Why Ashley won't invest in January

January has rolled round again, which for football fans means only one thing- the transfer window. It’s well documented that for big clubs, the transfer window is a time in which they can strengthen their teams and attempt to improve before the title race begins in earnest in the second half of the season. For smaller clubs however-and with Ashley’s chequebook seemingly glued tight I’m classing Newcastle as one- January is nothing but a time of panic. Players who have performed well are attracting the attention of bigger clubs, whilst managers and scouts desperately try to bring in cover should their star men choose to leave for bigger things.

After a strong start to the season, Newcastle have plenty of players in the shop window, and with many of the league’s elite browsing for reinforcements, it would be no surprise if, as with last January, Newcastle ended the month big player lighter. Cheick Tiote, Tim Krul and Fabricio Coloccini are the three names his time round that have been heavily linked with moves away from St James’ and with the likes of Chelsea and Manchester United supposedly interested, it would be hard to see Newcastle turning down offers, should they come in.

After a strong start to the season, Newcastle have struggled of late, winning only 5 points from a possible 24 since of defeat at Manchester City. After showing very impressive early form, the thought of European football next year looked a very realistic possibility, but after this poor run of form, achieving is looking somewhat more difficult.

The question now is whether Ashley is going to fully back the team, through heavy investment in an attempt to maintain our European ambitions; or whether he is quite happy to have Newcastle sitting in mid-table, floating in mediocrity-not going to get relegated, but at the same time with no real chance of anything higher than average.

From his point of view, I could see why both views might be attractive. Think about it- if he were to put a substantial amount of money into the club for transfers- say £50m- the result could go either way. Either the team would be strengthened and as a result strengthen out grip on 7^th and even pull back ground on the teams above, or the investment could go to waste and Newcastle could continue to lose ground on those around us.

Look at Villa under Martin O’Neill a few years ago. They spent a huge amount of money, buying some of England’s best youngsters in an attempt to break the big four. In his four years there he guided them to three consecutive 6^th placed finishes, but could grab that elusive top four spot. He left under a dark cloud after rows with Randy Lerner, over guess what- Lack of transfer funds.

Granted the big four has now become more of a big 6, but the point still stands. To me, at the moment, Ashley sees us as safe- we aren’t going to set the world on fire any time soon, but we also won’t get relegated. He could risk pouring in millions of his own money, but for what? At the moment we sit seventh, and with all of the 6 teams above  spending considerably every year, it would only be an investment of 100’s of millions, rather than 10’s, that would ever see us break into that top 6.

As it is, I think Ashley is more than happy for us to continue as we are- mediocrity. He has an incredible scout in Graham Carr, who has the canny knack of finding players for a few million that later down that line multiply in value. For Ashley, the system works. It Tiote were to be sold this transfer window for example, the replacement- if there was a replacement- would more than likely cost between 3 and 5 million- less than quarter of what Tiote is worth if you believe the papers. It’s a much lower risk scheme than used to be in operation when Shepherd was in charge. If a player that cost a couple of million is a flop, then he can probably be sent back to Europe for a couple of hundred thousand less than what he was bought for, and the club move on to other targets. If united were to pay £10m+ on a player and he flops- it loses the club millions.

 

Quotes from Pardew and co. are already somewhat starting to mirror the Summer, with Llambias saying on the radio in November that a striker was needed in January. Since then, Steven Taylor’s injury has meant that the priority is now a centre back, but surely if the MD wants a striker then Newcastle get a striker, right? Well according to Pardew, not.  The likelihood is then, that we will see one player come in in January, perhaps two should Chelsea or United come knocking for Tiote, but we almost definitely won’t see the likes of Samba of Giroud arriving.

From Ashley’s point of view the gamble probably isn’t worth taking.

FIFA 12 REVIEW

When FIFA 12 dropped through my letterbox last Friday, my excitement was unparalleled. Having pre-ordered my copy months previously, I had waited it’s delivery with bated breath, hoping that the latest itineration of EA sport’s series would live up to all the hype. I wasn’t to be disappointed.

Many might see each new edition as simply a re-hash of the previous year’s FIFA, with a new picture of Rooney on the box, with more luscious locks, of course. EA have never really been the sort of developer to merely update the player roster and then ship out the same game, though. Having become the favourite footy sim a few years back, FIFA has continued to strive to improve, in an attempt to leave competitors, Konami, treading water with Pro Evolution Soccer.

With this year’s game, FIFA promised a host of changes. The menus all look so much smoother, whilst game modes have become more comprehensive and graphics have been sharpened. It is the basket that is the three key changes to gameplay in which EA have placed all their eggs, however.

Since the end of last year’s Premier League season, EA have been banging on about their three changes: Close control, the player impact engine, and tactical defending. But are these all merely tweaks and are the Canadian developers just fiddling with a game in FIFA 11 that many saw as the best football sim ever? The answer definitively is no.

Every year EA seem to claim they have made close control better. That running and changing direction, whilst keeping the ball at close quarters is now easier than ever, so when they said it yet again this year, I was slightly disappointed. I shouldn’t have been, as the new close control system has changed the way I play. By pressing one of the shoulder buttons, your player is able to move and turn with the ball in very small areas. Used properly it allows you to jink past players, or grab that vital yard needed to unleash a shot on goal.

Perhaps the most talked about addition to FIFA this year has been the player impact engine. In previous FIFA’s, players used to kind of ‘go through’ each other. Contact was minimal and players did not really react to being tackled, beyond falling over in a rehearsed manner. The impact engine is designed to prevent this, and it works. The game is now full of off the ball collisions and tussles. Players ride tackles and when felled, go to ground in an altogether more realistic fashion. Sometimes the engine results in almost puppet like physics, with players contorting into impossible shapes, but for the most part, the new addition works very well.

The third and perhaps most important change to FIFA 12 is the new ‘tactical defending’. Previously games were very heavily focused on attacking. Defending meant bashing buttons mindlessly until one of your players got the ball, but no longer. The traditional tackle button now results in a much more of an attempt to tackle, meaning that mistiming can easily result in fouls. It is more important than ever to defend as a team, as simply running after the ball will result in a defence resembling headless chickens, through which the opposition will merrily skip. The new system has resulted in much frustration. My twitter feed has been full of annoyed players, unable to tackle. Yes it is much harder, but it is very rewarding and has created a game that has a greater balance between attack and defence than previous versions.

As always, FIFA’s array of gameplay modes, both on and offline mean that the game will last for literally weeks worth of play. Graphically, things look much sharper. Stadiums are more detailed and more players than ever have been created using photos. As ever, club kits are brilliantly recreated and matches genuinely buzz, with the crowd looking and sounding better than ever.

Some might think that they could save some money and stick with FIFA 11, but if you consider yourself to be a fan of football, or gaming, or both, you need this game. Why are you still reading this? Go and buy it.

97/100