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

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.

Stevenage 3, Newcastle 1: A Collection of Reviews

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?

Match Preview: Newcastle United Hosts West Ham United

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...

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

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.

Game #19 Talking Points

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?

Match Preview: Newcastle Away at Spurs

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.

CHN Links: Monday Edition

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 Preview: A Boxing Day Rematch

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.

CHN Links: Gameday Edition

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.

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

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.

Zonal Marking Weighs In on Newcastle 3, Liverpool 1

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

Newcastle 3, Liverpool 1 - A Collection of Reviews

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

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?
  

Match Preview: The Reds are Coming to Toon

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.

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

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

Reasonable Reaction Monday: NUFC 1-3 WBA

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

Week 16 Talking Points

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

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

Sometimes the captions write themselves.
Photo credit unknown

Preview: Magpies on the Road at The Hawthorns

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

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

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.