Bottom 10 Moments of the First Half

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.

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

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.

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

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

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.

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

CHN Links: Tuesday Edition

Good morning, Toon Army. It feels weird that we're going to be watching another match tomorrow. For now, let's continue to revel in Sunday's win.

Andy Carroll's career - just taking off.
Photo credit unknown; pulled from mirrorfootball.co.uk

Reasonable Reaction Monday: Magpies Seize the Day (and Three Points) from the Gunners

Let me first say that I have never felt more anxious about a half of football than Sunday's second half at Emirates. But, I'm on record saying how well this team plays when it is the first to score a goal, and I had faith in not only that, but Hughton's ability to manage that slim lead to the end. After four minutes of stoppage time, it turned out that my faith was not misplaced.

CHN Links: Friday Edition

Good morning, Toon Army. Let's focus on the mackems now, shall we?

An oldie but a goodie.

Reasonable Reaction Wednesday: Toon Too Much for the Hammers, by Just a Little

Due to time constraints today, this will be the cliff-notes version of a match review.

I wondered last week which Magpie team might show up in Boleyn, and the answer was, I think, a move in the right direction. The team that lost to Wolves and Blackpool was the team that showed up first, which was admittedly disconcerting. But; after allowing that first goal, the side that beat Everton started struggling for dominance. At the end of the day I think that better side was on the field more often than not.

Good work roomy! Src: Telegraph via Action Images

CHN Links: Gameday Edition

Good morning, Toon Army. The International Break is over! Match previews and last minute news after the jump.

This is a prank, right?
Photo courtesy of football.co.uk, no credit listed

CHN Links: Thursday Edition

Good morning, Toon Army. International breaks are long. Good thing neither England nor the US laid an egg this week...

Strip courtesy of studs-up.com, larger version may be found here.

CHN Links: Friday Edition

Good morning, Toon Army. Hopefully Man City's tussle with Juventus has them all tired and weary.

Joey Barton in a reserve match last year.

Chris Hughton told Lee Ryder that his squad is relearning how to play in the Premiership. Within the piece are some notes about the upcoming match with Manchester City.

Andy Carroll was not named to England's U-21 squad, leading many to speculate that he will get the call for the senior squad. England will play Montenegro in Euro qualifying on October 12. Craig Levein remains hopeful that he can convince Carroll to use his eligibility as a Scot. In club news, Carroll told Lee Ryder that he wants to sign a long-term contract with The Toon. Finally, he spoke with Ryder about his mini scoring drought and about how he's ready to find the back of the net again.

Lee Ryder reports that Tim Krul was ready to call it quits, but Chris Hughton convinced him to stay. Good thing, too.

Craig Stoddart writes about Ryan Taylor's desire to play for the first team. Taylor is very much aware that Newcastle need to get better results at home, according to BBC.

Finally, The NUFC Official Site is reporting that the Derby match scheduled for Halloween has been moved up by a few hours at the request of the police.