Showing posts with label Steven Taylor. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Steven Taylor. Show all posts

Thursday, January 13, 2011

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.

Saturday, January 1, 2011

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

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

CHN Links: Gameday Edition

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

Friday, December 24, 2010

CHN Links: Christmas Eve Edition

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

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

CHN Links: Wednesday Edition

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

Monday, December 20, 2010

CHN Links: Monday Edition

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

Friday, December 17, 2010

CHN Links: Friday Edition

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


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

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

CHN Links: Wednesday Edition

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

Thursday, December 9, 2010

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

Saturday, December 4, 2010

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

Friday, December 3, 2010

CHN Links: Friday Edition

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"

Thursday, December 2, 2010

CHN Links: Thursday Edition

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

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

CHN Links: Wednesday Edition

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

Sunday, November 28, 2010

Week 15 Talking Points

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?

Thursday, November 25, 2010

CHN Links: Thanksgiving Edition

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

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

CHN Links: Wednesday Edition

Good morning, Toon Army. Still on Cloud 9 after Sunday? Us too.


Walking in a Hughton Wonderland.
Photograph: Stu Forster/Getty Images

Friday, October 29, 2010

Friday, October 22, 2010

CHN Links: Friday Edition

Good afternoon, Toon Army. Chris Hughton's "testing times" just got a little more trying. Read more after the jump.


Carroll's car was set on fire, its windows were smashed, and its bonnet was forcibly opened. A quick search tells me that "bonnet" means trunk.
Photo credit unknown, pulled from guardian.co.uk

Friday, October 15, 2010

CHN Links: Friday Edition

Good morning, Toon Army. Fabio Capello tells us why Andy Carroll was not selected to play against Montenegro and Chris Hughton gives several interviews, all after the jump.


Danny Guthrie scores a penalty against Wigan Athletic in 2008.
Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images Europe