This is almost a repeat of the Tevez situation. Going back to Argentina would mean a huge loss of wages that I am sure that he will not relish or want. However if he is starting this situation to engineer a move away to anywhere his heart is no longer with the club and this will reflect in his performances. Not a nice situation for any club and almost impossible to overcome. Player power at its worst.
All teams in the bottom half would be affected by losing their top goal scorer and top centre back/captain
They are big words Tash. Are they said in hope or expectation? The same lad who says Colo goes and you're down also said that Cabaye has been poor; Taylor (the diver one) is a headless chicken without someone like Colo organising him, although he too says your huge one saving grace is getting Ben Arfa back and playing again. For the record, I have said a few times in the last couple of weeks we are not out of the woods by any stretch of the imagination and we too need to get some wins on board but I just see more fight in us than I do your lot but then I appreciate I'm not watching week in week out.
As a Sunderland supporter from way back I never thought I would ever hear a Sunderland supporter say they wanted to see a north east team beaten by a London team but how things have changed for the worse I remember how good it was when Cloughie scored a goal and you could have a go at the bloke standing next to you wearing a black and white scarf believe me you dont know what you're missing Newcastle are in the same position as us in that players wives do not want to come to the North east and we must both work round it and we will HAWAY the lads
Think they'll be fine. As tash says, Ben Arfa and cabaye, along with steven taylor will be a big boost. Collocinni has been "meh" this season in he games I've seen (except against us.... typical) and maybe this explains why? His heart hasn't been in it? In which case I think they'd be better off getting shot and bringing in someone hungrier. Besides, we all know how they work, Mr Carr will probably go out and find them a young french defender for a tenner who turns out to be the dogs bollocks. Also, knowing their luck, cisse will hit the same post-christmas form he did last year and start banging in the goals again. Not sure I want them to go down anyway - I'd miss the derbies!!
I think Newcastle aren't going down even if Colo goes (and I think he'll be around until the end of the season tbh). We're a mid-table side playing terribly, does that preclude us from going down? No not at all. A handful of crap teams probably does though. Will 4 of QPR, Reading, Villa, Wigan, Southampton and Sunderland (not saying you're worse than us but merely that you're currently in this with us!!) finish above us? I don't think they will really, I'm not yet at the stage of 'accepting 17th', give me another month or two perhaps.
With Ben Arfa, Cabaye, Saylor to come back and the signing of Debuchy. They have enough to survive this season.
They must stop this rot though in the next 3 or 4 games, to allay fans concerns. We are certainly down there as well but our recent form is far better and if Norwich beat them, alarm bells will ring. Mind if west ham do us I'll be equally concerned. Big day for both clubs.
I also have a few barcode mates Cest and they are worried that Ba has left and that Hairbear has put in a request to leave, more so about Hairbear as they reckon he is there defensive lynchpin. The more worrying thing for them though is that more of their better players will look at leaving as well if not in January then at the end of the season. They don't know what is causing all the hassle but, are pointing the finger at Ashley (for a change) for not strengthening at the start of the season and probably not this window either.
The word on the street is that the root cause of the problem is actually Pardew as the team has fragmented into pro and anti Pardew elements. Don't get me wrong I'm really concerned at the minute but if we got in Douglas, someone like Hangeland and Remy or Sissokho I'd be moire than confident in beating the drop. If we had a poor season last year then maybe the writing would have been on the wall but the fact we finished 5th means we have fallen a significant way from grace. Some fans were getting carried away a bit so this is a reality check for everyone I think.
With you on the last season bit mate as some of the younger lads at work seem to think that you will be cracking eggs with sticks this season after your very good one last. Maybe the anti/pro Pardew thing could see some of the better players leave, depends on which players they are really. My take on it is Pardew is the problem as he was at West Ham, maybe got too big for his boots after another successful season who knows mate?
Aye, my dad is eternally distraught about it. He did his best though and dragged me up to Roker for several seasons to watch the Denis Smith teams but I just didn't get the right feeling. He's actually one of you lads on here and is the reason I joined the forum in the first place.
I don't think we will ever know for sure what goes on but I look at things in a bit of a simplistic way in that I just hope whatever the issue is, it's set aside for the good of the club and more importantly the fans. Possibly my favourite quote of all time is below... it's from Sir Bobby Robson and should be embossed in solid gold above the entrance to EVERY club in the land..... âWhat is a club in any case? Not the buildings or the directors or the people who are paid to represent it. Itâs not the television contracts, get-out clauses, marketing departments or executive boxes. Itâs the noise, the passion, the feeling of belonging, the pride in your city. Itâs a small boy clambering up stadium steps for the very first time, gripping his fatherâs hand, gawping at that hallowed stretch of turf beneath him and, without being able to do a thing about it, falling in love.â
Spot on again from him mate it got most of us on here the same way, you'd like to think that the players were professional enough to put it aside on the pitch however, looking at the players (from all clubs) and the fact they earn more in a week than most earn in 2 years it seems that the majority don't give a toss about the fans or indeed the club as long as they are getting paid, not all mind but most.
But are you confident then if Pardew is the problem, that these players (all good ones btw) will want to come? If the word on the street is Pardew is the problem, then you can be assured that within playing circles it will be known too. Also. its never a good sign for a player to see a clubs top players leaving in the mid term and you may find that any potential replacements are not of this calibre. I was listening to Talk Sport and Mickey Quinn reckons your after West Hams 3rd choice centre half James Tomkins and he aint no Fabricio Coloccini mate. Only players leaving us this window are surplus ones and we are taking a gamble on a couple of foreign lads. Again no guarantee of what is right or wrong but your current January smacks very much of the one where Bent left us and we kind of fell apart. The difference is we were absolutely bombing up to his departure and had almost 30 points on board. If you suffer a similar slump on 20 points it could be a bit squeaky bum time.
