Ha, Well if someone waved a Mag flag in your face in a bar what would you do mate Gateshead family Comm and Gateshead is probably 30% red and white.
We need players who improve us now and get us early safety. You're applying the policy which sent the Mags down. Nearly 90 million for 'Hungry players on the up' Turns out they lacked the fight and experience to stay up let alone justify the price tag. Can't believe some of us are turning our nose at such a next level signing, who do you think we are? We'll struggle to find a better CF than Dzeko, open to suggestions like. It's like Defoe taught us nowt. Why wouldn't Dzeko still have hunger? Why is he on the down? Defoe is 33 and still has all the hunger and drive he's had throughout his career.
Big Sam couldn't keep Big Lass fit. And big Sam has a knack of getting injury prone players fit. Massive no for me.
I'm certainly not turning my nose up mate but by the same token I don't really see how Dzeko would fit in and work here. im not mentioning hunger, ability, desire or whatever, I don't question his quality, but personally I don't see him fitting for us and one thing that we have started to get right with Allardyce is the fit. If we sign him I'll be more than happy, be in reality I think people are getting excited by the name. There's a far bigger picture, you mention quite rightly the Mags spunking fortunes on the wrong players, that's my opinion on this one.
I don't rate Carroll. He doesn't score many, I don't think he gets many assists, he's not good on the ball, he's injured all the time and last and least he's a confirmed Newcastle fan. No thanks.
Players like Carroll don't get many assists. How many 'assists to assists' do they get though? 2 CB's pulled out of position for example. Making space is key in football and dominant aerial players draw space.
That's a big call, mate. I still look at Gateshead as a Newcastle supporting town. I'd have been more inclined to say closer to 10% I also appreciate you live or have been living there, so they might have been a swing, I'll take your word on that. When I was going about Gateshead 15 years ago, it wasn't even close to a 1 in 3 support.
To be fair you've said you're pretty much on the fence so it didn't really aply to you. Can't remember who, not looking back, but somebody actually uses 'barely a 1 in 2' in a negative sense. In his Man City Career he was involved in a goal(goals and assists, not taking into account key passes) 1 goal every 91 minutes. Seasoned pro who knows the league. I can see how he's fit in, he'll help us keep retain the ball in the final third which last season, frankly, we couldn't do that for Toffee. Despite the winter signings we remained a very basic one dimensional team with no room for variation. Dzeko would help with that imo, as would Sakho, we're in the right ball park with our CF shopping imo going on the links. Somebody comfortable with his back to goal is what we need imo.
This 30 year old and players are on the decline is becoming silly. There's posters on here who genuinely believe it, though. They haven't moved with the times and don't realise that sport science has moved on leaps and bounds. Players are getting a good 3 to 4 years longer, than in times gone by.
With the redevelopment of Gateshead is suggest there's certainly been a swing, the new builds are filled with all sorts of people from the region, I lived Gateshead side for many years, the Baltic was packed with Mackems you gathered on match days. Even now I'm Newcastle side at Merchants Quay, there's 36 apartments in the building and of the ones I know 4 have Sunderland folk in them. I'm speculating at 30% but I'd say it's a lot more than 10% for sure.
Wasn't suggesting you'd aimed it at me mate, just generally responding. For me, for Dzeko to be a hit we'd need far more in an attacking sense centrally from midfield (we do regardless), I struggle to see it working he's far less physical than Sakho. That said, for all I know we do indeed reshape the midfield. I'm staying firmly on the fence, my preference would be someone who's a bit more of a battler, a handful. I repeat though, I'm certainly not against the lad.
Absolutely. The prices have reflected this too. Values maintain into the 30s now where as 10 years ago when player became 30 he became worthless. Defoe should have cost 10m but we got him for 6 because they think the sun shines out of Jozy's arse over there, we had Toronto's pants down well and truly.
Thats about £110k a week pre-tax innit. I wasn't aware Italians were taxed so heavily, I thought they paid less than our higher earners?
