Source: Telegraph
Rain stops play against Fiorentina to further dampen Newcastle United's spirits
By Luke Edwards[LNB]6:17PM BST 06 Aug 2011[LNB]Comments[LNB] It was another unwanted setback for Newcastle United manager Alan Pardew, who has been plagued by problems this summer, most notably criticism from two of his players - Jose Enrique and Joey Barton about the club's lack of ambition in the transfer market. [LNB]Newcastle's first friendly at Darlington was soured by crowd trouble, while three players, including Barton and new signing Yohan Cabaye were denied visas to join a tour of America, which also drew criticism because of a crazy schedule of nine flights in just 10 days. [LNB]'It's frustrating but there isn't a lot you can do about the weather,' said Pardew. 'The rain just wouldn't stop and we were worried about injuries. [LNB]'There was a tackle on Cabaye out there which had my heart in my mouth. It was the right decision to call it off.' [LNB]On a more positive note, there was no sign of any mass support for the transfer-listed Barton following his Twitter attack last weekend, or any suggestion of a protest against the board. [LNB]Related Articles
