Aussie Mags Match Report - Aston Villa 1-0 Newcastle United

	Barclays Premiership - Match 38	Share this on:
	Season 2008-2009

	ASTON VILLA	1 v 0	NEWCASTLE UNITED
	Damien Duff og 38


	Date:	Sunday 24th may 2009
	Venue:	Villa Park
	Kick Off:	4:00pm (GMT)
	Australian Live TV:	Foxsports 1
	Attendance:	42,585
	Referee:	Chris Foy (Merseyside)
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	Aston Villa: Friedel, Gardner (Heskey 75), Davies, Cuellar, Shorey, Milner, Petrov (Reo-Coker 84), Barry, Ashley Young, Carew (Sidwell 89), Agbonlahor Subs Not Used: Guzan, Delfouneso, Knight, Albrighton
	Booked: None

	Newcastle: Harper, Coloccini, Steven Taylor, Edgar, Duff, Guthrie, Nolan (Owen 66), Butt, Lovenkrands (Jose Enrique 57), Viduka (Ameobi 75), Martins Subs Not Used: Krul, Smith, Gutierrez, Ryan Taylor
	Sent Off: Edgar (90)
	Booked: Steven Taylor, Edgar


	Post Match Comments: Newcastle manager Alan Shearer said: "I’m raw, angry, frustrated, disappointed and I am hurting – you can put all those words together and that still doesn’t sum it up. “I was reasonably happy with the first half. We created a lot of chances, and I was always thinking if one chance didn’t go in we would live to regret it - and that was the case. “It was a cruel goal to concede. It’s nobody’s fault. “We’ve been relegated, but it has been a huge problem from the first game. I know Manchester United away was a good result, but things have gone from bad to worse. "The simple fact is that over 38 games, Newcastle United have not been good enough and deserve to go down - and it hurts for me to say that. “When things are against you, you get kicked. Sometimes people say in this game you make your own luck. “When things are going well you get the breaks. When it’s not going well, it goes against you. We should have scored at least once before then, though. “You can look at a million things. You can look at the goal against Fulham or look at the chances we missed at Villa in the first half. You can pick the bones out of lot of things, but we haven’t scored goals. When you don’t do that, you get punished. "I've said to them in the dressing room that you can make all the excuses you want. I wasn't good enough, Mike Ashley wasn't good enough and Chris Hughton, Joe Kinnear and Kevin Keegan before that weren't good enough. But it's what is in the dressing room that has got us relegated. It has been a problem all season. "A million questions need to be answered. Whoever comes in there needs to be an overhaul. Players will have to go out and the sooner it can happen, the better. “I think a lot of people will try to make a comparison (to the situation at Leeds). It depends on where people want the football club to go. “The reality is that we will be starting next season in the Championship. The expectation will be huge, but there’s a lot of work needed between now and then to get the club ready for that. “There are huge problems at the club – I think that’s clear for everyone to see. Relegation isn’t about today – it’s about what’s gone on this season, last season and the season before. It’s a culmination of everything. In the end, the three worst teams go down and, unfortunately, Newcastle are one of them. "I’ll sit down with the owner and the chairman this week and give my opinions. Big decisions need to be made – players need to go, and players need to come in. “What needs to change? A hell of a lot needs to change. there’s a million things you can look at this season, last season, and going back a long way that haven’t been right. “I’m not blaming anyone – it’s happened – but what’s important now is that the football club gets back on track. I know you won’t believe me, but I honestly haven’t had time to sit down and think about what my future will be. I haven’t thought about what would be the right thing for the club. “But I’m hurting. I take my share of responsibility for what’s happened, and feel sorry that I’ve let those wonderful supporters down. I have a tremendous relationship with the supporters, for whatever reason, and I’ve worked very, very hard to try to rectify the situation. “It hasn’t worked for a variety of reasons, and I regret that. I’m raw inside, as are a lot of people involved in the club. but the simple fact of the matter is that big mistakes have been made and we’re paying the price for that now.” Villa boss Martin O'Neill said: "I know the story today is not about us and I am sorry and have sympathy for Alan Shearer and Newcastle. The Premier League will be poorer without Newcastle in it. It is disappointing that they have been relegated. “I think there will be general disappointment that Newcastle have gone down. I know Alan came in at a very difficult time. “I think it was the right thing for them to do, whether he had the experience or not. “I think it will be great if he stays as manager. It will be good for Newcastle and for the game. I am sure Alan will reflect on things but I think he can be anything he wants to be. In time he can be a really class manager. I think he’ll obviously reflect on it. I think he’s a lot like Roy Keane, he can be anything he wants to be. “I thought the game itself they started very brightly. They took the game to us and had a couple of chances. They didn’t go in and obviously there’s a disappointment but I thought we became stronger and eventually we deserved to win the game.”

	BBC Sport Player Rater man of the match: Aston Villa's Gareth Barry 7.09 (on 90 minutes)


	Match Report:
	Relegation! Our worst fears came true at Villa Park on Sunday as a 0-1 defeat to Aston Villa relegated Newcastle United to the Championship for the first time in 16 years. A cruel deflection off Damien Duff in the first half was enough to beat the Toon as the team dropped out of the Premier League with a whimper. In the opening 20 minutes the players looked up for it, numerous chances were created but again they were squandered with alarming inaccuracy. The repeat offender of recent times was again at it, as Obafemi Martins failed to hit the target with a glorious opportunity. The look on his manager’s face told the story. For a brief 14 minute period Newcastle were outside the relegation zone, a Manchester United goal at Hull was celebrated by the travelling fans, but any hope of survival was quickly given an reality check with Duff's inadvertent own goal. The second half that followed summed up just how bad and spiritless this Newcastle United team has become. A disinterested Aston Villa side that had one eye on their end of season party out played the team who were allegedly fighting for their Premier League survival. In truth Newcastle did not go down because of a shocking last 45 minutes at Villa Park, they have gone down because they have been consistently awful for 38 games. Four managers in one season, with a group of players who have serially underachieved, is a receipt for disaster in anybody’s books. The blame game will no doubt start, and fingers can be pointed at many people this season. Mike Ashley will rightly top the list because he is ultimately responsible for the football club. His appointment Dennis Wise and subsequent allowance of him to control transfer activity on a cost cutting restricted budget, just one of his major failings. Kevin Keegan should also get a mention, we will all wonder what position the team might have finished at if he had stayed and rallied the troops in true inspirational Keegan style. However, his principles were compromised and we never got to find out. The club did however slowly start its fall from grace in some part when we failed to beat Partizan Belgrade in the Champions League Qualifier penalty shoot-out back in 2003. The subsequent lose of Champions League’s money halted the necessary squad improvements which resulted in a 5^th place league finish that season. With no planning and no suitable successor groomed, the ill-timed sacking of Sir Bobby Robson at the start of the next season started a series of major off field blunders that has continued and haunted the club for the next 5 years. To be relegated is awful feeling, a feeling I didn’t want to experience again, even several days later perhaps it hasn’t really sunk in. The relative shelter from the Tyneside goldfish bowl, that is Australia, at this moment time has it benefits. My grieving process is current very private, nobody at my work is concerned (or perhaps even knows!), leaving only the long-suffering wife to pick up the pieces. However, football moves on very quickly, and in just over 4 weeks pre-season training will start meaning all our hopes and expectations will again surface. The opponents may not be as glamorous, the live TV cameras won’t always be there, the players will not be of the excepted calibre, but the fans will be the same and the passion will be just as strong. When we see a Black & White player score a goal, the rush of excitement will still be as great. We may be down for now, but we will be back one day, the light of this great football club will never go out while we are around. Keep the faith. Thanks to everyone for reading and taking part in Aussie Mags this season. Your feedback and contributions make it all worthwhile.
	AUSSIE MAGS By Row 'S' Army