Dear Jamie Redknapp: Have You Watched NUFC This Season?

Every so often, you come across an article so baffling, you feel compelled to respond. This week's piece in the Daily Mail by Jamie Redknapp certainly qualifies. He criticizes the spate of French signings that Newcastle has made this week, claiming that "it needs local players to support, too, quality talent, some of their own for the Toon Army to get behind." 

But here's the catch: you'd be hard-pressed to find a Premier League club more reliant on products of its reserve system in the first half of the season than Newcastle. By largely steering clear of the summer transfer window in 2012, players such as Sammy Ameobi, Shane Ferguson, and James Tavernier have been pressed into action for the Europa League, cup matches, and supersub appearances in the Premier League. It was a calculated risk by the ownership and coaching staff that Newcastle's emerging players were ready to contribute. And for the most part, it has failed. Hence the buying spree that's imported five Ligue 1 regulars in January.

In fairness to Redknapp's original point, only Ameobi would qualify as a "local player" of the three I named. But he also lists a slew of English players in his article who neither grew up near the club they play for, nor played for the academy. It would probably come as quite a shock to Everton-supporting Wayne Rooney that he's now being considered a local lad at Manchester United. The same goes for Daniel Sturridge, also approvingly cited, whose last brush with his hometown was at the Aston Villa academy in 2000. 

With his case sufficiently undermined by his examples, all he is trying to say is that Newcastle should stop fiddling around in France and buy English players. But as I pointed out at length earlier in the week, the financial situation involved makes that virtually impossible. If you were in Mike Ashley's shoes, would you throw down £15 million for Wilfried Zaha, like Man U just did, or use the same amount to overhaul the entire squad from front to back?

And if Redknapp really thinks that Newcastle fans can't get excited about a mostly foreign team, he must not have talked to very many. How could anyone not light up at the thought of a trademark rollercoaster run from Hatem Ben Arfa, or the composed confidence of Fabricio Coloccini (this month's uncertainty aside)? Over the past couple decades, Geordies have embraced skilled imports, like David Ginola and Laurent Robert, with just as much ardor as they've loved their local legends. Most can't wait to see this week's signings in action - even if they have all come from across the Channel.

Ironically, the influx of French talent may be the best hope that Newcastle's reserves have of actually making an impact for the big club in the future. Because key youngsters have been forced to help flesh out the squad, they've missed the chance to go out on loan and mature as players and professionals. January's moves should allow some of them - certainly Ferguson, who has never been loaned in his tenure at Newcastle - to start every week in the Championship.

Developing academy and reserve products into dependable players takes time. Right now, Newcastle just needs to win.

Comments

[LePetit10]

I totally agree, I read the article yesterday and it also baffled me. One of the main reasons that Newcastle did not buy players in the summer was because Pardew had faith in the youth players that were at the club, however this was misjudged and clearly it hasn't worked. I agree youth development is important, but with the instant success that is now required in football just to stay afloat, youth development is too long term to fix a short term problem. Hence why there has been a influx of players. Newcastle have used the market wisely to pick up good quality players with high re-sale value. It does not matter if they are French or from anywhere else, the Premiership is now an international league, a price one perhaps has to pay for the quality it produces.These players will most likely be there for no more than three years, and then sold on for a profit. By then, if all goes to plan, there will be a youth player ready to fill in the void. It is economics of the market.

[Andy]

Spot on, bro. They criticise us for making too few signings in the summer. They criticise us for MAKING signings this transfer window. We can't win! We're always gonna be a target for most pundits, we just have to rise above it!

[JP...from The Rock]

I couldn't agree more with ya. I can't wait to see the new players against Villa. M'biwa and Sissoko are the pick of the bunch for me.

[Sazzer]

Great article Matt! As Andy said spot on.

[Spitfire]

Vey good article. Redknapp seems to think that we supporters ( well Geordies actually) are so inward looking and parochial that we need to worship local heroes. The fact that we have lauded local lads like Shearer Beardlsey Waddle ( all of whom earned the adulation) and so on does not indicate that we are blinkered. We hero worship any player that does the business for us - Pavel (Pavel is a Geordie) Srnicek, Philipe Albert, Nicos Dabizas to name but a few foreign players who are treated as one of us no matter where they come from.No doubt some of the current influx of French players will become adopted Geordies and be treated also as one of us

How come this blog is consistently top quality when others are just utter oants?

[Spitfire]

* thats pants not oants. Trust me to write about quality then post garbage. I blame my wobbly laptop which is currently balanced on the arm of my chair!

[Richard Lange]

Talksport covered this item by Redknapp as a fairly cynical attempt by the programme last night to criticise NUFC on a number of levels. It annoyed me so much that I spoke on the matter on Talksport. To be fair I received time to make my point AND i also pointed out that NUFC had probably one of the largest first team squads for 2012/13 with home spun players. True NUFC can only call on 25 players for PL but we are able to call on more players given the Europa League. Of 28 players registered I counted 6 local players. Apart from the Ameobi brothers and Ferguson we had Tavenier, Harps and Steven Taylor. I know it is a bit of a quirky but NUFC have probably the most cost effective home squad given Andy C's £35m transfer.

[Geordie Jock]

Good read - And seriously who gives a toot what anyone else think (Especially those from down south) the main thing is Ncl have a team of players that want to and are good enough.

Once we drain the FR market of talent we may then move on to Portugal, Netherlands somewher else lets just see but I for one isnt complaing

Toon For Life

[Jason]

For whatever reason, the Redknapp's don't really care for Newcastle. Harry was the one that kept talking about Ba's release clause last year. Then he high jacks our transfer for Loïc Rémy. And then this article. Not sure where the hate stems from.

[Richard]

If you had seen the looks on faces in the Gallowgate at the end of the Reading match, you would know that major refurbishment was required immediately and would not come from the UK unfortunately (we would all like a team full of Geordies or Brits or Irish). So I totally agree that the article was oants and Redknapp is an absolute orick.

[Achtoon]

Wenger has also come out and said there should be limits to how many players you buy in the break as some teams will be play a completely different side in Newcastle than they did earlier in the season. yer, hopefully one that will beat them!!!

[Mathew]

So funny and lacking any kind of thought or logic. Newcastle actually has a great academy and has produced some great players. Basically academy's work in 2 ways. 1. For rich clubs to bring up top level talent they don't have to rush to the 1st team or 2. (most clubs) a way to keep afloat. Just look at Andy Carroll, local lad worked his way up and was sold at a massive profit to help the club overall.
The only real team in the world that lives by the mantra of developing youth for a top flight team is Barcelona, that's it!
Just ask little Jamie if he remembers the program a little midfielder called Gazza game through!

[GFH]

I agree with the views above , but in slight mitigation of Jamie's comments he did also describe Lee Clark as "the best player in the country for a time " and head and shoulders above " the rest of the England undr 21 side. Lee is a possible future Newcastle manager and I liked hearing this view of him from a non Geordie.

[mc]

Just out of interest how many players did Arsenal sign in the summer compared to us? I'm sure it's more than us so that must be totally unfair.

[M]

I think Redknapp's main point is valid -

it's a pity that we can't develop Prem League-standard academy players, instead having to buy players in. Which is pretty much what we're having to do...(which although not ideal, is perfectly fine with me BTW)

Our Academy is a bit crap, let's be honest about it

[SDMag]

GJock I agree but where does the hate come from? Honest question, cause I already know why we hate SaggyChops, but why does he hate us? Does he hate us cause we hate him? lol