A new one on me..... http://www.kickoff.co.uk/62647/nigerian-bundesliga-star-firmly-on-newcastle-uniteds-radar/? It is an open secret that Newcastle United are on the lookout for a new striker, with every name under the sun being linked with a move to St. James’ Park. No stone is being left unturned in a bid to get the right man through the doors and Werder Bremen’s Anthony Ujah is thought to have come to the club’s attention. ANTHONY UJAH Having spent the previous four-and-a-half seasons in German football, the Nigerian international is used to playing at a good level. The 25-year-old switched teams during the summer, moving from FC Köln to Werder Bremen, but he has taken little time to adjust to life in new surroundings: please log in to view this image *Statistics correct up to and including games played on Friday 22/01/16* In fact, prior to the weekend, the centre-forward had scored seven times in 17 Bundesliga appearances for his new employers, having netted ten times in the competition last season. Mobile and alert, the Nigerian’s total of 17 top-flight goals is five more than Ayoze Perez has managed for Newcastle during the same period, with the Werder Bremen striker taking 100 minutes fewer on average to find the net: please log in to view this image *Statistics correct up to and including games played on Friday 22/01/16*
I don't know where these half-assed websites get this stuff from, I really don't. He's been at Bremen for about 5 months and by all accounts is doing well. We simply don't go after anyone with more than 18 months on a contract, they cost too much.
Loic Remy. He's a a greedy **** and doesn't want to join us permanently. Six month loan, pay him what he wants, he scores goals, we have a chance of staying up. Cue summer and we sign an experienced, prolific goalscorer on a permanent deal. No brainer.
Is he going to want to come to us though? If Palace are sniffing around, the London factor comes into play as well as the chance to work with Pardew again not to mention the fact he has turned us down TWICE already.
Probably not. That's what happens when you don't act fast. He should have been signed as soon as the window was open. Instead of sitting playing Football Manager, perhaps Charnley and Carr would be better served actually signing someone proven.
Complete nonsense. Remy is a no brainer. Doesn't want to come? Pay him extra 20k out of pocket per week. He will score goals. He would have had 12 goals this season if he had been playing for us. Looking at expensive options elsewhere is just stupid at this stage and will guarantee we won't get anyone. Remy wants away. None of the top teams want him. It's a matter of talking to him nicely. What a complete ****ing joke this is.
Pay Remy £100K p/week or whatever it is he wants. He will score goals alongside Mitrovic and Wijnaldum. Proven PL player. So **** if he doesn't want to join us. Money talks. Let him score goals for 5 months and then sod off to his next pay packet. Gives us 5 months to buy a permanent striker in the summer. He may just keep us in the sodding division. The stupidity of those in charge just increases on a daily basis.
I do agree, it's a complete no brainer. Clearly Berahino doesn't want to join, he's more or less the only person we appear to be after (following Lacazette's refusal), so I'd sooner pay a mercenary whatever he needs (as he'll perform in a shop window) than over-stretch on Berahino or Lacazette. I agree, the stupidity is with every passing hour bordering on comical. He should have been here before the FA Cup match. As it stands it will probably be all on Mitrovic against Everton again, with a "we're happy with what we have - Cisse's back soon, Riviere's fit again" from Macca.
Waste £21 million on an unproven youngster, or pay a proven mercenary £4 million for 5 months work, meaning that we stay in the PL, have more money to spend in the summer, have the time to scout and buy properly and push on. What is wrong with Charnley, Carr and McClaren that they cannot see the answer to that simple ****ing equation?
Agree a bonus of £20k per point in any games he (Remy) plays a part in on top of his basic. If he only scores 5 and we go down well at least we tried something, if he keeps us in the top flight the bonus is for nothing.
I'd imagine Remy will wait until the last day of the transfer window before agreeing to a loan deal as he'll want to give bigger clubs every chance to come in for him. Not that that matters really as we don't play until the 3rd Feb. It's just not good for the fans' nerves. If we are waiting on him have we got a plan B? Unlikely.
Seeing as Plan B is the name of the morning after pill, we'll wake up the morning after the transfer window closes, realise we've been ****ed and that we haven't taken precautions, and then panic and realise that we've got a very bitter pill to swallow.
I'm not even sure Remy's plan B, let alone plan A. Plan A was Lacazette, until Charnley turned up looking like he belongs in social services and the player laughed at the notion of swapping Lyon for a relegation scrap. Plan B was Berahino who believes he should be leading the line at Real Madrid, though Spurs will suffice. Either way, NUFC are out. After that........erm, Riviere?
We're doing our usual all the eggs in one basket routine. The trouble is, our eggs have prematurely hatched and we have been left with the egg on our faces! We have had months to come up with a transfer plan. It has been obvious since October that we lacked a goalscorer. Mitrovic has potential. Riviere - Well let's just say that he isn't the solution. Cisse? He is utter dog crap. Are we trying to fluke this one over the line then get to the summer and hope to bring back Adam Armstrong? It's looking more and more likely. We signed two midfielders. Great, wonderful. They won't score us 10-15 goals though. I don't think I have ever seen a more idiotic bunch of chancers involved in a football club. Fat Freddie had his many flaws, but jesus at least he spent the money and got people in. This lot dither over a couple of million. I mean come on seriously. The club stands to lose an absolute fortune by going down and we have either been haggling over a couple of million, or concentrating on players who have absolutely no desire to come here. This isn't NUFC of the entertainers/ SBR era. This is Mike Ashley offspring - It's Trotters Independent Traders PLc, high street goods at knock down prices. We aren't interested in buying experience because that doesn't have any re-sale value. You simply cannot operate that policy in football. Stop with the ****ing penny pinching and buy a proven ****ing striker or at the very least loan a ready made goalscorer in Remy who will bag the goals we need. The chances we seem to be creating these days will be like taking candy from a baby for him.
Thing is Remy not only buys you time but could invariably make the club infinitely more attractive to other strikers. Let's say he comes in and for the 20 chances Mitrovic has had (plus those where he just wasn't in the box ready) since November, Remy scores at least 10. 10 goals in just under 3 months is possible, we'd be easily safe and Remy would be the focal point, scoring goals for fun. All of a sudden is Lacazette a little more interested? We can't go back in time, but if we'd bothered with a Loic Remy in the first place we could argue we'd have beaten Arsenal, Man U, Watford, Villa and had a few draws. Take 15 points, stick it on where we sit now and we're level with West Ham, one point from 5th. This is fantastical, sure, but I'm not even taking into consideration the fact we were utterly dire from August to November; something that would have been remedied had we not spunked most of our budget on one raw talent and one untested luxury player. The decisions at the top are staggering - why ever bother letting Ben Arfa go, to buy someone for a lot more money who MIGHT be as good one day. Its so nonsensical it makes me sh*t blood.
The mind simply boggles. If we don't sign a striker we are down and Charnley deserves to be shot for that. I actually don't blame Mike Ashley this time. I think in some regards he was genuine in his interview after the final game. He was right about how the money is spent. He gives it to Charnley and Carr and they spend it. It's clear that the money is there. But for whatever reason, Charnley and Carr are refusing to spend it on the one area that is crying our for investment. Remy, Andre Gray, Jordan Rhodes to chuck about some names that will get goals. Stop with the dreaming about Lacazette mssrs Carr and Charnley. He's not coming here, will never come here. Get a striker signed or piss off.
Thing is i remember reading an article by Don Hutchison (bear with me) in the Chron with regards the transfer window and how transfers work. He basically said, as a player, you will be aware of a clubs interest and - in turn - the buying club will know whether you want to join or not. Once these basics are sorted - a nod here, an indication there - then it's down to the nitty gritty between chairmen and agents. Now, it seems to me that we are one of the only clubs in the entire world who simply ignore this fact, instead believing that money talks - this I feel is a direct result of 8 years ownership by a greedy capitalist pig (no offence). I know I bang on about it too much, but Thauvin is a brilliant example. Linked with him before he went to Marseille, he repeatedly stated his lack of interest in joining us. He was warned off the club by a few in France, we'd already made the same mistake previously with Remy Cabella, yet there we were jumping on the fact his own clubs' fans had turned against him, pouncing from the shadows; we didn't really ever consider his mentality, we simply took advantage of Marseille's weak position, Thauvin's anguish and threw a stack of cash at it - it was abominable, abysmal club management by Lee Charnley and Graham Carr. I don't know why we're offering for Lacazette, he's not interested. Ditto for Berahino. In the meantime Afobe, who one would imagine would love to be here, is signed for less than half of the cost of the first two. It's baffling, bordering on insanity. Andre Gray can't actually move this window, but Rhodes has been doing it for years. Remy's idly sat there waiting for someone. And none of us here are scouts - so if we end up with Remy on loan, wtf has Carr been doing with his geriatric ass all year?? You know, I agree about Ashley - the thing is if he knew the slightest, remotest thing about football I don't think much of this would happen.
The only thing with Remy is that he is not exactly setting the world alight. He is not match fit and he is older than he was. Is he the same player? I think he is a half decent option because he is proven in the league and being fully committed is neither here nor there to him. However I just don't know if I'd pin all my hopes on him. Probably one of the better options if he'd come.
As if...I doubt we've talked to Remy. We probably will next Monday afternoon...and then there's no time to get him over the line. It's sad, because all us fans can pretty much agree that Remy will score goals, more goals probably than Beharino or Lac would in the first few months. And besides neither of those players seem to want to come either. Shelvey wanted to come. He made a fuss and Swansea and drove himself up. It's not that hard for a player who wants to move to a certain club get his way.
It's been said before. Some may agree, some may not, but if we had someone with a personality of say Kevin Keegan overseeing transfers and actually talking to players, we would have some squad. I wouldn't have him back as manager. But as a DoF I personally think he would be on a completely different planet. He would be trying to bring players to excite fans once again. He also wouldn't take weeks doing it either.