According to fa-premier.com - "Bobby Robson is ready to sell England midfield star Kieron Dyer in order to raise funds for new players following Newcastle's 5-0 defeat at Highbury.

The Newcastle Board have told their 67-year -old manager he must sell before he can buy, and with Dyer likely to fetch around £12 million, Robson's knows his sale will generate the most money.

Spanish defender Marcelino is also set to be shown the door, along with Frenchman Alain Goma - who is set for a £3.5 million switch to Paris Saint Germain.

Leeds have been continually linked with Dyer, and have proved with the signing of Rio Ferdinand that they are not afraid to spend big money.

However, they could offer striker Michael Bridges plus £6 million cash in exchange for the midfielder".

-- Anonymous, December 12, 2000

Answers

I'm not going to go into the 'whether we should sell him' debate but if we get rid of Goma, Domi and Marcellino + the 'crisis' fund we should have enough money to use anyway.

Transfers between English clubs will not be affected by any EU ruling so if Leeds want Dyer that badly let them pay over the odds for him, like we had to do.

If they do get him they'll tell him to stick to the right wing, say play in a certain area from the wing to the edge of the box and he'll turn out to be a gem for them, much like he would be for us, but that's another thread. Must go find it.!

-- Anonymous, December 12, 2000

That just about sums us up. A complete laughing stock, but no surprise to me at all.

-- Anonymous, December 12, 2000

It is with a heavy heart I say, do it Bob!
oohhh woe is me

-- Anonymous, December 12, 2000

Good. Been calling for his head for months now. He's like a solar-powered torch; great conversation piece, totally ingenious but almost completely useless.

When you are sinking into the clarts it's worth investing in wellies rather than dancing pumps.

-- Anonymous, December 12, 2000

It's good business if we can get the money. We don't have the team to support him right now, and may not for another season or two. He can't/won't realize he's not the finished product yet and get stuck in on a consistent basis. he's a luxury. If we can get some ridiculous sum of money for him, or money plus a good player in a position for which we're in desperate need, we should take it. I'm sure he will come good and it would be great to keep him, but needs must.

I take it he'll be rooming with Rio and Jonathan on the away trips? Hope O'Leary confiscates their video cameras! ;-))

-- Anonymous, December 12, 2000

I was going to suggest "an ash tray for a motorbike" Softie, but yours are better!

I really don't know about the lad. There is no doubt he is talented, and he should be developing into a match-winner for us by now. However, the reality is that he's been a peripheral figure in most matches, and just isn't contributing as much as we need him to 'in our hour of need'.

I'd be very sorry to see him go as I feel it could well come back to haunt us (yet again). However, as Softie so eruditely put it "when you're sinking in the clarts.......etc"

It all comes down to a straight business decision for me. We need to raise some brass to correct critical weaknesses in the squad - NOT for fine-tuning.

His market value MUST be ca.£15 million (cf £18mm for Ferdinand). If someone offered not less than £15 million for him I'd take it - with great sadness. If some sneaky bar stewards like Leeds tries to snaffle him for £10 million, or even £5 million plus Bridges, I'd tell them to 'stick it where the sun don't shine' - we're desperate, but not that desperate.

-- Anonymous, December 12, 2000

I agree Clarky. I'm a big critic of Dyer at the moment and if we had a better team I would'nt sell him at all, but keep him just to see if he came good.

Unfortunately we cant risk the time or the money so we need to say bye bye - for absolutely no less than £15m.

-- Anonymous, December 12, 2000

There's always an excuse for a sale ...... Clarkie, too slow; Elliot dodgy knees; Ginola, didn't defend; Sir Les, we had two better forwards; Tino, wouldn't play on his own up front; Charvet/Hoewy,injury prone, get the money while you can; Beresford, too old; Beardsley, too old; Hamann, didn't want to play for us; Batty, wanted to be away; Cole, we will use the profit; that's without going back to the Waddle/Beardsley/Gazza debacles.

We should keep our assets, not sell them.

We should be persuading Goma to stay. We should be persuading Domi to stay, We mustn't let Dyer go.

If we sell our better players, for whatever reason we will go backwards.

If Dyer goes and we need clarty footballers does that mean Rae, Williams, and Ince. Then what ? Next season we're out of the clarts but we're left with clarty players ..... panic time lets sell Rae and Williams and Ince (at a loss of course cos they're crap) .... lets go and buy some quality footballers .... oh dear there aren't any available, the likes od Dyer and th eother young internationals are all on long contracts with clubs playing in Europe.

DON'T sell quality.

In my list of sales above was Tino, great to get the money at the time, sell a player who seemed not to show commitment (I'd argue about that) and replace him at a bargain, to you, £5.5m Gary Speed.

-- Anonymous, December 12, 2000

Bargain ??????

Fulham have told Leicester City that they do not want to sell Lee Clark after the Foxes made an enquiry about the Geordie midfielder. Leicester are searching for a replacement for Neil Lennon and are willing to pay £5m to get their man, but Fulham are desperate to keep Clark if they can.

The midfielder was expected to leave the club at the start of the season when he seemed to hint that he was homesick and would like to move nearer his home in the North East.

But since then things have gone so well for Clark that he has changed his mind.

The only worry for Fulham is that the idea of moving 100 miles nearer home could appeal to him. But all the signs so far are that he will stay at Craven Cottage.

-- Anonymous, December 12, 2000

I'm with Macbeth on this. Dyer is an unfilfilled potential and at times a luxury, but cashing in on him is a massive retrograde step. Bridges - great player, pity he's also long term injured and would be about as useful as Cort is is the short term! If we can offload Domi and Goma and maybe even Marcelino over the xmas period when the Spanish & French xfer market re-opens then Bobby might have room to manouvre. But don't sell Dyer for short-term gain.

-- Anonymous, December 12, 2000

mcb: at last somebody on here is talking sense. selling skillfull players and replacig them with a bunch of ex dockers was the reason why TSM got us into this hole in the first place.

if i'm reading what i think i am others on here would have 10 "industrial" footballers committed to punting the ball for shearer to run after. the hakems have proved that you can get away with that in the prem. but its crap to watch and you're never really going to be any good.

ding ding

-- Anonymous, December 12, 2000

I certainly wouldn't want to see Dyer or Solano go - I think they have what it takes, but the problems across the team are effecting their performance on the pitch. Hence, they both have been playing like Jesses with one leg between them...especially on Saturday.

But if they can't help and be part of the solution (i.e. start making something out of the mire, like all great players do) then they are obviously not good enough and we should evaluate their purpose in the team. Not necessarily sell, but look hard at what can be done.

We're not, as Softie says, going to see a magic half a dozen world beaters battering the doors down of SJP clamering to get in (not just yet). So, we are left with making decisions about what we've got, more or less. In that scenario, I think everybody has a value (from Shearer to Robson to Shepherd). Nobody is bigger than the club.

Save perhaps the Plc...

Happy Bobby, Happy Bobby, Happy Bobby, Happy Bobby...it's tricky keeping this up y'knaa

-- Anonymous, December 12, 2000