Barnsley Take Two

As Barnsley take two points from United its a far cry from last season where a draw would have given us some comfort in the fact we weren't beaten, however after 7 straight wins in the championship united fans may indeed feel a little upset as our run of wins comes to an end. We did lead the game twice but both times Barnsley hit back with goals from Hallfredsson 52, Hassell 87. The united faithfull took over 7,000 fans to Oakwell giving them there best gate this season and probably there cup final. Nolan back after suspention carried on where he left off by slotting the ball home after 6mins to give us the advantage and his 10th goal this season and that was about it for first half action. Early in the second Barsley grabbed one back after persistant attacks by throwing what they could into the box. Pancrate and Carroll both missed good chances in the second half and both wingers looked knee deep in shit all day. Style of play was direct from Steven Taylor to Andy Carroll though the United fans did get something to cheer as Harewood grabbed another goal with 12 minutes remaining on the clock only for Barnsley to grab an equaliser 3 mins from time. A fair score at 2-2 keeps us top of the pile and 8 points clear till at least Monday evening when West Brom play QPR.

No Silver Lining For Sky Blues

Newcastle snatched all 3points and a seventh straight victory at the Rioch Arena on a night to forget. The home side as poor as us did hit the woodwork twice but it was due to the united Goalkeeper keeping another clean sheet. Pancreat Made his first full debut and looked good in the first half while Ameobi returned to the side with another goal to make it his 6th of the campaign so far. The Second half United held out for the first 20 minutes as Coventry came at us but it was United who found the net again, again another bit of class on a miserable evening Nile Ranger put his first goal in for the toon who had a strong following of around 3000 on Wednesday night in the midlands. Next up Barnsley away 3pm KO.

No Sting from the Visitors

Newcastle run out 2-0 winners against a decent Watford side at St James' Park and extend the winning run to 6 games. this has not been seen for 13 years and also our home record stays unbeaten.

Magpies Take The Swans

Newcastle ran out 3-0 winners at St James' park on Saturday and pushed further away from the chasing pack bar West brom. Goals from loan player, Harewood and one from Lovenkrands gave us a 3-0 lead at half time but the visitors were unlucky not to have scored as they put Newcastle under pressure in the second half. We held out to record another home win and hopes of a quick return are still alive and well.
A home tie to Watford is up next with Ameobi ready to go.

Preston v Newcastle

Newcastle win a gritty encounter at Preston with a fine strike from none other than top goal scorer Nolan.

After a good first half from the home side United had to improve. the game was looking likely to finish a goalless draw after a few missed chances until the ball fell kindly at the feet of Nolan who swivelled around and found the target,united went 0-1 up and looked the better team in the second half although we did hang on to the 3 points. Another good job on the road saw us climb back onto top spot and 2points clear of West brom who had a good win on Saturday.

Next up is a home game against the swans who are in fine form.

Ameobi could be back for this one although it looks like he will start on the bench. A striker is certainly needed at St James' if we are to carry on like this and get back to the prem. We are lucky we have a player of Nolan's calibre in this division, with 9 goals our top goalscorer has got us quite a few points this season but I feel a fresh face is needed up front and someone with pace and the ability to score 15/20 goals per season. Can you imagine going into the premiership with Ameobi clearly not cut out for the top league and Carrol who has only played regular football in the championship. Well if you cant let me tell you RELEGATION again that's what so January will see the intentions of a certain pretender who watches us from time to time. Whatever happens tho we need to get this so called man out before its too late or before the term yo yo club is used in the same sentence as our great club.

Preston 0-1 Newcastle United

Join the campaign to bring Newcastle Back to the people.

NUST (Newcastle United Supporters Trust)
http://www.nust.org.uk/the-ultimate-protest-confirmation-of-launch-of-the-yes-we-can-campaign


The Guardians Coverage
http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/david-conn-inside-sport-blog/2009/nov/11/newcastleunited-mike-ashley


The Times Coverage
http://timesonline.typepad.com/thegame/2009/11/newcastle-fans-launch-takeover-campaign.html

Yes We Can

NUST Launch Day:"The Ultimate Protest"
"Yes We Can"

Tuesday 9th November sees the launch of the Newcastle United Supporters Trust (NUST) an attempt to buy the club.

Further details of the "Yes We Can" campaign can be found at www.nust.org.uk the - they have released the following statement.


Today the Newcastle United Supporters Trust formally launches an ambitious bid to take back our football club. We need supporters like Yourself to back a supporter takeover.

There are a number of ways to invest in the club and after discussions with serious Newcastle-based investors we believe that the time is right for the fans to lead the charge and reclaim their football club.

The investment is backed by a local consortium of companies advising the Trust, and we've made sure that any investment is safe and guaranteed to be returned to you if the bid fails.

The "Yes We Can" campaign will run for 6 weeks, and we have a financial target which we are not announcing yet, as we want to negotiate from a position of strength with Mike Ashley.

The fans can lead the way where others have failed - by standing together and investing together - we can make our club the shining beacon of honesty and integrity and bring the city together to save our club from the current regime, its mistakes and its calculated snubs.

When Derek Llambias said the fans could not buy the club - we said YES WE CAN - and now we aim to prove it with your support.

Newcastle United Supporters Trust on Behalf of the City of Newcastle and Geordies everywhere.

Newcastle v Peterborough

Newcastle united saw another day of protests for the latest off field decisions made by the remaining Cockney mafia. The atmosphere was good however and the crowd got behind the team and were repaid with a golden moment just 15 minutes into the game. Gutierrez got the ball on the halfway line and took the ball on a mazy run until dispatching it in the back of the net for what was his first competitive goal for Newcastle Utd. Soon after young Andy Carrol had flicked a cross into the net to give the Posh an uphill struggle. With ST JAMES' PARK buzzing Newcastle went further ahead in the second half with another first goal, this time from Danny Simpson in the 52 minute. After going 3-0 up Newcastle should have gone on to embarrass the Posh but instead it was them who found the net, only one however and the game finished at 3-1.

With fans happy butt still reeling from the stadium name conversion the team once again put in a good shift and collected the points to see us take the lead at the top of the Championship table by 2 points (33) above West Brom (31) and a gap is now emerging above the playoff positions who all sit on 27.

pic sourced from http://www.skysports.com/football/match_report/0,19764,11065_3150031,00.html

Sheffield United v Newcastle United

Newcastle earned a massive three points last night while not really impressing the Geordie fans who travelled down to Sheffield. The game was pretty dismal and the blades did there job quit well by trying to stop any play by Newcastle Towards the end Sheffield United could have got the goal they were looking for as United sat back and invited Sheffield forward time and time again despite having three forwards on the pitch. I for one did not enjoy but expect more games like this in this division. I would love to see great football but at this moment in time promotion is the only issue for Newcastle, so three point from an terrible game is acceptable at this time.

Andy Carrol put in a good shift last night, he was facing Morgan who is a experienced and tough character. He should have had a penalty as Morgan hauled Carrol down but the ref who had his head up his own arse the whole game and gave the foul the other way.

Steve Harper also saved us from losing the points by making a couple of great saves, but the two centre half's didn't look very comfortable throughout the match. Steven Taylor ans Ameobi are being missed by the team so the sooner we get them back the better. Gutierrez another candidate for the chop made too many mistakes again last night so i hope we get rid asap.

Newcastle United Radio Talk In

Dont forget to tune into Steve wraiths radio talk in tomorrow with plenty more Newcastle United news to discuss. http://www.facebook.com/toontalklive the show is from 6pm-8 pm monday nights only.

Change to this weeks normal show:
Steve Wraith TOON TALK THIS TUESDAY!!!! 6pm -8pm....PASS ON TO ALL TOON FANS PLEASETOON TALK TUESDAY 3rd NOVEMBER 6-8pm
Location:THE WORLDWIDE WEB
Time:6:00PM Tuesday, November 3rd

St James' Park or TKMAX Stadium

Just when you think things can't get worse, Ashley does not disappoint. What is going on in this mans head; I don't know and will never know. Now after waiting patiently all these months for Mr Ashley and his buddy lamearse to clear out and sell up, he announces he will be staying in the Toon and has placed Hughton as manager. Hardened Newcastle fans (actually all Newcastle fans are hardened from years of shite and and underachieving) probably came to terms with this situation months ago long before the season kicked off but he has been trying to con us for too long and now the announcement of the St James' naming rights auction is just the final straw -the last twist of the knife or is it?

St James' has been home to football since 1880 and now some fat tart from the south wants to make back some cash that he lost from his terrible decisions by selling the rights to name St James' Park.

Is he a Mackem who wants to destroy NUFC or is he getting his revenge for the protests and songs aimed at ousting him? He has certainly proved it's difficult removing shit from a seat as he still lingers around St James' Park. Has he been advised by Denis Wise or some other tool? God knows . How can this man with all his wealth not see that St James' Park and the football team that plays there (or sometimes plays there) affects so many people in the North East, he must know what would be the reaction to this and that's probably why he has done it. I mean why does he care, we will never take him back in the away end again. He is hated in the city and he has lost money. He would sell his granny to get his money back. The man is still worth a fortune and is worried about a few million he lost as the owner of Newcastle United.

"He would sell his granny to get his money back"

What is the ground to be called if he does sell the rights? TKMAXX stadium? He has played yet another hand no one could predict and that's because he is the only person capable of making stupid decisions again and again and again and again...

We must stand up to this impostor and rid ourselves of his evil ways if we want to walk with pride wearing the black and white stripes. We must hit him where it hurts, in his pocket as that's the only language he understands whereas our language is football and right now it's getting worse all the time. Please go to this link http://www.nust.org.uk/rename-petition and sign the petition to save St James' Park. We must start thinking about the protests we had when Keegan left and start them again as its the only way to get rid of the idiots in charge.

Please leave comments below and any suggestions on how we as Newcastle fans or any football fans can rid ourselves of this lumbering fool of a man.

The circus continues

So after months and months of would-be and could-be new owners and managers, Newcastle United are still manager-less and run by a couple of prats who know only how to ruin a club and piss off the most loyal fans in the country. Now the latest news to hit the streets is of the manager's job being offered to Chris Hughton. Not that I have anything against Chris Hughton, quite the contrary, but as a Newcastle fan I always look to the future. It's a shame our owners don't.

Chris Hughton has done a remarkable job given the circumstances of his position; caretaker manager with an owner who wants to sell club and players. The club would have shifted Hughton if he was out of contract. That's why he got the position - nothing to do with his footballing ability. Tightpants Ashley did say giving Shearer the job was the best thing he did at Newcastle, however Houghton had taken over before, whilst in a dire position, and played Man U, Arsenal & Chelsea. Although we didn't get anything out of these fixtures we played some good football and took the game to these top 4 clubs; something that we haven't seen at Newcastle for a long time.

For the present Hughton is well placed but if we do want to get back to anywhere near where we used to be, we need a manager of a different class. Hughton has done fantastic considering players sold by Ashley and only a few loan signings brought in.

What message does this send out to the fans? Does Cashley want to stay or does nobody want to buy at the asking price? Maybe he is trying to scare people into buying a dying unrealised giant of English football. The longer we go without the right man in charge and with Ashley at the helm, the closer we are to oblivion. The last few games have been rocky as we have been beaten by Forest and Scunthorpe; this is bound to happen though in the Championship. You can't go all season without losing when you support the Toon.

"The longer we go without the right man in charge and with ashley at the helm, the closer we are to oblivion"

But things must change soon and for the future, imagine if Hughton gets the job and leads us back to the Premiership? I imagine another Glen Roeder scenario, i.e. where he does well and we feel he should be given a chance even though deep down we know he is not up to it or not ready for the challenge. Why not get the right manager in place now and build? Why? Because Fat Rash still wants out and Hughton would be the easy choice again less money paid out in contract payments etc. He only cares about how much money he can claw back from the disastrous few years on Tyne side. Will he be spending money in January to give the team a lift and a better chance of promotion? If he does I can guarantee it will be loan players again whether with Houghton as manager or not. The cheapest solution is the one for the fat boy from the South and this will continue for the near future. Meanwhile Newcastle slips further into the coma that labelled them the sleeping giants not that long ago. The best we can hope for now is a return to the Premiership and following that, survival. We won't be the club Keegan had but just another club to make up the numbers.

We need a chairman /owner to come in with a good manager and have a crack at playing football and get the fans back in the stadium so we can put this living nightmare to rest. Ashley is not welcome nor has he been for some time but he still persists like that turd that never flushes

Pic sourced from, King Features Syndicate

Who gets the Newcastle job

Chris Hughton quotes, Monday:

"I am honoured to be offered the job (of full time Newcastle manager), we are still in negotiations, it is something we hope will get resolved.
"I've always felt that the manager's situation was an issue, but not the most important one. Getting results has been the most important thing.
"Once we have got Scunthorpe and Doncaster out of the way, we will have discussions with Derek Llambias.
"It will involve moving from caretaker to manager on a full-time basis. They have indicated to me that they want to turn it from a temporary role to a permanent one.“For myself really it’s recognition of the job I have done and the club feel it only right and fitting that somebody who has done the job I have done for the period I have is recognised that way.”
“The decisions on which players to bring in have been my decisions. I have been backed with the players I have wanted to bring in.”

Words to wise

Wise words from The Mirror's Simon Bird


I'd love to see Dennis Wise return to management and get just what he deserves.
Dennis Wise fears his managerial career may have been wrecked by his experience at Newcastle.
Let’s hope not.
I’d love to see Dirty Den back in a job.
I hope he lands a chairman who then decides to appoint a Director of Football above his head, and deliberately misleads fans about the scope of his role as a “public relations exercise.”
I hope Wisey then draws up a list of transfer targets that are ignored.
I hope he argues his case, and is treated with disrespect and disdain, by a bunch of cronies who are supposed to be the club’s crack transfer delivery team.
I hope Wisey is then told to sign a little known South American player that he doesn’t want, and has never heard of.
In the ensuing row, I hope Wisey’s told to check the player out on YouTube.
I hope he is told that the decision is out of his hands because instead of signing players for playing reasons (an old fashioned concept I know) this deal is for “commercial reasons“ as a “favour“ to some agent pals.I hope Dennis then feels the need to quit, because his working conditions are impossible, being asked to manage players he didn’t want to sign.
And then I’d then love to see him keep quiet, with the sort of dignity Kevin Keegan did for 15 months, before the full grubby truth of the shambles emerged in a court room.

Earlier Dennis wise spoke about his time at Newcastle on sky sports news who seem to be holding his and rashleys hand on this matter.

Wise claimed that a settlement offer was made to KK before the tribunal:

"There was an offer put in by Mike I believe, and it was probably more than what Kevin got.....to settle it, yes....for more than the two million yes.
"So one of them must be lying, unless Keegan was offered somewhere between £2m and £4m and Wise is dealing in semantics. Given that the club openly admitted they twist the truth as an "exercise in public relations" then Wise's version of events seems to lose credibility.
He also reinforced the line about the inflated sums that KK's legal team had gone looking for:
"Mike was worried....when someone is suing you for £26m...
"And the A word almost inevitably made an appearance when Wise was asked what would have happened to his former employers had KK received a larger award:
"Maybe administration"
As for his own relations with KK, Wise ventured that:
"It was a difficult situation."
Wise also confirming that Ashley sacked him when Alan Shearer was brought in as Newcastle manager, but still referred to the club owner constantly as "Mike" and appeared ultra-sympathetic to him.
That's hardly the stance of a disgruntled former employee, but there again being paid to pick out signings by watching YouTube is hardly the most taxing of roles....
Wise attempted to downplay the impact of the Nacho Gonzalez deal, claiming that it was for the greater good:
"The long-term idea of the relationship (with two agents) was we were going to get first option on the best South American kids.
"That was important to Newcastle. Mike knew everything about it. He was fine with it. Every deal that went through the football club he knew. It's his money and no one else's. It was all done the right way.
"When Wise was asked for his opinion of what Mike Ashley's next move at SJP would be:
"I think he will hold onto the club until they are promoted. I think they'll go up this year, I genuinely hope they do, then Mike will take a decision next summer.
"So, still no mention of the other signings of interest that took place, such as Xisco and Fabio Zamblera - or indeed why the list of transfer targets KK prepared including the likes of Bastian Schweinsteiger wasn't acted upon.

We also wonder whether this was a grammatical or a Freudian slip from Wise:

"The club never paid any money to no agent."
After Sky's coverage of the tribunal verdict when they appeared to do little more than push the club line, their cozy chats with Wise look to be more of the same thing.

It's little wonder that the club feel no need to comment on the matter, when others are happy to do it for them.

From nufc.com

NUFC Toon Talk with Steve Wraith

Monday 6pm-8pm (gmt) you can listen to a NUFC talk show by Steve Wraith, a Newcastle United fan. The show is for Newcastle United fans world wide & has now been running about two months. It is a valuable radio for those exiled from the north east. It helps us keep in touch and gives you an opportunity to voice an opinion about Newcastle United related issues. Steve is doing a great job and is worth a listen for any Geordie home or away. If you want to listen it's only on Monday evenings but you can also download missed shows on itunes so you're never going to miss a trick and all you have to do is follow the link below.
http://www.facebook.com/toontalklive

Bristol City (h)

The first 0-0 draw for Newcastle came at the weekend against a hardy if not lucky Bristol City team led by Gary Johnson. Newcastle had plenty of opportunities to win the game however the stand in goalie Dean Gerken made a string of blinding saves while the woodwork came into City's defence on a number of occasions. The late call for a penalty seemed a cert but the referee was the only man in the ground not to see it, even the City manager thought it was a penalty. A point is better than nothing though and we still sit on top of the championship with a 3 point lead.

Chris Hughton who has won consecutive Manager of the Month awards now thought we should have collected the 3 points and was disappointed with the result but he was very happy with the team performance. If we carry on playing the kind of football we are playing then it's only a matter of time before we are celebrating our return to the top. It's easy to get carried away though at this stage and to hold on to the top spot for the whole season will be a decent but expected achievement.

Over 43,000 watched the 0-0 draw and about 3000 travelled up from Bristol to help them on.
Marlon Harewood, Peter Lovenkrands and Jonas Gutierrez all started the game after a few reshuffles and it was the former who seemed in the mood to score after only 8 minutes when he struck the post. It was a long afternoon for the City fans who had to put up with a barrage of toon attacks but in the end they came out of St James' with the widest grin.

QPR (h)

Marlon Harewood rescued a point for Newcastle. We went down 0-1 in the first 10 minutes and never looked threatening in the first half and Guthrie missed a penalty and a glorious chance to grab a goal in the second half to make up for the missed pen. At half time Hughton changed thing round with but going off and Gutierrez coming on to give a little width. But it was the substitution of Nile off for Harewood that got the manager off his seat as he grabbed the equaliser and a point for us. It is Marlon's first goal for the Toon and his first game at St James' it assures we keep an unbeaten record at home this season and only one loss in 10. The point means we go 3 points clear of West Brom who lie in second place just above Preston (3rd).

Next up another home game to Bristol City this time.

Newcastle Utd 1-1 QPR

TV & Radio

NEWCASTLE V QPR 30/09/09

TV -None

Overseas TV-None

Radio-5 live Sports Extra channel 7:45pm.

Ipswich (a)

A 0-4 hammering of Ipswich left them and boss Roy Keane in a very perilous condition after only 9 games gone this season. Newcastle eased to a 0-3 lead before half time and cruised through the second half with another goal for Nolan to give him his first professional hat-trick and a second for Newcastle this season. Ryan Taylor got the other goal from a free kick reminiscent of goals he scored for Wigan against us last season.

The away following was superb and chants for Mike assley to take a hike were heard all throughout the game as he was in attendance, while keano chants for the former Makem were also heard regularly.

The young lad Nile Ranger was excellent up front and was unlucky not to get his first goal in the first team. Nile has a good future at Newcastle and will start scoring soon, as he gets into good positions time and time again. Nolan did have the edge today and could have had more, he supported the front two and benefited from two big forwards and deservedly got his first hat-trick. Hughton was able to bring on Marlon Harewood for his Toon debut and he did well for the time he was on and was unlucky not to score with a powerful shot from the edge of the area.

All in all the team played well and kept another clean sheet seven out of nine and back to the top of the championship with QPR heading to St James's on Wednesday night.

The game however had a more poignant mood to it as the two clubs close to Sir Bobby Robson's heart came together we celebrated his life again with his family in attendance. Wreaths were laid before his ever present statue outside the ground, before kick off there was one of his favourite songs sung out on the turf (I'll do it my way) then his wife and sons opened up the renamed Sir Bobby Robson stand behind the goal. A one minutes applause followed with there's only one Bobby Robson chant as the game started. Two months after the death of Sir Bobby people celebrated his life with great passion as it was an emotional occasion for all connected to these clubs. Link below for the pre-match atmosphere

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kcscUA1H648&feature=related

Peterborough

Newcastle united went down to Peterborough 2-0 at London Rd on Tuesday evening, although United played with 10 changes from our wind at home to Plymouth the goals were a little soft and didn't score for the first time this season.
The Carling cup was as always a distraction from what really matters and this season our number one priority without a doubt is to get back in the premiership. The game offered Hughton the chance to give some of the younger lads a chance of first team football at championship level which could prove very useful in this long season.

The game did attract just over 10,000 people and 2,361 of them were Geordie's that says something for a Tuesday night game at Peterborough and in the Carling cup, so the empty seats at st James's are no indication of wavering support. So not a good night for the faithful but a vital exercise for the kids to get another game under there belt.

http://vodpod.com/watch/2227645-peterborough-2-newcastle-0

Harewood joins Mags

Confirmation of Marlon Harewood joining Newcastle doesn't exactly get me excited and its a long long way away from the likes of Ginola and Asprilla joining the club back in the Keegan era. Joining Newcastle United is not the same as it used to be as we now sit in the championship not challenging the premier's elite.

Harewood comes in with not much first team football under his belt and I cant see him scoring too many goals for us in his 3 month deal. As Ameobi is out till November more bodies are needed. Marlon seems to have played his best football back at Forest and West Ham but lets hope he can pick up his form from his Forest years and get amongst the goals.

Bye to sir Bobby

As Newcastle prepare for the carling cup tie away to Peterborough Marlon Harewood is being lined up as a loan signing from Aston Villa.

Newcastle had a comfortable victory at the weekend at home to Plymouth Argyle the midweek loss to Blackpool the United team will have to be at there best if they want to progress to the next round.

The screening of Sir Bobby Robsons memorial was held today.
Screens at SJP and Ipswich town centre to follow Monday's service of remembrance for Sir Bobby Robson at Durham Cathedral.

The service saw former Magpies Shay Given, Gary Speed, Peter Beardsley, Stuart Pearce, Jermaine Jenas, Terry McDermott, Malcolm Macdonald, Frank Clark, Gazza and Alan Shearer.

Sam Allardyce and Jack Charlton also in attended , while Chris Hughton and United's first team and staff were also present.

Past and present England managers Fabio Capello, Graham Taylor, Terry Venables, Steve McClaren, Howard Wilkinson, Peter Taylor and Sven Goran Eriksson while the likes of Terry Butcher, Eric Gates, Steve Bruce, Niall Quinn, Mick McCarthy, Roy Keane and Lawrie McMenemy also attended.

Alex Ferguson, Bobby Charlton, Brian Robson, Gary Lineker, David Seaman, Roy Hodgson, Trevor Brooking, Harry Redknapp, David Moyes and Barcelona boss Pep Guardiola were also among the 1,000 strong congregation.

Picture sourced from www.thenorthernecho.co.uk

Blackpool (A)

Blackpool away was always going to be a realisation for United and the fans not for the result but its the first small club we have visited on our travels this season. Playing in front of less than 10,000 people and the Newcastle section down one side of the pitch and no roof gave us a big slice of reality pie and to top it off we got done 2-1 on the night and on top of all that the ref was a mackem. The two penalty calls for United waved away by the wearsider, one was surely a must with a red card to follow it. Other bad decisions like booking Andy Caroll for his goal celebrations while 5 mins later Bret Ormerod did almost the same celebration after the equaliser and no card.
Its a night to forget as we strive to get premier status back but there will be more nights like this and teams like Blackpool will be difficult to play against with many of them in the league.
I am sure we will bounce back from this with a home game to Plymouth on Saturday.

word on any new takeovers but it now looks like Dyke Ashley is going to stay at Newcastle and try getting us back up so he can sell for an extra £40/50m.

Newcastle have gone into the loan market again with backup in defence with the Blackburn Rovers Defender Zurab Khizanishvili on a massive 3 month loan. He follows in the footsteps of fellow Georgian and Newcastle cult hero temuri Ketsbaia who incidentally just lost his job as Olympiacos first team coach/manager with Zico taking over.

Cardiff Away

In a week that's turned up more rubbish about another possible consortium takeover, a manager of the month, player of the month (Ameobi) and loyalty speeches being thrown around the changing room Newcastle faced a tough test at Cardiff on Sunday afternoon. Led by Geordie boy Chopra he looked as though they meant business before kick off. Newcastle always seem to be undone by ex-mags, well last season anyway. No clear cut chances fell to Newcastle until the goal came in the 18th minute when R Taylor took a cross. Young lad Nile Ranger got on the end of it then Collicini did well to encourage the ball back to Taylor, as he crossed again Collicini got himself into a good position end ended up heading into the back of the net. More wasted chances came from both sides but Newcastle defended well keeping Cardiff out of the box and restricting to free kicks from outside the area. In the last minute Alan Smith who did a fine job clearing up the mess in front of the 2 center half's got himself tangled up for a second yellow, he was sent off with a minute to go and a free kick on the edge of the area resulted. The kick was duly wasted as it had been by the home side on numerous occasions and the celebrations carried on in the away section. So we went home happy with 5 wins 1 draw and none lost.

A good win at Cardiff as Dave Jones has built a strong championship team and one that scores goals. So we have now played 6 matches and sit on top of the league with 16pts and a +8 goal difference, We still don't know whats going on with Mike Rashly and the sale of the club because he does not speak of his intentions in fact he does not speak of anything and only releases rubbish statement which are rubbish or leading us down the garden path. As we have started so well its my belief that he will hold on till next season and try and squeeze a little more money out of a buyer or even hold on to the next transfer window get rid of as many players then and bugger off as soon as an acceptable offer comes in. Lets just hope the players and team management can keep playing well and restore pride in the area and people and you know what, yes the P... word.

Cardiff 0-1 Newcastle

Take Over Bid

Geoff Sheard released a statement today to confirm involvement in a bid to buyout Newcastle United. The statement released states that Mr Sheard is a negotiator for a New York based bidder of a multi-Billion pound business. He quite clearly says he is not the bidder and the money would be coming from the other side of the Atlantic. After a Geordie almost ran us into the ground and a English Billionaire has done the unthinkable on Tyneside an American can hardly do any worse. I for one will be happy for this take over even tho Ive said in the past we should stay locally owned and if not possible stay British owned. Big changes require big money and that's what these people have according to the report released on sky Sports news only minutes ago.

The news comes after the 7 day deadline was set by Mike assley for Newcastle business man Barry Moat. This news will come as a glimmer of light to the hardened supporters of the club. This could be just what the doctor ordered as money is going to be Key in getting back in the premiership and challenging the like of Villa and city for a European place in the near future. Lets hope things start moving quickly now as to give us a chance to get involved in the transfer market and hopefully this news would also perk up the players who are thinking of leaving for pastures new.

Bitter Sweet

As confirmation comes in of Mike Ashley in talks with Barry Moat over the sale of the club other news of Damien duff leaving for Fulham FC wipes the smile off the face of any Newcastle united fan. Although Damien Duffs Newcastle Career never really took of he did suffer from many injuries and he always gave everything. Duff has recently been fit and has shown in his performances. Getting the first Newcastle goal of the season and being one of the only players in the run in to the relegation who showed he could play or that he actually cared.

its sad to see him go as was Beye but we wish them both well at there new clubs Bassong however could not wait to get out of Newcastle to join Spurs and he will not be missed.

The sale of the club To Barry Moat would certainly see Alan shearer be installed as manager but two other interested parties are said to still be in talks to buy Newcastle United

Newcastle v Reading

A crowd of just over 35, 000 saw Newcastle rip apart any fight back reading had in the second half at St James's park in the late kick off on Saturday. Smiles were back on the faces on Newcastle fans for 90 minutes at least while Ameobi put three goals in the back of the net to seal our first three points and take us to dizzying height's in the league table we have not seen for a while. The first half saw chances go begging as Gutierrez got his feet tied up on a couple of occasions to keep reading in the hunt for victory. Reading were passing the ball around but the majority of the play was all black n white. Eventually Ameobi got on the end of a Ryan Taylor cross and find the net to bring us in 1-0 at the break.

the second half saw Ameobi complete his first ever Hat-rick for Newcastle United and didn't he enjoy it. He later dedicated the 3 strikes to his former boss sir Bobby Robson.

The game we won yes and by a good margin but if reading had put one away earlier with one of their many chances it could have been very different. We should be winning these games and we should get back to the premiership asap but with talk of more players leaving its going to be difficult. The 3-0 victory could paper over cracks if we are not careful. We needed these points on Saturday but we also need the players we have at the club. getting rid of them could change things very quickly on the pitch.

Sol cambell

Sol Cambell is thought to be in talks with Newcastle about joining the club, this would be the second player in after Danny Simpson joined on loan until January to bolster up our weakening defence. The news on Cambell comes a little late as we have been after his signature before and it could spell the end for one of our favourite players, Steven Taylor. i would rather have the services of a the youth full defender over his vastly experienced counterpart. Cambell turns 35 in less than 4 weeks but is out of contract therefore his services could well attract the attention of chris Hughton. The other (loan) signing has come in from Manchester United after making only a few appearances for Fergie. He has some championship experience after playing for the Mackems and Ipswich before appearing at St James's for Blackburn Rovers last campaign.

He will come in at right back left open by beye leaving for Aston Villa.

going going.........

Thursday evening saw Newcastle back on sky sports news linking returns for Joe Kinnear and David Ginola. While Arsenal are said to be lining up an £8m bid for Steven Taylor and Fulham going for Damian Duff (£4m). These two players are central to our return to the premiership, even fatash should see that. Without them we have very little chance of any success this season. They are both hard workers and seemed to care about relegation. If the influence of Taylor and Duff is lost then everyone will be leaving. We may be playing with all our kids by the end of the transfer window if we still have any. If they do leave and fatash does not sell I will not be going to any games this season. Every day seems to get gloomier and gloomier even though every day you wake up thinking, hoping that there is some news about a buyer or shearer,but its next week or its Joe Kinnear just about anything but what we want to hear. That has been going on for months now and we the fans are non the wiser but growing more frustrated every day. But still we Newcastle fans keep turning up? How can a football club be run like that. what is central to a football club? No communication from the idiots at the helm but they still want our money, Newcastle fans are being screwed left right and center. How long will this go on and how much more can be said about it.
Any of your thoughts I will publish, so please do leave comments.

The Championship Table

Should I stay or should I go

I have a dilemma on my hands, Newcastle play in the capital on 22nd August. Crystal palace are the home club and its about half an hour from my house. But until fatash gets his fatass out of the Toon I am struggling to see the point. My frustration comes out of my love for the club not the players, chairman or the owner but the club and the people of Newcastle. That's what the club is, its the people of Newcastle and our football team simple as that. So its not a cockneys play thing and its sadly not a Geordie Football club anymore either. We are not united and we never will be, Mike.

so should I stay or should go?

Newcastle v WBA

The first meeting of the new season saw two of Sir bobby Robson's old clubs come together to pay tribute to the great man. A one minute applause followed by emotional singing by both clubs showed there respect and passion for him.

Newcastle put in a decent display at West Brom but came away with only a point. The first half saw Smith put in a committed display while the boat was rocked after Ameobi kicked Harper in the head. Half time and our young second goalie came in between the post and made a handful of competent saves sand surly saving our bacon just like Given used to do week in week out for the last few years. There were some poor performances from Ameobi, Gutierrez and Coliccini but Duff put in a days work for the Toon again. Young Any Carroll was taken off to my surprise as Ameobi lumbered around the pitch doing nothing much and the last few minutes Hughton gave Nial Ranger his first senior start for the club.
When the equaliser came it was duff who got on the end of a Nolan pass but it was the first time I can remember not celebrating a competitive league goal for Newcastle. Shortly after tho my passion was coming back but its still not convinced and its a very long season.

The speculation now is Gutierrez is to leave for Olympiakos. The quicker the better, I would rather see one of the you lads coming through to play instead of both Argentinian players

Hard Going

It's the start of the new season and the feeling is it's going to be a long and hard battle to keep our heads above water. With two more players down and no manager or players in, it's looking like we will be using our young guns this year. The normal excitement of pre-season rolling into the first test of competitive action is just not there, the words worn out and deflated come to mind when I try to reflect feeling towards the campaign ahead.

Its must be very difficult for players like Steven Taylor. As a local lad he wants to do well but players are not wanting to wear the shirt and fans are disillusioned about the whole ownership issue. How do you cope with that? Who knows, by 5pm tonight the excitement may have come back but the sight of the new yellow away kit is hardly going to help now, is it?

For too long now we have been told tomorrow something will happen. Well in my experience tomorrow never comes and that means we are going to be stuck with fat boy for the season. If that's the case then he says he is willing to put £40 into the club. For those of you who were wondering, that's £40m, not £40, although you would be excused for thinking that.

Who did he say that to and why should we believe that, in fact its got to be a load of tripe.

I believe what fat boy Ashley is doing to us is close to murder. Our football club has existed for 117 years and we are slowly being poisoned by the fat southerner.

What lies ahead for us, who knows? I find it harder and harder to follow a club owned by Ashley even if my blood is Black and White. I do hope we win and continue to do so until we are out of the hands of this pretender so we can put our hearts back into our beloved club.

Picture sourced from

http://m.gmgrd.co.uk/

Robert William Robson 1933 - 2009

Robert William Robson 1933 - 2009
A sad day for the world of sport as Bobby Robson passed away early Friday morning.
A great man and manager leaves behind many sad folk but will be remembered with fondness by all who had the pleasure of meeting him or even just knowing him through the TV and sport.
I for one got his autograph from 1988 when he was still in charge of the England team, I was so proud then that I got it and that hasn't changed a bit in 21 years. It read "To Max from one good Geordie to another Bobby Robson"

That says it all, a fighter all his life and a good life by any ones standards, his enthusiasm and energy stuck out a mile above everyone Else's this news although not a surprise has saddened many but only good memories will last.

Leyton Orient v Newcastle not United

There must have been 2ooo Newcastle fans in east London on Saturday the 25th July to watch in horror as we were beaten 6-1 by a 3rd flight English league club. The one goal we got from the game came from the spot and the decision to give us a penalty was a dubious one indeed.

Obafemi Martins milked the challenge in the box and went over like lemming.

Newcastle started with a decent looking line up with maybe question marks only hanging over the two goalies who both played one half of the game and contributed to a good drubbing especially in the 2nd half. The defence though should have helped out our young goalies though but instead at times just stood flat footed and waited for the goals to come rolling in. The over head kick was as much a kick in the teeth as the chants from the home section of "we want six" and they got it. They did not look good and we had lots of possession but we had no Idea of how to play football. Only a couple of individuals actually did ok namely duff and taylor and that's just not good enough even if you don't want to play for Newcastle.

Calls for "Ashley out" and "if you hate Ashley stand up" rang around the ground throughout the match then at the final whistle the majority that stayed to the bitter end booed the team off the pitch and rightly so. What has happened to this onetime great club?

We need a couple of Geordie's back in charge thats what I prescribe its that simple, and Ashley and co should be chained to the tyne bridge till we get back our place in the top of footballs elite.

What another sad sad day for Newcastle fans but one more just around the corner.

IN n OUT

IN
Danny Simpson (Loan signing till January)
Peter Lovenkrands (free agent)
Marlon Harewood (loan till January) LOAN ENDED

Zurab Khizanishvili (Loan till jan) LOAN ENDED
Fabrice Pancrate (contract till 6-2010)
Wayne Routledge (from QPR)
Mike Williamson (from Portsmouth)
Fitz Hall (Loan)
Patrick Van Aanholt (Loan)
Leon Best (from coventry)

OUT
Michael Owen (out of contract)
Mark Viduka (ooc)
Ignacio Gonzalez (ooc)
Claudio Cacapa (ooc)
Peter Lovenkrands (ooc)
D Edgar- Burnley £?
Obafemi Martins £9m Wolfsberg
Sebastian Basong £10+ Spurs
Habib Beye £? to Villa
Damien Duff £? to Fulham
Geremi to Ankaragucu

Loan
fraser Forster Norwich City

Fixtures 2009-2010 & Results

Pre-season friendlies
Sat11-Jul Shamrock Rovers(a) 0-3
Sat18-Jul12.30pm Darlington(a) 2-7
Tue21-Jul Huddersfield Town(a) 0-1
Sun26-Jul1.30pmLeyton Orient(a) 6-1
Wed29-Jul Leeds United(h) 0-0
Sun02-Aug Dundee United(a) 1-1

CHAMPIONSHIP
Sat08-Aug West Brom(a) BBC1 17:30 1-1 Duff 55
Sat15-Aug Reading(h) SKY 17:20 3-0 Ameobi 38,61,75(pen)
Wed19-Aug Sheffield Wed(h) 1-0 Ameobi 15
Sat22-Aug Crystal Palace(a) 0-2 Nolan 2 R Taylor 21
Wed26-Aug Huddersfield Town(h) 4-3 Guthrie 36, Geremi 48, Ameobi 64 pen,Nolan 84.
Mon31-Aug Leicester(h) SKY 19:45 1-0 Guthrie 51
Sun13-Sep Cardiff(a) SKY 2pm 0-1 Collicini 18
Wed16-Sep Blackpool(a) 2-1 Carrol 40
Sat19-Sep Plymouth(h) 3-1 S Taylor 6, Nolan 61, Carrol 84
Tue22-Sept Peterborough(a) 2-0
Sat26-Sep Ipswich(a) BBC2 17:30pm 0-4 Nolan30,32,51 R Taylor34
Wed30-Sep QPR(h) 1-1 Harewood 70
Sat03-Oct Bristol City(h) 0-0
Sat17-Oct Nottingham Forest(a) 1-0
Tue20-Oct Scunthorpe(a) 2-1 Nolan 63
Sat24-Oct Doncaster(h) 2-1 Caroll 67 Nolan 92
Sat31-Oct Sheffield United(a) 0-1 R Taylor
Sat07-Nov Peterborough(h) 3-1 Guttierrez 15 Carrol 18 Simpsom 52
Sat23-Nov Preston(a) 0-1 Nolan 74
Sat28-Nov Swansea(h) 3-0 Harewood 8, 28 lovenkrands
sat05-Dec Watford (h) 2-0 Lovenkrands Pancrate
Tue08-Dec Coventry(a) 0-2 Ameobi 46, Ranger 82
Sat12-Dec Barnsley(a) 2-2 Nolan 6, Harwood 78
Sat19-Dec Middlesbrough(h) 2-0 Harewood 16, Ameobi 59
Sat26-Dec Sheffield Wed(a) 2-2 Nolan 19, Ameobi 22
Wed13 FAcup Plymouth(h) 3-0 Lovenkrands 10,40,72
Mon28-Dec Derby(h) 0-0
Sat09-Jan Reading(a) PP
Sat16-Jan West Brom(h) 2-2 Guthrie 25 Lovenkrands 54
Sat23-Jan FAcup West Brtom(a) 4-2 Carroll 62, 91
Wed27-Jan Crystal Palace(h) 2-0 OG, Ranger 90
Sat30-Jan Leicester(a) 0-0
Sat06-Feb Cardiff(h) 5-1 Carroll 3,15, Lovenkrands 69,82 & OG
Tue09-Feb Derby(a) 3-0
Sat13-Feb Swansea(a)1-1 Carroll 87
Wed17-Feb Coventry(h) 4-1 Routledge 37 Carroll 53 Lovenkrands 70pen R.Taylor 90+2
Sat20-Feb Preston(h) 3-0 Lovenkrands 3 Nolan 55 R.Taylor 90+1
Sat27-Feb Watford(a) 1-2 Coloccini 4 Carroll 50
Sat06-Mar Barnsley(h) 6-1 Lovenkrands 44pen,48,Guthrie 50,69,Gutierrez 60,Nolan 71
Sat13-Mar Middlesbrough(a) 2-2 lovenkrands 16, Carroll 82
Wed17-Mar Scunthorpe(h) 3-0 Carroll 10, 55 Lovenkrands 22
Sat20-Mar Bristol City(a)2-2 Gutierrez 71, Carroll 75
Tue23-Mar Doncaster(a) 0-1 Carroll 59
Mon29th-Mar Nottingham Forest(h) 2-0 Ameobi 71,Enrique 91
Sat03-Apr Peterborough(a) 2-3 Nolan 45, Barton 48, Ameobi 59
Mon05-Apr Sheffield United(h)2-1 Lovenkrands 45(pen), Nolan 73
Sat10-Apr Blackpool(h)4-1 Gutierrez 12, Carroll 36, Nolan 62, Routledge 77
Tue13-Apr Reading(a)1-2 Nolan 20 & 42
Sat17-Apr Plymouth(a) 0-2 Carroll 20, Routledge 28
Sat24-Apr Ipswich(h)
Sun02-May QPR(a)

No News Is Bad News

With so much crap being thrown around by the media about possible buyers, comings and goings you don't know what to believe. I think it best to close down the hatches and wait for something concrete before we start making headlines about this or that.

Hopefully we can get this dreadful mess sorted out before too long as our fans and decent players alike will want out. keep the fingers crossed and pray that someone comes along with money to sort out the mess by bringing in shearer and start building again.

Lets hope that when/if it happens we wont make the same mistakes again.

Obafemi Talk

More talk surfaced Today coming from the agent of Obafemi Martins, he Claims Arsenal are again interested in signing martins while AC Milan are preparing a £15m bid for Adebayo.

He also claims Aston villa fresh from there £12m fee for G Bary want the Nigerian along with Everton who are said to be willing to offer Owen £50,000 a week to ply his trade at Goodison his boyhood club. The more clubs interested the better for us as his price would be better but can we believe any of it. Martins is still injured and needs surgery no club will be taking any risks with the injury prone forward as yet. It would be good to get rid of our big earners and Obafemi has never really got to grips with life at st James's.

Other news has us believe big Sam and Blackburn are chasing Alan Smith.

both players need to be offloaded asap.

Ashley cuts Losses

Mike Ashley Has spoken to the Sunday Times and has admitted defeat.

He claims to have put the club up for sale for £100m. Ashley also says



"It has been catastrophic for everybody. I’ve lost my money and I’ve made terrible decisions. Now I want to sell it as soon as I can . . . advisers will be appointed shortly"



Catastrophic for who? Ashley because he lost money or the fans who lost our club for the last 2 years and now find ourselves in the championship with no manager and a very uncertain future.



When asked about failures and regrets Ashley added



“Of course I regret it. I never said I was an expert in football clubs. I was just a fan – although a very wealthy fan. But I’m not so wealthy now. I put my money into it and I tried my best. But I accept my best was woefully short. I am genuinely sorry for everybody about what has happened.”



On Kinnear

“I personally thought Joe put the club back on the right track. He took it from second bottom to 13th but things went against him,”



I hope we can find a buyer very soon and get on with building a new club asap.

Life in the Championship

These are the grounds we will be visiting next season, each has a link with more information from travel, ticket prices, pies and pubs. You can also visit the site for more information regarding grounds throughout the English Leagues.

http://www.footballgroundguide.com/index.html
Below rght pictures of Scunthorpe
& Peterboroughs grounds.

Barnsley
Blackpool
Bristol City
Cardiff City
Coventry City
Crystal Palace
Derby County
Doncaster Rovers
Ipswich Town
Leicester City
Middlesbrough
Nottingham Forest
Peterborough United
Plymouth Argyle
Preston North End
Queens Park Rangers
Reading
Scunthorpe United
Sheffield United
Sheffield Wednesday
Swansea City
Watford

A New Era

Ever since Graeme Souness took charge of Newcastle United we started on our slippery slide to the Championship. Some players bought by Sir Bobby Robson, who were frankly a disgrace to the club, were also to blame but Souness started the rot. Having stabled the club from the shock of Keegan's 2nd departure in Jan 1997, Robson built a team to at least challenge for a spot in Europe. However not all the fans were behind Sir Bobby and in the end neither was Shepperd.

Robson was then followed by Souness who was brought in to sort out the bad lads.

He lasted 87 games and took us down the table. Shepperd then got Glenn Roeder, who was running the youth academey very successfully, to help out along with Shearer and we picked up form and managed a 7 position finish - enough to see us into Europe. Roeder impressed and was given the job but things went badly wrong although we won the Intertoto cup and gained entry into the Uefa cup, our league form suffered as do most teams who enter the Intertoto cup.

Roeder took us down the league table and was then axed to make way for Sam Allardyce. As Shepperd brought in Big Sam he also sold the club along with the Halls to the present owner and Enemy Number One Mike Ashley. Ashley thought of Newcastle United as a bit of fun and began watching the away games amongst the fans with his xxx large replica shirt on. Things did not go to plan and Allardyce was far from pleasing the Geordie nation with drab football week in week out, it was only time before the fans got restless. Having spent many games amongst the fans; Ashley then fired Allardyce and paid him off . The club now had no debt but also no manager. In comes Kevin Keegan and Newcastle erupts with joy and confusion.

The media can't believe it saying it will all end in disaster but the majority of Geordies are happy.

Keegan is in the stands to see Newcastle take on Stoke and give them a thumping in the F.A. Cup replay. Keegan's first game against Bolton at St James' is an emotional encounter but the game itself was forgotten quickly. Another 9 games passed before we got that first win and the media were all over Newcastle United, again blaming the fans . I find it very difficult to understand how it's all down to the fans - is it because of our passion, money or patience? The press seem to have an agenda against the supporters of the club by printing rubbish and false statements, if only they did they're homework before they print. People believe the crap they publish but it's simple: all we want is good football so why bother paying if it's ugly?

So Keegan finally got the win we were looking for and the points started flowing in and we avoided certain gloom and our premiership survival was assured. The new season came with some question marks hanging over the club - Denis Wise, his signings, players up for sale.

Manchester United away was not the start we wanted but it meant we got it out the way early. Newcastle get a 1-1 draw and everyone was happy. This was followed by a home win to Bolton and an away win at Coventry and James Milner's last game. This prove to be the straw that broke the camels back as Keegan left the club because his hands had been tied in the transfer market. All Keegan wanted was to be able to buy some decent players and keep our best. As rumours circled that Owen was put up for sale and Milner was released, Keegan did the right thing and turned his back on Ashley not the club. Keegan is no puppet and would not pick Denis Wise's team each week. Although Ashley had an easy decision to make, Keegan or Wise, he picked his London buddy as the Media rubbed their hands together and proclaimed Newcastle United a joke club. Keegan still has his integrity and Ashley's seat was now empty at away games. He is not welcome to suffer with us and we can never forget what he has done to this great club. We had been dragged through dirt for many years now but Mike Ashley dragged us, through shit and left us there. He has released a statement to say sorry but it is weak and it's not going to get us out of the championship.

We need to get behind the new manager but we must also appoint the right man. Shearer, Bruce or whoever it is, we have got to keep going and supporting the club.

The club - who or what is the club? Mike Ashley and Derick Llambias, or the fans players and manager?

If the club is Assley and lameass then we need to take a long look and begin getting them out or turning our back on them and not going to the games. Personally I hope we get rid of the two and get a good manager capable of getting us out the championship.

Going away to Doncaster and scuntorpe will not be easy and we could stay down for years before we get back.

We must not forget that Ashley dragged us through the shit and left us there, we have to get him out and hope for a future for OUR club.

Wor Al

Statement issued by the owner on Tuesday:

"Seeing Newcastle United relegated from the Premier League has been a catastrophe for us all."I fully accept that mistakes were made during this and previous seasons and I am very sorry for that."I would like to say sorry to our magnificent supporters who have turned up in their thousands, home and away, up and down the country and who have given the team amazing backing throughout."And I would also say sorry to all of the Club's hard -working staff, who have gone about their jobs all year long."Bringing Alan Shearer back to Newcastle United was the best decision I have made. Alan and his staff did all they could to try and keep us up in the short space of time they had."Talks are now ongoing between us about how we can take this Club forward again."

Keep The Faith

Defeat to Fulham in Newcastle on Saturday left us hanging on to our premiership survival with an away trip to Villa to come. A day of bad decisions from referee Howard Webb left us licking our wounds once again and hands the initiative to Hull and Sunderland who are the only clubs that have not secured survival outside the bottom three. The decision to send Bassong off was one you could not complain about but I thought the ref blew for the trip not the grappling, was the trip accidental? Mark Viduka's goal was a cracker, Schwarzer was well beaten not fouled as suggested by Howard webb. The goal scored by Fulham was clear offside but again the ref and his assistants seeing things differently to 50,000 Geordies. So what do we do from here? An away trip to Villa Park on Sunday is no easy task, they are now one point behind Everton who sit in the 5th spot. So they will be looking for a win against us as Everton travel to Fulham. We seriously need a win against villa a draw could be enough but it all really depends on what Hull & Sunderland can achieve. West Brom have just been defeated 0-2 to Liverpool and have been relegated. Sunderland have a home tie against Chelsea and Hull have a home tie v Manchester Utd, both Man U and Chelsea have big cup games to worry about and may rest influential players for the final games, hopefully they will do us justice and play a strong team but knowing our luck who know's what will happen. One thing is sure, the Geordie nation have got to pray we win and other results go for us. Don't give up hope, keep believing as I've said before we will not go down but its not going to be pretty.

United Again

Newcastle didn't let us down on a night of high tension for the north east. Widely predicted to go down, both teams put on a show that didn't fail to entertain the neutral. However to a Middlesbrough or Newcastle fan, it was indeed a painful game to watch for most of the time. Some big performances from some big players won the game on the night but it could have gone either way. I feel we were the worthy winners in the end. The bookies have now slashed the odds for us to go down as Hull City replaced us in the drop zone with many predicting they will go down along with Middlesbrough and West Brom. Nothing is set in stone yet with only two games to go and with the opposition still vying for the league title or a European place, no team down the wrong end can be assured of an easy game. While the future of Newcastle is now held in our own hands, we must be united again as before to create an atmosphere like that against Pompey and Middlesbrough. St James' park full and boiling over with passion must be a daunting place to go for even top professional players, so to create an atmosphere against Fulham could go along way to guaranteeing our premier status for next year. It's going to be tough but I believe we will do it with the players we have. On the night we saw some football that was a little desperate at times, lots of luck, hesitation, plenty of sloppy passing and some tired legs. At least we saw spirit and endeavour from every single Newcastle player and after going one down after 3 Mins we needed it. Fortunately Newcastle got an early equaliser and pushed hard until we got the next two. The substitutions were good as Gutierrez looked tired as he was being knocked off the ball too easily. I think everyone wanted Obafemi on the pitch but not at the expense of Michael Owen as he put in a good shift, but the change proved to be pivotal as Martins fired us into ecstasy. St James' went mad as Martins leapt on Shearer who was as animated as the rest of his fellow Geordies. Peter Lovenkrands, a lucky player in my eyes after his goal against Manchester Utd, got the final goal which put the game beyond doubt and enabled the Toon army all over the world to actually sit back, smile and enjoy 5 minutes of football. What a game, what a night but the hard work has just begun. Howay the lads. pic

sourced from: http://www.zimbio.com/