddy did (uncucessfuy in the last few years)?

 

I'm not clouding the issue by any means. Some cab drivers [of the predominantly English speaking variety] are pretty learned chaps, perhaps i've underestimated at least one forum member's ability to adopt & interpret all angles of the argument, as per Ashley's running of the club & level of ethics used.

 

There's a particular style, or defining fingerprint as to how Ashley conducts himself/goes about his business/dealings with suppliers etc. Think of the transfer market [selling clubs, whether they be minor or 2nd tier clubs on the continent such as Mallorca, or feeder clubs in the lower divisions] as a product supply line of sorts. In his comfort zone [the sports retail sector] he can attempt to get away with holding major suppliers [ie. brands he doesn't actually own: the former entity that was Umbro for example] to ransom, or attempt to take the piss in terms of a what he pays wholesale. He is the dominant player in the retail market, and as such an operator who orders in bulk quantity, so therefore major suppliers have to play ball on his terms to an extent.

 

Apply those sort of sneaky business ethics to transfer market dealings, and it just doesn't work. Ashley/the club are just another drop in the ocean as a buyer or suitor, potential selling clubs will not be held to ransom & bend to Ashley's will. They/clubs [and player agents as well] will simply tout their in-demand assets elsewhere, as witnessed by Bates vitually telling the club/Ashley to bugger off & 'to not waste his time' when Keegan wanted the lad. At the time Arsenal & Man United were reportedly sniffing around as well, and the bid was deemed to be offensive. Eventually he was touted elsewhere, and he departed for the going rate, as demanded for that type of promising talent ..... funny that. Not only are this man's tactics/ethics having negative effect on the club's strikerate [as per landing targets] in the transfer market, but the man is muddying the club's former reputation, as that of a respectable & reputable/professional operator.

 

Perhaps you were likewise being clever by posting that Ashley has been known to assist old ladies across pedestrian crossings, or simply playing the pantomine contrarian cut-out character. Maybe you should lend to some balance to the debate by posting details/the story........... perhaps you should attempt to insinuate that there is indeed a good natured philanphopist, somewhere hidden underneath the tactics employed in his running of the club. After all you were the bloke who naively claimed that good figures/profits for Shite Direct equated to good news on the transfer front - i presume you meant outgoing expenditure.

 

As per the last question. I don't have to add much more to that the likes of LM [and others] have said on the issue of debt, and what at the time was mostly managed debt................. and certainly not by asset stripping [and delivering 'cheap as peanuts' or low-end product on the field] as a means of balancing the books.

 

BTW i'd like to know what your take is on my comparison to the club's running being eerily similar to that of the Lillywhites model/scenario, since you've largely dodged the question by asking one. There hasn't been alot of aggressive opposition to it [nor to the aforementioned suggestion the other day in my topic starter ... i don't give a flying s**t btw]. You're the only one [in your contrarian guise] who posted a line of emoticons & simpleton-like one-liner in a belated attempt to debate the point.

Edited February 10, 2011 by Year Zero