Early Season Newcastle Rants and Raves.

The premiership season is now off and running, so prepare yourselves for more frequent football talk.

After three weeks, Newcastle are 1-1-1, giving them 4 points, and having very definite MIXED feelings about the upcoming season. While I'm very happy with our draw at Man Utd and our clean sheet win vs. Bolton, and the overall difficulty of the early season, which is now behind us. I am, however, a bit less thrilled at the manner in which we lost to Arsenal this past weekend, though, looking like the Newcastle of old: rushed, unorganized, and feeling lucky just to share the same pitch as the infinitely more deserving Gooners.

The off-field news has all been doom and gloom, as usual for the London press. According to them, Keegan is ready to quit, Ashley is ready to sell, Owen is ready to walk, and the sale of the under-performing and never-achieving-expectations James Milner is reason alone to shelve the entire season. (This kid is NEVER going to deserve his 12MILLION pound price tag- he runs like a horse and has a heart of gold, but he can NOT look up when he's dribbling and has a cross like a 4-yr-old girl. Just FORGET about him using his weaker left foot. Off with ya, Jimmy. Thanks for everything, but we've got more important things to worry about.)

The close of the summer transfer window is always a turbulent time at St. James Park, and this year is no different. This off season, Keegan has already done a fantastic Job. We made quite a bit of green on the sales of Emre, Rozenhal and Milner. After the purchases of Jonas Gutierrez (who's already become a fan favorite), Fabricio Coloccini (with some of the best hair since Keegan's playing days), Danny Guthrie (very young central midfielder who was supposed to be a squad player but easily walked onto our starting XI) and Sebastian Bassong (versatile defender who passed a trial before being signed) we're still actually 1M pounds in the BLACK. Now compare this to Roy Keane's INCREDIBLE panic spending (almost 40-million pounds in the red) at Sunderland, who now sit in the relegation zone (I know, still early days), and tell me King Kev has been out of the game for too long.

Just tonight, two new signings came through the door: Deportivo La Coruna striker, Xisco, and Valencia midfielder, Ignacio "Nacho" Gonzalez on loan. Depor's fans are GUTTED that we've taken Xisco from them, since Curly-ccini came from Depor this summer as well. Apparently, they were the two best players on the squad. Gonzalez is highly rated, but apparently couldn't get much playing time with David Silva ahead of him. So while I've heard glowing reviews, I'll have to wait to pass judgement on this one.

At least one more signing is rumoured to be on their way, and the Michael Owen contract saga is always an ongoing affair. These will be watched with very close eyes.

However, the other HUGE piece of NUFC transfer news is that Everton are rumoured to be ready to push through their 3million-pound bid for Alan Smith and all that's left is for him to agree personal terms. If this happens, it will certainly be one of the most efficient moves the club will have made all summer, because while we will be losing a net of 3m in transfer fees on him (brilliant Sam Allardyce bought him last season for 6m) his 60,000 pound/week salary will not be missed in the slightest. And maybe, just maybe, this surplus in wages can be reinvested into the club via Michael Owen's new contract.

Now, one final piece of recent news in Joey Barton's inclusion in the Arsenal game, and its odd effect on the conclusion of the match. I'll break it down quickly if some of you didn't see it(shame on you). Barton is a very bad boy. He's a jerk, actually - a true waste of human flesh. Just a true thug at his very best moments. He recently got out of jail for beating up a 16 year old kid outside of a McDonald's restaurant in Liverpool, and I was NOT happy when Keegan fought to keep him in the club. Ashley wanted to fire him on the spot, but Keegan insisted that he could really continue to help the club. I thought - this guy would be fired if he were in any other profession than football. I don't want to be associated with him, so I don't care how much he could help the club - he should be punished. But to be honest - since those initial emotions have subsided, I'm actually quietly excited about having Joey back in our squad, and here's why.

Yes, he's a horrible human being. Please forgive me in advance for overlooking this, because I'm really not. I know this - but I've gotten past that now, and I ask you to do the same. 1) He takes pressure off the rest of his team mates. The same as how some of the Bulls loved playing with Dennis Rodman. This guy takes all the bright camera lights on to him, and off of the rest of the team PURPOSELY, so all they need to think about is their sport. 2) He makes the OPPONENT constantly think about him when he's on the pitch. This weekend, you should have SEEN how he took young Samir Nasri out of his game. Barton came on, hearing the incredible boos swelling through the crowd and was just soaking it all in. He LOVED it - JUST LOVED IT. Then, at the first 50/50 ball, he lunged in BEFORE Nasri got there, and made a perfect challenge for the ball. He won the ball, and Nasri fell awkwardy after being well beaten in the challenge. But because he's Joey Barton, Nasri thought it was somehow dirty and illegal. So, the next time down the pitch, Nasri, like the sad, intimidated child that he is, cowardly stuck his foot out and blatantly tripped Barton from behind - in the rule book a straight red card. But apparently, none of the four referrees saw it (yeah right) and not even a foul was called. 3) He gives a "cutting edge" to Newcastle United. We've been in mid-table for a while, we haven't had a real character on the squad up until Jonas just joined, and having Joey around just makes things more interesting, and we automatically become a little more tough and physical as a team. I love that, and it makes for some really interesting football. And 4) HE'S ACTUALLY A GREAT CENTRAL MIDFIELDER. This is something that people seem to overlook because they're so much more interested in the drama that is Joey Barton. And of course, the London press would never actually care about football ability for a Newcastle player - they're only interested in headlines. He's got phenomenal pace and stamina, and he's a very creative player going forward - something we've been drastically needing since getting rid of Emre.

AAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH, that was nice. Thanks for reading my rant. I know it was a bit unorganized and flatlined, but it sure was therapeutic.

Osteria Via Stato

What has been going on recently? You know, I used to be able to go to a restaurant, and then once I'm in there, I'm like "Oh, okay - this is a Lettuce Entertain You Restaurant. Okay - it sucks, but at least I know why." Now, every time I walk into a restaurant and love it, I go home, do a quick Google and BOOM - It's a Lettuce Entertain You!! It used to be just TGI Fridays and the sort - but here's a quick list of River North L.U.E.Y. spots that I adore:

-Big Bowl

-Brasserie Jo

-Nacional 27

-Osteria Via Stato

-Scoozi

-Tru

-Wildfire

-WowBao

I mean, you may have an argument against maybe one or two of these, but in large, this is a great list of fine dining establishments that serve a VERY wide and special variety of goods with fantastic dining environments. I've got no worries endorsing any of these.

But this post isn't an unpaid advertisement of L.U.E.Y. (although if anyone from the corporation would like to add me to the pay roll, I'd be more than happy to keep pumping these out (or as Ben Folds says: "People tell me Ben, just make up junk and turn it in/But I never was alright with turning in a bunch of shit/I don't like wasting time on music that won't make me proud/But now I've found a reason to sit right down and shit some out. ")) So let me continue with what we're all here for, my heartbreakingly truthful review of Osteria Via Stato.

I decided to go here only after Quartino had a 50 minute wait. I fully expected Osteria to be even longer, and actually wondered why when I heard the wait was only 10 minutes.

I had walked by Osteria about a hundred times before, thinking that it would be a typical, fairly commercial River North tourist trap. But every time I looked through the windows, it was dark (a big plus) and people were always smiling. How bad could it be? Well, as it turns out, not bad at all - in fact, it was one of the nicest dining surprises I've had in a long, long time.

We were taken to our table through a couple of doorways and hanging clothes. It was quite a treck - a really cool way to start a meal. As I said, it was really dark and furnished with rustic wood dining furniture. We sat at a six-person rectangular table with a divider in the middle and shared it with a different couple. A bit different from what you'd expect, but another cool difference. Once we sat down, I, as usual, immediately took a look at the wine list. After my many years of ordering, drinking and loving wine, I still have NO clue how to differentiate wines beyond the simple Cabernet/Pinot Noir, etc. So when I saw that they have a wine flight option for $15 where they give you three wines, getting more dark and bold with each new wine and partially paired with your meal, I was over the moon. I ordered it, and Mrs. Architecturefootballandfood ordered a Pinot Grigio, straying from her usual, time-tested choice of Chardonnay. We ordered a cheese plate to start, with Robiola (basically an Italian Brie) and the must-have Parmesano Reggiano. Then for the main course, we ordered the hand-rolled Cavatelli with mushrooms and brown butter, and Parmesan-crusted Filet Mignon. This is quite an authentic Italian dining experience, so they encourage A) eating in courses and B)sharing plates. So we shared all these plates and my God were they phenomenal.

The wine: The first was a white called Suave - too fruity for me. The second was a Cabernet called Memo - phenomenal - crisp and dark - perfect with the pasta. The third was not much different from the second and I didn't get the name. Not good enough to write about. So overall, I've had better wine, but the progression just works so well. I love wine flights and really recommend them when possible.

The cheeses: Robiola was fantastic, especially paired with this great fig sauce that they brought with it. They gave us pear and roasted nuts to cleanse the pallet.

The pasta: So tender and flavorful it's hard to describe. You could really tell that it was hand-rolled and it just felt like it came straight from somebody's grandma's farm in Santa Brigida or something.

The meat: ordered medium rare, and the flavor just flew off my fork and punched me in the tongue. This filet was freaking unbelievable. I wanted to get a different crust on it but was OH SO GLAD I didn't when I took the first bite. This was one of those steaks that was so good, A) the back of my mouth starts to ache because the saliva can't come out fast enough just thinking about it, B)I didn't want the meal to end because I wouldn't be able to taste the damn thing if it did, and C) once it did end I refused to eat or drink anything for a couple hours (i'm only human!) because I wanted to keep it in there before having to revert to memory. This was an 11/10. This was freaking 3 thumbs up. If you're in Nova Scotia reading this, this steak is worth the trip to Chicago. (Maybe not. Please don't blame me if you actually come here, order the steak, and actually say, seriously, to yourself "I don't know - I mean, the steak's good and all, but with the price of oil being what it is currently, that was one expensive plane ticket.")

My fingers hurt. Go to Osteria Via Stato. Just - shhhhhh - just go.

Roman Abramovich

Well, I had this great idea all set up to give you loyal readers a wonderful story including both original topics for this blog (architecture and football), but tonight in doing research for it, I have found out it's actually false. Anyway, I'll do a similar story. If you want to take a look at some info on the ORIGINAL story, please check out La Leopolda, the most expensive house ever to be bought in the history of expensive houses. It was originally built for a mistress of a king of Belgium, and covers upwards of 20 acres. I mean, personally, if you're looking for scenic views and European charm, look no further.

Anyway, in researching this indiscretion, I ended finding some pretty sweet junk on Roman Abramovich, the one believed to be the unnamed Russion Billionaire who bought La Leopolda. For those of you who don't know him, Roman Abramovich is the son of an oil magnate in Russia, who, at the fall of the communist empire, requipped all of his previously-goverment-owned company's wealth and since has been known as the world's 12-richest man. Also known as the owner of Chelsea Football Club and hence, the real-life incarnation of Doctor Evil. Please first grab the nearest bucket in case you feel the urge to blow chunks, and see below for a list of his exploits.

1) Francis Bacon's Tryptich, Bacon's most prized painting, bought for $86m.

2) at least four houses, ranging from $20m - $250m, the latest being the largest, most expensive new single-family home in Great Britain.

3) Chelsea Football Club, bought for 150M Pounds in 2003.
4) His fleet of yachts, the crown jewel being the 100M Pound, 400-foot Perolus, with a staff of forty, two helipads, a disco, and a half-indoor, half-outdoor pool.

5) Two submarines

6) $23.5 BILLION

Look, you can't blame the guy for being in the lucky position he was in, being handed billions and billions of dollars from you parents who, after serving the evil empire for so long, profited greatly at other peoples' expense. No, you can't blame him for that - but you can blame him for buying CHELSEA. [shudder]

Premiership 2008-2009 Preview

With only a couple days to go before the Barclay's Premier League kicks off, things are really starting to get exciting. I know, I know - all you can think about right now is the Olympics and Brett Favre, right? Well, at least that's all the American media can think about. But fear not, wise reader - you've entered a nice Favre-free zone. Just sit back, relax and start readin'.
Norman Hubbard of soccernet.com just put out a great little rhetorical question list to get our minds crankin' prior to the season. He issued 10 very important questions for the league - and I will do my best to answer each of them as my season preview.

Is Samir Nasri really the new Zidane?
I hate questions like this. Of course not. I see Nasri as a Charles N'Zogbia type. The kid can run and run and juke and juke and has some brilliant pace and skill on the ball. He just needs to learn how to score. What's that you say? Arsenal is full of great players on the ball who need to learn how to score? Yeah, I agree with you. Which is why Arsenal won't get any further towards winning the Premiership this season as they did last season.

Is Jose Bosingwa finally the answer to Chelsea's full-back difficulties?
To be honest, yes. Just look at this defensive line: Bosingwa, arguably the best young Portugese defender, John Terry, arguably the best English defender, Carvalho, arguably the best overall Portugese defender, and Ashley Cole....who's also pretty good. Adding Deco to their midfield (for 7m!) and keeping Drogba makes a VERY promising, economical offseason. I choose Chelsea for the pre-season favorite for the Premier League champions.

Will Robbie Keane form the best strike partnership in the Premier League with Fernando Torres?
I'm assuming he meant BESIDES Obafemi Martins and Michael Owen. But besides this obvious omission, I would have to agree that they are. Fernando Torres is obvious. He's the most exciting striker in the league, setting it COMPLETELY en fuego last season. But he's small-framed, and plays mostly on the ground. Robbie Keane, as much as I dislike the guy, is more like Superman. He is quick, he gets stuck in, not afraid to hit or be hit, and he can go up in the air. Not incredibly successful in the air, but can certainly compete with some of the best. If Crouch would have been used more effectively by Rafa, this move would have been a reduction in effectivity. But since Rafa didn't, I believe this will, in the end, make Liverpool a better team. But we all know their midfield, defense, and crazy, crazy manager will spoil things for them, and they'll finish at the MOST 3rd again this season.

Can Andrea Dossena end Liverpool's left-back problem?
The good news? The guy's Italian. Italian defenders are probably the biggest reason why the game of football has such a bad name for diving...they've been historically so GOOD, they drove Italian strikers to start diving to create dead ball opportunities. So it's a good move to bring an Italian defender in the squad.
The bad news? He's Italian. Not Spanish. And we all know Rafa's dependence on Spanish talent. Arvalo Arbeloa? Fabio Aurelio? Are these guys honestly better than Riise? Well, maybe, but you get my point.

Can Jo change the fortunes of Manchester City forwards?
Jo is a great capture for City. They're lack of striking ability in the past 5 or more years is glaringly obvious and getting the most exciting, under-20 year old Brazilian striker - how can you beat that? It's a shame the club will be disbanded by Christmas.

Will Fabricio Coloccini give Newcastle defenders a bad name?
BOOOOYAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!!! FabriZio Coloccini could be, if all goes correctly, the best signing by Newcastle since Sir Alan Shearer. Their past failures to secure a good center of defense is well known and often-times hilarious. But this Argentinian, linking up with another fellow Argeninian (and fellow brilliant Keegan signing) Gutierrez, will immensely help that tarnished reputation. Have Newcastle done enough this offseason to truly turn their fortunes around? No, not yet. Are they starting to show promise that they're making all the necessary adjustments to change them from a laughing stock on many levels to a true, consistent competitor in Europe? You bet. Maybe not this season. (Okay, fine. Definitely not this season.) But in two or three - we'll be there.

Can Paul Robinson become England's No. 1 again?
I love Robbo. He's freaking HILARIOUS. I wish Robinson and Titus Bramble could somehow get on the same team because I would buy a season ticket and fly over there EVERY WEEKEND just to get my jollies off it. HAHAHAHAAAAAHHAHAAAAHAHAHAA!!!
No, he can't. I mean, the ONLY reason he could is because England is full of mediocre-at-best keepers, but come on. It's freaking Paul Robinson.

Will Peter Crouch prove a long-term signing for Portsmouth?
Hells yes. Anybody who knows me knows I love Peter Crouch and was gutted when NUFC didn't get him. And as much as I dislike 'Arry as a person and public figure, he's not an idiot. He's actually one of the most intelligent managers in the English game. So yeah, I think he'll keep him for a while. It'll be really interesting to see Crouchy and Defoe next to each other. The two England strikers have been criticised for so long, so how will they do on the same line, in a league that boasts some of the most prolific international strikers in the world?

Does Valon Behrami mark a change of policy at West Ham?
I mean - yeah, West Ham has brought in more international players. Yeah, Behrami for 5mil is fantastic business. But here's the thing - THEY LOST NOLBERTO SOLANO!! Just ask Newcastle - when you lose Nobby, you have to find a new way to win. West Ham is West Ham is West Ham. Booooorrrriiiiinnnnggggggg

Can Luka Modric and Deco make the playmaker essential in the Premier League?
Luka Modric? Nope. He's too small and frail. He's already injured for H's sake. I'm not bitter - I'm glad Spurs swiped him out from under Newcastle's nose this offseason. I thought so at the time, and I still do - Arda Turan is a MUCH better, more promising, more penetrating playmaking central midfielder. Deco, on the other hand, was a fantastic pickup for Chelsea, and the only question will be whether he can play with Lampard. We all know that Gerrard can't. But Deco and Gerrard are very different players. I would love it, LOVE IT if the playmaker became more essential in the Premier League.

And finally, what you've all been waiting for (especially Brett) my full prediction for the Premier League this season.

1. Chelsea
2. Manchester United
3. Liverpool
4. Arsenal
5. Everton
6. Tottenham
7. Portsmouth
8. Aston Villa
9. Newcastle
10. Fulham
11. West Ham
12. Middlesbrough
13. Sunderland
14. Blackburn
15. Wigan
16. Bolton
17. West Brom
18. Stoke City
19. Hull City
Liquidation: Manchester City

Les Nomades and Impending Doom

That ol' time of the year has rolled through again - the illustrious wedding anniversary. Mrs. Architecturefoodballandfood and I have been ceremoniously tied via two small metallic loops around the fourth digit on our respective left hands for four whole years now. That's 1,461 days (don't forget that leap day). That's a long time. So I was more than happy to drop a nice dime for something that we both truly enjoy - going out to a fine dining establishment for an evening meal.

Up until this point, we had gone for a different cuisine every year, but this year I said "Screw it." Year 1: Sushi. Year2: Steak. Year 3: French. Year 4: Screw it: French again. But this year we went classical french, to a LOVELY little place a block east of Michigan on Ontario called Les Nomades.

I'm not sure how it got the name, but doesn't quite seem to fit because when you walk into the intimate and very personal ground level dining room, it feels like it's been there for longer than I've been around. The owner greated us at the door when we got there and immediately I felt like I was wanted and expected, and they were truly happy to see us. When I said our name and reservation time, she looked at me as if to say "of course I know it's you, silly. We've got your usual table set up right over here."

They led us to a corner table, and did the usual act of pulling out the table for both of us so we can easily slip in. The cool thing about the seating was that all the benches were apholstered on the seats, but the backs were open slat wood. But loose pillows were scattered about so you could lean up against it. Again - like you were back at your really cool, rich, French grandma's house. The weird thing about the seating was that we, coincidentally, were seated next to a rather peculiar group of three - two women and a man - all ages combined must have been over 200 years, and all net worth combined must have been well over $200 million. I only heard the man, a rather portly old fellow, who looked like he had been wearing that same suit and tie for the past 30 years to perfection while whipping the little people into place, say about three words the entire meal. One woman was also very quiet and easily interrupted by the other woman, who looked like she could have been the sister of the first woman. But this one clearly got the vocal gene in the family, as she could NOT be stopped from blathering at the mouth over everything. I now know her family history, how the father of her children was, in fact, a good father, when he was around, her acceptance of our country's dependence on foreign oil, her love of soft, strong cheese, and surprise at the recent return to strength of the stock market after a recent drop in the price of oil. I'm honestly not one to pry (more than any of you) - anyone in the restaurant will now know just as much as I do about this woman. She's just a loud talker. Very, very loud.

Anyway - the food. It's a prix-fixe place, so you can either choose 4 or 5 courses. We went with the 4 and were happy because we were VERY close to being full full full at the end. You get to choose from a list for each course, and the courses were: Plats Premiers, Deuxieme, Les Poissons or Les Viandes et Les Volailles, and Les Fromages et Les Desserts.

For my Plat Premier, I chose the roasted sweetbreads with Spanish chorizo, smoked paprika and potato(pictured). This was the heaviest of all the choices. I chose this because I had read some internet reviews about this dish, and having never actually tasted sweetbreads before, all I knew of them was that they are glands - these being of beef - situated near the throat or heart. They're also used in pate - these were deep fried and I'll tell you - they were increable. (That's pronounced in-cray-AH-blay)(HA!) very crunchy and golden on the outside, and chewy and warm on the inside - similar to eating deep fried fat, but with a bit more substance.

For my Deuxieme I had the warm asparagus salad, crispy poached egg, frisee, mache, parmesan cheese and truffle. Again, the heaviest possible choise. Again, a home run. The crispy poached egg was like nothing I'd ever tried before- almost like a panko-ish exterior, and the poaching was perfect. As soon as I broke into the yolk, it dribbled all over the dressing and made a new concoction which was somewhere in between an angeoplasty and lighter than air. But I don't quite know where, exactly. It was bold and delicate simultaneously.

For my "les viandes" meaning "meat," I had the Roasted Venison loin, kabocha squash, brussels sprouts, juniper and sherry brown butter sauce. Guess what? It was the heaviest of the choices. It was mainly a very medium-done venison loin surrounded by little bits of veg and dressings. The venison tasted like a very, very lean cut of beef, but the flavor just jumped out as soon as it hit my tongue. It was my first time with venison, and I intend on having it again.

For my desert, I took my staple, the flourless chocolate cake with liquid ganache center and vanilla ice cream, with, of course, a regular coffee. (I've been on this regular coffee kick - I haven't ordered espresso in ages.) And maybe it's because I've had so many of this exact same desert throughout the country that I can now call myself an expert on it - but this was my least favorite part of the meal. I really loved the homemade vanilla ice cream, but the cake was very crumbly, dry, and there was little textural variation within the cake - it was just dry......then liquid. No seeping, no conversation between the two. Mrs. Architecturefootballandfood went with the restaurant's famous souffle - with Grand Marnier. This was my suggestion to her, and as usual, when I get a poor plate, she always manages to get the best. She loved it - it looked spectacular, and very few dishes can beat a great souffle. So kudos to her. (Jealously)

So obviously I loved this place - obviously the food is unparalleled to any french place I've been to in this city. The only french food that I've had that's beaten this was Jean George in NYC - known as one of the top 10 restaurants in the world. So no hard feelings there at all. But where this place really stood out was the atmosphere - no frills, not trying to be new or different - just GREAT. And that's a quality that's missing in more and more establishments these days - not just dining establishments, either. Les Nomades exudes quality - rather than surprise or obvious wit - in every detail.

Now my fingers are tired, but I already wrote the title to this post, so I certainly can't go back now. Onward with the impending doom part. Of course, I'm referring to my Newcastle United. We're now just 10 days away from the first match of the season, against Manchester United, and about three weeks away from the end of the transfer window. While every day that goes by my excitement for the start of the new Premier League season grows and grows, I can't help but thinking that we're going into this season like a fourth-grader who decided to stay out two extra hours playing tag in the schoolyard rather than studying for the spelling test. Sure - I MIGHT get a perfect score - there's only 26 letters in the alphabet right? There's a chance. But will it happen? Even the kid knows - of course not. I feel frighteningly unprepared for this new season - even though we've made a few key, and I believe genious, personnel appointments.

First was Jonas Gutierrez from Argentina. He's a quick winger, and in his couple preseason matches, has shown he's a devil with the ball at his feat. The other thing is that this guy just WONT STOP RUNNING. He's got heart and soul - something that too many Newcastle players lack, and I think the fans will absolutely adore him and he'll help our team immensely. The next aquisition was young Danny Guthrie, who's come on and already scored two goals and set up a couple more. He was supposed to be a squad player for us, but is showing just how woeful our current midfield is by easily earning a spot in the starting XI. Will he get it? Doubtful. But he certainly deserves it over the jailbird, Joey Barton, and maybe even over the ageless Nicky Butt. The third signing isn't even completed yet, so knowing my club's history with this business, I hesitate to even bring him up. But Fabrizio Coloccini will make a FANTASTIC aquisition to the squad - assuming he adjusts to the speed of the game. He's a big, terribly strong central defender, someone with intelligence and experience, something we've DESPERATELY needed for the longest time. But Newcastle has a way of making great talent look laughable on the back line - so we'll just have to see how this guy copes. I hope to God it works out. And from where I sit, that's all I really can do.

A couple more signings before the end of the window would be nice - there have been many, many rumours. I stand firm on my belief Sebastian Larsson would be a perfect player for us, and while I seriously doubt he'd break his brand new contract extension, Bafetimbi Gomis would be my personal choice for a big, strong striker to take the place of Viduka once he reveals he's having season-ending ankle surgery in the second week of the season, probably.