Sicknote

[Lord Beer]

WP,

As you said, each to their own. It's hardly arrogant though. I'm simply saying woudl deserve it, not that he necessarily gets it. You say he had to go, but really? Could he have not signed a contract and at least agree to go for a fee, you know, repay the club in some way?

I knew we were his second (possibly 3rd) choice, doesn't mean he should come out and say it. It's about having respect for your club and it's fans. If he wasn't keen to be here then fine, but don't rub it in. You say about the journalist looking for it but come on man, it's not hard to be a bit savvy. He's not a ******, he knows full well what the media are capable of, he could've kept schtum or turned it back on them. To me it was a poor and desperate act by a man who felt he deserved more than he got.

 

[Arfa's Left Foot]

WP,

As you said, each to their own. It's hardly arrogant though. I'm simply saying woudl deserve it, not that he necessarily gets it. You say he had to go, but really? Could he have not signed a contract and at least agree to go for a fee, you know, repay the club in some way?

I knew we were his second (possibly 3rd) choice, doesn't mean he should come out and say it. It's about having respect for your club and it's fans. If he wasn't keen to be here then fine, but don't rub it in. You say about the journalist looking for it but come on man, it's not hard to be a bit savvy. He's not a ******, he knows full well what the media are capable of, he could've kept schtum or turned it back on them. To me it was a poor and desperate act by a man who felt he deserved more than he got.

Can i ask when he said we weren't first choice? I don't remember that

 

[Lord Beer]

Can i ask when he said we weren't first choice? I don't remember that

At the press conference. I can't remember exactly but he basically said something along the lines of....

 

[Lord Beer]

Infact.....

Owen added: "I spoke to Liverpool and unfortunately that deal couldn't come off.

"That's life. Deals sometimes happen, sometimes they don't. All I can do now is look to the future with Newcastle and hope to do well in this black and white shirt.

"I've had a bit of a head-spinning couple of days. There were three great clubs in the frame but the further it got towards the deadline the more it became clear Newcastle was going to be my destination.

"At the end of it all I thought the best for my future was to move to Newcastle.

"I have been honest all along. Just like Alan Shearer said he had a decision to make when he moved here in 1996, I have had a similar decision to make. It was a great decision to have to make - Real Madrid, Newcastle or Liverpool.

"If the Liverpool deal could have been done that would have been a big option, but in the end it came down to Real Madrid or Newcastle and there was no question I wanted to return to the Premiership.

"I want to play football, I love the Premiership, I've missed it while I've been away.

"It may be unfortunate for Liverpool fans that I am not there, but hopefully it is fortunate for Newcastle fans that I am here.

 

[Arfa's Left Foot]

Not really saying we were a back up option then.

 

[Warmir Pouchov]

Aye but he also knows the fans aren't daft (in the main) and would have jumped all over it had he said "Yes this my first choice". At the time I was happy he didn't try and pull the wool. Obviously it's used against him now but no one gave two hoots at the time. I'll admit it, I sat there disappointed with the signing partly because I knew he didn't really want to be here but had no other choices to return home. When the whole fanfare sh**e went on with his unveiling I was sitting there thinking "go on you little git, dare suggest we were first choice". There was no contract for him to sign by the way at the end. Would he have signed it probably not. But you know what, if you'd put Shearer in the same situation, he wouldn't have signed it either. No footballer would. Do I believe Derek about the earlier one? I don't know, he's failed to tell the truth at just about every turn of his career with us so far.

We'll agree to disagree. Sorry I took the line "deserves to be treated with complete and utter comtempt from everyone who loves this club" the wrong way thinking you meant if you didn't treat him with contempt you clearly don't love the club.

 

[Lord Beer]

Not really saying we were a back up option then.

Read between the lines mate. There is another quote somewhere thats just direct from the BBC.

Aye but he also knows the fans aren't daft (in the main) and would have jumped all over it had he said "Yes this my first choice". At the time I was happy he didn't try and pull the wool. Obviously it's used against him now but no one gave two hoots at the time. I'll admit it, I sat there disappointed with the signing partly because I knew he didn't really want to be here but had no other choices to return home. When the whole fanfare sh**e went on with his unveiling I was sitting there thinking "go on you little git, dare suggest we were first choice". There was no contract for him to sign by the way at the end. Would he have signed it probably not. But you know what, if you'd put Shearer in the same situation, he wouldn't have signed it either. No footballer would. Do I believe Derek about the earlier one? I don't know, he's failed to tell the truth at just about every turn of his career with us so far.

We'll agree to disagree. Sorry I took the line "deserves to be treated with complete and utter comtempt from everyone who loves this club" the wrong way thinking you meant if you didn't treat him with contempt you clearly don't love the club.

I spose you're right, but i just expected better of him. He can learn Spanish and lick Di Stefano's arse when he signed for Real but couldn't stop himself mentioning Liverpool 6 times when he joined us! It annoys me.

 

[Warmir Pouchov]

I just wish we'd had a chairman with more sense at the time. we could have got two top class strikers for the fee we paid (and still paid off for years after), given them quality wages and had a sizeable chunk of wages left over. I don't mind most fans going nuts when he signed. That's our job but I just think the board at the time were more interested in their own inflated egos than actually running the club properly.

 

[Arfa's Left Foot]

I just wish we'd had a chairman with more sense at the time. we could have got two top class strikers for the fee we paid (and still paid off for years after), given them quality wages and had a sizeable chunk of wages left over. I don't mind most fans going nuts when he signed. That's our job but I just think the board at the time were more interested in their own inflated egos than actually running the club properly.

Owen + Luque was £25m transfer fee and about £200k a week wages!

 

[Lord Beer]

I just wish we'd had a chairman with more sense at the time. we could have got two top class strikers for the fee we paid (and still paid off for years after), given them quality wages and had a sizeable chunk of wages left over. I don't mind most fans going nuts when he signed. That's our job but I just think the board at the time were more interested in their own inflated egos than actually running the club properly.

Agreed.

It was a 'marquee' signing. A typical Shephard gesture that smacked of his own self importance rather than actually believing it was good for the club.

 

[Warmir Pouchov]

Oh f**k I forgot about Luque. Signed from youtube no doubt. He had great show reels I seem to remember. Ill suited to the English game but what the hell, lets pay 10m and £80,000. I don't want to talk about his anymore I can feel all my old negatives anger coming back...........

 

[Lord Beer]

Oh f**k I forgot about Luque. Signed from youtube no doubt. He had great show reels I seem to remember. Ill suited to the English game but what the hell, lets pay 10m and £80,000. I don't want to talk about his anymore I can feel all my old negatives anger coming back...........

Good ol' Albert. Never got a chance.