Your Shout: Toon Army's Reaction To Woodgate Sale
After the shock announcement that we had agreed to sell
Jonathan Woodgate to Real Madrid, Newcastle-Online asked for your thoughts
on the sale and as ever the response was brilliant. Check out the
reaction by clicking the below link:
Your
say on Woodgate sale
Man Utd & Arsenal The Real Reason Why We Sold
Woody
That's according to today's Chronicle that is, just to further
contradict the many stories that we have been fed since he signed
for Real Madrid.
Alan Oliver wrote:
Newcastle United sold Jonathan Woodgate to Real Madrid to keep
him out of the clutches of Premiership rivals Manchester United and
Arsenal. This is what the Chronicle can reveal today after the Speed
of Woodgate's £14.9m switch from Tyneside to Spain just about
caught the out the whole of football.
But the reason for United's haste was that they knew both Manchester
United and Arsenal were sniffing. The Chronicle revealed on Saturday
night that Woodgate's England skipper David Beckham was the man behind
the deal which took the cultured defender to the Bernabeu Stadium.
But Woodgate's two fellow central England defenders Rio Ferdinand
and Sold Campbell would not be human if they did not wax lyrical about
the joys of playing at Old Trafford and Highbury.
Woodgate had already been linked with a move to Arsenal and United
accepted that they had a problem keeping the best central defender
I have seen in a Black & White shirt.
A United source told me: "We knew both Manchester United and
Arsenal were interested in Woodgate and this would have had an unsettling
affect on the player.
"And the last thing Newcastle United wanted was for Woodgate
to go to any of our Premiership rivals."
United will act quickly to spend some of the money they got for Woodgate
and I expect a big name to arrive at St. James' Park this week. All
United would say today was that they were expecting "an interesting
week."
Make of it what you will...
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Calm Down: There Are Another 36 Games To Go!
Is anyone that surprised by our points tally of 1 in 6 as
we stand? We are perennial slow starters and although the fixtures
on paper may look easy or comparatively easy, Newcastle don't do "easy"
do we? With 36 games to go we can still achieve our objectives as
we did in Season 2001-02 and the following Season where we didn't
exactly start off with a bang neither.
In Season 2001-02 by our 3rd game we had only amassed one more point
than what we have at current. Admittedly we won that game (4-1 away
to the Smoggies) - giving us 5 points going into our 4th game. We
finished 4th that Season.
The following Season our start was similar. After the 3rd game (a
2-2 draw at Anfield) we had 4 points on the board. We finished 3rd
that Season.
If we pick up 3 points on Wednesday night at home to Norwich we will
have 4 points on the board. We could be 3 points better off than we
were last Season after our 6th game. We picked up 3 points in 6 games
last Season. We could have 4 in 3 games by the final whistle against
Norwich.
If we get beat? Then panic...
Toon Vs Spurs Observation: Flanks A Lot
One of the biggest criticisms of Laurent Robert is that he
doesn't get to the byeline often enough or take on his man. On Saturday
Robert's crossing from the flanks (and set-pieces) was poor. Toon
supporters urged him forward, to take on his man, to get to the byeline.
Instead he drifted in field a lot and more often than not, he gave
away possession. Que disgruntled fans and a low in confidence Robert.
This happens in most games with our Frenchman. Sometimes it works
a treat - he'll cut in, get to the edge of the box and lash in a great
shot as he so often did last Season. Or he'll slip one through for
a runner. When the opposition keep a solid backline of 4 as Spurs
did on Saturday however, Robert just adds to the minefield of bodies
and subsequently gets eased off the ball or relinquishes possession
(cheaply I might add).
Robert isn't a ball carrier, he's a give and take man, he likes to
release the ball early.
What he needs is a wingman to help him out.
What he needs is for Olivier Bernard to bomb past him, to get into
the space that he creates when he drifts in-field - that little space
between the centre-back and full-back that Arsenal exploit to devastating
effect with the running of Ashley Cole.
More often than not however, Bernard drops off or comes in-field himself.
He needs to help Robert out down the attacking 3rd of our left-flank.
Against Spurs he didn't do it often enough. He's a fine crosser of
the ball himself and he's got the pace and tricks to get to the byeline.
Yet he rarely does.
We should be causing havoc down that flank, especially on Saturday
when our obstacle was a 17-year old full-back making only his second
start for Spurs.
We are quick to criticise Robert when he goes missing in our half
but Bernard is equally guilty of going missing up the other end.
Misery On Tyneside: NUFC 0-1 Spurs
Newcastle were beaten for the first time at St. James' Park in 2004
Saturday afternoon when a Thimothee Atouba strike
in the 51st minute was enough to clinch all 3 points on a bitterly
miserable day at the Old Gallowgate.
Toon
Player Ratings
Full
Match Report
Team
Lineups & Match Facts
Fouls,
Possession, Shots, Corners & Saves
NUFC
Milestones From This Match
How
The Goals Were Scored
Match
Reaction From Sir Bobby
Match
Reaction From Jacques Santini
Match
Reaction From The Toon Army |
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