To start with, welcome to the blog and a big thanks to David Robson, the admin of the blog for giving me this role. As you can see in the title, my name is Liam, I’m currently at college studying TV & Film Production and you can see my work at www.youtube.com/liamjmfilms. I’m from the North East so as you can imagine I adore, live and love football. I support the two best teams up here; Newcastle United and Gateshead. This is my round-up of the big headlines and little headlines that may have slipped under the radar.
I start today with the news that Loic Remy turned down the chance to join my beloved Newcastle to join lowly Queens Park Rangers. See, when I first heard that he did not fly to Newcastle Airport, instead to Heathrow Airport in London, the deal smelt strongly of a Mr Harry Redknapp. This man is a venomous snake in the transfer market, with his late deal sealing method and ‘in the know’ approach during any press conferences. While I’m sure the release clause in Demba Ba’s release clause would have been released anyway, it would have to be Dirty Harry who tapped up our former Senegalese superstar for the minimal fee of £7million. Again, Newcastle have a striker snatched from their grasp by the proclaimed ‘wheeler and dealer’.
But through all of this, I don’t blame Harry; he is merely doing the job he was hired to do, keep down-and-out QPR in the Premier League. The person I hold accountable is the player in question. He was all set for a move to one of the most passionate, football loving cities in the United Kingdom, but was side tracked by an eleventh hour, mega-money bid by the Hoops of West London. Alan Pardew today said that he wasn’t willing to pay ridiculous money for Remy, which is totally understandable as he isn’t in the greatest of form. But news today in the Evening Chronicle that Remy turned down the chance to see the stadium, training ground and the wonderful city because he wanted a lie-in.
This news only confirmed my previous thoughts, he sounds to me like a very lazy, money-orientated player. I can only assume he hasn’t heard too much about the two cities football-wise. If he knew anything about English football, it would be impossible for him to turn down a move to St. James’ Park, packed every weekend by over 50,000 hyperactive Geordies, myself included. He has instead chosen the uncomfortable, unforgiving London, playing in front of around 16,000 less enthusiastic fans in comparison. I do not intend to offend any Queens Park Rangers supporters or anyone who lives in London; I am merely airing my views. I'm not a big fan of London personally, but it's the way I've been brought up. Personally, I would find it hard as a footballer to turn down Newcastle. I can only imagine there will be a relegation release clause in his contract, a player of his standard would not want to play in the Championship.
In conclusion, I am slightly relieved that Loic isn’t a Newcastle player. The last thing we need is another player like Michael Owen, driven by the cash in his back pocket. Before the deal was scuppered, I was very enthusiastic about the thought of Remy, Cisse and Ben Arfa as our attack. The next name on the striker shortlist is Gabonese-French 23-year-old Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who plays for Ligue 1 side Saint Etienne in France. He has scored 8 league goals this season, as well as a hefty 16 last season, the same as Demba Ba. It sounds to me like he is a decent player with bags of goals and potential, but I personally don’t see a deal likely. Lower down on the list are Peter Odemwingie, Jeremie Aliadiere and Danny Graham, all names that do not excite me massively. The latter is the only name I would accept at Newcastle. Being a hometown lad, I think he could flourish on Tyneside but a deal to take him to Wearside looks more likely. This comes as a surprise, bearing in mind he told a journalist he would like to stay as far away from Sunderland as possible, preferring a move to non-league Gateshead than the Black Cats. As far as I see it, things don’t look great. On the field, Loic seemed ideal, despite his poor record of form. He can play on the wings, up front and as a second striker. QPR have an okay deal if he can score important goals for them, but with a large price slapped on his head, he could become a scapegoat for the fans if things go wrong.
I do wish him the best of luck at QPR, the news coming from London today is that a game of FIFA 13 with owner Tony Fernandes settled the deal, very obscure news but Fernandes sounds to me like a very good, down-to-earth businessman.
A friend brought a YouTube clip to my attention on Monday morning; the link is available here. This clip sums up what I hate about the sport. For those who are reading on a mobile or haven’t got the time to watch it, the clip shows Arsenal striker Marouane Chamakh and Manchester City midfielder Samir Nasri walking to the Emirates Stadium ahead of the game on Sunday. The pair are mobbed by fans and Nasri is practically assaulted. Ever since Samir left North London for Manchester in the summer of 2011, he has been the victim of hate from fans in the capital. In the clip, he is teased, shoved, called a ‘traitor’ and a ‘w*nker’. I watched this clip with a disgusted look on my face for the entire 1 minute and 33 seconds. The title alone made me feel sad enough; ‘NASRI AND CHAMAKH ABUSED BY ARSENAL FANS’.
Ask yourself, what is the point? Football is a sport and more recently, an economy and a form of entertainment. These players entertain the fans week after week; Nasri brought minor success to Arsenal for a good three years. How can a man be a traitor for simply moving clubs? I’m sure he went for the money; I’m not trying to contradict any of my arguments about Remy, please understand I do not like the idea of money being thrown around willy-nilly. Arsenal did not have to accept the bid from City, and the deal would never have happened. Arsenal had to wait a full season before they could find a real suitable replacement for Nasri, in the form of Santi Cazorla from Malaga. It may have suited Arsenal better if they were to keep him for the season, let him build on his price tag. A footballer or even an innocent human being does not deserve to be harassed and attacked in the street, simply for moving football clubs.
If you moved house because you would be getting more money in a new job there, or saving more money by being in that area, and you saw your old neighbour in the street, would you expect them to run over with a camera phone, teasing and assaulting you? I don’t think you would! Regardless of what Nasri has done, fans should draw a line under it and move on. Keep your thoughts in your head, and leave the man alone. He is just one of us, for Christ’s sake. The same applies for Marouane Chamakh, he may have had an unsuccessful spell with Arsenal but it is not your right to abuse him.
Let us know your thoughts on these matters by tweeting us @Ultimate_blogs or by leaving a comment below.
Loic Remy picture courtesy of www.thesun.co.uk
Follow me on Twitter: @LJM_96
I do wish him the best of luck at QPR, the news coming from London today is that a game of FIFA 13 with owner Tony Fernandes settled the deal, very obscure news but Fernandes sounds to me like a very good, down-to-earth businessman.
A friend brought a YouTube clip to my attention on Monday morning; the link is available here. This clip sums up what I hate about the sport. For those who are reading on a mobile or haven’t got the time to watch it, the clip shows Arsenal striker Marouane Chamakh and Manchester City midfielder Samir Nasri walking to the Emirates Stadium ahead of the game on Sunday. The pair are mobbed by fans and Nasri is practically assaulted. Ever since Samir left North London for Manchester in the summer of 2011, he has been the victim of hate from fans in the capital. In the clip, he is teased, shoved, called a ‘traitor’ and a ‘w*nker’. I watched this clip with a disgusted look on my face for the entire 1 minute and 33 seconds. The title alone made me feel sad enough; ‘NASRI AND CHAMAKH ABUSED BY ARSENAL FANS’.
Ask yourself, what is the point? Football is a sport and more recently, an economy and a form of entertainment. These players entertain the fans week after week; Nasri brought minor success to Arsenal for a good three years. How can a man be a traitor for simply moving clubs? I’m sure he went for the money; I’m not trying to contradict any of my arguments about Remy, please understand I do not like the idea of money being thrown around willy-nilly. Arsenal did not have to accept the bid from City, and the deal would never have happened. Arsenal had to wait a full season before they could find a real suitable replacement for Nasri, in the form of Santi Cazorla from Malaga. It may have suited Arsenal better if they were to keep him for the season, let him build on his price tag. A footballer or even an innocent human being does not deserve to be harassed and attacked in the street, simply for moving football clubs.
If you moved house because you would be getting more money in a new job there, or saving more money by being in that area, and you saw your old neighbour in the street, would you expect them to run over with a camera phone, teasing and assaulting you? I don’t think you would! Regardless of what Nasri has done, fans should draw a line under it and move on. Keep your thoughts in your head, and leave the man alone. He is just one of us, for Christ’s sake. The same applies for Marouane Chamakh, he may have had an unsuccessful spell with Arsenal but it is not your right to abuse him.
Let us know your thoughts on these matters by tweeting us @Ultimate_blogs or by leaving a comment below.
Loic Remy picture courtesy of www.thesun.co.uk
Follow me on Twitter: @LJM_96
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