latest news and gossip . Right Click and select "RELOAD"

(mm-dd-yy)

latest news from the ever so reliable Team Twaddle.. Monaco officials claim to have done a deal with Newcastle to sign their experienced sweeper Franck Dumas. The 31-year-old defender, who played against the club in the UEFA Cup quarter-finals three years ago, informed the Monaco president that he has agreed terms with Ruud Gullit and wants to go.  Dumas is one of the best sweepers in France and would have won many caps had it not been for the brilliance of rival Laurent Blanc. No fee has been revealed for the player who has been the mainstay at the back for Monaco since he joined in 1992. Monaco president Jean-Louis Campora said: "We signed with Newcastle a convention in connection with Dumas. He and his agent brought our attention to the interest of the English club.". Like I say It's from Tean Twaddle so it's bound to be rubbish. Why would gullit buy a 31year old, he can't get rid of the 31 year old defender (Albert) so I don't believe this one. Another one is that Kenny Dalglish wants Stephen Glass for Celtic. I can well belive this rumour And if I was Newcastle I WOULD SELL HIM TO CELTIC for the £650,000 that Newcastle paid for him. It would be a great shame if he went as he was one of only four good signings , the others being Shay Given , Didi Hamman (we can make money on him) and of course Andy Griffin. Most of the rest of the £38 Million that he spent was a waste of money. So why would I let Dalglish have glass so cheaply? Well there would be a catch , Newcastle should fax a letter to Celtic stating that Celtic can have Glass for £650, 000 that he paid as long as they take him as part of a £13 million package. This package deal consists of 10 players that Dalglish bought that no one really wants   The Dalglish Dudds ..... and what he paid . Derrick Hamilton £1.500,000 A Pistone £4.300,000 Adde Andersson £3.000,000 Nikos Dabizas £2,000,000 Lionel Perez Free Stephen Glass £650k Gary Brady £650k Carl Serrant £500k Laurent Charvet £520k G Georgiados £420k With Thirteen and a half million pounds worth of deadwood, Ruud could get 2 or 3 decent players I cant see Kenny going for that deal ,pity though!!!! Spain's Luis Enrique is top of Newcastle's most wanted list. He is reported as being Ruud's replacement for Dudi Hamoan, who is now attracting interest from mega rich Lazio. Gullit was happy with Hamman and Speed in central midfield and had not planned to bring in another central midfielder. However, with the imminent departure of the wantaway German misfit and the £10 million that could be generated then Gullit should not only be able to buy 29 year old Enrique but also his Dutch team mate Michael Rieziger. With Enrique in the 6 million bracket and Reiziger valued around £4 million, Newcastle would be able to afford the pair of Barcelona players using the Hamman money. Other positions still needing to be filled is an attacking midfielder , Choose one from Kieron Dyer, Clarence Seedorf, Jesper Groenkjear or Rui Costa . An experienced Goalie such as Lazio's Luca Marchegiani Plus a third striker with Robbie Keane and Michael Bridges high on the list . Rumour has it if Gullit gets the players he is after he would be prepared to sell both Given and Solano to help fund the rebuilding of the team. Reports that Newcastle would like to swap Hamoan for Marc Overmars is purely fantasy football made up by team twaddle. Overmars would be great at Newcastle and Ruud would probably snap Wengers hand off if such a deal was offered , but why would Arsenal part with him? Howay Twaddle you can make up better ones than that.

Wednesday 23rd June

Marcelino Elena will sign up today for £5 million, and despite all the fuss about committed overseas players he may not be the only foreigner arriving. West Ham's Fanzine, "The Claret and Blues Brothers" reckon that Eyal Berkovich will be the replacement for Chewsee bound Dudi Hamoan, Dalglish is also in the hunt for the Israeli who showed a lot of commitment in staying loyal to the club after he had his head kicked in by Hartson last year. .He is likely to cost around £5 million. Reports from Italy are suggesting that Lazio keeper Luca Marchegiani is a target for Ruud Gullit who belives that Newcastle need a more mature goalie for the younger lads to learn from. A fee of around £3 million has been sugested. I can't help feeling that despite Ruud saying there would be a three way battle for the Number one shirt that there will be unrest . I cant see Shay accepting that situation,. and belive that he will move on before the season starts. On the out going front, Des Hamilton could finally be on his way. Southampton are poised to offer the £1.5 million that Newcastle are asking.

Saturday 19th June

Chelsea have joined the race to sign wantaway German misfit Dudi Hamoan after Newcastle's Freddie Shepherd slapped a £10 million price tag on his twitching spotty head. Well come on , what do you expect? The bloke said he would rather play for Arsenal, so why the hell should I be nice to the Kraut git? We the fans have been paying his wages for the last twelve months, and he repays us like this... The money grabbing toerag can Piss Off for all I care. , Even if he doesn't get sold, which he surely will , then he will have no friends or supporters around Tyneside after snubbing us like that. "My wife is unhappy ,bla,bla,bla" he moaned. Usual excuse, that doesn't work with me sunshine. Get a bliddy divorce if his wife doesn't like Geordieland .He signed for 5 years so he should have to stay for 5 years. Instead of helping his team to gain entry into the Champions league next year the despicable glory hunter simply jumps ship at the earliest opportunity. I would have LUVED IT, JUST LUVED it if NTL had bought us out,. That way Newcastle could afford to let him rot away in the reserves for the next five years as a warning to other uncommitted wantaways. With two Laarden clubs after him , at least we should get adequate compensation. Perhaps the £10 million that we are likely to get will buy us a couple of committed players. I was going to say British, but really that is irrelevant. As long as the player is fully committed for the term of his contract, it shouldn't matter where he is from . I do believe though that the "Didi Dosh" will be seen to be spent on a couple of "committed " British players. Top of the list no doubt will be Kieron Dyer. Although there is a seven million price tag on his head I would have thought that a bid of around £5.5 million could secure his transfer. Leeds United have only apparently bid £4 million and the others interested may well be put off if Ruud puts a decent bid on the table. Although nationality isn't that important I think that on this occasion a BuyBritish policy could give us all a shot in the arm. The Likes of Robbie Keane would be an excellent purchase if the money was available. But, what we could really do with is another Local Hero. Another Peter Beardsley, Alan Shearer, Chris Waddle or Paul Gascoigne to get behind would go down well. There may well be a chance of us getting such a player FROM SUNDERLAND. Whitley Bay's Mickey Bridges is stalling on signing an extension to his contract that expires next year. Ruud Gullit is an admirer of the young striker and with more of the "Didi Dosh" he may well chose to strengthen his striking options. It is thought two or three million would be enough to get Peter Reid to think about selling , rather than risk Bridges leaving for nothing next year. Hamman for Dyer and Bridges? that wouldn't be such a bad deal. Dyer and Keane for Hamman and Anderson would be a lot better. I have been told that ADDE is still talking about a £2.5 million move to the German outfit.... Nice people those Germans.

Thursday 19th June

Dietmar Hamann today claimed that Arsenal have made a £7million bid for him. The German international's admission comes as Italian giants Lazio bid to sign Arsenal striker Nicolas Anelka for £22million. 'I know that Arsenal have made a £7million bid for me. Newcastle know what I want - and that is to leave'. ''I can play Champions League football with Arsenal and that would be better for me and my career,'' Hamann is reported telling the Chronicle. You may remember Hamman was reported as saying some fairly nasty things about Newcastle and suggesting that he would not playing here next season, last December, At the time he was being thrown out of a restaurant in the city centre. As they say there is no smoke without fire. Newcastle have said that there have been no bids and that he will be going nowhere, This usually means, "How the *** did this leak out and he can **** off if they up the offer" I would have thought that £10 million would be a fair price for the future German captain. With the kind of money from the Anelka sale, they ca afford it, 'it's not as if we need the money' the Arsenal chairman quoted yesterday. With £10 million in the kitty Ruud would have enough to go for his two Most wanted players. Two VERY reliable sources tell me they are Rui Costa, whom we all know is a Gullit target but slightly overpriced at £7 million. and Danish International Jesper Grønkjær. The 22 year old left winger is a sensation in Holland and Denmark. He currently plays for Ajax and that is where Ruud saw him play. On one of his days home I have been reliably informed that he was seen taking notes at an Ajax game and Grønkjær looked like he was the player that Ruud had come to see. No price on Grønkjær has been mentioned but by all accounts he is NOT another JDT. Another target, Robbie Keane has apparently had a £7 million bid placed for him from Boro's Bryan Robson. I can't see Wolves accepting this until officials from other clubs return from their holiday in a couple of weeks. Training starts on the 1st July, so expect another week or so of transfer uncertainties, with things hottening up in a week or so.

Wednesday 17th June

Wolves boss Colin Lee admitted that Robbie Keane would have to be sold if he is to get the funds that he needs to build a team capable of getting the wanderers promoted. The same old teams will again be after the versatile hotshot as have been linked with most players recently. No doubt Arsenal will be favorites, although with the prospect of not playing regular football Robbie may opt to come to toon. The proximity of Villa to Wolves would also make them second favorites. If he does have real ambition to be in one of the top sides of the new millennium , he should seriously consider Newcastle. He could be used as a third striker or in his preferred position just behind the front two. Boro and Leeds are also interested. He would be a fine acquisition , although at between five and eight million not a cheap one. If Ruud was to get, Keane, Dyer, Seedorf, Marcelino and Reizinger, along with Goma who signed yesterday that would cost him in excess of £30 Million pounds. Even the most optimistic fans wouldn't imagine that Ruud would get that kind of money to spend. Certainly not until Newcastle can shift some of the deadwood., OR NTL buy the club, which I earlier mentioned could well be back on . If they don't get the green light to buy Newcastle then we ain't gonna get everyone we want, which is a shame, but that's football. On the other hand if Ruud is intent on buying all these new players, Would he be tempted to cash in some of his more sellable assets and replace them with cheaper alternatives? The likes of Given, Shearer, Barton and Solano could easily fetch almost £25 million, and with Barton and Solano being surplus, only Shearer and Given would need replacements. Buying James as cover for Harper and Zamorano for Shearer would not cost much leaving enough to go for most of Ruud's targets. Makes you think........ The Latest speculation is on

Tuesday 15th June

News just in ...Newcastle United have signed Paris St Germain's French international defender Alain Goma for 4.7 million pounds ($7.5 million). The 26-year-old is joining on a five-year contract. Ruud Gullit has also targeted Inter Milan's Chilean world cup star Ivan Zamorano as the player to bolster Newcastle's attacking options next season. With the arrival of Veiri for a world record Fee It is believed that Zamorano will be allowed to leave for as little as £2.5 million. Ruud Gullit is determined not to let Newcastle fall into the same situation of the last two years of having only two top strikers and Zam could well be the man if our friends in Milan are to be believed. The only stumbling block would be wether Zamorano would want to come to Newcastle as Chelsea are also said to be interested. Zamorano is now 32 so is not a long term solution, I would have thought that Zamorano would be used as a stop gap until younger players come through the ranks. The likes of Saha, Robinson and Coppinger will need another season or two before they will be ready for the first team proper.   Paul Robinson and James Coppinger will have a new boss next season. Former Newcastle left back Kenny Wharton has been appointed as the under 19s coach. 38 year old Wharton who played over 300 times for Newcastle in the 1980s was a team mate of fellow 38 year old ex player Peter Beardsley who many thought would be chosen as the new youth coach. It looks like his fears of being a thought of as a threat to Ruud Gullit have been justified There is still not a lot of intrest in any of the players that have been put on the transfer list. Indeed only Dabizas looks like he will find a new club, He seems likely to take a cut in wages so that he can get a regular place elsewhere. It's a shame some of the others on the books wouldn't do the same. Alex Pistone," the heartless one" could have gone back to Italy to play for Vicenza where he has been on loan. Newcastle were prepared to sell him for less than half of what they paid, but Vicenza say they cant afford his wage demands. With Kenny Dalglish stating that he doesn't want any of the misfits that he bought for Newcastle, the summer sale isn't going well. Hey Guys I passed a landmark Yesterday. I put my 500th DIFFERENT Web page up. I will soon have to move to a bigger web site. .WATCH THIS SPACE.. The page in question asks the question, If you were Ruud, had little money, who would you sell to raise funds and who would you buy? It's a survey form, the results of which I will upload in a week or so. Just in time for Ruud to come back from his holdiday take a look, and take our advice.  Thanks to all those enterring data so far, there is a wide range of thoughts so far but one thing is clear, most agree that we have some fairy poor players to try to sell .. The 500th page is HERE

13th June

Are we looking at the third player in my predicted back three?  I am reliably informed that Michael Reiziger is Ruud's real target from Barcelona and not fellow dutchman Winston Bogarde. Reiziger is valued around £4 million and can play as a centre back, Right back or wingback It seems to be a toss up between Dyer and Reizinger in the money Ruud has allocated for his defence. Dyer has stated that he would PREFER to come to Newcastle as he is a big admirer of Ruud Gullit. however It looks unlikely that Ruud would go up to the £7 million that it is expected Dyer would cost. Leeds have already said that they wont pay that leaving Boro, Arsenal and Chelsea still in the hunt. We could afford Both Dyer and Reizinger and a whole load of other players if NTL were to buy Newcastle. As we know though that deal is off.... OR IS IT? Trade and Industry Secretary who is also local Wallsend MP , Stephen Byers has sugested that new guidelines on media ownership will be unveiled within a few weeks. It's expected that media companies will be allowed to buy clubs if they don't have a controlling interest in the TV market. In other words the Sky and Man U deal still wouldn't be allowed but just about every other deal involving other TV companies would be. hehehehehe obviously Mr Byers is doing his bit as a toon fan, and with the Prime Minister a big toon fan then I am sure that the deal would have his blessing. I wish he would get a move on.though as Ruud needs the promised £150 million for new players now, not next season. So a message to Mr Dyers, Mr Seedorf's and Mr Del Piero's agents, hang fire don't sign anything yet , Ruud will come calling soon! The weekend news that Shearer may be off to Celtic, has been quashed . Apparently when Dalglish was said to be preparing a bid for A Newcastle striker, the likes of "the Mirror" thought he was after Shearer. Wrong Andreas Andersson is his real target. HONEST. he still rates him as a good player and is hopeful of getting a good deal. I would have thought one Swede for another would be a good deal. Know who I mean ?

June 11th

Breaking news..... Dalglish bids £10 million for Alan Shearer. he,hehehehehehe what does he think he's playing at. Shearer has a contract with Newcastle, Even if he has said on one of his golf games with Dalglish that he wouldn't mind joining Celtic then he can't. Like i say he's under contract and the only way he would be allowed to go was if Newcastle made a profit on him. To my reckoning Henrik Larsson AND £10 Million may be classed as making a profit, Or how about this one, apparently he has £20 million to spare so how about this for a deal We get Larsson Plus Stubs plus the £20 million and Celtic get. Perez (free) Serrant (500k) Dabizas (£1.5m) Pearce (Free) Charvet (£1 m)....Hamilton £1.5m) Pistone (£3 m)  Georgiadis (500k)....... Brady (500k) .... Ketsbaia (£1m) .... Anderson (£2.5 M) All that he would then need is to buy a load of promising youngsters, you no the type,.. the likes of Brian Pinas, Jon Dahl Tommason, Bjarni, Gudjohson and Ralf Keidel The Celtic fans sure are in for a real treat with the quality players that Dalglish and Barnes will buy. "Digger" Barnes has actually spent the last few weeks at the national centre of football speak in Shropshire getting a degree in Football speak, an essential part of coaching in England. A copy of his pre match interview essay has just been sent to me, for which he scored 9/10 (shame he wasn't that good at scoring goals) any way the essay. "At the end of the day Brian, the situation is it's a game of two halves, and you've got to take your chances when you get them. I'm confident , very confident that Shearer can handle the situation Shearer's quality, real quality , quality that shines like a trophy in our trophy room.  Obviously, he wants to do his best for the team, like in any situation, and remain positive and hopefully get a result, which we're all confident of doing. Now it's up to us to go out there and prove ourselves and pick ourselves up. It's always difficult at this level but we've been here before and we're looking forward to the challenge very much. If we concentrate and do what we know we can do, and prove to the boss that we're good enough, hopefully we'll put the doubters to rest...." J. Barnes Yeah I think you'll agree he's getting the hang of football coaching, Like I say Celtic are in for a treat. Newcastle's games in the UEFA cup winning season of 99/2000 have been snapped up by sky TV. It's such a shame ... I'll really miss Channel fives commentator Jonathan Pearce with classic's descriptions of teams such as "they are real quality, or s, " Actually Peter, They were crap."  Nicky Butt - "You'd have to call him ugly, Trevor"  Jaap Stam - "While we're on the subject of ugly..."  Paul Scholes - "A fair old crack with the ugly stick"  Sir Peter Beardsley - "Not a beauty, but quality" Talking about Peter Beardsley HE NEEDS A JOB. The post of under 19 coach at Newcastle comes up in a few days, There have been a few considered for the position and normally the fans wouldn't really be interested in who gets the job. I say normally as this time around one of the candidates would really catch the imagination of the toon faithful. PETER BEARDSLEY is on the short list, but looks unlikely to be offered the post as Ruud Gullit would see him as a threat. It's sad that such a popular player isn't given consideration for a position that he would be ideally suited for. However it's quite understandable, Imagine the scenario, A few months into the season, Newcastle go through a bad spell, say we get knocked out of the cups early on followed by a few bad performances. the fans could easily grow restless and start chanting Gullit out, knowing that Pedro could then be qualified to take over . On the other hand, if Ruud is confident that he will not fail, then he should be bold enough to allow Pedro to come back.

Earlier news