Best Starting to Show What He's Made Of

When Leon Best signed last January from Coventry I was probably only one of a few Newcastle fans who backed the signing and I still believe Besty can prove to be a good asset for us in the Premiership. Leon had a tough time in a black and white shirt towards the end of last season as he struggled in front of goal and failed to find the net in 13 games. Earlier in the season he had scored 10 goals in 26 games for Coventry, a decent return in a struggling side. He showed a glimpse of his quality when he lashed a shot from outside the box against Plymouth that rattled the crossbar.

This pre-season however, Leon has found his scoring touch scoring against both Carlisle and PSV Eindhoven. His goal against Carlisle was a very well taken goal as he rounded the keeper and slotted the ball home, while against PSV he scored a predatory header from a very good whipped free kick. It had been rumoured that he was to be loaned out as we have a few striking options but today Leon has come out and said that he just wants to play for Newcastle and start scoring goals.

I believe that Leon could be a surprise package for us this season and could bag a few important goals. He also showed he can assist others when he crossed for Andy Carroll late on in the Swansea City game for the equaliser. Best has been a huge topic of debate between me and my friends ever since we signed him, and I hope and believe that he can repay my faith in his abilities. Come on Leon!

Comments welcome.

Sol Campbell Signs

Experienced centre-half Sol Campbell has signed for Newcastle United on a one-year contract from Arsenal. Sol is 35 years old and has years of international and champions league experience to draw on. Campbell played 11 times for Arsenal last season, and performed very well, the only question mark over him being his pace, or lack of it in his advancing age. However, he is still a quality defender who has top-notch positioning and will be there to block and clear crosses. You don't need to have pace, as Birmingham centre-halfs Roger Johnson and Neil Dann showed last season as they performed very well.

For me Sol should be 3/4 choice centre half. Now that Steven Taylor is out for 3 months the signing of Campbell eases defensive worries slightly. He will battle it out with Mike Williamson for a starting berth alongside Coloccini for the first game at Old Trafford. He will probably get the nod due to his higher experience at the top level. Another reason he has been brought in is to help the youngsters come along, he is a perfect role model for players like Tamas Kadar. All in all I am very happy with the signing of Campbell.

Comments welcome

Transfer Update

After a disappointing defeat at Norwich, the week has started off with plenty of transfer rumours about Newcastle United. Hughton has said he is on the lookout for defender as Steven Taylor is out until possibly October and James Perch has picked up a knock. I also think we are in need of a winger to challenge Routledge and Jonas for a starting berth and a striker that can complement Andy Carroll.

Defence - Rumours today that Bolton Wanderers full-back Jlloyd Samuel is top of Hughton's wishlist. He is 29 years of age and stands at 6 ft 11. He has played 71 times for Bolton since joining them from Aston Villa in 2007, where he played 169 times over a nine year period. £1.5 million has been the quoted offer for the player, and I believe this would represent a good deal for the club. Samuel could provide good steady back-up for Jose Enrique, who towards the end of last season did get injured on several occasions.
Andy O'Brien also of Bolton Wanderers has constantly been linked with a return to St James Park, but this move could only happen if a replacement was signed by Owen Coyle.

Midfield - I have been excited over recent days to hear of our reported interest in Marseille winger Hatem Ben Arfa. He is valued at £5 million but could be purchased on a years loan deal. He is 23 years of age and still hasn't reached his peak and for £5 million he could prove to be a snip in future years. He has represented France at all levels and has 7 full caps and just missed out on a place in the World Cup squad. He has played 62 times for Marseille and scored 9 goals, a decent return for a winger and certainly better than what we have.
Another player who has been linked with a move is Manchester United youngster Tom Cleverley. Cleverley proved his talents on loan at Watford last season scoring 11 goals in 33 appearance, a very good return. However this was in the Championship and he is yet to be proved in the top division. Manchester United will only let him leave on loan if he can be guaranteed first team action but with an array of choices in central midfield already, it is to be seen whether Alex Ferguson will allow him to move to Newcastle. 

Strikers - Today I have heard that we have targeted David N'Gog on loan from Liverpool. He joined them in 2008 and has scored 11 goals in 56 appearances, most of which have been from the bench as he only starts when Torres is injured. He has shown signs of quality and at 21 can only improve but for me a loan deal would not be a good thing for us. His wage demands are quite high and he, in my opinion is no better than what we already have. Also instead of loaning him and setting Nile Ranger further back in the pecking order, we should give youngsters like Ranger and Vuckic more of a chance in the first team.

I would be happy if before the start of the season we have Jlloyd Samuel and Hatem Ben Arfa in our squad. Samuel would provide good cover for Enrique and Ben Arfa will bring the X-Factor and flair to the side which is needed in the Premiership. I feel as if Cleverley and N'Gog aren't needed, especially when we can blood our own youngsters, and we already have an array of options in both midfield and up front. Saying this I still think we need to acquire a striker to play alongside Andy Carroll.

Comments welcome.

Dan Gosling signs

Dan Gosling has become Chris Hughton's 2nd signing of the summer after ariving on a free transfer from Everton, Dan has penned a 4 year deal and takes the number 15 shirt. He was allowed to move for free and a contract wrangle with Everton, as they missed the date set to offer him a contract in writing he was allowed to move on for free and Newcastle pounced.

Gosling is 20 years old and started his career at Plymouth before moving to Everton. He has played 61 games in total for the two clubs, scoring 8 goals in the process, and most notably against Sunderland and Liverpool in a FA Cup replay in extra time. Dan has also appeared at all youth levels for England, and in future years will hope to make the step up to the senior squad.

Gosling is a versitile player who can play in several postitions. He can play right back, right midfield and centre midfield. He has been used as a box-to-box midfielder on occasions for Everton and plays with aloit of energy and vibrancy, which is expected as he is a young lad. He also does possess quality, his goal against Liverpool as already mentioned is evidence of that. However, he is set to be out until around January time due to a knee injury he picked up last season.

I believe that this is a great signing for the club, he is young and possesses quality and can only get better. Signing him for free as well, is a great thing for the club, and a terrible bit of work by Everton as they should be tying there best youngsters down. Gosling will provide good cover in plenty of positions and as he gets older he will become a main fixture of the Newcastle United team. Chris Hughton and the club have to be given credit for getting Gosling to opt for United as he did have other options. All in all a very good signing, just a shame he is currently injured.

New Number 9!!!!

Today Andy Carroll, a born and bred Geordie, has been given the most coveted shirt for Newcastle United. Which is of course the number 9 shirt! Previously worn by legends such as Alan Shearer, Jackie Milburn and Malcolm McDonald. The last time the number 9 shirt was worn was on the infamous day when United were relegated, Obafemi Martins donned the shirt on that occasion, and it was to be his last appearance for the club.

Carroll, 21, performed magnificently last season in the Championship scoring 19 goals and leading the line very well. He is the typical number 9, big, strong, exceptional in the air and battles non stop for 90 minutes. His left peg isn't too shabby either.

"I'm immensely proud. It's an unbelievable feeling," Carroll told the club's website."Alan Shearer was my idol as a young lad and who would have thought I'd be following in his footsteps?" "It's every young Geordie lad's dream to be a Newcastle United number nine and I'm so lucky to be given that chance," he added. " It's an opportunity I relish and intent doing my utmost to do the shirt proud. When you look at the fantastic players down the years who have worn the shirt, it sends shivers down your spine. It's amazing. "Having grown up following and watching the team I'm obviously aware of the great tradition the number nine shirt holds. It's probably unique in football in that sense and to be wearing it is incredible."

I think it is a good decision to give Carroll the number nine shirt. Hopefully it will give him the confidence to go out and score plenty of goals in the top division, as he now knows he is the top striker at the club. He is also a Geordie boy so he will know what the shirt means to the fans. I'm glad it has been given back to a local lad because, even though i adored Oba Martins, he can relate better to the fans having been a life-long fan himself. I just hope Andy can keep his feet on the ground, keep on improving, and lead the line brilliantly for years to come. Good luck Andy fella!

Comment welcome.

Carlisle United 0-3 Newcastle United

So a 3-0 victory to start off Newcastle's preparations for their return to the Premiership. Goals for Leon Best, Nile Ranger and Haris Vuckic in the second half secured a comfortable victory for the Magpies.

Hughton named a strong side mixed with a few younger players. Starting XI: Harper, Tavernier, Coloccini, Williamson, Enrique, Inman, Smith (c), Nolan, LuaLua, Carroll, Lovenkrands.

Even with the experienced names in the starting line-up it was the home side that started better, creating the better and the majority of the early chances. Newcastle failed to test Carlisle goalkeeper Adam Colin at all in the first period.


The second half saw wholesale changes as the whole team was changed! 2nd half team: Krul, R.Taylor, S.Taylor, Perch, Ferguson, Routledge, Barton (c), Guthrie, Vuckic, Ranger, Best.

The changes paid dividends straight away as Best latched onto a through ball by Wayne Routledge, rounded the keeper and slotted the ball into the empty net. This was his first goal for the club and can hopefully boost the lads confidence which was unfortunately lacking towards the back end of last season. The second goal came 15 minutes later and it was again assisted by Wayne Routledge. He drove to the byline and pulled it back to Nile Ranger, who back-healed the ball home. The final goal came from Slovakian Haris Vuckic, his first goal for the first team. Leon Best found space down the right, played it into the youngster who swiveled and sent a left foot shot into the bottom corner of the net. It could have been even more in the second half, which showed a huge improvement from the first half.

The only downside was that Steven Taylor, just back from injury, walked off the pitch with 10 minutes remaining with a shoulder injury. Hopefully this is a very minor injury but we will see in the next few days. Tamas Kadar and Shola Ameobi were absent due to minor knocks while Danny Simpson is still out after an operation in the summer. Jonas Guttierez is also away having performed in the World Cup.

All in all a good outing for Newcastle with 2 people grabbing there first goals for United. Hopefully Leon Best can draw confidence from that goal and carry it into the Premiership season. The only disappointment is S.Taylor's injury, but lets hope that it isn't too bad. Onto Norwich next!

Comments welcome.

Carlisle United away!

Finally the waiting is over and the kick off to the new season begins for all Newcastle United fans. A trip to Brunton Park to play Carlisle United is where it all starts for the Magpies. Kick off is at 1pm and the away section for United fans has been sold out. Carlisle have already played 2 friendly games to prepare for the new season overcoming both Kendal Town and Workington.

As much as I would like us to win this game, it doesn't really matter what the result is as the aim is to get the players match fit and ready for the game at Old Trafford. It would be nice to win though to keep the momentum going from the end of last season where we didn't lose in the last 17 games.

Only two players will be unavailable for the game tomorrow and they are Jonas Guttierez, who is on leave after the World Cup, and Danny Simpson who has an ankle injury and is set to miss the first few games of the season. James Perch is set to make is debut for the club, while Tim Krul returns to Carlisle where he played 9 games on loan, so he should get a warm welcome from the home faithful.

Tomorrow is an exercise to get the players back up to fitness and back playing again. Lets hope we can get a positive result and hopefully nobody gets injured!

Comments welcome.

Steve Harper to Celtic?

Celtic are interested in buying Steve Harper to replace Artur Boruc who has moved to Fiorentina. New Celtic assistant boss Alan Thompson, recently departed from Newcastle, is a friend and an admirer of Harper and has recommended him to Neil Lennon to replace the Polish shot-stopper.

Harper, who set a new club record last season of 19 clean sheets, has spent his whole career at Newcastle United apart from short spells on loan at Hartlepool, Huddersfield and Gateshead back in the mid-90's. He has appeared 173 times for his hometown club and profited from Shay Given's sale to Manchester City.

It is difficult for me to believe this story as Steve has played here all his career and it is very unlikely that he would want to leave considering how long he waited to break into the starting line-up. Since Given left he has proven that he is a good goalkeeper, and will now want to improve on his performances last season, against better teams and strikers in the Premiership. Also, Chris Hughton wouldn't want to sell an experienced player as he is a perfect role model to follow for young keepers Tim Krul and Fraser Forster. He is also a big character is the dressing room and a kind of father figure to the younger players in the squad.

Comments welcome.

Next Season's Captain?

With a month to go until the big Premier League kick off, Chris Hughton still has not named who will be the captain to lead the team out at Old Trafford on Newcastle's return to top flight football. There are a few candidates to get this honour, at the top of the list are Alan Smith and Kevin Nolan, who captained Newcastle on many occasions last season due to Nicky Butt's absence. Other possible players who could wear the armband are Steve Harper and Steven Taylor.

Alan Smith - The 29 year old midfielder is the prime candidate for the job of captaincy. He was the regular captain in Newcastle's championship winning season, and is in pole position for the job in my eyes. He is the perfect captain as he is always giving 110% commitment and is also very passionate about the club. He also has experience on his side having made almost 400 club appearances. The downside to Smudger though, is that he can occasionally lose his head in the heat of battle.

Kevin Nolan - Nolan arrived in Newcastle in January of 2009 and was here for the relegation of the team from the Premiership. He could of left us in the summer of 09 to play in the top division as he has undoubted quality and has a proven record at the top level with Bolton Wanderers. He really came to the fore in the Championship and was one of the main driving forces that helped United jump straight back the the promised land. He scored 17 goals last season and proved that he was fit enough by playing in all but 2 games in the league season after question marks about this issue the season before. He also captained the team towards the end of the season when Alan Smith was absent. Being a scouser, he will always bring passion and a huge desire to win.

Steve Harper - The most loyal player to ever play the game in my eyes, sat on the bench behind Shay Given for years, but proved he was one of the best English goalkeepers around last season when he made some fine saves in his 45 appearances most notably one against Sheffield United to preserve the 1-0 lead. Goalkeepers aren't often awarded with the captaincy, and it is unlikely that Hughton will plump for Harper, but he is worth a mention on this list as he has been here for 17 years and is a very senior figure in the camp.

Steven Taylor - Steven is now 24 years of age and has been a regular in the side for a few years now. Last season he did have a few setbacks with injury and Mike Williamson performed admirably in his absence. I expect Steven to go straight back into the team for the trip to Manchester United. He is a Geordie at heart and will put his body on the line for his boyhood club. It is probably too early for him to be considered a captain, especially with the reported falling out with Andy Carroll at the back end of last season. He is definitely a possible captain of the future for the club though having wore the armband for the England under-21's in his career previously.

For me, it is between Alan Smith and Kevin Nolan who Hughton makes captain. All 4 of the players mentioned will be leaders though, both on the pitch and in the dressing room. We are lucky at this football club to have people like this who have so much passion to play for our football club and to make us fans proud of our team. There's nothing better than a player winning a 50/50 tackle to get the crowd and the team going. My choice for captaincy would be Alan Smith for this reason, and the others mentioned above.

Comments welcome.

Man Utd to rest key players?

Newcastle United travel to Old Trafford on the first day of the season, and there is some suggestion that Sir Alex Ferguson will rest some of his star players that appeared at the World Cup. These players include Wayne Rooney, Michael Carrick and France captain Patrice Evra. Also Nemanja Vidic, Park Ji-Sung and new signing Javi Hernandez may sit out the opener. It is yet to be known whether Rio Ferdinand will be fit for that game, and Owen Hargreaves will probably miss out.

That results in 8 top players being missing for the Red Devils. Most of which would be in the starting line-up. Even though these players will be missing, Man Utd still have a very strong squad and possible starting line-up. If the rumours are true about resting the players I expect their line up to be:
             Van Der Sar
  Neville Brown  Evans  Fabio
Valencia Fletcher Scholes Giggs
            Berbatov Owen

It is still a good side, but it isn't unbeatable and doesn't look formidable. The back four can also be easily got at with Jonas up against the ageing legs of Gary Neville while Routledge will be up against the inexperienced Fabio. Andy Carroll will also fancy his chances in the air against both Brown and Evans as well. The midfield and the strikers are the thing to be worried about, but if we can keep them at bay, I can see us scoring a couple of goals. 

The first game of the season is the best time to play Sir Alex's team. Think back to the start of the 08-09 season when we battled to a 1-1 draw after taking the lead through an Obafemi Martins header. It was a great result for us and a repeat or even better is possible this season in my opinion.

Comments welcome.

Krul or Forster?

Who should Newcastle send on loan to another club next season? Tim Krul or Fraser Forster.

The two goalkeepers are both 22 years of age and both stand taller than 6ft 4 making them imposing presences between the posts. Krul made an astonishing debut when he was just 18 in a UEFA Cup tie against Palermo where he made several top class saves while Fraser is yet to pull on the Newcastle keepers jersey in a competitive outing. 

Both youngsters are understood to be at the attention of a few clubs in the Championship and League One. Norwich are very keen to take Fraser Forster back to Carrow Road after a successful loan spell there last season.

Krul acted as Steve Harper's backup last season and didn't get much game time, mainly featuring the the Carling Cup competition. Whereas Forster played 38 times for Norwich in their League One winning season and in half of those games kept a clean sheet, an impressive record whoever you are.

In my opinion Tim Krul should be the one that Chris Hughton allows to leave on loan for a season. This is due to the fact that Forster has more experience at first team level and also experience in a winning side. Forster knows what it is like to play week-in, week-out and would be a ready replacement for Steve Harper if he we to suffer injury. Krul will be able to pick up experience if he were to go out on loan and gain valuable first team experience that Forster has already received.

Whatever happens, we have two great upcoming young goalkeepers to battle it out for the number 1 jersey once Steve Harper hangs his gloves up.

Comments welcome.

Striking Targets

                     Yannick Djalo - Agent claims Newcastle United bid.


So, its transfer time and as ever Newcastle are linked with every Tom, Dick and Harry. However, firm bids have supposedly been made for Yannick Djalo of Sporting Lisbon and Mevlut Erdinc of Paris Saint-Germain. Whether these bids really happened is another question as media can't always be trusted. If the reports are true and Newcastle have bid for the pair, then it at least show that we have a bit of money floating around for transfers.


About the two players mentioned above then. Yannick Djalo is 24 years of age and is a striker but can also double up as a winger. He has a record of 74 games and 16 goals for his club Sporting. He also recently got a call up to the Portugal first team squad by manager Carlos Queiros. His agent claims that us and Tottenham Hostpur have bid in the region of £4.2 million for the player but Sporting are holding out for closer to £6 or £7 million. For me that is too much for a striker that hasn't really proved himself in the Portuguese league.

Mevlut Erdinc is a Turkish striker who plays for Paris Saint-Germain. Mevlut is 23 years old and would fit in with the policy of going for youthful players. His one season at PSG ended with him scoring 15 goals in 31 outings, not a bad record. Before joining PSG he played for Sochaux for 4 years where he notched 24 times in 78 appearances. He has 10 caps for his country and has scored 1 goal in them games. He only joined his current club at the beginning of last season so looks unlikely to leave them below the amount that he was purchased for which was £7.5 million. Again for me this represents too much of a risk and the fee would be quite a large one.

For me, there is one striker who could play up alongside Andy Carroll successfully. He is Ghanaian striker Asamoah Gyan who impressed hugely at the recent World Cup bagging 3 goals in Ghana's run to the Quarter Finals. He is 24 years old and at 6ft 1 does pose a threat in the air as well as being pacy and a good finisher. His goal tally at club level isn't too special scoring 14 in 47 games for his current club Stade-Rennais. However his tally and strike rate at international level is exceptional, scoring once every 2 games with a record of 22 in 44. The downside to bidding for Gyan would be that many Premier League clubs being interested, including local rivals Sunderland. The fee would be around £7 million but this is a good price for the striker as he is proved at the highest level of international football.

Comments welcome,

Cheers, Daniel.

Transfer Targets

Dan Gosling - set to join the Toon on a free transfer?

Dan Gosling to me would represent a very successful transfer coup by Chris Hughton and Newcastle United. It is tough to get good, young, British players cheap these days and getting Gosling in would be a great acquisition for Newcastle. Gosling can play full back, centre midfield and wide on the right of midfield giving backup for Newcastle in several position while pushing Wayne Routledge for a starting spot in midfield.

If this transfer goes ahead, it does help ease the problem we currently have of only having 2 out and out wingers on out books in Routledge and Jonas Guttierez. This is a position I felt needed strengthening. However, Gosling is out for 3 months due to injuring his anterior cruciate ligament back in March. So another winger should be purchased in my opinion, either on loan or permanently.

Other positions I feel we need to strengthen are left back where we need cover for Jose Enrique and a pacy striker to play up top with Andy Carroll. Patrick van Aanholt played fantastically when on loan from Chelsea last season and could be the answer to the 2nd left back birth behind Jose. I'm a little short on ideas for strikers at the minute and any suggestions would be welcome.

Cheers, Daniel

New Nufc Blog!

Hey guys,
My name is Daniel Mein and I am 17 years old and live in Newcastle. I have made this blog I have a free summer before hopefully heading of to Uni in September. The blog will be about Newcastle United, as you can tell by the title of the blog.
In the blog I will post all things about NUFC, the football club that I love. There is no shortage of things to talk about with this football club and I will try my best to get my thoughts and opinions across in an entertaining way so you guys can enjoy reading my blog. I also hope it will provoke responses either agreeing with me or disagreeing with my opinions, which is what a blog is all about!
Anyways, that is what the blog will be about. Hope you guys can enjoy it and help me along as I've never done this kinda thing before.
Cheers, Daniel