Returning from a holiday in Brittany – two weeks with no internet or television, and where the only contact I had with the sporting world was the French newspaper L’Equipe. Apart from its mournful updates on Hatem Ben Arfa’s latest injury – and the chance to note that Cabaye, Marveaux and Abeid were all signed from French clubs – there was very little news on English transfer activity.
When I returned to these shores yesterday I excitedly logged on, anticipating (admittedly naively) a flurry of transfers, with a striker atop my priority list (as is surely the case with nearly every other Newcastle fan).
So, naturally, I was somewhat dismayed to discover that there were no additions to the squad. My holiday fantasies (which got out of hand probably even before I reached Dimitar Berbatov) lay shattered.
However, I have tended to be more of a supporter of Alan Pardew than the average Toon fan, and decided that in the two weeks before Arsenal arrive at SJP (or at least before the closing of the transfer window), he would demonstrate why I have had faith in him so far. Please, Pards.
But today’s developments regarding Joey Barton’s transfer-listing has simply exposed us to more of the same ridicule that has dogged the club ever since Sir Bobby Robson’s sacking in 2004.
OK, so Barton might not be the easiest person to get on with, but the board’s heavy-handed reaction is just another instance of the powers-that-be cutting off the NUFC nose in order to spite its face. The departure of Kevin Nolan, top scorer in the last two seasons, was something of a disappointment. But for Newcastle’s crosser-supreme, Barton, to leave would be to go too far.
Some have said that Barton’s departure has been inevitable. Certainly, Newcastle are not short of midfielders. But the manner in which this affair is being played out does yet more damage to the club’s professional standing – and cannot do anything positive for any players (hopefully, surely) being courted by the club.
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