Archive for August, 2010

Wolves 1-1 Newcastle United

Published by Row 'S' Army on August 28th, 2010 - in Season 2010/2011


Season 2010/2011 – Match 3

Date: Saturday 28th August 2010
Kick-off: 3:00pm (BST)
Venue: Molineux
Attendance: 27,745 including a sold out away end of around 1,8000
Referee: Stuart Attwell (Warwickshire)

Teams
Wolves: Marcus Hahnemann, Jelle van Damme (Ronald Zubar, 56), Jody Craddock, Karl Henry, Sylvan Ebanks-Blake, Stephen Ward, David Jones (Adlene Guedioura 72), Christophe Berra, Matt Jarvis, Kevin Doyle (Steven Fletcher 72), Kevin Foley.
Subs: David Edwards, Richard Stearman, Wayne Hennessey, Michael Mancienne
Booked: Kevin Doyle, Jelle Van Damme, Matt Jarvis, Ronald Zubar, Adlene Guedioura, Christophe Berra, Karl Henry

Goals: Sylvan Ebanks-Blake 43

Newcastle: Steve Harper, James Perch, Mike Williamson, Fabricio Coloccini, Jonas Enrique, Wayne Routledge, Alan Smith, Joey Barton, Jonas Gutierrez, Kevin Nolan, Andy Carroll (Shola Ameobi 81)
Subs: Tim Krul, James Tavernier, Tamas Kadar, Haris Vuckic, Peter Lovenkrands, Nile Ranger
Booked: James Perch, Joey Barton, Andy Carroll, Kevin Nolan

Goals: Andy Carroll 62

Manager Chris Hughton spoke afterwards:

“I thought we were the better of the two teams so we’re disappointed not to have capitalised on that. We had the better of the chances over the 90 minutes, we started the game very well but you know when you come here, particularly how Wolves fared last season, it’s going to be a tough game. We probably gave away a few too many free-kicks in that last period which made it much more difficult than we would have liked. I’m a little bit disappointed but a point here is always a good point. He’s a tough boy, Andy, he played through an ankle (injury) that he sustained a few days ago and hasn’t trained for four days. He put himself right up for the game and that’s the type of individual he is and we just had to make sure that he was OK towards the end (by substituting him). Arguably, it wasn’t one of his better games but he has shown that, even in a performance that hasn’t matched his last two performances, he’s always a threat. The delivery for the goal was a top class delivery and at the moment there’s nobody better to have on the end of it than Andy.”





Match Report
It was a fiery encounter at Molineux yesterday with Newcastle United and Wolverhampton Wanderers playing out a 1-1 draw which included eleven bookings, seven for Wolves and four for Newcastle. Referee Stuart Attwell at times struggled to contain the match that was witness to a series of crude and cynical challenges, with Joey Barton especially taking the brunt of the Wolves aggression.

From an Australian fans perspective the first-half was especially disappointing with Foxsports having a ‘Break In Transmission’ on their viewers choice feature which meant both our game and Blackpool v Fulham were not streaming any picture. This left fans scrambling to find a live internet stream or following the progress of the match via BBC/Skysports text commentary updates. A very frustrating experience indeed given the fact that Newcastle apparently started off where they finished against Aston Villa and dominated Wolves for the first 20-30 minutes or so.

When the live picture finally did start streaming (about 10 minutes after Blackpool v Fulham) we were instantly greeted with the sight of Sylvan Ebanks-Blake scoring in the 43rd minute of the game. Great timing thanks Foxsports! 1-0 Wolves at half-time.
Wolves took their momentum into the second period but the second goal also came against the run of play as Andy Carroll powered home a header from a Barton free-kick. Barton’s inswinging centre picked out Carroll, whose powerful header flew past Hahnemann for his fourth goal in the last two games. 1-1.

Things could have been different for Newcastle though when not long into the second-half right-back James Perch appeared to trip Wolves Matt Jarvis in the box but referee Attwell compounded his poor game by waving away the home sides appeals.

Newcastle looked the most likely to snatch a winner late in the game with wingers Jonas Gutierrez, and in-particular Wayne Routledge, finding plenty of space to run at the Wolves defence. Kevin Nolan had a excellent first-time shot from a Routledge cross saved by Hahenmann and substitute Shola Ameobi almost made an instant impact when his lopping header was cleared from under the Wolves crossbar with Nolan ready to bounce.

Beforehand manager Chris Hughton would no doubt have taken a 1-1 draw, but perhaps in a sign of how far we have come already this season, he will be slightly disappointed we didn’t take all three points. Wolves only had one shot on target compared to Newcastle’s five, and given the fact Newcastle had the possession and territorial advantage this just goes to show that the bottom half of the Premier League should not be feared.

With the signing of Hatem Ben Arfa, and maybe Robbie Keane, to come into the team our attacking options and ability could mean the team can push onto the next level.

Andrew McTernan – Row ‘S’ Army

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Match Preview: Wolves v Newcastle United

Published by Row 'S' Army on August 27th, 2010 - in Season 2010/2011

Wolverhampton Wanderers (a)

Date: Sunday 29th August 2010
Venue: Molineux
Kick-Off: 12:00am (AEST), 11:30pm (SA), 10:00pm (WA)
Referee: Stuart Attwell
Australian TV: Live on Foxsports 3 viewers choice (See our Live Pub Guide for possible bars)
Forum: Match Thread

Team News:
Manager Chris Hughton has Steven Taylor, Dan Gosling, Danny Simpson and Leon Best all sidelined through injury, while Sol Campbell is still not fully fit and will look to the Blackpool game next week. Xisco and Danny Guthrie are also both out injured after missing the Carling Cup tie at Accrington Stanley in midweek, while new signing Cheick Tiote now has a work permit but didn’t travel with the squad.

For Wolves new signing Michael Mancienne goes straight into the squad after joining the club from Chelsea for a third loan spell this week. Steven Fletcher and Karl Henry are expected to recover from foot and groin injuries respectively.

Last 5 Form:
Wolves
CC2 – W – 2v1 – Southend (h)
PL – D – 1v1 – Everton (a)
PL – W – 2v1 – Stoke (h)

Newcastle United
CC2 – W – 3v2 – Accrington Stanley (a)
PL – W – 6v0 – Aston Villa (a)
PL – L – 0v3 – Manchester United (a)

Match Stats:
All time – Wolves 38 wins, 21 draws, Newcastle 28 wins

Odds:
Brought to you in association with…

Wolves $2.40, Draw $3.20, Newcastle $3.00

Did You Know?
In 1953 Molineux became one of the first grounds to install floodlights and the first ever floodlit game was held on 30th September 1953 when Wolves beat South Africa 3-1. The addition of floodlight at Molineux meant Wolves were able host a series of midweek friendlies in the 1950s against some of the leading teams from Europe and around the globe. These friendlies were played before UEFA started the European Cup meaning these games were highly prestigious attracting large crowds and were often shown on the TV by the BBC.

Match Preview
Newcastle United go into their third Premier League game of the season away to Wolves buoyed by their sensational 6-0 win over Aston Villa last weekend and progression to the 3rd of the Carling Cup in midweek. Wolves too are in good form and are unbeaten this season following home wins over Stoke City and Southend in the Carling Cup, and an encouraging away draw at Goodison last weekend.

Wolves manager Mick McCarthy will be looking to continue his sides good home form this season after only winning five matches, and scoring only 13 goals, at Molineux last season. McCarthy will be boasted by the return of defender Michael Mancienne from Chelsea, the 22-year-old England U21 international has already played over 40 games for Wolves during two previous loan spells.

Looking to score the goals for the home side are Irish international striker Kevin Doyle and the effervescent Sylvan Ebanks-Blake. Ebanks-Blake opened his account for the season last week with a vital late equaliser away to Everton and the 24-year-old will be looking to add to his 40 goals for the club.

Manager Chris Hughton knows it is vital to curb any raised expectations at the club.

“We had an exceptional result at home to Aston Villa last weekend. We know that type of scoreline is generally reserved for the likes of your Chelsea’s, your Arsenals and your Manchester United’s so we’re very conscious of that. They don’t come around too often but when they do you’ve got to make the most of the feeling that they can create within a football club. At the moment, it’s about keeping everybody’s feet on the ground going into a very, very difficult game at Wolves.”


Hughton is expected to restore the same starting XI that lined up in the first two league games. The focus will again be on Andy Carroll with the Geordie striker hitting national headlines with a stunning performance and hattrick last Saturday. Carroll will require more support in attack then he received at Old Trafford, so the onus will be on Jonas Gutierrez, Wayne Routledge and Kevin Nolan to get into the game more and supply a better quality of service to the big man.

Wolves will be a big test to see where this Newcastle team is at. With Wolves finishing 15th last season these are the teams that will have been identified as teams Newcastle need to match or if possible better. Away form was one of key reasons why Newcastle were relegated in 2009/2010 and Hughton knows he needs to come up with a winning formula and imbed a steely reserve into the team away from St James’ Park.

So can Newcastle United get a positive result at Molineux? I think so.

HOWAY THE LADS!!!

Andrew McTernan – Row ‘S’ Army

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Accrington Stanley 2-3 Newcastle United

Published by Row 'S' Army on August 27th, 2010 - in Season 2010/2011


2nd Round

Date: Thursday 26th August 2010
Kick-off: 7:45pm (BST)
Venue: Crown Stadium
Attendance: 4,098 including 1,350 away fans
Referee: Rob Shoebridge (Derbyshire)

Accrington: Dunbavin, Bateson (Turner 66), Hessey, Edwards, Winnard, Procter, Barnett, Ryan, Putterill, McConville, Parkinson
Subs n/u: Cisak, Richardson, Joyce, Murphy, Boulding, Owens
Booked: Winnard

Goals: Putterill 45, Hessey 90

Newcastle: Krul, R.Taylor, Ferguson, Kadar, Tavernier,  Ranger, Donaldson, Vuckic (Nolan 90), LuaLua, Ameobi, Lovenkrands
Subs n/u: Soderberg, Williamson, Barton, Routledge, Perch, Smith

Goals: Ryan Taylor 36, Ameobi 48, Lovenkrands 67



Match Report:
Newcastle United made it through to the 3rd Round of the Carling Cup with a hard fought 3-2 victory away to Accrington Stanley yesterday.

Chris Hughton took the opportunity to give a start to some of his squad players by naming a completely different line-up to the team that beat Aston Villa 6-0 at the weekend.

Experience in Hughton’s starting XI came in the form of Ryan Taylor at right-back and Peter Lovenkrands upfront alongside captain for the night Shola Ameobi.

Several players impressed with Nile Ranger and Kazenga LuaLua both looking threatening down the right and left flanks, while 19-year-old Shane Ferguson looked very comfortable at left-back, but the stand-out player was goalkeeper Tim Krul. The Dutch U21 international again outlined his pedigree with a string of fines saves in both the first and second half that spared Newcastle’s blushes.

Ironically all the Toon goals came from their three experienced players.

Ryan Taylor opened the scoring on 36 minutes with a screamer of a strike from 30-yards out that swerved into the top right hand corner of the net.

Three minutes into the second half Ameobi restored Newcastle’s lead, after Accrington’s Ray Putterill matched Taylor’s fine strike with one of own on the stroke of half-time, the Geordie striker latched onto a Ranger header to score from close range.

Lovenkrands seemed to finish the tie as a contest on 67 minutes when he forced home a LuaLua cross to make it 3-1, but Stanley didn’t give up and their efforts were rewarded when they pulled one back in injury time. However, Newcastle held on and extra-time wasn’t required.

A special mention to the Stanley fans who were magnificent on the night, their contest singing and chanting for 90 minutes really came through on the TV, and not to forget their Sir Bobby Robson banner (see picture), no Newcastle United fan could not fail to be touched by that gesture. Well done lads football needs more fans like you.

Andrew McTernan – Row ‘S’ Army

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Newcastle United 6-0 Aston Villa

Published by Row 'S' Army on August 23rd, 2010 - in Season 2010/2011


Season 2010/2011 – Match 2

Date: Sunday 22nd August 2010
Kick-off: 1:30pm (BST)
Venue: St James’ Park
Attendance: 43,546
Referee: Martin Atkinson (Yorkshire)

Teams
Newcastle: Steve Harper, James Perch, Mike Williamson, Fabricio Coloccini, Jonas Enrique, Wayne Routledge (Shola Ameobi 77), Alan Smith (Ryan Taylor 76), Joey Barton, Jonas Gutierrez (Xisco 81), Kevin Nolan, Andy Carroll
Subs: Tim Krul, James Tavernier, Haris Vuckic, Peter Lovenkrands
Booked: James Perch, Alan Smith, Joey Barton

Goals: Joey Barton (12), Kevin Nolan (31, 87), Andy Carroll (34, 67, 93)

Aston Villa: Brad Friedel, Luke Young, Stephen Warnock, Richard Dunne, Stewart Downing, Ashley Young, Stephen Ireland, John Carew (Nigel Reo-Coker 65), Marc Albrighton (Emile Heskey 57), Stiliyan Petrov, Ciaran Clark (Habib Beye 89)
Subs: Nathan Delfouneso, Brad Guzan, Eric Lichaj, Barry Bannan
Booked: Reo-Coker

Manager Chris Hughton said:

“That is a wonderful achievement. We are realistic. We won’t get too many days like that. To score six against the likes of Aston Villa, it doesn’t come round too often. We have to get feet on the ground. It will be tough away from home next in the league. But we will spend the rest of today enjoying it. Andy (Carroll) has developed his game, added goals to his game. Whether it is too early for England is for the England staff. There are areas he can improve. How far he can go depends on himself. He is a throwback.”


Man-of-the-match Andy Carroll said:

“I just concentrate on myself I know I can play football and score goals like I did, and that’s what I go out there to do. Obviously, it’s great for people to see what I can do and stuff, but I’m just happy with three points and all the lads playing like they did. It was a great game and a great performance by all the lads, and getting a hat-trick in the first game of the season at home was fantastic. There were no headers in it – they were all left-footed – but really it was all about the quality of the balls that went into the box for me to score the goals. Last season, we didn’t lose here and before the game that’s what we were all talking about. We just went out like we did last season and proved a point to anybody who was doubting us. We’ve got to keep working hard week in, week out. I thought we were pretty unlucky against Man United, and now we’re showing what we can do.”




Match Report
I wasn’t really sure how to start this match report I’ve had to log onto numerous sports websites just to double-check the score was correct. In the good old days of Grandstand on the BBC, where the vidiprinter used to roll up our TV screens with all the latest and full time scores, this match would have been one of those rare results where they would need to print the number of the score to prove it was not a misprint…

FT: Newcastle United 6 (SIX) v 0 Aston Villa

There you go for old time sake 6-0 Grandstand style!

Back to the match report, it was a rampant Newcastle United that put Aston Villa to the sword with a swashbuckling performance lead by new number 9 Andy Carroll. Man-of-the-match Carroll picked up where he left off at Old Trafford last week and lead from the front with a master class in forward play.

However, the match didn’t start great for the Magpie’s with Villa dominating the opening encounters and on 9 minutes a Stiliyan Petrov through ball caught the Newcastle defence napping and the on rushing Ashley Young was recklessly brought down in the box by Steve Harper. Up stepped striker John Carew but the Norwegian international blasted his penalty high over Harper’s crossbar.

Three minutes later and Carew was ruing his miss further. Joey Barton struck a stunning 30-yard strike that flashed past Brad Friedel into the back of the net to spark Newcastle into life.

On 31 minutes Newcastle were 2-0 up and the momentum was swinging the way of the home side. Jonas Gutierrez and Jose Enrique combined well down the left flank, Enrique lofted the ball to the back post where Carroll headed the ball back across the goal to Nolan, who’s header was well save by Friedel but Nolan reacted first and header home the rebound.

And it wasn’t long before the home fans were celebrating again, Villa failed to clear a Barton corner and the ball fell to Carroll who quickly half volleyed the ball home for his first goal of the season. 3-0 half-time.

The second half saw Newcastle really force home their dominance with the Villa players looking resigned to defeat. It was 4-0 on 67 minutes after another assist from defender Williamson who flicked the ball on from a free-kick and again Carroll reacted first to volley the ball beyond Friedel.

Now the Magpies were really motoring, not seen for a very long time they were looking like they might score every time they went forward. Nolan got his second in the 87th minute when he scored from close range following a corner and the fairy tail was complete in injury time when Carroll got his hattrick.

Carroll picked up the ball just over the half way line, played a brilliant cross field ball to substitute Xisco who took the ball forward then played a fine through ball to the on rushing Carroll and the Geordie took one touch before slotting the ball past the advancing Friedel. Unbelievably that was the first hattrick by a Newcastle player at St James’ Park since former number 9 Alan Shearer got one in 1999.

All the plaudits will naturally, and quite rightly, go to Carroll but this was a fine all round team performance. The players seemed to grow in confidence with every goal and their positive play despite the game already being won was extremely encouraging indeed. This 90 minutes showed more commitment and belief than was shown during the entire relegation season. Times have certainly changed on Tyneside and while we will have some poor performances and bad results in the months to come, we finally appear to have a set of players that really does want to play for the manager and the club.

Andrew McTernan – Row ‘S’ Army

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Aussie Mags on The World Football Programme radio show

Published by Row 'S' Army on August 23rd, 2010 - in Season 2010/2011


Last Saturday (21st August) I made my radio debut being interviewed about Newcastle United for Radio Fremantle’s The World Football Programme. The show is hosted by Penny TannerHoath & Jason Washington-King and lasts for 3 hours every Saturday morning.

This weeks show had some rather illustrious guests from the world of Australian football that included Foxsports football commentator Andy Harper, former Socceroo Stan Lazaridis, SBS journalist Vitor Sobral, Aurelio Vidmar the current coach at the SA Institute of Sport, and Perth Glory FC owner Tony Sage.

After seeking some advice on twitter from North East journalists Simon Bird and George Caulkin (thanks lads) I felt I was ready to dip my toe in the world of commercial radio.

To be honest I thought it went well, despite some nerves, I surprised myself with how easy I found it. The highlight for me was giving Andy Carroll a big wrap as our most important player for the season. Who would have thought just over 24 hours later he would have scored a hattrick in a 6-0 win!

Anyway to listen to the interview yourself download it here and then fast forward to 8 minutes and 40 seconds.

Andrew McTernan – Row ‘S’ Army

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Match Preview: Newcastle United v Aston Villa

Published by Row 'S' Army on August 20th, 2010 - in Season 2010/2011

Aston Villa (h)

Date: Sunday 22nd August 2010
Venue: St James’ Park
Kick-Off: 10:30pm (AEST), 10pm (SA), 8:30pm (WA)
Referee: Martin Atkinson (Yorkshire)
Australian TV: Live on Foxsports 3 (See our Live Pub Guide for possible bars)
Forum: Match Thread

Team News:
Manager Chris Hughton expects to have both Danny Guthrie and Peter Lovenkrands available again after the pair missed the first game at Old Trafford. Leon Best (ankle), Danny Simpson (ankle), Dan Gosling (knee), Steven Taylor (shoulder) are all still out injured while Sol Campbell still isn’t match fit.

Aston Villa caretaker manager Kevin MacDonald is without Gabby Agbonlahor (hamstring), Steve Sidwell (achilles), Andreas Weimann (ankle), Carlos Cuellar (hamstring), Fabian Delph (knee) and James Collins (calf).

Last 5 Form:
Newcastle United
PL – L – 0-3 – Manchester United (a)

Aston Villa
ELQ – D – 1-1 – Rapid Vienna
PL – W – 3-0 – West Ham

Match Stats:
All time – Newcastle 64 wins, 31 draws, Villa 54 wins

Odds:
Brought to you in association with…

Newcastle $2.90, Draw $3.25, Aston Villa $2.35

Did You Know?
Newcastle United are unbeaten in their last four games at home to Aston Villa and the last defeat was the match famous for the fisticuffs between Kieron Dyer and Lee Bowyer in 2005.

Match Preview
Following our defeat away to Manchester United next up for Newcastle is a home game this Sunday night against last season’s 6th place side Aston Villa.

Aston Villa started the season is fine form dispatching West Ham 3-0 at Villa Park last week but a Thursday night Europa League qualifier away to Rapid Vienna means caretaker manager Kevin MacDonald will not have had much time to prepare his side’s visit. The Villains did rest Ashley Young, Luke Young, John Carew and captain Stilian Petrov from their trip to Austria and they all will feature in this game along with new signing Stephen Ireland, meaning their starting XI should still be fresh. Last season Aston Villa took 32 points on the road with only Chelsea and Man United having better away records.

Manager Chris Hughton is expected to revert back to a 4-4-2 formation at home moving captain Kevin Nolan back into central midfield and bringing in a extra attacker, which will hopefully be Peter Lovenkrands. That means either Joey Barton or Alan Smith will have to make way for Lovenkrands and I wouldn’t be surprised to see both of them make way for Danny Guthrie to come into the team alongside Nolan.

Despite his miss last week the focus will again will be on 21-year-old striker Andy Carroll, the local lad played with great commitment and energy at Old Trafford, and with some better service and support up front his presence could cause Villa a few problems. Key to this are both wingers, Wayne Routledge and Jonas Gutierez, who need to up their game somewhat. Their delivery, or lack of it, can frustrate the most patient of supporter. However, at home wingers often find themselves with more time on the ball so with the presence of the excellent Lovenkrands we should see a much different attacking Newcastle United.

Defensively Hughton will no doubt stay unchanged as Sol Campbell is not yet 100% fit and Danny Simpson and Steven Taylor are both still injured. James Perch will be hoping for a better second game after looking out of his depth last week, while Fabricio Coloccini and Jonas Enrique will be looked upon to raise their game to levels they reached last season.

Home form looks to be the key to Newcastle’s survival this season. Not losing a single home league game last season, winning 18 our of 23, was most impressive and despite the tough first up start it is imperative we again try to make St James’ Park a fortress regardless of the opposition. Given it will be played in front of a full house the atmosphere should raise the roof on our Premier League return and this will hopefully give us an advantage that could see us beat (or at worst draw) Aston Villa on Sunday.

HOWAY THE LADS!!!

Andrew McTernan – Row ‘S’ Army

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Manchester United 3-0 Newcastle United

Published by Row 'S' Army on August 19th, 2010 - in Season 2010/2011


Season 2010/2011 – Match 1

Date: Monday 16th August 2010
Kick-off: 8pm (BST)
Venue: Old Trafford
Attendance: 75,221 including a sold-out away end of 1,800
Referee: Chris Foy (Merseyside)

Teams
Manchester: Edwin van der Saar, Patrice Evra (Rafael da Silva 87), Dimitar Berbatov, Wayne Rooney (Javier Hernandez 63), Nemanja Vidic, Nani (Ryan Giggs 71), Paul Scholes, John O’Shea, Jonny Evans, Darren Fletcher, Antonio Valencia
Subs:, Chris Smalling, Michael Carrick, Federico Macheda, Tomasz Kuszczak
Booked: Paul Scholes, Darren Fletcher
Goals: Paul Scholes, Darren Fletcher, Ryan Giggs

Newcastle: Steve Harper, James Perch, Mike Williamson, Fabricio Coloccini, Jonas Enrique, Wayne Routledge, Alan Smith, Joey Barton, Jonas Gutierrez (Xisco 80), Kevin Nolan (Shola Ameobi 71), Andy Carroll
Subs: Tim Krul, Ryan Taylor, Haris Vuckic, Nile Ranger, James Tavernier
Booked: James Perch, Joey Barton

Newcastle manager Chris Hughton said:

“We’ve got to look at some areas where we can take credit from this game – I thought big Andy Carroll up front was a real handful – but we didn’t keep possession well enough to threaten them as much as we wanted to.

What we can do, is come here, contain them and have your opportunities. I thought for the first 35 minutes we were able to do that. Unfortunately for us we gave the ball away. The good thing from my point of view is that heads didn’t drop and I thought we fought right to the end and kept going.

Fortunately for us it’s not every week that we come to Old Trafford. We’ll have games where we’ll have a bigger share of the ball and a bigger share of possession. If we had come away from a really heavy defeat, that would have been a much more difficult task.

If there is a lesson to be learned – a very harsh lesson in this division – it’s that the quality of the teams we’re playing against is higher and they’ll punish you if you give the ball away.

I left Spurs in 1989 and Giggs made his debut in 1991 so I just missed out on playing against him. The major thing with both of them is they have always played in a team challenging for honours which helps.”


Man United manager Sir Alex Ferguson said:

“That boy Carroll can leap some. He has got incredible aerial power so you’re always worried about that kind of thing.

Paul (Scholes) proved again that he’s just a master of his trade. His vision, passing range and willingness to play is marvellous. And he’s still got the appetite to play. They’ve retained that, him and Giggs. They are something special. I hope they’re not a dying breed because the game needs players like that. But there are plenty of good players in our country.Sometimes we beat ourselves up about it but there are a lot of good ones. The key is that Paul looks after himself. Last season was his first one without injury for a very long time. That’s the key for Paul. If he stays fit, he can play on.I think Chelsea are the team to beat. We’re focusing on that. I was asked if the six goals at Chelsea put us under pressure. At this time of the season the answer’s no, but we’re pleased we won 3-0. You never know, goals could come into it at the end of the season. Last season Chelsea won a landslide as far as goals were concerned, and we’re conscious of that. We have got goals in our team, there’s no doubt about that.”

Match Report
Sorry for the delay in this report and for the no-show on the match preview but my immune system got the better of me earlier this week.

No real surprises then in the 3-0 win for Manchester United. Newcastle haven’t won at Old Trafford since 1972, given that includes failure to beat a relegated Man United in 1974 and also failure for our best teams of the Kevin Keegan and Sir Bobby Robson era’s, then this current crop of players didn’t really have much hope to be honest.

As expected manager Chris Hughton went with his now usual 4-5-1 formation away from home. Andy Carroll was upfront with support from Kevin Nolan, with Danny Guthrie out with a minor knee injury Alan Smith faced his former club in central midfield alongside Joey Barton, while Wayne Routledge and Jonas Gutierrez provided the outlet on the flanks. In defence James Perch got the nod at right-back and made his debut.

The match started well and from the first corner of the game on 10 minutes Newcastle could have taken the lead. Joey Barton’s corner was met by Andy Carroll but the big striker failed to hit the target from 6 yards out.

We all know Carroll probably should have scored and so does he, however we as fans have to be careful to maintain the balance of criticism and encouragement. The 21-year-old striker should rightly be judged on performances like every other player, however the extra weight of expectation that comes with wearing the number 9 and given his great form last season should surely grant him the right to have plenty of time to settle into life as a starting Premier League striker. Remember Alan Shearer wasn’t the finished article at that age and he certainly wasn’t scoring every half decent either.

After that chance the game took a more familiar look despite decent pressure from the Newcastle defence and midfield as Man United looked like the only team who was going to score. Playing the 4-5-1 meant Newcastle struggled to really get much effective support up to Carroll.

On 32 minutes Dimitar Berbatov opened the scoring for Man United after being played through by Paul Scholes and nine minutes later it was 2-0, this time a Patrice Evra left wing cross took a deflection and found Darren Fletcher who had time to fire past Stephen Harper from close range. 2-0 half time.

The second half was more of the same. The appearance of Shola Ameobi on 71 minutes sparked our best period of play but we failed to get one back and put the home side under any real pressure. So it was game over on 85 minutes when veteran Ryan Giggs was setup by veteran Pau Scholes to make it 3-0.

Kevin Nolan’s lack of pace and the failure of our midfield four to really contribute showed that away from home in the Premier League we are going to struggle to gain many points if we play like that. Joey Barton was poor and again contributed little. While both Wayne Routledge and Jonas Gutierrez got themselves into some decent forward position at times however the fact they were let down by a sloppy final ball, or lack of it, was very frustrating indeed. The basis do need to be improved upon.

At the back it was a nervy debut for James Perch who to be far hasn’t played at this level, or at Old Trafford before, but we can’t afford to be carrying any passengers so lets hope he learns quickly. Mike Williamson for me was probably the most impressive of the quartet, while Fabricio Coloccini and Jonas Enrique were solid enough, they did both have sloppy moments, which for Enrique cost us our third goal.

Anything from the game was always going to be a bonus, as will the away games against the other top teams this season, so our season starts at home to Aston Villa this Sunday night and the home games are where Chris Hughton and his team will rightly be judged. If we are successful at home then we should have enough to stay in this league.

Andrew McTernan – Row ‘S’ Army

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Pre-Season Review – How Are We Travelling?

Published by Row 'S' Army on August 12th, 2010 - in Season 2010/2011

The Charity Shield (or whatever it’s called these days) has been played so that can mean only one thing, pre-season is now over and the season proper is due to start this weekend.

So how has this pre-season been for Newcastle United ‘how are we travelling?’ to coin an Aussie saying.

To be honest I’m really not a fan of pre-season friendlies I find it hard to get excited about a series of meaningless games that have far too many substitutes to be taken seriously. At best they can take you overseas or to a new ground to watch the Toon play, at worst you watch a key player getting injured or the team getting humbled by a lower league team like we did at Leyton Orient a year ago.

Chris Hughton chose five pre-season friendlies this time around as well as a repeat of the 2009 ‘boot camp’ in Ireland. Victories over Carlisle United and Deportivo (if you include the penalties), plus a home draw against PSV on the anniversary of Sir Bobby’s death (RIP great man!) and defeats to Norwich City and Rangers is hardly awe inspiring form but it is not about the results.

What did we learn, well the key points are that Steven Taylor has a dodgy shoulder, Joey Barton really should shut up and let his feet do the talking, Hughton is going to play 4-5-1 away from home, Leon Best does know how to score but also how to get injured in training, and Peter Lovenkrands should slow down because ‘everybody hurts when you speed’, other than that it has been a useful exercise to get everyone up to match fitness.

On the transfer front Hughton has made three purchases so far signing James Perch, Dan Gosling and Sol Campbell.

Perch, without setting the pulse racing, should be a useful addition to the squad given his versatility and ability to play anywhere along the back four. The fact that he captained Nottingham Forest at a young age means he should add leadership to the dressing room.

The arrival of Campbell probably only occurred following the news that Steven Taylor would be out for 3 months after a shoulder injury obtained at Carlisle. Campbell’s experience and leadership will be invaluable to a defence that lacks a wealth of Premier League experience and pedigree.  Whether Campbell can last the full season and how he copes with the pacey strikers that litter the Premier League are the big question marks surrounding him.

The pick-up of Gosling on a free transfer could be a real steal as the talented midfielder will be an ideal replacement for Nicky Butt in that central midfield role. The 20-year-old is currently out injured, and realistically will be for most of 2010, so it’ll probably be next year before we see the real benefit of this signing.

Hughton has a few choices with the make-up of his regularly starting XI, Stephen Harper, Jose Enrique, Fabricio Coloccini, Wayne Routledge, Jonas Gutierrez, Kevin Nolan, and Andy Carroll would seem to pick themselves which means there are about 4 or 5 places up for grabs.

James Perch will get the first chance to cement his claim at the right-back spot with Danny Simpson still recovering from a post season operation which will keep him out until September, while Mike Williamson is set to partner Coloccini given the late arrival of Sol Campbell from honeymoon.

In midfield Joey Barton, Danny Guthrie and Alan Smith will be battling for the remaining centre midfield roles, which will be one spot at home and two spots away with Nolan playing in the advanced role. Upfront the injury to Leon Best in training this week means Peter Lovenkrands in now in pole position to partner Andy Carroll.

Special mentions to youngster James Tavernier, Haris Vuckic and Nile Ranger who proved there worth and didn’t look out of place when playing first-team football. 18-year-old Tavernier especially showed his ability and potential by performing well in two starts and coming off the bench in the other games.

So that is it pre-season is now over and the real stuff starts at Old Trafford at 5am (AEST) next Tuesday morning, watch out for a match preview closer to the kick-off.

Andrew McTernan – Row ‘S’ Army

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Remember when…….Skysports 97/98 TV ad

Published by Row 'S' Army on August 2nd, 2010 - in Season 1997/1998

You may have noticed like me that Foxsports have started their TV campaign advertising their upcoming live and exclusive coverage of the 2010/2011 Hyundai A-League and Barclays Premier League.

This years advert got me thinking about all the football TV ads I’ve seen over the years, especially back in the UK on Skysports. Skysports has a rich tradition of producing high quality adverts at the start of every season dating back to the early 1990s, so I thought I would do some YouTube research to see what I could find.

The advert they used for the inaugural Premier League season back in 1992/93 had the tag line “It’s a whole new ball game” to the Simple Minds song ‘Alive And Kicking’. Since then there has been numerous highlights including the 1995/96 “One Vision” advert, the 1996/97 “It’s about being…” advert, the 2007/08 “Our biggest season yet” advert, last season’s “We know how you feel about it because we feel the same” advert, and the classic for the 2005/06 season called “Your Football Oasis” which saw Oasis performing ‘The Meaning Of Soul’ live at City of Manchester stadium.

All of those adverts are great in their own right but my personal favourite has to be the advert used for the 1997/98 season which saw British actor Sean Bean speak some very passionate words about every fans love for football and their football club.

Skysports 1997/98 TV Advert

The one sentence that sums up how I feel about Newcastle United is “It’s a feeling that can’t be explained but we spend our lives explaining it”, brilliant I love it.

Andrew McTernan – Row ‘S’ Army

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Aussie Mags Kitbag shirt deal

Published by Row 'S' Army on August 2nd, 2010 - in Season 2010/2011

Aussie Mags is pleased to announce that we have signed up an affiliate deal with UK retailer Kitbag.

Kitbag Ltd is one of the United Kingdom’s leading sports retailers and amongst Europe’s largest.

 

They are offering the new Newcastle United home, second or third shirts to Australian customers for AU$66.36* each plus delivery.
Price for standard delivery (7-10 working days) is AU$12.05* and for express delivery (3-5 working days) is AU$20.45*, while those of you Aussie Mags living in the UK can receive free delivery on all orders.

To take advantage of these prices click of any of the Newcastle United kitbag banners which are now located throughout the Aussie Mags website.

Aussie Mags is a non-profit website but we do have running costs to cover every year, so if you are thinking of buying a new NUFC shirt then please consider supporting Aussie Mags.

Thank you all for your support it really is appreciated.

* All prices are correct at time of writing using the exchange rates on xe.com

Andrew McTernan – Row ‘S’ Army

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