Update: Newcastle have bought Chelsea for 5 mil.
When I last wrote about Newcastle United’s ability to price opposition clubs out of the market, I had a sneaky feeling that they would snap up another big player this summer by outbidding a rival Premiership club.
I guess some things don’t change. Damien Duff could represent Newcastle United‘s best signing of the summer, if the reports are true, Tottenham had a 7 mil bid for Duff turned down by Chelsea and Liverpool themselves had been monitoring the situation quite closely.
Why did both sides let Newcastle walk away with Duff?
It’s not the promise of first-team football. At Tottenham Duff would have started all games at the left wing and at Liverpool, despite Harry Kewell, Duff would have been first choice on the left as well. Newcastle on the other hand have Luque, and unless this is a ploy by Roeder to prepare to sell Luque I don’t think Duff is going to have more games at Newcastle than he would have had at Liverpool or Tottenham.
It’s not the promise of European football either. Newcastle head today into their InterToto clash with Lillestrom – victory would see them in the UEFA cup, defeat would see them nowhere. I have no doubt that Newcastle could win, but their penchance for self-destruction could rear its ugly head and Duff could end up going from a team guaranteed the knock out stages of the Champions League to a team out of Europe.
I wonder if Duff will be able to jump ship to another club if Newcastle are not in Europe come Monday?
That leaves two reasons – transfer fee and wages.
If Tottenham and Liverpool were unable to match 10 mil (the rumoured transfer fee paid by Newcastle), then the boards of both teams have a serious problem. Even with Duff, Newcastle remain an inferior side to Liverpool, but why would Benitez not splash the cash to land a player his team would be improved with?
And why could Martin Jol not raise his offer to 10 mil? Duff is one of the few players who has actually been priced according to his value this summer. For all the fuss Tottenham fans made when I first linked the Spurs with Duff about how much money they had available, not making a big enough offer for Duff would count as failure for Tottenham.
There is the case of wages though. Duff was supposed to have to get a wage cut if he agreed to go to Tottenham or Liverpool, and even if he stayed at Chelsea. Could it be that Duff went to Newcastle for the money? Wouldn’t be the first time…
And please…don’t suggest that Duff went to a better club – Chelsea, Liverpool and Tottenham are all ahead of Newcastle United in the pecking, even if only for one season. And for the better manager? Despite Newcastle’s romp to 7th place towards the end of last season, one must not forget that their 7th place was made possible as much by poor performances by their rivals as by their own successes. Roeder is a good manager, but he’ll need more time before he can be considered an equal to Rafa Benitez and Martin Jol.
There is one last reason to consider: Could it be that Chelsea, in its desire to do good business, agreed to selling Duff to Newcastle but not to Liverpool? I wouldn’t be surprised if that is what had happened.
Then again, it could be the same old story – Newcastle have the money, and they are quick to spend it.
And with that, I leave the floor open to your criticism.
You are wrong about Liverpool only having Kewell for the left side. We have just brought in Gonzalez and Auerlio, both who are left sided attacking players. Gonzalez looks a better buy than Damien Duff, our main priority is right sided midfielder and a 20 goal stiker. Liverpool do not have 10 million to blow as our new stadium is costing millions.
So good luck to Duff, another player who is happy to stay at a club who will never win a trophy and be a forgotten player…. just like Mr Owen!
I think Duff could see himself having too much competition at Liverpool with Kewell and the arrival of Mark Gonzales who’s being a revelation in La Liga this season. Spurs were slow to move and slow to raise their bid, While Newcastle were decisive, offered the cash that Chelsea wanted and don’t forget, are in possesion of a good few of Damien’s friends in Scott Parker, Celestine Babayaro and Shay Given and Steve Carr who he’s very close with. On top of that, If he asked Carr about Spurs and their fans I doubt he’d have been too complementary, following the stick he got around the time he left, wheras he’s particularly enjoyed his time in Newcastle. I think theres a lot more to it than money.
Jol a better manager and Tottenham a better team than Roeder and Newcastle?! Don’t make me laugh! In the last ten years Newcastle has finished in the top four on numerous occasions, played in the Champions league, played in Uefa cup quarter and semi finals, played in two FA cup finals, challenged for the title and nearly one the Premiership title outright! In that entire time Tottenham have only ever qualified for the UEFA cup once and that was last year so they haven’t even had any european matches yet IN TEN YEARS!
Typical media led parrot repeating what ever drivel the media feed him! The media, and the muppets who believe everything they say, would have you belive that the clubs which are doibng well at the minute have always done well and anyother team has always been rubbish. IT’S NOT TRUE! Try learning about football instead of believing everything you hear on match of the day or on sky sports.
Why pay more for a player than you think he’s worth?, Newcastle have bought a good player but £10 million? ridiculous, no wonder Newcastle are vitually bankrupt, surely they would have been better off buying a striker, with Shearer retired and Owen on permanant sick leave!!
you seem to have a couple of points there. It is true to speculate that Newcastke are able to outspend others if need be and that Chelsea certainly would have considered it better business to sell Duff to a currently inferior club than Liverpool…spreading the riches and diluting the market…leaving them still in a little league of their own..ofr the time being.
Spurs on the other hand, well..they’re a conundrum…i expect the board has levelled a “sell to buy” policy for the Duff bid, or that they genuinely felt, considering his injury worries, that £10 million or above may have been too optimistic a price.
Nonetheless, its great business for Newcastle and hopefully the toon army will be able to sing more loudly next season…or at least till Duff gets injured as well…:-(
Spurs supporter here….
Good luck to Duff and Newcastle….what about location having some bearing?
I am happy we did not sign him esp if the price was what is being suggested, too inconsistant and too injury prone..
really hope it works out for Newcastle they (supporters so deserve it to be good) somehow have doubts to me at 10 mill its bad business and yet another piece of bad business by a chairman who may not be best for this great club….seems to me focus on gettin shot to shepherd and Newcastle could be as great as they deserve
good luck..
Good comment. Agree completely with you, though never really thought of Duff as a footballer who is in it for money. He seems to be a player who just loves playing football. Bit of a strange move considering the european factor of the other 2 clubs but maybe he saw the potential of it at newcastle, not to mention their passion for football up there! Would have been a great signing for spurs but there are obviously other reasons we don’t know about as to why they didn’t improve their bid. Without an improved bid from spurs and no bid (that fans know about) from Liverpool he wouldn’t have had much choice as to where he goes. (And before i get chastised by newcastle fans I don’t mean that in a disrespectful way!) He obviously doesn’t want to stay at Chelsea!
John,
please take my statement in context. Despite Newcastle’s illustrious history, they have been in decline for the last 4 years.
Tottenham under Jol have been on the rise in the past two.
Drivel would be still harping about the past 🙂 And since I don’t get match of the day or sky sports here, I dont really know what you’re watching…
If i was a Newcastle fan i would be a bit worried. While excepting that Duff is a good player why are they spending a large amount of thir transfer budget on him when they have such glaring weaknesses as no strikers or no central defenders!!! Does this mean they can’t find any strikers to buy?
Duff has gone to Newcastle for the money, and Newcastle will pay what players want to keep their fans happy. There is no other significant reason why he would choose to go to Newcastle, unless Chelski had confirmed with him that either Tottenham or Liverpool were unwilling to meet the offer made by Newcastle. Good player, strange move for Magpies as I would have thought they would have gone for a striker. They tend to splash the cash without having any real direction sometimes, although they look like they are gtting a god squad together for this season.
There is no way that having mates that play for a particular club would effect the decision that will have a major influence on their career! And any player that leaves any club would get stick, not just Stephen Carr!
Duff accepted a pay-cut for joining Newcastle as well.. I think he was afraid of the competition in Liverpool, and maybe he wants to play for a club that packs the stadium full with 52,000 ecstatic supporters every game – a club with soul – instead of spurs?!
Spurs Fan. Sick that we have missed out on Duff soley because we lack width on the left, but on the other hand glad that we havent been payed 10M for a player that has a poor injury record and only 1 year left on his contract. Good luck to him and the toon but I feel it is a knee jerk signing by them perhaps papering over the fact they have failed to attract any strikers.
Duff went to Newcastle because the extra 10k a week he was offered, no other reason, its all about money, its not like he`s a newcastle supporter, its his work. I dont think Tottenham were too optimistic of him staying fit to offer 10 million & 50k a week in wages. Duffs an excellent signing for Newcastle if he stays fit but with the luck they are having with injuries you can see it going the other way, they will have the best team in the treatment room in the premiership. They still wont come anywhere near challenging though. Duff will play well for 15 games a season and be injured or carrying a injury for the rest.
You need to go to our website to find out the real reason as to why Spurs didn’t pursue:-
‘Sporting Director Damien Comolli added: “Martin and I are always looking to increase his playing options and to plan ahead. We know what we want, but I also know Martin feels it is key to only bring in players who really want to be part of what he is building here.â€?’
Duff/Chelsea wanted more money and so a careless money spending team like Newcastle took pole position.
In terms of where Newcastle and Spurs are there is no comparison if you’re are talking NOW not 5 years ago. We have a young team with an English core of internationals as well as a mixture of experienced players. Our manager is superb both with the team and the fans.
Our new signings this summer have also been excellent.
Newcastle, on the other hand, are plain and simply desperate, their team is eratic in it’s results and could have more injury woes with Duff.
Spurs made the right choice in not paying too much for a good player who has a history of injury problems.
COYS!
Spurs and Liverpool could definitely afford 10 million, but they’re not stupid enough to pay that plus thousands a week in wages for a 27 year old. Newcastle are and that’s why they are rubbish.
Another totally biased, ill informed article about Newcastle. The simple facts are these:
– Newcastle have had a bad couple of years, yes ’tis true (The Dark Days of Sounness)…having said this, even in this, our WORST season, we managed to finish 7th. Tottenham had to fight like mad and play their BEST to finish only slightly above us in points.
– Fat Freddy does back the team, that is also true. He is also not stupid (despite all eveidence to the contrary!) – Tottenham are actually a very cash-rich club but lack a basic strategy. eg. How many midfielders have they got? (Danny Murphy must be wondering what on earth he is doing there now).
– I have no doubt that 2 quality strikers are en route to us.
This is my realistic point of view. To all the nay-sayars, print out my prediction and see who is correct at the end of the season…or are the Tottenham fans really as fickle as we have heard (don’t believe me? Remember the George Graham years).
Good luck to us – and you all.
“Duff is one of the few players who has actually been priced according to his value this summer.”
Is he? he has one year left on his contract, he’s not a young man and he’s injury prone. True hes a quality but ten million with huge wages is a lot. Spurs have a strict wage structure and liverpool have enough quality they dont need to pay over the odds.
Newcastle on the other hand have no wage structure, no obvious transfer possible (they already have two left wingers but only one fit striker and hes not up to much). Newcastle should finish in the top 10 though.
Agree with most of the comments about Newcastle – Shepherd will throw any amount of money at players just to please the fans – look at Owen and Parker. Duff is an OK player and would have been a good buy for Spurs but they obviously were not going to be held to ransom – good for them. Duff is certainly not joining Newcastle fo their potential thats for sure (Ameobi, Bramble, Boumsong – need I say more) or the promise of European football. Anyway its his choice and he will just have to live with it. The Newcastle fans will love him no doubt but Alan Shearer he aint !
Listen people you all need to look at the Duff tranfer from the following perspective:
1. Just because you need strikers as a priority doesn’t mean that you pass up the opportunity to sign a guy who would get in every premiership side other than Chelsea (and he’d even get a fair few games for them).
2. He’s a big name and will perhaps help persuade other players to join NUFC.
3. Spurs have spent 10.9 million on a striker totally unproven in the premiership (he’s only ever played in Germany and Bulgaria). I rate him but you never know with foreing players that have never experienced prem. fotball. Duff on the otherhand is a premiership thoroughbred, the kind that you inevitably have to pay over the odds for.
4. As for the whole Spurs, Liverpool, Newcastle issue it is simple. Spurs wouldn’t pay 70k a week. Liverpool have already bought a left winger (although they did want him and were willing to pay the wages and the fee despite the article at the top of this page suggesting otherwise). Newcastle needed a pacey midfielder with a bit of versatility. Duff is that man and the strikers will forllow.
5. One interesting thing I’ve noticed about Spurs fans when they miss out on a player is the fact that all of a sudden the fee and wages that the opposing club who got him, in this case NUFC, are highly exaggerated. I read on a Spurs site yesterday that NUFC paid 12 million and are giving him 85K a week, absolute garbage.
Furthemore if Duff wanted money then why wouldn’t he stay at Chelsea and pick up his wages?
John,
I believe the writer of this article is talking about the present team and current manager. We are not talking about the last ten years or whatever. Any Spurs supporter would happily sit down and talk about the last 30 or even 50 years if you wanna argue about trophies and achievements. Chill out and keep in context.
In regards to Duff, take the rumours with a pinch of salt. Last time I read he already had a medical and agreed a deal to go to Spurs, which turned out only that… rumours!
JOHN you muppet the last thing that no jackets united won was the much renowned texaco trophy (1975) since then spurs have WON the following charity shield 1981,1991
league cup 1991 (uefa cup comp next season)
FA cup 1981-82-91( see above)
uefa cup 1984
cup winners cup 1971
so the barcodes more successful mmmmmmmmmm think not
Newcastle’s illustrious history?? One Inter Cities Fairs Cup in the last forty years?? Just like Scott Parker, Duff went to the only club stupid enough to pay Chelski type wages. Well done D. Levy and co for sticking to a plan and if we have got money to spare offer Carrick a few more bob to stay.
What is duff playing at?
Bad choice of club. Unlicenced manager, who get WHam relegated, despite having great players; Cole, Carrick, Defoe, Ferdinand etc. Newcastle have NO strikers. Who is he going to cross the ball to?
At Spurs he would have had a great slot on the left and 3 excellent strikers at least to supply balls for.
At Liverpool; Crouch, Fowler, and the rest, with Trezeuget possibly. Although he might be worried about a starting place, he would have Champions league football with a title challenger.
Newcastle have a blind dogs chance (Wist) of getting into Europe. No stikers, a poor defence and he will be in the little Goldfish bowl with a team in decline.
If you are already a millionaire Damien, is money still that important?
To Spurs fans:
First of all congrats on signing Berbatov – I’ve watched him play several times last season for Leverkusen and the guy is an EXCELLENT striker.. but do you for one second believe that he would have joined the Spurs if i.e. ManUre, Chelski, ‘Pool or Arse had been in the hunt? The same goes for Carrick, Lennon, or Keane.. You got those players because nobody were willing to either go after them or had the “financial muscle” to match the offer you laid on the table at that point in time..
You have a good side; however, you have just had one good season.. the foundation is in place to repeat, but we all saw how Everton faired last season.. MJ has had a bit longer to form his own side.. he has made some clever buys..
Hopefully Roeder will be as successfull in attracting quality players.. and FINALLY bring in some decent defenders (Shay Given – and the Toon fans deserves that)
and 1-2 quality strikers – now we have Duff to supply the bullets from the left wing..
I believe that Duff was priced at the right level.. the guy would a sure starter in practically every PL club – apart from Chelski (who will buy any player as long as he is expensive enough – or Red Rom’s son wants him as a present..) I view the onslaught from Spurs’ fans as a case of gigantic sour grapes.. You tried to get him on the cheap (come on – 5 million???!!!) and it failed.. you should be pissed at your admin for not putting the money where their mouths are..
Whether or not Newcastle REALLY needs him – as we have N’Zogbia already is a completely different matter.. however, one thins is for certain.. NUFC hasnt become a weaker side by including Duff in its lineup..
One thing, no one on here knows Newcastle’s transfer budget. I still expect at least one striker and a couple of defenders in the next two weeks.
Gutted Spurs didn’t sign the Duffer. You here Martin Jol talking allot about trying to fill the jigsaw. Spurs are crying out for a left side midfielder. Davids played half of last season there!!!! Also Duff is a match winner, on his day he can take any team on and beat them. He might not have done so at Chelsea, because Mourinho was too negative. But you ask any Blackburn fan or Irish fan, he can conjure up magic in that vital last third of the field. Just imagine for a second, Duff, Carrick, Jenas and Lennon. Class!!!! Duff and Lennon would supply so many cross’s and width, Carrick a quality holding midfielder (although Swedish bombshell Sven doesn’t agree) Jenas bursting into the box for any knockdowns extra.
Why Duffer choose Newcastle, I’m sure we will all find out in the future. I don’t think he is a money grabber, but no one is stupid enough to drop from 70,000 (presuming Newcastle matched his Chelsea wage) to 50,000. Also Spurs do seem to have all there books in order and there is no excessive wages been played. If Duffer was to be paid his 70,000, you would have Carrick, Robinson, King etc all knocking on Jol’s door asking for more money.
And I think Jols best talent is that the team is more important than the sum of all the individual parts. Look how he dropped Defoe for example, but Defoe always said he was willing to stay on and fight for his place. That is the only reason I think Spurs didn’t sign Duffer, or unless they have spotted someone else, unearthed a new Lennon maybe!!!!!
guys its simple.. newcastle can only offer over the odds to get a player of duffs quality when they havnt europe to offer.
i know a lot will argue he’s worth £10mil but im also talking about wages (£60,000-a-week for four years is something like another £12mil).. sure he’s a class winger but enough to be the highest earner at the club?(spurs)i doubt..
plus, you say spurs were slow to act but i feel they were just negotiating like any other normal club (would have probably ended up negotiating a fee around £8mil) but typical newcastle offer more than they can afford.. lets just hope the old shepherd knows what he’s doing!
still, spurs dont want a player whos just cares about money!
COYS
Mark – where on earth do you get the notion from that Newcastle United are “virtually bankrupt”? Have a search on the internet and get their Accounts and see for yourself. They were the first club in the premiership to fund a stadium development with a long term securitisation loan (that’s what Man United and Arsenal are copying now 5 years later except that Newcastle borrowed £60m and Arsenal £400m?). They have a low Player Wages : Turnover ratio. They have massive long term deals with Adidas, and Northern Rock and were given a non refundable £5m downpayment by some company that wants to build a super casino on their land. They can afford £70,000 a week for Duff and a £10m fee no problem – if he puts pen to paper. Bowyer £35,000 a week has gone, Shearer (contractually the highest paid player at the club) has gone and Boumsong and probably Luque will follow. I’m not Freddie Shepherd’s poodle but the guy can be very astute, and a great negotiator with regards to commercial deals and getting players. What does interest me is where Spurs get their money from as they’ve spent serious money in the last 2 years building a great squad – maybe some one with some local knowledge can let us know
Duff missed his chance to join Liverpool from Blackburn – he went after the money then and he’s doing the same again.
Why else would a decent player go to Newcastle a club that’s been in decline since the days of Jacky Milburn?
Mark Gonzalez will be a revelation btw.
One thing you have not considered is that Spurs and Liverpool may have other players in mind, this is definately the case with Liverpool, who i’m sure could spend the 10 million but have that and more ear marked for the likes of Alves and Kuyt. Duff became available but Benitez is not willing to spend large amounts of money on a player that does not currently fit into his plans.
P.S. sorry but as good a manager that Roder may become one day, he just is never going to match Benitez’s success.
Best of luck to Newcastle but I also suspect that you have purchased another player who will be injury prone.
Calm down John! Unfortunately teams are not judged on past merrits. Newcastle have been slipping and at present spurs are a stronger side all round and only seem to be growing!
Duff would be a good signing for any club.Spurs fans will be dissapointed but good luck to him at newcastle.Hope he’s not made a mistake.
Come one spurs fans, i am one and im annoyed we haven’t signed him. Websites were full of praise for him when it looked like we were signing him and how £10m was a bargain for such a world-class player.
Just swallow your pride and stop moaning, look’s like he has decided to move back up north, i doubt this has anything to do with money.
Spurs will be a top force in the future and will be able to attract talent similar too, or better than, duff.
Good luck to him, although i do think Newcastle would do better buying a striker, who is duff going to set up goals for? Ameobi? lol
Absolutely gutted. Spurs were slow as usual, but I think that it was a matter of money. With all Duff’s pleading that he just wants to play football, I can only think it was about the money. Spurs would not pay over £50,000 a week, Newcastle probably have. And as for Stephen Carr, I think ha has had a tough time at Newcastle and he deserved the barracking as he didn’t try for the last year he was at Spurs.
Personally I think Duff has indeed gone for the money, and I think Newcastle have signed him due to some quick bidding… and well done to them for it!
Im a Spurs fan & im disappointed at not getting Duff, people here have said he’s inconsistent but if you look at the Opta stats he is actually quite the opposite. Last season he had more games than the previous and his stats showed an increase – indicating the more he plays then the better he got.
I think Spurs would have gone in with an 8.5 or maybe 9million bid… as despite being one of the wealthier clubs (this is a fact) we have already spent a good amount, and we could still do with a LB and RB (Wayne Bridge maybe?)
Being a Spurs fan Im obviously biased but I truly see us as a bigger side that Newcastle. In recent history we havent lived upto our name (history?) but we’ve been buying up alot of good young talent so the future looks bright – especially when you consider the SIZEABLE improvements of last season and the season before.
However… well done Newcastle and I expect Duff will have been a great signing.
So that’s why Duff should’ve signed for Spuds rather than Newcastle is it, Ahmed, because they’ve been on ‘the rise’? Listen four seasons ago Newcastle finished third in the prem, thats a better Premiership finish than Spurs have EVER managed under Jol or anybody else! Three seasons ago we finished fifth which is equal to Spurs best ever finish! And finishing fifth got our manager the sack! Newcastle is a bigger club than Spurs it’s a s simple as that. We’ve got more fans, more money and have performed far better than them over the last decade including recently. Spurs have had a decent finish, the meia have hopped on the bandwagon, and all of a sudden Spurs fgans reckon they’re going to be challenging for the title! One or two decent seasons don’t mean that much.
Michael, so what if we’ve got more money to pay players than other teams have? How does that equaate to us appeasing the fans?! Are man utd or Chelsea just appeasing their fans by buying players who cost a lot of money and paying them high wages?! Newcastle is a richer club than Spurs. we want to win things and play good football so we paid a lot of money for a very good player. What’s wrong with that?!
OK ok, Liverpool have left-sided players, my bad guys. 🙂
Whatever anyone says about Spurs, it’s now one of the best run clubs in the country (oh what a difference Senor Sugar). As such, if the 85,000 per week wages (as is being suggested) is true then good riddance. Tottenham has made many outstanding buys over the past few years (oh what a difference Senor Sugar) and has a wage structure that guarantees stability. Yes Carrick might go because of it. But, on balance, putting someone like Duff on massive wages will upset our dressing room and the club’s finances. Spurs’ management knows the football business.
Unless Duff has some personal reasons (mates??) to go to Toon, he can only have gone for the wages. In which case, I pity him (can you say Owne, Wright-Philips, Scott Parker etc etc?)
Spurs could be the only Premiership club next year that is not in debt. Would have been great to have Duff. But not if it meant upsetting the club.
I am pleased that Spurs are not paying over the odds for Duff, a good player but one that has had a history of injuries.
It demonstrates the desperation of Newcastle to appease their fans, however even with Duff they will not better their 7th place last season, especially with their striker problems
Personally I think Spurs pulled out because Duff at £5-7m is good business. Duff at £10m+ isn’t. Simple as that… Our manager and chairman know what they’re doing, who they want and the prices they’re willing to pay, in terms of transfer fees, signing on fees and wages. If Duff had come in, I think we could also have pretty much guaranteed to see Carrick go. I know which player I would rather have. And as for wages, Spurs are well known for having a strict wage structure that puts many of the big names out of our reach because we won’t pay what they’re asking. As mentioned by others, I would rather see Carrick being paid his worth than Duff joining on silly money. And if Duff HAS gone to Toon for the extra £20k per week, then good luck to him. Depends what motivates you, I guess. As Martin Jol has said, we want players who want to play for the club.
Also another aspect is that we have Reto Ziegler back in the folds now in left midfield as well as Assou-Ekotto in at left back. Remember the latter part of the 2004/2005 season, when Reto was on fire? He’s been out and about and now he’s back in and played pretty well in France last week by all accounts. Again, with Reto in the side, Duff at £5m is good business, £10m? I think not.
I don’t think we have seen the end of Spurs spending this summer, but look at who we have already brought in… Berbatov, a proven goalscorer in the German league and internationally. Zokora, was dynamite in the World Cup. Yes, they both need to prove themselves in the PL, but so do Ballack, Kalou, Schevchenko – didn’t stop Mourinho spotting quality and bringing it in.
And in response to Toon Viking, I think it has actually been well publicised that both Berbatov and Zokora were being scouted by Man U and Arsenal before deciding on Spurs. As for Lennon, we saw the opportunity he would bring to us, he’s been fortunate to get his chance earlier than expected, but tell me a team in the PL who wouldn’t want him now?
All this banter is just making me look forward to the new season even more. COYS!!
Richard, Spurs have spent a fortune in the last 2 seasons which has been funded by raising 15mil through a share issue and an enormous sponsorship deal. Also Spurs have 1 of the largest fan bases in the country and sellout almost every week. The players we currently have are on a sensible wage structure and the club has no debt. That is where Spurs get their money from. On the matter of Duff, I was disappointed we didn’t get him but I wish him all the best putting quality balls into empty boxes.
http://icnewcastle.icnetwork.co.uk/newcastleunited/news/tm_objectid=17430190%26method=full%26siteid=50081%26headline=irish%2dcream-name_page.html
“after it was initially thought that Newcastle United had paid £10m for the Republic of Ireland international, they have in fact signed Duff for £5m.”
Hahahah. Spin on that Tottenham and Liverpool.
John, the article says Spurs are a better “team” than Newcastle. Meaning that right now they can put out a better team than the Magpies. I think that is indisputable.
I guess Newcastle bought Duff so Owen had a pal that would keep him company in the sickroom. 😀
Besides, Liverpool need reinforcement on the right side, not the left. Riise, Gonzalez, Kewell, Aurelio and Zenden can play in that position, so why whould Liverpool spend money on a player that is guaranteed to be injured at least 1/4 of the season anyway?
About Tottenham I don’t know, but I guess Chelsea don’t want to sell to any of their rivals….
Mark,
very interesting.
I would however doubt the veracity of that statement as Jose Mourinho went on record to say that a 7 mil bid from Tottenham was rejected because it was too low – and would be bad business.
While I agree that Duff is a great signing for Newcastle, I disagree with the statement that Newcastle signed him for 5 mil.
That is, until the club say this officially themselves, as it runs contrary to what we’ve heard from Chelsea so far.
Let me state, I am a Spurs Fan.
John, what planet you on? So what, NUFC have had a better experience in the Prem than Spurs! Big Deal! I wouldn’t swap NUFC finishing in the top 6/4/3 (whatever possition) for what Spurs have achieved over the past 50 years if you payed me! Lets take a look at some facts: NUFC may have a better league finish than spurs over a 10 year period, but you have WON F*ck All, how long has it been since you won your last trophy? Spurs, over the same period (50 years) may have finished in the top 3 or 4 on less occasions than NUFC, but at least we have won what seems like a bucket load of trophies compared to what NUFC HAVE WON! People only remember winners, not teams that just compete. By the Way, in that 50 year period, spurs HAVE WON – The Lge & Cup Double, 3 league Cups, 4 FA Cups, 2 UEFA Cups (plus R/U in 74), 1 Cup Winners Cup and a couple of charity shields, not to mention flirting with the top 3 on various occassions. What have NUFC won in that same period – Fairs Cup? Nuf said on that issue!
John, you are doing the same thing that many Spurs fans do(incl. myself), when facing the present times, looking for something to justify why your team can/should be talked about in the same breath as the more established Big Teams. If you were to define a BIg Club only by what they have ACTUALLY won, Spurs ARE above NUFC (even though I will admit, Only just – the only advantage, regarding trophies won is the amount of top flight titles – you have 2 more than us, plus several more div 2 championships, but Spurs haven’t been relegated as much as you guys). This article was referring to here and now, not the past, so he is right to say that Liverpool and Spurs are BETTER options than NUFC at the present time, becuase they both look as if they have a plan, a structure to work with, in order to keep their plans stable, it’s called planning for the long-term future as well as now. NUFC seem directionless (that is not to put you down, it is what I see, and this is looking back a few years) sacking Robson and replacing him with Souness, along with the troubles of Bowyer/Dyer, Bellamy, proves that NUFC is a club littered with dangerous elements for a players career! – Internal fighting, not much thought when it comes to assigning managers, spending money carelessly, a perverse injury treatment room, etc. You guys seem to follow those smaller teams wishing to show ambition by taking part in the intertot cup, and you have seen what it does for teams in the latter part of seasons, you burn out! yet you still have to go down that path for europe. Spurs, who have qualified 4 europe for the 1st time via the league in a LONG TIME, could have gone down that route of intertoto in years gone, but never have. Despite having a history of being known as a big club by many experts, will always look at the bigger picture – look at all aspects of a situation before committing – hence why no participation in extra comps like the intertoto, it isn’t worth it, it will jeopardise your chances for the following season, we have a pay structure in place, so won’t break it to get a top player.
regarding DUff, I am gutted he never came, but we’ll get over it. I think there are many DIFFERENT aspects to put together, and look at to decide why he signed for NUFC rather than Liv/Spurs. Money, NUFC was the only willing club to pay them (other teams that actually bidded) (I know liv was to match it, and i struggle to understand why he never went to them – apparently, he supported them as a kid) which tells me MONEY played a big part in it AND the fact he didn’t want competition for his place, after all, why is he running away from the MOST SUCCESSFUL TEAM in england in the past 2 years – He’s spent two years in a team that rotate, not guaranteed first team football. Spurs and Liverpool have large squads, encouraging players to fight eachother for places, NUFC DON’T! He is originally from those areas anyway, so it is almost like he is going home.
Anyway, my fingers are feeling a bit sore now, so I will stop. This is one reason why I reckon the Prem is one of the best leagues in the world, becuase of the potential of so many clubs, although it seems only 2 or 3 teams show it consistently, and that is the key word: consistency! Something Spurs & Liverpool are trying to address (with their structures and plans)
The background to the Duff chase is quite interesting. Apparently, Rafa Benitez had no intention of signing Duff, but the threat of competing for his signature, Benitez wanted Newcastle to force an early buy so that competition for Dirk Kuijt would cease. Now, the only team with a genuine interest of signing the Dutch hitman is Liverpool, as Newcastle is unlikely to have the financial muscle to pursue Kuijt. Frankly, the article clearly misses out that Liverpool have an abundance of left-sided players – Riise, Aurelio, Kewell, Zenden and Gonzalez. The pursuant of Duff was a cleaver ploy to take out another opponent for the signature of Dirk Kuijt
The main reason for us not persuing Duff was the £1.8m signing on fee and the wages. There was an article on the official Spurs website from Big martin saying sommat along the lines of ‘we only want players who will want to play for the club and will not be held to ransom’. Cue the barcodes to come in and offer him silly money. Its not about football for Duff, only the money simple as that. Spurs are going places, while you need to buy at least 5 or 6 top quality players to even think about doing anything of note. We have Spent Over £20m this season, and have another 20-30M at least in the kitty…for the right player. we could have got duff if we wanted to break the wage structure at the club, but we have our own principles and will not line the pockets of him and his agent. You will, and sooner or later these types of signings, especially for positions you dont need to fill (you already have the promising N’zogbia and Luque)mount up and are unsustainable. Dont get me wrong I think the newcastle fans are among the best in the premiership, but dont fool yourself with illusions of grandeur, presently Spurs are light years ahead of you lot and the likes of duff instead of say, two centrebacks in an indulgance to say the least.
could be a big loss to spurs as the left wing position is one that needs filling. can’t see how working with reoder can be as exciting as benitez or jol. maybe like owen newcastle the only club to come up with the money.
Duffs from Dublin. What do you mean going home to Newcastle?
This equation is quite simple: Spurs/Liv didn’t fork out 10 mil, Chelsea would only sell to Newcastle, or Duffs a greedy little cunt.
His move to Newcastle is ALL about the money. Money and sitting on bench (with one year left) or money (long new contract) and playing every week were the options between Newcastle and Chelsea. The footballing choice was clearly spurs or possibly liverpool, for a slight wage cut, because most players at Chelsea are on inflated wages. But he went to Newcastle because they would give him the inflated wages for another four years (or whatever he’s signed for).
He’d have played at spurs too, we don’t have a left winger. We’ve only got fatty and a youngster. Hell, even if he moved up to Liverpool he’d probably played ahead of Kewell, Zenden and Gonzalez. But there would be a LOT of competition and moving city. That’s why it all pointed to spurs as the footballing choice!
But we have to wait to see if it was his decision, if so then it was all about the money.
Mark, I seriously doubt that report… As has been widely publicised the Spurs offer was in the £5-7m region and was turned down as it wasn’t sufficient. I suspect the real figure is much nearer the £10m mark.
Maybe one other thing to consider though… where would Chelsea rather see Duff playing? At Liverpool, Spurs or Newcastle? They’re not likely to want to strengthen the serious opposition are they? Serious question… Spurs may not be in with a shout of winning the PL, like Liverpool could be this season, but they sure as hell look more like they are capable of taking points off the big dogs this year!
COYS!!
In short – Liverpool do not need Duff. As good as a player he is we have Kewell who is just coming good again and then the exciting prospect which is Gonzalez. We need a right sided player – thus Duff does not fit the bill
Secondly, John you do not have a clue if you think Newcastle are a better team than Spurs. A team is judged on its current form and potential, areas where Spurs are far superior to Newcastle. Newcastle are not a top five or big club at the moment, and wont be for a few seasons. Its ashame that the players are not as committed to the club as their fans are.
I am a Liverpool fan and the news linking Duff to Liverpool are a load of rubbish. Mark Gonzalez has been brought into the squad to fight for a place down the left handside with the likes of Kewell, Riise, Aurelio, Zenden and Warnock. The days of vying for Duffs signature went along time ago when he left Blackburn for Chelski. I think Newcastle have made a great signing in Duff but I fear once again they have paid over the odds for him. If they can back up that signing with some good forwards and definitely a new defence. Get rid off the comical Boumsong & Bramble then maybe a top 10 finish is possible.
Toon Viking: Berbatov and his agent were quoted extensively when he signed, confirming that they had offers from both Man U & Arse***, but that he preferred to join Spurs. We Spurs fans think the presence of Jol has a great deal to do with this. The comments attracted a great deal of attention at the time, for the obvious reason, but some Spurs fans who have seen close-up what has been going on at the club for the past 2 years were less surprised.
As for the Duff deal, it is more and more obvious (see Comolli’s pointed comments on our official site) that Spurs never submitted a second bid. We backed off. I’m not sure whether this was because they just went off him as a potential squad member or for financial reasons, but our management decided they didn’t want him that much after all.
I’m not convinced they were right – I think Duff would have been an ideal player for us. But they seem to have had their reasons.
And finally: availability of money is not an issue. We have minimal debt, a fresh £34m sponsorship deal, a full house every week and we have made a profit on our player trading for the past 2 years. If we wanted to offer £20m for one player, we could do it without encountering financial problems. But we do have a tough wage structure (which I support) and we are no longer the club that overpaid £8.1m for Dean Richards. I have confidence in our management’s level of ambition. They want top players. So if they didn’t bid again for Duff, it’s because they thought he wasn’t worth the money.
It’s amazing how many people are talking about Duff’s transfer from a purely business point of view, mainly Spurs fans.
It’s about talent on the pitch. I love watching Duff play because he is exceptionally talented and does magical things with the ball.
I hope for Englands sake Lennon goes on to be just as good as Duff.
As for which team is best Spurs or NUFC, this season will tell because last season is history, as is the last 10 years of the Premiership. It’s now that counts.
Both teams are in the UEFA cup, so the European adventure is there for both and to be honest only Newcastle have been in Europe lately.
NUFC need to sign strikers and 2 fullbacks. I’m sure Fat Fred will do the business needed. Under Roeder the centre of defense has looked solid,
Spurs have already signed Berbatov ( classy but not proven in the Prem). Another fullback wouldn’t go astray but they are crying out for a wide left player. Davids playing there was not good.
Compare the 2 midfields
Lennon, Carrick, Jenas, Zakora ?
Solano, Parker, Emre, Duff.
Pretty evenly matched if you ask me, of course if Carrick goes, the advantage is with NUFC until Spurs find a replacement (if).
Fact is Duff is a great player and will do well at Newcastle. He didn’t go for the money. He could have waited out the contract and got a better deal next year.
Can’t wait for the start of the season………….. 🙂
Newcastle get 16,000 more people through the gate ever week that Spurs. Spurs have to run a tighter ship and this probably won’t be the last time that they are outbid.
the big question is, why on earth would duff want to live in newcastle?
Too bad you cant sell tastes in a textformat. That way only thing Shepherd needed to do to finance the duff signing would be logging on to spurs forumsites and make millions from bitterness.
If you now dont care about us signing Duff, then why all the whining, speculating and pure lies here?
It sounds to me all you are trying to do is trying to persuade yourself rather then others. And its getting boring.
So you spurs made 5th place. Congrats. It took you to the UEFA cup. Now we are there aswell. As for the coming season it will be interesting to see where both our sides end up. It will be interesting to see you try and manage both UEFA cup and the league.
Something tells me we will end up better placed then you. Advancing further in the UEFA cup then you. Find the cash to atleast one great striker. And off course.. Duff will turn out to be a better buy then berbatov.
Latest figures speculates in a 60 000k a week wage for Duff and a transfer fee of £5m payed upfront and most likely more based on appearances.
Good luck in the league and i hope you have invested in a better chef to this season. Maybe that was the position you needed to spend…
as neither a newcastle fan nor a spurs fan i’ll give you the perspective of a gooner!! and…… as much as the stench of the north london also rans makes me somewhat ill, spurs are definitely in a better position to newcastle. if newcastle think they are a top 5 team based on previous years then they are as bad as spurs fans revelling in the glory of past years. newcastle need rebuilding. they are a mid table team at best. more signings of duffs quality might break them into a top 10 team but the glory days of the last 10 years are gone!! signing names over the odds is where leeds went wrong too!! as for spurs….. well it pains me to say it but i am wary of them for the first time ever!! with our new stadium to get used to and spurs’ form now (read up on their friendly results – i know they are friendlies but against good teams though) they will give us a good run for our money!! you’ll never be ahead of us though i might add but you are streets ahead of NUFC!!!
Duff is a good player there is no doubting this, but for 10 million itis a risk. A risk that Newcastle can afford to take because of the money ploughed in to them. However if i was newcastle fan i would be concerned by the lack of firepower they have.
in the article i read earlier he said comare spurs midfield to that of newcastles!valid point but its all very well having emre a tidy little player and parker a terrier but they arent a partnership as oppose to sissoko and alonso who completment reach other, or carrick and jenas who work well together.
Spurs strikeforce is far superior to newcastles. Ameobi is like bambi on ice and is two bob, shearer has gone asnd with him the promise of a striker scoring more then 10 goals this season in a newcastle shirt. Owen is good but wheres he on a treatement table as per usual, now consider defoe, keane and the unproven but highly regarded berbatov its formidable.
Newcaslte fans are passionate more thean any others (possibly) so to keep these fans happy is to sign the odd high profile player because you cannot satisfy them with your teams performances or trophy cabinet.
Newcastle are a fallen giant accept it. Spurs, Liverpool are different class. And anser me this if duff was that good surely robben would be leaving chelsea now?surely ballack was not needed.
I can safetly say that newcastle will once again have a porr season under the wonderful roeder (the same one who worked wonders at west ham hahaha) its not looking good, no wonder shearer hung his boots up.
COYS
( oh and one more thing bergkamp (this from a spurs fan) is a legend. Best player to ever grace this earth. Enjoy your retirement its well deserved.)
Seein as anythin i type never shows here anyway =
ST, you ever think that toon get more through the gate because they have more seats? 😐 maybe?
Spurs had the second highest attendance last season, selling out all but one or two games and then only by seats that you could count on one hand..
Get facts, then think, THEN type 🙂
And is it so bad to be outbid by a team who consistantly spend too much on players who don’t perform?
I’m close to influencial people at NUFC.
Don’t ask but the speculation is wrong, very wrong.
All I can say is there is one extremely big name enroute and thats all I can say. Luque will go in the opposite direction (swap deal!)
There is a lot of work going on behind closed doors – they won’t brag or leak it.
Watch and see and I guarantee SHOCK!
You’re Danny Levy trying to sign Damien Duff – what do you do?
You’ve played hard ball with Ch£l$ki and agreed the fee at, say £9M. This is more than you want to pay for a player in the last year of his contract, but you know how important the signing could be so you’re prepared to go with it.
You discuss wages with Duff’s parasite. The parasite demands £80,00 a week for his client. You spend hours negotiating trying to knock him down, explaining that while we’ll pay good money, we won’t pay that.
After listening to demands for £7,000 goal bonuses and £10,000 assist bonuses and this and that you eventually settle on, say £55,000 / week plus substantial bonuses. Again this is more than you want to pay, and you know it could cause problems with the other high earners at the club, but you know how much the manager wants the player so you’re going with it.
Then you finally get to speak to Duff without his parasite, you and your Sporting Director try and sell him the dream, your masterpplan for restoring the mighty Tottenham Hotspur to its’ former glories. You get the feeling that Duff’s interest is luke warm in joining your club, the club that you have so close to your heart which is your responsibility to protect. You expected some more enthusiasm from Duff, particularly seeing as the team he’s coming to join is a good one, and you strongly feel he should be chomping at the bit to play for you.
But you’re nearly there in negotiations and all you can think about is Duff on one wing and Lennon on the other, so you’re prepared to go with it. You’re sure once Martin Jol sits down with him football will be the only thing on his mind, despite the fact that right now the only thing he seems to care about is money.
So you’re pretty much there. It’s more than you want to pay buy fvck it. You want success. You and your Sporting Director nod at each other; you’re doing the right thing.
And then the parasite comes in and demands £1.8 million on top for himself.
You laugh in his face. He’s done nothing except lay out what Duff wants; how is that worth £1.8M? We’re already stretching it as it is. That’s basically another £30,000 / week, far more than even Ch£l$ki were offering him. The parasite says fine, while you were in here talking I spoke to Freddie Sheperd and he’ll pay it, so we’re going to Newcastle. You turn to Duff and say to him, but what about the dream? What about glory? What about Martin Jol? Newcastle, they’re a shambles…what’s there for you?
Duff says nothing. He looks at you blankly. The parasite says last chance guys, another £1.8M or we go to Newcastle.
And then you have to make a choice – do you go against all of your instincts and give the parasite what he wants and compromise the financial principles your club is based on. Or do you say fark YOU, go to live in fcuking Scotland, you fcuking mercenary.
Unless you WANT TO PLAY FOR TOTTENHAM you can do one. Enjoy playing with Shola Ameobi.
The choice is yours.
Well, it’s a clever quick thinking by morinho, remember duff was not sold on the bases of underpeforming, he was sold bcos he cannot be garanteed a first team action. so why selling a very good player in morinho estimation to rival clubside that will at the end toment him during the campaign????WELLDONE MORINHO, QUICK THINKING!!!!!
At the end of the day duff came 2 newcastle for 5 million. Bargain of the century or what? Newcastle are one of the biggest clubs in the world- they’re going throguh a rough patch at the moment but lukily they have perhaps the best fans in the entire world.
Duff. £5 mill. Not bad. Who cares why he came, or who he turned down. At the end of the day he’s here now to do a job that he’s very well paid to do, so lets just sit back and see how he does. If he’s cr*p then you can all laugh, if he’s great then we can all sit back and smile.
I rest my case