Barclays Premiership - Match 6
 

Season 2008-2009

NEWCASTLE UNITED

1 v 2

BLACKBURN ROVERS

  Michael Owen 51 (pen) Christopher Samba 31
Roque Santa Cruz 41		  
     
  Date: Saturday 27th September 2008
  Venue: St James' Park
  Kick Off: 3:00pm (BST)
  Australian Live TV: Foxsports 2 via viewers choice
  Attendance: 44,935
  Referee: Steve Tanner (Somerset)
   

Newcastle: Given, Bassong, Taylor, Coloccini, Cacapa, Geremi (Ameobi 71), Butt, Duff, N'Zogbia (Edgar 82), Xisco, Owen

Subs Not Used: Harper, Tozer, Doninger, Donaldson, Ranger
  Booked: None
   

Blackburn: Brown, Simpson, Nelsen, Samba, Warnock, Emerton, Olsson, Kerimoglu, Derbyshire (Ooijer 84), Roque Santa Cruz (Roberts 84), Villanueva (Fowler 62)

Subs Not Used: Bunn, Pedersen, Andrews, Treacy
  Booked: Emerton, Warnock, Nelsen, Roberts
     
 

Post Match Comments:

Newcastle interim boss Joe Kinnear:
"We needed to stop feeling sorry for ourselves. We need to get rid of all the issues that are going on - Is the club being sold? Are we bringing back Kevin Keegan? - until it actually happens.

"We need to focus on playing football, it's as simple as that. And they need to play football well. But what has not helped matters, I am told, is that six or seven of the best players are missing.

"On the good side, with the international break coming up we could have four or five of them back."
 Watch in full what Joe Kinnear said

Blackburn manager Paul Ince:
"It was important in the last 48 hours that we shut that out (Newcastle's off-field problems) and concentrated on what Blackburn Rovers is all about rather than feeling sorry for Newcastle.

"Also, it was a case of who got the first goal. As soon as we got the first goal I felt at ease because I knew the crowd would get on their backs.

"It's not the Newcastle players' fault. They are trying, they are trying really, really hard and I feel sorry for them."
Watch in full what Paul Ince said

  
     
  BBC Sport Player Rater man of the match:
Newcastle's Michael Owen 7.86 (on 90 minutes)
 		  
 
The newly formed Newcastle United Supporters Club get their point across.


Reality kicks in for new interim manager Joe Kinnear.
 		  
  Match Report:  
  Despite a Michael Owen penalty in the second half, first-half goals from Christopher Samba and Roque Santa Cruz were enough to condemn Newcastle United to it's fifth consecutive defeat.

A woeful first half, where the Magpies were completely dominated by the visitors, saw poor defending the downfall for Newcastle yet again.

Defender Samba headed in Carlos Villanueva's free-kick from close range to give Blackburn a deserved lead on 31 minutes and Cruz doubled the score when he headed home Brett Emerton's cross 10 minutes later.

The new interim Newcastle boss Joe Kinnear, who only announced less than 24 hours earlier, sat in the Directors Box alongside Derek Llambias, however he did not pick the team but did give the pre-match and half time team talks and appeared in the player's tunnel at one point.

In the 47th minute, Newcastle had a penalty appeal for what appeared to be a Martin Olsson handball turned down but, two minutes later, Nelsen brought down Owen, who had been a peripheral figure in the first half, and the England striker struck his penalty down the centre of goal.

Newcastle were reinvigorated and they should have equalised when Damien Duff followed up his mesmerising run with a menacing cross but Geremi, with the goal at his mercy, let the ball bounce off his knee.

New boss Joe Kinnear has a big task ahead, despite the fact he is only contracted till the end of October at present, he has his hands full with a club and players in total confused turmoil.		  
 

AUSSIE MAGS By Row 'S' Army