Roeder Looks To Next Year (Now There's A Shock)

Last updated : 31 January 2007 By Footy Mad - Editor

The optimist in us all continues to wait for the sun to appear over the horizon, and the NEXT campaign is "going to be the one". The stuffed magpies, copy of the Japan Cup, and Jackie Milburn's old shirt in the trophy cabinet will be replaced by something 2001st century.

And yes ... today Newcastle manager Glenn Roeder says he cannot wait for "NEXT SEASON" when he can unleash his multi-million pound strikeforce on the Premiership.

Roeder is already looking forward to next season, when he will have £17million Michael Owen and home-grown talent Shola Ameobi back to partner Oba Martins.

Roeder: "Whatever Oba does this year is a bonus and next year, he will really take off.

"With Shola Ameobi and Michael Owen fit as well and then another striker - and Antoine Sibierski will sign a new contract shortly, I hope, for another year - that part of the team will be locked up.

"When he picked up the injury at Villa and lay there flat out with not too much movement, it was distressing, not just for him, but for us on the bench and the chairman sitting upstairs, who had just forked out £10million for him.

"Thankfully, that turned out to be nothing of any significance.

"Like every player in his situation, his age, coming to another country and a different league, I would have expected him to take his time to get going.

"People who do not understand the difficulty of coming from another country and playing in a different league were too quick to criticise him.

"Now suddenly, he is becoming the talk of football. I am hearing people within the game saying to me he is looking a very well-priced player at £10million.

"I am sure over the next few years, we will see he will turn out to be a good piece of business at £10million."