West Ham United vice-chairman Karren Brady has insisted the club will not make any rash decisions over the future of manager Avram Grant.
With the Hammers rooted to the foot of the Premier League table with just nine points from their opening 12 games, times appear tough at Upton Park.
But the former Birmingham City managing director is looking at ways to improve their fortunes on the pitch rather than ditching the beleaguered Israeli, who joined the club from Portsmouth in the summer.
"I think it's very easy for people who run football clubs to sit back and that finger of blame comes out and ultimately always ends up on the manager," Brady told Sky Sports News.
"We don't want to hit the panic button yet but we do want to look deep into ourselves and say 'what can we do to help the team and the manager and what can we do to improve things?' as opposed to sitting and playing the blame game, which unfortunately, there are no winners in.
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With the Newcastle hot-seat still warm following Chris Hughton’s shock departure, Mike Ashley has moved quickly to find a permanent replacement. With Alan Shearer ruling himself out of the running and saying that; “I won’t be the next Newcastle manager, I can guarantee you that”, and Martin Jol reportedly turning the job down on the grounds of limited transfer funds and contract details, it is Alan Pardew who has emerged as the man most likely to take the job.
There is no question that Pardew is not the big name that Toon fans were after, but is he the right man for Newcastle?
Arguably, his biggest and most difficult job will be to win over the famously passionate Newcastle fans who are still recovering from Hughton’s sacking. A quick look at an online Newcastle message board where Pardew’s potential appointment has been described as a ‘joke’, an ‘insult’ and as ‘one of the strangest decisions in football’ tells you what you need to know about popular opinion.
It seems to defy logic that Mike Ashley is set to replace Chris Hughton, a manager who came from nowhere to bring relative success and stability to a team on the rocks, with a man whose last job was at Southampton in League 1. The only thing that seems to be in Pardew’s favour is his limited Premier League experience, but his seasons in the top flight with West Ham and Charlton can hardly be classed as successful. He took West Ham to 9th in 05/06 but was sacked in December 2006 after a poor start to their second season in the Premiership. He then took over at Charlton Athletic for the second half of the 06/07 season but was unable to steer them away from trouble. What does Ashley believe Pardew can do for Newcastle that Hughton couldn’t?
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The only reason that I can see for appointing Pardew is that no compensation will need to be paid and he available to take over immediately. Obviously I can understand that Ashley would want to get in a replacement quickly in order to restore some normality and order to his club, but if he doesn’t want to disrupt Newcastle then why sack Hughton in the first place?
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I think that Mike Ashley would have rebuilt some of the bridges that he’d burnt if he had persuaded Martin Jol to take over. Earlier in the week when Jol resigned from Ajax on the same day that Houghton was sacked it seemed as though he was destined to take over, but alas it wasn’t to be.
If, as expected, Alan Pardew takes over in the next few days I wonder how fans will react during Saturday’s home game against Liverpool, will Pardew get their backing or their wrath? This is another twist in the Newcastle history books just when things were starting to settle down and I find myself feeling a little sorry for Pardew who is inevitably going to become the new face of Newcastle fans’ angst. I get the feeling that over the next few weeks fans and the media alike will realise just how important Chris Hughton was to the Newcastle renaissance.
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Finishing in sixth place in the Premier League guarantees you nothing, those conveted Europa League spots are reserved for the fifth placed finisher and the winners of the FA Cup and the League Cup. However, as I’m sure you all know, if the winners of one of these trophies has already qualified for Europe through the league then their Europa League place goes to the sixth placed team, and this is precisely what has happened for the last six seasons running. There are currently four teams within five points of sixth place, but which of these teams would be best suited for a stint in European competition?
Sunderland
Currently lie: 6th, 33 points
How they’ve got to where they are: Sunderland currently occupy sixth place simply down to the fact that Steve Bruce has made them very hard to beat. They have lost the fewest games of anybody outside of the top four and have conceded fewer goals than any team below them. Sunderland have been playing well all season, but it was their 0-3 away win over Chelsea that made people sit up and take notice. Despite losing two consecutive games over Christmas, Sunderland followed that with two wins and will be hoping to cement their European push with a game against local rivals Newcastle next up in the league.
Why they’d be ok in Europe: Over the last few seasons Sunderland have been a big club in just about every criteria except on-field achievement. However, this season finally seems to be the one where they’ve broken through the glass ceiling from ‘mid table underachievers’ to ‘genuine European contenders’. They have a young, talented squad with a good amount of strength and depth in every position and would be well suited to the demands that a European campaign can have on a season.
Why they wouldn’t: Other than experience, the main problem so far for Sunderland has been goals. Despite, on paper, having four top quality strikers, Sunderland have been lacking in the goals department this season. Their tally of 25 is someway behind the teams around them and this is an area that they would need to address if they were to finish sixth, especially with the in-form Danny Welbeck’s loan spell ending in May.
Bolton
Currently lie: 7th, 30 points
How they got to where they are: Owen Coyle’s side are a shadow of the Bolton team which we got accustomed to watching under Gary Megson. Bolton now play with a certain confidence and have an attacking edge which has lost them the tag of being a ‘long ball team’. The emergence of the partnership between Johan Elmander and Kevin Davies has been a revelation, and even though the two haven’t been finding the net often in recent weeks they continue to pose a significant threat. Bolton have gone about their business quietly, and aside from impressive wins over Spurs and Newcastle have largely been achieving good results with attracting too much attention.
Why they’d be ok in Europe: A few people may forget, but Bolton enjoyed a spell in the UEFA Cup in the 07/08 season which included an impressive draw away to Bayern Munich and a two legged win over Athletico Madrid. The core of that team are still at the Reebok Stadium and that experience could prove vital. Owen Coyle is looking like a really top manager and seems quite capable of taking of taking big steps forward. He took Burnley from Championship strugglers to the top half of the Premier League, so leading Bolton into Europe should be no problem. The prospect of European football could also convince Gary Cahill to stay at the club amid rumours that Chelsea are considering making an offer.
Why they wouldn’t: It could be argued that Bolton are over-achieving. Bolton lack depth in their squad and are always few key injuries away from a potential disaster. If Bolton do clinch a European spot you would get the feeling that Owen Coyle would need to add some more quality to his squad, something which financial restrictions might not allow him to do.
Continue to the NEXT PAGE to see the rest of the Europa League contenders…
Newcastle
Currently lie: 8th, 28 points
How they got to where they are: Sheer doggedness. Despite set-backs and some poor results, Newcastle United always seems to bounce back with some big wins and could certainly be given the tag of the ‘Premier League Entertainers’. Their incredible 6-0 win over Aston Villa in Week 2 made people sit up and take notice of the Magpies, and made Andy Carroll a household name. The spirit in the squad has been clear for all to see, just as people were tipping Newcastle for relegation after the sacking of Chris Hughton, new boss Alan Pardew leads them to three wins from his first five games including the 5-0 demolition of West Ham. A 5-1 victory over local rivals Sunderland can’t have done the team much harm either…
Why they’d be ok in Europe: Newcastle have some real quality in their squad. Joey Barton and Kevin Nolan have been star performers this season and if they can hold on to Andy Carroll over January you wouldn’t bet against them clinching sixth spot. The fans at Newcastle would be sure to turn up in numbers should the Toon get into Europe and no team would fancy an away tie at St James’ Park. They’ve already proven that they can hold their own against the best in England and have won away at some tough places so far this season.
Why they wouldn’t: Newcastle’s back line has been leaky at times this season. Bringing in Sol Campbell didn’t work and their record of 31 goals conceded is worse than many of the teams below them. Mike Ashley would be likely to back his new managerial appointment in the transfer market, but to what extent is yet to be seen.
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Blackburn
Currently lie: 9th, 28 points
How they got to where they are: I’m not too sure. One of the winners of a tightly fought Premier League, two wins in three have lifted them up to within touching distance of sixth, yet they will still have one eye looking downwards. In fairness to Blackburn, when they’ve played well this season they’ve recorded some very good wins. They’ve acquired a knack of beating teams around them this season, wins over Newcastle, Blackpool, Liverpool and Everton means that Rovers have been able to steal a march on some of their rivals. Unfortunately, all the good they’ve done this season has largely been overshadowed by THAT defeat at Old Trafford.
Why they’d be ok in Europe: Should Blackburn qualify for Europe then it seems that their new owners would be able to finance some big changes to the squad.
Why they wouldn’t: In many ways Blackburn are an average Premier League side and could struggle to attract big names to the club, even with the lure of European football. Their six strikers have 12 goals between them this season and I think that they would struggle to cope with the extra fixtures. In the near future Blackburn could well become a top six/seven team, but this year would be too soon for them and new manager Steve Kean.
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Everton manager David Moyes has no regrets over his decision to sell midfielder Steven Pienaar to Tottenham.
Everton host West Ham on Saturday without the South African, but Moyes was not overly concerned.
“It was not a difficult decision to make financially. I said we would not let him go if we did not get a good offer,” said Moyes.
“I was happy to let him see out the contract – he played well in the games for us and I have no problem with Steven.”
Moyes was delighted to see Seamus Coleman and Victor Anichebe both sign new contracts at Goodison Park.
“It is really important news for the club,” he said. “Seamus already had a contract but we thought he had done well and he deserved a new one. It is what Everton do – we reward people who do well.”
“There have been talks with Victor for a while and he has now put pen to paper to stay in the place where I think he should be. Hopefully he can stay injury free because I think he has the potential to become a really good player.”
West Ham have propped up the table for most of the season but Moyes is not underestimating Avram Grant’s side.
“They have good players and a good manager and I think there is no easy game in the Premier League,” said Moyes.
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“West Ham were on a bit of a run, OK they had a bit of a bad result at Newcastle a few weeks ago, but overall they have been going about their job just fine.”
Striker Louis Saha is a doubt with a thigh strain and Tim Cahill is still away at the Asian Cup with Australia. Phil Jagielka is expected to return from a thigh problem.
Liverpool will need to be willing to adapt their game when they take on Stoke in the English Premier League on Wednesday.
Tony Pulis’ side have a reputation for playing a direct, uncompromising brand of football, a style which saw them get the better of Liverpool earlier this season at the Britannia Stadium.
The Reds lost 2-0 on that occasion and manager Kenny Dalglish is determined to avoid a repeat this time around.
“My next managerial challenge on the pitch comes against Stoke City at Anfield on Wednesday night,” Dalglish said.
“I’ve always had to adapt to facing different styles as a manager; in my first time at Liverpool we had to play the likes of Millwall, who had Teddy Sheringham and Tony Cascarino and played a very direct game, or Wimbledon, who were led by John Fashanu.”
“Whether it’s Arsenal’s passing style or Stoke’s long throw, you have to try to deal with it and combat it.”
“And let’s credit Tony Pulis with doing a good job at Stoke. It’s common sense for a manager to select a style that suits his players.”
Liverpool head into the match on the back of two straight wins, against Wolves and Fulham, and can equal their best run of the season with a win on Wednesday.
Dalglish has plenty of options to choose from, with only defender Jamie Carragher unavailable through injury, while new signing Luis Suarez is also a chance to play, with the Uruguayan forward expected to complete his transfer from Ajax on Monday.
It remains to be seen whether unsettled striker Fernando Torres will join him, with Chelsea expected to make a last-ditch bid to lure the Spanish ace before the transfer window closes on Monday.
Stoke’s 1-0 FA Cup win over Wolves on Sunday starts a run of three games in seven days for Pulis’ side, and the manager was disappointed with the scheduling log-jam.
“We have got the short straw because we go to Anfield on Wednesday night and then Sunderland on Saturday morning,” Pulis said.
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“I’m a bit disappointed at the FA Cup and its placing in the calendar with the smaller clubs not having squads as strong as the top sides.”
Stoke are just two points behind Liverpool with a game in hand, and could move as high as seventh with a win on Wednesday.
However, Stoke have never won at Anfield, with their best result a 0-0 draw in 2008.
Birmingham manager Alex McLeish believes Nikola Zigic can follow in the footsteps of Peter Crouch and become a major star in England.
Zigic stole all the headlines playing against West Ham once again when his second-half header won the points for Birmingham and helped them move out of the bottom three.
The Serbian international has had a slow start to life in the Premier League following his six-million-pound move from Valencia last summer, but he netted his sixth goal of the season at Upton Park and looks to be hitting his best form at the right time of the season.
McLeish has no doubts he can get even stronger and has been showing him videos of Crouch to show him how he makes a success of his height in the Premier League.
McLeish said: “He’s a bit more like Crouchy. When he started he was a little awkward and ungainly but worked hard at his game and became impossible at times for defenders to play him.”
“He’s still doing it. We’re looking for the big fella to use Crouchy as an example. He’s watched vidoes of Crouch.”
“He’s upped his game. He’s at a good level now. He’s an international player and it’s been a challenge getting used to England.”
“He’s beginning to hold his own. He was pushed in the back for the goal but he managed to stay firm and get his head on it.”
“It was a matter of showing him videos and some of his own footage. It’s a very different style of football to Spain and Serbia. I’d like to see a big return in this half of the season – 20 goals,” he joked.
West Ham manager Avram Grant admitted his birthday celebrations were cancelled and revealed his concern over the team’s poor defending which cost them dearly.
Grant said: “How could I celebrate (my birthday), we didn’t score and we didn’t win. It is not a happy birthday but it is not me that is important, it is the team.”
“We didn’t deal well with the set-pieces. We need to deal better with this.”
“We gave them easy free kicks and we know this is their strength because from open play they didn’t create chances against us.”
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“The disappointing thing is that we lost to a team near us and it is a game of six points.”
“We take a few steps forward and one back and we need to learn from this. We deserve to stay up but we need to do it. We cannot lose games like this.”
“We have 12 games until the end of the season and there are not so many points between the teams. We can do it but we want to do it as quickly as we can.”
“The thing that disappointed me most was the tempo of the game. We are used to playing with a high tempo and confidence and today we didn’t play in the way we know.”
France players acted like ‘foolhardy brats’ during the 2010 World Cup, according to then-manager Raymond Domenech.
Les Bleus crashed out of the tournament at the group stage after failing to win a game.
And the dismal campaign was marred by in-fighting, with Nicolas Anelka sent home and the rest of the squad going on strike.
Domenech – since replaced by Laurent Blanc – has not before spoken publicly about events in South Africa.
But he has broken his silence in an interview with L’Express magazine, due to be published on Wednesday.
“Looking back, I see them above all as a bunch of irresponsible, foolhardy brats,” said Domenech.
Turning to the strike itself, which followed Anelka’s return to France, Domenech added: “They knew perfectly well what they were doing.”
“They even closed the bus curtains to hide from the cameras.”
He also described the actions of the squad as a ‘masquerade’ and said that the 1998 World Cup winners had been turned into a ‘laughingstock’.
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Domenech accepted some of the blame, admitting that his selections, and team talks, had not been good enough.
However, he insisted: “I’m not the moron that’s been described.”
There are some footballers you know that you can just light the touch paper with and then watch them fly off the handle. It would be ill advised, for example, to terrier-like snap at the heels of Joey Barton, should you not wish to feel his next challenge the next time the ball is in your vicinity. Personally, I would never consider excluding the goalkeepers from a 5-a-side training game when Roy Keane was in my international squad, should I want to avoid several bust ups that resulted in his acrimonious departure from the World Cup. It’s probably not a good idea, also, to be a fan of the opposing team standing near the tunnel, if Eric Cantona has just been sent off.
Step forward Mario Balotelli. The City player that opposition fans love to hate, Balotelli is the one player that, when he starts for City, you’re never quite sure what you’re going to get: an anonymous 90 minutes, a hot-headed substitution, a red card for a silly kick-out, two yellow cards for dissent, a brilliant hat-trick, moments of pure genius with the ball at his feet… Any of those things (and more) could happen and little of it would be a surprise.
His first City appearance yielded his first City goal: away in Romania to FC Timisoara, he scored the only goal of the game and set City on their way to the group stage of the Europa League, before quite seriously injuring his knee. It hasn’t helped him that that injury ruled him out for large spells of this season and, despite a scoring record of ten goals in eighteen games, City still haven’t seen the Italian’s best form. And, clearly, if ten goals in eighteen appearances isn’t his best form, a lot of blues won’t be able to wait to see it.
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If there is one player in City’s team, though, that would be entitled to have something of a chip on his shoulder, it’s Mario Balotelli. As a small child, he had serious intestinal problems that required a series of life-saving operations to fix. His parents, both Ghanaian immigrants living in Italy, asked the country’s social services for help because of cramped living space. Balotelli was then fostered and, as he grew up into the life of a professional footballer, his biological parents asked for their son back – a move that Balotelli himself disagreed with, describing them as ‘glory hunters’ and believing they only wanted him back because of his success.
And Mario’s problems didn’t end there. Despite a desire to represent Italy, he was denied the chance to join the Under 15s and Under 17s squads because of bureaucratic issues: to the country in which he lived and the country he was from, he wasn’t an Italian citizen. Yet, his wish to play for Italy couldn’t have been stronger, a point he re-iterated when turning down an international call-up from Ghana.
Then throw into the mix a career in Italy shrouded by racism: in only his second senior cap for Italy in November 2010, he was subjected to abuse by a section of his own fans. These fans also held aloft a banner reading “No to a multi-ethnic national team”. And it’s not just while he was representing the national team; while he was with Inter Milan, sections of the Juventus support targetted him and taunted Balotelli with vile racial abuse.
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When City travelled to Turin to play Juventus, Balotelli was reportedly relieved that he didn’t have to make the trip; a decision made by Roberto Mancini, very aware of the problems Balotelli had faced there in the past, and a decision taken on that basis that City had already qualified.
Yet it is this boy who has ten goals in eighteen appearances, this boy who has had injury problems throughout his first season in England, this boy who has suffered racist abuse for most of his life, this boy who was denied the chance to represent his country because of a daft law, this boy who has had a turbulent upbringing… He is the one who is petulant and troubled. It’s easy to forget that he is just a kid with the weight of the world on his shoulders.
So he doesn’t smile, who gives a damn? His reasoning, on his arrival at City, was simple: scoring is as normal to him as any other everyday activity is to everyone else and one wouldn’t smile because they were cooking dinner or driving to work. And who cares if he looks glum if his scoring record stays as good as it is?
The problem is, Balotelli’s reputation precedes him. He’s the petulant child that shows dissent when things don’t go his way. Several times already this season, he has been shown yellow cards for his reaction to decisions; reactions that are no different than those of the likes of Rooney or Terry or Gerrard. Yet you can count on one hand collectively the number of yellow cards those players receive for that reaction over the course of a season.
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And yet, this week, we have seen a brand new Mario Balotelli. This is a Mario Balotelli that acted as the peacemaker in a ‘disagreement’ between Aston Villa’s Richard Dunne and City’s Yaya Touré in the FA Cup fifth round tie. The man normally associated with causing trouble was the one man who was preventing it from happening.
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His goal in that game, too, was something I was surprised hasn’t garnered more attention. The ITV commentators were totally underwhelmed, but it was one of the best goals you’ll see this season. A first time, side-footed, placed, half-volley, from a ball that was on its upward motion after bouncing from over his shoulder was greeted as if it were a tap-in.
And that off the back of Roberto Mancini’s open criticism of the forward after the 1-1 draw with Fulham. Balotelli scored another corker that match, too, but, as Mancini pointed out, he didn’t do much else. Normally, I would feel very uneasy with a manager openly criticising his players, but Mancini has got form (Adam Johnson, Joe Hart, Carlos Tevez) and it has worked. And if there’s anyone who knows how to get the best out of Mario Balotelli, then it’s the man in the Eastlands dugout.
For the moment, Mario’s in the middle of what he needs: a quiet few games, with a few goals and without controversy. He doesn’t need to grow up, as so many pundits have commented; in fact he’s probably the one player in City’s squad that has grown up quicker than anybody else, given what he has dealt with in the past.
Perhaps it’s time everybody else got off his back and just let him do his job.
Patrice Evra is eager to slot back into the France team with a clean slate following his return to the national fold.Evra was installed as captain of Les Bleus just prior to the FIFA World Cup in South Africa, but his reputation back home took a beating when the squad went on strike after Nicolas Anelka was evicted for insulting then coach Raymond Domenech.
As the captain, the Manchester United left-back shouldered much of the responsibility and accepted a five-match suspension.
The 29-year-old, who has now served the ban, insists he wants his reunion with the national team, now under 1998 World Cup winner Laurent Blanc’s tutelage, to be a seamless one.
“I want to turn the page. I want to be a solution and not a problem for this new generation,” Evra said.
“I worked like a madman in my club to maintain my level and to get the chance to be called up.”
“It’s with great pride that I find myself back in the French team, which I missed enormously. The people who know the real Patrice Evra knew I would never give up, that I would fight to come back.”
He admitted his standing among sceptics, such as French Sports Minister Chantal Jouanno, will remain tainted by his perceived role in the strikes in South Africa.
“When some people see Patrice Evra, they think of the World Cup. I am trying to turn the page, (but) I think I will live with this scar,” he said.
Evra, who is expected to take his place at left-back in Friday’s Euro 2012 qualifier against Luxembourg after Eric Abidal underwent surgery to remove a liver tumour, insisted he was a competent leader in South Africa.
“Despite all that happened, I was proud to be captain. I put my heart into it. I was at peace with myself. I was the first player to say sorry after the match against South Africa, (and) to ask the players to give up their bonuses,” he said.
“When you are captain, you have a bit more responsibility. At the end of the World Cup, I said to all of (the players), ‘Go and take it easy on holiday because if someone has to have their head chopped off it will be me’.”
“Some people said I was a ringleader, which was totally false. It was as a captain and not as a ringleader, that I took this (punishment).’
France coach Blanc held clear-the-air talks with Evra, and said he will be keeping a close eye on the player’s behaviour.
The former Bordeaux boss said scoring an early goal against ‘defensive’ Luxembourg was imperative for the team.
“In the first leg, we didn’t manage to do that,” Blanc said. “We didn’t play really well, especially on the offensive side.”
Since January 5, Newcastle have not won a game at home. They have collected three points just once, away at Birmingham. I am sure many people think that Andy Carroll’s departure, and a lack of replacement, is the reason for this.
When Carroll left, the remaining players must have felt a bit deflated. After he was not replaced, there must have been a feeling of, ‘well we are going to stay up anyway’ and ‘now our top goal scorer has left, let’s wait for next season’. It must have been difficult to motivate the players. Admittedly, Carroll left on the last day of the window, but if Newcastle had plans of selling, they should have brought in a new player earlier in January. Also, Newcastle could have signed a player on loan. I was surprised they were not interested in John Carew, who although is getting old still can offer a lot. But maybe Mike Ashley has his sight’s set higher, only time will tell.
Contrary to this, I don’t think Carroll’s absence has been hugely detrimental to Newcastle. I think they have actually been very unlucky in the last two months. Had it not been for last minute equalisers by Gyan at Sunderland, and Lennon against Tottenham, Newcastle would have four more points and sit above Sunderland, Everton and Bolton in the table at 7th. You can hardly say their spirit has been crushed; just look at their comeback against Arsenal.
In Newcastle’s defence, it is very difficult to sign a player in January who makes an impact in the first season. Torres has shown just how difficult it is to move clubs, mid-season. It would have been even more difficult for Newcastle to find someone from abroad to come in, settle down and start scoring goals. A panic January buy could have resulted in wasting the Carroll money.
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But next season Newcastle could be an even better team. Their midfield in particular looks strong. Newcastle fans will be delighted with the contract extension by Tiote, who has been one of the finds of the season. If you add to that players like Barton, and now the loan of Stephen Ireland, in addition to the goals of Kevin Nolan, they look very strong in the middle. Furthermore, with the exciting Ben Arfa coming back to fitness, they could even have a strong finish to this season.
Newcastle are still in need of a striker, and will no doubt look to bring one in this summer. But that is the best time to look for one. Newcastle have £35m from Carroll, and Mike Ashley has reportedly said that all that money will go back into the club. I wonder how much faith Newcastle fans have in Ashley to keep to this?
But, should Newcastle look to spend their money this summer, where should they look to spend it? Their defence at home has become a worry; they have conceded 22 goals at St. James’ Park this season, that is the fourth most in the Premier League. But Steven Taylor has been out for most of the season. His return, along with Steve Harper, should restore their defensive stability.
With their squad looking relatively strong in all areas other than attack, it would make sense to invest as much money as possible in a striker; they need someone to lead the line. If Nolan is going to play just behind the striker, like he has done effectively this year, Newcastle need a Carroll like player up front who can hold the ball up, but also contribute with goals. This type of player does not come cheap. Newcastle are more likely to find one in the summer, than they would have been in January.
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As it stands, Newcastle have hardly missed Andy Carroll as of yet. Sorry Newcastle fans, but I think this was a good decision by Mike Ashley.