| News - November 2006 |
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The lucky lads
November 30th 2006
Final score from Commerzbank Arena in Frankfurt: Eintracht Frankfurt 0 – 0 Newcastle United Newcastle United earned the point they needed to secure top spot in UEFA Group H after a resilient draw against German side Eintracht Frankfurt. Following a home defeat to Palermo and a draw at Celta Vigo, Frankfurt were desperate for a victory and that was demonstrated in much of their early play as they worked both wings well crossing a few times for their attackers who couldn’t oblige with a finish. At half time, United only had an Emre free-kick to show for their attacking efforts and things didn’t change much in the second half when the home side continued to poor forward and had it not been for some shocking finishing (mainly from Amanatidis and Takahara) Frankfurt could have taken three points with ease as United failed to get out of their half. Incredibly United could have snatched a win but Emre was denied a one-on-one opportunity by the Frankfurt goalkeeper and then from the follow-up Martins shot over the bar when N’Zogbia would have had a clear shot on goal. So another clean sheet away in Europe with praise going to Taylor who was outstanding tonight but question marks again this season over N’Zogbia who seems to have lost his way somewhat with another below-key performance. Despite all the talk before the game of blooding some youngsters - none of them played tonight. Had United lost tonight we would have still secured top spot as Fenerbahce lost 1-0 away to Celta Vigo. That result means that with still a round of games to go, any of the other four teams in this group can still qualify. Poll Results - Is Oba the "one"?
November 30th 2006
The question we posed to our members was: "Is Obafemi Martins the answer to Newcastle's striker problems and will he made the grade in the number 9 shirt? And you said: 
So over half of you still need to be convinced of the players abilities before passing judgment and although Martins has had a slow start to the campaign, his recent performances against Arsenal and Portsmouth show that his pace will be a major issue for opposition defenders. He just needs to start showing a bit more composure in front of goal. Black, white and (Wes) Brown?
November 29th 2006
Newcastle United may make a January move for England and Manchester United defender Wes Brown as Roeder looks for defensive recruitments during the next transfer window. Brown is currently out of favor at Old Trafford following the purchase of Evra, Vidic and the return of Heinz from injury. A versatile player, Brown can play both in the center of defense and at right-back and has made 10 appearances for England – the last in the comprehensive 5-0 thrashing of Andorra in September. Although he has made almost 150 appearances for Manchester United, Brown has had some major injuries in his time – so he should feel at home at Newcastle. Newcastle do face competition though should Manchester United sell him, with several sources mentioning that Brown could be part of the Owen Hargreaves deal which is largely expected to conclude in January. Meanwhile paper-talk has started (again) regarding Jemain Defoe’s future at Spurs. Despite some decent performances this season, Defoe is constantly overlooked by Spurs manager Martin Jol who prefers a mix of Mido, Keane and Berbatov in attack. Glenn Roeder has worked for several years with Defoe following their time at West Ham and has spoken in the past about his desire for them to work together again. However, Defoe certainly doesn’t add the height that we so desperately need in attack and has a very similar playing style to Martins and Owen as whether we need a third attacker like that is debatable. Sam the Man
November 28th 2006
Big congratulations again to Sam Young of Birmingham, UK who won the opening two months of our Prediction Corner game. Sam pictured here with September's prize - a copy of Alan Shearer's testimonal leads the table for November but is slightly off the pace for collecting November's prize which is being rewarded to the player with the most points collected in the month. Don't forget to enter your predictions . And then there was 11...
November 27th 2006
Victory against Portsmouth came at a price with United losing another three players to injury – and it was almost four, although Dyer continued to play on despite receiving a nasty gash to his leg following a collision with the advertising boards. James Milner and Scott Parker went off in the first half with rib injuries and Charlie N’Zogbia received a gash to his leg late on in the game which means Newcastle now have 11 players sidelined through injury – the majority of which could be considered “first teamers:” Not a bad looking team on paper. So what is it with us? Do we have a curse? Is it bad physiotherapy? Either way you look at it, we need to get the walking wounded fit as Christmas is approaching and the games will come thick and fast – starting this Thursday with a game away to Frankfurt. FCUK*
November 26th 2006
Final score from St. James Park: Newcastle United 1 (sibierski 69) - Portsmouth 0 Today marked the first home win for the Toon (and hopefully a morale boost) – the first win at home since the opening day of the season. United began the match vigorously and had David James scrambling on a number of occasions. In fact, Newcastle should have taken the lead when the newly fit Kieron Dyer played a stunning through ball to Martins who then lobed it over James, only to be wrongly called offside. Unlucky to be even at the half, the loss of Parker and Milner through injury (the same injury by the looks) proved to lessen United resolve in the first 10 min or so of the second half. This proved to only strengthen Portsmouth’s desire for a goal, but they never really gave Given to much trouble. Fortunately, United rallied back and a combination of pace in the midfield from Dyer, N’zogbia, and Martins caused the visitors problems. The 69th minute saw United finally finding the back of the net when a speedy run from Martins found N’Zogbia* on the wing, who crossed to Sibierski* who tapped the ball in, sending 50 thousand fans into a roar, new scarves waving. (*hence the French connection headline). In fairness United should have scored at LEAST another, both Emre and Dyer were denied by excellent saves from David James and Martins was guilty of missing some good chances. However, in the end even 7 minutes of injury time didn’t help Portsmouth who certainly didn’t look like a top 4 side. So no advance in league position, but these three points are a huge boost for our poor domestic form and hopefully this will spark a revival before Christmas. This victory did come at a cost however with Parker, Milner and N’Zogbia all limping off at some point in the game. No more Bridge's on the Tyne
November 24th 2006
Long-term target Wayne Bridge has signed a new four year contract with Chelsea it was announced today. We were "close" to signing the England left-back during the summer although we are led to believe that poor managerial decisions and a lack of time meant that Chelsea signed Ashley Cole but we were unable to push the Bridge transfer through (so we ended up with Bernard who hasn't played all season). Left-back is one of a number of positions that Roeder will be looking to fill in January following Bernard's lack of fitness and Babayaro's unwillingness to play for his employers. Peter Ramage has been filling in at left-back recently. Celta Frozen Out
November 23rd 2006
Final score from St. James Park: Newcastle United 2 (Sibierski 36, Taylor 85) - Celta Vigo 1 (Canobbio 13) Newcastle United booked their passage into the next round of the UEFA cup with a victory over Celta Vigo on a chilly Thursday evening at St. James Park. In a thoroughly drab encounter, Steven Taylor’s first goal for United separated the two sides. In addition to the injuries Newcastle had, Roeder rested a number of first-teamer’s in preparation for Sunday, but it was the home side who started off brightly and Luque should have at least hit the target when presented with a chance in the first minute. It was Celta though who took the lead when the ball broke to the edge of the box and despite Emre having an opportunity to clear the danger, he was dispossessed and Fabian Canobbio curled the ball around Shay Given. United didn’t look in any danger of falling further behind but the disconnection between attack and midfield was evident and we were creating little chances, especially with Luque having random chances from 40 yards out. That changed though as the ever-running Milner crossed for Sibierski to head home from just a couple of yards out to tie things up. The second half was borderline awful with both sides seemingly happy with a point until Steven Taylor popped up to head home from a corner with just five minutes left. So United continued their 100% record in group H and will top the group if they collect at least a point away to Frankfurt next Thursday. Even a defeat could see United remain top – depending on Fenerbahce’s next two results and goal difference. Shola knifed in Colorado
November 22nd 2006
Shola Ameobi has had surgery on his long-standing hip injury and is expected to miss the remainder of the 2006/07 season. Ameobi, has had the injury for over a year but it has deteriorated in the last couple of months, limiting his mobility (some would say that’s just his style!), although he did make a surprise appearance against Man City a couple of weeks ago. Ameobi went to the famous Dr Richard Steadman’s clinic in Colorado and was operated upon by Marc Philippon, a leading specialist in hip surgery. Initial reports are that the surgery went well. Also facing a long time on the sidelines is Australian defender Craig Moore. Moore limped off against Arsenal on Saturday after tearing his hamstring - the same hamstring which ruled him out for 7 months when initially joining Newcastle. Moore is in his final season at Newcastle. Damien Duff meanwhile will be in London tomorrow to see if he needs knee surgery on damaged cartilage – again an injury picked up against Arsenal. Shearer snapped in FL
November 22nd 2006
ToonArmyUSA member Robin Jobson was lucky enough to meet our former number 9 last weekend when a promotional campaign took Alan Shearer to Tampa, FL. A little bit about Robin: You can see Robin's pictures here. We are top of the league!
November 21st 2006
Newcastle United aren't leading the way in many departments this season but we do top the table when it comes to injuries. United currently have 8 first team players injured - Moore, Bernard, Pattinson, Krul, Babayaro, Carr, Ameobi and Owen. Four of which have "no return date" as their expected return. These injuries, especially those to our front line, have meant we've struggled to score goals although the problem will be in defense on Thursday as Roeder has only three fit defenders to choose from and therefore may give reserve player Paul Huntington his first taste of action. Blackburn, Charlton and Man City have currently 7 injured players, while Bolton are the lucky ones, they are the only team in the Premiership to have no injuries at the moment. Check out the injury table on Physioroom.com for more information. Taylor Made
November 21st 2006
Incredibly, a lot of the post-match reaction to Saturday’s draw away to Arsenal is focusing on the mistakes we made, with the main ‘culprit’ being Steven Taylor. It was Taylor that gave away the free-kick leading to Thierry Henry’s unstoppable free-kick. Anyone who has been following the Premiership for any period of time will know that our defence has traditionally been the weakest part of our team. Many players have came into our back four to try to stop the rot and while some have succeeded (Woodgate and Albert), others have failed spectacularly (Bramble, Marcelino, Dumas, etc, etc.). It’s fair to say that we haven’t had a solid unit since the Premiership was formed. Despite this history, our current back four are actually pretty tight, giving away only 15 League goals so far this season, the next better record (looking up the table) is Wigan who are 9th. This record has been achieved despite the fact we are playing the likes of Bramble, Carr and Babayaro, who, are not Premiership quality, over the hill and have no willingness to play for us – in that order. Despite all the millions we’ve spent in the past, our back four against Arsenal cost only 5.5 million pounds (and that was all spent on Bramble!). Moore was a free agent and both Ramage and Taylor have come through our youth system. An injury to Carr meant Taylor took up a right-back position on Saturday, a position which isn’t his strongest (he’s a centre back). What’s more, he was up against one of the quickest attacks in the league. That said, his performance against Arsenal was one of confidence and he went into every tackle 100% – something you need when you’re in the relegation zone. Granted, he makes mistakes now and then but he decided to bring Henry down when he realized Henry was through on goal. Personally, I’d rather face a free-kick 20 yards out than a Thierry Henry one-on-one situation. As Liverpool learnt last Sunday, Arsenal players rarely miss those… A message for those fans getting on the lads back for making “silly mistakes”; let us try to take the positives out of Taylor’s performance on Saturday, remember he’s only 20 and that he’s just going to get better. I wouldn’t mind having a Geordie John Terry… Heroes
November 19th 2006
Final score from the Emirates Stadium: Arsenal 1 (Henry 71) – Newcastle United 1 (Dyer 30) Newcastle United put in a heroic performance this afternoon as they held one of the Premiership contenders to a draw in a real gutsy performance. Welcoming back Given, Martins and Dyer to the first team, United started positively and looked confident in both defense and midfield, limiting Arsenal to just a few long-range efforts although Fabregas went close early on, his shot just clearing Shay Given’s crossbar. Despite the good start though, United were offering little in attack, but that changed when Martins flicked a ball on to Dyer, who turned his man and expertly curled the ball around Lehman for his first goal since the FA Cup winner last January against Southampton. United offered little else in attack in the first half but continued to look solid at the back with Bramble and Moore looking confident, especially with the back-up from Parker and Butt in midfield. The second half started with Thierry Henry on the pitch for the gunners but it was Adeyabour who should have scored just two minutes after the start but his point-blank shot was right at Shay Given. Given then reminded us all why he was reinstated to the first team with three wonderful saves, twice denying Henry and once Fabregas – and at this point it looked like it might just be our day. However, Taylor fouled Henry about 20 yards away from goal, and one of the most gifted players in the Premiership scored a cracking free kick that no goal-keeper in the world could have saved. It was then back to the walls for the last 20 minutes but our determination to not let three points turn into zero was evident and with a bit of luck on our side the final whistle blew, and we picked up a rare point away to Arsenal. With the exception of Given, no one was outstanding for us today but the whole team played with a passion and organization that has been severely lacking of late. Without the lackluster Babayaro and Carr in defense, we looked solid (AGAIN) at the back and Butt and Parker threw themselves at everything Arsenal had to offer. The return of Dyer and Martins gave us the speed in attack which caught Arsenal out once and could have on a number of opportunities. If we play like that against Portsmouth, we’ll be celebrating our third win of the season. Big AL in FL
November 16th 2006
Good news for the Geordies living in Tampa, FL this weekend. Our no. 9 (no not Martins) will be making an appearance at the Ed Radice Sports Complex at 4pm EST this Saturday. Yes, Mr. Alan Shearer will be there as part of his involvement with sports manufacturer UMBRO. Shearer has recently returned from visits to Australia and New Zealand (retirement is tough, eh?). He’ll be doing an autograph session beginning at 5:15pm EST so make sure you get yourself down there. It might take your mind off the Arsenal result… For more information, visit the USL Soccer website. Someone has to beat them
November 12th 2006
The draw for the Carling Cup Quarter Final pitted Newcastle against a small team from London called Chelsea. With three teams left in the pool when Newcastle were picked out, and Charlton, Wycombe and Chelsea being the remaining sides, the percentages of a good draw were in our favor. However, it wasn’t to be and we end up with the Premiership Champions. That said, someone has to beat them right? And our record playing them at home isn’t too bad, although we do usually play them as the final game of the season, when they’ve already won the league! Point Taken
November 12th 2006
Final score from the Stadium of Manchester: Manchester City 0 – 0 Newcastle United Many Newcastle followers made Friday night sacrifices to be bright eyed and bushy tailed for this 7:45am EST/4:45am PST kick off yesterday and some people thought they may have still been dreaming when Shola Ameobi came out with the teams to start – despite Roeder mentioning that he was hardly mobile and an operation was imminent. Apart from Shola, no real surprises in the team with Ramage and Taylor both keeping their spots after decent showings against Watford, although this time Ramage was covering for the ever heartless Babayaro who again fancied a day off. The first half in all fairness was poor from both sides. Barton wasted a good opportunity when through on goal and had a long range effort well saved by Harper. At the other end, United were shifting the ball well through midfield but once it got into the final third the attack ran out of steam as Shola and Sibierski failed to work on the same wave lengths. The second half saw the introduction of N’Zogbia and Dyer but it was Manchester City’s substitute Corradi who was causing United problems, Harper denying him on a number of occasions including one outstanding save. The longer the game went on though, the more Newcastle started hitting City on the break, and had it not been for more composure from Dyer towards the end, we could have been walking away with all three points. So not an outstanding performance but a point away from home against a team we don’t have a great record against. Plus, when Man City were piling the pressure on, our defense looked pretty solid, with Harper and Taylor putting in impressive performances and the return of Dyer into attack could prove a timely boost. NUFC: Harper, Carr (Solano 76), Taylor, Moore, Ramage, Milner, Emre, Parker, Duff (N'Zogbia 56), Sibierski, Ameobi (Dyer 56). Subs n/u: Srnicek, Butt. Man City: Weaver, Richards, Distin, Dunne, Thatcher, Trabelsi, Barton, Reyna (Corradi 60), Sinclair, Dickov (Samaras 60), Vassell. Subs n/u: Hart, Ireland, Onuoha. What has four wingers but cannot fly?
November 8th 2006
The return of Antoine Sibierski last night provided something that Newcastle have been severely lacking of late – height. Sibierski won endless balls in the air and did well holding up the ball, allowing others to join in the action. Although his goal-scoring record is impressive (5 starts, 3 goals), he is not a natural scorer and is unlikely to solve our forward problems. That said though, he is excellent in the air (2 of his three goals have been headers) and it just goes to show the impact that someone good in the air could have. In the years that Alan Shearer was crying out for service, what he would have given to have Duff, N’Zogbia, Milner and Solano whipping in balls for him to head home. So far this season we've been delivering the crosses but to absolutely no one... So when Roeder looks for another forward in January – and he has to – he MUST look for someone that’s good in the air and not another Oompa Loompa like Martins and Rossi. (In fact we must have one of the smallest teams out there!). Cup Thriller
November 7th 2006
Final score from Vicarage Road: Watford 2 (Francis 69, Shittu 108) – Newcastle United 2 (Sibierski 3, Parker 117) – United win 5-4 on penalties Newcastle United ended their penalty jinx by knocking out Watford to secure a place in the Quarter Final of the League Cup. The first half could have seen United 3 or 4 up with Sibierski missing a couple of good chances and Rossi missing a great opportunity when one on one with the goalkeeper, but after the weekend the club has had, they were relieved to be 1-0 up at half time from a Sibierski header after a good free-kick from Emre. Watford were poor to say the least in the first half but upped their game in the second, with Ashley Young denied by a brilliant save from Steve Harper. Harper though, couldn’t do anything about Damien Francis crashing home an equalizer from just a yard out after 69 minutes following a Watford set-piece. It was a second set-piece by Watford that gave them the lead when defender Danny Shittu headed home completely unmarked from a free-kick during the second-half of extra time and just when it looked like United were heading out, a quality pass from Solano found Scott Parker in the box and he lifted the ball over the goalkeeper to send the lads to penalties. When James Milner missed his penalty, it looked like the hoodoo wasn’t going to be broken but Young skied his effort and Harper saved Stewart’s penalty in sudden death to put United into the next round. Shola out for season
November 6th 2006
Newcastle’s forward problems went from bad to worse today with the announcement from the club that Shola Ameobi wouldn’t play again this season. Ameobi’s hip injury which has plagued him for years finally needs surgery as the player is barely mobile anymore. It’s debatable why he didn’t have it earlier - certainly in the summer when he had several months off, but perhaps Owen’s world-cup injury was reason enough to delay it. So with Ameobi and Owen out, that leaves us with Rossi (till January), Martins and Sibierski (both currently injured) and Luque (crap). Who's to blame?
November 5th 2006
Much of the debate after the game yesterday was not on the severity of our situation but exactly who is to blame for our predicament. It appears to boil down to three groups: Chairman & Board Management Players Ouch
November 5th 2006
Final score from St. James Park: Newcastle United 0 – 1 Sheffield United (Webber 68) Awful, awful, awful. Not just our performance yesterday but the club as a whole. Absolutely rotten to the core. Whether you blame the chairman, manager or players, there is no denying the club is in trouble. Never in our Premiership history have we got off to such a poor start and the display we put on yesterday against one of the weakest teams in the Premiership was a joke. Less than 48 hours after a morale-boosting, solid display against Palermo, the wheels came off in astonishing style yesterday when Sheffield United, who hadn’t scored away from home, never mind won a game, came away with all three points. In all fairness, Newcastle didn’t deserve to win, or even draw. We simply created no chances despite having a multitude of “creative” players on the pitch and in the end were undone by some poor defending and simple organization. Next up, Watford in the cup and the chance to be humiliated again by a newly promoted team who will no doubt be spurred on after watching yesterday’s performance. NUFC: Harper, Carr, Moore, Bramble, Babayaro, Milner (Luque 66), Parker, Butt (Emre 46), N'Zogbia (Solano 46), Rossi, Duff.Subs n/u: Srnicek, Ramage. Sheff Utd: Kenny, Kozluk, Davis, Jagielka, Geary, Montgomery,Leigertwood, Alan Quinn (Law 90), Gillespie, Hulse,Webber (Kabba 72), Kabba (Kazim-Richards 88).Subs n/u: Bennett, Short. Will the real United please stand UP
November 2nd 2006
Final score from Palermo, Italy: Palermo 0 – Newcastle United 1 (Luque 37) Newcastle United put on a brave performance tonight and moved a step closer to the next stage in the UEFA Cup with an excellent 1-0 victory over Serie-A leaders Palermo. With Roeder and United focusing on getting their domestic form back on track, it was no surprise to see many first team players left out of the squad, including Given, Harper, Babayaro, Carr, Parker, Duff, Martins, Ameobi and Rossi. United did welcome back Emre from injury and he partnered Butt, Solano, N’Zogbia, and Milner in a five man midfield with Luque upfront by himself. The focus though was on young Dutch goalkeeper Tim Krul who was making his first first-team appearance for United. Unsurprisingly Palermo came out the traps flying and it took a last-ditch tackle from Taylor to stop them taking the lead after only a few minutes. That though was as good as it got for Palermo as United grew in confidence and almost took the lead when Milner disposed a defender but saw his shot blocked from just 6 yards out. Milner turned provider though on 37 minutes with an incredible cross that Luque nodded home. The Spanish striker didn’t even have to jump for the ball such was the accuracy of the cross. The second half saw the expected Palermo pressure but United looked pretty solid at the back with Taylor and Butt looking particularly impressive but the praise must go to Tim Krul who made 3 or 4 outstanding saves to keep Palermo from equalizing. United have found a real gem there. The second game in our group finished 1-1 between Celta Vigo and Frankfurt – another great result for United. Harry's Rant
November 2nd 2006
Last season when Roeder was doing so well and steering our club to Europe he had a right-hand man by his side, a certain Alan Shearer. There were calls at the time for Shearer to be installed as full-time manager or at least take a position as part of the backroom staff but neither materialized. Now with the club struggling in the Premiership and not many "big managers" available, how long until Shearer's name is mentioned again? That's the focus of Harry's rant this month. Prediction Corner
November 1st 2006
Congratulations (once again) to Sam Young of Birmingham, UK who scooped the Prediction Corner monthly prize for October (an Alan Shearer testimonial scarf) with a points total of 25. You'll remember that Sam also won an Alan Shearer testimonial program for his expert predictions in September. Here are the top five finishers (at end of October) for Predictions Corner; November Prize We are going to give everyone an opportunity to make up for your previous months poor prediction by wiping the slate clean for November – starting with the Palermo game on Thursday November 2nd. The current Prediction Corner table (on the website) will still count, but we are running a separate table for November with everyone starting the month off with zero points. For our November prize will will be offering the winner a choice of either a ToonArmyUSA t-shirt or two programs (Everton and Levadia at home). We'll be sending out the November table to all members via email - so make sure you check your position for November as game results are registered. Once again – you will still accumulate points on the big table, but the November prize will be for the most points gathered in this month. To join and enter your predictions for November, please click here |