United Knock Champions off Top Spot

Sunday had alarm bells ringing on Tyneside as the west London club came to St James' Park with intentions to clean up their losing act. With Barton, Williamson, collocini and Nolan all out is was always going to be a tough game. Chelsea started the game well but the presence of King Carroll puts the heebeejeebees up any defence and on 6 minutes Carrolls presence forced Alex into a back pass that went straight past Cech and Carroll had the legs to get round Cech and slot the ball into the empty net. 1-0 to United. A lead we did not expect but took with open hands. St James' Park went mad and the game had chances for both sides but as the top four have a habit of doing they grabbed an equaliser from a lucky deflection moments before the half time whistle. Talk about a good time to score, the game would surely be won by the champions now. After the break we had more of the same a very open game and one Newcastle took to Chelsea but with a lack of quality in the team we found it hard to capitalise on our chances. Ameobi was poor for this one along with Guthrie who seemed to hide but some welcomed news for our defence was that Taylor and Cambell came in and took care of defensive duties without a problem. Taylor who has not played since January did brilliantly and Campbell too but did look a little tired toward the end. My preferred pairing at the back alongside Simpson and Enrique who I have to say was our best player by far, always searching for the forward ball attacking the Chelsea defence and defending as though his life depended upon it. No way are we going down if we have players this committed something we have only envied in other clubs over recent years. Chelsea did have opportunities and they always will with this team but the defence was as good as their attack. They had the ball in the back of the net in the second half but the Ref got the decision spot on with a hand ball from Drogba. A point for both clubs saw Chelsea in second place behind Manchester Utd for the first time since going top this season. A fair result as both teams had chances they should have put away. A point cant be sniffed at from one of the top four home or away but lots of Newcastle fans felt very disappointed with only a point.

Taylor and Cambell came in and took care of defensive duties without a problem

Nolan now out with an ankle injure he has been playing on for weeks it is more bearable with the comeback of Barton for the away trip to the Hawthorns. Guthrie surely back on the bench as Routledge did put in a very positive performance and one he is likely to be rewarded for. The form of Carroll is still top quality but more worries for his strike partner as Ameobi was back to his old self. Ranger came on late against Chelsea and did cause some problems. Will the Ranger get his chance or will Ameobi get another? Best is back in contention now along with Lovenkrands who is struggling to find any decadent form this season. West Brom like to get the ball down and move it they had a massive win away at Everton at the weekend so with two teams with confidence and two managers who play openly this should be a cracking game maybe a advertisement for the Premiership from two promoted clubs? The likes of Campbell,Taylor and Tiote will need to be in top form for this trip as West Brom will be ready and waiting. United will go into this game looking for the points though as it would take us half way to safety and trying to better last seasons Championship opener of a draw.

picture sourced from http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/newcastle-united/

Highlights

Doing it the Hard Way

Saturday saw us on the road again but even though we have had many happy away days, this one was going to prove different with the likes of Barton and Tiote missing. Arguably our two best players this season would be missing the game due to suspension. The midfield was put together with Smith making a rare start with Gutierrez, Nolan and the still rusty Guthrie. Lovenkrands would be missing out as well whilst Ameobi made a comeback from a short break from a injury.

The game never really got going from a Newcastle perspective and a penalty given for handball by skipper Nolan was not what we needed. Bolton then doubled their lead and then went further ahead until Carroll got one back and we showed signs of a comeback for about five minutes. The game got worse though when they got another goal and to top it off the ref who should have gone to Specsavers gave another penalty for a good tackle by Enrique. Two bad penalty decisions on the day flattered Bolton who were the better team though still not a great team. They have been said to play good football but I did not see it. I did not see it from anyone in a Newcastle shirt either. A terrible day and a non performance by Smith and Guthrie who look very short of match practice. Smith, who was brilliant last season was not the same player. We lacked Joey's passion and ability to get the ball to the tall forwards with some accuracy. Tiote was missed as a holding player and we suffered because of his absence. Williamson clashed with Elmander early doors but the ref gave nothing and I saw it as an accidental clash as two players reacted to a long ball but ran into each other, as much Elmander's fault as it was Williamson's. I did argue about Colo's sending off before seeing the elbow in the replay. No arguments there - Colo should have walked before the ref pulled his card out. Williamson is not the type to go for another player, more of a honest hard worker to be honest but the FA have looked at it and he has been charged with violent conduct. So that leaves us with the very slow looking Campbell and unused Steven Taylor for our game with Chelsea with Kadar the only other center half on the bench.


We lacked Joey's passion and ability to get the ball to the tall forwards with some accuracy


Chelsea have been going through a bad patch and have their own problems with injuries and suspensions but our squad can't be compared with that of the Premier League Champions. We went down to Stamford Bridge only a few weeks ago now and gave them a good kicking. Can we do it again without Barton and Colo or are Chelsea going to come up here and give us a hiding?

We don't know that is exactly it. We can be sure our home form has got to improve. Maybe the likes of Campbell and Taylor will help that home form? I personally would like to see these two fully fit playing alongside one another before Colo and Willi.

The midfield has got to change. Smith will just not do and we need width and both wingers supplying the front men or man. It looks like Carroll may lead the line alone as he did with England last week. Nolan and Vuckic in the middle and Lovenkrands plying in the hole with Routledge on the right and Jonas left. We need pace in the team and wingers. Lovenkrands can run so he can work between the midfield and Carroll. Lovenkrands has been poor this season but some hard work could get him back upto scratch. Routledge should be seizing his chances and this is his time - possibly his last opportunity of Premiership football. As long as we're solid in the middle and back we should not ship too many goals while still being a threat up top. If Andy Carroll gets the ball he will be a handful so a little support is vital. I predict a defeat from the West Londoners but just hope we don't do it the hard way again.

Highlights

Picture sourced from http://www.sportydesktops.com/wallpaper/B/3/

Home to Fulham

A second game at home in a week against a side who have also had a good record at St James' in recent years and with our home form being questioned by everyone, this was a game most Geordies feared we may well lose. The ex Toon man brought his Fulham to Newcastle without a win since early last year but St James' has a habit of breaking the opposition's bad records.

The game kicked off without Ameobi and Barton who were both missing due to injury and suspension. Lovenkrands and Guthrie came in to the first team to try and get the team back to winning ways. These two were called rusty after the match; an understatement in my book. Smith however deserves a chance in the first team and with Barton out, this was his opportunity However, Houghton decided against it and went with the rusty Guthrie. Lovenkrands came in for Ameobi and Ranger stayed on the bench although he would surely have been a better swap for Shola. Ranger has made some appearances this season and done well but Lovenkrands has come on or played in games and looked nowhere near his best, going missing in games and missing good opportunities. This was no different as two very good chances fell to him but both were missed. Newcastle played out a 0-0 draw. A decent performance and most were happy with a point at home or happy at not losing. The second half should have given us a goal and the points but it wasn't to be so Fulham went home with another away point to West London.

We must battle through this period and do all we can to get as many points on the board before Christmas

Now Joey Barton is out for another two games, we are going to need someone to step up into the first team without too much disruption. Tiote is now out for the Bolton game as he reached his 5th yellow against the Cottagers. That leaves us with Gutierrez, Nolan, Routledge,Smith, Guthrie and Vuckic. That means we will have a first team place for any of these players. Key to this period is not to lose. We must battle through this period and do all we can to get as many points on the board before Christmas. Routledge will have to do better if he is to come in to the first team as so far he looks out of his depth. On a brighter note though, Simpson has come in and hasdone very well, he looks like an improved player since last season and Timmy Krull is begining to make some fantastic saves. All is not bad, far be it. Things are good and we still have competition for places even with key players out injured or suspended.

Barton, Tiote, Gosling, Ben Arfa, Harper and Ameobi - it could be argued that 6 first teamers are out but Houghton has not mentioned this fact. He doesn't need to we sit in the top half of the table and still have players competing for places. The fact that we have six players to come back into the squad must give the confidence that we can come out this season alive and kicking in the Premiership.

Bolton are high flying at the moment with Elmander and Davies having a blinding season. It's not going to be an easy place to go and take the points. They are well drilled and can handle the aerial threat of Andy Carroll. Newcastle will have to be at their very best again on Saturday to give the Toon Army something to shout about again.

Rovers DONT Return

Blackburn were the visitors last night with a canny record on Tyneside in recent history. However with confidence at a high after taking the point at the Emirates, Newcastle came into the match looking to stop the recent rot against Rovers. A measly crowd of just over 41,000 turned up for a drab game which saw our poor home form return in style against a team in the bottom five. Unsurprisingly an unchanged side was named and the snow held off.

The first three minutes proved crucial for Rovers who took a sample of the refereeing Tony Pulis has been going mad over the last week or so. Gamst Pedersen ran out to collect a ball going away from goal to the sideline with chase from Gutierrez. G Pedersen saw Gutierrez so he backed up and knocked the Argentinian winger off balance and somehow the ref managed to give a vital free-kick to Rovers. In my book that was a clear foul on us with a possible yellow card. The ref gave it to Rovers though and from the non-clearance by Tiote, Pedersen won the ball on the edge of our area, had a couple of touches and BAM. 0-1 Rovers up at St James' again and Al lard dyce was happy. A dreadful game ensued but no goals followed.

The second half saw an almost identical goal to Sunday's win at Arsenal. Joey Barton floated a cross from near the dugouts and Carroll, rising higher than any Rover, put the ball in the back of the net to make it 1-1 and set St James' alight. Although Newcastle should now have the momentum, as usual against inferior teams this season, we sat off and never looked like taking the lead. Blackburn were terrible though and I have no idea how their fans can bear to watch that kind of football. No wonder they did not sell their meagre 1,700 ticket allocation. They were the team who scored next though. A long punt down field saw Roberts beat Colo, knock down Williamson and stab the ball past Krull. 1-2 Rovers and eight minutes to go plus stoppage time. A few half chances and a penalty claim was all that we could muster and a chance to go fourth went begging. We still stand 5th and have another mid-table team who always do well at St James' on Saturday; Fulham visit for the normal 3pm KO.

More front page paper tripe will be taken from this game when Mr Barton gave Gamst 'rent boy' Pederson a slap in the gut for not much really. Barton got away with it on the night but the cameras picked up on it as did the Sky News pundit who mentioned it about 20 times in as many minutes. Joey is on four yellows at the moment but that incident will surely warrant a ban of 2 or three game maybe more with his past.
That incident and injury to Ameobi sees our run of games with an unchanged side more than likely come to an end. Let's look forward to the rematch at little Ewood Park as we are in good form away and should spank Al Lard ayce's Rovers team easily.

Highlights
picture sourced from http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1328505/Newcastle-1-Blackburn-2-Allardyce-enjoys-happy-return-Roberts-late-strike.html?ito=feeds-newsxml

Good to Good to be Good to be a TOONER

Newcastle United made the trip to the capital amid a media circus of fresh allegations and reversed psychology from non other than Arsene Wenger. The point was to take Newcastle's eye off the ball and fall into the trap. The pre-match broon ales were flowing and the Toon were sitting comfortably in 9th with the weekend fixtures going our way. Anything more than a loss would see us climb above the Unwashed, Super Spurs and Bolton. During the build up to this early Sunday kick-off, I almost uttered the words, "If we wi... " but was given a quick "don't bother" look by a few Geordies so I shut up mid sentence and kept what I should have said to myself. The post game talk seemed to give the impression that success would be if we kept the number of goals down. If we could grab a late equaliser then great, that would do to take us up to 5th. All in all, there did not appear to be any high hopes in the media for Newcastle.

So we headed down toward Gilespie Road for the game with about 20 mins to go. When we took our seats, standing up obviously, the Geordies were in good spirits and the battle of the stands looked to be over before kick off; it is the Emirates afterall. The game kicked off with pressure from the home side and a free kick by Flabbyass that hit the wood work. Arsenal came close again but this time Timmy Krull made an astonishing save to tip the ball over from Nasri for a corner. Newcastle played an epic match and threw all we had at the ball to snuff out anything Arsenal could come up with. We even took the game to them and the after match stats tell the story of how we came to the Emirates and played Arsenal well and not of a performance where we would sit back and hope for a 0-0. Great performaces again from the likes of Tiote, Barton, Ameobi and Carroll but more to the point all the boys especially the defence played their role in this encounter.


I almost uttered the words, "If we wi... "

Arsenal did get a slice of cold revenge served up by local hero Andy Carroll - one that was promised from captain Nolan after the heavy defeat sustained at home to Arsenal only a few days earlier. With the game at 0-1 to Newcastle the ref blew his whistle for half time. The atmosphere in the ground was good and the second half kicked off to the sound of the Geordie Vuvuzela. We carried on the battle as in the first half but Arsenal were the team to come closest. Walcott, who scored 2 in the Carling Cup, picked the ball up in a packed 18 yard box and let go a shot that once again struck the cross bar. AFC 0-1 NUFC the score stood at and with the game coming to a close, Flabbyass was lucky to stay on the pitch with some awful challenges the like of De jong would be proud. Ameobi came off towards the end for his second standing ovation in a week. Young Nile Ranger came on and could have sealed the match when he decided on an overhead kick instead of squaring the ball to Kevin 'Funky Chicken' Nolan. 2 minutes later, Ranger chased a ball down the right and beat his man only to be professionally fouled by Koscielny. The Arsenal defender was rightly shown the red card and the home team played out the last few moments to the sound of boos and jeers from the home fans. Meanwhile the Geordies boys are jumping for joy in the away section as the lads come across the pitch to throw their shirts and applaud the support. Up to 4th in the Premiership and not far off Arsenal with Man City to play an hour or so later. A win from City would see us slide again but only down to 5th. The applause were all for Newcastle today as we put in a memorable shift with emphasis on team work.

Newcastl have Alardyce and his Rovers team at st Jamse' on wednesday one that must not be waisted its vital we get points from these games now that we seem to have put our dodgy home form behind us.

One more thing good on the Gooners for taking the defeat well, they all said after the game we deserved it, they were not happy about it but they gave us credit. I applaud them for that.
the highlight


picture sourced from http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/nov/07/arsenal-newcastle-united-premier-league

Are you watching Fabio?

Article by Mark Pinkney

Joey Barton is my favourite Newcastle player. Wow, this is something I could not even imagine uttering not too long ago.

As a £6 million 2007 signing, it has a been a long few years of serious injury problems and even more serious off-field issues, including months of jail time. I believe everyone deserves a second chance, but it is fair to say that Barton has been given more second chances than most. Many have questioned the decision by Newcastle to continue to support him, especially through numerous off-field issues but although a long time coming, he is now starting to pay back that support and answer his many critics in style.

This season, his crosses, free kicks and passing have been getting better and better. Last week his build-up with Shola Ameobi, another player slowly winning back my confidence in him, culminated in his inch perfect cross for Andy Carroll to head home the game winner against West Ham. Off the ball, he defends hard, pressuring the opposition - along with Nolan and Tiote - in a way that reminds me of the sometimes lone determination James Milner had in a Toon shirt in our last year before relegation. Something that has really impressed me this year has been Barton's ability to deal with the niggle of the game as well. This was highlighted best in his display against Mick McCarthy's Wolves, in which he frequently picked himself up and walked away without complaint as he was targetted tackle after tackle.


he is now starting to pay back that support and answer his many critics in style


With the current 4-4-2 formation giving him two towering strikers in Ameobi and Carroll to aim at, and with Nolan always there to sniff out deflections, knockdowns and any other loose balls in the goal box, Barton has every chance of continuing to be one of the most valuable contributors to the team. If he is able to continue his current form and keep his cool, on and off the field, he will soon be winning back the hearts of more and more Toon fans. I, for one, believe it will be thoroughly deserved. After all, it has been a very long and hard road back for Joey Barton.

Picture sourced from http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1305214/Joey-Barton-dismisses-Nazi-salute-claims-Newcastle-United-goal.html