quote manuforlive07

im sorry you went to far with the transfer of shay given----- Is Damian Duff STILL THERE?

quote LIVERPOOOOL

EDIT: ColdBurn, I think it means Keep Up The fucking Work

Another major transfer involving Newcastle United this week saw Michael Owen depart the club in a massive part exchange deal taking Manchester United midfielders Jack Sissins and James Gordon to St James' Park. Owen's leaving is the latest in a series of high profile departures from Newcastle, as he follows Shay Given and Obafemi Martins out the door.

Following Jay Gordon and Jack Sissin's onto Tyneside in the last fortnight were Celtic's highly regarded goalkeeper Robert Holton, HSV's combative ball-winning midfielder, Taku Mudzongo, and Wisla Krakow's Polish schemer Josef Koscinski (who apparently came to the attention of the Magpies after he formed a formidable midfield partnership with Newcastle player Max Derpatovski, who spent the last year on loan there).

Perhaps the most surprising arrival of the month for Newcastle though, was Sunderland's Irish powerhouse fullback Matthew Doyle. Doyle's arrival from United's archrivals will do little to dissuade the general ill feeling amongst supporters for Nuggy Young's transfer policies.

Following Michael Owen out of St James' were fullbacks Jose Enrique and Abib Beye, centre half Claudio Cacapa, young goalkeeper Tim Krul and in a shock transfer, veteran midfielder Nicky Butt made the short move to Teeside with Middlesbrough.

Sissins and Gordon (left and middle) join Newcastle as part of the deal that took Michael Owen (right) to Old Trafford.

July 2008 2/2 - Players IN:

James Gordon      SMF     Man Utd         Undisc. Part Ex. 
Jack Sissins      CMF     Man Utd         Undisc. Part Ex. 
Robert Holton     GK      Celtic          £2.9m
Matthew Doyle     SB      Sunderland      Undisc.
Josef Koscinski   CMF     Wisla Krakow    £2.1m
Taku Mudzongo     DMF     HSV             £5.6m

July 2008 2/2 - Players OUT:

Michael Owen      CF      Man Utd         Undisc. Part Ex.
Jose Enrique      SB      Real Betis      £3.2m
Habib Beye        SB      RC Lens         £3.1m
Nicky Butt        DMF     Middlesbrough   £2m
Cacapa            CB      Sampdoria       £3.3m
Tim Krul          GK      Heerenveen      Undisc.

The arrivals of Welsh wizard Jay Gordon and veteran playmaker Jack Sissins have been met with a generally positive reception from the Newcastle fans. Despite Michael Owen having the captaincy at the club under previous boss Kevin Keegan, his injury prone-ness and constant links with other teams meant he was not a fan favourite despite the hurrah surrounding his arrival from Real Madrid in 2005.

Gordon and Sissins were deemed surplus to requirements at Old Trafford after Nani and Anderson found their feet very nicely in their first season in Manchester, and both players were keen to move on to re-ignite their careers.

Promising Polish starlet Josef Koscinski's arrival from Wisla Krakow is considered something of a coup for Newcastle after Arsenal and Barcelona were both rumoured to hold an interest in the crafty midfielder after his fantastic form got Wisla into a remarkable UEFA cup semi final. It is speculated that Koscinski's close friend and Newcastle player Max Derpatovski played a role in bringing the youngster to the club, after the two formed a superb partnership during Derpatovski's loan spell in Krakow last season.

Matthew Doyle makes the perilous journey from Weirside to Tyneside in a shock move.

...James Gordon

James Gordon was born in Cardiff in 1981 and spent his early childhood in the Welsh capital. By the age of 13, it became apparent that Gordon looked like being the best football player to emerge from Wales since Ryan Giggs. He was scouted at a school match by an official from Manchester United, who was impressed by Gordon's very developed technical skills as well as his never-say-die attitude. He was signed to a youth contract at Old Trafford, and Jay's family all moved to Manchester so that he could continue his football education and take this massive opportunity that had presented itself.

Over the next 5 or so years, Gordon continued to improve his play and made his Manchester United debut in the FA Cup first round in 1999 aged 18. The winger's dazzling dribbling meant that he quickly became a favourite with the fans at Old Trafford, and was used sparingly as a substitute for United in the 1999-2000 and the 2000-2001 seasons as well as winning his first international cap for Wales.

However, Gordon was in direct competition with his idol Ryan Giggs for a starting berth on the left side, and starting opportunities were hard to come by. Grudgingly, Sir Alex Ferguson agreed to let Jay Gordon leave United in summer 2001 for a fee of around £2.5m to join West Ham United.

It was with the Hammers that Gordon made a name for himself as one of the most exciting players in the Premiership, when a string of stunning performances and goals in the 2001-2002 season saw the 21-year-old nominated for young player of the year in May.


Gordon's reputation grew in 2002-2003 despite West Ham's eventual relegation from the Premiership. His form was regarded as one of the few bright points in an otherwise awful season for the Hammers.

James Gordon in his West Ham days, where he built a sterling reputation for himself.

Unsurprisingly, Gordon earned a move away from the relegated West Ham in summer 2003, and after a protracted transfer saga, the Welsh wizard eventually re-signed for boyhood club Manchester United for a fee in excess of £8m.

David Beckham's departure to Real Madrid meant that both Gordon and Giggs could be employed in the same side, and the pair lit up the Premiership in 2003-2004. This period, despite Manchester United failing to retain their Premiership crown, is widely remembered amongst fans for being a time when the club was playing some of its greatest football.

However, despite Gordon's obvious qualities, the rise to prominence of Cristiano Ronaldo and the longevity of Ryan Giggs meant that he had to often settle for a less than active role in the first team. This didn't stop him putting in some vintage performances over the next two seasons though, and the 26-year-old turned down moves to Tottenham, Arsenal and Liverpool in favour of staying with the club he loved to fight for his place.

As Giggs' ever advancing years meant that Gordon was poised for a major role in coming years, it was presumed that Sir Alex Ferguson wouldn't be looking to add to his squad on the wings as the club sought to defend their Premiership crown in the 2007-2008 season. For this reason, Jay was said to be very disappointed in his manager's decision to purchase Portuguese winger Nani from Sporting Lisbon - yet another player who Gordon would have to compete with to earn a starting place.

The 2007-2008 season saw Gordon make very few starts as Nani was often preferred to deputise for Giggs or Ronaldo whenever they didn't start. After some frank discussions with Sir Alex in March of 2008, the pair agreed that Jay would be allowed to leave the club that summer if a suitable offer came in.

Jay Gordon on his last ever appearance for Manchester United, at Fratton Park against Portsmouth.

And so it came to transpire that Gordon traded Old Trafford for St James' Park when Newcastle purchased him along with Jack Sissins in a deal which saw Michael Owen move to Manchester United.

Newcastle fans will be hoping that the gifted winger can shake off his tag of being the perennial 'nearly man' of the Premiership, and finally step out of the shadow of his hero and friend, Ryan Giggs.

quote Derp

YAY!

Me and Kaza ftw!

quote Gaza7

quote Derp

YAY!

Me and Kaza ftw!

Kaza is my twin honestly

quote Derp

EZEQUIEL IS NO WAY A GREEK NAME.

Well, Ezequiel / Iezekiil is a hebrew name, I could imagine a Greek person being called that though it's not frequent.

But maybe I'm Greek-Argentinian, we'll see what TVI comes up with.