Newcastle v Blackburn – FA Cup match preview

The FA Cup.

The FA Cup.
Up for a cup?
Moving away from the fantastic annihilation of Sir Alex Ferguson’s men and we face the other side to beat them inside a week – Blackburn Rovers.

This FA Cup 3rd Round clash has the potential to be a fiery affair as both teams like to get physical, whilst the Toon will be looking to exact revenge for the 4-3 defeat Rovers inflicted upon them in October last year in that emotional rollercoaster of a League Cup 4th Round tie.

Newcastle United:

Goliaths Cheik Tiote and Demba Ba depart for the African Cup of Nations with Ivory Coast and Senegal respectively, whilst the Toon will do without long term absentee’s Steven Taylor (achilles) and Sylvain Marveaux (groin). Danny Guthrie is only a week or so away from a comeback from his own groin injury whilst Hatem Ben Arfa and Dan Gosling are both pushing for starts.

Blackburn Rovers:

Goalkeeper Paul Robinson (calf) is close to a comeback, but the Magpies test is likely to come too soon. Martin Olsson and David Hoilett (both hamstring) are nearing full fitness but again manager Steve Kean will be reluctant to risk aggravating their injuries ahead of the Premier League tie against Fulham next week. Ryan Nelsen (knee), Vincenzo Grella (hip) and Scott Dann (groin) are all ruled out. Now that is an injury crisis!

Shamrock’s Top 10 Really Interesting Stats and Facts:

1 – This is the 11th FA Cup clash between the two sides, with Newcastle having won five and drawn three. Rovers have never won a Cup tie at St James’ Park whilst they will have to go back to 1993 to find the last time they knocked us out of the Competition. We have beaten them three times since, however it took replays on two of those occasions.

2 – The last FA Cup tie between these sides came in January 2000 at Ewood Park. Alan Shearer was given a hostile reception by the home fans and was boo’d throughout. That put the fire in his belly and he put Rovers to the sword with two successful strikes, including his 250th Career goal.

3 – Newcastle are strong favourites for this one, with bookies’ odds of 8/13 meaning a flutter on the home side is almost pointless. Blackburn are 4-1, whilst a draw will fetch 3-1. Bearing in mind two of the last three FA Cup matches between these sides initially ended in draws, this could could be a good punt.

4 – Newcastle and Blackburn have each won the FA Cup six times. Rovers last lifting the famous trophy in 1928 with a 3-1 win over Huddersfield Town, whilst our last success came in 1955 with a 3-1 victory over Manchester City.

5 – Rovers’ Jason Roberts has scored four goals in his last four starts against the Magpies.

6 – Yakubu is one to watch, with 13 goals in 18 games so far this season.

7 – Newcastle’s squad is currently valued at £93m compared to Blackburn’s £69.5m.

8 – The Toon will be looking for their 170th FA Cup victory against Rovers.

9 – In ten appearances against us, Morten Gamst Pedersen has scored four goals and set up two.

10 – If each FA Cup game were scored on a points system, then the all time league table would have Blackburn in 8th place with 645 points. Newcastle would be 10th with 592 points.

Tactical thoughts and ponderings:

Right then, this week will be a short one. Why? I don’t have the foggiest about what sort of team Blackburn are likely to field, or what formation they will set out with. They have gone from 4-4-2’s incorporating Goodwillie and Yakubu up front to 4-5-1’s with the Yak on his own up front, two advanced wingers and three central midfielders sitting rather deep this season. Being away from home I would guess Steve Kean will pursue the latter option in an effort to limit our chances and keep the Toon fans quiet.

The problem is Blackburn have injuries to several key players and some of those that may make a comeback against Newcastle will certainly not be fully match fit. This leaves under pressure Rovers boss Steve Kean with a big problem. I don’t think he will welcome this fixture, particularly on the back of our confident performance and 3-0 win against Man Utd, which will no doubt have left him gutted that we are picking up form again.

Blackburn obviously managed to beat Man Utd on New Years Eve with a well earned 3-2 victory at Old Trafford, however looking at the stats it was certainly not a confident performance from Rovers. They had 5 shots on target to Man Utd’s 13, 3 corners to Man Utd’s 17 and only 42% of the possession. Frankly Man Utd ‘hammered’ them, but failed to take their chances and were off colour in defence. It was just a bad day in the office as opposed to Blackburn being excellent.

Rovers went on to lose at home to Stoke City when Kean will have been telling them they can beat anybody if they can beat the Red Devils. That was their chance to build up a head of steam and give themselves some confidence. It will have hurt them and heads will have dropped for sure. Kean now has to decide whether to go for it and try and build up some confidence amongst his playing staff in a competition that will no doubt hurt his squad the longer they stay in it, or play the younger lads and those sat on the fringes in an effort to give them some experience and maybe dig up a new gem.

If I were Kean, there would be little doubt that this game would see some of the big names getting a rest in preparation for the next league match. The last thing he needs is more injuries or fatigued players if he is to have any chance of avoiding relegation this term. That gives Alan Pardew the ideal opportunity to tinker about with his team a little and find his best line up in the absensc of prolific leading scorer Demba Ba and midfield machine Cheick Tiote.

With Hatem Ben Arfa beginning to grumble in the press about being overlooked since his return to fitness, Pards needs to decide if changing from a strong 4-4-2 formation to something more suited to our little Frenchman is in the best interests of the club. Benny slated Pardew’s tactics recently (Only mildly I might add, out of frustration). I’m sure he feels suitable sheepish following the Man U game! I think he will change things around and we will see Benny start, with accompanying tactics to suit.

However, if Benny boy fails to deliver a good enough all round performance I can see him being hooked off and dropped back to the bench for the QPR game. There is no doubt he has the talent to be a menace against any opposition, but he does not seem to have the stamina to keep those standards up throughout the course of a game and that talent can quickly make way to be a bit of a liability (i.e no link between midfield and up front, trying too hard with dribbles etc instead of making the pass).

If Pards can find the right balance in the team to accommodate Ben Arfa and maintain our all round effectiveness then hallelujah! However, as things stand I’m not convinced Ben Arfa and our tactics/style of play are a good match.

Not much tactics here I know, but Newcastle don’t need to do anything drastic against Blackburn. Keep the back five the same for stability, tinker around a bit in midfield but revert to type (4-4-2) should we struggle to break through. This game should really be a bit of a formality and I for one expect a strong line up and win to go with it.

After all, Pardew did say he wants us to put a good Cup run together this season and Blackburn ended our previous chance of that, so he will have extra incentive for this one! Blackburn’s dangers to be aware of are Yakubu, Pedersen, Jason Roberts and set pieces. Give Shola another start for his height and influence (when he’s in the mood), be organised for free kicks and corners, don’t let them bully us and we will be fine.

Referee:

40-year-old Leicestershire born Kevin Friend will take the helm for this one. He joined the Select Group of Referees in our Championship season. Blackburn have won three of their five games officiated by Friend, whilst Newcastle have won each of their fou matches under him with a goal difference of 10-2! More of the same please Ref….

Newcastle United V Blackburn Rovers

Saturday 7th January 2012 @ 15:00

St James’ Park

Howay the lads!

About Shamrock

Like everyone here, support Newcastle United. Not the easiest side to feel good about at times, but it's our side!

103 thoughts on “Newcastle v Blackburn – FA Cup match preview

  1. Just bought my tickets. £20 adult and £5 child for the East stand.

    Excellent value.

    To be fair to the regime, they are starting to get the pricing policy correct.

    The fact that the league games were attracting only 44K until they offered cut price season ticket deals and lowering the prices for cup games particulary for kids is good business sense.

    Some clubs seem to have half full stadia and don’t lower their prices to the point where it’s affordable.

    Well done the regime . 😯

      (Quote)

  2. Troy – ya right there but that’s probably why Pardew only has £8m for transfers… Lol

    And it would be dreamland to win the cup but I’d settle for a trip to Wembley for now TBH, but Blackburn won’t be easy without Ba and Tiote

      (Quote)

  3. Cracking pre-match article good read. Am there 2moro and after the man u win think there might be a bigger crowd than sum people think. HWTL !!

      (Quote)

  4. Nice one Shamrock, quality preview as ever.

    Well, I used to chuck a tenner on us to win the FA Cup each year, but I gave up about 3 years ago. I think I’m gona have a sniff again this season.

    Newcastle United are an absolutely LUDICROUS 33/1 to lift the trophy this season, with an each way option of half odds to reach the final. the bookies rate Everton and Villa more likely to win it than us.

    Ten pund e/w @33/1 for me, what the hell, it’s about time we won something!

    HTL! 😎

      (Quote)

  5. Troy – your honesty is a credit to you sah. And may I just add my own…. 🙄

    Agree with Shamrock’s assessment: a very different opposition will demand a very different attack, and I think we’ll see more of the quick passing, carpet footie Barfa likes.

    Something like:

    —————-Timmmehhh
    Simmo – Colo – Willo – Santo 😎
    Sammy – Cabaye – Gosling – Jonas
    ————–Barfa
    ——————-Shola

      (Quote)

  6. @rich/batty

    You can’t argue with some things the regime have done. They’ve certainly sorted the finances out.

    If I wasnt so confident about Tiote leaving this window, I would say they are heading in the right direction. BUT, because I know he’s gone then it’s a case of never progressing OR if they sell him for a great price, that money must all be used to improve the team.

    That’s where I feel they have the wrong policy. Every player has their price but that money, like the Carroll money should be ploughed back into the first team squad.
    Other revenue streams can be used for the other financial commitments.

    Do yous disagree?

      (Quote)

  7. Spuds want Ba
    LukeEdwardsTele Luke Edwards
    @
    @MsiDouglas ah wheeler dealer Harry publicly talks about release clauses in the contract of player at another club in hope of unsettling him
    7 minutes ago

    MsiDouglas Mark Douglas
    Redknapp sniffing around Demba Ba. ‘We’re interested,’ he says. Talks of a release clause too… #nufc
    12 minutes ago

    Speaking at this morning’s press conference, the Spurs boss responded to the latest transfer rumours.

    And Redknapp concedes that Ba, who has scored 15 goals for the Magpies so far this season, will have plenty of suitors in this months window.

    “Demba Ba’s done great hasnt he, everybody’s looking at him suddenly,” said the manager. “Anybody could have had him a year ago. Full credit to Alan Pardew, he took him.

    “He’s done a fantastic job what a strike-rate he’s got. He’s probably the most in-form striker anywhere at the moment.

    “They say there’s a release clause in his contract that’s what we all hear. He’s certainly done well and it will be interesting to see what happens there, but at the moment he’s doing great things for Newcastle.

    “He’s off to play in the African Cup of Nations now [for Senegal], so he’s going to be away for a month or so so thats a difficult one.

    “At the moment Newcastle have got him and Im sure Alan wants to keep him. He’d be disappointed if he had to lose him. He would be difficult to replace.”

      (Quote)

  8. @8 – Harry Redknapp should be fined for constantly talking about other clubs players. A bloody disgrace. You get Mnure, the bin dippers, us and many other clubs saying ‘we wont talk about other clubs players as it’s disrespectful’ and then you get him trying to openly unsettle people. C*ck.

      (Quote)

  9. I reckon you’re about on the nail there, Troy. Doing everything from a dosh perspective has its limits, and the closer you get to the top end of things the more those limits will show. It’s very hard to quantify the value of continuity, heritage, passion, leadership – which is why I don’t think they know when to stop.

    Also, let’s not forget what the renaming fiasco showed: Ashley will weigh up costs and benefits across his portfolio, not just the club. So if there’s a way to make £50m for SellaChavaTrackie.com at a cost of £30m to NUFC, he’ll do it.

    So annoying when other stuff – like ticket pricing – is so good.

      (Quote)

  10. Redknapp is at it again! Remember last January? Spent the whole window trying to unsettle Andy Carroll.

    the club need to report this ****.

    sooner hes sent down the better or his heart goes again ****

      (Quote)

  11. I think that confirms that he does have a release clause in there. If Harry reckons that it’s there it’s pretty obvious that the agents are whispering all over the place.

    I can guarantee one thing – there will be bids for him this window, no doubt about it. The only thing in our favour is that would someone risk paying £8m for him if he has this dodgy knee?

      (Quote)

  12. The clause is probably something to do with his allegedly dodgy knee. He did not exactly have a massive reputation when he joined us, so I cant see a certain figure being added to the contract…

      (Quote)

  13. -Shamrock, aye true 😕 only really relying on Ashley being a greedy c*nt.

    If there is one then we’ll still have the chance to renogotiate a contract though right, like Taylor? Fookin hope Ashley would.

      (Quote)

  14. MsiDouglas Mark Douglas
    On the clause, whispers for a while but nothing concrete. Mischief making in the extreme but if it exists, clubs/agents would know about it
    12 minutes ago
    »

    MsiDouglas Mark Douglas
    I think you have to believe Ba won’t want to leave #nufc. Seems happy & Carroll/Torres prove grass isn’t always greener…
    13 minutes ago

      (Quote)

  15. I agree Stu, but there’s probably some comfort in the knowledge that teams are unlikely to dig deep for him. He’s absolutely irreplaceable at the kind of figures likely to be offered I.E. 8-12m

    He couldn’t complete a transfer this window anyway, he’s in Africa.

      (Quote)

  16. @whumpie/Batty

    Don’t worry, I haven’t turned. He’s an absolute **** and rides roughshod over everyone and everything like prestige, tradition loyalty.

    I’m just highlighting one good point without mentioning a catalogue of atrocious points.

    @Stu

    In today’s Market, considering the Torres/Carroll deal, I wouldn’t let Ba go for anything less than £50m.

    Well, maybe a tad less. 😛

      (Quote)

  17. not sure who said it but apparently BA’s release clause is 7 mill…. if fatty shows some of his famous business sense he’ll draw up a nice new contract for BA with a 50 mill buy-out clause before he pisses off for ACON. 😎

    Looks like Simmo is close to signing (not singing). This is good, I know he has his detractors but I think he gets a little bit better with every game and yet another clearance off the line against Man Ure can only increase his popularity with the fans.

    I’m a fan of his, bit rough round the edges but he’s coming on. 🙂

      (Quote)

  18. I reckon we will spank Blackburn. Gona go for 3-0 again with Shola to get 2. Come on!

    Anyhow, Redknapp will talk about probably 10-15 strikers this January. I would not worry too much about it, but it takes the mickey that he thinks it’s acceptable to openly discuss other players as transfer possibilities. A total press *****.

      (Quote)

  19. £7 million don’t sound like Ashley. Double that easy, doesn’t make sense to make it so low. It’s not like clubs were banging on his door after West Ham were relegated, everyone was of the assumption that his knee was knackered. So his bargaining in a contract would have been next to nowt.

      (Quote)

  20. Nobby@27 – it’s that tw*t Warris who is claiming it’s £7 million – so we know that’s wrong 😆
    cwarr07 Colin
    Ba release clause believed to be 7m #nufc
    6 minutes ago

      (Quote)

  21. Nobby, £7m is hardly worth putting in surely?! I dont believe that in a million years, unless like somebody else said – that’s a provision based on us getting relegated.

    As for Simmo, he seems to have learnt his lessons and no longer backs off wingers at such an alarming rate as the start of the season. I still think we could get somebody through the door with the same level of talent reasonably cheaply, but if you look at the body language and understanding between him, Krul and the rest of the defence then you would be a fool to get rid. They are building up a good understanding, friendship and unity which is not so easy to replace. Sign him up. 😀

      (Quote)

  22. One of those things Ashley’s regime has done right (adding to Troy’s one about ticket prices) is contracts. The previous mob handed players the swarfega and bent over, whereas I doubt if Ashley will sign anything that doesn’t cover every angle from his point of view.

    I doubt if there’s any release clause; it’s just b.s. put about by old satchel-lids and agents wanting to unsettle the fella. And it won’t work.

      (Quote)

  23. Where’s the best place to get player stats? Specifically Tiote, want passing % and distance covered and to be able to compare other DM’s…

      (Quote)

  24. @Shamrock

    I love seeing defenders celebrating stopping the opposition scoring, nearly as much as our strikers celebrating when we score. 😛

    It shows they care and aren’t going through the motions. Simmo and Krul always do it and it’s fantastic!

      (Quote)

  25. Ashley just needs to buy up all the worlds Strawberry syrup and stick it in the Tyne and Ba will be going nowhere.

      (Quote)

  26. Defended simmo for a long time, imo he is good enough for us if we’re aiming for top 10. He does contribute going forward as well imo, crossing can be hit and miss but he put in one about as good as they get for Ba the other day, couldn’t believe it didn’t end up in the back of the net but I suppose i’ll forgive him 😆

      (Quote)

  27. Troy – Yes it’s as just as important as anything that happens at the other end of the pitch. I saw Colo react in the same way following a Krul save. Shows he really cares too, a good sign if we are going to get him to sign.

    That kind of unity and trust takes time to build and is hard to reproduce. Great to see 😛

      (Quote)

  28. I read as far as “Ashley just needs to buy up all the worlds Strawberry syrup and stick it in…” and started to think the abuse had reached a whole new level!

    😆

      (Quote)

  29. Surely the fact tiote & Ba are at the ACON makes it extremely difficult to sell/buy them etc & for that reason I reckon they’ll both be here come May maybe not August tho

      (Quote)

  30. Whumpie, what on earth is a ”satchel-lid” ❓

    (apart from the buckled flap on top of a bag)

    …never heard that one before.

      (Quote)

  31. Witters – It’s the agents that do all the negotiating now anyway. The player could be on Mars and a deal can still be done. The unfortunate thing these days is tat if the player doesn’t want to go but the agent wants the player to go, he’ll go.

      (Quote)

  32. Stuart-I know what you’re getting at but I think the player will have some control. I’m not going to claim i know the inner workings of Ba’s mind, but from what I can tell he seems genuine and not really fussed about moving for the sake of it.

      (Quote)

  33. Hey I’ll be heading over to a game next month, I always spend the night in Shearers bar after the games but I’ve 3 friends coming with me this time and they’ll be looking for a good night out over the weekend.
    We’ll be over for 2 nights, just wondering if anybody would recommend a few pubs and night clubs to go to. Thanks in advance lads. 😀

      (Quote)

  34. When there was all the stuff flying about over Oba Martin’s “buy out clause”, didn’t the club come out and say they wouldn’t allow release clauses in contracts anymore?…….surely they wouldn’t lie, would they? 😯 😯

      (Quote)

  35. Stu but what about player signatures & fitness tests etc & doubt the player would be allowed to come back so a delegation of doctors & maybe signatories (tho I’m sure they have fax machines in Africa) would have to go to Africa which is doable but logistically very difficult.

      (Quote)

  36. Let’s be honest, if Spurs offer a fantastic fee and wages, he’s gone.

    Don’t kid yourself that he loves it here. He would equally love playing in the CL on bigger wages.

    Simples.

      (Quote)

  37. Nobby
    I heard this too, the ‘north-east correspondent’ on talksport was talking about tiote and ba and said that tiote doesn’t have any clause in his contract, but Ba does and its said to be seven million pounds, this at the start of the season would have made sense as we had no idea how good he was, so now we, pardew, and the rest of newcastle are sh1tting themselves hoping that Ba says he doesn’t want to leave as it would be his choice if the £7m if given to newcastle. However what I don’t understand is I thought he couldn’t be bought in this window as he’s already played for hoffenheim and west ham in the calender year 😕

      (Quote)

  38. Hmm. Perhaps satchel-lids didn’t work. Satchel-eyes?

    Anyway: that old, fat conman with eyes like retired hooer’s klunges.

      (Quote)

  39. I’m not saying he loves it here or that he would refuse Spurs or any CL club that came calling, all I would say is that I don’t think he’d do what his agents bidding for the sake of it. I’m not sure how much we’re paying him and obviously spurs can pay more, but they like to drive hard bargains and I can’t see that being done over the few days that they might actually be able to talk to Ba directly.

      (Quote)

  40. Ah-haa, so it was a Whumpism then! 😆

    …had me Googling left, right and centre 😀 I thought it may have been rhyming slang, what with you being a southerner and all that 😉 😀

    (I prefer hooer’s klunges anyway, but then again who doesn’t)

      (Quote)

  41. For those who want Virgin on your shirts 😯

    Further to the announcement that Virgin Money are the new shirt sponsors of Newcastle United, the club are pleased to confirm that shirts, with the new logo applied, will be on sale in all club stores and available online from today.

    There will be a limited amount of shirts available in club stores over the coming days and supporters are also able to pre-order the shirts online by clicking here. Stock will be arriving daily to ensure we can meet demand.

    Supporters who have the current 2011/12 shirts will be eligible to obtain a new logo free of charge, subject to availability. We expect demand for the change logo to be high and will endeavour to minimise the disruption caused to our supporters.

    Due to the quick time frame surrounding the sponsorship agreement we only have a limited amount of logos in stock, however we will be receiving deliveries daily to allow us to meet demand. Please check our Facebook and Twitter pages for regular updates regarding this matter.

    Until Monday 9th January, the only store that will be printing the new logos on to pre-purchased shirts is the Sports Direct Arena. From Monday, the service will also be available from our Eldon Square and Metrocentre stores.

    All customers who have purchased the 2011/12 shirt online will also be eligible to obtain a new logo free of charge.

    To request a logo to be sent out via post, please email [email protected] with your full name, order number and address.
    The logo can also be printed on to your shirt by returning this to PO Box 426, Gateshead, NE11 0BN, with your full name, address, order number and a cheque for £5.50 to cover return P&P (UK mainland only). Postage prices outside of the UK can be found by clicking here. If you would like to pay the postage by debit or credit card then please provide a daytime telephone number so one of our team can call you to arrange payment.

      (Quote)

  42. Lads i said last night the release clause was 7m but only got it off talksport from last night some chap was on there late on.

    FUnny how old arry either listens to talksport or agents are stirring from hearing it too. What a **** whoever that guy who said it on talksport was

      (Quote)

  43. There’s no release clause; Ashley wouldn’t wear it. Also, don’t underestimate Ba and his ethics; I’ve heard this guy is teetotal and very moralistic, so if he likes life where he is, I think he’ll not easily be turned by yet more dosh.

    Also, he was recruited on a free, so no doubt has a decent wage – his agent would have made sure of that. And we’re no longer such a step down from the CL clubs, so the incentive has lessened there too.

    Anyway – all they have to do is show him this:

    http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2010/08/22/article-1305197-0AE17F2E000005DC-216_634x353.jpg

    and then this

    http://img.metro.co.uk/i/pix/2011/12/29/article-1325157183281-0F46FC9100000578-786936_636x300.jpg

    😆 😆 😆 😆

      (Quote)

  44. Richie, I can’t get mi heed rund the fact that so many fans seem so eager to replace a Northern Rock logo with a shitty Virgin iron-on. The 2011-2012 shirt is still the same. Why are so many fans so keen to promote a different corporate sponsor? I don’t get it. It must just be me. 😕

    Plus, if it’s anything like what the squad had on on Wednesday, you’ll still be able to see Northern Rock through it anyway. It’ll just ruin an otherwise fine shirt.

      (Quote)

  45. The punters on TalkSport tend to have the IQs and ethics of horseflies. Ignore anything that comes from there and use your sense: under what circumstances can you imagine Ashley signing a multi-million pound contract with a £7m release clause in it?

    It doesn’t exist.

      (Quote)

  46. To me i think ba is worth more than cabaye tiote krul and colo.
    Upwards of £40m im afraid. There are no top goalscorers in EPL really. Ba playing in a top ten team is banging them in.
    We need to keep hold of ba and as long as we supply strawberry syrup we are fine 😆

      (Quote)

  47. Rod…aye me too, the shirts will be out of date in a few months anyway. I’m not bothering. It’s bad enough being a virgin without advertis’…..err I mean, erm cough cough, is that the time? must dash 😳 😳 😆

      (Quote)

  48. Whumpie – Didn’t the club re-write his contract to a pay as you play after his medical showed something up with his knee? So if there is a release clause and someone offers him a better and more secure salary he may want to think about it. On the other hand there may be no clause in there. Although he and his agent do have a record of clauses – he had one in his West Ham contract which allowed him to leave on a free if they were relegated.

      (Quote)

  49. Whumpie, hopefully not, like I said@50 I’m sure they said they wouldn’t allow release clauses.

      (Quote)

  50. Stuart-The relegation clause was always going to happen though wasn’t it? he was joining a new club who were bottom of the league and looking ready for the drop even then. He’d hardly want to be tied down to the english second division for the rest of his days.

    He may well have a relegation clause here as we weren’t exactly guaranteed safety, but as far as a proper release clause? Meh, no idea whether he’s ever had one at a different club.

      (Quote)

  51. If you think Ba’s got morals you need to look into how he left his other clubs, footballers are mercenaries today, especially on pay as you play

      (Quote)

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *