Well that’s all gone now. Only 364 days until the next one. So with Christmas out of the way we can all focus on football once more.
Up today we have the visit of Stoke City in what is a rare Boxing Day fixture at home for us. Usually it is fans of United who are subjected to long trips over the Christmas period but this time round it has fallen rather favourably for us with back-to-back home games between now and New Year.
This won’t be an easy game – matches against Stoke rarely are and while much has been made about our recent form, as pointed out in my match preview , it is well worth noting that Stoke have only lost one of the last eight games just like us.
Both sides are missing at least one player as Cheik Tiote sits out for United through suspension and Robert Huth continues to recover from an operation for Stoke. Full team news will be available ahead of the match and can be seen at the bottom of this article.
Unfortunately we are kicking off at 3pm UK time which we aren’t being broadcast live here in Blighty. The good news is that a rake of overseas companies are showing the game so there should be some streams kicking about. If you do find one then please share it with your fellow NUFC fans and leave a link to it in the ‘comments’ section below.
Sticking with the Christmas theme, I guess this article is now neatly wrapped up and we can focus on the football. Hopefully our players laid off the party food yesterday and we don’t suffer from a hangover.
Howay the lads!
Newcastle: Krul; Debuchy, Coloccini (c), Williamson, Santon; Sissoko, Cabaye, Anita; Ben Arfa, Remy, Gouffran
Subs: Elliot, Yanga-Mbiwa, S.Taylor, Haidara, Obertan, Shola Ameobi, Cisse
Stoke: Sorensen, Cameron, Shawcross, Wilson, Pieters, Walters, Nzonzi, Whelan, Adam, Assaidi, Crouch
Subs: Butland, Muniesa, Palacios, Jones, Arnautovic, Wilkinson, Ireland
Toonsy,
Do you believe me that its going to be easy now. NINE men. Its a massive advantage. Once we got a goal ahead they have to commit and they have nobody to defend.
JJ(Quote)
Guys, Sissoko still didn’t score… 😆 😆
AngelOfDeath(Quote)
Oh gawd benny bad luck lad
KIMTOON(Quote)
It’s a good job Shola didn’t set up benny for a goal then, i think JJ might have had a breakdown 😛
Newkie(Quote)
And ben arfa is still ****. 😉 😉
AngelOfDeath(Quote)
HBA,
Entertaining no doubt. He’s superb to watch. Footwork is like Zidane. But he also makes me want to tear my hair out. 😉
JJ(Quote)
Haha, Walters hits his own foot.
JJ(Quote)
Ah yeah ,was Remy, doh
KIMTOON(Quote)
Time to rest a couple of players
KK(Quote)
JJ
agree even if all the players will have score a small shoot from 3 yars he prefers to make a superb goal.
For me he is one of the last artist footballer, so i will respect him always for that.
HBA39(Quote)
Surely Pards gives Cisse a run out and rests Remy.
JJ(Quote)
JJ,
See when you put something in between “…..” that’s a quote.
Why did you write ”utter ****” ? Nobody said that. Said he was complete and utter garbage like but don’t understand why you’d use quotation and misquote 😆 you been on the sherry fella? You keep writing “****” but there’s only you said that 😆 😆
Moreno(Quote)
Benny’s problem is he has so many marking him that he would be better making the killer pass than hanging onto the ball sometimes, I think that’s maybe what frustrates many of us.
KIMTOON(Quote)
HBA,
He could be better. So I judge him to higher standards. If he works on his off the ball running and team play he could be as good as Ribery.
JJ(Quote)
Wanna load more goals, will do our goal diff the world of good and come in handy if we get murdered by Arsenal on a high goal count 😉
KIMTOON(Quote)
We need to get a 3 goal margin before just keeping the ball & making sure our players don’t use up too much energy.
KK(Quote)
Kim- I agree. Not sure why he is getting criticism, he set up three or four good attacks with through balls and neat passing after using his skill, which is what he should be doing, and that was when we were up against 11 men.
Newkie(Quote)
Kim,
He could also learn from the likes of Suarez who despite his skill makes it very hard for anyone to mark him because he never stops moving. His off the ball play and work rate matches his skills and THAT makes him world class.
JJ(Quote)
Gorgeous goal
Newkie(Quote)
get in Cab
Big Dave(Quote)
What a goal!!! that is our goal of the season so far
Santii(Quote)
JJ
In my opinion he will never improve, He plays the same style since he is 18-19 and every year always people ask if he improves that or that, but he has stayed the same player.
In his mind he doesn’t want to change.
HBA39(Quote)
CabayeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeedreamboatEasssssyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy
KIMTOON(Quote)
Now that is class. Cabaye. Outstanding player.
Still think Anita is better KK?
JJ(Quote)
WE want more! MORE MORE MORE
toonsy(Quote)
I will bring Cisse now so he can score one.
HBA39(Quote)
Ok, everybody needs to standstill, pass the ball & keep it.
No more running please.
I want Debuchy or Cabaye to come off.
KK(Quote)
Rest cabs or Remy now I would
Newkie(Quote)
I’d feel sorry for stoke if they weren’t one the the worst football clubs in existence.
Howay Shola bag yoursel one lad
Moreno(Quote)
@JJ
Yes, Anita is a better team player than Cabaye.
Just look back at the first half.
KK(Quote)
cabaye is our key player,
He played the best football of his life this year. Far the best player in our team.
HBA39(Quote)
HBA,
I find that sad. To have the talent to be one of the world’s best and not give 100% effort to do it.
JJ(Quote)
Sissoko so much energy but no feeling no touch in his boots.
HBA39(Quote)
This is made for Papiss to come on and score , no pressure what so ever, perfect conditions ,come on Pards show some faith.
KIMTOON(Quote)
Goof man harder to miss! 😆 At least we can laugh about it.
Newkie(Quote)
*** what a miss Gouffran, like the one he missed against Fulham
HBA39(Quote)
Should be a certain goal for Pap today then
Newkie(Quote)
C’mon Papiss grab yourself a goal lad.
KIMTOON(Quote)
I bet he will score one or 2 today Papiss
HBA39(Quote)
Now we got two goal drought strikers on the pitch… 😆 😆
AngelOfDeath(Quote)
2 more goals would be lovely one for Papiss and one for Shola
Santii(Quote)
Newkie,
I don’t see what’s so hard to get.
Ben Arfa sees himself as the sole creative player on the pitch. So he wants to always play that brilliant through ball and score that sublime goal. Which is great. He is always going to set up and score goals by having that mindset.
But by over doing it and neglecting other responsibilities, it makes the team one dimensional and what he needs to do is learn that others can also create for him so he too must make runs and do some more leg work.
The sublime pass is great but when an easy ball is the more effective option, then play the easy ball. He doesn’t do these thing enough.
He is a good player. But he escapes criticism that less flashy players seem to take endless amount of stick for. That was my point.
JJ(Quote)
Shola doesn’t quite have Cabaye’s technique does he 😉
JJ(Quote)
😆 gets better
KIMTOON(Quote)
Another poor decision. That was a slip.
JJ(Quote)
Stonewall pen
toonsy(Quote)
Ben Arfa meant to do that trick…to get the penalty
KK(Quote)
Ok, took him from behind.
JJ(Quote)
Cisse 😆
Big Dave(Quote)
Cisseeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeegoallllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll
get in lad 😆
KIMTOON(Quote)
JJ
you see Ben arfa obtain this penalty only for Cisse to get his confidence back.
So you can say ty to Benny
HBA39(Quote)
Great bit of team spirit there giving papiss the penalty. Now let’s hope he and Remy can fire at the same time..
Newkie(Quote)
Holy ****. My heart was pumping for Cisse. So nervous for him. 😯
JJ(Quote)
That is amazing from the whole team there.
Santii(Quote)
No stopping that pen like 😯
That’s how you do it Remy 😆
toonsy(Quote)
JJ 😆 You even hate the decisions that go for Benny it seems
Newkie(Quote)
That really could have crushed cisse 😆
KK(Quote)
Haha HBA,
Thanks Ben Arfa. If we played nine men every week. He’d be the first person on my team sheet. 😉
JJ(Quote)
Nice of Shola to let him take it. Doesn’t Shola normally take pens ❓
JJ(Quote)
Cisse didn’t deserve to take that although I am happy for him and hope it pulls him out this rut. They say form is temporary and class is permanent…but is he actually class?
Moreno(Quote)
We should stop playing & conserve energy
KK(Quote)
KK that is exactly what i was thinking when he stepped up. 😀
Santii(Quote)
Could easily be another pen 😆
Newkie(Quote)
Shola is actually the greatest penalty taker ever born so yeah he should have been taking it. Never misses wor Shola
Moreno(Quote)
That looked a Pen to me
KIMTOON(Quote)
Scum beating Everton
JJ(Quote)
Moreno, Why didn’t he deserve to take it, he is our no 9.
KIMTOON(Quote)
I actually read in the Guiness book of records that Shola has scored 1,763 consecutive penalties
Moreno(Quote)
what is the problem with Cisse, a class striker don’t miss that.
HBA39(Quote)
and for me it happens far too often to cisse this kind of situation
HBA39(Quote)
Kim he doesn’t deserve to take it as he hasn’t worked hard enough for a goal. Maybe my opinion but he has been “****” all season as I challenge anyone to point out a contradiction to that.
For me…Shola has worked his **** off in the past 10 games he’s been on the field, created and battled and hasn’t scored in the league in a while.
Moreno(Quote)
Most unlucky player today. Ben arfa not scoring. 😕
AngelOfDeath(Quote)
Why is it people keep crunching Haidara 😕
Newkie(Quote)
That’s three decisions the ref has let go out of sympathy. 😆 Hope Hadaira isn’t hurt.
JJ(Quote)
I don’t know why Haidara even if he plays one min is always involved in this kind of challenge. Even if in his occasion he was more his fault because he misses his control
HBA39(Quote)