Newcastle United Defense

[picaraza]

United duo are five-star rated (http://icnewcastle.icnetwork.co.uk/newcastleunited/news/tm_objectid=15709288%26method=full%26siteid=50081%26headline=united%2dduo%2dare%2dfive%2dstar%2drated-name_page.html)

Missed this article this morning, but it's a pretty interesting piece of fluff. It might prove worthwhile to drag a few chestnut quotes out mid-season if/when the club is on the verge of collapse and we're all back to demanding the head of Titus Bramble on a stick.


Graeme Souness last night predicted that Jean-Alain Boumsong and Titus Bramble will go on to establish themselves as the Premiership's most formidable defensive partnership.

The form of United's two centre-backs was one of the few positives for United's manager to take from last season, as Bramble finally found the consistency and concentration to match his natural ability and Boumsong gradually adapted to the demands of English football.

Souness, having missed out on Belgian international Daniel van Buyten this summer, has still not given up hope of adding another defender to his squad before the start of the season.

But the Scot is delighted with the way his current first-choice central defensive duo have started to gel and, with Steven Taylor - a player Souness has labelled one of the most exciting young prospects in the country - waiting in the wings, the former Scotland international is adamant the core of his defensive unit is already in place.

"I don't think it is any exaggeration to say that Jean-Alain and Titus can potentially become the best centre-back partnership in the Premiership," said Souness, who has given his squad the day off today after a strenuous three-session work-out yesterday. "The signs were very encouraging last season and the way those two have started to gel has been one of the biggest positives for me during my time as manager of Newcastle United.

"We're still looking to make new signings in that area, but with Steven Taylor also in the squad, we already look strong in that department. Steven is a marvellous prospect and, if not next year, he will be a first-team regular at this football club and at international level for many years to come."

Boumsong initially struggled with the pace and physicality of the English Premiership following a six-month stint in Scotland with Glasgow Rangers following last summer's switch from Ligue 1 side Auxerre. But the French international has begun to justify his £8m price tag, especially when playing alongside the powerful figure of Bramble.

The pair have become good friends off the pitch as well, something their manager believes is also important in a defensive partnership.

He added: "Jean-Alain Boumsong has got better and better, but there is still a lot more to come from him. The best years of his career are still to come. He's only 25 and he will get stronger and more used to English football.

"I think every player who played alongside him played better as a result. That is the sign of a quality defender.

"He is a communicator and you need that at the back. He talks to people and he organises things. I've been delighted with him, but there is still more to come, which is the most exciting thing.

"I was very pleased with the way his partnership with Titus Bramble was developing. That bodes well for next season."

...

"Titus has played the best football of his career in the last seven months," insisted Souness, who hopes to be able to announce another new signing in the next 48 hours.


The clock is ticking. Since this article was written and posted has got to be around 24 hours. Guess we should get the good news tomorrow, around lunch (PST)?

I can see it now. Tomorrow the club will unveil its newest signing... Jorge Andrade! And just like that the famous partnership of Boumsong-Bramble is broken up. And we'll all be left to wonder what might have been...

Anyway....

So, Van Buyten ain't coming. And we've still got to replace Hughes and O'Brien. Just how many games do you think Babayaro is good for? And is his replacement Elliot? Ramage?

Damn, sign a left back. And a couple of ********ing strikers already.

Anyway...

[Dirt McGirt]

So, Van Buyten ain't coming. And we've still got to replace Hughes and O'Brien. Just how many games do you think Babayaro is good for? And is his replacement Elliot? Ramage?

Damn, sign a left back. And a couple of ********ing strikers already.

Anyway...

Matthew Upson anybody?? I actually think Titus Bramble will really become a world class center back. I just think that you need some one to be pushing for a place behind him to keep him on his toes. Not to mention with his injury problems a little insurance wouldn't hurt.

Your thoughts on Ollie maybe coming back.
P.S. The Mackems want to sign him :rolleyes:

[Toon³]

Any player that leaves the club and goes to a relegation threatened team just because they would give him more money...he can go to the mackems

[ISiddiqui]

I actually think Titus Bramble will really become a world class center back. I just think that you need some one to be pushing for a place behind him to keep him on his toes.

Well I think Taylor would be a good 'push' behind Bramble. Plenty of us would probably rather have Taylor out there instead of Bramble right now.

[Alex_7]

plus he gets extra points because of his oscar winning performance against aston villa last season :)

Bramble, has only bein good when playing with woodgate or boumsong. when he was on his own with o'brian he lost his head

[ISiddiqui]

Yeah, let Bramble play alongside Boumsong and focus on the LB. Babyaro is not the answer.

[Toon³]

It was clear in the FA cup semi final that babayaro wasnt the answer

[divingheader]

Boumsoung, Bramble and Taylor, that's 3 to cover 2 CB slots. Taylor is cover for Carr out right, 2 players, one slot on the field. Babayaro and Elliott together make up about one player, I'm sad to say. We need another LB for sure, or maybe Souness is going to experiment with N'Zogbia some more...

At Forward we have Sheaer, Ameobi and Chopra... and apparently Dyer. I hate to say it but Shearer is half a player due to age, and recently Ameobi is half a player due to injury. So far Chopra has been a non-player at the Priemership level. Dyer moving up top is a good way to decrease the crowd in midfield, and his pace makes him a nice fit into the slot vacated by Bellamy, but he is hardly a Striker to count on (I hope that changes...). Forget Left Back, forget center defensive cover, forget a left sided midfielder or a to the left of center midfielder. Sign a Striker.

I have to figure that the guys running NUFC are at least as aware of the situation as we are. I have to figure there is some secret deal that is about to be sprung. Well.... I'm waiting.
I go into the back country Monday morning and won't get any transfer news until Thursday at the earliest. I hope I have a pleasant suprise. This looking for good news and finding none has worn me down over the last 2 - 3 weeks.

[Toon³]

i was reading this months true faith and they raised a very good point...people seem to be forgetting that shearer is a part-time player which seems to mean that we actually need THREE new strikers

[picaraza]

Boumsong article BOUMSONG WANTS MORE TITLE GLORY (http://www.sportinglife.com/football/premiership/newcastle/news/story_get.cgi?STORY_NAME=soccer/05/07/10/SOCCER_Pre-season_Newcastle_Boum.html&TEAMHD=newcastle)


Jean-Alain Boumsong is something of an oddity in the Newcastle dressing room.

The 25-year-old Frenchman is one of only a handful of current Magpies players who has a championship medal to his name, having played 18 league matches for Scottish Premier League victors Rangers last season before his £8million January move to St James' Park.
....

Boumsong, along with Babayaro and Amdy Faye, was drafted in by Sir Bobby Robson's successor during the winter transfer window, and of the three, only he has made any real impression.

And as the club looks for a successor to Jonathan Woodgate, who fleetingly looked like the answer to their long-standing defensive problems, the Frenchman believes there is much more to come from him.

"I think Jean-Alain Boumsong can bring something to this club and this club can bring something for Jean-Alain Boumsong," he said. "It is not easy when you first come to the club and are a new arrival.

"My team-mates have helped me to get used to the place and settle in, and I hope next season the supporters will see the real Newcastle.

"I know I can do more than I have done so far, but I am sure all the players would say that. We can all improve our game and hopefully have a good season next year.

"Football is all about ups and downs, and we had some disappointments last season. It is not really easy when the players in the team are changing every week.

"You have to work on your skills together, but in life you cannot always have what you want and you have to deal with that."

Boumsong acknowledges that he, like many of his team-mates, still has much to learn, although he has shown in his time on Tyneside already a willingness to lead by example, and he is not afraid to make his feelings known on the pitch, something which has perhaps been a failing at the club in the past.

His partnership with the enigmatic Titus Bramble was blossoming when the Englishman's hernia problem sidelined him just at the wrong time, but he is relishing the chance to renew his acquaintance, and to prove his worth as a focal point for the men at the back as he did when asked to lead the side at Fulham in the absence of Shearer.

"I am still young myself, but I have experience and I want to help the younger players around me," he said. "It was a proud moment for me to have the captain's armband.

"It is my natural behaviour to try and be a leader and help my team-mates. I think the manager knows I have that quality. I shout a lot on the pitch, but in a good way.

"I try to help and encourage all of the time, but it is not just a job for one man, every team needs a few shouters in the side to help each other."

Boumsong will start the season desperate for a run in the team after being forced to sit out the club's European ties last season because he had already played UEFA Cup football for Rangers, and he admits that hampered his efforts to blend in.

"It was really difficult for me to stand and watch my team-mates playing," he said. "I hope next season I will play all the games and that people will see the best of me then."

He is not the only one.

[picaraza]

Souness on the NUFC defense situation: Souness searches for defensive cover (http://soccernet.espn.go.com/headlinenews?id=336955&cc=5739)


'As we speak now, we feel that we are one experienced central defender short,' the Scottish boss.

'With Stephen Carr, both Peter Ramage and Steven Taylor could do a job there, both Ramage and Taylor could do a job at centre-back and we have got Celestine Babayaro at left-back and we have got Robbie Elliott to cover him.

'I would like one more experienced centre-back because if you look at Titus at 23, Jean-Alain Boumsong at 25, Taylor at 19 and Ramage at 21, we do not have a lot of experience in a very important position.

'Finances allowing, I would like to bring another experienced centre half in.'


So that's

RB
---
CARR
TAYLOR
RAMAGE

CB
---
BOUMSONG
BRAMBLE
(NEW SIGNING)
TAYLOR
RAMAGE

LB
---
BABAYARO
ELLIOTT

Sorry, not good enough. NUFC absolutely must acquire cover for Babayaro at left back. I'd be delighted if the team could acquire someone like Gallas who could play both CB and LB, but that ain't all that likely and I am unsure about the other targets.

So, the club is buying center backs, huh?

Barry: £4-5m, but sees himself in the midfield.
Upson: £5m
Van Buyten: £5-6m, but already turned us down?
Distin: £6-7m
Andrade: £8-12m, but we'd have to beat out Man Utd. for his signature.
Gallas: £6-7m, but we'd have to beat out Liverpool...
Balde: FREE; the nice price
O'Shea: How much would Man Utd charge for him?

[Dirt McGirt]

Souness on the NUFC defense situation: Souness searches for defensive cover (http://soccernet.espn.go.com/headlinenews?id=336955&cc=5739)



So that's

RB
---
CARR
TAYLOR
RAMAGE

CB
---
BOUMSONG
BRAMBLE
(NEW SIGNING)
TAYLOR
RAMAGE

LB
---
BABAYARO
ELLIOTT

Sorry, not good enough. NUFC absolutely must acquire cover for Babayaro at left back. I'd be delighted if the team could acquire someone like Gallas who could play both CB and LB, but that ain't all that likely and I am unsure about the other targets.

So, the club is buying center backs, huh?

Barry: £4-5m, but sees himself in the midfield.
Upson: £5m
Van Buyten: £5-6m, but already turned us down?
Distin: £6-7m
Andrade: £8-12m, but we'd have to beat out Man Utd. for his signature.
Gallas: £6-7m, but we'd have to beat out Liverpool...
Balde: FREE; the nice price
O'Shea: How much would Man Utd charge for him?


Bobo on a free??
I thought he just re signed with Celtic. If not we should jump on that quickly.

[picaraza]

Bobo on a free??
I thought he just re signed with Celtic. If not we should jump on that quickly.
Last I saw Strachan was claiming that Balde would be staying, but I don't think that Bobo has signed anything.

That would be my vote: Bobo for free and pick up O'Shea, Barry, or Fortune while we're at it.

Now I'm starting to get pissed about the Hughes sale. I assumed that they had sold him with the intention of upgrading that position. Buying a player of a higher calibre to replace him. If they don't replace him then FF and Souness have really screwed up.

Does Souness think that Elliott and Ramage are adequate? I'm sure that Taylor and Ramage are decent enough, but it would be nice to have some experience on the backline.

[Toon³]

Bobo on a free??
I thought he just re signed with Celtic. If not we should jump on that quickly.

BOBO FRIGGIN BALDE?!?! He's crap in scotland i can tell you now everyone on tyneside breathed a sign of relief when we didn't sign him in january

[Dirt McGirt]

BOBO FRIGGIN BALDE?!?! He's crap in scotland i can tell you now everyone on tyneside breathed a sign of relief when we didn't sign him in januaryLOL
I could see that coming a mile away. :D
Unpredictable you are not.

[Toon³]

Yes everytime some says a crap player should sign for the toon i'll say that he shouldn't

Lets just add his name to the list just below Andy 'Penalties' Johnson

[picaraza]

Yes everytime some says a crap player should sign for the toon i'll say that he shouldn't

Lets just add his name to the list just below Andy 'Penalties' Johnson
So who exactly do you think is "crap"?

(A random sampling of names I've heard NUFC fans talk/write about as possible targets)

Andrade:
Balde:
Barry:
Chivu:
Distin:
Dunne:
Gallas:
King:
Mellberg:
Mexes:
O'Shea:
Upson:
Van Buyten:


My concern is that Souness and FF are talking about defensive cover.

I don't think they are talking about buying a top calibre center back; they are talking about buying someone who will play if Boum, Bramble, and Taylor go down. That is, a replacement for Andy O'Brien.

Not likely we're going to pursue Andrade or King, or that either would come either.

[Dirt McGirt]

I don't think they are talking about buying a top calibre center back; they are talking about buying someone who will play if Boum, Bramble, and Taylor go down. That is, a replacement for Andy O'Brien.
Exactly, He would be great cover for when Bramble and Boumsong get hurt plus he could push Bramble for a first team spot. Which might help our boy Titus concentrate a little bit better.

All the Celtic fans I met in Seattle (Man u vs Celtic 2003) absolutly love him however he is not going anywhere. (http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/c/celtic/4642487.stm)

[Toon³]

So who exactly do you think is "crap"?

(A random sampling of names I've heard NUFC fans talk/write about as possible targets)

Andrade:
Balde:
Barry:
Chivu:
Distin:
Dunne:
Gallas:
King:
Mellberg:
Mexes:
O'Shea:
Upson:
Van Buyten:


My concern is that Souness and FF are talking about defensive cover.

I don't think they are talking about buying a top calibre center back; they are talking about buying someone who will play if Boum, Bramble, and Taylor go down. That is, a replacement for Andy O'Brien.

Not likely we're going to pursue Andrade or King, or that either would come either.


Andrade: Go to CL club before even thinking of us
Balde: Thank God he's staying there
Barry: Villa would never go and Arsenal have always been interested in him
Chivu:HAHAHAHA
Distin: Traitor
Dunne: Fat and Crap
Gallas: Possible if Chelsea will let him go. How old is he?
King: Spurs would never let him go unless we swapped Jenas which we shouldn't do
Mellberg: Possible. But how much?
Mexes: HAHAHAHA
O'Shea: Is he that good?
Upson: Looks like the most likely
Van Buyten: Commited to HSV


You should know that the british press make things up 90% of the stories that you see quoted from papers are lies just made up from "Sources" and agents...Out of that list only 2 have any possible chance of coming here

[Dirt McGirt]

One center back I would love to see the team sign is Oguchi Onyewu.http://soccernet.espn.go.com/feature?id=337435&cc=5901 He plays in Belgium right now but I think he'll be at a big club in a top league within a year. He would be great cover for Boumsong and Bramble. 6'4 210 pounds good with his feet and in the air. An American Sol Campbell in the making.