| News - September 2006 |
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Titus Bramble - Petition
September 29th 2006
Following a discussion after the Everton game last weekend, we decided enough was enough and we were going to see exactly how many Newcastle United fans don't want Titus Bramble being part of our beloved team. Week after week, season after season, Titus makes basic errors that cost us goals and points. So far this season his poor marking allowed Fulham to score two late goals and Everton grab an equalizer. His lapses in concentration are legendary, not only on the pitch! (he crashed his car into someones house, even though he wasn't drunk!) and his inability to do even the most simple of tasks is comical. We are yet to meet a Newcastle fan who thinks Bramble is worth his place in the team, so we therefore came up with an online petition that we would like you all to sign if you agree with our stance on Titus Shambles. For more information and to sign the petition, please click here.
Captain Marvel
September 29th 2006
After two years and a half years, Newcastle captain Scott Parker has been recalled to the England team, for the games against Macedonia and Croatia. A recall to the England squad has been coming, his performances for Newcastle both this season and last have been outstanding and he rightly deserves to wear the captains armband. Parker is seen as a straight replacement for Owen Hargreaves who is out with a broken leg. Levadia Tallinn - Result
September 28th 2006
Final score from St James Park: Newcastle United 2 (Martins 47, 50) – Levadia Tallinn 1 (Zelinski 65) Newcastle United made heavy weather of poor opposition but came through the UEFA Cup First Round to make it into the group stages. After a slow start, Steven Taylor hit the post from an Emre cross, while the Turkish midfielder also came close with a long range drive in what was an impressive performance. That was as good as it got from Newcastle though as Levadia started to turn the screw and should have taken the lead when Voskoboinikov lost the attention of Taylor but could only head the ball over the bar. Bramble and Taylor were certainly not on the same wave lengths and were often helped out by Ramage who was acting as a third center-half. The second half started exactly how Newcastle wanted though as an Emre corner was headed in by possibly the smallest person on the pitch - Obafemi Martins. Three minutes later and he grabbed his second, this time a fantastic left-footed finish from 20 yards out after a knock-down from Sibierski. A consolation goal and a host of substitutions for both sides couldn’t change the scoreline as the momentum rather dropped. One interesting note was Emre heading straight down the tunnel after an exchange of words with Duff when he was substituted. Not for the first time has our Turkish midfielder gone off in a huff. So a win to takes us into the next round but a display like that against Manchester United will see us leave Old Trafford with nothing. No longer Bonded together
September 26th 2006
Newcastle United has sacked Assistant Manager Kevin Bond with immediate effect following the allegations made in the BBC Panorama programme last week. Bond was placed on leave for “personal terms” before the club flew out to Estonia for the first leg against Levadia Tallinn. Although nothing has been confirmed, Bond was recorded by the BBC admitting he would personally receive payments from certain agencies in exchange for the signing of certain players (see “Panorama – Result” article below for full details). Bond later released a statement stating “I am extremely disappointed that Newcastle United Football Club has chosen to terminate my contract without carrying out any proper investigation into the allegations made against me in the Panorama programme.” In other news, Newcastle are close to signing former Glasgow Rangers goalkeeper Ron Waterreus on a short-term contract as cover for Steve Harper while Shay Given continues to recover from stomach surgery. Our no.19 clown
September 25th 2006
It’s very rare that the return of a player from injury is met by such dread and fear from Newcastle fans but the news on Sunday morning that Titus Bramble was fit again provoked such reactions. After being at fault for the two goals against Fulham, Titus was injured for the games against West Ham and Liverpool, both performances seeing a solid display by our defense, with Ramage partnering Moore at the back. Suspension to Babayaro though meant Ramage was required to play at left-back, allowing the no. 19 clown to return to our back-line. To say his performance was shocking would be the under statement of the year. Poor passes, mistimed lunges, an inability to clear obvious danger and a total lack of marking on set-pieces, produced a performance that would see others quickly demoted to the reserves and sold (Boumsong??). Yet, Newcastle keep playing him. Are we really that desperate at the back? What Steven Taylor must think of the current situation, only god knows. An upcoming England defender in the making has to sit on the bench while a player who will never, ever, ever play for England continues to single-handedly lose the team points. Bramble is now in his 5th season at the club, quite a veteran compared to those surrounding him but to think of another 5 seasons from the no.19 clown sends shivers down the spine. Hopefully Roeder realizes what the other 50,000 Geordies did on Sunday and moves quickly to find a replacement in January. At least his sending off on Sunday spares us another 90 minutes of comedy at Old Trafford. If only it was a straight red… Point made
September 24th 2006
Final score from St. James Park: Newcastle United 1 (Ameobi 14) – Everton 1 (Cahill 41) Newcastle United drew Everton today in an entertaining end-to-end encounter. United "welcome" backed Titus Bramble from injury but Damien Duff was a non-starter, allowing N’Zogbia to play on the left as Newcastle adopted their familiar 4-4-2 formation. United came out of the traps first, with N’Zogbia firing over from 20 yards and then Milner going close after a poor clearance from Carlsey. However, on 14 minutes, Emre swung a free kick in from the left and despite Everton pushing up leaving Martins and Ameobi well off-side, the flag stayed down and Ameobi had all the time in the world to control the ball and slide it past American Tim Howard. Ten minutes later Ameobi came off injured with ankle ligament damage and was replaced by Antonie Sibierski and that sparked a mini-revival by Everton who had a number of opportunities to take the lead before they finally did on 41 minutes when a Arteta cross was headed in at the back post by Tim Cahill, with, once again, Bramble’s marking coming into question. The second half was much like the first, end to end stuff, with both Newcastle and Everton having plenty of chances. N’Zogbia, Martins and Milner all went close for United while Leon Osman had a couple of great chances to win it for Everton – Parker, Sibierski and Andy Johnson also had penalty appeals turned down. With the match finely balanced, a clumsy challenge from Titus Bramble on the edge of the penalty box after 75 minutes saw him pick up a second yellow card and conclude an absolutely miserable game for the center half. Two minutes later though and a tackle from behind by Tony Hibbert on Sibierski saw a red card produced to the Everton right-back and each side was down to 10. Rossi came on to replace Martins and despite peppering the shots on goal, couldn’t find a way past Tim Howard, while Everton almost snatched it at the death but Harper saved Leon Osman’s effort. So a point a piece is probably a fair result but again some kamikaze defending has cost us the three points, with Bramble again the culprit. Newcastle: Harper, Carr, Bramble, Moore, Ramage, Milner, Parker, Emre, N'Zogbia, Martins (Rossi 81), Ameobi (Sibierski 24). Subs n/u: Krul, Butt, Taylor Everton: Howard, Hibbert, Yobo, Lescott, Naysmith (Nuno Valente 45), Osman, Neville, Carsley, Arteta (Beattie 90), Cahill, Johnson. Subs n/u: Wright, Weir, Davies Baba Banned
September 22nd 2006
Left-back Celestine Babayaro has been handed a three-match ban for an off-the-ball altercation with Liverpool striker Dirk Kuyt on Wednesday night. Although the referee didn't see anything at the time, video evidence has been brought to the attention of the FA and a suspension has been given. True to form
September 20th 2006
Final score from Anfield: Liverpool 2 (Kuyt 29, Alonso 79) – Newcastle 0 Newcastle United suffered yet another loss at Anfield tonight, when goals from ex-target Dirk Kuyt and Spanish international Xavier Alonso earned Liverpool a well deserved three points. Liverpool dominated the first half and had it not been for stand-in goal-keeper Steve Harper, could have been two up before Kuyt scored, Harper saving well when Bellamy was through on goal and also stopping a point-blank strike from Alonso. However, just before the half hour, a cross from Steve Finnan was turned in by Kuyt for his first goal for Liverpool. Replays later showed that Moore not only played Finnan onside but also didn’t get anywhere near the person he was supposed to be marking...Kuyt. Newcastle were still in the game though and like at West Ham, played much better in the second half. Ameobi had a penalty claim rejected (which replays later suggested was the right decision) but was unlucky not to be given a penalty when Carragher clearly handled a shot on goal. With United threatening to make the last 10 minutes a nervy one for Liverpool, a 60 yard effort from Alonso appeared to be covered by Steve Harper, only for Harper to slip and see the ball loop over him and into the net. It was harsh on Harper who otherwise had a good game. Rumors in English tabloids mention a verbal arguement between Bellamy and Newcastle staff after the match (no surprises). So not as bad of a performance as the 2-0 defeat last season but it's a defeat nonetheless. Back to the classroom, ready for Sunday. Newcastle: Harper, Carr, Ramage, Moore, Babayaro, Milner (N'Zogbia 68), Parker, Emre, Duff, Martins (Rossi 76), Ameobi (Sibierski 82).Subs n/u: Krul, Butt. Liverpool: Reina, Finnan, Carragher, Agger, Aurelio, Luis Garcia, Alonso, Sissoko, Gerrard (Gonzalez 85), Bellamy, Kuyt (Crouch 82).Subs n/u: Dudek, Hyypia, Warnock. Panorama – Result
September 20th 2006
Yesterday, the BBC screened a special episode of their “Panorama” program, which was intended to undercover some of the shady dealings that take place on a regular basis in English football. While it wasn’t as mind-blowing as the hype suggested, Bolton’s manager Sam Allardyce (for accepting “under the table” payments) and Portsmouth’s Harry Redknapp (for tapping-up players) will both be involved in an investigation from the FA. While Newcastle are more than familiar for taking the limelight for off-the-field events, it’s nice to see our backroom staff don’t have blood on their hands – well almost. First-team coach Kevin Bond was secretly recorded admitting he would consider discussing receiving payments from a new agency in return for the signing of certain players. This however, was while he was with Portsmouth and not Newcastle. Bond was recently given an absence of leave by Newcastle United. Update- Kevin Bond's solicitor has announced that Bond will sue the BBC for libel over the allegations. For more information, click here.
First win on the Roeder
September 18th 2006
Final score from Upton Park: West Ham 0 – 2 Newcastle (Duff 49, Martins 75) Newcastle United won their first away game of the season yesterday with a comfortable win over West Ham. Despite success at Upton Park last season (thanks to a Michael Owen hat-trick), the Hammers have spent heavily during the transfer window, brining in Argentinean stars Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano, and both were looking to shine against a team with two league defeats in a row. Newcastle started brightly though and would have been unlucky to go behind from a Tevez free-kick which hit the bar from 20 yards out. Minutes later, Martins should have shown more composure when through on goal after good work from Ameobi. The only other scare Newcastle had in the first half was when Given was almost caught out from 40 yards by former mag Lee Bowyer, but the ball flew past his right-hand post. At half time the game really could have went either way, but Newcastle came flying out of the traps and 4 minutes after the interval scored when a great run from Obafemi Martins tore the West Ham midfield apart and his ball to the left found Damien Duff who drove it past Carroll from 15 yards out. Cue mass celebrations in the black and white end and a West Ham onslaught surely? Not quite, West Ham looked lifeless and devoid of ideas in attack. It was therefore no surprise when a mix-up between Bowyer and Gabbidon presented Obafemi Martins with a free run on goal which he finished with style. There was still time for a host of West Ham substitutions, a few flare-ups in the crowd (mainly due ex-Hammers boss Glenn Roeder showing his delight for the current score line to the toon supporters) and an injury to Shay Given, which is likely to see him sidelined for 6 weeks. West Ham: Carroll, Mears (Mullins 67), Ferdinand, Gabbidon, Konchesky, Bowyer, Mascherano (Benayoun 67), Reo-Coker, Etherington, Tevez (Harewood 46), Zamora. Subs: Green, Cole. Trip to Newcastle - New Years 2007
September 14th 2006
After the success of previous group trips to St James' Park, we are delighted to announce that firm plans are now being finalized for another trip at the end of this calendar year. Levadia Tallinn - Result
September 14th 2006
Levadia Tallinn 0 –v- 1 Newcastle United (Sibierski 10) Levadia Tallinn: Kotenko, Sisov, Lemsalu, Cepauskas, Kalimullin, Nahk, Dmitrijev, Vassiljev, Dovydenas, Voskoboinikov, Andreev. Subs: Stonys, D. Malov, Regelskis, S. Puri, Marmor, Kink, Purje. Newcastle: Given, Carr, Bramble, Moore, Ramage, Duff, Parker, Emre, N'Zogbia, Sibierski, Martins. Subs: Harper, Luque, Milner, Butt, Huntington, Bernard, Pattison. In an early evening KO in Tallinn (BST 15:55) Newcastle attempted to establish an early advantage before the 2nd leg return at St James’ Park on September 28th. Things started brightly in the 9th minute with a Scott Parker free-kick that was curled into the box for Antoine Sibierski to rise above the home defense and head in his first goal for Newcastle on his debut. Good start with more to follow? Lemsalu steals into the box and ghosts past Bramble only to shoot wide. This turns out to be the best chance of the match for Levadia. So despite the early goal those telltale defensive jitters are returning with Carr and Bramble looking unconvincing at the back for Newcastle. Bramble was soon to be substituted with an injury and is replaced by James Milner who takes up a position on the right side of midfield. Peter Ramage then switches to centre-half alongside Craig Moore, with young Charles N’Zogbia moving into the back four - although Damian Duff appears to then switch to full back. (Strange formation I hear you all say). As half-time draws near, Peter Ramage goes close for Newcastle with a long range effort going inches over. Half-Time 0-1. A bright start to the 2nd half as Sibierski and Martins look to impress going forward, but the final ball is letting Newcastle down. With an hour gone Martins finds space in the box but fires the shot harmlessly wide of the target. Nicky Butt comes on as a 2nd half sub for Charles N’Zogbia in the 71st minute as Glenn Roeder looks to shore things up for Newcastle (Are we playing for a 1-0 win here?...more goals coming hopefully?). The home side start pressing a little more now for that equalizer and Newcastle are doing little to resist. Albert Luque comes on for Antoine Sibierski in the 79th minute. The deliciously named ‘Kink’ shoots from a freekick and the ball is deflected for corner. Milner then heads the resultant corner kick clear. Nicky Butt has an attempt at goal and his effort curls around the post. Martins has another clear sight of goal but his shot is wide of the mark again. The clock ticks down and after 3 minutes of stoppage time the referee blows for full-time. A vital 1-0 away victory. The result is more important than the performance – but surely Newcastle can expect to score more goals in the return leg in a fortnights time? Levadia Tallinn - Preview
September 14th 2006
Newcastle will look to get back on winning ways today when they play runaway Estonian leaders Levadia Tallinn in the UEFA Cup First Round. Solano, Taylor and Ameobi are missing through injury, while Rossi is unavailable to play in Europe so Antoine Sibierski will likely partner Obafemi Martins in attack. Roeder announced yesterday that Milner would play some part, although he wont start the game. From Massachusetts for the Testimonial
September 13th 2006
One of our own got a special mention in the Fulham match day program last Saturday when Matty Faria from Dartmouth, MA got the chance to talk about his favourite match - which was the Shearer testimonial last May. To read the full article, click here. Congratulations Matty and thanks for the mention! On a road to nowhere...
September 13th 2006
Newcastle United have confirmed that reserve goalkeeper Steve Harper has signed a new two-year deal, keeping him at the club until the end of the 2008/9 season. Although widely regarded as one of the best goalkeepers in the league, his chances have been limited due to Shay "Lazarus" Given, who has been in excellent form for the club in the last few seasons. Steve did play in our 1999 FA Cup final defeat against Manchester United (2-0). Meanwhile it has been reported that James Milner will put a transfer request into the club in the next month or so, almost certainly paving a way for a return to Aston Villa in January. Titus Shambles
September 10th 2006
Full time from St. James Park: A game which Newcastle United just appeared to have won suddenly took a dramatic turn for the worse yesterday when two defensive errors turned three points into zero. After an uneventful first half, Newcastle took the lead on 54 minutes when man of the match, Scott Parker headed in an cross from Emre. N'Zogbia had chances to extend the lead but was twice denied by Finnish goalkeeper Niemi. There didn't appear to be much panic about the slender scoreline though as Fulham was struggling to get near our penalty box, nevermind in it. That changed however when a slip by Ramage allowed Routledge to cross the ball in for an unmarked Brian McBride and he didn't miss from less than 6 yards out. Quite why Bramble felt the need to mark Damien Duff instead of the well traveled American is unclear. By this point, our inspirational captain Scott Parker had left the field and Shola looked to be running on empty. Our own American Rossi, looked a little nervous on his debut, replacing the completely ineffective Obafemi Martins. Although on a day when the home crowd would have been disappointed with a draw, things got worse when once again Titus Bramble completely left Brian McBride unmarked in the penalty area following a corner, and although his header crashed off the bar, the third american on the field Carlos Bocanegra tapped it in from two yards to steal all three points. So two defeats in three games wasn't the ideal start to the campaign but United must pick themselves up for the European trip on Thursday. Following that, it's a mustn't lose game against Tevez et al down in London. Fulham Preview
September 8th 2006
Newcastle United will play Fulham in their second home fixture of the season this Saturday. The corresponding fixture last season saw the home-coming of Michael Owen although it was a late Charles N'Zogbia free-kick that salvaged a draw for Newcastle. However, that was a significant improvement on the 4-1 loss two seasons ago. Shola Ameobi and Steven Taylor are the two doubts, with the former most likely to start if he does pass a late fitness test. If he doesn't, then Giuseppe Rossi will likely partner Obafemi Martins in attack. Antoine Sibierski is likely to be on the bench, while other new signing Olivier Bernard is still short of match fitness. Dyer is apparantly 2-3 weeks from full fitness (until he breaks down again) and Owen just completed his surgery in Colorado, which "went well" according to the club. Fulham TV Coverage
September 7th 2006
Confirmation that our game against Fulham is tape delayed on Setanta this Saturday, September 9th at 4pm EST/1pm PST (although the pre-match stuff begins at 3:30pm EST). Don't forget to enter your predictions for the Fulham game in our interactive Prediction Corner game. ToonArmyUSA Merchandise
September 7th 2006
A big thank you to everyone who has ordered our unique ToonArmyUSA merchandise. We have just ordered a brand new batch of shirts, so anyone who wants to display their pride for supporting the toon, visit our Merchandise page. Remember, you can't get these in the club shop! If you have any questions, please shoot an e-mail over to Harry and he'll be more than welcome to help you out. Craig Quits
September 5th 2006
Reserve team manager Tommy Craig has stepped down from his position. Although there was no official word from the club, Craig was absent from Newcastles's 4-3 reserve victory over Benfield Bay last night. Craig, a former Newcastle player, joined during the Kenny Daglish era and steered the reserves to a top 6 finish last season and victory in the Northumberland Cup. New Numbers
September 4th 2006
For anyone desperate to purchase a shirt with Sibierski on the back, you may wish to know the updated squad numbers: 20 - Antoine Sibierski Scraping of the barrel
September 1st 2006
Even the most pessimistic Newcastle fans wouldn't have foreseen the developments of yesterday. With some of the worlds talent signing for mediocre clubs (Tevez to West Ham??), we managed to "capture" the free signings of an over-the-hill midfielder in Antoine Sibierski and a defender who couldn't wait to leave the club in his first stint - Olivier Bernard. That said, let's look at these deadline transfers from a positive and negative point of view: Positive Olivier Bernard - For those of you not familiar with Bernard this will be his second spell at the club after he spent 5 years here (2000 - 2005) before leaving after a pay dispute. While his attitude was perhaps questionable the majority of his performances were very solid, often getting forward with his pace and a good crosser of the ball. With a desperate need for a left-back and the Wayne Bridge deal not going through, this may be a good bit of business by the club and may allow Babayaro to seek help for his long-term injury. Guiseppe Rossi - Young, talented and perhaps one of the next stars of the Premiership. His record on reserve level is amazing (26 goals in 26 games) and he impressed when playing for the Manchester United first team last season. Antoine Sibierski - Ummm....good in the air? James Milner - Thankfully we managed to keep one of our young talents - although quite how it feels to be told you're not wanted, only for the club to change their mind hours late is an interesting debate. Is there a supporter out there who wants to see him leave? Hopefully he'll get the standing ovation he deserves next time he comes on. Negative Olivier Bernard - Not Wayne Bridge. Plus the fact that several other clubs since he left Newcastle didn't want to sign him (Leeds, Sheffield United, Rangers to name but a few) is a worry. His current fitness status is as debatable as his attitude. Guiseppe Rossi - Young, talented and perhaps one of the next stars of the Premiership but in four months time he will head back to Manchester United "a better player" according to old-father time. Antoine Sibierski - Well where to start. Couldn't get his game for Manchester City, is ANOTHER midfielder - and not a particularly a good one at that. Where he fits into the game plan is almost impossible to see, unless we plan on turning him into a forward and why not? He averages a goal every 10 games... |