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- Michael Owen (knee), as we know, is out till next year
with the injury he picked up at the World Cup.
- Shay Given (abdomen)
is unlikely to fit until 28th October.
- Nobby Solano (hamstring) will miss this game but has a chance to be
fit for Sunday.
- Olivier Bernard (fitness) still isn’t 100% match fit.
- Kieron Dyer (hamstring) is back in training but will need some
reserves team games before he will be 100% match fit.
- Damien Duff (dead leg) hopefully should be fit but will have a fitness
test.
- Shola Ameobi (ankle/hip) has had a scan on his ankle, which has shown
nothing, so if his hip is ok he should be able to start.
- Giuseppe Rossi is ineligible.
- Celestine Babayaro and Titus Bramble are only suspended for domestic
games. |
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Let’s take a quick look back at the events of the last
week.
In his first Premiership game for 18 months our stand in goalkeeper
slips and concedes a goal from 60 yards, our left back slaps a player in
the face and gets suspended for 3 games, our £5m summer signing misses
his first game through injury, our top goalscorer scores and then limps
off injured, our £4.5m defender has yet another mare which this time
includes getting sent off and we are forced to sack our assistant
manager after only 2 months at the football club.
So then, just an average week at Newcastle United wouldn't you say?
After all that most football clubs would be in crisis but this is our
football club and we are sadly used to these types of goings on.
With ManUre away looming large on Sunday, this game brings us some
potential light relief from the weekly Premiership pressures. Don’t get
me wrong though, anything other than progress through to the UEFA Cup
Group Stage would force us into a crisis and one we can certainly ill
afford. Quiet simply this is a must win game, end of story.
My ideal scenario would be a couple of goals for Martins, a clean sheet
and the ability for Glenn Roeder to sub a few players in the second half
in readiness for Sunday.
However, this is Newcastle United so except the unexpected.
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