Summer 2011 was supposed to be one of excitement and incomings for Newcastle United. First on the agenda for Alan Pardew was to tie down three of his key players before embarking on recruitment drive with the instruction to turn the club into European contenders. He wanted Joey Barton, Jose Enrique and Kevin Nolan all tied down to new deals before dipping his toes into the transfer market
But, just like recent history dictates, nothing ever goes to plan with none of them even getting close to scribbling their initials on the contracts offered. Just Enrique and Barton remain with Nolan being jettisoned to West Ham in the blink of an eye, a decision that left fans divided and bewildered. It has been well documented that all three have demanded contracts that slip out of the club’s new boundaries.
The situation with Barton is getting out of hand. He should be bowing at the feet of St James’ Park and taking whatever the club offers after they gave him a second chance despite his time doing porridge. Simply put he owes Newcastle United and there is no way he can do better. Enrique on the other hand is a tricky one. He’s performed superbly over the last two years and wants to play in the Champions League. Despite this and the constant pleading for him to stay it would be in the best interests of the club to let him go, take the money and buy a replacement in a similar mould.
But what all of these players have in common is that they are all prepared to jump ship as soon as their requests aren’t met. The days of demanding top wages and holding the board to ransom are gone on Tyneside. Mike Ashley has implemented a new model and philosophy at the club that isn’t going to be changed – not even for the club’s captain!
Nolan is the worst of the lot. It’s easy to look at his goal record and completely ignore his lack of fitness, influence on games and inability to operate in the fast paced environment that is a Premier League midfield. Despite scoring 12 goals last season, including three against the Mackems, he was sold without a moment’s hesitation by Ashley with Pardew hardly putting up a fight to keep him at the club.
To me that speaks volumes. People forget that he still had two years to run on his contract, was picking up a cool £50,000 a week and just a few weeks earlier had professed his love for the club, the area and his pride at captaining the club. He didn’t have to leave the club but chose to drop down a division and sacrifice Premier League football for a hefty pay cheque.
For a 29 year old with declining on-field influence to demand a five-year contract is ludicrous! Although he did score goals for the club could he have kept that up for the duration of his desired deal? The answer is no and fans need to remove the rose tinted glasses and smell the coffee when it comes to Nolan. You have to question his commitment and compare it to that of Cheik Tiote. He had the entire big four sniffing around only half a year after signing and yet penned a six-year deal committing himself to the club for the long haul.
In part some credit should go Ashley who is basing his decisions purely on business. Over the last year he has been spot on with his boardroom judgements. He does recognise when one of his employees deserves recognition for their achievements and when they are going to become liabilities to both the team and club finances. Many fans might scoff at the thought of him doing good at the club. But what he set into motion after the relegation season has ultimately brought the club back to where it is. Working in tandem with Pardew has produced some surprising results.
The additions of Hatem Ben Arfa, Demba Ba, Yohan Cabaye and Sylvain Marveaux can only be described as masterstrokes, with only £10 million being spent to bring all four to the club. It now remains to be seen whether Barton and Enrique will sign on and help Ashley and co take the club to the next level.
Written by Jak Penny
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Agree with everything apart from I think we should bust a gut to keep Jose and Joey!
Joey Barton is not worth keeping he is undisciplined off the pitch and is still a risk on it i.e. Arsenal in theLeague Cup we are 4 – 0 down with a minute to go and he took Fabregas out deliberatley and could easily be red carded
Let’s hope he does not play too much for us this season and that a new star or talent wil replace him
Hard to argue with the facts as stated unless you have strong hatred for Mike Ashley and miss the point. Barton is worth keeping until after the Arsenal game and then sell him to them
If we DO just sign 2 more players, as suggested by AP (apart, of course, from replacement lb’s if Jose leaves) what do you think? Obviously a striker. Should both signings be strikers?
I’d say the other player should be a defensive mf, but not an African because we don’t need to lose 2 during the African Nations Cup!
Hang on a second, Bendtner in talks with an unnamed club?! I don’t think for a second it’s us, but unlike most Toon fans I would be very pleased if we got him.
I think Wenger is a master at many aspects of football, but maybe not strikers and doesn’t know how to get the most out of him. If the rumour that Wenger is thinking about Kevin Doyle (highly unlikely though) then he truly doesn’t know much about cf’s (remember Jeffers?!). I would assume Bendtner is heading abroad.
As a West Ham fan, I feel you (Toon Army) need to allow Pardew at least two off-seasons to really see what he can do in the transfer market. As much as I think Pardew was a big of a twat, virtually every player he brought to Upton Park was good value and contributed in some way, even John Pantsil!!!
Good article and good posts. I have to agree with the article on every point. Nolan 5 years was crazy, Enrique is being a bit cheeky in keeping us waiting and is heading into his final year we should tie him down and make him decide now. Barton is becoming a nuisance with all his Tweets. He isn’t helping the club with his ‘honesty’. He will never fully mature it seems but we should keep him as he is a commanding force in the middle of the park. He will show our French lads the meaning of passion on the field and make them aware that it won’t be an easy ride and they have to work really hard if they want to play for Newcastle.
One quality striker that can also play on the wing and I will be delighted with this transfer window.
That’s all very well, but when every player that leaves the club is portrayed as a money grabbing mercenary, you have to wonder about the credibility of the club. Unrealistic player demands have been used as an excuse back through Nolan, Carroll, and back to the days of Waddle, Beardsley, Gascoigne, or George Eastham for that matter. The fans are always taken in by it, because let’s face it we would give anything to be in their position. But do you honestly think we won’t be saying the same things about Cabbaye, Marvaux, Ba, and …. N’Zogbia (!) in a couple of years?