Game On! Newcastle v Sunderland

St James' Park.

St James' Park.
Game On at St James’ Park
A region divided, families split, workplaces full of fear, dread and anticipation, friends becoming foes. Yep, it’s Tyne-Wear derby time once more!

In the week building up to the game I’m usually flitting between being nervous and being excited but playing on Thursday evening seems to have put a lid on that as far as I’m concerned and it’s only now I’m feeling anxious.

We are the home side and we have to win, it’s as simple as that. Bragging rights hinge on this game and anything other than defeat for Sunderland will ensure that Wearside have the advantage in the banter stakes when normal service resumes after the weekend. That simply can’t be allowed to happen. I don’t want to hear about the production commemorative Sunderland mugs celebrating a rare derby day win again, like what happened five years ago!

Tickets for this game sold out within hours and not one seat inside the ground is available. A complete sell-out for a third time in a week will ensure an electric atmosphere inside the ground. For those that are lucky enough to be there, enjoy!

For those like me who are having to work and miss parts of the game or couldn’t get tickets or whatever rest easy. The game is live on Sky and even though it’s a relatively early start (for us here in the UK anyway!) I’m sure plenty of people will be up to watch it! We need streams people, so if you happen to find one on your trawls round the web then please share it by leaving a link to it in the ‘comments’ section below.

I will be on hand to provide with you with team news as soon as it becomes available. The full team-sheet will be added in at the bottom of this article but both teams are carrying injuries so neither side is playing at what you could call full strength. To view the injury statuses for both sides read my match preview by clicking here.

Really I don’t need to go any longer. We all know what is at stake here and what the game means to everyone on both sides of the divide. All I’ll say is let’s do this!

Howay the lads!

Newcastle: Tim Krul; Mathieu Debuchy, Steven Taylor, Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa, Jonas Gutierrez; Cheik Tiote, Yohan Cabaye; Sylvain Marveaux, Moussa Sissoko, Yoan Gouffran; Papiss Cisse

Subs: Rob Elliot, James Perch, Massadio Haidara, Vurnon Anita, Hatem Ben Arfa, Adam Campbell, Shola Ameobi

Sunderland: Simon Mignolet: Phil Bardsley, Carlos Cuellar, John O’Shea, Danny Rose; Adam Johnson, Alfred N’Diaye, Sebastian Larsson, James McClean; Stephane Sessegnon; Danny Graham

Subs: Kieran Westwood, Matthew Kilgallon, Jack Colback, David Vaughan, Kader Mangane, Mikael Mandron, Jordan Laidler

About toonsy

A lifelong Newcastle fan and current webmaster of this very 'blog who has the sole aim of creating a place by Newcastle United fans, for Newcastle United fans.

775 thoughts on “Game On! Newcastle v Sunderland

  1. JJ, the list was well compiled I will give you that. You must be good at your job. Also, judging by your long defensive answer, I have obviously hit a nerve 🙂 🙂 sorry mate, I thought you would approve of snide remarks like one you posted 40 minutes or so ago.

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  2. In fact, I’d say for Laudrup to keep Swansea up next season would be a decent enough achievement. They are a tiny club in comparison.

    We should be finishing in at least the top half. Yet, not only are we subject to watching the shittest football that gets played in the league, but we have to put up with poor results too.

    Some blame the board for lacking ambition. Its even worse if the fans have no ambition and are happy to settle for rubbish football and rubbish results.

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  3. B+B-if you had followed the debate, the low wages i refer to are those that PARDEW is on. Never have I claimed the player wages are low. This is about the manager after all.

    Perhaps ash will get us a better manager, but the constant laudrupd talk does my head in. Swansea have scored one more **** goal than us this season and failed to score in 4 more. How’s that for bloody incisive attacking football. Jesus wept.

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  4. Not trying to be snide Aussie.

    It just gets my back up when people say, “if there are so many talented managers out there then mention them.”

    … and then you mention them, and the response is yours.

    Basically, there is no answer that is acceptable, and that you will defend Pardew’s position as manager even when your questions are responded to with a valid reply.

    Its like saying, no, that manager will fail because he’s too pink, or too tall or too foreign or too greedy etc…

    The one thing I was excited about when Pardew was appointed despite his poor record was his reputation for trying to play attacking football.

    I have seen nothing but negativity in tactics and approach since he has arrived. The football is aweful to watch.

    If we at least played attractive football, I’d have some belief that things will come right. But to watch garbage week in week and and still lose. Well that isn’t fun.

    Not looking foward to 8 years of it… are you?

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  5. Newkie – I did follow the debate. You’re implying that Ashley is a skinflint. Why would he pay good wages to many of his players but not to his manager. Answer me this. Perhaps Dave could to. WHY DOES ASHLEY REWARD HIS SPORTS DIRECT STAFF WITH MASSIVE BONUSES, UNHEARD OF IN THE INDUSTRY, WHEN THEY MEET THEIR TARGETS? WHY WOULDN’T A CONFIDENT MANAGER BE PREPARED TO BE PAID TOP MONEY ON A PERFORMANCE BASIS?

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  6. I think it’s pointless talking tactics, managerial changes or anything like that. Our league position is too perilous to be picky. We need results first then we can pick the bones when we actually know what fucking division we’ll be in. Everyone is saying sack Pardew and get Laudrup etc etc or whoever. How about we concentrate on staying in the Premier League first eh? Nobody is talking relegation but it’s a very real threat.

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  7. Toonsy,
    I honestly think we’d have to lose all of last five games to get relegated.

    Surely we’ve got ONE win left this season? Or at least two draws.

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  8. JJ, I actually think Pardew is average to say the least but we have replaced managers hand over fist in the past and we have suffered for it. We have a chance to change this. Pardew has had one good season and one bad. He deserves a chance to show he can do it well or to fail badly.

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  9. Newkie show me anywhere that tells us Pardews wage? or even an estimate. I haven’t once seen what he is on or even an estimate the is reliable. People seem to assume he is on low wages though.

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  10. Aussie,
    I can understand that logic. I just don’t see what is plan is.

    I don’t see where he is taking this team. The stat alone of not having scored from a set piece in 277 attempts is insane.

    I can understand fans fear of a new appointment when in the past we have got, Kinnear, Houghton, Shearer, KK, Allardyce, and now Pardew.

    But its certainly worth putting some feelers out to see who would be interested. Club’s do it all the time. If we can get our man, then go for him.

    If nobody of any talent or stature is interested at the moment, then fair enough. Give Pard’s another season. I’m almost convinced he will underwhelm again.

    On the positive side, he can’t do much worse than he has done this season, so on that basis anything other than relegation would be an improvement.

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  11. JJ @ 745 you say Dave has made his position clear that Pardew is not the right man. To me he hasn’t. He constantly supports Pardew whenever he can and has argued along with Troy for long term stability under him. He never takes the lead in criticising him. Why, if he thinks he’s not the man for the job? The very criticism he laid at me and hounded me over.

    The new man that Dave would want won’t be the “yes man” that Pardew is, or he will have more ambition than our board does. What’s that got to do with it? If Pardew’s not the man for the job, he should be saying so, and arguing that Mikey should replace him with a top manager who is not a puppet. I wouldn’t want any manager anyway who wants a massive budget and wouldn’t work for us if he didn’t get one. I just want the best man to work within the generous resources that Ashley supplies.

    So Dave is saying Pardew is not the man for the job but he is happy to argue to keep him because he reckons Ashley wouldn’t and couldn’t appoint anyone of a better calibre. The conditions of employment are too onerous. I could understand it if Ashley was wanting to pick the team FFS! What is Pardew saying “yes” to all the time?

    All Dave has got to do to have any credibility is, instead of sticking up for Pardew at every opportunity, to argue that Pardew is not the man for the job and Ashley needs to get rid of him now and make sure he gets a much better manager in. After all, that is what he wants. He just won’t say it.

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  12. Toonsy @ 757 I don’t follow that at all, unless you’re saying it is too late to sack pardew this season, which I agree with.

    This is being debated because this week Pardew has brought us to the brink of relegation following the most embarrassing defeat to sunderland in recent years, and taken us out of the Europa Cup with his naff tactics. Besides, there’s no other article up for debate and nowt much else to talk about.

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  13. B&B

    That’s what amazes me too. That nearly all who have backed him, are saying they think he is distinctly average and not the right man for the job long term.
    But they want to give him one more season. Based on the fact that they can then say the club have finally had stability.

    So lets say for instance that Pards gets things kind of on track and we finish 9th or 10th next season playing inconsistent boring football.
    What then? We give him another season?

    We are all desperate for a manager that will give us stability but surely we have to actually find someone that people believe is the right man?
    Yet they have nearly ALL admitted they don’t think he is the right man… but want him to stay.

    I don’t understand that logic.

    We aren’t saying, lets appoint Joe F’Kinnear. We are just saying that if there is someone better willing to take the reigns and get the best out of this technical squad, then lets give him a chance.

    If not, and there’s no better out there, then fair enough, stick with what we have.

    So basically, the only arguement is? Is there someone better out there?

    I just can’t believe we can’t attract someone better.

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  14. JJ – They keep second guessing Ashley that he has to have a puppet (to do what? allow ashley to pick the team?) or he wouldn’t pay top dollar (even though he has a reputation for doing so using performance related pay).

    My view is that Pardew’s not the man for the job and I will keep making the case. However, I personally wouldn’t be calling for Pardew’s head because (1) I believe every man deserves a fair crack of the whip. Now that he is appointed he should be given some time. If he doesn’t take us down this season, he should be allowed to start next season. Three years is generous enough in football and (2) I predict he will go before long anyway; the pressure will be too great, so I don’t need to call for him to be sacked. The inevitable axe will drop. I believe in the power of statistics.

    I also predict that most people will re-assess the situation and modify their views if we pick up a point or two. The staunch pardophobes like me will have to go into retreat again. We should just be grateful for being allowed a good run on this thread in the last couple of days.

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  15. BB @ 710 “B+B what would I be holding out for ?? until you named a few top managers ? nah mate I don’t have that much time on my hands ”

    You class that as relentless mocking ❓ I think in the context at that time you said there was hundreds of top class managers that would walk over hot coals, but yet you couldn’t give any names as an example of what you class as a top manager.

    Then you ask ” SO WHAT IS STOPPING YOU FROM PUTTING THE PRESSURE ON AND CALLING FOR THE REGIME TO SACK HIM AND APPOINT SOMEONE BETTER, SOMEONE WHO IS NOT A YES MAN?

    I have covered this lots of times Why would I put pressure on them to sack Pards when I honestly believe that they would replace him with a JFK I would rather have Pards, I really can’t explain it any clearer than that for you, even JJ @ 745 has tried to explain it to you but you still fail to grasp it.
    But I can assure you that if I truely thought there was better manager ( Top Manager) that would take the job and really believed that Pards would get us relegated I would call for him to be sacked and I wouldn’t be on here bitching about him after every bad game telling anyone that will listen about how **** he is how **** his tactics were etc etc like you do.

    As for your other point about WHY DOES ASHLEY REWARD HIS SPORTS DIRECT STAFF WITH MASSIVE BONUSES,

    I really couldn’t care less what way SD staff get paid but I take it you have proof that that is purely an Ashley plan and nothing to do with other share holders etc.

    and finally you say “All Dave has got to do to have any credibility” credibility from who ??

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  16. @Blackley & Brownlie

    I dont quite understand your argument regarding Pards.

    You bleat on about him not being the right man etc etc but you seem happy to keep him here as manager.?

    very confusing

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  17. @toonsy 757

    i thought this blog was for debating any football talk, we can do jack regarding us staying in the league so how can we discuss it at length. Its up to the players / manager to preform that task

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  18. Mark @ 769 thats the bit I can’t get my head round he is convinced he will get us relegated but wants to give him more time, more time for what to get us relegated ?

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  19. @BD

    I think he needs to clarify his view.. to support him or boot him.. it appears he wants both..

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  20. Mark I don’t think he knows what he wants, I have no problem with the lads that have came out and said he should be sacked because thats their opinion but B+B has been running the Hate Pards campaign from last yr but still wants him in the job

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