ALLARDYCE APPOINTED NEWCASTLE MANAGER

[Soldier_Of_The_White_Army]

Kieron Dyer is awesome when fully fit

awesome

Plenty of the Newcastle fans want shut of him, apparently.

He's a great player, but Fortune has still played more games then he has over the last few seasons!

[mummywhycantieatcrayons]

Ok, I have just been looking at the betting on Ladbrokes for "the first Bolton player to be bought by Sam Allardyce."


For some reason Ladbrokes seem pretty sure that Allardyce will want Nolan - they're only offering 1/2 on the bet I've outlined above, which seems crazily short odds. Anelka is the next shortest, miles away at 7/1. So yeah, sounds like somebody in the know has said something about Nolan...


The reason I was looking at the bet, is because it seems likely that Allardyce will offer Ben Haim a decent wedge to go to Newcastle, but he is a massive 33/1 for the above bet. Do you think the wording of "buying" means that they wouldn't pay out on TBH if he were signed once his contract here had run out?

[communistworkethic]

check the wording - he could be the first "signing" as opposed to "buy"

[Daxter]

From Nolan's column.

Is there any truth in the rumours that you will be following your ex-manager Sam Allardyce to St James Park?
Thomas Salton, England

This is the first that I have heard of it. I have spoken to Sam since he left Bolton to thank him for everything he has done for me - but I am a Bolton Wanderers player and am really happy at the club.

[mummywhycantieatcrayons]

check the wording - he could be the first "signing" as opposed to "buy"

Feck me - it's because I've checked the exact wording that I'm asking the question!

[mummywhycantieatcrayons]

From Nolan's column.

Is there any truth in the rumours that you will be following your ex-manager Sam Allardyce to St James Park?
Thomas Salton, England

This is the first that I have heard of it. I have spoken to Sam since he left Bolton to thank him for everything he has done for me - but I am a Bolton Wanderers player and am really happy at the club.

Yes mate, I know, but the likes of Ladbrokes don't mess around with odds like that unless there's a reason.

[Daxter]

Wouldn't surprise me, I'd like to keep Nolan. But if Sam came in with a 7 million/8 million bid we should snatch their hand off.

[H. Pedersen]

From Nolan's column.

Is there any truth in the rumours that you will be following your ex-manager Sam Allardyce to St James Park?
Thomas Salton, England

This is the first that I have heard of it. I have spoken to Sam since he left Bolton to thank him for everything he has done for me - but I am a Bolton Wanderers player and am really happy at the club.

Yes mate, I know, but the likes of Ladbrokes don't mess around with odds like that unless there's a reason.

Are they perhaps simply as deluded as the rest and they think Nolan is our best player?

[warthog]

From Nolan's column.

Is there any truth in the rumours that you will be following your ex-manager Sam Allardyce to St James Park?
Thomas Salton, England

This is the first that I have heard of it. I have spoken to Sam since he left Bolton to thank him for everything he has done for me - but I am a Bolton Wanderers player and am really happy at the club.

Yes mate, I know, but the likes of Ladbrokes don't mess around with odds like that unless there's a reason.

The reason being that lots of people have put money on it. Only Bolton fans know how bad he's been this season. The rest will just go off the general perception in the media, ie that he's good.

[Dr.Karl]

From Nolan's column.

Is there any truth in the rumours that you will be following your ex-manager Sam Allardyce to St James Park?
Thomas Salton, England

This is the first that I have heard of it. I have spoken to Sam since he left Bolton to thank him for everything he has done for me - but I am a Bolton Wanderers player and am really happy at the club.

Yes mate, I know, but the likes of Ladbrokes don't mess around with odds like that unless there's a reason.

Is there a time frame on that bet? Otherwise its a fairly ridiculous market, Allardyce could be managers in five years time at Newcastle(yeah right!) and he may not of signed a Bolton player.

And Laddies mess around with their odds because those odds are outrageous. Essentially they're giving at least a 67% chance of Nolan being at Newcastle. Think about it for a second, would they even open this market if it was nailed on to happen? 67%, just think about it!!

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

surely even Shepherd isn't stupid enough to sign a £13m managerial contract (more if the backroom is overhauled), fund summer signings then pull the plug before September, when at least one board somewhere panics and presses the eject button...

Wanna bet?

Are you Larry Ladbrokes?

He's stoopid, but not that stoopid.

[H. Pedersen]

Are you sure? Didn't Souness get a fat severance check? Or do you mean he wouldn't be stupid enough to do it again?

And who knows if Sam would get any money, as we all know now, managerial contracts aren't worth the paper they're written on

[trotter58]

"He arrived by helicopter". That's a bout £6000 an hour. And clubs wonder where money goes.

Some of those Geordies are seriously in need of a life. Turning up to see Allardyce strolling round the pitch waving to them for f**ks sake!

[trotter58]

Anelka is the next shortest, miles away at 7/1.

If Owen leaves i wouldn't be suprised if Allardyce puts in an offer for Anelka.

[Soldier_Of_The_White_Army]

Anelka is the next shortest, miles away at 7/1.

If Owen leaves i wouldn't be suprised if Allardyce puts in an offer for Anelka.

Neither would I. Though I think he would be more inclined to put a bid in for Davies to play allowed side Martins.

[mummywhycantieatcrayons]

From Nolan's column.

Is there any truth in the rumours that you will be following your ex-manager Sam Allardyce to St James Park?
Thomas Salton, England

This is the first that I have heard of it. I have spoken to Sam since he left Bolton to thank him for everything he has done for me - but I am a Bolton Wanderers player and am really happy at the club.

Yes mate, I know, but the likes of Ladbrokes don't mess around with odds like that unless there's a reason.

Is there a time frame on that bet? Otherwise its a fairly ridiculous market, Allardyce could be managers in five years time at Newcastle(yeah right!) and he may not of signed a Bolton player.

And Laddies mess around with their odds because those odds are outrageous. Essentially they're giving at least a 67% chance of Nolan being at Newcastle. Think about it for a second, would they even open this market if it was nailed on to happen? 67%, just think about it!!

Fair enough, but it doesn't look like they want to tempt any more money on it to me, not that I'm an expert in these matters.

And there wasn't a stated time limit.


Nobody's given an opinion on whether they'd pay out on Ben Haim if Sam offered him a contract now...

[Dartisan]

From Nolan's column.

Is there any truth in the rumours that you will be following your ex-manager Sam Allardyce to St James Park?
Thomas Salton, England

This is the first that I have heard of it. I have spoken to Sam since he left Bolton to thank him for everything he has done for me - but I am a Bolton Wanderers player and am really happy at the club.

Yes mate, I know, but the likes of Ladbrokes don't mess around with odds like that unless there's a reason.

Is there a time frame on that bet? Otherwise its a fairly ridiculous market, Allardyce could be managers in five years time at Newcastle(yeah right!) and he may not of signed a Bolton player.

And Laddies mess around with their odds because those odds are outrageous. Essentially they're giving at least a 67% chance of Nolan being at Newcastle. Think about it for a second, would they even open this market if it was nailed on to happen? 67%, just think about it!!

Fair enough, but it doesn't look like they want to tempt any more money on it to me, not that I'm an expert in these matters.

And there wasn't a stated time limit.


Nobody's given an opinion on whether they'd pay out on Ben Haim if Sam offered him a contract now...

Well I'd say 'No', because I wouldn't want to have to pay out
But seriously, on the letter of it he wouldn't be a signing from Bolton if signed after all contracts with us expired. He'd be listed as being signed from 'unattached' NOT from us.

[officer_dibble]

Well at least its done now. Hope he keeps his hands off our staff I really do, especially after all the talk about giving us an infrastructure - not much fukin use if he poaches it all...

I wish him the best, just hope he finishes below us.

Can't wait for toon at home either "YOU ONLY PLAY LONG BALL!" etc etc Should be a laugh. Its all gone now anyway, we'll see how long it all lasts and who is laughing this time next year.

[mullayo]

Sam Allardyce is the latest manager unable to resist the temptation to sip from the poisoned chalice that is Newcastle United.

The former Bolton boss insisted he would be taking a break from football when he resigned last month following a successful spell at The Reebok.

And some cynics might suggest he will get one by taking on the task of delivering St James' Park's first trophy since the Inter Cities Fairs Cup in 1969.

This is because Newcastle have occasionally represented the game's equivalent of the madhouse, rather than a club of standing with one of the biggest and most loyal support bases in the game.

It will take a big man to manage the huge weight of over-expectation at a club that loves to portray itself as one of the giant Premiership institutions, without actually coming close to silverware in 38 years.

And Allardyce will need all his force of personality and uncompromising approach to lift the curse that appears to have descended on Tyneside when it comes to success.

Allardyce's appointment has already divided opinion in Newcastle, based on the perceived long-ball, physical style his detractors claim he employed at Bolton.

No end of Opta statistics, or details of any number of backroom scientific experts employed at Bolton, will disabuse some fans of the notion that his approach was actually based on getting the ball to Kevin Davies and hoping for the best.

Allardyce will argue vehemently against that - and his success at Bolton suggests there is far more to his approach than meets the eye.

Big Sam may also respectfully suggest to his Newcastle critics that beggars can't be choosers, given their singular failure to land big prizes.

He must also convince certain figures in a the hugely-powerful Newcastle media, who were openly and savagely critical of Allardyce and methods during his time at Bolton.

It will be interesting to see if they change their tune now.

Throw in the fact that Sunderland have surged into the Premiership under the charismatic Roy Keane, a man who knows what is required at a big club and is ruthlessly driven, and you can see why the Toon Army are insecure about their current status in the North-East.

This is all before Allardyce actually gets down to the task of managing a football club that is always in close proximity to the self-destruct button.

Allardyce will need to rejuvenate a mediocre team that is seemingly split by discontent - and resolve the future of the England striker who still represents their best chance of achieving success.

The job was too big for Glenn Roeder. The credits were rolling for him once he produced little more than a tactically-naive surrender against AZ Alkmaar in the Uefa Cup.

And since his departure, the skeletons have come tumbling out of the cupboard, with Obefami Martins mysteriously declaring himself unfit to play at Watford.

Charles N'Zogbia was jettisoned for preferring to send texts rather than listen to a team talk, and the normally tactiturn Nicky Butt has been moved to criticise team-mates he feels would rather be elsewhere.

A happy ship to join then, Sam.

Allardyce, who has not managed a so-called big club before, first needs to inject a large dose of reality into Newcastle.

He needs to deliver a sharp reminder about the club's history and success - or more pertinently the lack of it.

Allardyce is not following some unbroken glory trail. He is following almost 40 barren years and no-one should insist he comes with a guarantee of success.

Newcastle attract big crowds and spend big money.

But a big club?

Not if you measure that particular statistic by their success in the last 38 years.

Using that yardstick, Sunderland have got the edge on their arch-rivals.

Allardyce needs to re-inforce a defence that occasionally represents the next best thing to an open goal, and rid the dressing room of the shirkers who let Roeder and Newcastle down so badly.

And then we come to Michael Owen.

Owen's time on Tyneside has been wrecked by injury and his public image has taken a bit of a pasting after his return to fitness was accompanied by rumours he may be ready to leave.

Chairman Freddy Shepherd, who for all his critics has always backed managers with cash, has demanded loyalty from Owen.

It is an understandable ploy but whether it is a wise one remains to be seen.

The bottom line is that Owen is fiercely ambitious and lives for winning medals.

He will not fill the gaps in his collection - the title and the Champions League - at Newcastle.

Allardyce will need to be at his most persuasive to keep Owen at Newcastle but my money would be on the England striker quitting, if one of the big four come in for him.

This may seem harsh on Newcastle, but when they bought Owen they did not buy sentiment and romance they bought one of the most ruthless and single-minded figures in world sport.

Newcastle put clauses in his contract to secure his services and fight off a return to Liverpool - they cannot squeal should he choose to exercise them.

So there is the task facing Allardyce.

Win over critics in the crowd and the media. Improve a mediocre team. Rebuild a broken dressing room. Convince Michael Owen to stay at Newcastle.

And win their first trophy in nearly 40 years.

Welcome to Newcastle, Sam.

[Batman]

Must've taken you a while to type that out.