SENIOR Newcastle United officials have been quick to express their unhappiness at the way certain national media organisations reported Asamoah Gyan's surprise loan move from Sunderland to Al-Ain last weekend.

On the whole, reports tended to focus on the lucrative financial side to the deal, with Sunderland receiving around £6m as a loan fee, rather than the departure of a club-record signing after the domestic transfer window had closed.

The Insider is aware that Newcastle officials have drawn parallels between Gyan's move and the exit of Andy Carroll from their club on January transfer deadline-day.

Then as now, they claim, an unhappy player effectively demanded a move, with their club receiving a sizeable amount of money they were unable to invest in the same transfer window.

Yet while Newcastle were roundly condemned for selling Carroll, and have subsequently been hounded about the £35m they banked nine months ago, there is a feeling that Sunderland have been treated with kid gloves.

Expect the Newcastle hierarchy to make rather louder mutterings if there are no questions about what will happen to Sunderland's £6m in January.

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THERE were a number of high-profile guests as QPR's new owner Tony Fernandes celebrated the start of a new era when Newcastle visited Loftus Road on Monday.

Formula One drivers Heikki Kovalainen and Jarno Trulli were in west London, along with National Hunt jockey and reigning Sports Personality of the Year Tony McCoy.

However, pride of place in the posh seats went to Sky Sports News presenter Jim White, the self-styled star of the channel's transfer-deadline day coverage.

This year's deadline day featured a succession of exclusives from QPR, with White regularly praising the club for their aggressive transfer policy.

As a supposedly impartial presenter, surely the two things can't be connected?

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WITH Newcastle Falcons having sold off a number of their internationals in recent years, the North-East's involvement in the Rugby World Cup is limited.

Euan Murray packed down for Scotland against Georgia on Wednesday, while flanker Taiasina Tu'ifua has been representing Samoa. But perhaps the region's most high-profile figure in New Zealand will turn out to be Ashington-born referee Dave Pearson.

Pearson received extensive praise for his handling of Thursday's potentially explosive clash between the United States and Russia, and is being hotly tipped for a leading role in the knock-out stages.

Much will depend on how England do, but the Insider understands a quarter-final or even semi-final appointment in on the cards.

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THE countdown to next year's Olympics is well underway, and the North-East's involvement continues to ratchet up.

The Colombian boxing squad jetted into the region on Thursday and trained alongside local youngsters at Gateshead College's Academy of Sport, which is based at Gateshead International Stadium.

The Colombians will use Gateshead as their pre-Olympic training camp and are basing themselves in the town as they prepare for the World Amateur Boxing Championships in Azerbaijan at the end of this month.

The World Championships are one of the main qualification events for next year's Olympic Games, and Colombia will send a team of seven boxers and two trainers.