Coming Home Newcastle

We've moved!

2011-01-14T17:37:00.003-06:00

We've been talking about this for quite some time, and it finally happened: We've been picked up by the SB Nation network of blogs, which is a fantastic platform. (And no, we're not just shilling for our new bosses.)

We will still be producing the same content. The difference is that we now have better tools to accomplish all of our goals, and the community-building features will enable all of us to interact with each other much more efficiently. We'd love for you to join us.

Our new URL is:

http://www.cominghomenewcastle.com

You can view the welcome post here.

CHN Links: Friday Edition

2011-01-14T00:11:00.000-06:00

Good morning, Toon Army. I really hate reading that the owner had to fly in just to have a meeting with the manager, even if it is just from London.

News
Mike Ashley and Derek Llambias flew into Newcastle to talk transfer strategy with Alan Pardew, and apparently part of the meeting was spent reviewing film from the Stevenage disaster. (Scott Wilson, The Northern Echo)

Shola Ameobi is fit for the derby, which is great news, considering his track record against the Unwashed. (Mark Douglas, The Journal)

Kevin Nolan is not happy with the result of Newcastle's appeal over Cheik Tiote's red card. Kevin: Stop focusing on this and get ready for the derby. It's not worth crying over. (Ben Collins, Sky Sports)

Nikos Dabizas reflected on what it's like to be a derby hero. (Lee Ryder, The Chronicle)

Transfer Rumors
28 year-old striker Jay Bothroyd of Cardiff will be available on a free this summer, but Newcastle and other clubs are said to be kicking the tires. (Simon Bird and John Cross, MirrorFootball)

This one goes solidly in the "rumor" category, because the only place I can find it is on sites that pass on gossip: Pardew is said to be moving on from Seb Larsson and is now targeting Niko Kranjcar, who was connected to the Magpies several months ago. (Football Transfer Tavern)

Sol Campbell is now drawing interest from the suddenly active West Ham United. (The Mail)

Match Preview: Newcastle vs S*nderland, Tyne-Wear Derby, Pt. 2

2011-01-13T23:00:00.002-06:00

The Magpies are headed to the Stadium of Blight on Sunday for the derby rematch that the M*ckem Unwashed have surely been eagerly awaiting. After the utter domination they suffered at SJP they really should be looking forward to the chance for recompense, but our lads won't be looking to make it an easy day for the Unclean.

Yesterday offered good news that the Newcastle side will be almost fully fit, with Enrique, Saylor, Ameobi, and Jonas all looking fit to play, although Big Andy is still questionable and Chiek Tiote will serve the first game of his suspension for that bogus red card in the FA cup.

The bad guys are all fit as well, missing no one of any particular import, with Cattermole's back feeling better and Zenden back from suspension.

Both sides are coming off incredibly embarrassing losses in the FA cup, and both have the same record in the same order in their last five league games: W-L-L-W-W. But; the good guys do have two important legs up in this match. Newcastle have only lost once in the last twelve times the derby has been played, and of course we hold in our pocket the 5-1 shellacking from earlier in the season. A win like that can work in either direction though. Surely the M*ckems will attempt to motivate themselves with that loss in their memory so we must be ready for a tough fight.

Keys to Victory:

Since he's back we may want to keep an eye on Lee Cattermole. I'm sure he'll be itching to right the wrongs of late October. This can make a dangerous man even more dangerous. I'm confident that the defense can handle him, but if they lose track of him we may be digging the ball out of the back of the net.

If Big Andy is indeed out on Sunday, the other strikers will have to step up big time. At the risk of sounding obvious, we'll need to score to win the game. What I mean to say is that we'll need to have an effective offense for the entirety of the game, not just poach a goal and sit on it.

The midfield will need to be in top form with Tiote serving suspension. The games this team wins convincingly are won with a stifling midfield. Someone will have to step up while Tiote is out.

Dangers for Defeat:

Bad marking will get us in trouble quickly against this S*nderland squad. They have plenty of pace to cause problems in front of our goal. If we can't mark our men, or get cute with offside traps it could cost us.

Remeniscing about the 5-1 win will have us on the back foot right quick. We cannot expect this team to roll over just because we showed them what for in the last derby. We need to take them just as seriously as any other Premiership team.

Inability to adapt to a new game plan will undo us before we get started if we aren't careful. I doubt that the M*ckems think all they need to do is fix mistakes to rebound off that big loss. They'll be trying new ways to get to us, not trying to do the old stuff better. We can adapt and win, or be inflexible and lose.

Prediction: NUFC 3-2 SAFC

CHN Links: Thursday Edition

2011-01-13T00:01:00.000-06:00

Good morning, Toon Army. Could Andy Carroll and Jose Enrique play this week after all? A national writer gives Carroll some advice, the two derby managers speak out about the clash, and three more names are revealed as targets for the club. All that and more after the jump.

News & HSOs
Darren Lewis of MirrorFootball says that Andy Carroll has a choice to make, and in his eyes the choice is to play for Tottenham and enjoy the spotlight of London (not to mention playing in the Champions League) or while away his prime years in obscurity in the North East. Sort of a false dichotomy in the first place, but even accepting his premise shouldn't young talented players like Gareth Bale leave for one of the Manchester clubs or perhaps even Barca? This sort of entitlement is what generates so much hate for the bigger clubs, not to mention the feeling among fans that the media is against them.

Earlier this week it was reported that Jose Enrique would not be available on Sunday, but it appears as if he may just get the chance after all. (Lee Ryder, The Chronicle) Andy Carroll is also back in training following reports that called his availability into question as well. (Simon Bird, The Mirror)

Dan Gosling was impressive in a friendly match Wednesday. Gosling reportedly hopes to play on Sunday. (Lee Ryder, The Chronicle)

Managers Alan Pardew (Lee Ryder, The Chronicle) and Steve Bruce (Simon Bird, MirrorFootball) spoke on what the derby means to their respective clubs.

Chris Faulkner of Late Tackle has a very fascinating piece on superstition in sport that is Newcastle-centric.

Transfer Rumors
Alan Pardew met with the board to discuss transfer funds, and one of the targets reportedly mentioned was 22 year-old attacking midfielder Adam Lallana of Pardew's old club Southampton. He just signed a new 5 year deal with the club, which would seem to indicate that they're interested in keeping him. (The Sun)

Several Premier League clubs, including Newcastle, are reportedly in on 31 year-old defender Wes Brown of Manchester United. Brown would bring versatility and depth and seems to fit the profile of the right back Alan Pardew is looking for. (Kieran Evans, Manchester Evening News)

20 year-old defensive midfielder Sasha of Gremio Prudente (who is listed at 5'7.5" in some places and 5'10" in another, older database) is said to have drawn interest from Newcastle but has been offered a trial at West Ham. He would not need a work permit if he signed for an English club. (Graeme Bailey, Sky Sports)

The Seb Larsson negotiations appear to be all but dead. (MirrorFootball)

Mauricio Victorino, who has been courted by Newcastle, is receiving special attention from Blackpool. (Graeme Bailey, Sky Sports)

Mido, another rumored target, is now training with Middlesbrough. (Paul Fraser, The Northern Echo)

The Wayne Bridge deal at West Ham is done. (BPL Official Site)

So is the David Bentley deal at Birmingham City. (BPL Official Site)

CHN Links: Wednesday Edition

2011-01-12T00:33:00.000-06:00

Good morning, Toon Army. Who will be fit for the derby? Will transfers be done in time? That and more after the jump.

News
Cheik Tiote's three match ban has been upheld by the FA. (The Guardian)

Andy Carroll's status for Sunday's derby match is still very much in question. (Lee Ryder, The Chronicle)

The Stevenage fan who punched Scott Laird on Saturday has been charged by the police. (The Guardian)

Dan Gosling is on the comeback trail. (Dan King, NUFC Official Site)

Sunderland will likely have Lee Cattermole, Nedum Onuoha, and Danny Welbeck on Sunday. The status of all three players was previously in question. (SAFC Official Site)

Transfer Rumors
Sources were reporting early Tuesday that Seb Larsson could be signed in time for the derby (Matthew Leslie, The Journal), but by the end of the day there were concerns that the two sides could not agree on a wage. (Ross Gregory, The Shields Gazette)

Wayne Bridge will likely be landing at West Ham, Roberto Mancini confirms. (Sky Sports)

Stephane Sessegnon may not be in Sunderland in time for the derby after all. (Paul Fraser, The Northern Echo)

In what is likely a case of a rumor being turned into a story (instead of the other way around), Shay Given is being linked to Newcastle by at least one source, however reliable that source may be. (Footylatest.com)

Aston Villa are balking at the price and wage of Joey Barton. (Stuart James, The Guardian)

CHN Links: Tuesday Edition

2011-01-11T00:01:00.003-06:00

Good morning, Toon Army. Not included in today's transfer rumors are rumblings that Shay Given could return. There's not a single substantial report to be found. Sorry, rumor mongers.

News
Tamas Kadar has joined Huddersfield Town on a one month loan. (HTAFC Official Site)

Newcastle will appeal Cheik Tiote's red card to the FA. (Lee Ryder, The Chronicle) Tiote defended his challenge, saying, "I took the ball - I didn't touch the player - and I don't know why he gave me a red card, but this is football." (Simon Bird, MirrorFootball) Kevin Nolan agreed: "It was never a sending off, not a chance in a million years." He added that Jon Ashton told players on the pitch that Tiote didn't touch him. (Paul Fraser, The Northern Echo) I don't think the tackle was worth a red card, but it's hard for me to envision a scenario where the FA overturns the decision, especially given Tiote's propensity to collect yellow cards so far this year.

Simon Bird of MirrorFootball says the stakes for both Newcastle and Sunderland are especially high this weekend.

Rob McCluskey of EPL Talk looks at some football giants of the North East. Definitely worth a read.

Transfer Rumors
Birmingham boss Alex McLeish confirms that Newcastle are talking with Seb Larsson. (Lee Ryder, The Chronicle)

Joey Barton was linked with Aston Villa earlier in the transfer window, and Gerard Houllier is reportedly stepping up his effort to acquire him by offering Newcastle 26 year-old defensive midfielder Nigel Reo-Coker in return. (The Mail) I'm not sure why we would do that; even Villans don't want Reo-Coker. (Kirsten Schlewitz, 7500 to Holte)

23 year-old striker/winger Youssef El-Arabi of Ligue 1 side SM Caen is reportedly drawing interest from Newcastle, PSG, Wolfsburg, and Marseille. I didn't know who he was, but the scouting report in the article makes him sound very interesting. (IMScouting)

The other day I mentioned that the name Glenn Whelan was being tossed around, but couldn't find a credible source to confirm any sort of interest. Here is your source. It's impossible to tell if Ashdown heard this from a reliable source or if he's reporting it because the rumor was already out there. (John Ashdown, The Guardian)

Newcastle has been linked previously to Stephane Sessegnon (then again, so have several other teams), and it looks like he may be closing in on a deal with Sunderland. (Rob Stewart, The Telegraph)

CHN Links: Monday Edition

2011-01-10T00:01:00.001-06:00

Good morning, Toon Army. You over the FA Cup defeat yet? Me neither.

News & HSOs
Alan Pardew's excuse for the embarassing performance against Stevenage on Saturday is that the team was tired. Really? (BPL Official Site)

Kevin Nolan apologized for Saturday's loss and offered an opinion about Cheik Tiote's red card. (MirrorFootball)

The FA will investigate the assault on Stevenage defender Scott Laird by one of the team's supporters. (Sky Sports)

Shola Ameobi is set to switch his international allegiance from England to Nigeria. Bill Mills of MirrorFootball describes it as a "blow" for Newcastle, which is of course ridiculous.

Alan Pardew wants to keep Alan Smith despite interest from Leeds United. (Steph Clark, The Northern Echo)

Haris Vuckic has signed a five and a half year deal. (Lee Ryder, The Chronicle)

Alan Pardew doesn't think he will add more than two players in the transfer window. (Sky Sports)

Steven Taylor will not play against the mackems on Sunday due to a thigh injury. No meerkats were harmed in the writing of this story. (Alan Oliver, The People)

Alan Pardew wants more out of Nile Ranger, and apparently he's not above talking to the media to motivate his young player. (Mark Douglas, The Sun)

Marc Duffy of ESPN Soccernet grades Alan Pardew following his first 5 games at the helm.

Transfer Rumors
28 year-old center back Mauricio Victorino wants to move to the Premier League and is reportedly being courted by Newcastle and Blackburn Rovers. (The Mail)

The Gunners are reportedly interested in bringing Sol Campbell over for a third stint with the club. (John Richardson, The Express)

Manchester United are sniffing around Jose Enrique. (Alan Nixon and Alan Oliver, MirrorFootball)

Stevenage 3, Newcastle 1: A Collection of Reviews

2011-01-10T00:01:00.000-06:00

Lee Ryder, Blog on the Tyne - "Anybody connected with the black and whites will be hurting like hell today after this embarrassing day in the history of Newcastle United."

Sky Sports - "The home side did not just cope with Newcastle. They pulverised them."

Paul Doyle, The Guardian - "That was in the fourth minute – and it was the last time Newcastle showed any real quality. Stevenage took control thereafter."

Ed Harrison, nufcblog.com - "It’s bad enough to be eliminated from the FA Cup by a fourth division side, but to also lose one of your best players for the next three league games is a disaster for Newcastle and will no doubt count us points in the league, and after this performance don’t anybody even think Newcastle are safe in the Premier League."

Paul Fraser, The Northern Echo - "For all Newcastle were dreadful, Stevenage were outstanding from start to finish and thoroughly deserved the lead when they earned it four minutes after half-time."

The Chronicle - "It was no fluke. In fact, at times it looked as if the home side were the Premier League outfit."

Talk of the Tyne - "Peter Winn finished well to make the scoreline 3-1, a result which haunt Newcastle supporters every year when the media roll out giant killings of previous years."

workyticket, nufcblog.org - "The Magpies started poorly, then proceeded to get worse as the game progressed, especially so in the second half when all of the real damage was done. Newcastle’s approach seemed to consist largely of lots of long balls punted into the box but with hardly any real chances created..."

Michael Richard, The Canadian Geordie - Upset about Tiote's red card and provides a video of the tackle.

The Sun - "Stevenage will see victory as revenge for FA Cup defeat against Newcastle in 1998 when a disputed Alan Shearer goal helped knock them out at the fourth-round stage."

Mike Walters, MirrorFootball - So many mixed metaphors it makes my head hurt. Where was Simon Bird?

A couple of questions

2011-01-09T00:01:00.000-06:00

Normally on the day after a match, we don't put up a links post. There are a few reasons for that, but the main one is that it usually takes all of the publications we like to link to a couple of days to post their reactions, and we like to put all of those in one place, rather than spread out over several posts. Today, though, there are a couple of things nagging at me. If you didn't watch the game against Stevenage, or you just need a reminder, here are some highlights, courtesy of CaughtOffside:

You won't see either of these things in the above video, but here are my questions:

1) Was that a Stevenage fan that punched one of his own players following the match?

2) Was Cheik Tiote's challenge deserving of a red card? (If anybody has a link to a video of this, please let me know)

Is Andy Carroll Paying for Wayne Rooney's Indiscretions?

2011-01-08T00:43:00.000-06:00

Why is Andy Carroll a lightning rod for laughably sensationalist stories about his private life? He has made mistakes, sure, but the level of scrutiny his private life gets is past ridiculous. I am aware that footballers are subject to the whims of tabloid media, but just what has he done to deserve this? Let's take a look at his past.

Just two months ago yesterday, News of the World reported that Andy Carroll and Kevin Nolan (with whom he was living at the time) had been involved in a "drug-fuelled orgy" at Nolan's home. Of course, The Sun was more than willing to join in on the fun. Today, Jeremy Armstrong of MirrorFootball claimed that Carroll's thigh injury that has kept him out of recent matches was actually the result of binge drinking and not football-related. Let's say for the sake of argument that this story is true, right down to the anecdote about a meerkat. (A meerkat? Really?!) Armstrong relies on one witness: a drunken gambler hanging out in a casino bar. If the story was corroborated, Armstrong doesn't indicate so. Is this what qualifies as a source nowadays? On top of that, the headline is completely misleading. Skimming only through the day's headlines, as I often do when those headlines don't involve Newcastle, one would come to the conclusion that Carroll had himself ingested 30 Jagerbombs in 6 hours before injuring himself. Reading the story - and again, consider the source - He bought 30 shots for 15 people, which is sort of what rich people do. Even if you're willing to believe that Carroll wasn't injured during the Tottenham game, when Michael Dawson spent the entire climbing his back to get to crosses, you have to admit that this is a pretty flimsy story.

So why print it? The more accurate question may actually be: Why are people - journalists in particular - so eager to believe stories that are frankly unbelievable? The simple answer is probably that, as I stated above, Andy Carroll has developed quite a little reputation for himself. If you're predisposed to dislike Carroll and you squint real hard, you might find yourself nodding your head in agreement with Jeremy Armstrong. Of course he fell off a barstool! That's just the kind of guy he is.

I think there's something deeper in it, and that's the culture of following sports in today's 24 hour news cycle. We love our cult heroes, and we hate when the mask is removed and they're proven fallible. Take the case of Wayne Rooney, for instance. He's no stranger to controversy. In 2006, when he was about Carroll's age, News of the World and The Sun (sound familiar?) reported that Rooney had assaulted his then-fiancee in a nightclub. He subsequently won a settlement against the papers, (Chris Tryhorn, The Guardian) so the public was free to fall in love with him. And boy, did they, with good reason. I don't need to tell you that Rooney is a world-class player. He's a two-time PFA Footballer of the Year, and his popularity seemed to hit its zenith this last summer right before the World Cup:

The parents who named their kids Wayne before his sub-par World Cup performance were even more upset this September when more reputable sources began reporting of his affair with a prostitute. (Matthew Moore, The Telegraph)

So what does Rooney's path have to do with Carroll's? Well, for one thing, Carroll's place on England's national team has been a topic of great discussion the last few months. Fabio Capello has visions of pairing the two players together up front the next time England plays, so the comparison is very natural. (The Guardian) Here's my theory: Given Rooney's fall from grace, both on and off the field (I should mention that I don't believe myself that his play in the World Cup represents his ability as a player, but we're talking perceptions here), Carroll is being set up as an anti-hero. It's the principle of "low expectations, few disappointments." I'm not saying there is a vast conspiracy or that Carroll is above reproach. Andy Carroll is not a saint. He has been arrested for assault at least three times and has had several dust-ups with his teammates. Most people that follow football even casually are aware of his reputation - see Dan Silver of MirrorFootball's joke at Number 10 on this list. I'm not trying to pretend otherwise. I believe that, consciously or unconsciously, the tabloid media is making Carroll pay for the sins of Wayne Rooney and other heroes who have disappointed the masses when their private lives have been made public - and that's a shame.

CHN Links: Gameday Edition

2011-01-08T00:01:00.001-06:00

Good morning, Toon Army. Let's let this picture tell the tale of what's to come in today's post.

"Then all of a sudden [Carroll] perked up, alert, 'like a meerkat'." - Jeremy Armstrong, MirrorFootball
Photo courtesy of @ToonArmyMIA. Tumblr link

Match Previews

BBC Sport - Match facts.

Selection update: Among those expected to be unavailable are Jonas Gutierrez, Shola Ameobi, and Andy Carroll. Cheik Tiote is listed as "unlikely" and Leon Best will have to pass a fitness test if he is to play. Mike Williamson, Shane Ferguson, and Nile Ranger are expected to play, while Dan Gosling and Danny Guthrie could get a look. (Lee Ryder, The Chronicle) Also expected to miss are Steven Taylor and Steve Harper, who will be with his expectant wife this weekend. (Stuart Rayner, The Journal)

Nile Ranger says he wants to make up for his awful miss against West Ham by scoring on Stevenage today. (Lee Ryder, The Chronicle)

Lee Ryder let Stevenage boss Graham Westley draw him offside with his recent comments.

News

Jeremy Armstrong of MirrorFootball has an exclusive item about Andy Carroll. I have offered commentary in a separate post.

David Bentley, who had generated interest from Newcastle, has signed with Birmingham City on loan. (Sky Sports)

Newcastle's £1.5 million bid for Seb Larsson was indeed accepted, but Birmingham City are hoping to convince him to stay. (Sky Sports)

Three young players have left on month-long loans - Matthew Grieve has gone to Stockport County while James Tavernier and Joan Simun Edmondsson will play for Gateshead. (Scott Wilson, The Northern Echo)

Transfer Rumors

Alan Pardew has reported interest in 21 year-old striker Freddie Sears of West Ham, whom he coached during his time there. Seems a little unnecessary. (The Sun)

Ed Harrison of nufcblog.com says that Sky Sports is reporting interest in Glenn Whelan, but I can't find this on the Sky Sports website - or anywhere else for that matter. In other words, this seems like a rumor of a rumor.

You Thought Nile Ranger's Miss Was Bad? Watch This.

2011-01-07T06:00:00.000-06:00

This video is from a Greek Football League game, which Wikipedia tells me is the second highest professional league in that country. In this clip, Veria FC misses an open net FIVE times in one sequence, but they at least went on to beat Levadiakos 1-0. (H/T CaughtOffside and The Spoiler)

CHN Links: Friday Edition

2011-01-07T00:26:00.000-06:00

Good morning, Toon Army. Conflicting reports about a possible transfer, an amusing anecdote about Stevenage, and more after the jump. (I can't wait until we're on a platform that doesn't limit the number of tags I can put on a post...)

#LeonBestIsMint scores the second of his three goals for Newcastle against West Ham at St James' Park.
Photograph: Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images

News & HSOs

Ben Tozer's loan with Northampton Town has been extended to the end of the season. (BBC Sport)

Lee Ryder is a fan of the Hatem Ben Arfa signing.

Alan Pardew is backing Joey Barton for selection to the Three Lions. (Lee Ryder, The Chronicle)

Andy Carroll is being ordered to relax in hopes that he will be ready for the Derby match on the 16th. (Simon Bird, MirrorFootball)

Chris Hughton has interviewed for the vacant Crystal Palace job. (John Percy, MirrorFootball)

Saturday's FA Cup Third Round match with Stevenage has many talking about the controversial result from 1998, which is a pretty cool story that I didn't know about. Stevenage boss Graham Westley (reminds one of The Princess Bride, doesn't it?) says the club is under some pressure to "sort out" that "injustice." (BBC Sport) Alan Pardew has previously said that he will not treat the match lightly, but there are injury concerns going in that may cause him trouble. (both links from Lee Ryder, The Chronicle)

Transfer Rumors
I went digging for some of these. Keep in mind that often the further you have to dig to find info during a transfer window, the less reliable the information is. Still, it's fun to speculate, no?

We've linked to rumors about Pardew's pursuit of Birmingham City winger Seb Larsson before, but Alan Nixon of MirrorFootball is reporting that Birmingham have accepted a £1.5 million bid from Newcastle. This is the only source I've seen even hinting about an agreement, so for now treat the report with a grain of salt.

27 year-old striker Mido is available on a free transfer and has been linked to Newcastle. He's one of those players that has attitude problems but keeps getting chances because of his ability. I'm usually more willing than most people I know to take chances on those kind of guys, so I say jump in it. (Arthur Williams, Sportingo)

30 year-old left back Wayne Bridge of Manchester City is being courted by several Premiership clubs, including Newcastle on a loan. Bridge would bring depth to the position, which is surely lacking, but I don't think he would represent an upgrade over the younger Jose Enrique. (Goal.com)

26 year-old right winger Stephane Sessegnon is reportedly being courted by Aston Villa and Newcastle United. He is on record as saying that it is "impossible" for him to work with his manager at Paris Saint Germain, which would seem to leave them with little negotiating leverage. Sessegnon interests me because while he doesn't have the crossing ability of David Bentley, he is very fast and could create problems with his pace. He would also be cheaper in terms of wages and is under contract a year longer than Bentley. (Daily Mail)

The Reds are reportedly interested in Wayne Routledge. I don't see why Liverpool would be interested, but they can have him if they want to fork over the reported £8 million asking price. (Give Me Football)

Spanish teams Real Zaragoza and Racing Santander have registered interest in Xisco. (Jeremy Butler, MirrorFootball)

Harry Redknapp confirms that Alan Pardew rejected any attempts to obtain Andy Carroll. (Sky Sports)

Newcastle 5, West Ham 0 - A Collection of Reviews

2011-01-07T00:09:00.000-06:00

CaughtOffside - Video highlights

Louise Taylor, The Guardian - "Revenge rarely proves sweeter, or more reassuring. It is four years since Alan Pardew was sacked by West Ham United but, quite apart from getting his own back in truly spectacular fashion, Newcastle United's manager discovered that his team really can thrive without the injured Andy Carroll."

Lee Ryder, The Chronicle - "Even the writers of Roy of the Rovers would struggle to come up with a script as good as this."

Simon Bird, MirrorFootball - "[Pardew] added of Best: 'Like all strikers from the Championship, there is a snobbish opinion that they are not good enough, but they can be if they get belief.'"

Paul Fraser, The Northern Echo - "If Sunday was about proving Newcastle United were not a one-man team, then last night showed they can actually cope in the absence of both of their first-choice strikers."

Ed Harrison, nufcblog.com - "West Ham were completely hammered – excuse the pun – but Steve Harper had almost nothing to do in the Newcastle goal, as Alan Pardew seems to have made a bright start to his Newcastle management career with 3 wins in the first 5 games in charge, and Newcastle now are on 28 points from 21 games."

Ben Collins, Sky Sports - "But [Best] needed just 18 minutes to justify his selection when he ran on to Lovenkrands' ball over the top to thump a left-foot volley across Robert Green and into the bottom corner."

The Sun - "When Newcastle win at home these days, they win big - this was the third time they have bagged five or more in front of their adoring fans this season."

I'm not able to watch this, but perhaps if you live in England you can view the highlights as featured on Match of the Day 2. Short rant: How is it beneficial for BBC to block US viewers from seeing this content? Would they rather I seek out a pirated copy of the program?

However, it's perfectly okay for foreigners to watch Avram Grant doing his best not to fall asleep during his post-match interview.

Reasonable Reaction Review: Newcastle United FC Hammer West Ham 5-0

2011-01-06T21:07:00.006-06:00

Well after a tough run to start the second half of the season, Pardew has our lads back on the right foot. That's in spite of the adversity of loosing Andy Carroll and subsequently Shola Ameobi to injury. On Wednesday those injuries gave way to one Leon Best, who was told by Pardew before the match to show something to convince the manager to keep him around instead of shopping him around during this transfer window. I shouldn't have to convince you to agree that he did that and much more.

Best and Lovenkrands made a dynamic duo on Sunday with Best benefacting the most in the form of a hattrick completed in the 60th minute. Best is for sure the story of this game, but one of the subnotes has to be a return to better form for Peter Lovenkrands who hasn't seen much action at all this season. He and Best worked the West Ham defence like a pair of strikers that had been playing together for years, and perhaps through what we'd supposed was bad luck we've found a bit of good in the apparently strong chemistry between the two. At the very least it will have me worrying less about how we'll be able to score when Andy Carroll isn't on the pitch.

But, as I said, Best is the story of the game with three very smart looking goals, and in only his first ever start in the premier league. That third goal especially showed the poise of a veteran; you might expect a young player (best is 24) to get shoot early there and hope for good things, but best had the wherewithal to settle it down and pick a spot that the keeper would have had to be playing out of his mind to save.

I also shouldn't have to do any convincing (even of West Ham fans) to say that NUFC outplayed the Hammers in every department of gameplay from the keeper forward. Though Harper was barely tested, he was where he needed to be at all times, and he can thank his defence for keeping the shots off target in the first place. Coloccini and Saylor are making quite the middle pair, Danny Simpson continues to increase the distance between himself and anyone else that might challenge to take the position, and I don't think I have to sing the praises of El Toro.

The midfield controlled the ball and therefore the game, rarely letting the Hammers out of their own half with any momentum at all. I kept thinking to myself how the midfield is always first on my mind when we have a good showing. Hopefully games like this are a sign of what's to come when we take on lower and mid table teams for the rest of the season. If we only win games against the bottom half for the rest of the year we'll be well clear of relegation climbing the top 10.

I usually offer player notes but the whole side played so well that I'd rather just let it be at that and mention the only dark spot I saw in the game. It wouldn't even be a dark spot except it has been on my mind since the Liverpool match. When Nile Ranger missed that no doubter.... I had said after Liverpool that he had made a strong case for first team action only to hear that Pardew called him out on his training habits and attitude. Since then he's seemed to be in steady decline and I can only hope that miss on Wednesday was the bottom for him. If he slips much further he may find himself in the dog house big time.

MOTM: Leon Best, who else could it be? As it turns out, with Lovenkrands by his side, he may just be mint.

Game #21 Talking Points

2011-01-05T15:59:00.000-06:00

1. Okay, be honest: Did you really believe #LeonBestismint before this game?

2. No really, be honest.

3. Nile Ranger: Bad miss or the worst miss?

4. Feeling good about the team overall? Does 5-0 give you confidence you didn't have before, or does the fact that it was against West Ham give you pause?

5. Name your ideal Starting XI for the FA Cup tie against Stevenage on Saturday.

Hatem Ben Arfa Signs Permanent Contract With Newcastle

2011-01-05T10:06:00.001-06:00

According to multiple sources (here is a link to The Guardian's story), Hatem Ben Arfa has officially signed a permanent four and a half year deal with Newcastle United. The 23 year-old is expected to be ready for game action in February.

If the team does nothing else during the transfer window, it should still be considered a successful January, in my opinion.

Match Preview: Newcastle United Hosts West Ham United

2011-01-05T01:20:00.000-06:00

Alan Pardew insists he's not bitter about being sacked at West Ham, (Simon Bird, MirrorFootball) but he will no doubt have revenge on his mind when the Hammers visit St James' Park on Wednesday. The match marks the end of an 11-day stretch in which the club will have played 4 games. The Toon is 1-2 in that stretch so far and a total of 2-2 under Pardew's leadership.

The Toon Army has the right to expect three points from this match, despite West Ham's recent stretch of okay form. West Ham has been toiling in the relegation zone all season, and you can be sure that they will be doing all they can to stretch toward that little bit of light they can glimpse under all that rubble. Avram Grant is managing for his job and the team as a whole is trying to prevent management from going into fire sale mode while the transfer window is open. Still, the Hammers will be fighting against history. Before their win at Craven Cottage 11 days ago, West Ham hadn't recorded a victory in their 27 previous away matches. That is not a misprint. They also haven't won back-t0-back away games since December 2007, and haven't won at St James' Park since 1998. This season, they've scored 8 goals in 10 away matches...and 3 of those were in the aforementioned Fulham match. More after the jump...

That doesn't mean a guaranteed victory, however. Newcastle fans are well aware of what happens when the team refuses to give their opponents the proper respect, and the team must be sure not to have a letdown in focus ahead of an extended break. They will have to do it without Andy Carroll, who has been the offensive attack for Newcastle in the first half of the season. They proved on Sunday that they can create plenty of chances against a porous defense (and West Ham certainly has one of those), but will the finishing be there?

Pardew will have a couple of selection decisions to make. He has 4 strikers to choose from, if his protest that Leon Best's brief appearance against Wigan was not an audition is true. I would go with Shola Ameobi and Nile Ranger up front, but I do not believe that they have played together in league play this season, so I would expect to see Ameobi and Peter Lovenkrands once again. I also anticipate Steve Harper getting the nod at keeper following a clean sheet and a nifty long ball that led to a goal on Sunday. Fabricio Coloccini and Steven Taylor seem to have emerged as the preferred pairing in the center of the backfield, but word is that grumpy Sol Campbell will be fit once again. Also, will Mike Williamson and his new contract continue to sit on the bench? My predicted lineup is the same as last week: Harper, Simpson, S. Taylor, Coloccini, Jose Enrique, Barton, Nolan, Tiote, Jonas, Ameobi, Lovenkrands.

Keys to Victory
1) Finishing
Shots off the crossbar and headers off the upper 90 are only amusing following a victory. You can only afford to miss so many chances in the Premiership, even if the opponent is a candidate for relegation.
2) Contain Carlton Cole
He's scored twice in his last two matches against Newcastle and scored twice against Fulham. That's obviously a small sample size and not predictive of anything, but never underestimate what confidence can do for a striker.
3) Score First
RKW isn't here to harp on it, so I'll do it for him. The Magpies are 6-1-1 when they score first.

Prediction: 2-0 Newcastle

CHN Links: Gameday Edition

2011-01-05T00:01:00.001-06:00

Good morning, Toon Army. This may be the last one of these we do at this site...

Match Previews

As is usually the case for a mid-week match, the pickings for previews are pretty slim.

BBC Sport - A lot of focus on Pardew returning to his old club.

Workyticket, nufcblog.org - Worried about West Ham's recent form.

News

Peter Taylor has said no to the assistant job, preferring to honor his contract with Bradford City. Can't fault that. (The Guardian)

Alan Pardew says he's not bitter about losing the West Ham job, but then he goes on about how he would have kept it if Dean Ashton hadn't been injured. It sure is hard to tell that you're not bitter, Alan... (Simon Bird, MirrorFootball)

Transfer Rumors

The rumor du jour Tuesday was a mega-deal between Tottenham and Newcastle involving Andy Carroll, Robbie Keane, David Bentley, and Niko Kranjcar. Another reminder not to believe everything you read, kids. (CaughtOffside)

29 year-old striker Roque Santa Cruz (Manchester City) is linked with several English clubs. He has a HUGE salary. No thank you. (Sky Sports)

23 year-old winger Max Gradel is not available, says Leeds United boss Simon Grayson. A big fat meh from me. (Sky Sports)

Fiorentina have told Newcastle and other clubs to stay away from 28 year-old striker Alberto Gilardino. (Sky Sports)

Leeds United reportedly want Alan Smith. (CaughtOffside)

Happy Birthday, Danny Simpson

2011-01-04T18:18:00.000-06:00

This is too late for those across the pond, but for those in the States, you still have >5 hours to celebrate Danny Simpson's 24th birthday, so hit your local establishments before closing time.

Newcastle players Ryan Taylor, Andrew Carroll and Danny Simpson celebrate with Shola Ameobi after he scored the opening goal during the Coca-Cola Championship match between Newcastle United and Sheffield Wednesday at St James' Park on August 19, 2009 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England.
Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images Europe

CHN Links: Tuesday Edition

2011-01-04T02:00:00.001-06:00

Good morning, Toon Army. Plenty of news and transfer rumors to go around today - so much so that I ran out of room to tag people in this post. (Sorry Andy Carroll and Tim Krul...)

Rumored target Adel Taarabt's playing style has been compared to Hatem ben Arfa. The difference is, Taarabt has two good legs at the moment. What, too soon?
Photo credit unknown

Alan Pardew and Steve Harper both spoke about Pardew's decision to play Harper instead of Krul on Sunday. (both links Lee Ryder, The Chronicle)

Andy Carroll hopes to be fit by the time the Derby rolls around on January 16. (Sky Sports)

The search for an assistant continues, and now it's Bradford City (League Two) manager Peter Taylor who has been approached about the job. (Louise Taylor, The Guardian)

Alan Pardew had some kind things to say about Joey Barton, chief among them that Barton is on track to be named the club's player of the year. (MirrorFootball)

Shola Ameobi says it's not necessary for the club to go get a striker in the transfer window, as he can take care of scoring goals. (Miles Starforth, The Shields Gazette)

Newcastle are reportedly prepared to offer reserve team coach Peter Beardsley a contract extension. (Alan Oliver, The People)

Chris Hughton is on Burnley's short list. (Dave Kidd, The People)

Transfer Rumors
The Toon, along with Spurs, are rumored to be going after David Beckham, who needs no introduction, for a loan spell. (Luke Edwards, The Journal) Alan Pardew has recently tried to downplay his interest, (Vic Holly, The Sun) but continues to wait, along with others, to see if LA Galaxy will even approve such a move. (BBC Sport) Lee Ryder thinks Beckham would not be good for the club.

The Robbie Keane rumors have cooled off in the last couple of days, but Doocey of Tyne Time made a passionate plea to Alan Pardew not to sign him, just in case.

Tottenham Hotspur winger David Bentley could be the creative guy with the ability to swing crosses into the box we've been looking for. He's reportedly at the top of Alan Pardew's list. (Simon Bird, MirrorFootball)

20 year-old striker Lacina Traore from Romanian side CFR Cluj is 6'8" and could spell Andy Carroll or even work with him (though both are left-footed). He is listed at £8 million, but could go for lower. (Dave Kidd, MirrorFootball)

CAM Adel Taarabt is an exciting playmaker, but surely current Champions League leader QPR wouldn't just let him go for any price, would they? (Steven Constable, CaughtOffside)

Midfielder Seb Larsson of Birmingham will be available on a free this summer. (Sky Sports)

It's rumored that Leon Best could be up for transfer, and the fact that he came into the Wigan game for fifteen minutes out of nowhere only serves to fuel that speculation. Alan Pardew issued a stern denial, but methinks he doth protest too much. (Lee Ryder, The Chronicle)

Reasonable Reaction Tuesday: Newcastle United FC Win at Wigan

2011-01-04T01:40:00.008-06:00

I don't know about you folks, but Sunday's match was pretty stressful for me despite the stellar play of our lads. It seemed like no one had the finishing touch that they needed to get that second goal, and I wasn't convinced that one was a enough until the final whistle blew. Still, it was a great showing from our lads and a very entertaining match.

The 1-0 score line isn't indicative of how far apart these teams were on Sunday, if I may say so with apologies to the Latics. The Magpies were on form; if not in the front the way we might like then they were in midfield where this game was won. I had a coach that used to say that if a team can't score it can't win and the best way to keep them from scoring is to keep them too far away to score. Our lads certainly had that or something similar in mind as the Latics struggled all day to get across midfield with the ball at their feet. The majority of their legitimate scoring chances came from long forward passes that usually leave most of the team too far behind the ball to pick up the rebound or offer more passing options.

Before player notes I'd like to say just a quick word about the close chances that NUFC were able to generate but not convert. I like to see lots of chances, I really do. But put all the chances in a basket and bring them to the final standings and see what they'll get us in trade. Nothing. I'll mention three chances that were much less than I expect our of premiership players. Danny Simpson's early volley: he just has to test the keeper with that. Jonas Gutierrez's break away: for all the dancing and step overs he pulls you'd think that he could dribble around a keeper way off his line with bad timing, but Jonas found a way to make him look good. Maybe I play too much FIFA, but I would have given that ball a little chip and ran to the away allocation section with my arms raised. Finally Barry Pepper- I mean Peter Lovenkrands: I know he isn't right footed but he does indeed have a right foot, and if he would have just put that thing toward the net I don't think the keeper had a play while screened by his defender....

Player Notes:

Despite his breakaway blunder, Jonas Guiterrez showed signs of returning to form. I say showed signs, because Spider Man also looked lost sometimes, especially when coming back to defend.

I noticed this in a couple of earlier games that Peter Lovenkrands played in, but I think something is wrong with his finishing touch. I don't know how strikers train but I think being out of first team action has dulled his edge a bit. As of end of game Sunday, I'm almost into double digits on plays that my sensibility says McLoven should have scored on, and that's no good for a striker.

Kevin Nolan was uncharacteristically absent from the game. Somewhere toward the end of the first half I found myself thinking: Hey, wasn't the skipper supposed to be back today. I'm not worried about this yet, Wigan were playing down the sides a lot as the center seemed impenetrable. But, if having Andy Carroll out of the game means having Nolan out of the game too, then it may be something to worry about.

It seemed to me that Cheik Tiote had an off game, which isn't to say he was any less effective. On an off day does a little more of what they call in hockey "taking the body" meaning that he tends to play the man instead of the ball. From what I can tell he does this mostly on days when he gets frustrated about something, and Sunday was one of those days. It's one of the best ways to have a bad day on the pitch I think, but it puts him at extra risk for yellow cards.

The Defense played just spot on, giving only three chances that really had me worried. Of course I couldn't admit that until after the game, I've already mentioned how nervous it made me.

MOTM: Steve Harper, I'm throwing Harper a bone here because for all intents and purposes he set up the only goal of the game. I do it hesitantly because it means by proxy that I have made a concession in our recent Magpie vs. Magpie feature.

Top 10 Moments of the First Half

2011-01-01T15:41:00.001-06:00

10. Several Promising Youngsters Locked Up in Long-term Deals

Over the last several weeks, the following players have signed 5 and a half year deals: Nile Ranger, Mike Williamson, Steven Taylor, and Andy Carroll. All but Williamson could be called "young" in football terms, and all are solid players that will contribute for years to come.

9. Newcastle 1, Arsenal 0, 7 November

You know your team has done well when you've caused the London press to wring their hands and wonder how a top team could have possibly lost to a "newly promoted side," and that's exactly what happened when an Andy Carroll header and a perfectly executed game plan vaulted Newcastle into #5 in the table, their high-water mark of the season.

Carroll took one away from Fabianski and Newcastle took three away from The Emirates.
Getty Images

8. The Emergence of Cheik Tiote

Maybe this is cheating, because it's not exactly an event, but Cheik Tiote's wonderful possessive play in the back of the midfield has kept Newcastle afloat during the first half, and I think that deserves some recognition. His story of learning to play growing up in Africa is not totally unique, but it is fascinating and worth reading up on. At the end of this article (Louise Taylor, The Guardian), Tiote says, "Newcastle is perfect for me." Love you too, Cheik.

7. Alex's Howler, 27 November

Coming off of a terrible defeat at the hands of Bolton Wanderers, the Magpies needed something to fall in their favor to have a chance against a slumping Chelsea side, and they got exactly that when Alex was a little too careless in passing the ball back to goalie Petr Cech, and Andy Carroll was happy to capitalize.

6. Andy Carroll's Goal from Distance, 11 December

In Alan Pardew's debut against Liverpool, the two sides had battled to a 1-1 tie that stood for most of the second half when Joey Barton finally broke through in the 80th minute. As the game progressed into stoppage time, the crowd which had gathered to boo Mike Ashley was enjoying what was a very unexpected three points when Andy Carroll, who had assisted on the first goal and was instrumental in the second, gathered the ball outside the box. The crowd urged him to shoot, the defense backed off, and an instant later a rocket found its way to the back of the net.

5. Joey Barton's Cross, 23 October

Sometimes you just have to appreciate a pretty goal for what it is. Watch this video starting at around 51 seconds for a beauty.

4. Andy Carroll's Hat Trick, 22 August

Nobody expected Newcastle to travel to Old Trafford on Opening Day and earn any points, but a 3-0 loss had the doubters out in full force anyway. A 6-0 drubbing of Aston Villa the next week injected some much needed optimism in the fanbase. More importantly, the question "Who will score for Newcastle in the Premiership?" had an answer, and his name was Wor Andy Carroll.

3. Hatem ben Arfa's Goal, 18 September 20

The announcer's commentary on this video clip says it all.

2. Fabricio Coloccini saves the day against Wigan, 16 October

The Magpies were in a bad way heading into stoppage time against Wigan. They'd lost the last two matches as well as their new superstar in the week previous, and they were down 2 goals to 1 against Wigan, with both of the opposition's goals coming from a man who had walked out the door a couple of years ago on bad terms. Then, miracle of miracles, Jonas' cross found an unmarked curly-haired man on the far post to save the match (and according to some, Chris Hughton's job).

Click link to watch video

1. Newcastle 5, Sunderland 1, 31 October

Toon 5, mackems 1. All that needs to be said.

Click link to watch videos

Bottom 10 Moments of the First Half

2011-01-01T14:38:00.001-06:00

With the second half about to begin, let's look back at the best and worst moments of the first half. We'll start with the worst:

10. Newcastle Beaten By 10 Men at White Hart Lane, 28 December

I suppose you could take comfort in the fact that Tottenham Hotspur are a good team in good form, or in the fact that they beat Aston Villa the previous match with 10 men as well, but when you're down by a goal and the other side loses a player, you're expected to dominate possession, not give up another one.

9. James Perch's Own Goal, 26 September

Sometimes when a player scores an own goal, you feel bad for them, especially if it's some fluky, weird deflection. Sometimes, though, a defender heads in a corner with 5 minutes to go to lose the game against Stoke City, and you don't feel sorry for them one bit.

8. Charles N'Zogbia Scores 2, 16 October

It hurts when seemingly the only good player on the other team beats you for two goals. It hurts even more when that player used to be one of your own.

7. Andy Carroll's Off-the-field Exploits

Two assault charges and orders from a judge for the top striker to bunk with his captain dominated the headlines this fall. It got to the point that false rumors from one publication about a "drug-fueled orgy" at Captain Nolan's house wasn't even the worst of it. On October 21, Carroll's car was torched and Nolan's garage door covered with graffiti following the release of Nolan's address in the media.

6. Tim Krul's Howler, 26 December

You can't just give goals away in the Premiership, least of all to Manchester City, but that's exactly what Tim Krul did in the second minute of the second meeting of the two teams. Three minutes later, the Blues added another, which ended up being all they really needed.

5. Bolton Wanderers 5, Newcastle United 1, 20 November

A 5-1 loss is bad, no matter how you slice it, but this one featured two goals for the opposition off of penalty kicks plus a red card for Fabricio Coloccini. Colo was sent off for aggressive play against Johan Elmander. Mike Williamson was later suspended for a separate incident involving Elmander, but the striker didn't seem to mind as he also scored two goals on the day.

4. Joey Barton Suspended, 10 November

Joey Barton had been having a relatively quiet season by his standards before he reversed course in a 2-1 loss at home against Blackburn Rovers, punching Morten Gamst Pedersen in the chest and earning himself a 2 game suspension. The club struggled without him, tying with Fulham at home and then being decimated by Bolton.

3. West Bromwich Albion 3, Newcastle United 1, 5 December

This match would have made the list even if it weren't the impetus for getting Chris Hughton sacked. Here's how RKW reviewed the match:

"It can be described in so many words, but bluntly it was nothing short of horrendous. Fundamentals were flawed, leaderships was lacking, execution exited the building, passion took a pass, the offense was (pardon me) offensive, the defense deplorable. Our Magpies couldn't pass, possess, shoot, cross, clear, tackle, or keep the ball out of their own net. Other than all that they didn't play very good football either."

Following the match, Chris Hughton held an hour-long meeting with his players which was reported to be less than pleasant, but it didn't really matter, as the players were motivated in a much different way 24 hours later.

2. Nigel De Jong breaks Hatem ben Arfa's Leg, 3 October

Hatem ben Arfa was the object of an extended chase by Chris Hughton over the summer. For weeks the Toon Army was subjected to rumor after rumor of the status of a possible transfer for the talented young midfielder, so when he finally arrived at St. James' Park he was already something of a folk legend. Few expected him to live up to that billing, but in the few games that he played before getting injured, ben Arfa exceeded even the loftiest of expectations. The Magpies finally had their creative playmaker who was to lead them to the promised land of survival. In the blink of an eye, Nigel de Jong, who has built himself quite a resume as a dirty player, came in with both legs and snapped both the tibia and fibula of young Mr. ben Arfa, putting not only the season in doubt but also bringing forth the question of whether or not HBA will ever play again on Tyneside, given the conditions of his loan. Here's hoping the reports earlier this week that he will sign a permanent deal are true, and that he really can be ready in early February. The squad's survival may depend on it.

Click for link to video

1. Chris Hughton Sacked, 6 December

Football fans the world over were shaking their heads when Mike Ashley made the ill-advised move of sacking popular manager Chris Hughton. Hughton had led Newcastle back to the Premiership, made several improvements to the club despite limited funds, and gained the respect of his players, but rumors had persisted for several months that the relationship between Hughton and Ashley (and Derek Llambias) had grown frosty. Still, it was a shocking move that disrupted the players as well as the fans. Replacement manager Alan Pardew has only been around for three matches, so the jury is still out on him, but the effects have already been far-reaching in terms of personnel, as Sol Campbell has stated unequivocally that he wants out. For his part, Hughton treated the ignominy in his usual classy manner and has been linked to several vacancies (and a couple that aren't even vacant yet). He will latch on somewhere, and when he does, I will be jealous of the team that's lucky enough to land him.

Match Preview: Newcastle and Wigan, Both Without Their Top Scorer

2011-01-01T01:22:00.006-06:00

Apologies for the lack of a review for the MANC and Spurs games. I meant to roll them into one review but never even got around to that with an unexpectedly long week at work. On with the Preview.

Newcastle will be away at DW for the second rematch of the year, and hoping to force the issue a bit better than they did in early October when a home draw was all they could muster. One would think that the Latics should be ripe for picking with their best player out on suspension, but they are also unbeaten in their last four, and you can't give all the credit to N'somnia.

Andy Carroll will be out as well, and that leaves me wondering how either side will expect to score at all on Sunday. Still I have to say I like the Magpies chances to gain three points here and make a better start at the second half of the season. Pardew certainly needs a win, and the team needs a win, we can only hope that need weighs heavily enough to get them back into good form.

Reasons we win:

With N'somnia out Wigan may be hunting for the single point on Sunday, and that is something that Newcastle must take advantage of. We should be looking to apply and hold pressure to them all day long.

Shola Ameobi needs to come through for this team, and since he's the likely replacement for Andy Carroll, he'll get his chance. A strong showing from Ameobi can all but make up for the lack of Andy.

This is becoming a theme, but Jonas Gutierrez has to get his head on right. I've been on and on about the whys, we're a significantly poorer side when he's not playing well.

Reason's we lose:

Giving mid-table teams proper respect has been a thematic problem for NUFC this year. A quick way to lose on Sunday will be to treat the match like a cakewalk just because N'zogbia won't be around.

With Andy on the bench, finding a way to score may prove difficult, and that's a good way to find ourselves not getting the three points we want out of this game. If we can't put any on the board we may just see all the points stay with Wigan.

Prediction: NUFC 2-1 WAFC

CHN Links: New Year's Eve Edition

2010-12-31T00:17:00.000-06:00

Good morning, Toon Army. I disagree with a fellow blogger twice after the jump. Still respect you, Ed...

The first thing my wife, a medical professional, would notice about this picture is Robbie Keane's external jugular. I can't help but think of how nice he would look in black and white stripes.
Photo credit unknown

Robbie Keane reportedly wants Newcastle to rescue him from Tottenham Hotspur, where he has appeared just 6 times. Looks like the shoe's on the other foot, as Lt. Aldo Raine would say. (Lee Ryder, The Chronicle) West Ham United is deep into negotiations with Spurs already, but as we know, nothing is final until it is final. (Harry Harris, ESPN Soccernet) Ed Harrison of nufcblog.com wonders if Keane would be a good signing. He ultimately leaves the decision up to the reader, but implies that Keane is on the decline because of his goal total, which is a dubious stat even when used in the right context (it isn't here). Also, he talked to a Spurs fan, so case closed. Here's the deal: On the decline or not, Robbie Keane is still a scoring threat (certainly more of one than any other striker on our roster) and defenses have to treat him that way, which leaves more room for Andy Carroll to do his work. Any production Keane might also provide would be a bonus. I don't want to break the bank or anything, but it's way too premature to categorically say that Keane wouldn't be a fit. For the right price, he could certainly be a useful piece.

Alan Pardew wants to add "one or two" players in the January transfer window. (Mark Douglas, The Journal)

In their quest to add a winger, Newcastle have reportedly taken a look at Leeds United player Max Gradel. (CaughtOffside) In response to the rumors, Leeds have told the Magpies to back off. (MirrorFootball)

Alan Pardew says there is room for the club to focus on playing well in the FA Cup as well as the Premiership. (Lee Ryder, The Chronicle) Ed Harrison of nufcblog.com isn't exactly pleased with the idea. I grow weary of people who believe this is an either/or proposition.

Some looks back at 2010:
The Chronicle looks at the best goals of the year.

Marc Duffy of ESPN Soccernet gives a month-by-month breakdown and hands out some awards.

Simon Bird of MirrorFootball gives his thoughts on the year and makes a prediction for 2011.

Hatem Ben Arfa to sign long-term deal?

2010-12-29T23:01:00.003-06:00

According to this tweet by George Caulkin of The Times, Hatem Ben Arfa has agreed in principle to deal that will make his loan stay at Newcastle permanent. No corroboration that I can see yet, so stay tuned for updates.

UPDATE: MirrorFootball also reports the story. I'm at late Christmas with the in-laws where cell phone signal is very weak, so I can't open the story, but the headline says he will sign. Hat-tip to @VanCanToonFan for the link.

Game #19 Talking Points

2010-12-28T14:26:00.002-06:00

A proper review of the last two games will be up soon, but for now, here are your talking points:

1. Happy with 22 points at the midpoint of the season?

2. What do you think about the 4-5-1, especially with no midfielders on the bench?

3. A lot of people blaming Perch for the first goal. Fair or foul?

4. Gareth Bale: Overhyped or not?

5. Harper or Krul this Sunday?

6. What kind of player(s) should be targeted in the transfer window?

CHN Links: Gameday Edition

2010-12-28T00:21:00.001-06:00

Good morning, Toon Army. Steven Taylor isn't going anywhere for five and half years, which is awesome. I'm a little more worried about today, though. Let's hope he can help contain van der Vaart and Bale. Again, we'll have a combination of previews and news today.

Rafael van der Vaart celebrates one of the two goals that he scored against Aston Villa on Sunday.
Getty Images

News
As mentioned above, Steven Taylor has signed a new contract which will keep him on Tyneside until 2016. (Lee Ryder, The Chronicle) Taylor says that he always wanted to stay and that any hold-up was over business. (Lee Ryder, The Chronicle) Simon Bird of MirrorFootball believes that Taylor could become a legend in Newcastle (and reveals that Taylor will be making about 40,000 pounds a week).

Following Sunday's loss, Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini expressed interest in Andy Carroll, then almost immediately rescinded it. Andy Carroll, meanwhile, had already had a Christmas Day meeting with Alan Pardew where he expressed his desire to stay with the club. (Louise Taylor, The Guardian) I don't expect the Carroll rumors to end until after Deadline Day, but I do expect to continue to ignore them.

Former Newcastle defender Sebastien Bassong, who now plays for Tottenham, understands that Andy Carroll is a threat to score, especially through the air. (Sky Sports) Carroll's availability for the tie was in question, but not anymore. He will play, according to Alan Pardew. (Lee Ryder, The Chronicle)

Ed Harrison of nufcblog.com perhaps takes this tweet a little too seriously and speculates that Hatem ben Arfa will be signing a permanent deal soon. Meanwhile, CaughtOffside (who are notorious for being a little too eager with reporting transfer rumors) reports that Liverpool are interested in the midfielder.

Steve Harper is reportedly fit, but he will not play Tuesday as Alan Pardew continues to stand by young Tim Krul despite gifting Manchester City a goal in the second minute on Sunday. (Scott Wilson, The Northern Echo) Shameless self-referential plug: I disagree with this decision.

Cheik Tiote says the team cannot afford to show Tottenham Hotspur too much respect Tuesday. (Lee Ryder, The Chronicle)

Suspension news: In case you forgot, Kevin Nolan is unavailable because he has now collected 5 yellow cards, leading me to believe Nile Ranger may get the start in a 4-4-2. (MirrorFootball) Spurs have decided not to appeal the red card suspension of Jermaine Defoe. Atkinson strikes again! (Martin Lipton, MirrorFootball)

Previews
Sky Sports - Reckons Tottenham can boost their title chances against poor little Newcastle. Predicts a 2-1 loss for the Magpies.
Ed Harrison, nufcblog.com - Uses a weird Christmas analogy to explain that Newcastle can't make mistakes.
Watch for our own preview coming up very soon.

Match Preview: Newcastle Away at Spurs

2010-12-27T21:20:00.009-06:00

Off this loss to Citeh (which we will review later in the week along with this game at Spurs), the Magpies are headed to White Hart Lane to take on the Lilywhites. I think we're in much the same situation we were coming into the Citeh game; Spurs are top side with a dangerous offense, and we'll have to play a good game to come out on top.

The match with Citeh wasn't a complete gaffe, as after those abysmal first 5 minutes the NUFC side seemed to really have it's stuff together. But, it's hard to dig out of a 2-0 hole, and it takes a bit of good fortune that just never seemed to come the Magpies way. Cut off those first five minutes and have our lads play that same game against Spurs, and I'd like our chances.

We do know that Defoe had a red card, so he won't be available, which is good news, but we'll still have to find a way to deal with Rafael van der Vaart, and since the side has not been great aerially we can probably expect to see that silly looking lank Peter Crouch (please don't hear me saying that I have any good reason not to like Crouch, I just think he's the silliest looking thing on the pitch, like a baby giraffe...), if only to mark Andy Carroll on set pieces. And the offense will have Gareth Bale to deal with, won't they?

On our side we'll see Kevin Nolan in plain clothes, as he serves a suspension for his fifth yellow and Alan Pardew says that Tim Krul is still the starter. I expected a change after that howler that gifted Citeh the first goal on Sunday, but I can respect that Pards doesn't want to be rash about it either.

Reasons we win:

A rub of green wouldn't hurt. It seemed that there were so many chances on Sunday that were just that close to having us make a game of it. And don't get me started on that last goal off of poor Coloccini's back side.... If our lads can keep that kind of pressure and have just a small bit of good fortune they can put some goals in, and I think we'll need to against this Tottenham side.

I'm still looking for Jonas Gutierrez to get his stuff back together. He played a much better game sunday in that he wasn't making constant mistakes, but all tolled he was more of a nuetral factor. He must be a positive influence on this offense for it to function correctly, especially with Kevin Nolan suspended.

We'll need to score early and score often to come out on top. I think the Spurs could very well win this game 2-0, but if we win, I think the score line will read 3-2 or 4-3. We'll need to keep up with the offensive pace of the game to have a chance at winning late, I don't think that we'll be sitting on a lead, but snatching the last goal to win could be in hte cards.

Reasons we lose:

Gifting goals is one of this teams main flaws, and we saw it rear its ugly head on Sunday. Pardew seems to be on top of it; in an interview he as much as said that the howlers have to stop or heads will roll. I still blame the problem on spending a year in the Championship, but the amount of leniency I'm willing to give based on that is dwindling.

Even without the gifting we should be focused on limiting chances. Spurs are a side that rely on an accuracy by volume approach that makes for very attractive, and in their case, very effective football. The approach can be innefective if quality players are a squad's issue, but Spurs aren't hurting there, especially on the offensive side.

Playing for the tie, or sitting on the lead will cost us this game. I don't expect we'll play for a tie, I haven't seen that attitude out of this squad at all this season, but if we end up with, say, a half time lead and attempt to hold it, I think that's the right way for a smack bottom. If we let them get back on balance and back behind the ball, you can expect them to start peppering the goal, and then it's only a matter of time....

Prediction: NUFC 3-2 THFC, the last time I said both teams would be scoring we tied Fullham 0-0, so keep that in mind before you lay any bets based on my figuring.

A Note

2010-12-27T16:03:00.002-06:00

We have a few Halfway Point features planned, and today is supposed to represent that milestone. However, since: (A) Only 5 of the 20 teams have played all 19 of their matches, and (B) We have another match tomorrow, we will start posting these on Wednesday. HTL!

CHN Links: Monday Edition

2010-12-27T00:01:00.000-06:00

Good morning, Toon Army. Only one day between games means today's links will be a combination of news and reviews. Previews for the Spurs game will run on Tuesday.

Believe it or not, the term "Omerta" makes an appearance today.

Match Reviews

CaughtOffside - Video Highlights

Louise Taylor, The Guardian - Ms. Taylor's eloquent musings are much more pleasant to read following a win, but this is still required material.

MirrorFootball - "...a cursory glance at the team-sheet would have illustrated the gulf between a club which is now being run on a strict budget and the richest in world football...[Newcastle's] game plan was torn up inside five disastrous minutes when they twice pushed the self-destruct button to hand the advantage to the visitors."

Matt Micheletti, EPLTalk - "But any notion that Alan Pardew was lacking any sufficient tactical know-how was put to bed by the end of the first half...Newcastle’s dominance was not to come to fruition though."

Ed Harrison, nufcblog.com - "Today Newcastle were not good enough – it’s as simple as that - at least not in those first 4 vital minutes - – and whatever happened to our wonderful home form of last season?"

Doocey, Tyne Time - "When Fabricio Coloccini put the ball into his own net in the last ten minutes of the game, my heart sank and I nearly dropped my turkey sandwich."

Toonsy, nufcblog.org - "3-1, but it isn’t all doom and gloom, for a change."

Steve Brenner, The Sun - Reading this piece, you would get the impression that Carlos Tevez had the greatest performance in the history of the Premiership.

News

Louise Taylor of The Guardian invokes to the mafia term for a code of silence in describing the chances of both Newcastle and Sunderland of earning a berth in one of the European leagues.

Alan Pardew will stick with Tim Krul on Tuesday, but he warned the club to "cut out the howlers." Thanks for the advice, Pards. (Simon Bird, MirrorFootball)

Newcastle are said to be in on Shaun Wright-Phillips, the Manchester City winger. (CaughtOffside)

CHN Links: Gameday Edition

2010-12-26T00:36:00.000-06:00

As always, we present a collection of previews to get you ready for today's match. Happy Boxing Day!

Never forget.
Photo credit unknown

Toonsy, nufcblog.org - Predicts a 0-2 loss and asks the team to win it for ben Arfa.

Ed Harrison, nufcblog.com - Does a lot of complaining about the schedule and figures a draw would be just fine.

Ben Collins, Sky Sports - Predicts a 1-1 draw, despite the fact that their longest listed odds are for a draw. Focuses mostly on the Blues and their title run.

Martin Lipton, MirrorFootball - Predicts a Citeh win.

Some Christmas Questions

2010-12-25T00:01:00.000-06:00

So it's Christmas, and you're on this blog. There are no judgments here. In fact, thanks for being so dedicated. In lieu of links today I'll pose a couple of questions (inspired by EPLTalk and MirrorFootball) to you for discussion:

1. If you could get rid of one Newcastle United player, who would it be?

2. Who do you want Alan Pardew to go and get during the transfer window? If you want, you can name a dream choice and a realistic choice.

3. As long as we're dealing with hypotheticals, here's another one: If you could only protect 5 players on the team, who would you choose?

Discuss in the comments.

Match Preview: A Boxing Day Rematch

2010-12-24T22:20:00.002-06:00

Happy Christmas all, tomorrow the lads the will have the first rematch of the season against the billion dollar boys of Manchester Citeh. I shouldn't have to remind anyone what happened the last time these clubs clashed, but I will for the shameless sake of word count. Last time we met Citeh, Nigel De Jong dejonged (it's a verb, I made it up) Hatem ben Arfa to the tune of a double fracture in the left leg. The fallout saw Nigel De Jong chastised justly by the FA and chased out of the EPL. Wait, that's not right, that was my "perfect world" dream. At least he won't be playing for the Dutch anymore... Though HBA is recovering at a blistering pace, said to be possibly returning as early as February, he will obviously not be present for this match in St James' Park. De Jong will be there however, watch your lower legs lads.

For me the best way to teach that miscreant a lesson, other than the expected boos every time the ball is on his foot, is to take the full three points Citeh. More than that, I think this team can do it. In that first game it was really hard not to say that with some quality referee work Newcastle gets the win, so hard in fact that I did say that. But on Boxing Day we can't be satisfied with saying that we deserved the win. We have to take it to Citeh from start to finish and let them know we mean business.

We also know that Kolo Toure will be sidelined serving his suspension for being sent off of the Everton match last Monday, and that should bode well for our defense which will have Coloccini and Williamson back to pick from.

After Nile Ranger's performance in the Liverpool game we thought him a shoe in to take a start from Shola Ameobi, but since the Birmingham game was postponed he may not see starting action according to Pardew:

"... I still think he has a lot to do to be a regular starter here. He was going
to start at Birmingham because I thought the impetus he gave us against
Liverpool would carry over. But that doesn’t mean to say he’s going to play
against City.”
“At the moment, he’s probably still at the stage of being an
impact player to a degree. When I see a bit more of him in training, and see him
on time and being disciplined, that’s when I’ll feel willing to put him in the
first team.”

Reasons we win:

Defusing the offense the way we were able to the first time we played ManC will again be key to earning three points. Although I hope we don't do it with that high defensive line we played earlier in the season, it makes for some heart stopping moments....

I'd like to see more action up front than we did in the last tie. The NUFC side certainly have the ability to give the ManC defenders problems but we'll have to be putting all the pieces together more often this time around.

Jonas Gutierrez has to get out of this funk he's been in and start playing quality football. When he's off it take El Toro out of the game and leaves the entire offensive workload to Joey Barton. Not bad hands to have it in, but a one dimensional offense doesn't score goals in the Prem.

Reasons we lose:

A part of this game (maybe a big part) depends on Chris Foy's attitude about the Nigel De Jong situation. If he comes into this game thinking NUFC players like Joey Barton and Cheik Tiote are out for revenge then he could be pulling cards too easily in this match. We know he has to be aware of the situation, let's hope he doesn't let it get out of hand in either direction.

Defensive chemistry could be a factor since Colo and Willo are both back, but Stephen Taylor has proved worthy of the starting spot. You'll notice that I've left Sol Campblel out of the conversation and I think we all know why. But if Pardew decides to mix and match with the other three let's hope they've got their roles sorted before the first whistle.

Prediction: NUFC 0-2 MCFC, at some point Foy will send Joey Barton off based on reputation, which will diffuse the offense and have the defense working double time.

CHN Links: Christmas Eve Edition

2010-12-24T00:01:00.000-06:00

Good morning, Toon Army. Alan Pardew is close to re-signing Steven Taylor and wants to keep Hatem ben Arfa. Maybe he's not Satan after all.

Alan Pardew and Steven Taylor yuk it up together. A face-to-face meeting between the two could be what ends up keeping Taylor in black and white stripes.
Photo credit unknown

Steven Taylor is reportedly close to signing a new deal with the club, ending his long contract dispute. Negotiations were not going well but turned around recently following a one-on-one meeting with Alan Pardew. If Taylor does indeed end up signing, Pardew will on his way to winning over a fanbase that was very unhappy at his hiring. (Steve Brown, The Chronicle) Pardew has said that he will take a prominent role in negotiations. (Luke Edwards, The Journal)

Alan Pardew will reportedly make signing Hatem ben Arfa to a permanent deal a priority next month. (Alex Shaw, talkSPORT) Pardew is worried about Newcastle's depth and wants to add a striker and a left back in the January transfer window. Surely he means right back, right? (Luke Edwards, The Journal)

Joey Barton made some comments recently that are sure to make him even more popular than he already is among his peers. (Simon Bird, MirrorFootball)

Alan Pardew compared Andy Carroll to Carlos Tevez. Maybe a little ambitious, but I appreciate that the manager has confidence in his boys. (Sky Sports) In a separate interview, Steve Stone praised Carroll's mental toughness. (John Gibson, The Chronicle)

Nigel de Jong is fit for Sunday's match. Shola Ameobi will likely miss the match, which means Nile Ranger could get the call if Pardew decides to stick with the 4-4-2. (Both links from MirrorFootball)

Dan Gosling is close to returning to match fitness. (Steve Brown, The Chronicle)

CHN Links: Thursday Edition

2010-12-23T00:38:00.000-06:00

Good morning, Toon Army. Slow news day today; guess everybody is getting ready for Christmas.

Nile Ranger wants to start on Sunday. (Lee Ryder, The Chronicle)

Newcastle are linked with Spurs midfielder Niko Kranjcar, who is listed at 8 million pounds. Click the link for a nice video showing off his ballhandling skills. (Darren Lewis, MirrorFootball)

CHN Links: Wednesday Edition

2010-12-22T00:01:00.000-06:00

Good morning, Toon Army. Good news about Hatem ben Arfa after the jump.

Nigel de Jong - sure to get an earful on Boxing Day
Photo credit unknown

Hatem ben Arfa's recovery has been progressing faster than normal and he is now targeted to return in early February. Awesome. (Mark Douglas, The Journal)

Alan Pardew's second (or is it third?) choice for an assistant, Malky Mackay, has said no. No word on who the next target will be. (The Guardian)

Contrary to previous reports, Alan Pardew is not interested in selling Andy Carroll or Joey Barton. (Paul Wilson, The Northern Echo)

Jonas Gutierrez has high hopes for the Alan Pardew era. (Lee Ryder, The Chronicle)

After speaking with Alan Pardew, Steven Taylor is excited about finishing the year with the club, giving hope to those who wish to see his contract dispute resolved. (Simon Bird, MirrorFootball)

CHN Links: Tuesday Edition

2010-12-21T01:17:00.000-06:00

Good morning, Toon Army. Look, if Everton can do it...

Alan Pardew is now targeting Watford manager Malky Mackay as his assistant. (John Cross, MirrorFootball)

Scott Wilson of The Northern Echo is upset that Birmingham City officials waited so long to cancel the match last Saturday.

Alan Pardew has a message for other clubs: Back off of Andy Carroll. (Lee Ryder, The Chronicle)

CHN Links: Monday Edition

2010-12-20T00:01:00.000-06:00

Good morning, Toon Army. It's December 20, which can only mean one thing: All of our players are for sale - at least if you believe everything you read. Put on your critical thinking cap and follow the jump for the details.

The Angel of the North - Free of flying scarves, as it should be.
(Don't get it? Click here)
Photo credit unknown

Mike Williamson spoke about his desire to play for Newcastle and the impact the 5-1 win in the most recent iteration of the Tyne-Wear Derby has had on the team and the city. (Lee Ryder, The Chronicle)

Lots of rumors out there with January coming up, and Andy Carroll is a hot name. He's been linked to both Tottenham (Brian McNally, MirrorFootball) and Chelsea (Paul Smith, MirrorFootball). It goes without saying that selling Carroll would be a very unpopular move.

Alan Pardew wants to keep Steven Taylor and sign Cheik Tiote to a long-term contract. (Brian McNally, MirrorFootball)

Sol Campbell, who made his distaste with the sacking of Chris Hughton well known, is rumored to want out of Newcastle. (Alan Oliver, The People)

Alan Pardew told Kazenga LuaLua that he is still in the club's future plans despite his injury. (Lee Ryder, The Chronicle)

Brian McNally of MirrorFootball is starting to come around on Alan Pardew.

Snow News is Bad News

2010-12-19T00:01:00.001-06:00

If you're looking for news about what happened in today's match against Birmingham City today, you won't find it here...or anywhere else. The match was postponed due to weather, and no makeup date has been announced yet. We're taking the day off as well. Have a great Sunday!

CHN Links: Gameday Edition

2010-12-18T00:01:00.000-06:00

Don't forget to check out our own preview. RKW predicts a 1-0 win and I'll go with a 1-1 draw.

Paul Doyle, The Guardian - A combo of staunch defense from the home side and Newcastle's lack of scoring on the road has him thinking draw. His selection projection mirrors my ideal lineup for this game.

Toonsy, nufcblog.org - Worries over defensive selection and lobbies for Coloccini and Taylor in the middle. Predicts a draw.

Ed Harrison, nufcblog.com - Concerned about consistency. Says this is truly Alan Pardew's first game.

Sky Sports - "...a win over Liverpool in his first match did little to appease [Pardew's] critics." Predicts a 0-1 victory for the Toon.

Martin Lipton, MirrorFootball - Predicts a home win.

CHN Links: Friday Edition

2010-12-17T12:06:00.000-06:00

Good morning, Toon Army. Lots of stuff about Alan Pardew today.

Alan Pardew conducts training.
Photograph: Ian Horrocks/Newcastle Utd via Getty Images

Alan Pardew has put together a wishlist for the January transfer window, one which includes a winger and a defender. (Mark Douglas, The Journal) Pardew wants to "make sure we resolve" Steven Taylor's contract situation. It's not clear whether that means working out a new contract or shipping him out. (Sky Sports)

It looks like Sol Campbell will not be fit for this Saturday's match. Makes Pardew's decision about what to do with returning defenders Mike Williamson and Fabricio Coloccini just a little bit easier. (Lee Ryder, The Chronicle)

Jonas Gutierrez is excited to play a game in warmer weather...and oh yeah, he wants to win, too. Tim Krul is also looking forward to the match. (Both links from Lee Ryder, The Chronicle)

Alan Pardew speaks about the style of football he wants to implement at Newcastle. An interesting read. (Louise Taylor, The Guardian) Pardew believes that he can make Andy Carroll an even stronger player. (MirrorFootball)

Magpie vs. Magpie: Should Steve Harper have his job back?

2010-12-16T11:26:00.003-06:00

This week we're kicking the tires of a new feature we like to call "Magpie vs. Magpie" Think spy vs spy except subtract malicious intent and add football theme.

This week's question: Now that Steve Harper is back to playing form, is the job his? Or is this Krul's team until he proves otherwise?

Robert:
Well, as Americans, we have seen our share of quarterback controversies, which is what this is, essentially. The goalkeeper is the leader on the field, and his position is unique. How he plays dictates how the defenders play, and on up the line. It's a position played by people with egos, and those egos need to be massaged. One theory that I've come up with after watching football coaches handle quarterback controversies is that there are two things that are important to managing such a situation well: being consistent and trustworthy. A goalie, if injured, needs to know that his job is safe if he's injured, if for no other reason that he may hide his future injuries if he thinks that his job will be in jeopardy because of them.

RKW:
Well, normally I'd be able to agree with you for the most part. But the NUFC situation is unique in that we've known that this would be the year that Harper would be done on Tyneside from the beginning. It was always the plan to have Krul getting starts and seeing if he could prove himself. I think he's done that very well. His save percentage is nice at 67%, he has 3 clean sheets, and except for a spot here and there he has been at the very top of his game since he took over. I know that under normal circumstances you'd say the job is Stevie's once he's fit, but if last week taught us anything it's that the Prem is a cutthroat place to work, and can sometimes be unfair. The fair thing to do would be to have Harper in net, but the smart thing to do is to continue to cultivate your future #1.

Robert:

Yes, it's very tempting to keep Krul in net. He has been fantastic as a substitute, and I have no doubt that he would continue to have success. I'm not suggesting that we sell or even loan out Krul in order to keep Harper - quite the opposite. It's our depth that has kept us afloat, and I would like to keep that depth. Harper is under contract through 2012 and Krul through 2014, and I'd like to see both of them around that long. You have to remember that Harper was on the other side of this before. Whenever the oft-injured (that may be a tad bit harsh, but it was a common occurrence) Shay Given would go down, Harper was there to step in, and whenever Given was fit, Harper gave up his spot. I would think that now that he's on the veteran side of the equation, he would expect the same courtesy to be extended to him. He's 35 and won't be around much longer; we need to get what we can out of him now or he's going to leave for somewhere that will give him playing time. I'm never one to suggest that players should automatically be selected because of their status, but since I view Krul and Harper as roughly equals in talent at this point in both of their careers, I think you have to give deference to the veteran.

RKW:

No way! Harper is old news. Such is the breaks. I'm not saying he needs to ride the pine the rest of the year, but I am saying that Krul has earned the upper hand in his time on first team. This has turned into the same competition that it was when the year started, but advantage has to be given to the Dutchman. If he had played like a back up quarterback usually does in the NFL you'd have no argument from me, but you have to ask yourself, did we really miss Harper? Only in so far as we know Soderberg isn't ready for first team action. No, in this case I can't just give the vet his job back, and I say that knowing full well that Harper spent 16 years loyally serving behind other keepers at this club, and he has been the model of class through all of that. It was unfortunate for him to have been injured the way he was, and I'm not saying let's put him out to pasture, but I don't think you can bench Tim Krul when every game sees him getting that much better.

Robert:

The thing is, these controversies never start as a result of back-up quality play from your back-up. I think mostly it comes down to an argument of known versus unknown quality. You know what you can get from the back-up by virtue of what he's done for the last few games, and you don't know how the starter is going to react coming off of an injury. I understand the trepidation. My point is that whatever is done needs to be done with decisiveness and consistency. Pardew wasn't the manager when Harper had to sit for Given, but there's a track record there that I think needs to be honored. I think we can both agree on the decisiveness issue. If Pardew hems and haws and makes this a week-to-week decision, eventually you face a split locker room and hurt egos on one side or the other, with people asking to transfer out. I obviously prefer Harper, but if he's going to choose Krul he doesn't need to lead Harper (or the other players or the fans) on and make him think he's got a shot when he doesn't.

RKW:

Well there you have it. We've solved, well, nothing really, but it was a fun conversation about a problem most teams can only wish they had. Let us know what you think about the Krul/Harper decision, the comments are open, and you are invited.

CHN Links: Thursday Edition

2010-12-16T10:20:00.000-06:00

Good morning, Toon Army. Hypothetical question: If the Magpies win on Saturday, will you believe in Alan Pardew? If not, how many wins in a row would it take? 3? 5? 10? Something to ponder as you go through the links today.

Could this man be the difference maker on Saturday?
Photograph: Joe Giddens/Empics Sport

Qatari investors are rumored to be eying a buyout of Newcastle United. Look, I'm not a big Mike Ashley fan and I would love to see a new owner, but this is a step in the wrong direction. I can't believe I'm saying this, but: Don't sell, Mike Ashley. (MirrorFootball)

Leicester boss Chris Powell is more than likely not joining Alan Pardew's staff. (Mark Douglas, The Journal)

Alan Pardew had several things to say to the Toon Army, chief among them being that he wants to beat Birmingham. Well, that's a relief. (Lee Ryder, The Chronicle)

In order to prepare for Andy Carroll, Birmingham defender Roger Johnson says he has been "smashing into" 6'8" teammate Nikola Zigic in practice. (MirrorFootball)

Toonsy of nufcblog.org advocates for a starting spot for Nile Ranger. He reasons that since Birmingham will be strong in their aerial defense, a striker with pace will add another dimension to the attack. I agree.

Sunderland striker Darren Bent, who once played for Alan Pardew, had some respectful words for the new Toon manager. (Mark Douglas, The Journal)

Alan Shearer is in talks with Blackburn to take over the coaching vacancy caused by Sam Allardyce's sacking. (David Anderson and Alan Nixon, MirrorFootball)

CHN Links: Wednesday Edition

2010-12-15T08:59:00.002-06:00

Good morning, Toon Army. It's been a slow news week, which is certainly a welcome change from last week.

Craig Gardner celebrates a goal against Tottenham Hotspur on December 4. Birmingham City scores an average of one goal per game, so I suppose you've got to fist pump when you can.
Photo credit unknown

Alan Pardew wants to give his young players a chance to earn a spot with the top squad. (Lee Ryder, The Chronicle) Nile Ranger, in particular, is eying Shola Ameobi's striker spot. (Lee Ryder, The Chronicle)

Alan Pardew is hopeful of recruiting Chris Powell to his coaching staff. (Mark Douglas, The Journal)

In transfer rumor news, the Toon are connected with Southampton defender Jose Fonte (Andrew Dillon, The Sun) and Steven Taylor says he wants to stay. (Steve Brenner, The Sun) There's no way to know this for sure, but this seems like an either/or proposition.

Lee Ryder thinks Joey Barton is consistently treated unfairly by the FA.

Match Preview: Off a Big Win, Magpies on the Road at St. Andrew's

2010-12-15T01:30:00.004-06:00

Last week it was a big win against The Reds; this week it's an important away tie against The Blues. This Birmingham side has been, if I'm honest, lucky to find themselves out of the relegation zone, if only just. So NUFC should be looking to poach an away win here, but I doubt BCFC will go quietly, even if all they can seem to do is force 0-0 draws.

As I said, this is a Birmingham side that is only just clear of the relegation zone, and have kept clear of it by forcing draws against strong sides. They've only been good for one win a month in the Prem, but have drawn eight times, and against the likes of Man. City and Spurs. Of their three wins this year, all have come at home, but one was the fluke against Chelsea.

Alan Pardew has a real chance here to fix what's been a growing problem for this NUFC team, and that's taking care of business against the also-rans of the league. Birmingham's offense is woeful having only scored 17 times this season; against an NUFC defense that should see the return of Fabricio Coloccini, Mike Williamson, or both, their struggles to score should continue at least through this week.

Reasons we win:

Score a goal early has been my mantra of late since this team plays markedly better after scoring the first goal. But, this weekend I think the important thing will be just to score a goal. Of the eight draws that BCFC have forced four of them have been 0-0. They'll be playing with most of the side behind the ball and looking to limit chances, if we can put one in at any time it will probably be enough to win.

Defending the long ball and counter will be pivotal against a team that is sure to be playing behind the ball the way BCFC have this season. Last week we proved that we can indeed do this effectively and I can't see any reason that we shouldn't be able to shut down Birmingham's one dimensional offense.

Attacking the narrow set fullbacks. I'm a little out of my element commenting on tactics this specifically, but Birmingham tends to have their Full Backs set fairly narrow, this should allow Jonas and Joey to go around the outside and funnel an endless supply of crosses toward the head of Andy Carroll.

BCFC can't deal with Andy Carroll. Neither Roger Johnson or Liam Ridgewell have what it takes to keep Andy down. Look for those crosses to be well struck from the Geordie lad, and though I don't think it will happen, a high scoring performance from Andy is a possibility.

Reasons we lose:

Getting cute with the trap. If anyone pulls a Sol Campbell and gives up on a man that's onside while trying to trap him offside, it could be the mistake that let's BCFC steal a goal. If they do steal a goal you can bet it will be all 11 men behind the ball and we'll have quite a hole to dig out from.

If we can't crack the egg, we may find ourselves in a draw at the end of the day, and I for one will consider that a loss against this team. Three points are very important here with ManC and Tottenham next on the schedule.

Bad passing will kill us versus a side intent on limiting chances, a give away at midfield when you're pressing forward can put you're backs in 1 on 1 situations. We don't want that, so taking care of the ball while putting pressure should be a top priority.

Prediction: NUFC 1-0 BCFC, at the end of the day I think the BCFC approach keeps the ball out of the net for the most part, but I really don't think they can score on us with our best defenders in the game.

CHN Links: Tuesday Edition

2010-12-14T11:33:00.000-06:00

Good morning, Toon Army. Sorry for being really, really late today. I'll hit the highlights of the news and not much more.

Joey Barton: Not suspended for this gesture.
Photo credit unknown

Alan Pardew has promoted Steve Stone and Willie Donachie to the first team coaching staff and has hired Andy Woodman as the goalkeeper coach. He stresses that "continuity" is important. I find it hard to disagree. (Lee Ryder, The Chronicle)

Joey Barton says that whatever concerns the team had about Alan Pardew they said to his face, and believes that keeping communication lines open will bode well for their relationship. (Stuart Rayner, The Journal)

Andy Carroll isn't going anywhere. (BPL Official Site) The Guardian's weekly Chalkboard Analysis takes a look at Carroll's aerial dominance.

The FA will not take any action against Joey Barton for what they called "an obscene gesture." (Sky Sports)

Reasonable Reaction Monday: A Birthday Present for Chris Hughton

2010-12-13T16:27:00.009-06:00

The number one thing that I take away from Saturday's game is that it looks like, at least for now, that the players are still willing to play. Even if they all dedicated the game to Chris Hughton, as Joey Barton did with his MOTM award, this win bodes very well for the reign of Alan Pardew. Let's get right into it after the jump.

Even Tim Krul had to come forward after that howitzer. via Telegraph.co.uk

The 3-1 score might be misleading as to the competitiveness of this match. Liverpool had one more shot on target than NUFC, and had the Magpies on their heels for a few extended periods of the match. They out-possessed and out shot NUFC, had more corners and less fouls. Their SOGs looked scary a couple of times, especially the one that came off of Enrique, who happened to be in the right place. But, Newcastle won the only stat that matters, and to my eye they did it with poise and passion, even if they didn't overwhelm LFC with skill.

It was very good to have Barton and Nolan back on the field, and seeing the difference in the team when they are both off makes me hope against hope that Ashley and Llambias can make some funds available to Pardew in January. Quick note on that, Pardew was asked about transfer targets and Hatem Ben Arfa during the post match interview and had this to say:

"I've had a brief meeting about potential targets and positions with Graham Carr (Chief Scout). I still need to assess the group here. It would be unfair not to. But the window is an opportunity and you have to keep an eye on it. Hopefully it will be good news."

"I did weigh it up. I am not made of Teflon – I want to be liked and want to be respected, but in the short-term that is not going to happen – I have to earn that right.
"I have managed to do that before and hopefully I can do it again. It is just not true to say the job had been lined up for weeks. In terms of myself I never had contact about this job or any other job.

"It is a weird situation – you hear little rumours, your agent bumps into someone and you hear certain things about so and so and this club. However, that is it – that is all I have had.

"I have heard of two or three clubs in that situation. It is by far and away never fixed up until it is actually done. Travelling up on Wednesday, coming back from Germany I was tired and I was thinking ‘Do I really want to do this?’

"Negotiations had already started by then. All of that process is very, very difficult, but when I arrived at the hotel and weighed up the history of the club – no way could I turn this down.

"I didn’t think the chance had passed, but I have to say arriving here after being sacked from Southampton is probably fortunate for me. By the same token I have always had belief in my ability.

"I went to Southampton to take them into the Premier League – it was not a League One club in my view. I think I had made good strides to do that, everything was in place to get promoted this year so to be taken away from that was a blow.

"I am very pleased to have bounced back with such a brilliant job. I felt unfairly treated there. I thought I was building a very club and team there – the owner had other ideas.

"I like to think I can win things. I won a trophy last year – not the greatest of trophies, admittedly. I have had two promotions too. I almost won the FA Cup too. I think the one thing I do have – which has got me in trouble in the past – is wanting to win things too much. It is about making sure you channel that will to win.

And on Ben Arfa:

"He's in my thinking - strongly. I am going to speak to Derek (Llambias) about that and see if we can resolve it some way."

Player Notes:

Kevin Nolan scored the first goal on 14 minutes and made his presence known throughout the the day. His poise and leadership were sorely missed while he was away, and it is a relief that he is back. He did go off in the second half; here's hoping that ankle knock isn't so bad that he misses any more time.

Joey Barton was also sorely missed while he was gone and made short work of reminding us why he was. He's easily the best cross on the team and he generates chances very well from the set pieces. The FA is looking into his "suggestive gesture," I can't see anything coming of this.

Andy Carroll needs to learn a soft first touch. I don't have to convince you all that he's good as of now, but think how good he would be if he could settle down the long pass a little more consistently. Also, that shot. Wow.

I don't know what's up with Sol Campbell, but it would have been a clean sheet if not for his gaff. He's also playing very tired football of the last couple of games. He's been a shadow of the man that helped us win against Arsenal and I for one will be glad to see Colo or Williamson in his place next week.

I also don't know what the heck is up with Jonas Gutierrez, but when he plays like he has in these last two games, it takes Jose Enrique out of the game completely, and if it continues it will be bad bad news for NUFC.

Nile Ranger made a serious bid for first team consideration, as he ran round the LFC defense from his first second on the pitch. I am not one of these Shola Ameobi detractors that wants to see him shipped out as soon as possible, but I'd like to see Pardew let him know that he isn't untouchable by giving Nile a chance on the first team.

Man of the Match: Joey Barton, could it be anyone else?

Zonal Marking Weighs In on Newcastle 3, Liverpool 1

2010-12-13T03:00:00.000-06:00

Spoiler alert: Andy Carroll is very good. This is always worth a read, so make sure you check it out.

CHN Links: Monday Edition

2010-12-13T00:01:00.000-06:00

Good morning, Toon Army. You feel any better about Pardew? At least he doesn't look like a hobo:

Captain Kevin Nolan is keeping the lads focused on football, rather than any front office drama that might be going on. (Sky Sports)

Joey Barton was named Man of the Match on Saturday, and he dedicated his award to Chris Hughton. (Brian McNally, MirrorFootball)

Joey Barton could possibly face punishment from the FA for giving an obscene gesture during the match on Saturday. If you watched the match you know exactly what this is in reference to. I usually try to link to news outlets rather than blogs on news items if possible, but Toonsy of nufcblog.org's account is much funnier than any you'll find in any newspaper.

Alan Pardew wants to keep Joey Barton, who is rumored to have drawn interest from West Ham United, and make Hatem ben Arfa's move permanent. (Lee Ryder, The Chronicle)

Chris Hughton is already being pegged to land on his feet at West Ham United if Avram Grant is sacked as is widely speculated. (John Richardson, The Express)

Alan Pardew denies that he was in contact with Newcastle about the job before Hughton was sacked. (Brian McNally, MirrorFootball)

Alan Pardew is searching for an assistant and a goalkeepers coach, and he's looking at Ray Lewington for the former and Andy Woodman for the latter. (Dean Jones, The People)

Newcastle 3, Liverpool 1 - A Collection of Reviews

2010-12-12T22:47:00.000-06:00

Louise Taylor, The Guardian - Eloquently describes the mood in the stadium and among the major players as the game went on. Great review.

CaughtOffside - Video highlights.

Doocey, TyneTime - Gives credit where credit is due. (Maybe not what you expect)

Craig Stoddart, The Northern Echo - Good recap, perhaps focuses more on Liverpool than the other reviews.

Toonsy, nufcblog.org - Encouraged by the professionalism of the players.

Steve Brenner, The Sun - Focuses on the fortitude shown by the Newcastle players.

Michael Richard, The Canadian Geordie - Impressed the performances of three players.

Ed Harrison, nufcblog.com - Grossly overestimates the length of Carroll's goal, but otherwise gives a good recap of the match.

Matt Micheletti, EPLTalk - Wonders if the victory will placate the Toon Army.

MirrorFootball - Nice moment-by-moment recap.

Sky Sports - Match facts and player ratings.

Week 17 Talking Points

2010-12-11T13:30:00.000-06:00

Neither one of us were able to watch the game live today, unfortunately. We are on media blackout until they replay the match on foxsoccer.tv. This post is scheduled to go up about when the game should be over, and of course the questions are pretty generic. I'll update it later tonight.

Feel free to treat this as your conversation starter. We want you to be as much a part of this blog as we are, especially as we make some changes as we head toward the new year.

How was Pardew's first game? What did you notice that was different?
Were the protests noticeable and effective?
Were you happy with the selection and substitutions?
Who is your man of the match?

CHN Links: Gameday Edition

2010-12-11T00:28:00.000-06:00

Louise Taylor, The Guardian - "Another Saturday, another new manager at St James' Park." No prediction but their betting odds favor Liverpool.

Ed Harrison, nufcblog.com - "The lads must play as though this is a game in which they have a chance of saying thank you to Chris Hughton..."

Matthew Campbell, EPLTalk - Not a fan of referee Lee Mason, who apparently has a history of giving red cards rather easily. Predicts a 1-1 draw.

Martin Lipton, MirrorFootball - Picks this week of all weeks to finally predict a Toon win. I guess he's worried about the "new manager effect" Roy Hodgson spoke of.

Sky Sports - Invokes Liverpool's history against Newcastle. Predicts 2-1 loss.

Match Preview: The Reds are Coming to Toon

2010-12-10T01:30:00.005-06:00

Alan Pardew will have his work cut out in his first match as Newcastle Manager as a Liverpool side under new ownership comes to Toon. There is much talk of a sit out style protest at St. James' park this Saturday, and while we support any burrs in the side of Mike Ashley we can't help but wonder how the lads we actually care about will take it. I think they realize that the ire of the Toon Army is focused on one man and one man alone.

As for the rest, we've had our time to rant and rave, to say farewell to a man we all grew to respect, really, to mourn his loss. I think Saturday is the time to get back behind what we really care about. After all, let's remember, we don't care about Ashley, we don't care about me, all we care about is NUFC. Let's not forget that we still have a relegation zone to avoid and whether we like the decision to change managers or not, we still have a job to do as fans, and that's cheer on the lads.

Make the jump with us for the proper preview.

As I said Pardew will have his work cut out against this Liverpool side that has been on the upswing since they exorcised Tom Hicks and fiends (did I leave an R out?). A couple of facts that Pardew can look forward to however is that LFC have been markedly worse on the road, losing to the likes of Stoke and only forcing a tie at Wigan.

Also the Magpies will not have to deal with Steven Gerrard as he is still sidelined with a hamstring injury. While we'll be happy to have Kevin Nolan and Joey Barton back from minor knocks that were picked up in training. Coloccini and Williamson will both be serving their last suspension game, so we can expect Big Sol and Saylor back in the middle again. I'd like to make some sort of prediction about the starting eleven, but I think we'll just have to see how Pardew wants to organize this talent. I'd be shooting in the dark with a guess.

Reasons we win:

The Players come out strong and show detractors that though they will miss Chris Hughton and may not agree with the change, they are still here to play hard, support one another and win games. More than anything else the next few games ride on the psyche of the players. \

Score Early, dead horse beaten. I've obviously said it before but when this team is attacking from the start they are playing their best football.

Ball Control should be a high priority for NUFC on Saturday. Expect LFC to play with lots of men behind the ball, and rely on long passing to create chances. If we can control the ball it can go a long way to defusing that offense.

Reasons we lose:

Counter Attack Defense could bite us in the hind parts. With men behind the ball LFC convinces teams to push to far forward and become susceptible to the counter. If we can't defend it, we'll be in a bad way.

The Players come out flat and sluggish. The last thing this team needs is players crying over spilled milk, but a man they all respect and admire has been treated very poorly this week, and the risk is high to give in to that pull and forget to play good football.

Lack of Creativity worries me against a side that plays so much behind the ball. We'll have to wait and see what kind of tactics Pardew deploys, but if we can't create chances, we won't be on the winning side.

Prediction NUFC 1-3 LFC, I think it may be too big a hill to climb for these players to lose a beloved and respected manager and come to play at 100% less than a week later. I look for our lads to be depressed and lethargic. I don't want it to be this way, but this is just the way I see it playing out.

CHN Links: Friday Edition

2010-12-10T01:27:00.003-06:00

Good morning, Toon Army. Reactions to the Alan Pardew press conference and news about a shouting match are after the jump.

Hope we don't see any of this on Saturday...
Photograph: Daniel Hambury/EMPICS Sport/PA Photos

It's official: Alan Pardew is the new manager of Newcastle United. (BPL Official Site) Here are the details of his contract. (Louise Taylor, The Guardian)

The press conference was yesterday, and there were a ton of angles to cover. The Guardian has a blow-by-blow account of the proceedings. Scott Wilson of The Northern Echo sees significance in the fact that Pardew was left to do the press conference by himself. So what did he actually say in the presser? He's honored to be part of the club, calling it a Top 5 side. (Stuart Rayner, The Chronicle) He's focused on keeping Newcastle in the Premiership. (Sky Sports) His friends and colleagues told him that taking the job wasn't a wise move. (Simon Bird, The Mirror) He won't be pushed around by Mike Ashley. (Steve Brenner, The Sun) He won't sell Andy Carroll. (MirrorFootball) He talked about trying to win over a team that was committed to Hughton. (Barney Ronay, The Guardian)

So what do we make of Pardew? The Northern Echo has some facts and figures. Rexn of Talk of the Tyne thinks about what lies ahead in the next 5 1/2 years and, more importantly, what is in store tomorrow when he meets with the team. Toonsy of nufcblog.org says the fans need to get behind Pardew. CaughtOffside has a mostly humorous list of the "Ten Ways Alan Pardew Can Make Newcastle United Fans Love Him."

Kevin Nolan and at least one other "star" player reportedly had a shouting match with managing director Derek Llambias concerning recent events, and Pardew immediately had a meeting with Nolan asking him not to resent him for taking Hughton's place. It looks like Pardew is not going to shy away from confrontation, which is a good thing, and I hope Nolan and the others get their heads on straight before Saturday's match with Liverpool. (Simon Bird, The Mirror) Roy Hodgson is worried that his side will fall victim to what he call "the new manager effect" on Saturday. What, you forgot there was a match this weekend? I almost did, too. (Sky Sports)

Robbie Savage of The Guardian takes Mike Ashley to task for putting Alan Pardew in an impossible situation. He brings up a good point - even if you held the unlikely opinion that Hughton had to go and Pardew was a good replacement for him, you've still got to be upset at Ashley for handling it the way he did.

Sam Allardyce says that Chris Hughton will land on his feet with another job. (Sky Sports)

Steven Harper played for the reserves yesterday. (Stuart Rayner, The Chronicle) No word on when he should return to the first team, or whether he would replace Tim Krul when healthy. (Warning: Goalie controversy forthcoming...)

Steven Gerrard will not play on Saturday. (MirrorFootball)

For whatever it's worth, the Newcastle United Supporters Trust made a statement about Hughton's sacking.

Andy Carroll was named the North East Sports Writers' Young Player of the Year for 2010. (BBC Sport)

The transfer rumors continue. West Ham wants Joey Barton. (Alan Nixon, The Guardian)

Former Magpie Paul Gascoigne avoided jail time for his drunk driving incident as he was handed a suspended sentence. (BBC News)

CHN Links: Thursday Edition

2010-12-09T00:01:00.002-06:00

Good morning, Toon Army. The press conference to announce the new manager will be held at 2:30 pm today. Don't get your hopes up for a surprise - it ain't happening. Read about it after the jump.

View the full-size comic on the wonderful studs-up.com

As we reported yesterday, Alan Pardew is likely to become the next Newcastle United manager. I say likely because it hasn't been officially reported yet, but many are speaking as if he's already been named. Since there are literally no other legitimate options out there that haven't been turned off by the prospect of working for Mike Ashley, I'd say this is a safe wager, which is why betting has been closed on the scenario for quite some time now. No matter, Ashley and Pardew will have plenty of time to hit the casino together in the coming years.

The apparent reason that Chris Hughton was sacked was that he was viewed by the club as a coach and not as a manager. What a joke. I've run out of ways to describe how incredibly dumb this decision was. (Luke Edwards, The Journal)

This article by Luke Edwards of The Journal is a fairly typical review of where the search for a replacement stands, but it's interesting because Edwards intones that the board of directors think they'll mend fences with the fans by who they've selected. The exact quote is mind-boggling:

Newcastle United are confident the man they have lined up to replace Chris Hughton will end any simmering discontent surrounding his departure as manager.

Former Toon chairman Freddy Shepherd has come out as the lone voice of support for Mike Ashley. (Harry Harris, ESPN Soccernet)

The hill that Pardew faces due in some part to the foul mood of the Toon Army is ably described by Simon Bird of The Mirror.

To add insult to injury, Southampton chair Nicola Cortese came out and said that he made the right choice in sacking Pardew, claiming that things had improved since he left. Yes, you read that right: League One side Southampton is happy to be rid of Pardew. (MirrorFootball)

Protests are being planned on several websites, including Twitter, where we hang out a lot (Shameless plug alert!). Here is just one of them. It'll be quite an accomplishment if all of the fans attending on Saturday can coordinate something that actually causes Ashley and the board to sit up and take notice, but I'm not holding my breath, honestly.

December is the beginning of silly season for transfer rumors anyway, but be prepared to hear of even more teams that want to swoop in and capitalize on any discontent that may arise in the Magpie dressing room. Today the rumors are about Jonas Gutierrez and the already grumpy Steven Taylor. (CaughtOffside and MirrorFootball, respectively)

Alan Pardew to be Your New Manager, How Bad is This News?

2010-12-08T07:55:00.008-06:00

It's looking pretty firm that Alan Pardew will take over for the exiled Chris Hughton. This entire situation is disgusting from top to bottom. Starting with a BBC report that Pardew was talking to the club as early as ten days ago. As if the Hughton sacking wasn't a big enough travesty against the Toon faithful, Pardew is the candidate that was claiming less that 5% of the vote in most polls. Follow us past the jump and let's try to figure out what this means for what we actually care about. After all, we don't care about Ashley, we don't care about Pardew, we don't care about me, all we care about is NUFC.

Yes Alan, there is a bad taste in our mouths as well via fourfourtwo.com

Until recently Pardew had taken over for three clubs that were struggling, made them decidedly worse, and was then sacked, but perhaps Newcastle fans can hope that his most recent managerial performance at South Hampton. Last year he lead the club to the Football League Trophy. Then he was sacked. Perhaps when Ashley said he was looking for more experience, he meant experience being sacked.

By the numbers Pardew is hardly an improvement over Hughton:

Pardew - G528 W231 D133 L164 %43.75
Hughton - G88 W43 D21 L24 %48.8

He also has a section on his wiki page entitled controversy, which is just the kind of personality that Newcastle does not need this season. Comparing these two men, I think what the club will miss the most about Chris will be his calming influence, his levelheadedness. And at the end of this season I think this move will see us closer to relegation that we would have been with Chris. In fact I think it puts us at serious risk for relegation. Let's hope I'm wrong.

Howay the Lads

CHN Links: Wednesday Edition

2010-12-08T01:36:00.001-06:00

Good morning, Toon Army. I have to admit that for a good portion of the day I stayed away from news about Chris Hughton's replacement because I didn't want to admit that it's true. I suspect that I'm not the only one. Whenever you're ready, take a deep breath and follow the jump to catch up on who the rumored replacements are at this hour.

No picture today. Picture a world where Mike Ashley no longer has anything to do with this club.

The backlash against Mike Ashley continues among columnists and bloggers alike. John Nicholson of EPLTalk calls him "asinine," which is nearly always a good word choice in my book. Richard Williams of The Guardian makes a couple of statements about Newcastle that I take issue with, but I'm on board with his main point: Mike Ashley is a "disgrace to football." Paul Fraser of The Northern Echo wonders if there is somebody waiting in the wings. Doocey of TyneTime calls Ashley "incompetent, clueless, [and] arrogant." Michael Richard of The Canadian Geordie considers boycott, among other things.

Mike Ashley wants to have Hughton's replacement in place by Saturday's match. (Louise Taylor, The Guardian) Ashley is reportedly ready to give whoever that replacement is a 5 year contract. Somehow I doubt that anybody would last that long. (Simon Bird, MirrorFootball)

As for who that replacement is, I'm not going to run through the rumors of the day as they happened like I did yesterday. Here's where this thing stands, as of this moment and to the best of my knowledge (feel free to correct/update me in the comments if you have good info): Alan Shearer is out. (MirrorFootball) Alan Curbishley is out. (Harry Harris, ESPN Soccernet) Martin Jol is out, because he doesn't want to betray his friend Chris Hughton. That's noble, Martin, and I respect that, but I want you here more than the other guys. Please reconsider. (Simon Bird, MirrorFootball) Also in the last link: Alan Pardew wants the job, and he seems to be the only serious candidate that feels that way. Steve Stammers of MirrorFootball reviews the candidacy of Pardew and Jol and finds them both wanting.

Kevin Nolan is taking his captaincy seriously. (MirrorFootball)

Reports of locker room unrest have teams looking to pounce on Andy Carroll. Normally I place a note here about how Newcastle would be crazy to let Carroll go, but given recent events...I think you know where I'm going. (CaughtOffside) Carroll called himself "100 per cent [sic] committed" to the club. (Sky Sports)

I'm told this first video is funny. I find it only mildly amusing, but I'll let you decide. (Steve Anglesey, The Guardian)

The Journal has a tribute to Chris Hughton that's pretty cool to look at. Just make sure you're not already in a foul mood, because this made me angry all over again.

CHN Links: Tuesday Edition

2010-12-07T00:02:00.002-06:00

Good morning, Toon Army. Obviously, today's links will be dominated by news of Chris Hughton's sacking and the search for his replacement. Before we jump in, I want to share with you this piece of bitter poetry:

In the hours following the news that Hughton had been let go, the interweb devolved into a cesspool of unsubstantiated rumor and speculation reported as fact. You'll find none of that here. Follow the jump to get the full rundown on this story.

If you've been living under a rock and were surprised by the intro to this morning's links, here is our quick hit on Chris Hughton's sacking.

Peter Beardsley, the reserve team manager who was rejected by Hughton as Colin Calderwood's replacement, will be the caretaker, with Steve Stone assisting. (The Chronicle)

Simon Bird of MirrorFootball reveals several ugly behind-the-scenes problems that led to Hughton's dismissal. A fascinating read.

Hughton, for his part, was classy and thanked the fans for their support. (The Chronicle)

The backlash against this move was swift and decisive. In an online poll given by The Guardian, 96.6% of all respondents (not just Newcastle fans, mind you) disagreed with the decision. The other 3.4% are presumably mackems.

Writers across the internet also condemned the move. This headline says it all: "Newcastle Sack Manager Chris Hughton: Let the Circus Recommence." (Matt Micheletti, EPLTalk) Steve Anglesey of MirrorFootball calls Newcastle a "joke club" and reveals that one Premier League official called a reporter to tell him that he hopes the Toon are relegated. Paul Bestall of EPLTalk says that given Mike Ashley's history, this move was "inevitable." In a very illuminating article, Louise Taylor of The Guardian writes about Chris Hughton's loyalty that ultimately doomed him. James Beckett of EPLTalk reasons that if a great guy and company man (not to mention good coach) like Chris Hughton can get screwed over by Mike Ashley, then nobody should want to work for him. Salient point. Marc Duffy of ESPN Soccernet aims his anger squarely at Mike Ashley.

Several players and personalities connected to the club weighed in as well. Kevin Nolan had nothing but good words for his former boss (Shaun Custis, The Sun), while Sol Campbell was considerably more angry. (The Sun) Former assistant Colin Calderwood, who left just seven weeks ago to take over the head job at Hibernian, called the move "stupid." (The Chronicle) He also hinted that one of the reasons he decided to leave was that he could see the writing on the wall for Hughton. (Luke Edwards, The Journal) Former striker Malcolm McDonald called the move "a very harsh decision." (James Riach, Sky Sports) Finally, former Toon striker Micky Quinn ripped Mike Ashley in a rant that is very worthy of your time. (Alex Varney, talkSPORT - AUDIO)

The search for a replacement has produced several names, with four of them surfacing most frequently. Lee Clark, the former Magpie midfielder whose name was immediately brought up by many in the media, says that he is committed to his work at Huddersfield. Alan Pardew says that he is "strongly interested" in the job. (Sachin Nakrani, The Guardian) Martin O'Neill has been linked, though I haven't seen any interviews with him yet. (Steven Constable, CaughtOffside, ignore the headline on this story) In a particularly intriguing turn of events, Martin Jol, who has had a rocky relationship with Ajax, resigned today, (The Guardian) fueling speculation that he could be headed to Newcastle. (Louise Taylor, The Guardian)

In other news, Joey Barton will be ready to play on Saturday against Liverpool. Every cloud, right? (Sky Sports)

West Bromwich Albion 3, Newcastle United 1: A Collection of Reviews

2010-12-07T00:01:00.000-06:00

I've never wanted to do one of these less. Not only was Sunday's game horrible, but I just can't imagine that anybody who wants a break from the Chris Hughton madness would want to torture themselves by reading the match reviews from the debacle that got him fired. I'll offer the links with no commentary.

CaughtOffside (VIDEO)

Stuart James, The Guardian

The Chronicle

The Northern Echo

MirrorFootball

Ed Harrison, nufcblog.com

Toonsy, nufcblog.org

Michael Richard, The Canadian Geordie

Sky Sports

BPL Official Site

ESPN Soccernet

Mark Irwin, The Sun

Possible Managerial Replacements

2010-12-06T10:38:00.000-06:00

Chris Hughton must be replaced, reports of Paul Gascoigne trying to sweet-talk Mike Ashley into reversing his decision notwithstanding.

So who will it be? Internal replacements are always the first thought, but none of the internal candidates for Calderwood's job have the "experience" Ashley cited in his press release. Some of the names being bandied about (Sachin Nakrani, The Guardian) are Alan Pardew (controversial ex-Southampton manager), Alan Curbishley (ex-West Ham boss with a history of clashing with ownership), Lee Clark (former Toon midfielder and current boss of League One side Huddersfield Town), Martin O'Neill (you may remember him for quitting on Aston Villa just before the season), Alan Shearer (his name will always be brought up, but I don't see it happening), and Joe Kinnear (that would just be spitting in the face of the Toon Army, wouldn't it?). The Journal also has Paul Gascoigne at 100/1 odds. That would be just what this team needs, right? Our star striker was recently placed on house arrest for assault, so why not bring in a guy with two pending DUI charges? I'm tempted to wager on those odds, because it would be just like Mike Ashley to make such a move.

Kidding aside, I'm not in love with any of these options, but if we can't have Hughton back, my early preference is for O'Neill or Clark.

Hughton Out

2010-12-06T09:31:00.005-06:00

And so it came to pass that when the team Chris Hughton managed through the time of trial in the Championship League met with its first run of adversity, an axe fell from on high and he was its solitary victim. The man that brought us Hatem ben Arfa and Cheik Tiote and cleaned the clocks of the mackems is out.
Photo by Jamie McDonald/Getty Images Europe

Terrible news today as Chris Hughton has been sacked, according to multiple sources. Lee Ryder of The Chronicle has a write-up here.

Nobody was happy with yesterday's result, least of all us, but this sort of knee-jerk reaction will likely not have the intended consequences of jolting the players back to form. The leaderless team (no assistant was ever found for Colin Calderwood, either) will face Liverpool at home in just 5 days.

This will certainly not be a popular move with the Toon Army, who were actually clamoring for Hughton to receive an extension, as were many former footballers and pundits in the media.

Just an awful, awful decision. Let's hope this isn't the start of a downward spiral.

Reasonable Reaction Monday: NUFC 1-3 WBA

2010-12-05T20:12:00.009-06:00

Forgive me if this week's reaction is a little less reasonable than usual. I should probably wait for at least another day before I write this, but I couldn't help myself as I read through other reviews from this match. It can be described in so many words, but bluntly it was nothing short of horrendous. Fundamentals were flawed, leaderships was lacking, execution exited the building, passion took a pass, the offense was (pardon me) offensive, the defense deplorable. Our Magpies couldn't pass, possess, shoot, cross, clear, tackle, or keep the ball out of their own net. Other than all that they didn't play very good football either.

I think I'm done ranting, come with me past the jump and let's see if there's anything worth learning from this atrocity.

What in the world is he doing? This was a common question today.
Getty Images

In my preview I gave you three reasons each that we could win or lose this match. I'll be danged if I wasn't right about every one of them. Respect, I echoed Shola Ameobi, must be given to these middle table teams. I'd say we failed at that pretty resoundingly as we didn't even seem to show up at the game till the second half rolled around.

We obviously didn't score early, and I said our fullbacks would have to play well for us to win. Sol Campbell had what I'm sure he'll call one of his worse performances. On that note, I said goalkeeping could cost us; well, it did, but it wasn't as if Krul had much of a chance on any of the three that went in.

I said that if we got behind we'd have to keep composure and pass the ball well. The first half was bad enough in this regard, but when the second half started we seemed to be getting our head around it. But, when Guthrie fell down and allowed Odemwingie in virtually uncontested it seemed to break the spirit of the NUFC side.

And so it ended with a Lovenkrands consolation goal, and about that all I can say is, at least we busted up the clean sheet.

Hughton kept the lads in the dressing room for upwards of an hour after the game. In his post game interview he was the picture of composure, though obviously disappointed. I can only hope that the lads can take what ever he said and however he said it to heart.

Player notes:

Danny Guthrie had a terrible day. His crosses and set pieces were very below average, he was a complete non-entity on the defensive side, and then of course there is that howler that let the second goal in. He had me wishing for Joey Barton every time he touched the ball.

Andy Carroll had one of those days where nothing gets funneled to him successfully and he gets more and more frustrated throughout the day. So frustrated that he put one from 18 yards into orbit instead of on goal like he can from that range. Another thing that I see with my amateur eyes that is holding him back a bit is his first touch. If he could refine that touch so he can settle a long ball down better I think he'll find his frustrations melt away, at least a bit.

Sol Campbell had an uncharacteristically inconsistent day. I was hoping to see him shake a bit more rust off and make a serious bid for first team play, but Sunday he had me missing Mike and Fab.

Even Cheik Tiote seemed to be struggling to control the midfield, though he wasn't losing the head-to-head stuff. It just seemed as though the flow of the match dictated that he needed to be everywhere all at once. He's just one man!

If I have one complaint about Danny Simpson it's that he can be at risk to be outpaced from time to time. Even then he makes up ground quickly and I thought he was one of the bright spots in the defensive four.

Jonas Gutierrez has been an enigma for me of late. I love his drive and obvious passion, but sometimes I'm left to wonder what was he thinking? He has the skill to pick his way 'round a defender, and even through a crowd, but he has to learn what the heck to do with the ball after he does. When he broke free on that run toward goal I think he would have scored if he shot two steps sooner.

Of Wayne Routledge my opinion is falling every week. He has hustle and pace, that I'll give him, but when you boil it down I just don't know if he has the necessary skill set to be successful at this level. His pace makes him a good backup, but it makes us rely too much on Jonas and Jose when he's in the game. A one dimensional offense can pretty much pack it in in the Prem.

Man of the Match- Vacant, that's right I'm still livid.

Week 16 Talking Points

2010-12-05T13:36:00.002-06:00

The Magpies remain at 19 points following a 3-1 loss at The Hawthorns. We'll have a match review up in a day or two, but until then, consider this your place to vent your frustrations or otherwise discuss the state of the Magpies.

1. This week Shola Ameobi said the reason Newcastle is so inconsistent is that they don't respect their opponents each week. Do you feel that Newcastle treated West Brom with the proper respect?
2. What was the major problem in your eyes?
3. Will you forgive Danny Guthrie?
4. How do you feel about the substitutions? (Lovenkrands for Ameobi, 45'; Ranger and Smith for Routledge and Guthrie, 73')
5. 5 yellows for the Toon and none for them. Just?
6. What did you think of the decision to play the midfield line so far back?

CHN Links: Gameday Edition

2010-12-05T00:01:00.000-06:00

Good morning, Toon Army. Let's beat the Baggies!

Sometimes the captions write themselves.
Photo credit unknown

Usually, I only post match previews on game day, but this deserves a special mention:
Nile Ranger and Mike Williamson both signed contracts Saturday that will keep them Tyneside until 2016. Love it. (Lee Ryder, The Chronicle)

Previews

Matthew Campbell, EPLTalk - Weekly referee preview, always worth a look. Predicts lots of cards, a penalty, an ejection, and a 2-2 draw.

Stuart James, The Guardian - Some good match facts to whet your appetite. No prediction but their betting odds favor WBA.

Elliot Ball, Sky Sports - Focuses on the promotion storyline and speculates about selection. Predicts a 2-1 loss.

Martin Lipton, MirrorFootball - Picks against Newcastle yet again, but says it's "tough to call." Let's be honest; it wasn't that tough for you.

Toonsy, nufcblog.org - Notes some milestones and sees Joey Barton coming on for Danny Guthrie rather than Wayne Routledge, as is speculated most other places I've looked.

Ed Harrison, nufcblog.com - Foresees the same formation that Toonsy does and puts the onus on Sol Campbell and Steven Taylor to perform as well as they did last week.

Preview: Magpies on the Road at The Hawthorns

2010-12-04T08:20:00.007-06:00

The Magpies are the top of four teams sitting on 19 points. On the bottom of those four are the Throstles of Albion, which, if you're wondering, is a song bird, like the one on their emblem. Follow us past the jump for the full preview.

These fellow promotion season Baggies are a team not unlike our own lads. They've snagged wins away at Emirates and Everton, and at home have won against ManC(Carling Cup) and drew with ManU. On the other hand, they've also lost at home and away to Wigan, Fulham and Blackpool, while only forcing draws with West Ham and Bolton.

It seems as though they are struggling just as we are to find or re-find an identity in the Premiership. Here's hoping it takes them at least one more week than us, because this can be a dangerous game. On its face it would seem that we have all the tools it would take to beat this team, but that's just the kind of situation in which we've made a habit of finding a way to lose, isn't it?

Our side will have some sorting out to do with Colo and Willo still out and skipper Kevin Nolan out with an ankle bother, while Joey Barton will be back from his three game ban. The starting 11 should look something like this:

Krul
Simpson Saylor Sol Enrique
Barton Guthrie Tiote Jonas
Andy Shola

Reasons we win:

Fullbacks-
WBA have honed the skill of scoring away, having scored twelve on the road this year, so a key to this game will be whether or not Saylor and Sol can continue to shake off the rust and play like they did against Chelsea, which I think is altogether probable.

Score Early-
This Magpies side is markedly better when it scores the first goal, and I think that will continue to be a theme for the team as the season goes on. With Barton back in the lineup, I'd expect the crosses to Andy Carroll to start coming in early and continue often. If we can put one of the early chances in, which I think we can, this should be just the kind of match we can win.

Cheik Tiote-
Midfield control is such an important part of Premiership success. If Tiote is on his game, which he is much more often than he's not, then the midfield should be ours. If we can keep the Albion attack one dimensional then we give ourselves a better chance at the clean sheet and the win.

Reasons we lose:

Respect-
Shola said it best this week when he said we have to start respecting these "other" sides as much as we respect the likes of Arsenal and Chelsea. If we don't, we could have another game which we will look back on in disappointment.

Passing-
Not that it's been a major issue, but when we get behind in a game our passing goes to crap . If we do get behind in this game we have to keep our heads, especially in the passing game. When you're behind those giveaways can be so demoralizing to the side that's already feeling down.

Goalkeeping-
Albion has been a side that makes the absolute most of its chances. In their win against Arsenal they only had seven shots and only five of those on target; three of those were goals. Arsenal poured on 12 SOG with only two finding the net. If Tim Krul isn't on the top of his game for every shot, he's likely to find himself digging the ball out of the net.

Prediction: NUFC 2-1 WBA

CHN Links: Friday Edition

2010-12-03T00:39:00.000-06:00

Good morning, Toon Army. Just a heads up: There may or may not be a Saturday post. There is one today, though, so check it out.

More fun with GIS: This comes up on the first page when you search for "Qatar Football Team"

Joey Barton's suspension is over and he will be back against WBA. No word on who he'll be replacing, but the obvious choice is Wayne Routledge. (Lee Ryder, The Chronicle)

Lee Ryder remembers what it was like the last time the Magpies traveled to The Hawthorns.

Shola Ameobi says defenders are afraid of Andy Carroll. Way to step out on a limb there, Shola. (Luke Edwards, The Journal)

Chris Hughton says he will not be looking to make moves in January. I seem to recall hearing something similar over the summer. (Luke Edwards, The Journal)

Doocey of TyneTime looks into his crystal ball and foresees Steven Taylor signing a new contract with Newcastle.

Sol Campbell is having a good influence on Danny Simpson. (Lee Ryder, The Chronicle)

CHN Links: Thursday Edition

2010-12-02T00:01:00.000-06:00

Good morning, Toon Army. I'm rooting for England and USA today, but I'm predicting the 2018 World Cup will be in Spain and Portugal while 2022 will be in Qatar.

Steven Taylor sits on a brick wall - because he's a defender and he's a brick wall! Get it? Those photographers are so witty.
Photo credit unknown

More news about Steven Taylor today: According to Simon Bird of MirrorFootball, Taylor will meet with Toon brass on Friday to try and sort out his contract. Of course, Liverpool and Everton (and possibly others) are waiting in the wings if things don't go swimmingly. Lee Ryder says that Steven Taylor has a tough decision to make.

LA Galaxy and USMNT star striker Landon Donovan, who was recently linked to Newcastle, says he would be open to another loan to Everton. (CaughtOffside) The MLS has said that they will be very strict in not allowing LA to sell Donovan's contract, but since the league has an odd schedule it worked out last year for Donovan to be loaned out in January. I would have loved to see this guy in black and white stripes (he would be a great fit on the right wing), but given his history with the Toffees it's tough to see him going anywhere but there.

In a departure from an interview he gave earlier this season (which of course I can't find now), Chris Hughton said Wednesday that he is not setting a target point number for his lads to reach in order to survive. (Luke Edwards, The Journal) Ed Harrison of nufcblog.com takes that bit of news and comes up with the number 43. For what it's worth, the Toon are on pace for 48 points, but here's my target number: 3 points on Sunday.

Chris Hughton wants to add depth to his backfield, and he's reportedly looking at Middlesborough's David Wheater in order to accomplish that goal. (Paul Fraser, The Northern Echo) One has to wonder if this rumor was floated in public to send a message to Steven Taylor that he can be replaced.

Chris Hughton has his eye on young midfielder Ryan Donaldson and will be open to loaning him out this January. (Lee Ryder, The Chronicle)

Former Newcastle skipper Nicky Butt made his debut for South China FC and scored a goal. (CaughtOffside, VIDEO)

CHN Links: Wednesday Edition

2010-12-01T00:56:00.000-06:00

Good morning, Toon Army. Will Steven Taylor be a Magpie following the next transfer window? Who will Hughton and company target? Speculation happens after the jump.

Adam Johnson sure does look good in stripes, doesn't he?
Photo credit unknown

Steven Taylor, whose public contract dispute with Newcastle United has gotten more press than his play on the field, has been offered a new (and ostensibly more player-friendly) contract by the club. (Luke Edwards, The Journal) Taylor's reaction to the new offer is something of a mystery. CaughtOffside is reporting that Taylor could be easily seduced by Harry Redknapp, but Taylor himself seems to be all business as he focuses on the upcoming match with WBA. (Lee Ryder, The Chronicle) I'm confident that this is not the last we've heard of this story.

Mark Douglas of The Journal speculates about what Newcastle and Sunderland will do in January. According to him, the Toon needs "genuine width from a player with international pedigree." He mentions Adam Johnson, David Bentley, and Robbie Keane as possible targets.

Jose Enrique says the way for Newcastle to do well against opponents such as West Brom is to respect them. Glad we're finally figuring this out. (Lee Ryder, The Chronicle)

Reasonable Reaction Wednesday: Chelsea FC 1-1 Newcastle United FC

2010-12-01T00:30:00.003-06:00

Several weeks ago, when NUFC beat Chelsea in the Carling Cup, most of the post match banter was about how Chelsea started the scrubs. Our review said that simply was not the case, and empirically it was not. That's before we even get started mentioning that Newcastle itself did not run out its top eleven. This week it's the same song but a different verse.

This week it's all about how Chelsea has been slumping all month, and unable to manage their assets correctly, and how away for has been horrible, and if only Lampard and Terry were healthy, and, and, and. That's fine. To be honest I'm not really of a mood to give our lads much credit. Let me be clear in saying that I am very happy about the draw against one of the top EPL sides, and where it has us in the table at the end of November. But, if we continue to play our best football for the tops of the league and lay down again and again for the lower half, then we are working on a recipe for failure. We simply cannot leave these points for Blackburn and Bolton, and hope to make up for them versus the likes of Arsenal and Chelsea. Even if we go on the entire season this way right up to the last match I will continue to say that this is playing with fire.

Now, that out of the way, let me brag on the lads a bit. That first half was a Newcastle kind of half. I'm on record bragging about this team when they score first and Sunday was no exception to that rule. And they might should have gone into the half up 1-0 except for a bit of bad luck when Kalou put quite a charge into a shot that Krul had a good bead on until it deflected slightly off of a Newcastle leg.

The second half, though the stat sheet would call it domination by Chelsea, proved the tenacity of this Black and White squad. Feeling the likely assault from Chelsea, Hughton put ten men behind the ball and let Nile Ranger be the sprinter on the counter attack. It generated a few chances, and a corner that was headed toward the foot of Wayne Routledge with Cech horribly out of position. He hit the volley about as well as anyone could but the single Chelsea defender between he and the net was able to keep it out. In the last twenty minutes it seemed that NUFC was holding onto the draw for dear life, which, to their credit, they did hold onto. Tenacity.

Player Notes:

Tim Krul continues to impress. Several key saves and without that ill-fated deflection he would have kept the clean sheet.

Sol Campbell was in good form, even if a bit rusty. I love Mike Williamson, and I think he's growing every week, but if Sol shakes a bit more rust off in the next two games I'll be starting to think that he belongs in the top Mid Back duo.

Cheik Tiote was very much missed last week, and a player of his ability and style is just what makes this defence click. He gave Drogba fits all match and at the end of the day mostly nullified his usually considerable influence.

Jose Enrique may have been NUFC's best player overall. Lots of hustling back and forth for him as usual, with none of the defensive mishaps that he's been guilty of in the past. Offensively he and Jonas were cutting up the left side very effectively.

Jonas Gutierrez had a rather poor outing I thought. I don't really know why he insists on taking defenders one on one. I'll give that when it works it looks great on a highlight reel, but by the numbers he fails far far more often than he succeeds.

Danny Simpson continues to prove that he is the correct choice over James Perch on the right side of the defense, and he seems to be improving week in week out.

Wayne Routledge has flashes of first team type play, but hasn't quite convinced me that he warrants pushing Joey Barton to the center of the field.

Andy Carroll was the only player that showed up last week for Bolton and he played a very similar game this week. Staying back to help defend set pieces and hustling big time up front.

Man of the Match: Jose Enrique

This draw moves us up to 9th in the table based on goal differential. I will settle for anything over relegation happily but I think this team may be capable of a top half finish if we can sort out how to stay motivated against the rest of the league, as it were.

CHN Links: Tuesday Edition

2010-11-30T01:26:00.000-06:00

Good morning, Toon Army. I don't want to divulge anything specific, mostly because nothing's been finalized, but exciting changes are ahead for us. But you didn't come here for us; you came here for the Magpies...so, Tuesday's links are after the jump.

Cheik Tiote battles for possession with Didier Drogba, who in this instance has chosen to stay on his feet.
Associated Press

It's no secret that Cheik Tiote and countryman Didier Drogba have a special relationship. Drogba famously encouraged Tiote to make the leap to the Premiership. Before leaving town, he took the time to praise the midfielder on Sunday. By the way, Tiote was in Drogba's pocket all day. We are lucky to have him. (Lee Ryder, The Chronicle) Cheik Tiote's style sometimes leads to extra attention from referees, but Tiote says he will stick to his game. (Lee Ryder, The Chronicle)

Simon Bird of MirrorFootball, who never met a pun he didn't like, has a great feature on Andy Carroll. At first glance, the headline seems like an insult, but the content is very complimentary. It's all about his on-the-field exploits, which is refreshing.

Chris Hughton says his side deserved the point on Sunday. (Sky Sports, VIDEO) Regular readers know that I hate this type of rhetoric, but the video is worth a watch.

Jose Enrique says the draw revealed Newcastle's character. (BBC Sport)

Andy Carroll says the lads need to build on the point they earned this weekend and earn some more against West Brom. (Lee Ryder, The Chronicle)

Shola Ameobi suggests that Newcastle's inconsistency is due in part to lack of discipline in formation against lesser teams. (Simon Bird, The Mirror)

Joey Barton is due back next week, but whom will he replace, if anybody? Chris Hughton isn't saying, but he is glad that he has choices. (Lee Ryder, The Chronicle)

Sol Campbell is happy to be back out on the pitch with the first team (Sky Sports) The Guardian helpfully points out that Campbell can still get the job done.

The draw for the third round of the FA Cup was held Monday, (Sky Sports) and Newcastle will be headed to Stevenage. The Toon famously faced the League Two side in the fourth round of the FA Cup in 1998, when Alan Shearer's controversial goal led to a draw that forced a rematch which Newcastle won. Chris Hughton promised to put the match, which will be played in January, "on the back burner" and concentrate on upcoming league matches. (Lee Ryder, The Chronicle)

Andy Carroll is looking forward to playing up front with Wayne Rooney for the Three Lions. (Sky Sports)

December starts tomorrow, which means it's time for the January rumor mill to get cranked up (though to be fair, some never stopped pumping those rumors out there). Adam Johnson and Stephen Ireland (please tell me this one isn't true) are two names that are linked to Newcastle. (both links from CaughtOffside)

Newcastle 1, Chelsea 1 - A Collection of Reviews

2010-11-30T01:20:00.000-06:00

Lee Ryder, The Chronicle - Sees the draw as a redemption of sorts. Hands out praise to several Toon players.

Scott Wilson, The Northern Echo - Great recap and reviews for each individual player.

Kevin McCarra, The Guardian - The recap focuses mostly on Chelsea's disappointment, but as always there are good stats and chalkboards.

Toonsy, nufcblog.org - " [W]e were just about good enough for the point." Points out that the Toon still haven't lost to a London side.

Ed Harrison, nufcblog.com - Praises the defense for their performance. "...if the lads continue to show this type of form and fighting spirit, then we should be safe this season."

Graeme Bailey, Sky Sports - Solid recap and statistics. Chelsea sweeps Bailey's match awards.

MirrorFootball - Good recap of the action.

Martin Blackburn, The Sun - The write-up almost exclusively focuses on Chelsea, and at least one fact about Newcastle is wrong (they were down 5 first-teamers, not 4).

Week 15 Talking Points

2010-11-28T22:38:00.000-06:00

Today we debut a new feature: Talking Points. Because of our policy of waiting a day or two to post a review (hence the name "Reasonable Reaction") and because there usually isn't enough news on the day of a game to merit a links post, we often don't post anything immediately following a game. This feature will change that. Following each game we will post some suggested talking points for all to discuss in the comments. (We know you're out there; the numbers say we've got readers, but no commenters. Consider this your invitation to join the conversation.)

Talking Points:
1. Are you happy to escape with a point against a top side, or disappointed to settle for a draw at home?
2. Are you satisfied with Sol Campbell and Steven Taylor in the back?
3. For the Shola Ameobi haters: Why?
4. Sort of a follow-up: Do you want Shola or Nile Ranger up front with Andy Carroll?
5. Chelsea: Bad floppers or the worst floppers?

Gameday!

2010-11-28T00:01:00.000-06:00

Good morning, Toon Army. Let's beat the Blues! A smattering of online previews follows the jump.

Is it possible that the snowy conditions at St. James Park could somehow give the Toon an advantage?
Photo credit unknown

Kevin McCarra, The Guardian - Focuses on Newcastle's bad luck at home and gives some nice figures. No prediction but the betting line heavily favors Chelsea.

Toonsy, nufcblog.org - Sees a chance for Newcastle given the expected conditions and Chelsea's recent run of poor form. Predicts an 0-2 loss.

Ed Harrison, nufcblog.com - Wonders about selection and whether we'll get to watch Good Newcastle or have to endure Bad Newcastle.

BBC Sport - Some good facts and a witty (?) comment about Ancelotti and Newcastle.

Sky Sports - A good overview of the storylines headed into the weekend, although the info about the table is already a bit dated. Predicts a 2-3 loss.

Martin Lipton, MirrorFootball - Predicts against Newcastle once more, which is no surprise, but I can't really say I blame him this week.

Matthew Campbell, EPLTalk - Previews the referees for each match of the weekend and concludes that Newcastle can take advantage of Andre Marriner's reluctance to book players. Also predicts an 0-2 loss.

CHN Links: Thanksgiving Edition

2010-11-25T00:01:00.002-06:00

Good morning, Toon Army. Happy Thanksgiving to those of you in the States. I plan on being in a turkey-induced coma by the time the Cowboys kick off.

Tim Krul has filled in well for the injured Steven Harper. How will Sol Campbell fare as a defensive replacement?
Photo credit unknown

Mike Williamson's appeal was denied by the FA, meaning he will be suspended for 3 matches. (The Chronicle) A brief word: I have seen a lot of anger towards the FA since Joey Barton and now Williamson have been handed retroactive punishments due to video evidence. The fact that Nigel de Jong was not retroactively punished for his egregious tackle on Hatem ben Arfa seems to show some inconsistency, and I can certainly understand why some may be angry about it. However, I'm not on board with those who would seem to suggest that two (or three) wrongs would somehow make everything right. The FA should have reviewed the de Jong tackle; the fact that they didn't shouldn't somehow mean that they should not in the future. I happen to disagree with this particular decision - Williamson's actions didn't seem particularly egregious nor purposeful - but I think the FA was right to review it. I'll certainly be calling for a review the next time a referee misses a violent act that happens against one of our players.

Because Williamson and Coloccini will both be out for Sunday's game (and the two after that), Chris Hughton will call on Sol Campbell and Steven Taylor to start in the backfield (no word on Joey Barton's replacement this week - I'm hoping for Wayne Routledge). (Stuart Rayner, The Chronicle) Taylor says he is ready to put his contract dispute with the club behind him and play with Campbell. (Simon Bird, MirrorFootball)

There is talk that Newcastle may want to go ahead and make Hatem ben Arfa's deal permanent. You may remember that ben Arfa was brought over on a loan from Marseille, with the condition that if he played in 25 or more games the transfer would become an outright buy. Following ben Arfa's injury (which guaranteed that HBA would play in well under 25 matches), Marseille announced that they would be open to Newcastle buying ben Arfa permanently anyway. The latest report comes from News of the World, and the article in question is behind a paywall. I refuse to buy into that organization following the ridiculous accusations of Kevin Nolan and Andy Carroll hosting a drug-fueled orgy at Nolan's house, so here is a secondary source. (Ed Harrison, nufcblog.com)

Kevin Nolan is not worried about what formation Newcastle plays in on Sunday...he just wants to win. (Stuart Rayner, The Chronicle)

John Gibson of The Chronicle has a terrific feature on Tim Krul.

CHN Links: Wednesday Edition

2010-11-24T00:40:00.000-06:00

Good morning, Toon Army. Ready for Chelsea?

If you Google Image Search "Sol Campbell fat belly," this comes up on page 4. Um, somebody else told me that.

As speculated, Mike Williamson has denied the FA's charge of violent conduct regarding an elbowing incident in Saturday's game, meaning that he will face the appeal board today. Here's hoping he beats the charge. (Paul Fraser, The Northern Echo) Chris Hughton defended his defender, saying the move was merely a body check. (Mark Douglas, The Chronicle)

Luke Edwards of The Journal speculates about the selection of the back four this weekend as well as what course of action Chris Hughton will take in the transfer market this January.

Lee Ryder of The Chronicle notes that Andy Carroll is the current leading goal scorer in the Premiership.

Danny Simpson wants to play for England. (Soriebah Kajue, Sky Sports)

Former Magpie Nicky Butt is set to join South China FC. (Sky Sports)

CHN Links: Tuesday Edition

2010-11-23T01:47:00.000-06:00

Good morning, Toon Army. Looks like we may have three suspended players this week. Things are not looking up for the Magpies at this particular point in time.

That third kit is unlucky. No more blue!
Paul Currie/Action Images

Mike Williamson has been charged by the FA for violent conduct following a "headbutt" on Johan Elmander on Saturday. (Simon Bird, MirrorFootball) He will reportedly appeal the decision. (Steve Brenner, The Sun) Lost in all of this is the news that Williamson signed a new three year deal yesterday. In fact, that news was so buried that I can't find any stand-alone articles about it. There's a little snippet in the MirrorFootball piece linked above.

Chris Hughton has come out in defense of Fabricio Coloccini, who was sent off on Saturday for an elbow, also against Johan Elmander. (Sky Sports) Coloccini, who will miss three games due to the red card, apologized to his teammates. (Lee Ryder, The Chronicle)

Jonas Gutierrez is ready to move on from Saturday's defeat and face Chelsea. (Paul Fraser, The Northern Echo) Hughton also spoke about the embarassing loss. (Lee Ryder, The Chronicle)

Simon Bird of MirrorFootball became the latest from that publication to preach against the "yobs" who vandalized Darren Bent's car. I agree with what Bird says, but I wish we could have let Brian McNally have the last word.

EPLTalk named Johan Elmander their "Premier League Footballer of the Week." Jamie Jackson of The Guardian also did a feature on Elmander following his performance. A quote from Jackson's article:

Elmander bagged two more here against a woeful Newcastle United side who failed to apply the basics of defending and midfield pressing.

How generous.

Bolton 5, Newcastle 1 - A Collection of Reviews

2010-11-22T00:58:00.000-06:00

Jamie Jackson, The Guardian - Focuses (rightly) on Johan Elmander's big day. Of course there are chalkboards, statistics, etc.

Paul Fraser, The Northern Echo - Says that Newcastle finally got their rude welcome to the Premiership.

Toonsy, nufcblog.org - Very upset with the performance, but stays upbeat.

Ed Harrison, nufcblog.com - Gives a play-by-play recap and tries to encourage a reasonable reaction to the result.

CaughtOffside - Video highlights.

Simon Bird, MirrorFootball - Very high on Bolton.

Mike Ellis, The Sun - Backs Bolton boss Owen Coyle for Manager of the Year.

CHN Links: Monday Edition

2010-11-22T00:57:00.000-06:00

Good morning, Toon Army. FC Dallas lost the MLS Cup last night, making them the third Dallas team in a row to go into a Championship as the favorite and lose. That sucks. Fortunately, the hand-wringing over Newcastle has been kept to a relative minimum.

I don't really want curly hair this week.
Photo credit unknown; pulled from thesun.co.uk

Brian McNally of MirrorFootball weighs in (quite fairly, in my opinion) about the Darren Bent situation. This is an emotional topic, so this is all I'll say: Hooliganism does nobody any good. Neither does defending the actions of whomever might have done this. I've seen far too much of the latter on Twitter and the like in the last few days, and it makes me sick.

Chris Hughton did not mince words in describing the Magpies' poor effort on Saturday. (Sky Sports, VIDEO)

Chris Hughton came out in support of Fabricio Coloccini after he earned himself a red card in the waning moments on Saturday. (Mike Ellis, The Sun)

Mike Ashley will not sell Andy Carroll. (Alan Oliver, The People)

Fabio Capello wants to pair up Wayne Rooney and Andy Carroll in the future. (Sky Sports)

CHN Links: Back from Vacation Edition

2010-11-20T00:01:00.002-06:00

Good morning, Toon Army. Vacation was very nice; thanks for asking. Rather than trying to recap a week's worth of news (injuries to Ryan Taylor AND Kazenga LuaLua? More Andy Carroll drama? Darren Bent says NUFC fans torched his car? I guess vacation is bad luck...), we will simply give you some previews for tomorrow's tilt against the Wanderers. Enjoy!

Toonsy, nufcblog.org - Calls the match "a battle of the bargain basement" and speculates about the lineup. Predicts a 2-0 loss.

Gary Cutler, EPLTalk - Says Bolton-Newcastle is the "other" premier matchup this week and predicts a physical battle.

BBC Sport - Suggests that Bolton and Newcastle are leading a "quiet revolution" in the Premiership and gives some good match facts.

Ed Harrison, nufcblog.com - Focuses on Newcastle's recent away form and predicts a 4-5-1 formation.

Sky Sports - Predicts a 1-1 draw.

Martin Lipton, MirrorFootball - Predicts a win for...you guessed it, Bolton.

Vacation

2010-11-15T12:00:00.001-06:00

RKW and I are going on vacation this week. We and the wives will be hanging out in central Texas doing some fishing and lots of eating, to be sure. We won't be updating the blog until at least Saturday unless something huge happens. I know that RKW has a review of the Fulham match still to post (I've seen the draft, but I'm not sure when it's going up), so watch for that. Here's hoping we come back to a new assistant manager.

Howay the lads!

Reasonable Reaction Monday: NUFC 0-0 FFC

2010-11-15T08:30:00.001-06:00

Well, I look silly. I predicted this match would be a race to three goals and both teams would be scoring goals. A 3-2 Newcastle win, I said. Five total goals. If I'm being honest, I actually thought it could go higher than that. So of course it all ended up in a 0-0 tie. Follow us past the jump for the complete review.

Colo vs Davies, meh. Credit: Owen Humphreys/PA via Guardian.co.uk

There are good quality, fun to watch, 0-0 ties and then there are the majority of 0-0 ties. Saturday's match fell firmly in the majority for me, and for a team that wears black and white their performance sure smacked of nothing but gray. Both sides were unimpressive, gave only a handful of quality chances at goal, and seemed to trade control of the game back and forth out of frustration. All in all it was mediocre and unsatisfying.

Both sides will say that they did some right things and were unfortunate with hitting a crossbar or a well positioned keeper, but at the end of it all they must admit that they simply weren't able to get it done. Neither had what it takes to win, and we really shouldn't have been surprised that Fullham were able to do what they do best, force a draw.

All boiled down I have to say that, hey, a point is a point, and I'm glad we earned that. But, you have to feel that this game was ripe for three, and we're playing a dangerous game losing these at home and hoping to beat the like of Arsenal on the road.

Match Notes:

Peter Lovenkrands: Had a hat trick of chances and to my eyes no fewer than two of them were of the "can't miss" variety. Lover Boy's finishing this year has been suspect and I'm starting to think that if he want to go somewhere else for first team play, then the club shouldn't stand in his way.

Tim Krul: Is the reason this was a draw and not a FFC win. He made all of the routine saves and a few that left me thinking, "How did he get to that?" He's my man of the match.

Andy Carroll: Gave the defense fits and opened plenty of space for Lovenkrands chances. If McLoven had converted any of these then Andy Carroll would be looking like he had a much better match, but alas....

Jose Enrique: Looked his normal self on the left. He worked that part of the defense and created the kind and quantity of chances that you expect from a guy like him. Deft ball handling and a mind for getting himself into space. If his crosses could be a bit more accurate he could be creating some great offense for NUFC.

Cheik Tiote: Had his most average game of the year. I know some other folks will call his blunder a few days ago his worst performance, but the rest of that game was from the Chiek we've come to know. Saturday he was mostly a non-factor. No fault on him really, I think he needs a rest, which is exactly what he'll get since he picked up that fifth yellow.

The Rest of the Squad: had an also ran sort of feeling. The defense was there but allowed some great Fullham chances that were really testing Krul. None of the rest of the squad were horrible, but none of them were really mentionable either. Gray.

Man of the Match: Tim Krul

The new table has us 5 points from relegation, but also 6 points from Champs league so....

Howay the Lads!

Newcastle 0, Fulham 0 - A Collection of Reviews

2010-11-15T01:00:00.000-06:00

Lee Ryder, The Chronicle - Wonders about what the game could have been.

Louise Taylor, The Guardian - Calls Newcastle's play "bereft of imagination" and suggests that they lob the ball in to Carroll too much. Don't miss their match facts and chalkboards.

CaughtOffside - Video Highlights

Simon Bird, MirrorFootball - Focuses on Chris Hughton's positive attitude.

BPL Official Site - Good play-by-play account.

Ed Harrison, nufcblog.com - Can't decide whether to be disappointed or relieved. You're not the only one, Ed.

Toonsy, nufcblog.org - Calls the result "terrible" and takes a few shots at Damien Duff.

Paul Fraser, The Northern Echo - Says the Magpies "lacked punch" and sort of repeats himself about Andy Carroll. Hey, it's hard to write about a 0-0 draw.

Steve Brenner, The Sun - Not much on the game itself. Zeroes in on the lack of an assistant.

CHN Links: Monday Edition

2010-11-15T00:01:00.000-06:00

Good morning, Toon Army. A good night for our home team as FC Dallas advances to its first ever MLS Cup Final. I'd trade it for a win at Bolton, though.

Chris Hughton's version of the #HyndmanJacket.
Photo credit unknown; pulled from chroniclelive.co.uk

Andy Carroll finally got his much-anticipated England call-up...but he has to withdraw due to a groin injury. What a shame. (Lee Ryder, The Chronicle)

Tottenham Hotspur joins the growing list of teams who think they can make a run at Carroll in January. I honestly think they write these articles so fans of big teams will stop by. (CaughtOffside)

Chris Hughton says he may revert back to the 4-5-1 formation, especially if Shola Ameobi can't go at Bolton.

Brian McNally of MirrorFootball says that the board should pony up and give Chris Hughton a contract, a viewpoint I've seen expressed several times. One think I haven't seen is the suggestion that the club's lack of commitment to the manager might be contributing to the lack of on and off the field discipline among the players. Definitely worth a read.

Marc Duffy of ESPN Soccernet writes about the unpredictability that comes with inconsistency.

A Correction

2010-11-13T02:25:00.003-06:00

Earlier in the week and in more than one article we have said that Cheik Tiote was suspended for today's game due to receiving 5 yellow cards. It has been brought to my attention that he in fact only has 4 to his name, so he is eligible to play today. We apologize for any confusion.

(What a relief!)

CHN Links: Gameday Edition

2010-11-13T02:25:00.000-06:00

Good morning, Toon Army. Would it be too much to ask for a home win today?

You're a great American and an even greater Texan, Clint, but today I just want to wipe that stupid look off of your face.
Photo credit unknown; pulled from insidemnsoccer.com

PREVIEWS:
John Stanton, The Guardian - Predicted starting line-ups. Also, I learned that a stomach punch is a "misdemeanour." No prediction but their betting odds favor Newcastle.

Martin Lipton, MirrorFootball - Takes note of Newcastle's inconsistency and predicts a draw. I guess we'll call that progress, then.

Sky Sports - Focuses on both teams' need to bounce back and predicts a 2-1 Toon victory. They've also got a piece previewing the battle between Andy Carroll and Brede Hangeland.

BBC Sport - Some nice facts and figures.

Vital Football - Video Preview.

Toonsy, nufcblog.org - Predicts a 2-1 Magpie win.

Ed Harrison, nufcblog.com - Focuses on the two teams' history with each other and team selection.

NEWS:
With Joey Barton out today due to suspension, Wayne Routledge is hoping for a return to the pitch. (Lee Ryder, The Chronicle)

Nile Ranger could get the call today if Shola Ameobi is unable to go. I find it interesting that Hughton would rather put Ranger in than revert to the 4-5-1 formation. (Lee Ryder, The Chronicle)

Chris Hughton supports Joey Barton. (Lee Ryder, The Chronicle, VIDEO) In a shocking development, Barton revealed that he deals with anger issues. (MirrorFootball)

David Lacey of The Guardian wonders if Andy Carroll's style would hinder rather than help England, but he concedes that Carroll should be given the chance anyway.

Danny Simpson is excited about the possibility of playing for England. (Luke Edwards, The Journal)

Simon Mullock of MirrorFootball uses the cases of Joey Barton and Tom Huddlestone to illustrate the hypocrisy of the FA's disciplinary system.

Brian Reade of MirrorFootball says that off-the-field issues are no reason to keep Andy Carroll from being selected for England.

Lee Ryder has a pretty scathing piece about Damien Duff, who now plays for the Cottagers and is perhaps most famous for "scoring" the own goal that sent Newcastle down and then jumping ship so he wouldn't have to play in the Championship League.

Better Know An English Football Team: Fulham FC

2010-11-13T01:29:00.001-06:00

In lieu of a proper preview for this match, and in order to get to know our opponent for this weekend's match a little better, we (or I should say RKW did; I had little to do with it) got together with Russ Goldman of Cottagers Confidential, a Fulham FC blog, and we exchanged some questions and answers. Listed here are the questions we asked with his answers. To see the other side of the conversation, go here. Many thanks to Russ.

CHN: Since we're Americans, and more than that Texans, we have a soft spot in our heart for your Clint Dempsey. Tell us how the Fulham fans feel about Clint. We know the American personality can sometimes be tough to mesh with English teams, but it seems like Clint fits right in.

Russ:To be honest, Clint Dempsey is what brought me to Fulham and the initial reason I became a fan of the club. I think Fulham fans have really taken to Clint. He has scored some key goals for the club. I know many fans will never forget the goal he scored against Juventus in the Europa League last season. I think it might have been the best goal ever scored by an American in a European club competition.

CHN: What's Fulham's biggest fear coming to Saint James' Park? To put it another way, a few reasons why you could lose this match.

Russ:Well, Fulham have not won a road game since last August at Portsmouth. Winning on the road is a major issue for Fulham. They are playing better, but still have not found a way to win. I think some injuries in back are concerning and could make Fulham vulnerable. Both Chris Baird and Carlos Salcido should be out for this match. Stephen Kelly is average at right back and Matthew Briggs is a promising player at left back, but he is very young. Also, Fulham are below average at best at defending set pieces. This has been a concern for awhile for the this club.

CHN: What do you feel are the Cottagers' biggest strengths matching up against NUFC? In other words, give me a few reasons why you could win this match.

Russ: I think Fulham have an emerging star up front in Moussa Dembele. I think he is close to breaking out with a big game. He is a player for Newcastle to keep an eye on. Also, if Danny Murphy has a strong game in the central midfield, Fulham could be on their way to a victory. He is really the engine of Fulham in the middle and feeds the guys up front.

CHN: Aaron Hughes and Damien Duff are both Cottagers now, will they start? How will it be for them to roll back into Tyneside?

Russ: Both players I expect to start and have big roles in this game. I am sure both players will want to put on a big performance against their former side. Both players are integral parts of Fulham and when they are out, Fulham are not as cohesive of a club.

CHN: Cheik Tiote and Joey Barton have been in steadfast control of our midfield, especially over the last several games. They will both serve suspensions this weekend, how well does this bode for Fulham? Gamechanging?

Russ: This could be a huge advantage for Fulham. As I mentioned before, Danny Murphy is really the key to Fulham. When he plays well, the club seems to win. The reason being is he sets up the offense like a point guard in basketball. His passing helps create scoring opportunities for the strikers up front.

Newcastle 1, Blackburn 2 - A Collection of Reviews

2010-11-12T03:00:00.000-06:00

Lee Ryder, The Chronicle - Uses the word "untypically" a bunch to let us know that this sort of thing shouldn't happen.

BPL Official Site - A nice play-by-play account.

CaughtOffside - Video highlights.

Louise Taylor, The Guardian - Great statistics and an article that focuses on redemption for Sam Allardyce.

Paul Fraser, The Northern Echo - Also focuses on the Sam Allardyce story.

Simon Bird, The Mirror - More on Sam.

Toonsy, nufcblog.org - Tries to find a bright side.

Ed Harrison, nufcblog.com - Sums the game up with three words (though he certainly has more than that): Not good enough.

CHN Links: Friday Edition

2010-11-12T00:14:00.000-06:00

Good morning, Toon Army. Tired of hearing about Joey Barton? This post has you covered.

Andy Carroll was left off of England's U21 squad (Sky Sports), further fueling rumors that a senior call-up is imminent. Carroll insists that his focus is on the club (Sky Sports); meanwhile, he is being backed publicly by Alan Shearer (BPL Official Site) and Carlo Ancelotti (Adam Davies, CaughtOffside), with the latter comparing him favorably to Didier Drogba. James Beckett of EPLTalk also wrote a glowing article in support of Andy.

Danny Simpson is rumored to be in line for a call from Fabio Capello as well. (Adam Davies, CaughtOffside)

Shola Ameobi had to leave Wednesday's match with a "minor hamstring injury," and his status for Saturday's tie with Fulham is in doubt. (Lee Ryder, The Chronicle) Ed Harrison of nufcblog.com says it's time for other players to get a chance while Ameobi heals up.

Chris Hughton admitted that he does have a point threshold in mind for the Magpies. (BPL Official Site)

Tottenham Hotspur are said to be poised to make a run at Mike Williamson in January. (CaughtOffside)

The sentencing hearing in Paul Gascoigne's first drunk driving trial has been postponed until December 9. (MirrorFootball)

CHN Links: Joey Barton Edition

2010-11-12T00:01:00.001-06:00

Good morning, Toon Army. There was so much content on the Joey Barton situation that I felt the need to make a separate post covering it all. I'd like to think that with a match coming up on Saturday that all of the attention will calm down over the next day or two, but I have a feeling that we'll be writing about this for weeks to come.

Punch in the chest: 3 games. How many would it have been if it was in the face?

Joey Barton has decided not to appeal the FA's decision to charge him with violent conduct, meaning he will be suspended for the next three matches, which are against Fulham, Bolton, and Chelsea. He also apologized to just about everybody he could think of. (Lee Ryder, The Chronicle) Blackburn forward Jason Roberts had some harsh words to say about Barton, (Sky Sports) while Morten Gamst Pedersen, the recipient of Joey's punch, invited Joey out to dinner as a peace offering. What a class act. (Simon Bird, MirrorFootball)

Meanwhile, since Joey Barton is a lightning rod for criticism, people from all over are taking the opportunity to say their peace about him. The Guardian listed all of Barton's indiscretions without commentary, then Barry Glendenning and Rob Bagchi of the same publication said, among other things, "a leopard cannot change its spots." Harry Redknapp chimed in as well (What on earth is doing writing for The Sun of all things? Oh well, another topic for another day...), saying that Barton's indiscretion will definitely hurt Newcastle's play for the next three games. Simon Bird of MirrorFootball says that all of Joey's progress that he's made over the last few months was erased in just a moment. Lee Ryder says that all of the criticism aimed Barton's way is overblown.

Joey Barton Charged With Violent Conduct

2010-11-11T10:04:00.004-06:00

UPDATE: Fixed the links.
According to The Sun (and various other sources, see this), Joey Barton has been charged by the FA with Violent Conduct for punching Morten Gamst Pedersen on Wednesday.

The charge means that Barton will likely be suspended for the next three games. A three game suspension is never good, but it's especially bad timing as Cheik Tiote will be forced to sit for one match as he has now picked up five yellow cards.

More on this as it unfolds.

Andy Carroll

2010-11-10T00:25:00.000-06:00

Sometimes as I put together the links for each new day, I feel like all I'm doing is writing about Andy Carroll. That's not a bad thing, and certainly not unexpected. Carroll does, after all, wear the storied #9 jersey and he's a talented young striker that makes news on and off the pitch. It follows that people would want to write about him.

I've read so many of these articles that I feel like I could write them myself. Carroll, the talented but troubled young Geordie, has the opportunity to play for a top side in his own backyard. He scored 19 goals last season and is now out to prove that he can score against Premiership-level teams. Recently, a former footballer came out and said that Andy Carroll can be an all-time great if he can keep his affairs in order. Fabio Capello hasn't called him up to England yet, but he's scouted him several times and surely he'll get the call this time. Insert a joke about Captain Nolan wiping his bottom at home, and you have a standard Andy Carroll feature.

I'm not trying to say that each feature I come across doesn't have its own intrinsic value; I like reading about the talented young striker that plays for the team I cheer for. But the fact that so many of these articles contain much the same material makes this piece by Kevin McCarra of The Guardian that much...weirder, for the lack of a better term. I'm struggling to figure out what McCarra is trying to accomplish here. He seems to say the following: Carroll is good, but probably not that good, because Newcastle were just promoted. He'll probably get the call anyway because England is sort of low on strikers at the moment. Also, Chelsea said that they wanted to poach him, so that's a good segue to talk about what the big clubs are doing right about now and how they could benefit from a better striker.

I know it seems strange for me to pick a random article out from a reliable publication and nitpick it. I just don't know what else to do with this bit of writing. Andy Carroll: The enigma that confuses defenses and sportswriters alike.

CHN Links: Gameday Edition

2010-11-10T00:01:00.000-06:00

Good morning, Toon Army. Let's beat The Rovers today!

That can't be good for your blood pressure, Sam. Take it down a notch.
Photo credit unknown; pulled from standard.co.uk

First, a couple of match previews for you:
BBC Sport
MirrorFootball
Toonsy, nufcblog.org

Scottish boss Craig Levein says that he'll call up Andy Carroll if Fabio Capello drops the ball. Carroll, who is eligible to play for both countries, has stated his intent to play for England, but this could get really interesting if Capello continues to snub Carroll. (Lee Ryder, The Chronicle)

Chris Hughton reiterated his stance that Andy Carroll is not for sale. Back off, Arsenal, Chelsea, and other would-be poachers. (Sky Sports)

Chris Hughton is not overlooking Blackburn. (Lee Ryder, The Chronicle)

Lee Ryder wonders aloud if Chris Hughton's latest sideline attire has become a good luck charm for the team. For the record, I am in favor of the suit.

Arsenal's appeal on behalf of Laurent Koscielny was denied, meaning the red card for holding Nile Ranger back will stand. (The Guardian)

Peter Lovenkrands would be willing to accept a transfer to his homeland of Denmark. (Neil McLeman, MirrorFootball)

Lee Ryder praises Joey Barton for his recent run of good form.

The Tactics Behind Arsenal 0, Newcastle 1

2010-11-09T09:00:00.001-06:00

You know that feeling you get when you turn on Match of the Day 2 and The Toon have made the cut for the show? Multiply that feeling times 10 and that's how I get when I see that Newcastle has received the Zonal Marking treatment. It's the little things in life that can give us great joy, and the week after a 1-0 win is always joyful. Read and yes...enjoy.

Ten steps: how Newcastle coped with Arsenal in the centre of midfield (whilst playing a 4-4-2)

Preview: Red Rover Red Rover Let Blackburn Come Over

2010-11-09T06:21:00.001-06:00

It's called Red Rover on our side of the pond but I think its title has something to do with bulldogs in the UK. At anyrate it fits more comfortably as in my title if I use the US name.

The midweek games are here and what better time to start them than when your side has just come of three straight wins. The first of these will be against a middle of the table Blackburn side. That middle of the table placing may be deceptive though. Follow us past the jump to find out why.

Blackburn may have just twelve points but they have results from Manchester City and even a win from an Everton side that was admitedly struggling at the time. Lately they have run into a difficult part of their schedule and after two losses in a row to Liverpool and Chelsea, they bounced back to win against Wigan. All that to say it's sort of hard to say how good this team is. What I do know is how good Newcastle are playing at the moment and I see no reason for the hot streak we find ourselves in to end on Wednesday.

We expect Hughton to stay with the side that has earned these last three wins, unless any of them need a rest. Since we're at home and since I think this team is over it's home field laziness, I'm calling for a sound defeat of the Rovers. Newcastle should be able to control every phase of the game, as they say, and put a few in the back of the net.

Predictions:

NUFC 3-0 BRFC
Carroll causes problems but doesn't score.
Shola Ameobi scores first for the good guys.
Nolan is in the right place at the right time for his eighth goal of the season.
And my long shot of the week is that Cheik Tiote scores his first of the year.

Howay the Lads!