Liverpool Interested In Milner/Crouch Swap?
Last updated : 03 June 2008 By Footy Mad - Editor
Newcastle United boss Kevin Keegan is expecting a three-way battle for Milner as Aston Villa prepare a £7m bid.
But Everton are also in the hunt for the former Leeds winger.
Benitez had admitted he is looking for a winger, and he must decide whether to offer Crouch in the deal to fend off Aston Villa, or wait until the start of Euro 2008 and have the pick of Europe.
Villa have nothing to wait for. Milner is obviously not involved in Euro 2008 and Martin O'Neill feels the the time is right to make his move.
Milner said today that he misses the involvement with European matches, and although he said he wants to stay at Newcastle, the possibility of Champions League football with Liverpool must be tempting.
With Mark Viduka playing less and less games as the seasons roll by, Shola Ameobi heading to pastures new, and Oba Martins threatening to miss the start of the season, a striker is a priority for KK.
Crouch wants the chance to play regular first-team football, and he admits playing alongside his England strike partner Michael Owen would tempt him.
NEWCASTLE-UPON-TYNE - GOD'S COUNTRY!!!
With Newcastle-Mad being one of the very few Newcastle United websites actually based in NEWCASTLE ... we would like to give our worldwide readers a taste of life outside of St James' Park.
STUNG BY STING
Multi-millionaire Geordie rocker Sting could be hit by a Newcastle chef who wants royalties for helping the singer in Police write the hits Roxanne and Message In A Bottle.
Roy Smith, 48, says he met the singer in 1977 (or 1978 - he can't quite remember) and told him about an ex-girlfriend called Roxanne, who was a prostitute in the Haymarket.
He told Sting he often told her "you don't have to put on a red light", because it wasted electricity, and told her just to put a notice on the door.
He also said he once wrote a message to his mam, put it in a bottle, and threw into the sea at Whitley Bay ... but a dog kept bringing it back.
Smith says Sting used his tales to pen the Police classics - and vowed to pay him back if he became famous.
Sting claims he did try and contact Smith and left a message with the chef's mum, who thought it hoax call and didn't pass on the message ... as she said "I've never received any message in a bottle!"
Smith wants Sting to go to Newcastle police station to sit a lie-detector test, but the pop star is currently on tour in Australia.
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NO LONGER CURRYING FAVOUR
Newcastle Stuff: A belated farewell to Abdul Latif - Lord of Harpole and Curry King of Newcastle, who passed away earlier this year.
Mr Latif was proprietor of the Rupali Indian restaurant in Newcastle's Bigg Market, which achieved national fame by serving up what was claimed to be the "hottest curry in the world".
An industrious self-publicist cut from the same cloth as the legendary Westgate Road tailor Mr Rahaman whose TV and radio adverts said: "I put a zip in anything from top-coat to a bikini"!
Abdul bought the title 'Lord of Harpole' for five grand.
He got in the Guinness Book of Records, recognised as the world's hottest curry. Ordering this was no trivial matter. He insisted customer's signed a document waiving him and his restaurant of any responsibility for complications that may follow the meal - such as impotence or loss of earnings due to the time it would take to recover.
Attempting the 'Curry Hell' undoubtedly brought an unpleasant end to many a stag and hen night in town. Of the hundreds who tried it every month, Mr Latif claimed only half a dozen succeeded in clearing their plate. If successful, no charge was made.
Allegedly personalities such as Tony Blair, Carol Malia, David Ginola, a girl who sang on X-Factor, and the Newcastle Falcons rugby team all left with stains on their kegs.
SHIT HITS THE FAN
We would like to tell you about the violence that erupted at Byker's Cumberland Arms last month, when a member of the audience reacted to having shit smeared across his face by the singer of a punk band.
Newcastle Stuff: "Cops were called to quell the ensuing brawl, arresting the singer and guitarist from Pills From America.
"The band's frontman, Mark Wardlaw, put his finger up his backside and then administered an Apache-like brown stripe across a punter's face. We understand young students in Newcastle refer to this manoeuvre as the 'Dirty Sanchez'.
"The member of the audience was understandably upset and according to a witness 'properly lamped' the singer before all hell broke loose."