Sun Jihai the former Chinese captain is apparently having a weeks trial at Newcastle united. Anyone know anything about the former Palace player? other than what Roberto tells me? and he says that Sun Jihai and Fan Zhiyi are both useless.

-- Anonymous, November 11, 2000

Answers

doooooooh why is my html so poor? The latest on the Chinese players is here

-- Anonymous, November 11, 2000

Your information is correct. He's useless!

-- Anonymous, November 11, 2000

So why give a useless player a trial?

could it be that if Newcastle took on a Chinese player then they would effetively double thwere fan base in China leading to massive ales of NUFC merchamndise in the continent?

A Million pound purchaser of the player could be worth ten times that amount if it were marketed properly.

-- Anonymous, November 11, 2000

Pretty shrewd if you ask me. Stowell St is a mere stone's throw from the Gallowgate. He could take an eveing job allowing the club to pay him peanuts for wages. Hang on, with that logic, he should join the Mackems.

Neither Sun Jihai nor Fan Zhiyi have set the wootball world alight. I'd be very surprised if either were to make it in the EPL.

-- Anonymous, November 11, 2000

wootball that's Chinese for footy. Doh!

-- Anonymous, November 11, 2000

Useless you say?

Sign him up then! He wouldn't be the first!

-- Anonymous, November 11, 2000

Well, if it is purely for marketing reasons, I say sign the guy up pronto. See what Nakata did for Perugia and now Roma. They practically have the whole Japanese nation going ga-ga.

As for the player I saw him play during the recent Asia Cup tourney and if it is the same fellow, I say give a miss, nothing special. Now if it is an Asian player we want, the Japanese teamhave some useful and young players.

-- Anonymous, November 12, 2000

Where are you based Gene?

-- Anonymous, November 12, 2000

When Palace had the two Chinese players Palce were teh most watched English team in the world, all games were on live feed to China.

-- Anonymous, November 12, 2000

From Roberto in China:-

I heard something about Sun Jihai last night when I was watching Arsenal vs. Derby.According to Zhou Feng, a Premiership specialist of Beijing TV,Sun Jihai will never get a work permit whoever signs him. I think you know that Derby County's on-loan signing T West has some problem with work permit,as he played only 73% of the games for Nigeria. As for Jihai,it must sound very surprising to you that he's played 0% (yeah 0%!) of the last fifteen matches for China!It takes time to explain,but I hope you wouldn't mind taking some time reading my explanations. Jihai used to be highly rated in China before he joined Palace,he was only 20 or so at that time.Unfortunately,as soon as he left,his former team Dalian Wanda who had dominated the Chinese Professional League for years,fell to the second bottom place in the table.(Of course,it was not only because of Jihai's departure)Then the board was outraged,and brought Jihai back to China,thus ending his spell at England.But another Chinese player Fan Zhiyi,the Chinese Captain(yeah,it's him,not Jihai,I have to admit),who was originally signed from Shanghai Shenhua,stayed at Palace till now. When Jihai came back,he thought he'd seen the real football in England, (especially as he had the experience of playing against the most wonderful team on the whole planet--Newcastle!)and he became too big for his boots when playing in domestic or Asian matches.Eventually,his arrogance led to a ONE-YEAR-national-team-ban after a bad incident in an important match for China. He sounds awful,doesn't he?He's still young,but I don't think he'll ever be good enough for Premiership,and by signing him,the Toon won't be any better. Although the Chinese media and lots of fans here have been dreaming of seeing him being signed by Bobby,as a genuine and honest fan of the Toon, I don't want to see such a guy in black & white. Well,anyway,he won't get a work permit for the lack of international matches,so don't bother on him anymore.

-- Anonymous, November 12, 2000

Well, that says it all. Thanks Roberto or is it Rik??

-- Anonymous, November 12, 2000

To Kegsy

I'm in Malaysia which surprising has a good number of Toon supporters ad real fans too since most that I have met seem to have real knowledge of the team and club, well, at least dating back to Keegan's time.

-- Anonymous, November 12, 2000

Nice to have you around Gene, I'm a little further east than you in sunny Japan. There are a couple of others around Asia that log on to here, most notably Bud Weiser in Sngapore or Hong Kong and Val and Fifties Fan who are also in Hong Kong (I think). How long have you been there?

-- Anonymous, November 12, 2000