It's Handbags At St James' Park!

Last updated : 06 February 2009 By Footy Mad - Editor
'Insomnia' continued his row with Kinnear yesterday by slagging off the Toon manager, saying he had stopped talking to him.

Kinnear returned the compliment and handbags are flying.

The Newcastle boss branded the midfielder's attitude as "laughable" yesterday and said that he would have been happy to sell him to anyone.

Kinnear: "It's laughable really - he lived in a fantasy world.

"There was not a day when he didn't add some Mickey Mouse story about a club that wanted him.

"First of all, he came in and told me Arsenal wanted to buy him, then the next week it was Villa, then the next week, it was Man U, then the next week it was Real Madrid, then the next week it was Lyon.

"And each time he came in, he made it clear he did not want to be at the club so in the end, there was only one thing I could do - send him to Wigan!

"The first time he came in and it was Arsenal who were supposedly interested. I said to him 'I'll let you go'. I told him to come in with his agent but to this day I have never even seen his agent.

"I spoke to Arsenal and they didn't want him so I said to him 'They don't want you, so can we put it to bed now and just concentrate on playing for us'.

"Then when it was Villa I asked Martin O'Neill and he said he didn't want him, so I said 'You are wasting my time and I don't know why you are inventing all these stories'.
"There is no denying Charles is a good player, but you cannot be serious going in to see a manager once a week saying what he says," added Kinnear.
"You have got to question whether his heart is in the club or if he wants to play for us.

"I can assure you no one tried to stop him going."

N'Zogbia claimed he did not like Kinnear's management style and was looking forward to a fresh start in the North West.

Obviously a 'fruit and nutcase', the French youngster has fallen out with every manager he has worked under ... and a large number of the playing staff!

N'Zogbia: "There was no conversation at all.

"I was talking to Chris Hughton all the time but I wasn't talking to the manager - maybe when there was something bad in training but he wouldn't tell you why you were on the bench. I think he did it with everyone.

"I can be moody sometimes, of course, but I enjoy my life.

"It is good to have a manager who can care about you, ask you many questions.

"When you are young, you need that, something like he will be your dad and can really help you.

"When you don't have that conversation you don't want to feel like that. You want to feel like the manager is on your side.

"The players don't know what's going on. There has been a lot of changes. But you have to move on to be challenging for trophies - Newcastle can't do it."