Do we need/Can we afford/Will we avoid an overhaul?

I am just looking at the situation with Newcastle at the moment and we appear to be in a slightly perilous position in future. As in, not right now, when there's a load of folks' on good contracts, a good first XI, low number of injuries, etc. But as we've seen from the Cardiff situation, you don't have to dig particularly deep to see under the skin of NUFC.

We have quite a number of delicately poised positions on both first team and squad players, and I may be alone but I get the sense that there's change a-comin'. The question and hopefully the discussion is what might happen, and whether our current owner has the nous/wherewithall to do something about it. I'll start with the first team -

Krul - subject to interest from far and wide and not outside the realms of possibility that he'll be the subject of a bid from a number of clubs yet to have a really top-class keeper. Arsenal, AC Milan and Real Madrid just three I can mention. His understudy is barely a Championship 'keeper, Jak Alnwick is just a kid. Dodgy ground.

Debuchy - Subject to speculative interest from moneybags Paris, is clearly a top class full back and if there's one club sadly lacking at full back, we don't have to look further than Man U. Are Arsenal going to put Jenkinson as their first choice FB? Add to that the fact we have NO RB backup, it's not a great situation.

Colo - surely in his last season? MYM looks able, but is he a leader? Nope.

Willo - Indian Summer surely for Iron Mike - one swallow doesn't make a Summer and whilst it'd be nice to think he'll be ever-reliable, at 30 years of age and with a history of average performances skewed by this seasons showing, is he really the 1st name we need on a team sheet? Steven Taylor as understudy says enough about Saylor, let alone the fact he'll be offski soon enough. Curtis Good and Remie Streete aren't ready.

Santon - constant speculation about his future, but appears very committed for us. Whilst settled in the NE, there's still a hole at LB for the reds of Manchester and good LB's are hard to find. In Haidara and Dummett, however, this is our lowest area of worry.

Sissoko - long contract, will cost a fortune to displace, definitely here in 2015.

Tiote - Constant speculation, but he's hot and cold and I cant see anyone stumping up £20m. Happy to be the man here as well, another I imagine will be black & white for years.

Cabaye - no question he's going to leave, just a case of when. Cabella seems to be the replacement of choice, but there's a question mark over whether we'll get the same calibre of player again paying peanuts. Plus the Cabella situation is just rumour, so Cabaye leaving does put us at a serious disadvantage - on current form, I hasten to add.....Anita as first choice? Some say yes, but he's not the creative influence we'd need.

Gouffran - I dunno. He's committed, and very functional, maybe it's unkind to say he's not quite spectacular, maybe NUFC are the right level for him and vice versa. Based on the fact he's sort of better-than-average, no-one's going to come in for him, so he should be quite settled.

Remy - clearly not going to sign for us long term. He wants CL, QPR want a stack of cash, this was always just a showcase for him. No wonder Pards always claimed it was "complicated" - it is. Player doesn't want to come, but performs for the World Cup. Big void to fill, and we don't have anyone close on the books.

Cisse - hard to imagine he's lost it all, but it happens to a player. Probably would like a move to rekindle his career, which has coimpletely stalled. In a bad place, and not the solution to many problems other than filling the coffers with around £8m.

The rest:

Obertan - sh1te. Gone.
Jonas - here in spirit, but gone.
Ben Arfa - sadly, it's not going to work. Going, going, gone.
Shola - gone.


I don't think enough attention has been focused on the squad we have. We are more than likely going to lose at least 5 players who are in or around the first team by the time the Summer is over, and are at the mercy of "big" clubs for the rest. How many are we going to replace, how many will be replaced by better? Maybe the club is as worried as I am, and we're planning in advance. But history says otherwise.

 

As a club, we're like Sisyphus: the summit of the hill is near….and then we crash to the bottom again. It's just that the traipse used to be every few years, now it seems to be every other month.
The only members of our first team who I can see staying on for another 5 years are Tiote and Krul.

 

Unless Ashley shows ambition to strengthen to take us forward it wont be surprising to see some players becoming disillusioned with the owners apparent lack of interest and look for clubs that wants to challenge for trophies.

 

If we don't get a striker in January we will limp over into May. Probably 10th or something like that. The last thing the board wants is us to get into Europe like last time. Even though logically we need 2-3 players I can easily see us getting no one.

 

Are you trying to say that what I have been reading on this forum for the last few months is not true I was convinced that NUFC were going to equal one of SAFC,s records so is it not now going to happen ? I have always thought " One day you are the pigeon next day you are the monument "

 

As a Toon fan Fredor you should know all about the Grey's monument.

 

Lord Grey know's all about pigeons.

 

RolyD careful mate, you'll have Boa on her saying that we'll sell all our players and get relegated - and we all know that happening would officially be phase one of the Androminan(?) invasion to take over the Earth.

 

Remy is a mercenary and I don't really care about where he ends up. He thinks he is better than NUFC (he really isn't) and will go as soon as CL or ££ comes calling.

Cabaye probably is better than NUFC, but if you want to climb the table you need to keep such players. I'd imagine he know he's destined for bigger things and will leave this summer.

Krul and Debuchy - same as above

The rest of the team though, are any of them entitled to better contracts or CL football? Some players in our squad really need to think themselves lucky they are at a good club like NUFC. Sadly though, that's not the way players think.

 

Agree about the playrs you mention. But I guess it's like any profession, you want people who are hungry, ambitious and want to succeed. And like any profession, the danger is that by sheer nature, the great ones often move on BECAUSE of that desire.

You can hope they will fulfil their ambition with you, but equally it's best not to stand in their way once their head is elsewhere.

 

I think most of our lot have found their level with NUFC to be honest and there's still a good few not good enough for us.

Frankly I don't think we have anyone so special they would be first choice at a top Champions League side, I just don't see in terms of the consistency of performance required.

Personally I think seeing the likes of Remy, Cabaye, Debuchy lauded for greatness amongst Europe's elite shows you the shortage of truly top class players available these days.

With Remy, a guy talked about for AGES in terms of moving out of France, I found it odd at the time that clubs weren't falling over themselves to rival us for him. Where does he end up? QPR.

It's over time you see how valuable these guys are, performing more often than not every season in the EPL. Remy's only had effectively one season... look what's happened to Papiss Cisse!