Saturday, February 07, 2009

Parting shots

"The way they dealt with the whole thing was a bit disgusting. The way they dealt with my family and me, they could have made it a little easier to be honest.

The club finally spoke to me on 26th January. That was the first contact I had with the owner Mike Ashley. The people in charge of the club were very unhelpful.

I'd like to separate Newcastle fans from the people running the club. The fans were absolutely amazing to me and I'll always be grateful for the support they gave me.

But after being there nearly 12 years and considering the service I gave the club, the regime there could have looked after the whole thing better.

Over the last six months things have been fizzling out. It has not been enjoyable going into training and that Liverpool game at home was such a low point in my career.

Walking off the pitch I was so low I would have been quite happy if I had never seen a football again.
"

So low, Shay, that you don't remember you very much ran rather than walked off the pitch. But then we don't blame you for wanting to get the fuck out of there fast...

Given has described his move to Arab Plaything FC as "an opportunity to further my career and pick up more silverware". MORE silverware, Shay? I wasn't aware you had any. Certainly none from your time with us - though not for lack of effort on your part, it should be added...

"Disgusting" is indeed the word to describe the "regime"'s conduct in the affair - if they could have done more to persuade him to stay, why didn't they? According to Given, it was all about the money - which we then didn't spend. JFK claims that it wasn't for want of trying, though - Man City duo Michael Johnson and Nedum Onouha, Liverpool's Sami Hyypia and Mackem thorn-in-our-side Kieran Richardson all slipped through our fingers on deadline day.

While we can all forgive Shay for breaking his dignified silence and finally sounding off after season upon season of frustration and broken promises, we're rather less inclined to look favourably on the equally sharp comments of another recent departee, Charles N'Somnia.

The Frenchman has reiterated his claim that JFK disrespected him, saying pointedly that "Newcastle needs someone to control the club properly". For his part, JFK has been unable to let it lie, preferring to perpetuate the unseemly public spat by dismissing his criticisms as the "laughable" ramblings of someone who "lives in a fantasy world".

JFK's comment that "In the end there was only one thing I could do - send him to Wigan" makes for painful reading - clearly he's of the belief that sending someone to Wigan constitutes a step down if not an outright punishment, when the sad truth is that it actually represents a move to a club whose Premier League future is pretty much certain from another whose very definitely isn't.
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