Pardew is adamant that Mike Ashley worked hard to bring a “marquee signing” to St James’s Park in the summer – even though "it would have taken the club into the red".
But, considering Ashley took £18m out of the club this summer, what the hell is "in the red"?Newcastle did not sign any senior player in the transfer window – apart from loanee Loic Remy.Teenager Olivier Kemen arrived for an undisclosed fee, while Steve Harper, Danny Simpson and James Perch left, the latter for a reported £750,000 fee.Alan Pardew: “I don’t want to give our fans any kind of discussion about January.“We’ll get plenty of time to talk about that leading up to it.“Our fans wanted a marquee signing. I stated that I wanted another offensive player. Another striker would have helped us.“I’m really happy with my strikers, but I’m a bit vulnerable to injury. But everybody has trained, and we’ve got a great team to turn up at Villa.“We’ve got a really good side, and a good bench, a bench which can affect the game.“I don’t want to talk about that (January), but, for the mood of everybody, it’s been tough.“They all expected a marquee signing, although I have to say a marquee signing would have taken us into our overdraft facility.“That was something we really didn’t want to do, although there were two or three bids that went in that would have definitely put us in that.“There was the will there, but I don’t want to say any more than that. I don’t want to affect our fans any more than they’ve been affected.“They’re disappointed, but we still carry a team that can have a successful season.”
Utter BOLLOX!
Pardew said in May: "We will be back in training on July 4th and I will have THREE major signings in the squad by then.
"We must bring players in early so they are part of the pre-season programme and ready for the Premier League when it starts.
"We showed this season (2012/13) that our squad is not big enough. We need at least THREE or FOUR marquee signings."
Suggesting, in May, Pardew had a transfer budget. That changed with the arrival of Joe Kinnear!
Saturday September 1412:45 Man Utd v Crystal Palace 15:00 Aston Villa v Newcastle United 15:00 Fulham v West Brom 15:00 Hull City v Cardiff City 15:00 Stoke City v Manchester City 15:00 Sunderland v Arsenal 15:00 Tottenham v Norwich City 17:30 Everton v Chelsea Sunday September 1516:00 Southampton v West Ham United Monday September 1620:00 Swansea City v Liverpool
NEWCASTLE UTD RESULTS
PREMIER LEAGUENEWCASTLE 1 FULHAM 0 (Ben Arfa)Krul, Debuchy, Yanga-Mbiwa, Coloccini, Santon, Ben Arfa, Sissoko, Anita 65' (Cabaye), Marveaux 74' (Remy), Shola Ameobi 65' (Gouffran), Cisse Subs: Gosling, Elliot, Sammy Ameobi, Dummett NEWCASTLE 0 WEST HAM 0Krul, Debuchy, Yanga-Mbiwa, Coloccini, Santon, Ben Arfa, Sissoko, Anita, Marveaux 66' (Sammy Ameobi), Shola Ameobi, Cisse 72'Subs: Gosling, Bigirimana, Elliot, Vuckic, Dummett MAN CITY 4 NEWCASTLE 0Krul, Debuchy, Coloccini, S Taylor, Yanga-Mbiwa, Sissoko, Tiote, Gouffran 45+4' (Dummett), Ben Arfa 65' (Sammy Ameobi), Gutierrez 44' (Anita), Cisse Subs: Elliot, Marveaux, Shola Ameobi, ObertanLEAGUE CUPMORECAMBE 0 NEWCASTLE 2 (Shola Ameobi, Sammy Ameobi)Elliot, Debuchy, Yanga-Mbiwa, Good, Dummett, Bigirimana, Gosling, Marveaux 88' (Sissoko), Vuckic 46' (Shola Ameobi), Sammy Ameobi, Gouffran 71' (Ben Arfa)Subs: Santon, Anita, Alnwick, Streete
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VILLA PARK - ASTON VILLA
How To Get There By Car & Where To Park
The ground can be seen from the M6, if you are coming from the North side of Birmingham. Leave the M6 at Junction 6 and take the slip road sign posted Birmingham (NE). Turn right at the island (the fourth exit), the ground is well signposted from here. However to be on the safe side, turn right at the second set of traffic lights (there is the King Edward VII pub on the corner) on to Aston Hall Road. This road will take you down to the ground. Mostly street parking (don't be surprised though if you are approached by kids wanting to 'mind your car'), although this is not as plentiful as it once was due to a local residents only parking scheme now in place in the streets around the Witton roundabout area. Roland Archer a visiting Southampton fan adds; 'If you arrive early enough then in-between the Witton Arms and Witton Station there is a small pay and display car park which cost only £1.60 for six hours.'
Post Code for SAT NAV: B6 6HE
By Train
Take the short train journey from Birmingham New Street (around 10-15 minutes) to either Aston or Witton station. Witton station is nearer to the away section and is only a few minutes walk from the ground. Turn left out of the station exit and continue down to a roundabout. Turn left at the roundabout into Witton Lane and the entrance to the away section is down this road on the right. Aston station is about a ten minute walk away from Villa Park. Extra trains are laid on to the ground on matchdays. Remember if travelling by train then you can save on the cost of fares by booking in advance. Visit the thetrainline website to see how much you can save.
What Is It Like For Away Supporters?
Away supporters are located on one side of the Doug Ellis Stand, towards the North end of the stadium. Up to 3,000 fans can be accommodated in this area, split between both the upper and lower tiers of the stand. The concourse at the back of the upper tier is particularly tight and easily becomes crowded, whereas there is more space behind the lower section. There is a fair selection of food available and it is the first football ground that I have visited that offers meat products that are Halal. There are a selection of pies (all £3.10), Burgers (£3.10), Fish & Chips (£3.50), Southern Fried Chicken and Chips (£3.50), Vegetable Samosas (£2) and Chips & Curry Sauce (£2.50). There are wide screen televisions on the concourse, showing past encounters between the teams before kick off. There is also betting facilities available in the form of a Ladbrokes outlet. Entrance to the stand is gained by entering your match ticket into an electronic reader.
A visit to Villa Park is normally an enjoyable experience, with the stewards normally taking a relaxed and friendly attitude. One concern though, is that there is very little separating the home and away fans and this could lead to possible future crowd problems. Where To Drink?
There are a number of pubs in the vicinity of Villa Park, but most of them on match days are either members only or have bouncers on the door. However, Dave Cooper recommends the following for away fans; 'The Witton Arms (formerly the Cap and Gown), is not a bad pub, to which half the pub is given to away fans (there is even a separate entrance for visiting fans). It is only two minutes walk from the away entrance, right on Witton Island, however it does charge £2 per person to gain entry'. Alex Alexander a visiting Norwich City fan adds; 'We found a pub approximately 15 minutes walk from the ground where away fans were made welcome. It is called the Yew Tree. Although they don’t serve real ale, they had a good range of beers and Magner’s on draught. It is on the same road as the Witton Arms, but with this pub on your left carry straight on up the road, passing Witton Railway Station on your right. After about half a mile you will see the pub on the right hand side'.
If you arrive a bit earlier then you may wish to visit the historic Bartons Arms, located about a 15 minute walk away on High Street Aston (A34). This Grade II listed building, is one of Birmingham's finest pubs, with superb Victorian decor, serving Oakham ales and Thai food is also on offer. It is a regular entry in the CAMRA Good Beer Guide.
Darren Williams a visiting Manchester City fan adds; 'We have always park at an entertainment complex called StarCity. It is just off Junction 6 of the M6, going towards Villa Park. Huge free car park, plus plenty of food and drink outlets. It is then about a mile and half walk to the ground'. Please note that alcohol is not available to away fans inside the stadium.
White Lion Pub Four Oaks. Located 15 minutes drive from Junction 9 of the M42 the White Lion pub is located in the leafy suburbs of Four Oaks, the pub is the perfect stop off point for fans on their way to Villa Park. A Thwaites pub it is popular with drinkers and those who enjoy watching sports with a number of large screens showing the early kick off. The pub is friendly and the landlord Andy Thompson has had plenty of experience of entertaining large groups of visiting fans in the pub trade. The large car park has ample space for coaches, food is available too and breakfasts can be arranged on request. Villa Park is then a 20 minute drive away. Alternatively fans can leave their car at the pub and catch a train direct to Aston from Butlers Lane Station which is around a five minute walk away, with the railway journey to Aston taking 15 minutes. Give Andy a call on 0121 308 2313 or email him to discuss your requirements.The post code of the pub is B75 5HL.
NEWCASTLE UTD FIXTURES
Saturday September 1415:00 Premier League Aston Villa v Newcastle United Saturday September 2115:00 Premier League Newcastle United v Hull CityWednesday September 2519:45 League Cup - 3rd RndNewcastle United v Leeds UnitedMonday September 3020:00 Premier LeagueEverton v Newcastle UnitedSaturday October 515:00 Premier LeagueCardiff City v Newcastle UnitedSaturday October 1912:45 Premier LeagueNewcastle United v LiverpoolSunday October 2713:30 Premier LeagueSunderland v Newcastle United
Source: Newcastle United Mad
Source: FOOTYMAD
