Newcastle striker Andy Carroll says that he is proud to have been handed the famous number nine shirt at St James' Park. Carroll, twenty one, follows in the footsteps of Tyneside heroes Albert Shepherd, Hughie Gallagher, Albert Stubbins, Jackie Milburn, Len White, Wyn Davies, Malcolm MacDonald, Chris Waddle, Davie Kelly, Alan Cole, Les Ferdinand and Alan Shearer among many others in wearing nine for the Magpies. 'I'm immensely proud. It's an unbelievable feeling,' Carroll told the club's official website. 'Alan Shearer was my idol as a young lad and who would have thought I'd be following in his footsteps?' 
The highly-rated Carroll became a first-team regular for Newcastle last season, scoring nineteen goals as Chris Hughton's side won the Championship title to secure an immediate return to the Premier League. 'It's every young Geordie lad's dream to be a Newcastle United number nine and I'm so lucky to be given that chance,' he added. 'It's an opportunity I relish and intend doing my utmost to do the shirt proud. When you look at the fantastic players down the years who have worn the shirt, it sends shivers down your spine. It's amazing. Having grown up following and watching the team I'm obviously aware of the great tradition the number nine shirt holds. It's probably unique in football in that sense and to be wearing it is incredible.' Nigerian international Obafemi Martins, who left the Magpies for Wolfsburg in August 2009, was the last player to wear the nine shirt the canny Toon.
Meanwhile, Chris Hughton has revealed that, contrary to confusing reports coming out of the club, he does have cash to spend on players but the Magpies must get value for money in any transfer dealings. Hughton is preparing for life back in the Premier League after impressively guiding the Magpies to Championship success last term. While Newcastle owner Mike Ashley insisted in May that were would be no 'new capital spend' on players, Hughton now says there will be cash to strengthen his squad.
But he wants to follow the examples of Birmingham and Wolves, who stayed up last term with. largely, the squads that got them promoted the year before. The Newcastle boss told the Daily Mirror: 'We have players from the last time we were in the Premier League who have improved and will be better players.' They've also got rid of many of the spineless, cowardly, play-when-they-fancy-it shits who got them relegated in the first place. I like Hughton - he's not, perhaps, the best orator in football but last year when everybody else was losing their water and doing jazz hands about what a 'fiasco' the club was in danger of becoming, he was the one bloke who kept his head, got the players together and pulling in the same direction and managed, somehow, to produce a team that weren't always pretty but got the necessary results. There's been much speculation in the tabloid scum press this summer that Hughton is, effectively, being set-up as the fall guy for United's next relegation battle. I've certainly heard that said, not least by Shaun Curtis on an episode of Sky's Soccer Supplement a few weeks ago. Personally, I think this massively misreads the respect with which he's held by many United fans who consider him to be the man that, effectively, saved us from going straight into the third level of English football. That buys him time that others may not have been given. 'We have to get the right tactics and continue some of the feel we had last season. Birmingham and Wolves did well with the squads largely that got them promoted. Having said that, yes, there is money to spend. Newcastle is in a different place to where we were a few years ago. The sums we had to spend then are not there any more. We have to be careful and get value for money. I expect players to come in before the end of the summer.' Hughton also warned Toon fans to keep their feet on the ground as he seeks to re-establish the Magpies as a Premier League force once more. He added: 'It would be silly to say I can see us challenge in the next year or couple of years. I have to be realistic. One year ago we were plying our trade in a lower division. It has to be a growing progress. We have to become a steady member of the top flight.' 
In other words, no more idiotic vanity signings of mercenary arseholes like Michael Owen. Good. I think most Toonies are quite realistic these days and are right behind such a sensible, and well-articulated policy. I think if you took a straw poll right now among Magpie fans and asked what they'd regard as a 'successful' season for next year, most would say 'fourth bottom and avoiding relegation.' That has to be the first priority for any promoted club. And, as Birmingham and Wolves proved last year, and others have in previous years, it's certainly not impossible. It's just a pity the rank morons who actually run the club couldn't have said all this common sense stuff three months ago, instead of issuing their confusing and provocative 'statement' in May. But, then again, what do you expect from glakes like Ashley and Llambias who still, to this day, haven't even bothered to actually thank the public - and specifically the forty three thousand plus average crowd - for their continued support last season when they had no right to expect it and even less right to actually deserve it? Forty three thousand three hundred and twenty six to be exact. A higher average crowd than Chelsea's. Just a hundred people short of Liverpool's. Thousands more than Sunderland's, and Villa's, and Tottenham's, and all those other 'hotbeds of football' around the country safely in the upper reaches of the Premier League. A 'thank you' might be quite nice, Mr Ashley. You know, if you're not too busy that is.
The highly-rated Carroll became a first-team regular for Newcastle last season, scoring nineteen goals as Chris Hughton's side won the Championship title to secure an immediate return to the Premier League. 'It's every young Geordie lad's dream to be a Newcastle United number nine and I'm so lucky to be given that chance,' he added. 'It's an opportunity I relish and intend doing my utmost to do the shirt proud. When you look at the fantastic players down the years who have worn the shirt, it sends shivers down your spine. It's amazing. Having grown up following and watching the team I'm obviously aware of the great tradition the number nine shirt holds. It's probably unique in football in that sense and to be wearing it is incredible.' Nigerian international Obafemi Martins, who left the Magpies for Wolfsburg in August 2009, was the last player to wear the nine shirt the canny Toon.Meanwhile, Chris Hughton has revealed that, contrary to confusing reports coming out of the club, he does have cash to spend on players but the Magpies must get value for money in any transfer dealings. Hughton is preparing for life back in the Premier League after impressively guiding the Magpies to Championship success last term. While Newcastle owner Mike Ashley insisted in May that were would be no 'new capital spend' on players, Hughton now says there will be cash to strengthen his squad.
But he wants to follow the examples of Birmingham and Wolves, who stayed up last term with. largely, the squads that got them promoted the year before. The Newcastle boss told the Daily Mirror: 'We have players from the last time we were in the Premier League who have improved and will be better players.' They've also got rid of many of the spineless, cowardly, play-when-they-fancy-it shits who got them relegated in the first place. I like Hughton - he's not, perhaps, the best orator in football but last year when everybody else was losing their water and doing jazz hands about what a 'fiasco' the club was in danger of becoming, he was the one bloke who kept his head, got the players together and pulling in the same direction and managed, somehow, to produce a team that weren't always pretty but got the necessary results. There's been much speculation in the tabloid scum press this summer that Hughton is, effectively, being set-up as the fall guy for United's next relegation battle. I've certainly heard that said, not least by Shaun Curtis on an episode of Sky's Soccer Supplement a few weeks ago. Personally, I think this massively misreads the respect with which he's held by many United fans who consider him to be the man that, effectively, saved us from going straight into the third level of English football. That buys him time that others may not have been given. 'We have to get the right tactics and continue some of the feel we had last season. Birmingham and Wolves did well with the squads largely that got them promoted. Having said that, yes, there is money to spend. Newcastle is in a different place to where we were a few years ago. The sums we had to spend then are not there any more. We have to be careful and get value for money. I expect players to come in before the end of the summer.' Hughton also warned Toon fans to keep their feet on the ground as he seeks to re-establish the Magpies as a Premier League force once more. He added: 'It would be silly to say I can see us challenge in the next year or couple of years. I have to be realistic. One year ago we were plying our trade in a lower division. It has to be a growing progress. We have to become a steady member of the top flight.' 
In other words, no more idiotic vanity signings of mercenary arseholes like Michael Owen. Good. I think most Toonies are quite realistic these days and are right behind such a sensible, and well-articulated policy. I think if you took a straw poll right now among Magpie fans and asked what they'd regard as a 'successful' season for next year, most would say 'fourth bottom and avoiding relegation.' That has to be the first priority for any promoted club. And, as Birmingham and Wolves proved last year, and others have in previous years, it's certainly not impossible. It's just a pity the rank morons who actually run the club couldn't have said all this common sense stuff three months ago, instead of issuing their confusing and provocative 'statement' in May. But, then again, what do you expect from glakes like Ashley and Llambias who still, to this day, haven't even bothered to actually thank the public - and specifically the forty three thousand plus average crowd - for their continued support last season when they had no right to expect it and even less right to actually deserve it? Forty three thousand three hundred and twenty six to be exact. A higher average crowd than Chelsea's. Just a hundred people short of Liverpool's. Thousands more than Sunderland's, and Villa's, and Tottenham's, and all those other 'hotbeds of football' around the country safely in the upper reaches of the Premier League. A 'thank you' might be quite nice, Mr Ashley. You know, if you're not too busy that is. 
