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We thought that last year the Toon had a poor start to the season. This year's start has been terrible. The bitterest pill has been that we're out of the Champion's League almost before it started. No question Partizan Belgrade came to play and Newcastle were outplayed at St James' Park. But for the second time this year it was penalties that put us out (the Asia Cup being the other). Sir Bobby called the showing "one of those dreadful nights" There was plenty of blame to go around. Should he have been more aggressive in buying some new players before the end of the transfer market? (Remember we were entertaining ideas about Ronaldinho , Kluivert, and Kleberson). Our leaky defence has been very active. Dyer, Jenas, Viana, Bowyer haven't exactly set the Premiership on fire. (Please, lads, stop backheeling the ball!). Is Speed getting too old? There hasn't been much service to Shearer, although he has fought hard for his goals (penalties notwithstanding). With Bellamy injured, his new partner Ameobi hasn't lit up many lights at the Gallowgate end. And now we face NAC Breda from southern Holland in the long drawn-out UEFA Cup. But wait a minute, some people are saying. Give them a chance. It's only the sixth match of the season. Let them gel. Bobby knows what he's doing. Okay, but seems as if the fans have been waiting patiently a long time for the team to gel and get some fire in the belly.

The first Premiership match was at Leeds - a team the pundits thought would not be much opposition. But Leeds had other ideas. They came out with an attitude and had the Toon against the ropes for most of the first half. Newcastle had the usual defensive mistakes, although Bramble played quite well. In the second half, the Toon didn't seem to have any urgency and Leeds had the upper hand 2-1. It was a Shearer poke into the corner of the net that got them the draw. Newcastle were lucky to get one point and Leeds were unlucky not to get three.

The loss of Beckham doesn't seem to have fazed MU, and Scholes is having a good year. The Toon's crucial loss was the absence of Woodgate and Bellamy due to injury. This really showed up in the lack of depth and experience in the Newcastle line-up. A blasting header from Shearer put the Toon one up by halftime, and hopes were high for at least a draw. But Van Nistlerooy pounced on a Speed mistake to score, and Scholes chested one in from a goalmouth scramble to put the game away. Chopra was unlucky to have an open goal blocked by a Ferdinand boot in the closing minutes. But did anybody see Dyer and Bowyer during the game? There were an awful lot of midfield give-aways. At least we had the satisfaction of seeing Ferguson sent to his room for revealing his lower class origins.

By all accounts the Birmingham match was to be the big about-face. Unfortunately no-one had convinced the team of that, and they apparently played as if it were an extension of the Partizan game. This time it wasn't so much the defence, although Speed didn't seem comfortable at left back, it was the midfield. Dyer, Jenas, and Viana were sometimes non-existent. Only Nobby was able to service Shearer properly - and himself just missed the right post. Ameobi seemed to be lost in a cloud of his own. Despite the fact that the Toon had 65% of the possession in the second half, they couldn't penetrate a Blues defence that has yet to concede a goal. Other Premiership teams are learning that all they have to do to bottle up the Newcastle attack is crowd the defence. The boos from the crowd, especially when Nobby was substituted, showed the frustration level.

The lads have two weeks off in which to get themselves sorted out before the Everton match. Let's hope they can turn over a new leaf. But win or lose we'll still be supporting the Toon. Remember that after last season's poor start, by the beginning of December they were fourth in the table.

Harry S
Editor-in-Chief
Harry's Rant