Newcastle's N'Zogbia In Insomnia Shocker!

I asked in a report yesterday evening Are Villa About To Sign Charles N'Zogbia? following conflicting whispers through the day.

However the quotes from the 22-year-old Frenchman's agent doesn't make it sound like there are any moves imminent despite the midfielder vowing never to play for Newcastle again after Toon boss Joe Kinnear called him insomnia instead of N'Zogbia! (Sorry, you've got to laugh at that haven't you?!)

N'Zogbia released a statement to the Press Association saying: 'First of all I wish to apologise to the fans for wanting to leave the club. However, having been insulted by Joe Kinnear, I will never play for him again while he remains Newcastle manager. The club are aware there are offers on the table and they should accept one of them.'

Joe Kinnear explained after the incident 'Sadly, this just smacks of a desperate attempt to engineer a move away from Newcastle United. OK, I got a little tongue-tied, but if I had a pound for every time I've mis-pronounced a player's name down the years, then I'd be a very wealthy man indeed.'

So? Well, I'm leaning towards the earlier whisper I got saying that Martin O'Neill was not after N'Zogbia.

I believe the link to Wigan's Paul Scharner are also very wide of the mark. So we'll be signing him this pm then!

In other news Michael Owen, also linked at times to Villa, has an ankle injury and will be out for around eight weeks. It never rains but it pours and it seems the Toon are the latest to just have nothing but bad news.

Some good news is - sorry but there are limits to who should be on the pitch and this person is one who shouldn't be having a 1000th chance - Joey Barton is also out for eight weeks after breaking his fifth metatarsal in his right foot.

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