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Pre-season:
Donny tickets out
now
Tickets for the friendly at Doncaster Rovers on Saturday
July 26th are available form the Doncaster ticket office on 01302 762576.
Obviously, let them know you want away tickets.
We have been allocated the North Stand which has a 3,200
capacity.
Tickets for other pre-season friendlies will be available
from the NUFC Box Office from Thursday July 10 (don't ring them now - they are
busy sorting out season tickets).
Full details to follow shortly.
Incoming:
Spiderman captured
Kevin Keegan's first major
summer signing is Real Mallorca's Argentinean winger Jonas Gutierrez,
nicknamed Spiderman.
The 24 year-old (born 05.07.83) has signed a
five year deal for an undisclosed fee* and will face his old club next month
in the Multi Media Sports Cup.
Spiderman's goal celebration
consists of donning a Spidey mask and shooting out (imaginary) webbing from
his hands.... (see
here).
A little bit contrived to our
eyes, although swooping down from Level 7 or hanging upside-down from the roof
of the Milburn would be impressive.
However, don't expect to see his
celebration
too often - he scored just five times in 96 games for Mallorca and just once
in 99 games in Argentina's Primera Division, where he played for
Velez Sarsfield, which you may recall was where Christian Bassedas hailed
from.
* We suspect that Jonas may have
"done a Webster" and invoked Article 17 of FIFA's transfer
regulations. In other words, he may have bought out his own contract,
presumably with a little bit of help from NUFC.
Ex-player:
When Louis met Paddy

Patrick Kluivert's playing career appears to be over just
days after his 32nd birthday.
Kluivert is pictured above with his old Barca boss, Louis
van Gaal, after joining the coaching staff of our last UEFA Cup opponents, AZ
Alkmaar.
It could be argued that Paddy's playing days finished
well before he joined us in July 2004, although 13 goals in 37 games was
considerably better than some other recent flops.
After equally brief and
disappointing stints with Valencia and PSV Eindhoven, Kluivert had a mostly
non-playing part at French side Lille in the 2007/08 season.
That ended with him announcing plans to
commence working towards his coaching qualifications.
Reserve friendlies:
Bishops game off
Confirmation that next Friday's (11th)
pre-season Reserve friendly against Bishop Auckland at Durham is off
and the game against Newcastle Benfield has been moved back to its
original date of Tuesday July 15th.
Injury:
Heel handicap
scuppers Andy caps
Andy Carroll will miss out on the
U19 Euro Championships in the Czech Republic after a heel injury forced him
out of the England squad.
Teammate Tamas Kadar also misses out for
Hungary through injury, leaving just Italian Fabio Zamblera as our only likely
representative in the tournament.
Kids on trial:
Sofia's choice
From the Levski Sofia website:
"Two players of PFC Levski
Youth Academy born 1992, Ivan Stoyanov and Ivan Goranov, fly to
England on 5 July to join the respective team of Newcastle United FC for
one-month pre-season preparation.
"The trip is organized with the recommendation and assistance of the Newcastle
scouting coach Vic Halom who has lived in Bulgaria in the last few years."
Vic Halom won a FA Cup winner's medal for
an unnamed side in 1973 but has recently been scouting for us in Eastern
Europe.
In 1992 he stood as a Liberal Democrat
candidate for s*nderland in the 1992 General Election but finished a distant
third - at about the same time his old side finished a distant second to Liverpool in the FA
Cup Final....
Coach
exit:
Round the houses
Update:
An announcement is thought to be
imminent after Round met the players at the Finch Farm training ground on
Thursday.
There was
some dispute as to the contractual status of Round, Newcastle having
confirmed that they hold a one year option on the services of the coach.
An Everton spokesman confirmed this and suggested that a compensation deal is
likely to be thrashed out:
"There is an issue over an option on
the contract and the clubs are in on-going discussions over a solution.
"We believe it is something that can
be sorted out to allow the appointment to be made."
From
the Daily Post, Saturday:
Steve Round is ready to accept the
role as David Moyes’ number two – although Chelsea and FC Twente are set
to make late attempts to change his mind.
Everton manager Moyes interrupted his
holiday to call Newcastle first team coach Round and ask him to fill the role
vacated by Alan Irvine last November.
He has been given permission to speak to
the club as Moyes looks to install his new assistant ahead of the return to
pre-season training next Thursday, after Round’s current contract at St
James’s Park expires on July 1.
But Chelsea and Twente – who Round’s
former colleague Steve McClaren took charge of earlier this week – are also
in the hunt for his services.
The Stamford Bridge link comes amid uncertainty over the future of Steve
Clarke - who was Rudd Gullit's assistant at SJP and briefly, Newcastle
caretaker boss.
It's claimed that he could yet end up at Goodison if there's no role for him
at Chelsea and Round doesn't take the Everton job.
Sentenced:
Barton plea
bargain pays off
Update: Ousmane Dabo had
this to say after the sentencing:
"I almost lost an eye. It was a terrible
day and although I was not traumatised, I wanted the trial to come round.
"There was no confrontation, as Barton
pleaded guilty straight away, and I did not need to give evidence. That says a
lot about me - it shows that my version of the truth is the truth. I am happy
with the outcome.
"He admits he behaved in a cowardly way,
and he is a coward. We met one another on Monday. He was in one corner and me
in another. He did not talk to me or apologise, but it did not trouble me to
see him again."
"English clubs teach you lots of lessons,
but in this case they truly lack ethics and morals.
"Newcastle have invested a lot in this guy
and they do not want to lose a lot of money. The club does not care a damn
about the law and it shocks me."
Day two of Joey Barton's
trial for the assault on former team mate Ousmane Dabo ended on Tuesday with
the Newcastle midfielder being handed a
four month jail sentence, suspended for two years.
Barton was also ordered to carry
out 200 hours community service and pay Dabo £3,000 compensation.
In passing sentence Judge
Mushtaq Khokar
said:
"As a professional footballer
you are someone who is talented and greatly idolised by young and old alike
whether you are playing at Manchester City and now at Newcastle United.
"You are constantly in the public eye. You have a high profile, there would be
instances of provocations ... being an idol brings with it responsibilities
which you have to carry with you all the time.
"You want to be setting an example, particularly to those who idolise you,
particularly youngsters who look up to you."
An official statement from NUFC
read:
"The club now intends to hold discussions
with Joey and his representatives at the earliest possible opportunity.
"Until such time that this meeting has
taken place, there will be no further comment from the club."
Barton was due in court
on Monday but changed
his plea to guilty shortly before the hearing, admitting one charge of
assault, occasioning actual bodily harm (ABH).
Barton admitted punching Dabo in
the head and knocking him to the ground at Manchester City's training ground,
after the pair had squared up to each other following an incident in a
practice match.
Witnesses claimed he then lay on top of his dazed team
mate while continuing to rain punches on his prone body.
Barton could be released in the
next few weeks, having already served nearly half of the six month sentence
handed to him for the assault in Liverpool on Boxing Day.
CCTV footage of that assault has
now been released by police as it's unable to prejudice the outcome of any
ongoing criminal proceedings. See
here.
This was Barton's third court
appearance this year, having recently been cleared of vandalising a taxi when his
cousin, Joshua Wilson admitted causing the damage.
Pre-season:
PSV (h) confirmation
The club have now confirmed that they will
face Dutch side PSV Eindhoven at SJP on Wednesday August 6th
with a 7.45pm kickoff.
The second of our home friendlies takes place on the following Saturday, when
Valencia are in toon - with this now being confirmed as a 3pm start.
New kit:
Free UK p&p on
new away shirt

We are delighted to confirm that
once again we are able to offer FREE UK postage &
packing on all pre-orders of the new away shirt, as well as holding
prices again for the seventh year in a row.
To pre-order your shirt for
release on July 24th please follow
this link.
Gossip:
Rumours
round-up
A relatively quiet weekend on
what has so far been a very quiet close season:
The Sunday Sun claim that
last week Newcastle officials met representatives of FC Basel's Eren
Derdiyok. The 20 year-old striker played for Switzerland in Euro 2008.
Meanwhile, another alleged
target, St. Etienne's Bafetimbi Gomis, is not for sale, according to
their co-president Laurent Romeyer.
As we suggested last week,
Shola Ameobi's "done deal" to West Brom looks to be off with former mackem
Kevin Phillips close to agreeing a one-year deal. This may rekindle Ipswich's
interest in Shola.
Fulham's England full-back
Paul Konchesky is reportedly available for £2.5m and Newcastle are one of
a number of clubs said to be interested. The Cottagers' Steven Davis,
who was on loan at Rangers last season, is another name still being linked
with us.
And finally, former Chairman
Freddy Shepherd is reported to be on the verge of taking over at RCD
Mallorca, which would give our pre-season meeting at the start of August an
interesting twist.
However, there remains doubt in some circles as to the level of genuine
interest in the Spanish side, with the recent denials of the Shepherds seeking
to do a deal to purchase Leeds United not convincing all observers.
Not wanted:
Outcast @ the ArenA
New
Ajax boss, Marco van Basten wasted little time in clearing out the dead wood
at the Amsterdam ArenA, confirming that Albert Luque was surplus to
requirements and available for transfer.
Luque scored four times in
16 appearances for the Dutch side since his move to Ajax in August 2007, but
after a dressing room altercation with a team mate found himself frozen out of
the first team picture.
Luque found the net just three
times in 34 appearances in two miserable years at SJP and drifted
out of contention for his national side - who have prospered in his absence.
If the Dutch giants are looking for a Luque replacement, it occurs to us that
the unique talents of Shola Ameobi would fit in fine with the laid-back
Amsterdam attitude - not to mention the fact he sometimes looks as if he's
wearing clogs on the field.....
2008/09:
Pre-season
Friendlies now confirmed
by NUFC:
First Team:
Sat 19.07.08 Hartlepool United (a) @ 3pm.
A semi-regular jaunt down the A19 to face League One opposition, this was our
opening fixture of last season when 6,030 fans saw Newcastle record a 3-1
success.
Ticket prices tbc - last year was £15 for adults.
Sat 26.07.08 Doncaster Rovers (a) @ 3pm.
Our first visit to the Keepmoat Stadium comes as Rovers
prepare for life in the Championship. Ex-Mags Lewis Guy, James Coppinger and
Ben Smith are all in their squad.
Rovers old boy Kevin Keegan was in charge the last time we visited Donny in a
first team friendly, drawing 1-1 at their former Belle Vue home back in August
1992.
Donny are selling tickets to home fans for £15 (£5 OAPs & Bairns) -
details of the away allocation sale awaited.
Multi Media Sports Cup in Mallorca, Spain:
We return to the Son Moix (now renamed the ONO Estadi) in Palma, Mallorca
where a 3-0 victory in the UEFA Cup came back in March 2004.
The four-team event features German and Spanish teams as well as ourselves
(originally being a German/English event until Manchester City pulled out).
Games are played for the normal 3 points for a win, plus a point for each goal
scored. Any draws after 90 minutes are decided on penalties, with 3 points to
the winners.
Fri 01.08.08 Newcastle v Hertha Berlin (8pm)
Fri 01.08.08 RCD Mallorca v Hannover 96 (10pm)
Sun 03.08.08 Hannover 96 v Hertha Berlin (8pm)
Sun 03.08.08 Newcastle v RCD Mallorca (10pm)
(Newcastle games will be live on )
This will be the second successive pre-season that Newcastle and Hertha have
had similar programmes - with both clubs having training camps in Stegersbach,
Austria last July - although they didn't face each other in a game.
Wed 06.08.08 PSV Eindhoven (h)
The Dutch side are in England to face Everton and make another friendly trip
to Tyneisde, following on from their 3-2 pre-season success in July
2006.
That followed appearances at SJP in the Champions League in 1997 and UEFA Cup
Quarter Final in 2004.
Sat 09.08.08 Valencia (h) @ 3pm.
Reserves:
Fri 11.07.08 Bishop Auckland
(a) @ Archibalds Stadium. Confirmation that this game is now
off.
Tue 15.07.08 Newcastle Benfield (a) @ Sam Smiths.
Mon
21.07.08 Gateshead (a) @ International Stadium.
Mon 28.07.08 Blyth Spartans (a) @ Croft Park.
Wed 06.08.08 Newcastle
Blue Star (a) @ Kingston Park.
Wheely
good cause:
C2C for Sir Bobby
The
latest in a series of fund-raising events in the region to aid the Sir Bobby
Robson Foundation involves "a
group of overweight, beer drinking Newcastle United fans from Wylam" (their
description, not ours!)
This motley crew will cycle the 146 mile Coast to Coast (C2C) route
between Whitehaven to Tynemouth from the 11th July 2008.
If you'd like to help them reach their personal target of £5K to go to
the costs of building a new cancer unit, then please logon
and donate here
Old
boy makes his connection:
Just the ticket for
Calvin
Former Newcastle Academy and
reserve striker Calvin Zola Makongo has completed a move from Tranmere
Rovers to Crewe Alexandra at a cost of £200K.
The Congo-born player left Tyneside in 2004 for Prenton Park, after having
spent some time on loan at Oldham in the final year of his time at SJP.
Zola was in the last year of his deal at Rovers and has made the switch to the
Railwaymen after a successful application for a work permit.
2008/09:
Away season tickets
Some clarification on how this scheme will work:
The top 1,500 fans in the existing away ticket loyalty scheme were given
the option to sign up to receive a full season's worth of away tickets
automatically - with direct debit payments being taken only when each ticket
is sent out - not as any sort of advance lump sum.
No additional charge is being made for this by the club ie. they will bear the
cost of posting the tickets out.
However for any of those 1,500 fans who don't sign up to the scheme, nothing
changes - they can continue to apply for and receive tickets on a match by
match basis and don't lose their "place" on the loyalty scheme.
It then follows that anyone who
doesn't qualify for an away season ticket won't be offered one if fans higher
up the queue elected not to sign up for the scheme.
There's no closing date for people who qualify to sign up for this scheme, so
anyone not wishing to do so now could join later in the season, next year etc.
We've asked the club how multiple applications will be dealt with to ensure
fans sit together etc. and they confirm that people will be able to create a
so-called "friends and family" group for this purpose.
As mentioned previously, the club have now dispensed with the traditional away
ticket voucher application system and will now sell them online and via the
phone to those who qualify.
In order for this to work, fans will be able to find out where they appear on
the loyalty scheme list (each fan has a certain number of points), with the
club then inviting applications based on the number of points.
Again this raises questions about multiple applications, logons etc. and the
club will be addressing those in a future announcement.
PS: All of the above is nothing more than an amended process of selling
tickets - there's no change in the criteria for people getting them or public
sale etc.etc.
Voluntary movers: Anyone who has requested a seat change for next
season will have their request actioned once ST holders who are being
relocated by the club have been accommodated - subject to availability.
General:
If anyone has any particular grievance or issue then call the club on 0191 261
1571, attend the Box Office in person or email them via custserv@nufc.co.uk
Former
favourites gathering:
Black & White
Reunion
Wednesday July 9th
sees another charity reunion dinner of Toon old boys by Players Inc. staged
this year over at the Lancastrian Suite in the Dunston Brewery.
Magpies past and present will be in attendance, including:
Steven Taylor, Tony Green, Liam O'Brien Robert Lee, Ron McGarry, David
Craig, Steve Howey, John Beresford, Ruel Fox, Brian Kilcline and Paul Bracewell.
Charitable causes to benefit from the event include the NSPCC and the Toma
Fund and tickets are £35 each ticket (£350 table of 10) & VIP ones at
£65 (£650 table of 10).
Bookings via 07950 180922 or playersinc@hotmail.com
and if you mention NUFC.com then they'll knock 10% off.
Dress is smart casual and the evening is compered by John Gibson, with some
tunes from Busker.
2008/09:
Strip stuff
There's no change to our home strip this season, but inevitably not one, but two new change kits
are being released in the coming weeks / months.
The "away" kit is a purple colour which is now confirmed as going on sale on Thursday July 24th
2008.
Meanwhile the "cup" kit is silver, with no release date yet.
Presumably this will only be sold by official club outlets.
Visit the North East and see the
spectacular Northumberland coastline:
Looking for a place to get away from it all?
Let the folk at
cottages4you help:

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