| News - February 2007 |
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Roeder to Nowhere
February 26th 2007
Final score from the JJB Stadium: Wigan 1 (Taylor 40) - Newcastle 0 It’s safe to say that Newcastle’s league performances on the road have been somewhat of a disappointment this season. (ED: That’s an understatement) Sadly, none of the traveling masses this season really expected us to gain anything at places like The Emirates, Stamford Bridge or Old Trafford – but they do expect us to compete for points and score goals at places like Fulham, Everton and Wigan. The 5,000+ Mags that made the trip to the JJB on Sunday were probably hoping we had put poor away form behind us and were set to push up the league. (In reality ‘hope’ is all it was). But when we started well with a few half chances falling to Martins and then the penalty was awarded for the faintest of touches on Sibs, all seemed to be going well. Solano hit a good penalty, but it was a better save from the over-the-hill Wigan keeper (I’ve already forgot his name). This changed the course of the game (ED: Is under-statement your middle name?) Maybe Martins will get the penalty taker job back for good now? We were, however, still in the ascendancy during the first half and would surely go on to capitalize on possession with some goals against one of the weakest teams in the League? (ED: Aye OK bonny lad) So what went wrong - rewind to Roeder’s team selection. Why does Roeder continue to believe that Taylor is a better full-back than centre-half? His rationale is beyond us. Worse still - Milner being dropped to the bench makes absolutely no sense at all. Brumble (clearly playing for a lucrative new contract) continues to flatter and deceive. Take it from us, as long as Fenwick’s has a window there will be thousands of backsides willingly bared, if this bloke is Newcastle’s long term future at centre-half. It was the forward position selection that deserves the biggest scrutiny for this game. With Milner wide right and Solano at right back we’ve seen some successes, so why then did Roeder feel that tinkering with his right hand side seemed to be worth it to get Gooch back in at centre-half. Wrong, wrong, wrong. And if Zoggy is now fit then surely he must start ahead of Duff who’s been out of sorts. Even if he was on the field for the first 60-70 minutes (to get fitness back) then Zoggy would have offered much more than Duff. Let’s face it, Zoggy makes things happen. The second half was a well documented disaster. Roeder said; “The second half wasn't a great spectacle, but it should have been all over by half-time." (ED: No kidding!) If Roeder doesn’t sort this out soon then the remaining third of the season isn’t even worth thinking about and suggestions of a stroll up to Glasgow for some silverware is a pipe dream. Mags in Washington PC - Pics
February 25th 2007
Washington DC was a good place to be if you were a Newcastle United fan on February 10th. The Irish Four Courts bar was the meeting place for many exiled Geordies and American supporters who cheered on the lads during a tense (but ultimately successful) match against Liverpool. As always our roving reporter Harry Spall was on the scene, getting the beers in and taking the occasional photo. Poll Results - Should Newcastle have sold Bellamy?
February 24th 2007
Last week we asked you the following question: Were Newcastle correct to release Craig Bellamy from his contract at St. James Park? And this is how you answered: - YES - 93% Bellamy's future is in doubt at Liverpool following an incident at a training camp in Portugal. In typical fashion though Bellamy bounced back and scored the first goal in Liverpool's 2-1 win over Barcelona on Wednesday. Bellamy had many troubled times at Newcastle and although he did play well for the club, 93% of you agreed the club made the right decision to sell him. Always look on the bright side of life?
February 22nd 2007
Final score from St. James Park: Newcastle United 1 (Martins 68) – Zulte Waregem 0 Newcastle United made it through to the last 16 of the UEFA Cup with a 4-1 aggregate victory over Belgian side Zulte Waregem tonight. Leading 3-1 from the first leg, it took Newcastle and more specifically Obafemi Martins 68 minutes to open the scoring and effectively kill the tie off. There are two ways of looking at this game, from a positive point of view and negative. Positive We are through to the last 16 of a major European tournament, scoring an impressive four goals over the two legs. Our next game is against AZ Alkmaar of Holland, whom despite beating Fenerbahce on away goals, aren’t exactly the cream of Europe and we would have to fancy our chances of making the quarter finals. Martins continues to do what we paid 10 million pounds for and that’s score goals. We kept our first clean sheet in 18 games with Bramble again impressing (perhaps he knows it’s now or never?) and we got another 90 minutes out of Duff. Negative A 1-0 scoreline against part-timers from Belgium isn’t exactly going to get the blood pumping. Throughout this season we’ve done ‘just enough’ to win games which is fine – but it’s hard to keep that trend going when results could quite easily go the other way (Reading, Man Utd, Villa and Liverpool at home come to mind). While we made hard work of it against a team who already admitted defeat before the game started, it’s worrying to think what will happen on Sunday when we play a team who are fighting for their Premiership lives. We still have a number of under-performers on our side and Duff had another ordinary game but Luque signaled his intention to leave this summer with another sub-standard performance, when a goal or two could have done him (even if he does want to leave) wonders. February 20th 2007
Last week we asked you the following question: In your opinion, where will Newcastle finish in the Premier League at the end of the season? And this is how you answered: - Top 4 (1st - 4th) 0.00% So the majority of voters think we'll continue to push up the league and finish in the UEFA Cup positions. For that to happen, we would have to start showing some more consistency in the league, but with struggling teams like Wigan, Boro', and Charlton coming up, there is no reason we can't push onwards and upwards. Bellars Packs a Punch (again)
February 19th 2007
Craig Bellamy and controversy. The two go hand in hand like ‘Punch and Judy’. According to media reports this week, our former front man has been up to his old tricks again, this time striking team-mate John-Arne Riise with a golf club in a bar in Portugal. Reports later claimed that Bellamy was being used as a scapegoat to cover up the ‘after hours’ activities of Fowler, Pennant and other Liverpool players - but to think that he wasn’t involved at some point, some where, is hard to believe given his track record. For those not up to speed on Bellamy, Newcastle signed him for 6 million pounds from Coventry back in 2001. At the time it was a lot of money for a very average player (Coventry went down that year and Bellamy only notched 6 league goals) but his pace was always a problem for opposing defenders and he was soon an integral part of Newcastle’s success under Sir Bobby Robson. He made a several court-appearances while on Tyneside – the root cause of these incidents were usually linked a combination of his large mouth and/or over-zealous fans. (At one point he was accused of punching a girl in a South Wales night-club whilst on international duty). His excessively verbose outbursts also got him into hot water with referees on a regular basis, but the crème de la crème of his ‘bad boy’ personality was revealed when he feigned an injury and refused to play for the club. That was the end of the road for Bellamy at Newcastle. The fans couldn’t forgive him (and rightly so) and although it was Mr. Souness who showed him the door, most Newcastle fans agreed that the Scotsman had got it right. Bellamy simply thought he was bigger than the club. A loan move to Celtic was quickly followed by a permanent switch to Blackburn in 2005 but he finally joined his ‘boyhood hero’s’ (Liverpool) last year. Another transfer away from Anfield will all depend on the outcome of the latest bar incident but, understandably, the Scousers have bigger issues to worry about with a two-legged Champions League tie with Barcelona coming up. Anyone who saw the Newcastle -v- Liverpool game last Saturday will appreciate that Bellamy is a threat but lacks the the real finishing prowess of a true striker (if he could finish The Toon would have been 3-0 down inside 20 minutes). That said, Bellamy’s biggest downfall has nothing to do with his physical abilities, it’s all in your head Craig… Oba the Moon!
February 16th 2007
Final score from the Jules Otten Stadium: Zulte Waregem 1 (D'Haene 69) – Newcastle United 3 (OG 47, Martins 59 pen, Sibierski 76) Newcastle United have one step into the final 16 of the UEFA Cup after a comfortable victory over our Belgian counterparts. After a first half that the lads dominated but couldn’t find a break through, the floodgates opened after the break when Frederic Dindeleux turned a Kieron Dyer cross into his own net. 12 minutes later and Damien Duff went down under a challenge from the Waregem keeper and –somewhat surprisingly given his horrendous miss against Everton, Oba Martins stepped up to double our lead. That should have killed the game off but in typical Newcastle fashion we made life difficult for ourselves and allowed our opponents to get back into it when some poor defending by Babayaro gave D’Haene the chance to head home. A nervous finish was extinguished though when Sibierski scored yet another UEFA Cup goal, this time showing some great composure to take on – and beat – both defender and goalkeeper. So, not vintage from our lot (when has it been this season?) but again we get the right result and baring a total meltdown next Thursday, we should be ready and waiting for Fenerbahce or AZ Alkmaar – who drew their first leg 3-3. Til Death Do Us Part
February 14th 2007
by ToonArmyUSA feature writer ‘Geordie Rowell’ You have to feel for the poor Arsenal, Chelsea, and Man. Utd. fans don’t you? The drudgery of showing up week after week, watching your team chalk up win after monotonous win. Week’s go by and there’s nothing but praise in the national press (oh how they sing for your team!) for your team and your manager. Your players are all technically gifted; talented beyond their years; physically imposing; midfield generals, prolific strikers, and born again defenders. Jesus, even your coach is better than he’s ever been (dare I even say it, he’s ‘rejuvenated’). In a word, life for you is boring. Your annual collection of silverware is the equivalent of the ritual summer holidays to Spain (predictable and never as good after the first time), your lack of scandal/player unrest/manager uncertainty the equal of a life lived in Devon (think sex, missionary position, for life), and your chairman’s cozy and stable relationship with your manager reminds me of Tuesday’s (nothing ever happens on a Tuesday). How you must yearn for the whispers of backroom unrest, or perhaps some skullduggery in the dressing room. How about a manager that has “lost the players” or a striker who calls the manager a liar on national TV? Well heaven is a tight space son, and I’m afraid the Geordies have restricted it to waiting-list only. Life as a Newcastle fan is one full with contradictions, unlikely resolution, apathetic defeats, improbable victories, predictable failures, uncanny coincidence, surprising resilience, and disappointing affirmations. Liverpool took the miserable, rainy ride back to Merseyside thinking of what could have been last weekend, while the rest of us were left to ponder just how we can beat the scouse thoroughbreds one week and surrender to Fulham the week before. How badly does the typical cockney-blue or Franco-highbrarian yearn for the chaos of a season-in-the-life of your average Geordie? Like a middle-class Essex housewife dreaming of a leg over with the young window cleaner’s apprentice, how he must clamour for the unrest of the chairman abusing the fans’ trust, or manipulating the press to get his hands on the clubs’ assets. Oh, the thrill of seeing his own players fighting each other DURING A GAME. The local papers covering your most recent “young” star out on the town crashing his Ferrari into a bridge/jailed for GBH/questioned for rape. And that’s just what’s going on off the pitch. How about beating Barcelona at home (with a Tino hat trick) and then surrendering a 12 point lead for the league. Sacking a manager that gets you into the Champions League (and saves you from relegation) and then hiring a replacement not fit to lace his boots? And again, there’s giving up away to Fulham and beating Liverpool at home. Aye, as the words to the great song go, “no one said it was gonna be easy”. And to be honest, I’m not sure we’d have it any other way. Would you really cash in this soap opera of highs and desperate lows for the constant, steady, sleep depriving drip of success? Would you meet the devil at the crossroads and trade your life affirming (and divorce inducing) support for the sup of a pint of success? Howay Man. And if you were ever in any doubt as to what I’m talking about, consider an email sent yesterday by a fellow fan to the ToonArmyUSA message board. It wasn’t enough for us to send the scousers home with nowt, he had a right go at Roeder for playing Dyer up front and Taylor out of position. Get in there son! You just can’t buy that now, can you? I mean it’s not like we’re struggling for players or anything, is it? Geordie Rowell Lads on the mend
February 13th 2007
Yesterday the media were out and about taking pictures of Michael Owen as he started light training for the first time since his injury in the 2006 World Cup. It's still hard to believe that Owen actually plays for us. It's even harder to think where we could be as a club had he stayed fit and healthy. Fingers crossed he makes a full recovery and is ready and waiting for next season when he can create an exciting partnership with Obafemi Martins. If Dyer's comeback is any indication of things to come, then we could be in for a treat... Monday also saw the return to training for N'Zogbia, Moore and Emre, and while the UEFA cup double header might come a little too early, there is good chance one or more might appear against Wigan on the 25th of Feb. Poll Results - Who would you sell?
February 12th 2007
Last week we asked you the following question: If you were Glenn Roeder, which TWO players would you release first in the summer transfer window? And this is how you answered (note: - players not shown received zero votes): - Stephen Carr, 24 votes, 25.53% So the winner with just over a quarter of the votes is our irish right-back Stephen Carr who has been incredibly disappointing this season. Perhaps it's a blessing in disguise that he's out injured for a month... No surprise to see our spanish superstar Luque up there (the only surprise is he isn't top!) while both Titus and Babayaro would also be moving on if you had your say. Perhaps a few surprises to see Emre, Duff and N'Zogbia mentioned, although we think some of you voted based on recent performances, hence why Butt and Ramage were included (stinkers against Fulham and Birmingham respectively). Welcome home Craig!
February 10th 2007
Full time from St. James Park: Newcastle 2 (Martins 26, Solano 70) – Liverpool 1 (Bellamy 6) Three pitch inspections, three goals and most importantly three points. On a rain soaked afternoon in Tyneside, Newcastle put the type of battling performance that completely deserted us against Fulham last Saturday to seriously dent Liverpool’s (somewhat remote) title chances. All of this despite being a goal behind after only six minutes when the error-prone Harper fluffed a backpass right to Pennant who easily found Mr Bellamy who couldn’t miss from six yards out. And it could have been a hat-trick for our former number 10 had it not been for some goal line clearances from Bramble and our woodwork. Despite some shady moments, we never looked out the game and the difficult conditions made it tough for both defenses – highlighted by Reina and Agger who combined in spectacular fashion to gift Martins the equalizer, who quite frankly, wor lass could have scored. The second half disaster last Saturday thankfully wasn’t repeated as we kept Liverpool chances to a minimum, although Kuyt should have scored when given the opportunity early on. That was as good as it got for the visitors though and when Riise tripped Taylor with 20 minutes to go, our Peruvian love machine Solano calmly scored from the penalty spot to give us the lead. The Liverpool onslaught for an equalizer never really materialized and we comfortably held on to our lead, special praise going to our back four who after some initial nervy moments, looked solid – Titus, Taylor, ‘Goochy’ and dare we say even Babayaro all playing their parts. Good way to send off the Premiership for a couple of weeks. Prediction Corner - it's getting close!
February 8th 2007
Lads? What is the world coming to when a lass is winning Prediction Corner? That’s exactly what’s happened these last two months with Jess from MA taking the prizes home after some expert predicting! Here are the top five finishers (at end of January) for Predictions Corner: 1. Jess MA 45 The gap at the top has shorted significantly with only 11 points separating the top 10! February Prize As we did in November, we are going to give you mid to lower positioned players (sound familiar toon fans?) a chance to steal the glory as we are wiping the slate clean for February. Although our Prediction Corner table still counts, the winner this month will be determined by the person who collects the most points in February. The winner will receive a season 2006/07 Newcastle United home jersey! To join and enter your predictions for February, please click here. The Return of ‘The King of Bling’
February 8th 2007
Kieron Dyer was quickly earmarked as a prodigious talent at Ipswich Town when Ruud Gullit (Newcastle manager at the time) was persuaded to pay the princely sum of £6.5M for his signature in July 1999. This fee was, and still is, a record transfer fee for Ipswich Town. Playing under Gullit, Dyer would famously score his first Newcastle goal against bitter rivals Sunderland. This was a game that Newcastle lost 2-1 and in a well-documented bust-up with Shearer, Gullit quickly resigned from his job at St James’. However, this was surely the start of something big for Dyer and Newcastle? The accolades and praise for Dyer were to come thick and fast and he was soon drafted into Kevin Keegan’s England squad. Dyer received his first full international cap against Luxembourg in September of 1999 (a game in which Shearer would score a hatrick for England) and all Newcastle supporters rubbed their hands eagerly awaiting goals and the birth of a new star. After the departure of Gullit from Newcastle it was the turn of another ex-Ipswich man and Geordie hero to manage Dyer when Sir Bobby Robson returned to Tyneside to manage his hometown club. There was no doubting Dyer’s enormous ability, but he was often criticized by SBR for his lack of goals. Dyer hit the net only 3 times in his first season at Newcastle and he has never achieved double figures for The Toon. Not exactly the return Newcastle fans were expecting. Controversy was never too far from Dyer and Newcastle fans would soon lose patience when dips in form and repeated injuries won him the wrong sort of headlines on the back pages and his lavish and sometimes unsavoury lifestyle dominated the front pages. Dyer was given the nickname “King of Bling” as the press continued to report on his excessive lifestyle as he famously crashed his Ferrari into the Swing Bridge in Newcastle. He would also often be spotted in on the streets of Newcastle driving one of his many of his luxury cars and his stock price quickly plummeted amongst the Toon faithful. These mass extravagances could easily have been over-looked had Dyer been performing on the pitch, but instead more shame was heaped on Dyer (and Newcastle) when his name was linked with an alleged rape in a London hotel in August 2004. It was widely reported that the departure of SBR from Newcastle was linked to his inability to “effectively manage the dressing room” at St James’ Park. Again Dyer’s name would emerge as one of these problem players and it was also reported that Dyer had “refused to play out-of-position” under Robson. Speeding tickets, allegations of indecent exposure and nightclub incidents were the order of the day and when Dyer received a red card for fighting with Lee Bowyer on the pitch in a game against Aston Villa in April 2005, this seemed to herald the end of his Newcastle career. He was given a three game ban, however, Graeme Souness decided not to place him on the transfer list and the matter was dealt with internally. It was then that Dyer would run into his injury nightmare lasting (off-and-on) almost two years. As the months ticked by the press were to have a field day speculating on the cause of his absence. They suggested everything from Hepatitis to HIV. Dyer was sent away by the club to have ‘specialist treatment’ for his ailments. Since his return from injury last season Dyer has began to show the sizzling form that warranted his transfer fee almost eight years ago. Dyer has been one of the rare highlights in a topsy-turvy season for Newcastle, scoring 5 times in 14 appearances so far this campaign. Yesterday, the “King of Bling” returned to international duty to make his first England appearance since March 2005 against Azerbaijan at St James’ Park. Roeder gets it WRONG
February 4th 2007
Final score from Craven Cottage: Fulham 2 (Helguson 49, McBride 73) - Newcastle 1 (Martins 90) The birds were chirping in Bishops Park and I'd lubricated my system with a few beers prior to Newcastle game in London against Fulham today. (Little did I know I'd wake up with a hell of a hangover at my hotel the following morning). There was definately a spring in the step of the 6,000+ Newcastle supporters (after our 3-1 win over Villa on Wednesday) making there way to Craven Cottage. This was surely the start of a push for a coveted European spot and another 3 points in London? (think again). Newcastle welcomed their newly acquired American loanee, Oguchi Onyewu ('Gooch' to his mates) who was brought in alongside Bramble at centre-half, with Taylor switching to right back and Carr installed at left back. (Huntington moved to the bench). We used the same midfield that started against Villa on Wednesday night (Milner, Butt, Parker and Duff) with Dyer and Martins up front. Solano was perhaps unlucky to be only given a spot on the bench (more on this later). Not the lightning start of Wednesday night - however we did manage to create a few half chances (Dyer and Parker most notably) without really troubling Fulham's keeper. Steven Taylor had our best chance of the 1st half - but the Fulham keeper saved his shot well. Fulham's only real opportunity was caused when Carr chose to head back to Harper, rather than clear the ball....not quite sure what he was thinking about. It wasn't exactly a full-blooded first half performance, but when the teams went in at 0-0 at half time, the Toon fans in the Putney Road stand were reasonly pleased and probably expected to see goals from Newcastle in the 2nd half. However, Newcastle were simply awful in the 2nd half and were second to everything. Parker and Butt were creating very little for our front two and Fulham took the lead when Butt chose a risky back-pass and Helguson gratefully looped the ball over a stranded Harper. Once Fulham were 1-0 up we simply fell apart - despite over 40 minutes left to play we essentially created nothing at all. The 'creative playmakers' (Duff, Parker & Milner) were supplying very little and our play lacked any real fight or passion. Despite this the Newcastle fans were still in good voice and were attempting to raise the atmosphere for the lads. The ineffective Duff was replaced by Sibierski (to huge applause from the Toon faithful) and he at least started to get stuck in. Solano eventually came on with 5 minutes to go, but by this point McBride had scored a second for Fulham after some crap defending by Carr (surely this season is the end of his Newcastle career?). Fulham sub, Papa Diop, brushed Carr aside way too easily and pulled back fro McBride to score. Embarrassing. Roeders tactics have to be called into question for this game. The 11 players he picked were spineless, uninterested and just wanted to get off the field when the final whistle sounded. Solano was the only player to offer any kind of guile and intelligence on the ball today. He played a beautiful through ball for Martins to score with a left footed drive on the run, but we were into 3 minutes of stoppage time at this point......so it was to little, to late. (the story of the season so far) - Why leave out Solano? (Things happen when he's on the pitch) This was a game that was very winnable (Fulham are average at best) but once again there seems to be very little evidence that we are better than a mid-table finish. We can forget Europe on this performance. (I'm off back to Canada) Mark H (at Craven Cottage) |