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The Newcastle striking game – keep, loan, sell?

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Newcastle are currently in the process of revamping a somewhat underwhelming strike-force, and although the signing of Demba Ba from West Ham is a step in the right direction, there is still some work to be done. With this in mind, the futures of Shola Ameobi, Nile Ranger and Peter Lovenkrands remain very much up in the air, given that each has been something of a disappointment throughout their time at Newcastle. So who should be kept, who should be loaned and who should be sold?

I get the feeling that at this stage in his career, Shola just won’t leave Newcastle. Newcastle are stuck with him – after all, with his track record he’s not exactly an attractive prospect. Besides, I’d argue that he’s worth keeping around for sentimental value any way. Shola has been with the club for over a decade and has chalked up 236 appearances. He’s something of a Newcastle mainstay and I just can’t see him moving on this summer.

Nile Ranger is a difficult one. He’s shown talent in glimpses, but he’s still prone to having the occasional bad game and needs to learn to stay on his feet. There have also been questions concerning the youngster’s attitude, with his team-mates complaining that he doesn’t put the right effort in on the training pitch. Despite this, Newcastle fans would be gutted if they were to let him move onto another club only to have him suddenly spring into life and start acting on his potential. As such, it’s worth sending him out on loan for a season to a Premier League club or Championship side who will offer him decent game time and then evaluate whether he’s worthy of Newcastle United at the year’s close.

Which brings us to Lovenkrands; a man who doesn’t lack for effort, but who also doesn’t provide the club with enough goals. During his second stint at the club he has scored only 19 goals in 53 appearances and will be looking to improve on that tally if the club decide to keep him on. Out of these three players, however, I would suggest that he is the most expendable. If he can be sold, so be it, but if not I’d let him run down the rest of his deal, thank him for his service and allow him to seek a new club.

Written by Harry Cloke

NothingButNewcastle.com is looking for writers. If you love the Toon get in touch at nothingbutnewcastle@snack-media.com

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7 comments

  • tom mchugh says:

    ashley will buy nobody,full stop.

  • MagpieMehdi says:

    Isn’t it funny that the player with the best scoring record is said to be the most expendable,
    Poor Lovva, if he leaves it’ll just remind me of Sibierski all over again

  • tom mchugh says:

    the toon are a laughing stock again,they are supposed to be a big club,the why did they not check the ins and outs of taking players to america,3 players can’t go,and liar pardew comes out with a corker,cabyes abscence from the tour will not affect us,i thought the aim of pre season games was to blend a team together,or are they going to sell the lad before he has played for us?

  • JP...from The Rock says:

    I really don’t get that ‘sentimental’ value Ameobi has. He’s awful always has been always will be. Where was the sentiment with Given or Milner? Both were much better players than Ameobi and still were sold. I bet a newly promoted club or Championship club might find him useful and get this lazy player off our books. I think the one player that deserves to stay for sentimental reasons even though it’s likely he won’t make the starting eleven is Harper. Get rid of Ameobi, loan Ranger out, keep Lovenkrands and Best and sign a quality striker like Sturridge or Erdinç

  • neiln says:

    Lovenkrands has a good attitude, works hard and has a rough average of 1 goal every 3 games. Yeah, lets get rid of him instead of no touch Shola and/or Nile, lazy plastic gangster, Ranger!

  • giimps says:

    Keep Ranger and Best, give strolla away to pegswood or morpeth town.
    Ranger has the ability to make things happen, Best has the ability to act on those things.
    We wont be playing “long ball” apparently this season, balls inside and down the channels, for the likes of Ranger Ba and Best to latch onto and terrorise defences.
    Benny Gutti and Marveaux will dazzle, we dont need the likes of Strolla to slow things down and lose possesion, we need players to use the ball well and attack defences, Srolla and Lovaman cant do that consistently enough, toime will tell if the others can but they have got to be better than Strolla, I have known milk turn faster than him.

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