CHN Links: Friday Edition

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.

Top 10 Moments of the First Half

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

CHN Links: Thursday Edition

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

CHN Links: Friday Edition

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

CHN Links: Thursday Edition

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

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

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

CHN Links: Wednesday Edition

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.

CHN Links: Tuesday Edition

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.

Possible Managerial Replacements

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

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.

CHN Links: Monday Edition

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

Chris Hughton Out?

While the Unwashed were busy getting their clocks cleaned by The Toon, one of our Twitter followers humorously asked, "Hughton Out?" It was such an off-the-wall (and of course, tongue-in-cheek) suggestion that I literally laughed out loud. Surely nobody wants Hughton out after that glorious day, right?

Following the drubbing of the mackems, several local and national writers spoke out about Hughton's contract situation and what the most recent result means for negotiations. Mark Douglas of The Journal says it's time to reward "shrewd" Chris Hughton for his "stunning work." Louise Taylor of The Guardian concurs, saying Hughton's position was "strengthened immeasurably following the Derby win.

However, two writers of MirrorFootball offered some commentary about just why nothing has gotten done yet. Simon Bird has a lengthy article about Mike Ashley and the board of directors playing hardball with Chris Hughton. David Anderson of MirrorFootball adds that the tension be a result of Hughton not being a "big enough" name for Ashley. Frankly, I find Ashley's position on this absurd, and I know I'm not the only one. Hughton has done everything that's been asked of him and more with little resources, a problem which belongs to the owner, by the way. Sure, things could go south. The Magpies have shown some inconsistency this season, no doubt. But I fear that if Ashley, et al, continue to hold such a hard position, their relationship with Hughton may be damaged beyond repair. Extend him now, before another Premiership team snaps him up and we have to face him twice a year!

CHN Links: Gameday Edition

Good morning, Toon Army. Are you willing to do what it takes to win today? (+1 million internets to anybody who knows what that's a reference to.)

Credited to "Barry H." on shiteseats.co.uk

CHN Links: Saturday Edition

Good morning, Toon Army. It always feels weird when football is being played on a Saturday but you don't really care about any of the teams. Hopefully our patience will be rewarded with a decisive victory.

Shola Ameobi celebrates after scoring a goal in a win against Sunderland on October 23, 2005.
Photo credit unknown, pulled from bbc.co.uk