Our Wee Club.

WITH right-back Mathieu Debuchy already on board, and United looking to dip into the French market once more this January, Lee Ryder looks at the Magpies’ French legion down the years on Tyneside.

WHEN David Ginola lit up a cigarette on the Newcastle United first-team bus after the Magpies’ 2-0 win against Sheffield Wednesday in 1995, there were looks of astonishment from members of Kevin Keegan’s famous Entertainers team.

He had just scored a beautiful goal in a great win . . . but the cries of surprise were nothing compared to the gasps from the Gallowgate End as the man from Paris St Germain dazzled the Toon Army and took just minutes to win a place in their hearts.

Keegan, of course, gave Ginola a pass to have the odd cheeky tab after games, and pretty soon none of his team-mates minded either.

Few players looked better in the classic Newcastle adidas granddad collar shirt from the mid-1990s, and the fact that fans still wear the famous top now underlines the special memories held by black-and-white fanatics.

Ginola arrived at St James’ Park equipped with his Hollywood looks and a vow to entertain.

But few Geordies expected the impact the talented Frenchman would make on Tyneside as he came agonisingly close to helping the Magpies land the 1996 Premier League title under Keegan.


He was the first big-name French star to woo St James’, and during the Premier League years a fair few more from across the Channel have followed him into United’s hall of fame.

While Sir Alex Ferguson may think United are the “wee club”, with seven Frenchmen in the ranks at the club’s Benton base Newcastle are rapidly turning into the “oui Club”.

Hatem Ben Arfa, Yohan Cabaye, Mathieu Debuchy, Gabriel Obertan, Mehdi Abeid, Romain Amalfitano and Sylvain Marveaux are all on United’s books.

But United supporters are now well accustomed to watching those from France, as our list shows . . .


A little something from the Ronnie.

 

Laurent Robert is one of my favourite players ever for Newcastle, and what I wouldn't give now to see him line-up to take our set-pieces!!!

Bernard was pretty good in his day too

 

Robert had a great left peg, saw him score quite a few screamers. His work rate could have been a bit better though.

 

And that's why Jonas would play instead under Pardew

 

Don't think Robert was very well liked in the changing room either.

 

We are a different club now !!! back then we were ambitious.

Ferguson was aimng the jibe at the owner s a I thank him for that

 

I don't think aiming for financial solvency and funding a major shift in the way we operate is anything less than ambitious, even if we're not busting ourselves to sign "top players".

Sooner or later football will probably have to have wage caps anyway. I think we'll see more clubs conforming to our type in the future, rather than QPR's, for example.

 

It's never going to work because one thing I've learned is like nature money finds a way.

 

Heard that he wasnt the friendliest but god what a crazy motherfucker kind of player we miss without hatem in the team...

 

In our team of French's finest I think he'd be quite at home! Has he retired yet, or can we wheel him out of the old folks home to play for us?

 

Yean but he was good

I never forget the great man Bobby saying he doesn't care what players are like as long as they do it on the pitch.

 

[video=youtube;_D4QFwQIUUs]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_D4QFwQIUUs[/video]

who else could try this let alone pull it off

 

Ide happily pay for him and shearer to come out of retirement for us... robert shearer ben arfa....i have dreams about this ****

 

Ahhhhhhh... The days of Nobby down one wing and Robert down the other...

I have a feeling Pardew watched some old videos pre-season, then went "hey lads, I've got this cracking idea, we're going to play 4-4-2... Jonas, Obertan, come over here..."

 

was just incredible.. thing is we only need another good winger and we could have it again! i love marv as a player but he just dosnt cut it as a winger would love to see a new winger cisse and benny with cabs and marv stuck in behind creating and tiore holding could be formidable... but pards would never drop jonas...

 

[video=youtube;vGw-EU4puTQ]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGw-EU4puTQ&NR=1&feature=endscreen[/video]
just yes...

 

marv is good on the left wing but Pardew never plays him there!!! he had a great performance there then Pardew didn't play him left side again?

 

In terms of attracting quality players and paying what the likes of Utd City Chelsea Arsenal Liverpool and Spurs, I guess we are a wee club but not in terms of support or history come to that.
The lack of ambition shown by Ashley in the summer has now come back to haunt us. I would love to know which prick advised him on what the summer signings should be. I doubt whether he has any knowledge of football and as regards Llambias I have given up on him completely.
I am not advocating going back to the Shepherd days just that someone should have been strong enough to stand up to the guy and told him in no uncertain terms what we needed in the summer with the extra demands of playing in Europe. I wonder if Mr. Carr was at all involved in any discussions. A bit of a let down the youngsters didn`t step up to the plate when asked. Some could do with being loaned out and others simply released as the just aren`t good enough.

 

A lot of our youngsters seem like they're not going to make it above League 1/2 level (the way the doom merchants are talking we might as well keep them around then ). Vuckic and Bigi are the only ones who have really impressed me in a first team booth, but Vuckic is probably our most injury prone player

 

Robert was probably the greatest left winger we've ever had. I'm not sure if Ginola played all over the park, so I don't count him. As an out-and-out wing player on the left, Robert had/has no equal there for us(I think) Had a marvelous left foot, not even Ben Arfa had the kind of technique he had. Him and Nobby,Speed/FishBowl dude who'soverrated + Dyer in the central, Shearer + Bellamy, was our best formation. Too bad along came Graeme Souness