For Wigan it’s starting to look perilous with a gap between themselves and 17th placed Aston Villa starting to open up. For Newcastle, the need to pick up three points to prevent ourselves being sucked back into the relegation mix is what should be our motivating reason for today.
Both sides need the points and both sides are capable of getting them although it could be argued that Wigan’s need is actually greater than ours as the table stands currently. It’s an interesting game in prospect, but I hope we manage to give a good account of ourselves rather than the usual non-performance our trips to Wigan have become known for.
The headline team news is that Hatem Ben Arfa has been ruled out for the remainder of the season and will undergo surgery on his hamstring. I say headline but it’s not really as we’ve coped without him for most of the season anyway and will just have to continue to do so. Other team news and assorted titbits can be viewed here in the match preview.
Full confirmation of team news will be provided at the bottom of this article and will be added by me as I’m not stuck in delays of 25 hours caused by snow on the continent like I was on Thursday. That’s also the reason why there was no match report following the Anzhi game. I’ve still only seen the goal so it would be a bit wrong to write up a report when I’ve not seen anything of the game. However if you asked me to write a report on the field in France I spent hours parked up next to I could have provided some real detail about it!
The game is live here in the UK for a change and can be viewed on Sky Sports 1. However if you’re not at the game and don’t have Sky then you’ll most likely need a stream to watch the game on. A whole host of overseas broadcasters are showing the game so getting hold of one shouldn’t be too much of a problem. If you do find one please don’t be shy with it and share the stream by leaving the link in the ‘comments’ section below.
Which neatly wraps this up and now it’s over to the players and manager at the DW Stadium to form the basis of my match report. Hopefully I can write a positive one for a change, which is something I’m not used to doing following trips to Wigan!
Howay the lads!
Wigan: Joel Robles; Emmerson Boyce, Antolin Alcaraz, Paul Scharner, Maynor Figueroa; Shaun Maloney, James McCarthy, Jordi Gomez, Jean Beausejour; Callum McManaman, Arouna Koné
Subs: Ali Al-Habsi, Ronnie Stam, Gary Caldwell, Angelo Henriquez, James McArthur, Roman Golobart, Franco Di Santo
Newcastle: Rob Elliot; Mathieu Debuchy, Steven Taylor, Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa, Davide Santon; Cheik Tiote, Jonas Gutierrez; Sylvain Marveaux, Moussa Sissoko, Yoan Gouffran; Papiss Cisse
Subs: Steve Harper, Massadio Haidara, James Perch, Vurnon Anita, Dan Gosling, Gabriel Obertan, Shola Ameobi
Interesting they are pushing hard, we’re gonna catch them on the break, and a second goal for Santon 🙂
Munich Mag(Quote)
Toonsy can you respond to Hazeltoon’s post @225 😆 😆
Munich Mag(Quote)
ffs we lost the ball again. Feared a red card for Perch there 😯 😯
The Kid…you’re right about Mbwia, he’s class 😉
Munich Mag(Quote)
Did Alan Smith once get a STD off a geordie lad or lass coz he does not like us
Toby le Rhone(Quote)
**** that wall was pushed a long way back by the ref 🙄
Munich Mag(Quote)
Wow I don’t like the look of the defensive line up in front of the centre backs one bit. Tiote has been bossed today 🙁
Munich Mag(Quote)
They need the win – we should get at least one chance on the break.
Stuart79(Quote)
Kim have you been on the shandies 😀
Big Dave(Quote)
Tiote has been **** for about a year. The excuses have to be running out surely?
toonsy(Quote)
Seriously, who is this commentator. how does he get a job? Sounds like my grandmother on testosterone talking about the game.
JJ(Quote)
Kim – As far as I’m aware you’re the only one having an issue. Tigertech are my webhosts so its nowt dodgy. Drop us an email and I’ll see if I can sort something.
toonsy(Quote)
Everyone is ****. 😛
JJ(Quote)
Toonsy,
Wouldn’t let me post for a while. Said I’d posted too many comments. Had to wait around 10 minutes. Sort this **** out! 😉
How am I supposed to vent if I can’t comment FFS!
JJ(Quote)
joke
Newkie(Quote)
FFS what a fuking shambles
Big Dave(Quote)
And they just got away with a fucking handball 😈
toonsy(Quote)
Well,
That sums up the game…
Biggest shower of **** I’ve ever had to witness as a spectacle. Pathetic.
JJ(Quote)
this fucking ref honestly
Newkie(Quote)
Where the **** do they get these officials from
Toby le Rhone(Quote)
I know we’ve been **** but there is no excuse for the ref to miss so many decisions ranging from that tackle to that handball. What a joke.
toonsy(Quote)
Wow turned it off after that. Worst team performance i have ever seen everyone has been utterly *****. Tiote should be dropped after that performance. We should be searching long and hard for a new striker. Are current are the worst part of our team.
Santii(Quote)
Toonsy,
It was off his face more than anything. Can’t call that a handball. Just another thing that’s gone against us in this game.
Martinex must have been doing some voodoo before this game because I’ve never seen the rub of the green go towards one team so much in a game.
A point would have been a miracle.
JJ(Quote)
Bullshit, absolutely no luck this season
Newkie(Quote)
JJ – The guys arm was in the air, above his head, “asking for trouble” as commentators would say, and then the ball bounced off it directly towards goal. Clear handball for me.
toonsy(Quote)
MOTM for Wigan……Mark Halsey and his team of officials. We were **** but they were fucking awful!
Oblong(Quote)
I agree that we were poor (esp. Tiote and Sissoko) but can’t help thinking the game was totally influenced by those two injuries.
The referee was shocking and should be demoted to Sunday League games.
sjp14(Quote)
How can you call that “off his face”? It was clearly a handball. Either you’re blind or you were watch the wrong game.
King Arfa(Quote)
The ref was fucking useless and im well ****** off so I think i’ll leave before all the doom and gloom **** starts and I say something I might regret
Big Dave(Quote)
In a relegation battle with a team like ours what a joke.
I’m really getting sick of Pards negative football. 10 men behind the ball at all times.
Perch our best player today, though thats not saying much.
Santii(Quote)
WTF was that, worst officiating that I’ve ever seen. If a player has had his leg broken then the player that challenged him should be sent off. How the Linesman and ref didn’t see the handball is disgusting. I feel robbed 😡 . Kim was right the other day when she said that we never win when we’re on SKY this season.
Andymag(Quote)
Santii,
This is one of those games you simply have to write off…
If we had to get rid of everyone who was poor today we would be left with three players if we’re lucky.
Overall, I thought we were ok until Haidara got injured. Then we lost shape completely. It was the worst refereeing decision I have ever witnessed.
A shocking tackle that should have been a straight red never even got a foul. Same as with Ben Arfa.
How many knee high two footed challenges are going to break our players legs before we get the ref to give us a decision?
If that was a Man United game there would be an inquisition as to why a red wasn’t awarded and it’d be in the news for a week!
If the ref does his job there, they are down to ten and with the game is ours.
JJ(Quote)
The ref was a ****** like. Same goes for the officials. Fucking waste.
King Arfa(Quote)
Toonsy,
Fair enough, I’d have to see it from a different angle. But for me the “non red card” was a million times worse as a decision. Just shocking.
Ref should be sacked.
JJ(Quote)
Dave – Same as you. If people can’t see how much of an influence the referee had on the game then I can’t be bothered to exchange views.
Just on Sky they said we have the Man of the Match with us now and I was expecting Mark Halsey. Even Shaun Maloney just said it was handball 🙄
toonsy(Quote)
Toonsy what’s your email address?
KIMTOON(Quote)
I’m with Dave, no point lambasting Pardew for todays shambles. Clearly other factors at play. We’re comfortably above the zone, we have enough games to get the points needed etc.
sjp14(Quote)
JJ-It’s handball all day mate.
Newkie(Quote)
That was a deserved defeat. Goals look very hard to come by. Cisse was terrible today and needed a goal to to justify his selection otherwise man that was an awful performance by him.
He has been awful all season save for his last ditch goals which have kept the hounds at bay but in truth we need another centre forward cos Cisse offside too often, unrealistic snap shots looking for glory goals.
Michael12(Quote)
I wouldn’t be surprised if Haidara’s injury was career threatening. Probably shattered his knee cap.
Andymag(Quote)
although the ref was poor we only looked ok after we scored.. imo.
Sissoko has been poor in the last 2 games, Tiote gives me the ***** every time he plays that defensive role and Gouffran for all his running he doesnt actually do much.
Cisse was a little greedy with a couple of chances
We backed off far too much and were sloppy with our passing. Saylor and Mbiwa looked good again tho.
Never mind, it wasnt a disgrace just a bit weak. 🙁
mark(Quote)
Toonsy you have mail
KIMTOON(Quote)
Mark Halsey should NEVER NEVER referee a prem game again. McManaman should be done for GBH. The handball just capped it off
Feeling disgusted. We played **** but the officiating was unbelievably bad.
Cologne-toon(Quote)
@SJP14
“We’re comfortably above the zone”
We are 6 points above it. Hardly comfortable. Also our injuries are starting to pile up again.
Our fixtures are not as easy as you seem to think. We are still in the **** and it was thinking otherwise that got us relegated last time.
Santii(Quote)
Santon redeemed himself with his goal and general play but he is a rubbish defender. Don’t know if it was playing at RB but he looked so inexperienced. M’biwa was awful today, poor defending and distribution Sissoko was poor all game until he stopped that Wigan player from scoring at the end.
Andymag(Quote)
Hazel again for Kimtoon. Pissed off with that result, ref wants shooting. Pardew not a happy manager. Got to go now as Hazel’s not well, I’ve taken up too much of her time. Hopefully sometime soon I’ll be able to get back on the blog. laters guys! 😐
KIMTOON(Quote)
Michael 12
You’ve made a right **** of yourself with comments in the past.
Now after a game where everyone was poor. You only point out Cisse, even though he created our goal with a great ball. Yet ignore far worse displays by other players…
You still look like an ****, and a comment like that just looks like a desperate attempt to prove you’re not.
Keep trying though. Maybe we’ll do better now that Cabaye is injured. He is so overrated anyway. 😆
JJ(Quote)
Michael-Cisse set up the goal with a superb assist. He may have been quiet, but he was far from the worst player on the pitch. Again a big lack of service for him, Sissoko was more disappointing of the two.
Newkie(Quote)
BTW Michael…
Four goals and two assists in ten games… Hardly **** poor. If anyone was poor up front today it was Sissoko. He gave the ball away on countless occasions and created nothing. Marvaeux was non exsistant.
In fact of all the front four today, Cisse was poor, but still the best of the lot. But keep having a go to make yourself seem less stupid 😉 😆
JJ(Quote)
@JJ: Cisse set up the Goal yes I agree.
that was the only moment in the game he was good. That one pass. Everywhere else he was just plain awful.
@JJ: You only demonstrate how blinkered you are and how poor your analysis of a game is.
If I was to calculate the number of minutes Cisse has been good this season I would barely manage 5 minutes. All game save for that one pass 2 seconds of 99 minutes he was good. Only 2 seconds of that game and I am being attacked for noticing that.
JJ you need to watch that game again because clearly your ability to analyse is lacking
Michael12(Quote)
Yes I am disappointed. Not a great performance but realistically we are down quite a few players and more on the day itself. Haidara would have shaken all the players as well.
But I think Michael12 is completely incorrect. Cisse’s pass led to our goal. You can’t be blaming him for our overall performance. If we were to pick an area that was a problem it would be our midfield. We missed Cabaye and Sissoko and Tiote were poor.
griff(Quote)
Michael you are running out of axe 🙄
For that matter Pardew’s tactics were decent today as well
griff(Quote)
Must admit I was also disappointed with Cisse. All in all a really disappointing afternoon.
Let’s be honest, if we had have nicked a win it would have been an absolute travesty for Wigan.
Munich Mag(Quote)
MM-I wouldn’t say so, seeing as if they’d been down to 10 men, as they should have been, for the majority of the game it would have been a different game. Draw would have been fair, but as it was the officials cost us. I appreciate we were pretty ***** all over the pitch, but Wigan were hardly at their best either and just scraped over the line.
Newkie(Quote)
Well that last minute goal was the icing on the fucking cake today like. I’m as ****** off as John Carver. That has to be the worst tackle I have ever seen in my life. Watched the Norwich game and Bunn is sent off for a dubious hand ball outside the box – yet McManaman wipes Haidara out like that and stays on the pitch – complete disgrace!!. The officials were shocking today like.
However, that’s not what lost us the game. Us being ***** today is what lost us the game.
Sissoko, Cisse and Marveaux were **** poor today like. But Pardew also done himself nee favours with the players he put on the bench Obertan, Gosling and Shola are nee match changers or winners IMO, first 2 subs were forced but I have to agree with those who question why Shola for Gouffran. Campbell should have been on the bench and I would have switched him with Sissoko personally.
We done well to equalize and get back into the game today, but we dropped a point today with some difficult games coming up now.
God I’m pissed off – football is such a frustrating game to support sometimes 👿
Sharpy17(Quote)
Hopefully it won’t be us but that officiating today (both games) could cost a club in the relegation fight its premier league position and the numerous millions involved. Foy and Halsey have been shocking for years. You know when they say on MOTD there is refereeing controversies it is going to be them two
Toby le Rhone(Quote)
Sharpy
You say that Shola, Obertan and Gosling shouldn’t have been on the bench but Campbell should of. Who are the other two magical players that should be on the bench
Toby le Rhone(Quote)
Referee apart it wasn’t a good performance to be fair. I’ve been saying for a while now that we just look very light weight up front – especially away from home.
We need to address this in the summer. Having Cisse as our only real quality striker is not doing us any favours.
Stuart79(Quote)
Michael 12
I don’t have to reply to a comment like that. Really you only discredit yourself.
JJ(Quote)
Don’t like the man but Big Sam made a marvellous comment on a disallowed Carroll goal today. “It was a brilliant dive by David Luiz
Toby le Rhone(Quote)
I like Roberto Martinez and I hope he stays in the Premiership – even if only to see if he really is a good manager with a better squad or not. I also DID want Wigan to stay up because I had nothing against them. I’ve changed my mind.
I want Wigan to go down and Martinez to leave and go to another club. That was an incredible display of something near match fixing. You think we feel bad – think about how Villa and QPR, etc. feel knowing they are likely to go down after some under the table referring like that.
funkyjesus(Quote)
Official website:
“Massadio Haidara suffered a knee and thigh injury in the first half of Newcastle United’s Barclays Premier League fixture away at Wigan Athletic on Sunday.
The full-back was stretchered off following a challenge by Callum McManaman, and immediately left the DW Stadium, heading to Newcastle where he will be assessed further.”
funkyjesus(Quote)
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BFkpgTZCMAAI6cX.jpg
funkyjesus(Quote)
I cannot understand that the ref missed the tackle that crocked Haidira. He had more than enough time to look straight at the tackle. I really fear for the young lad, I hope his career hasn’t been put into jeapordy after that tackle. It’ll be interesting to see whether the Wigan player apologises.
Why does EVERYONE look more sprightly with the ball than we do. We look so labourious.
Munich Mag(Quote)
On the contrary JJ you discredit yourself. Unlike you I can admit when I’m wrong you cannot.
Michael12(Quote)
Munich it is simple. We are not the top 6 chasing team that some on here like to think we are.
Premandup(Quote)
http://www.101greatgoals.com/gvideos/gif-newcastles-haidara-suffers-a-shocking-tackle-from-wigans-mcmanaman/
disgusting challenge. very high and hard. shocking
mark(Quote)
was almost two feet off the ground and full weight behind it. I’ll be surprised if theres no real damage there. hopefully he’ll make a full recovery.
mark(Quote)
All the best for Haidara. That challenge is a legbreaker. Hoping he still has a career after that.
Premandup(Quote)
Just posting to see if I’m able to comment yet 🙄
KIMTOON(Quote)
Michael – It wasn’t quite a deserved defeat. They were poor and we were gash for the first 60. If it was a boxing match, we were winning the last 30 on points (which is surprising really given our midweek endeavours 😆 ). It’s not a boxing match though, is it.
Cisse had a mixed game. Can’t fault him for effort, which is the main thing.
Dave – “…i’ll leave before all the doom and gloom **** starts and I say something I might regret.” The whole blog was full of doom and gloom **** since 4pm. You can blame it on the ref if you like, but I’m not going to kid myself. I’m full of doom and gloom after watching that ***** and I like the opportunity to vent my spleen.
Yeah, we might have scraped some sort of result had the ref got it right, but we were simply gash against a team we should be looking to beat comfortably. Do we blame the players? Are they not good enough? Do we need to get the chequebook out again? The January honeymoon feel good factor seems miles away tonight. 😥
I said last night on here I would happily give Pards credit if we played some good, entertaining, football for long periods – even if we got beat. Well, unfortunately, I can’t give him any credit at all. 👿
Blackley & Brownlie(Quote)
Bloody hell I’m back ! ,I will probably get locked out again in a mo . Toonsy I don’t know what the hell that was all about earlier ,I kept getting sent to Tiger Technologies page telling me I had gone over my 12 comments an hour limit ,never had that happen before ,could not stop it no matter what Idid ,very odd.
KIMTOON(Quote)
There is no doubting that the loss of both fullbacks so early in the game had an important bearing on the game. I’m pretty sure we wouldn’t have lost the game today had both players remained on the pitch.
Our lack of attacking options are going to come back and bite us I’m afraid.
Munich Mag(Quote)
Lasses always go over their comment limits
**** game, **** ref, **** tackle, **** result, **** mood, ’nuff said….see Kim that’s how it’s done 😉 😆
richietoon(Quote)
Gutted about the result ,as poor as we were the officials were dreadfull the last goal was a clear handball ,it should of been a draw . No doubt in my mind that that tackle would of had a bad effect on the other players and losing two good defenders so quickly upset our equalibrium and shape ,we never quite recovered from it imo. I’ve seen us play worse but really desperate for us to get a couple more wins to be safe ,there are still 24 points up for grabs and we need to grab some pdq.
KIMTOON(Quote)
Richietoon, have you been ower to Cyprus in your private helicopter mate 🙂 If not yer better dee it quick 🙁
Munich Mag(Quote)