Season 2007-2008

NEWCASTLE UNITED

 v

EVERTON

- Peter Ramage (knee) is out for the rest of the season after getting inured at Middlesbrough.
- Damien Duff (ankle) is expected to be out until November after having surgery on his injured ankle.
- Celestine Babayaro (hamstring) is on the injury list with no return date mentioned.
- Stephen Carr (hamstring) is now back in training but isn’t expected to return.
- Shola Ameobi (groin) has had a scan but no news yet on the results.
- Joey Barton (broken metatarsal) played for the reserves in midweek and is working on his match fitness.
- Jose Enrique, Emre and Abdoulaye Faye had no reactions to playing the full 90 minutes for the reserves in midweek.
- Claudio Cacapa (groin) has been ruled ok to return, after scans showed no damage.

“Claudio has a groin injury but he doesn't need a hernia operation, however, he should be OK for Everton. We gave Claudio a test on Saturday morning (before Man City) and he wasn't ready, that, for me, was a big miss because he brings a huge amount of experience, as we've seen. The last time he played we beat West Ham 3-1 and we didn't see that type of defending from anybody at Man City. I think he'd have taken a grip of them with just Emile Mpenza up front. He would have been able to read the situation much better, but it wasn't to be.

If Michael Owen plays on Sunday, then obviously he is fit for England. But I must make sure if I am going to select him, he is 100% able to do what I want him to do.  We have to bear in mind his previous, and his recent previous has not been too good.”

My thoughts:

Michael Owen returns to the Newcastle squad and has a good chance of playing some part. This caps what is a remarkable recovery, giving we were told he was out for at least 4 weeks or up to 2 or 3 months if he had a hernia operation. The talents of Dr Ulrike Muschaweck in Munich need to be appreciated here, to get Owen back on the training ground just days after surgery is impressive.

We are no one man team however, but it gives Sam Allardyce some food for thought on who plays upfront. Mark Viduka has looked very assured, has 2 goals and has provided the much needed physical presence upfront we've lacked. Obafemi Martins is top goal scorer with 4 goals and despite missing some good chances which has been frustrating, Martins is a constant threat who can score a goal out of nothing. Michael Owen has got 2 goals up till his latest injury, he was starting to look like the Owen of old, which is a genuine world class striker who will get you 20 odd goals a season.

Obviously Allardyce might decide to go with his 4-3-3 formation again and play all three. That is something which might be a good idea for some of our home games when teams look to come and defend.

After losing to Manchester City last week, these next two home games against Everton and then Spurs are vital if we are to stay in the early running for the top 8. We need to maintain our unbeaten home record and keep St James' Park as a fortress, as our inconsistence away form which has haunted the club for years, will be a tough task for Allardyce for break.

Everton is one of our favour teams to play at home. Everton have only won 2 of their 14 games in the Premier League at St James' Park and the last time was back on 21st October 2000, when Kevin Campbell scored the only goal.

The omens are good, I even put another bet on us to win this game, so it's all setup nicely isn't it? Come on boys don't let us all down.