| News - December 2006 |
| | | | | | | | | | |
 |
|
|
|
Merseyside Blues
December 31st 2006
Final score from Goodison Park: Everton 3 (Anichebe 9, 58, Neville 62) – Newcastle United 0 Three set pieces caught Newcastle out yesterday as we lost our second game in a row over the festive period. Having fallen behind to an early goal from Everton youngster Victor Anichebe, things could have been so different had Martins not missed (by some margin) his penalty in the first half. Instead, we went in a goal down and despite having a few chances to pull even, we conceded a second goal just before the hour mark which killed the game off. To rub salt into the wounds ‘England star’ Phil Neville was left unmarked for a corner and his mis-hit shot looped over Given. Luckily for Roeder the transfer window is about to open and if reports are to be believed, we already have a number of defensive and attacking reinforcements in mind. And we need them… True Faith
December 28th 2006
Popular Newcastle United fanzine True Faith asked us what life was like supporting the toon in North America. Not only did we answer but we wrote a two page spread about it which can be read in the latest edition (out now). For our NFL fans, there's also an interesting article about how a Newcastle match compares to a Cleveland Browns/Baltimore Ravens game. What's even better is they ship to North America. For more information visit their website. Comedy Central
December 26th 2006
Final score from the Reebok Stadium: Bolton 2 (Ramage OG 32, Anelka 57) – Newcastle 1 (Dyer 8) Newcastle United blew what would have been an excellent away win with some comical defending which left us with zero points. Having taken the lead through Kieron Dyer following a mix up in the Bolton midfield, a total lack of communication between Peter Ramage and Pavel Srnicek had the former head the ball straight past his goalkeeper to level the scores. It was disappointing for Newcastle who could have been 2 or 3-0 up had Milner and Martins showed more composure in front of goal. Such was the way we conceded the equalizer there was a sense of ‘here we go again’ at half time and we were correct, as Bolton took their only clear cut chance of the second half. And it was a typical Bolton goal – long throw by Campo, a couple of flick ons and Anelka was there to tap it home on the far post. By then we had run out of stream. Roeder took Milner and Dyer off (I understand the latter but not sure about Milner – he was our best player in the first half) and we lost our width and shape and quite frankily never looked like equalizing. In praise, another goal for Dyer and a good defensive performance from a very make shift back four – including Canadian David Edgar making his debut at right back. However, we really should have come away with something in this game; it was another case of shooting ourselves in the foot. Roeders Christmas Wish List
December 24th 2006
by ToonArmyUSA feature writer ‘Geordie Rowell’ Dear Santa, First I want to say sorry for sending you another Xmas wish list. I know I sent one a few weeks ago, but a lot has changed since then, so if you could just tear that earlier one up, that’d be great my son. OK, so what I’d like first of all is a new heart. It’s for our left back, who has all the ability in the word, but he just has no heart. It must be really tough for him, and sometimes you think there’s hope ‘cos he actually does OK without one, but it doesn’t last long. The rest of the lads call him wage packet, but I don’t know if it’s related or not? Next I’d like a new brain. No not for me you cheeky sod, it’s for our center back! He’s a big strapping lad and would be ever so pleased as the one he has is a bit like an old T.V. It flickers a lot, and just when you think you’ve finally got a good picture it shuts down completely. I’ve resorted to banging on the side of it--really hard sometimes--but it’s not done any good. I’m surprised we’ve kept it as long as we have, and I’ll take whatever model you have, as I’m sure it’ll be an upgrade regardless. I know this next one is a bit unusual, but if you have a pair of red glass slippers lying around the grotto could you bring those? I’ve a lad here who’s terribly homesick, and he just mopes around the place. It’s so bad he’s spent the past 2 months asking strangers around the city, “When is Mista Roada going to let me go home?” He’s been kicking his heels on the bench for ages, so those slippers would be perfect for him, I’m sure he’d be delighted. You’re probably expecting me to ask you for some courage now aren’t you? Well we’re OK in that department thank you very much. We’ve had some of the young lads playing regularly lately and you’ve no idea how it’s helped the team. Some of those older players look like new! Mind you, if you happen to pass the boardroom on your way out you might sprinkle a bit of it in there. That’s about it Santa. You’ll notice this list is a lot shorter than the one I sent a few weeks ago, so at least your bag will be a bit lighter, eh! Oh, and before I forget, the super-duper-bumper first aid kit we ask for every year, that stays on the list. Cheers cocka, and please give my best to Mrs. Claus. p.s. If you’ve got any old shell suits from years ago, Terry would love another one; a couple of new coaching badges for little Lee would be great too. p.p.s. I know that Santa really is a Geordie. England's number one?
December 23rd 2006
Final score from St. James Park: Newcastle United 3 (Dyer 3, Martins 7, Parker 34) – Tottenham 1 (Murphy 15) Newcastle United took full advantage of some major goalkeeping errors from Spurs and England goalkeeper Paul Robinson to take three points and move up to 11th in the table. With the game only minutes old, a through ball by Martins found Dyer who took on and beat King before curling the ball rather too easily past Robinson, who appeared to not react – thinking the ball was going wide. Minutes later it was 2-0. A great square ball from Milner found Parker (marginally offside) with room in the box, his cross to Martins was inch perfect and the Nigerian made no mistake from just yards out. Spurs got one back from a deflected Danny Murphy strike but before the nerves set in we extended our two goal lead when Robinson spilled a Milner free-kick and following a goal mouth scramble – Scott Parker headed in to make it 3-1. The second half saw a lot of possession for Spurs but they created almost nothing up front as the loss of Defoe just before kick off was evident. Newcastle meanwhile didn’t set the world on fire, but defended well and Butt and Parker both put industrious shifts in, while Ramage looked rock solid. While Robinson had a day to forget – our reserve goalkeeper Pavel Srnicek made an emotional return, replacing the injured Shay Given with just minutes left. Pav made his 150th appearance for United today – an incredible nine years after his 149th. Didier think it would be any different?
December 22nd 2006
Final score from St. James Park: Newcastle United 0 – Chelsea 1 (Drogba 79) That man again. Almost exactly a week later (to the minute), Ivory Coast striker Didier Drogba came off the bench to score the deciding goal between these two teams and knock Newcastle out of the Carling Cup. After a relatively even first half which saw Martins hit the bar (and the ball cross the line) and Shevchenko hit the post, it was some second-half tactical changes by ‘The Special One’ which swung the game in Chelsea’s favour. And no Newcastle fan could be wrong for thinking that when Drogba came on he was going to get the winner, something he’s done time and time again against us (Marseille UEFA Cup anyone?). So when Robben went down so theatrically on the edge of the box (the Theatre Royal showed interest in him after his performance) who else but Drogba stood up and smashed the free-kick into the top corner. Video replays later showed they took the free-kick from a slightly different angle which favoured the kicker – much to Roeder’s displeasure. To be honest they deserved it. We didn’t show much in the second half and the final 10 minute push never materialized but it was an OK performance and one that didn’t deserve the boos from a small section of the crowd at full time. Finally, apologies for the delay writing this up. We have British Airways to thank for cancelling all flights out of Heathrow yesterday! Vancouver Geordies!
December 20th 2006
Anyone in the Vancouver area may notice a few black and white shirts walking around. David Forster is an exiled mag who transferred to Vancouver in September 1997. Originally from Greenside, Tyne and Wear (about 8 miles from the city center), David is a huge fan of the Mags. Now a Canadian citizen, David gets back home virtually every year to catch a couple of games. His two daughters got their first taste of action this year when they went for the Ventspils UEFA tie at St. James Park, and despite the 0-0 scoreline, they had a great time. David is in this photo with his friend Paul (on the left) and Alec (Paul's dad). Funny how I met Paul, I was shopping with the wife last christmas in a local mall, when I saw this fella with his kids going up an escallator - he was wearing a jacket with a small Toon Badge on it - I shouted - hey Marra, du yah think wil win t'mora (Geordie crack) . He of course replied. "eh" I knew then that he was one of us!! Great family and we have become very good friends. Harry's Rant
December 19th 2006
Gary Speed, Alan Shearer and Sepp Blatter are the focus of Harry's December rant. Make sure you check it out along with previous rants here. Washington DC Mags come out in force!
December 17th 2006
The saying ‘no matter where you go in the world you’ll bump into a Geordie’ is true – especially if you go to Washington DC, where you’ll most likely bump into a whole group of them! Peter, Simon, Nick, Harry, Tim and David are just some of the DC Mags who go to the Four Corners Pub to watch the games. Click here to see their latest outings from the Blackburn (A) and Chelsea (A) games. Remember, if you have any pictures of your ToonArmyUSA gatherings, then send them to us! Smarty Marty!
December 17th 2006
Final score from St. James Park: Newcastle United 2 (Martins 49, 85) – Watford 1 (Bouazza 57) Newcastle edged past their stubborn opponents yesterday with the difference being our $20 million dollar number 9. After a pretty even first half, the game sparked into life when Milner’s cross was headed into the back of the net by Martins – one of the smallest men on the pitch. That SHOULD have started a comfortable victory for Newcastle but again we made life difficult for ourselves and let Watford back into the game almost immediately. Following a Watford corner, the ball was bundled into the net by Bouazza who appeared to be fouling Given at the time although replays later showed it was a fair challenge. Watford had their chances to win it but we were thankful for some awful finishing from their striker Henderson and some great defending by Taylor and Ramage. With the match looking to end in a disappointing draw, a rare Newcastle attack resulted in the ball ending up at Martins who made no mistake from 12 yards, smashing the ball into the roof of the net. Again not a vintage performance, but it’s a third home victory in a row and another three points to move us away from relegation. Special praise to Emre and Butt who again worked well in midfield and you can’t help but smile seeing Parker, Duff and Dyer all together on the same pitch. UEFA Hopes given boost
December 15th 2006
We’ve haven’t exactly had luck when it comes to cup draws this season, facing three Premiership sides in the League Cup and a “Group of Death” in the UEFA Cup. However, the draw for the final 32 was kind on Newcastle as we drew SV Zulte Waregem a relatively unknown Belgian side who finished third in Group F. The first leg will be away on either 02/14/07 or 02/15/07 (at which point we should have less injuries and hopefully some new faces) with the return leg at St. James Park on 02/22/07. Winners of that game will play either Fenerbahce or AZ Alkmaar (we’ve already beaten Fenerbahce at home this season). For more information on SV Zulte Waregem, visit their official website. Spanish and Turks join the Geordies in UEFA Cup
December 14th 2006
Week off for our lot in the UEFA Cup but having already claimed top spot in Group H, results really didn’t matter. Celta Vigo claimed second place with a 1-1 draw at Palermo. Palermo, needed to win the game to qualify but couldn’t grab a winner against the Spaniards. Frankfurt were 2-0 up away to Fenerbahce before the home team fought back to claim a draw and the point that was enough to secure them with 3rd place. Update: Newcastle will now go into the draw for the next round of the UEFA Cup (tomorrow). We will play a team who finished 3rd in their group so our options are (Livorno, Bayer Leverkusen, Braga, Lens, Feyenoord, Zulte Waregem or Hapoel Tel-Aviv).
Pensioners stumble past Toon kids
December 13th 2006
Final score from Stamford Bridge: Chelsea 1 (Drogba 74) - Newcastle United 0 In a game which many pundits widely predicted a drubbing for Newcastle at the hands of the Premier League Champions – the Toon almost pulled off an unthinkable draw with a first team injury list as long as the Kings Road. (ED: the list is too long to print). It was the Newcastle midfield department that had suffered the brunt of a recent injury crisis at St James’ Park with Solano, Duff, Parker and Emre all unavailable before KO. Roeder was forced to start with the extremely makeshift midfield of Rossi, Butt, N’Zogbia and Milner – and they looked out of sorts and struggled in the first 10 minutes with Chelsea dominating early exchanges. (Rossi looking particularly out of his depth). However as the game wore on, Newcastle gained in confidence and almost took the lead when Sibierski rose to head a Milner corner against the top of the Chelsea bar with Hilario beaten on 16 minutes. Chelsea were restricted to two 1st half efforts from Wright-Phillips and Lampard, but both were half chances that the Blues failed to capitalize upon, as the Newcastle defence remained organized and hard working. Ramage and Taylor were playing particularly well and with 19 year old Paul Huntington (making his first full debut) keeping Robben relatively quiet, Chelsea seemed to concentrate most of their attacking efforts down their right and pressure Babayaro - who was clearly the weakest link in Newcastle’s back-four. On 35 minutes a Rossi effort went narrowly wide with a speculative left foot shot after good approach play - with Hilario scrambling to cover the shot. As half time approached the inevitable Newcastle injury came – this time to N’Zogbia. He twisted his left knee as his trailing leg was caught in the turf during a tackle on Lampard. Charlie stayed down for a few minutes and was eventually removed by stretcher to be replaced by Matty Pattison. (ED: are we cursed?). At the start of the 2nd half, Chelsea brought on Drogba for the ineffective Wright-Phillips with Makelele replacing the injured Carvalho. Chelsea were looking immediately more dangerous with Drogba at the centre of things. Martins had worked tirelessly all night and almost carved out a chance for Sibierski, but his header was too weak to trouble Hilario. Another zillion pound signing (Shevchenko) came off the bench on 67 minutes for Geremi and he turned the game with a miss hit shot that turned cross for Drogba to slot home on 74 minutes. The lead was hardly deserved, as Newcastle had matched Chelsea for work rate and commitment, but the goal had clearly deflated the Toon. As Chelsea went looking for a 2nd goal, Shay had to save smartly first from a Terry header and then again to turn a Robben shot against his right hand post. The spineless Luque came on for the hobbling Sibierski (yes, yet another injury) and the clock wound down with Newcastle running out of ideas but still high on effort and commitment. Matty Pattison had worked particularly hard in midfield since replacing Charlie and all in all, despite the defeat, it had been a battling and gutsy performance from a severely weakened team……bring on Watford at SJP. Back on Track
December 11th 2006
by ToonArmyUSA feature writer ‘Geordie Rowell’ ROEDER – HERO or ZERO? We’re getting goals, we’re getting points and we’ve not been beaten in over a month. We’re winning games we used to draw and drawing games we used to lose. That’s the good news. These have been tough times of late, and the situation could easily have gotten worse, rather than better. There’s hope on Tyneside again, right? Well this supporter would be a lot more hopeful if the results were happening because of Roeder and not in spite of him. I get no pleasure from criticizing a manager who, as I noted above, seems to have turned the ship around this season, as he did the last when we were (again) stroking the bosoms of Lady Relegation. One defeat in the last ten is no mean feat for a team that was very recently 4th from bottom. However, having to watch as we clung on (and we did cling on) for 45 minutes against a ten-man Blackburn was about as pleasant as a Saturday night in with the in-laws, and reinforced the notion that when decisions have to be made to help the situation on the field, Roeder, and his sideshow of a coaching staff are always found to be wanting. There seems to be an inability to act with purpose when Plan A goes pear-shaped. Most good managers can act within a few moments when their best laid plans go south. The very best know to make a change before the situation actually gets worse. Roeder and his staff (can you really call Clark and McDermott a staff? I’ll take suggestions at toonarmystaffer@yahoo.com) seem to adopt the policy of the coin toss. Heads they phone-a-friend (if only they had Robson or Keegan’s number), tales it’s go 50-50. Did Sibierski really have to limp around for a full five minutes before being substituted against Blackburn? Why was Dyer allowed to drag himself around against Arsenal for a full 90+ minutes after so recently coming back into the team (A healthy Rossi was on the bench). The latter point shows just how important Dyer is in Roeder’s plans. He sees Dyer as a savior, and by Christ he might just crucify him if he continues to treat a player who’s as brittle as Naomi Campbell’s self-esteem after a coke binge like that. You protect your assets, you don’t hammer them. And are we winning games because of Roeder’s canny ability to use players in different positions? Would he have picked Solano as right back with a fit Carr available? Would N’Zogbia be picked regularly, and on the left, if Duff was fit? Would Butt (outstanding of late) be starting regularly without injuries to the side? The answer is no. And what of James Milner? Would the lad be getting time with a full compliment of players in the squad? We’ve had a smashing run of late, no doubt, and the games have been entertaining, in a way that only Newcastle fans understand the word “entertaining” (think taking a joyride with Gazza after 12 pints in a car with no seatbelts, and getting out safely). Let’s just hope that some of the injured lads get back on the pitch sooner rather than later. I don’t want to see Roeder telling Clarky (or worse still the scouse tash) to “get warmed up.” Hey, this is Newcastle United, anything can happen. Howay the Lads and fingers crossed we get thru’ Chelsea, Watford, Tottenham, Bolton, and Everton with something to show for it. Cheers Questions, Questions..
December 10th 2006
Soccer website evenison had a few questions recently for our Club President Mark Harper. Evenison is a portal for soccer fans around the world and they were looking to find out more about our club from a fans perspective. Find out what Mark had to say about which American he would like to see play for Newcastle and which changes he would make if he was currently in charge. The full interview can be read here. 3 in a row!
December 9th 2006
Final score from Ewood Park: Blackburn 1 (Pedersen 47) – Newcastle 3 (Martins 31,90 Taylor 35) Newcastle United claimed their third league victory in a row by beating Blackburn 3-1 at Ewood Park this afternoon. Keeping the same eleven which started against Reading, Newcastle looked comfortable against mediocre opposition. It was Blackburn though that started the strongest, McCarthy twice beating Given – only for both goals to be correctly disallowed for offside. Shay was then called into action to deny Ooijer with a reflex save from a header around 10 yards out. On the half hour the game turned with Sibierski setting up Martins who scored in style and four minutes later it was 2-0 as Taylor finished from 6 yards out following some comedy defending by Rovers. To make matters worse for the home team, Swiss defender Henchoz was sent off for bringing down Martins when the forward was through on goal. Newcastle deserved their lead at half time and looked to shut-up-shop for the second half. Blackburn however had other ideas and Pedersen’s 47th minute cracker halved the deficit as the home side pushed on for an equalizer. Despite some nervy moments the equalizer never came and Newcastle scored a third on the break, Martins scoring into an empty net after American goalkeeper Brad Friedel had came up for a corner. The win came at a cost though with Emre, Solano and Sibierski all coming off – Emre on a stretcher. That puts us onto 14 injuries at the moment. However, Roeder will be pleased with another decent performance, with Butt and Taylor both impressive today. The Three Amigos!
December 6th 2006
Final score from St. James Park: Newcastle United 3 (Sibierski 23, Martins 57, Emre 84) – Reading 2 (Harper 37, 42) What a difference a goal makes. 2-1 down after the first half and with pressure piling on us from what seemed like constant Reading attacks, a dubious penalty was awarded against the visitors for a foul against Martins. Martins took the ball off usual penalty taker Solano and fired it to the bottom right of the goal to even things up and from there Newcastle didn’t look back. The first half was a funny old affair and could have finished 3-3 in all fairness. Reading had the early pressure but fell behind to a (quickly becoming) trademark header from Sibierski after a great cross by Solano. However, a substitution forced Reading to make a change and as soon as Little replaced Hunt, Newcastle looked in all sorts of trouble. For a five minute period, Newcastle were simply hopeless at the back and Reading took full advantage with two goals from James Harper (one a deflection off Nobby and the other from a mistake by Babayaro) and it could have been more had Ki-Hyeon not missed from a couple of yards out when it looked easier to score. Well giving away the lead at home? Not exactly unheard of this season and with Reading looking for a third early in the 2nd half it looked like deja-vu again. And while it’s a debate for another day on how much our current manager can motivate and inspire his troops, he was given help today by three outstanding displays from Butt, Emre and Sibierski. Martins penalty got us back on level terms and then started to work on link-up play with Sibierski who despite being by himself the entire game, simply refused to give up and put the type of performance in that defied not only his age but also his price tag. With Butt flying around with some crucial tackles and constantly helping our petrified defense out, Reading never looked like scoring again. This left Emre to put the icing on the cake with a breath-taking goal 8 minutes from time, as he dispossessed two Reading midfielders, got the ball onto his left foot and sent a dipping shot over American goalkeeper Hahnemann's head. This was Emre’s best game in a black and white shirt hands down. His passing was incredible, he was in the mood to take people on and was even back defending when it mattered. The player obviously doesn’t like to lose and we need more like him on the pitch. On the other end of the scale Babayaro and N’Zogbia both looked absolutely awful. Babayaro seemed to lose the ability to kick the ball and constantly required assistance from Butt, while N’Zogbia just seems void of confidence, meaning Emre had to step up attacks through the center. At the end of the day, 3 points won and a big step out of the relegation zone. One would like to think that this is a turning point from earlier performances when we went behind but couldn’t come back. December Prize Announced
December 5th 2006
As a special thank you for everyone who has been part of the Prediction Corner game so far this season (118 and counting), we have a very special prize for December. Our good friends at BackPage (the world’s largest selection of Football & Sports Books/DVD’s) including some great Newcastle United stuff, are kindly supplying us with December’s prize – a DVD of the 1955 FA Cup final between Newcastle United and Manchester City. This DVD will work in ALL regions! With 7 games to play in December and a possible 42 points up for grab, incredibly ANYONE can still finish top of the league – even if they are just starting now. In the meantime, those looking for Christmas presents should give Backpage a quick visit. They have an incredible amount of gear including some really unique Newcastle memorabilia that you won’t get in the club shop!! Click on their logo above or here to visit their site. Put some new batteries in your TV remotes!
December 5th 2006
Good news for Newcastle fans in the run up to the holiday period as a large majority of our games will be televised – at least in the US (we are waiting on confirmation for Canada). The Christmas period has games coming thick and fast and Newcastle will need to start picking up points if they are going to turn their season around. 12/6 vs. Reading – Fox Soccer Channel - Live (US & Canada) As always, the listings are subject to change but we’ll do our best to keep you updated. For those of you who currently don’t have (or can’t get) Setanta, please visit our sponsors ITVN, who offer the service for as little as $15 a month. A month to go but who will go?
December 4th 2006
The January transfer market is less than a month away now and Glenn Roeder has some serious thinking to do about how he’ll change his squad for the second half of the season. No doubt he’ll be looking to bring some new faces in but what about the players he currently has? Despite a small squad that has already been decimated by injuries, Roeder has to call the futures of: Cup draw not so glamorous
December 3rd 2006
The draw for the third round of the FA Cup has Newcastle away to Birmingham City. Birmingham are currently top of the Championship as they look to bounce straight back into the Premiership following their relegation last season. This will no doubt be a tricky tie for Newcastle. That said, they are a league below us and regardless of their position we will be favorites going into the game. They also rely heavily on the involvement of several loanees who may be cup-tied while long-term Newcastle target Matthew Upson may be playing in black and white by the time the game comes around. Ties will commence the weekend of January 6th/7th. NUFC Book offer
December 2nd 2006
For those of you looking for a good value christmas present, Tonto Press are offering to ship The Burglar's Dog AND Wor Al to anywhere in North America for just $40. All orders are sent within 24 hours and it takes about a week for shipping so they should arrive well before the holiday season. For more information on the books and this offer, please visit the Tonto Press website. Prediction Corner - November winner
December 2nd 2006
Congratulations to our winner Steve from CA who won his choice of a ToonArmyUSA T-shirt or match programs from this season after collecting the most points in November. Here are the top 5: Don't forget our main league continues and to enter your predictions in each week. |