Newcastle to sell Armstrong

[AucklandRover]

You always have to be cautious about paying top dollar for wingers. So many of them are maddeningly inconsistent. That's probably a bit harsh because it is a challenging position. The fans expect a winger to beat a man and deliver perfect crosses every time; meanwhile, the modern manager also wants the player to be covering the defence!
I suspect TM mainly played Chapman only in the last half-hour because he wasn't expecting him to do the same job as Bennett or Conway. The "soldiers" play full games, but some of the "artists" are used as impact-players!
I would like to see Chapman back as long as the medical staff are not concerned about his long-term fitness. I do wonder, though, if Mowbray will want to have both Chapman and Gladwin in the first-team squad. He might consider that an unnecessary luxury, especially if he is still considering playing two support-strikers between Graham and the midfield, as he did for much of last season. That formation makes it hard to play an attacking winger as well.
In League One, Mowbray came up with the compromise of using two holding midfielders, so that the front three had more freedom. I still think that was probably not the original plan. It was more a reaction to the particular skills he saw in individuals, and to the fact that - for a variety of reasons - neither Whittingham nor Payne commanded a place.
As far as I can see, this McGeouch is mainly an attacking player, so it will be interesting to see what happens if he is signed. Given his record, I can't see that he would just be a make-up-the-numbers squad-member, so that would suggest TM is not locked into last season's midfield setup.
I am actually hoping that we don't go mad in the transfer-market. A second good striker (perhaps a target-man, Saxo?), this McGeouch (or similar), and Chapman - together with a couple of loanees - would do for me.
Obviously, we don't know who's leaving yet, but I can't see that many hopeless cases in our squad, and I don't want to see the Under-23s pushed too far down the pecking-order.
The other factor is team-spirit. It's been brilliant this year, and - as Mowbray himself says on the official site - seeing "stars" come in on very high wages might not be great for morale.
Clearly, those of you who think we can be pushing for the PL next season will probably disagree with my cautious approach.

[robinrover]

You are right aucks
Filling the team with new players is not good for team moral with the current players
I don't think any rational supporter will expect us to be going for back to back promotions
Of course we can dare to dream but realistically it will probably be around mid table
We are probably 5 players away from a competitive championship squad

[Acido]

How's things A? Sorry to hear your boys went down. Personally, that's about the closest team for me, after Leeds, so I was really hoping you stopped up. I guess you didn't show the fight you had in previous years? Him leaving mid season, to Leeds and the inferior man you brought in didn't help.

Re Armstrong ....he was absolutely crucial for one period last season. He was very dangerous and he looked a class above. Then around Easter we played MK Dons away. He scored 2, we won, then literally he did absolutely nothing in the remaining games. Some big ones aswell, he just didn't turn up and he was useless. Its a concern he dips that badly in form, and in no way is he worth £3m, for that exact reason. He will never kick a ball for Newcastle, so he needs to find a home and settle. Mowbray appears to be good at getting the best from him, but that was only Div1.

I keep forgetting you live next door to me in classy Cas Champs, and I was there in that glorious town again today, I just can't get enough of the old place lol.
We've had a nightmare season to be honest and most of us knew it was on the cards. Hecky had lost the plot and we were going down under him, but then he does the unthinkable and those series of events were just ludicrous. He left us Feb when the transfer window had shut, & it was just days after signing a new contract with us, & he does it to one of our biggest Yorkie rivals in Leeds, & he takes most of the backroom staff with him leaving us up dung creek and just above the drop zone etc.
The replacement was pathetic and Im not going to talk about him, but anyway we're gearing ourselves up for yet another manager/coach search this coming week. I think we might be looking at some who are involved in the upcoming Play off finals. So watch this space!.

[Terencee]

I think you may agree with me on this? But you know who I think could turn out better than Armstrong? Samuel ... I still think he will come good next season, and play right of the main striker. And he's with us already.
I think no more than £1.5-2m for both Champman & Armstrong.

Totally worth it.

[robinrover]

I think 2 million for both is just about right
We of course shouldn't overpay for players but on the other hand we cannot expect to get who we want for peanuts
Sky ruined football with its bundles of money,now we have the problem filtering through the leagues.