New deal for the real deal?

Congratulations to 17-year-old Academy prospect Adam Armstrong, who - alongside 'keeper Freddie Woodman and Slovak defender Lubo Satka - has earned himself a new long-term contract. The lively striker, who recently made his debut from the bench against Fulham and is currently competing for England U17s at the European Championships, commented: "The manager’s shown an interest in the young players which is really good" - perhaps out of necessity rather than choice, though, Adam...

As we celebrate one youngster on the fringes of the first team, we shouldn't forget another who has been there before and is now trying to force his way back into the frame through his loan exploits. Haris Vuckic may have been a stoppage-time sub for Rotherham last night, but there was still time on the clock for him to head the Millers' third against a shellshocked Brentford, the side currently sitting in second place in League Two. It should also be duly noted that fellow Toon loanee James Tavernier got the ball rolling for the Yorkshire side, winning the penalty from which Kieran Agard gave them an early lead.

New deal for Dummy?

It looks as though Paul Dummett's reward for an impressive pre-season and an encouraging introduction to the first team, culminating in Saturday's goal against Liverpool, will be the offer of a new contract. That's if the Silver Fox gets his way - and you'd imagine Jabba wouldn't be inclined to quibble given that the young left back is just the sort of cost-free homegrown player he wants us to be producing.

Here's an interview Dummett gave in the summer to the Ronny Gill, in which he talks about the importance of self-confidence when you're training with your idols, the value of last season's loan spell at St Mirren and the encouragement he's received from the Silver Fox.

Dummett has said he'll be involved on Sunday whether as a player or a supporter - in truth, it looks like being the latter, with the Silver Fox saying a fit-again Saylor would "get the nod over Paul because you need experience in the derby". Saylor obviously greater experience, but you do wonder whether he's not actually the greater liability in the circumstances - a player who is just returning from injury, who is always liable to do something daft and rash (see the sending-off in his one appearance of the season so far, at Man City) and who will be given a particularly torrid time by the Mackem crowd...

Big Lad back in the frame

As international exiles (or retirements) go, Big Lad's was somewhat short-lived. Only last week Nigeria coach Stephen Keshi was lamenting the fact that our long-serving striker repeatedly made himself unavailable and so would need to be overlooked in future. And yet now he's back in the fold.

The key to his return appears to have been the removal of a clause in his Newcastle contract preventing him from competing in the Africa Cup of Nations. The fact that we've consented to this would suggest that we're no longer so bothered about him being available for selection by the Silver Fox - an indication that the much-needed striking replacement for Demba Ba is on the way, or just that Big Lad is deemed too old or too inconsistent to be of much use? We'll see, but perhaps it's both.

Update 1: Commenter Paul has suggested that in fact any such clause would be virtually meaningless, as it would be in contravention of the FIFA regulations - so a third possibility is that the Nigerian FA have gently reminded the club of this and it's been dropped.

Update 2: Since the last update, another commenter suggested that the mooted "clause" was actually simply an informal agreement - something borne out by Big Lad's latest comments. So a case of something getting twisted in translation, then. Still, regardless of the semantics and intricacies, it remains interesting that the club has now decided to no longer stand in his way.

Facing up to the financial fallout

If the Independent are to be believed, we've failed to learn the lessons of 2009 and omitted to include relegation clauses in all the contracts of the clutch of players we signed in the January transfer window. If true, this would make a mockery of our recent (and deserved, it has to be said) status as a well-run and prudent club, and leave those of us who have been laughing at the prospect of QPR becoming a financial basket-case in the Championship with a lot of egg on our faces. Here's hoping we don't get to find out, eh?

Release rumours recirculating

The start of Advent - typically the countdown to Christmas, but in footballing parlance, the countdown to the transfer window.

Opening the first door on our advent calender, we get a nice clear indication that the transfer window is fast approaching as stories about Demba Ba's release clause once again do the rounds.

This time, with negotiations on a new contract apparently at an impasse, it's the Silver Fox who is reported (although not quoted) as mentioning that it will once again activate in January thereby allowing anyone with £7.5million and a willingness to gamble on the ticking time bomb to take our inf-orm Senegalese striker off our hands.

Anyone else getting a sense of deja vu?

Once Droopy starts talking about it through his car window we'll know the transfer window has well and truly arrived.

Look to the future

The year 2020. Just imagine it: computers and mobile phones that can operated by brainwaves, hoverboards the primary mode of transport, everyone walking about in Bacofoil suits. And the Silver Fox still in charge of Newcastle. At least that's the plan, the manager having just signed a whopping new long-term contract. He's not alone, either - John Carver, Steve Stone and goalkeeping coach Andy Woodman have also all agreed new eight-year deals.

Responding to the news, Derek Llambias used the examples of Man Utd and Arsenal as proof that "stability gives you the best platform to achieve success". Which is all fine and well, but the pessimistic part of me can't help but fear (no offence to the Silver Fox) that things might go pear-shaped and we'll be stuck knowing that jettisoning the manager and his team will be an extraordinarily expensive move. Given our recent history of having to continue paying off managers long after they've been given the boot, you do wonder whether this is Mike Ashley's wisest move.

Big deal

Yesterday brought confirmation that we've completed the signing of Coventry midfielder Gael Bigirimana. The Burundi-born teenager, winner of the Football League's Apprentice of the Year award for last season, has joined for an undisclosed fee, probably in excess of £1m.

The Sky Blues' chief executive Tim Fisher described Bigirimana as a "great talent" whom they would have liked to keep, "but when the Premier League comes calling - particularly a club the size of Newcastle United - it becomes increasingly difficult to stand in the player's way". Having conducted a quick survey (by scanning a City messageboard), it seems their fans valued him more for his potential than for his current ability - which certainly suggests that he's far from the finished article and may well benefit from being sent out on loan at some point during the season. Coventry would be keen to have him back, though I suspect we might prefer him to go to the Championship, where he cut his teeth last season, rather than step down to League One.

Meanwhile, a clutch of youngsters already on our books have inked new deals. Most prominent amongst them is James Tavernier, who will be eyeing up Danny Simpson's possible departure with interest. Midfielder Michael Richardson has also signed a new contract - he might be a bit miffed at the acquisition of Bigirimana, but, after making great strides early in his Toon career and forcing his way onto the bench for first-team games, he's disappeared from view somewhat and needs to raise his game again.

Elsewhere, Jonathan Woodgate has joined hometown club the Smogs for the second time - but will those knees hold out? - and the Mackems' Asamoah Gyan has done the sensible thing and fled the Dark Place for good.

View From The Home End: summer SWOT analysis

(Image courtesy of cali.org)

So, Paul's taken stock of the season just finished - now thoughts are necessarily turning to the summer ahead, and to the new campaign beyond that. Given that we find ourselves in the strange position of supporting a club increasingly widely hailed as a shining example of prudent (financial) management, it's perhaps an opportune moment to carry out a SWOT analysis to assess exactly where we're at. Here's how that wonderful oracle Wikipedia defines the method:

• Strengths: characteristics of the business, or project team that give it an advantage over others
• Weaknesses (or Limitations): are characteristics that place the team at a disadvantage relative to others
• Opportunities: external chances to improve performance (e.g. make greater profits) in the environment
• Threats: external elements in the environment that could cause trouble for the business or project

So, my aim is to identify a few key issues and attempt to classify them according to the above four categories (though some issues will inevitably refuse to be pigeonholed in just one) - of course, feel free to debate the issues themselves or my classification of them in the comments box, or add anything obvious I've overlooked.

Strengths

Firm foundations
This is equally true of the playing staff and of the business. As last season proved, we have a strong first team that can compete with and defeat the best, and some useful fringe players to step in and do a job where required. Off the pitch, our financial house is now very much in order - something for which even the most fervent Jabbaphobe must give our owner credit. In both respects we're in a prime position to capitalise and build on an unexpectedly successful campaign (the summer won't be swallowed up with torment, turmoil and soul-searching this year, for sure), and it's now down to the quality of Jabba and Llambiarse's decision making and in particular how much weight they choose to give to ambition relative to caution.

Transfer and contract policy
Much of our success has (rightly) been attributed to our transfer policy: essentially, sell star players at a premium (if possible) and bring in younger, superior replacements for lower fees and on lower salaries. It was this policy that saw the likes of Kevin Nolan, ASBO and Jose Enrique packed off down the A1 and Dreamboat, Demba Ba, Papiss Cisse and Davide Santon recruited in their stead. Our scouting network, headed up by Graham Carr, is no doubt now the envy of most Premier League clubs, and we've developed a strategy of moving swiftly, decisively and often under the radar of both rival clubs and the media when it comes to signing players - Cisse being a case in point. The summer recruitment drive, which has already begun with the arrivals of both Romain Amalfitano and Lubomir Satka, promises to be fruitful - and is very unlikely to result in us being saddled with past-it, benchwarming cash drains like Sol Campbell.

Attractiveness
We're an increasingly attractive proposition for potential new signings, able to offer the promise of Europa League football as well as the very real prospect of going one competition better for 2013/4 (and maybe even a domestic cup of some sort) next season. Players of the calibre of HBA, Dreamboat, Cisse and Ba were enticed to Tyneside by little more than a vision, and now that that vision is taking shape there's cause to be optimistic that we can compete for some of Europe's best. The club seems to have grasped the concept of making players feel welcome - even if this is merely a matter of holding international days at the training ground and serving up goat curry - and it's notable how often personal recommendations of the club by current players now seem to be a factor in our transfer dealings. Here's hoping Dreamboat can give the hard sell to his France and former Lille teammate Mathieu Debuchy, and that Tim Krul has a word in Luuk de Jong's ear during Euro 2012.

Weaknesses

Transfer and contract policy
First, our whole transfer model is predicated upon the ability of Carr and his team to unearth quality cheaply, and they've by and large worked miracles so far - but (and perhaps this is the pessimist in me) you have to wonder how much longer can they continue to pull rabbits out of hats? (And, as Paul suggested, not all the rabbits they've pulled out have been quite as remarkable as Cisse or Mr T - Sylvain Marveaux, Obertan Kenobi, Dan Gosling and Mehdi Abeid are all yet to truly impress or even make much of an impact at all.) Second, our relatively modest means coupled with a rigid wage structure (both of which have been made transparently obvious to all around) mean we'll inevitably miss out on the services of desirable players, either because we're outbid for them or because they know they can earn themselves a bigger paypacket elsewhere. And finally, Jabba's determination to play hardball in contract negotiations with current staff could well result in the departure of a dependable first-teamer, Danny Simpson, leaving us even shorter in a position in which we already needed to strengthen.


Integration of youth/academy players
Paul was right to identify this as an area of concern. Krul, Saylor, Big Lad and Rocky have graduated from the youth set-up to the first team in recent years, but we just don't have the same track record as (say) Man Utd, Arsenal or even the Smogs of regenerating from within. It's a problem that needs to be addressed if we're to become a more self-sustainable operation and if cherrypicking young talent from around Europe like Satka isn't to be a pointless exercise. Shane Ferguson, Haris Vuckic and Little Big Lad all showed fleeting glimpses of promise last season, but next season is high time they - and the likes of Michael Richardson, James Tavernier and Abeid - all stepped up to the plate.

Unrealistic expectations
I'm loath to include this, given all the (generally misplaced) accusations of being wildly unrealistic that us Newcastle fans have had to endure over the years. However, for once we have reason for real optimism so there's a danger that even the most characteristically downbeat supporter might start to get carried away with thoughts of Champions League qualification and title challenges. Such expectation levels could potentially create unrest, internal divisions and unnecessary pressure if our summer activities in the transfer market are deemed unsatisfactory or if the team makes a slow start to the new campaign. It's notable, then, that the Silver Fox is ahead of the game, seeking to dampen hopes before thoughts have even fully turned to the season to come.

Opportunities

Europe
I don't know about you, but it irritates me no end when European qualification is talked up as a prized target and yet bemoaned as a burden by the manager as soon as it's been achieved. Let's look at the positives instead: in addition to making us more attractive to transfer targets, our participation in the Europa League presents us with the chance to have a tilt at a fourth trophy and (if the Silver Fox feels it's appropriate) to give fringe players some game time while also blooding youngsters, something I've identified as key above. Most importantly, however, given it's been argued that our prospective development and progress is dependent upon revenue growth, European football will mean more money flowing through turnstiles and greater income from televised fixtures.

Stadium naming rights
Removing the St James' Park signage and inviting corporations to rebrand our ground was a flagrant bid to boost the cash coming into our coffers. The summer is make-or-break for what remains an incredibly unpopular decision - the close season presents the ideal time and opportunity for Jabba, Llambiarse and assorted club suits to pursue and secure a wadge of wonga in return for naming rights. If they can't strike a financially palatable deal in the circumstances - with the club upwardly mobile and once again on the global stage - then the scheme should just be unceremoniously abandoned.

Threats

The circling vultures
Our finances being in rude good health, there's no accountant-prompted imperative to sell players. However, as Jabba has made clear, everyone is expendable given the right price. We're arguably most at risk of losing Mr T, with both Man Utd and Chelsea among those rumoured to be sniffing around him, while all and sundry are well aware of the fee required to trigger Demba Ba's release clause, thanks to West Ham's gobshite chairman David Sullivan. Just as our recruitment drive may be hit by a refusal to fork out a fortune in wages, current members of the squad might be tempted to jump ship if sufficiently sizeable salaries are waved under their noses. However, perhaps we should actually just accept and even celebrate the fact that we now have the ethos of a stereotypical selling club; perhaps we should classify the presence of lurking poachers as an opportunity rather than a threat. After all, as suggested above, that ethos has borne considerable fruit over the last two years and could well continue to do so as long as fees received are reinvested shrewdly.

Euro 2012
This summer's imminent international tournament is very much a double-edged sword - just one that cuts us both ways. Not only will it mean greater exposure for some of our star performers (Dreamboat and HBA in particular, but perhaps Krul too), and therefore increased predatory interest in their acquisition; it will also almost inevitably result in long-term targets like Debuchy coming to wider attention, pushing up prices and alerting those with deeper pockets.


Olympics, Europe and African Cup of Nations
OK, so here comes the complaint I was trying to avoid earlier: our current squad might well struggle to cope with the demands of three domestic competitions plus the Europa League. Factor in the facts that some of our key players are still to face the rigours of Euro 2012 before getting a well-deserved breather, and that Cisse and Ba could yet be pressed into action for Senegal in the Olympics before both accompanying Mr T to the African Cup of Nations in January, and we start to look somewhat stretched. That deficiency will be offset if we can get the most out of our fringe and youth players. However, with the full-back positions not nailed down, Alan Smith and Peter Lovenkrands goners, and Danny Guthrie, Leon Best and Nile Ranger all possibly following them out of the door, reinforcements are certainly needed for us to be suitably competitive on all fronts.

The 'big boys'
As much as we'd like to think this season's fifth place was achieved purely through our own exceptional efforts, the truth is that we undoubtedly profited greatly as a consequence of the shoddy and occasionally shambolic performances turned in by Chelsea and especially Liverpool. If we're to repeat the feat next year, we certainly can't be complacent and expect either club to perform so poorly again - much-improved rivals are very much something for the objective-setters to bear in mind.

Sammy signs

One recent positive is the news that Little Big Lad has signed a new three-and-a-half-year contract which removes the fear that he'd leave for nothing more than a small compensation payment next summer.

Undoubtedly a player of real potential, it will be interesting to see how he develops, and with Obertan Kenobi and Sylvain Marveaux both struggling with injury he could be in the starting XI on Saturday.

The Silver Fox commented: "He is a player of huge potential and talent, and it is always great to see homegrown players come through the system at the club. We have already seen glimpses of what he can do, and we hope Sammy can go on and make a real impact at Newcastle United."

Don't we all, Alan, don't we all.

Spidermag extended

Heartening to hear that Spidermag has signed a contract for a further four years at the club, taking him through to 2015.

According to the report he had "no hesitation" in signing a new contract.

Of course, given that Rocky signed a new contract shortly before being ushered out the door, I can't say I'm surprised that Spidermag has no hesitation in signing. Great player though he is, and presumably he's just had a pay rise, he knows as well as we all do that if a good offer comes in for him, chances are Jabba will bite their hand off and he'll be on his way.

However, in the meantime it does suggest that we'll be hanging on to a cracking player (and spending a bit more of the Rocky money in the process).

If we could now sort out a new contract for Little Big Lad (whose current deal expires next summer) that would be handy...