Newcastle v Cardiff – FA Cup match preview

toonsy

Magpies v Bluebirds
Magpies v Bluebirds
Newcastle United’s long-standing quest for silverware begins in earnest on Saturday as the Premier League takes a step back allowing the FA Cup to come to the fore.

The FA Cup remains the last major piece of domestic silverware we collected back in 1955 which is shocking for a club our size. Even Wigan have won it more recently than us which says a lot!

In my lifetime this competition has just been a source of disappointment. A lot of people go on about the magic of the cup but for me it’s more dread. Even the two final we reached just before the turn of the century were tinged with disappointment and I bet we’ll see numerous pieces of footage of us losing at Hereford or Stevenage or wherever at various points.

Having said that, if we did actually manage to win the thing I wonder just how big the celebration would be? Off the scale would be my guess such is the relative lack of success we’ve had over the years in my lifetime at least.

I look at the league table and we have no real danger of being relegated this season and I don’t think we’ll do much, if any, better than where we are now in the table so why not go for it, take it seriously, name string teams and try and give the fans something they’ve been craving for since 1955?

Newcastle:

Mathieu Debuchy will miss the game as he starts his three match ban following his sending off at West Brom. Fabricio Coloccini will also miss the game after picking up a knee injury in that same game. Captain Colo is likely to be out for six weeks at least.

Cardiff:

Former Magpie Craig Bellamy continues to struggle with a knee injury and has not been involved with the Cardiff City first team since the start of November.

Previously…

We have a good record against Cardiff City and have won the last seven games home and away against the Bluebirds – a run that stretches back to 1981. Equally impressive is our record against City at St James’ Park where United have won 18 times compared to just three wins for Cardiff and three draws adding up to the 24 meetings between the two clubs in the North-East.

Overall 48 games have been played between the two sides, Newcastle have won 22, Cardiff have won 15 with the spoils being shared on 12 occasions.

Final thought…

We know that at least two changes have to be made so I expect Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa and either Paul Dummett or Massadio Haidara to make an appearance. The big question is what other changes do we make? I know I said at the start that we should name our strongest side, but they’ve been playing for the bulk of the season so far and have started to look a little jaded in the last couple of games so perhaps resting some (not all) of them isn’t such a bad idea? It’s often said that football is a squad game so why not use that squad? Players like Vurnon Anita, Yanga-Mbiwa, Ben Arfa and Cisse are all there to be used so give them some game time.

For Alan Pardew though it is a fine balancing act. He’ll be acutely aware of the stick he will get by naming a so-called “weaker” side if it all backfires, and with Cardiff City appointing a new manager there is potential for an improvement in performance from them. Then again, Pardew is paid to make the decisions and will live or die by them in the long run but we’ve lost two on the sin so why not go for a change?

Howay the lads!

Date: Saturday, 4th January, 2014

Time: 3pm

Venue: St James’ Park

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.

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137 thoughts on “Newcastle v Cardiff – FA Cup match preview”

  1. Stem ,I don’t think it was all money with Ba ,think he wanted CL footie as well like. Just a pity he didn’t think about staying with us and trying to achieve it and that in a nut shell is our problem, players of high calibre don’t seem to hang around long enough for us to build something special . I know big Al stayed but that’s cause he was a local lad really.

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  2. Stem ,agree about the disrespect thing though, he throws a hissy when we get offered peanuts for our guys but puts in derisory bids for other teams players 🙄

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  4. From Pardews latest comments it doesn’t look like Shola is going to be offered an extension.

    I think I will cry with joy to see him playing for another club.

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  5. Kimtoon I hope we see the likes of Shearer again. The new training facilities could be a step in the right direction. I think its poor when Sammy Ameobi is the best we’ve produced.

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  6. I really like Shola as a person ,seems a good lad but I just don’t rate him as at the level of player we should be starting games with.

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  7. Agree completely. Ashley is so two faced. He wants loads for his players but he acts like a charity case when making bids. Ridiculous and every other club must laugh when his offer comes in now.

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  8. Stem ,Young Adam Campbell is doing well at the moment , so there is hope. Apparently he’s looking good at St. Mirren.

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  9. 25 million for Cabaye when he cost 4 million.
    20 million for Krul and so on.
    The guys a con artist and people won’t want to do business with him. I think the french team’s will see threw him and will end up with nowt.

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  11. We need a young striker to compete with Campbell and a good experienced CB. Come on Ashley, get it done! And make a decision about Remy as well. Don’t go into next season with Cisse, a re-signed Ameobi, and Gouffran. Ridiculous options.

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  12. Kinnear might be able to sign Messi for 4 million and take a massive pay cut to join us with Ashley blessing.

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  13. I hope you’re wrong STEM mate but that does sound an awful lot like how Ashley does business. And with the points we already have, he knows we’re not getting relegated this season no matter how little he does.

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  15. The Messi parts a joke G2 but the Ashley and Kinnear bits true. He is a sensitive flower isn’t Kimtoon and you wouldn’t like him if his angry lol.

    Imagine having to seat next to Ashley and Kinnear at SJP?

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  16. Yes STEM, are they Laurel and Hardy or Jekyll and Hyde? For me they are a horrible twosome on the loose with our club.

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  19. This when we find out if Jabba has learnt anything about the game ,with injuries starting to mount up now it could throw our season into chaos , will he bring in reinforcements or stick with what we have and cross everything. In his shoes I would be looking to at least maintain our current position and bring in a winger and Forward in case Remy goes off the boil like Cisse or more likely we lose Cabs and lose our MF creative outlet. Are the Remy Cabella rumours true , if they are then it looks like Cabs is away for sure. We may lose a Remy and a Cab but gain a Remy Cabella 😉 ,We still wouldn’t have a striker or forward in though 🙄 . Meh, it’s all bollocks anyway we won’t sign anyone AGAIN.

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  20. Kimtoon I’d let you sit between Kinnear and Ashley so Kinnear doesn’t fill Ashley’s head with a lot of ****. Only joking I would take the bullet for you.

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  22. Too true Kimtoon lass. He thinks of himself as a clever old fox but Ashley just can’t build anything. He piles one brick on while another falls off. We’ll be lucky to end up with a decent outdoor lavatory.

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  23. Sit between them and give them both a thick ear Kimtoon. It’s time somebody woke both of them up for January.

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  31. ‘Southampton’s Dani Osvaldo has been handed a three-match ban with immediate effect and a £40,000 fine for misconduct related to the end of match brawl at St James’ Park, The FA also fined Newcastle United coach Andy Woodman, who was sent to the stands following the same incident. He was fined £1,250 and warned as to his future conduct after he admitted a charge of improper conduct.’
    Some serious punishment handed out then. It just looked like handbags at the time!

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  32. A rest is needed for some, i would like to see Jonas and Cisse start

    Elliot
    Santon, Mbiwa, Willo Haidara
    Obertan, tiote Anita, Jonas
    Ben Arfa
    Cisse

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  33. The match is on BeIn sports(formerly Al Jazeera) so there should be some streams kicking about 😉

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  36. Kim…Hop on a plane and ya can watch it at mine…bring some cans tho 😉

    Streams might/should turn up later as it’s defo on BeIn Sports…allegedly.

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  37. Richie, Would if I could mate 😆 , Looked on Bien sports can’t see us listed though , loads of links for the Arsenal cup game everywhere.
    Will keep searching later on ,got to go out now.

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  38. Kim…It’s on HD1 auld Richard Keys had tweeted that they were showing all FA Cup games.

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  41. Aaargh now Keys is saying not all games are on and it’s gone of the schedule(which ain’t very reliable anyway) so may not be any streams, will have to wait and see I guess 🙄 👿

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  42. RICHIE now make your mind up is it on or not your getting as bad as pardew never knowing what to do 😀 😀 😀

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  44. Ice 😆 It ain’t me, it’s that fecker Keys. He said they head the full schedule on the other day and someone just asked him if the Toon match was on and he said he didn’t know as he was off this weekend 🙄

    Dave…Hope so but there won’t be if it’s not broadcast overseas 😥 Al Jazeera just rebranded to BeIn Sports so they’re a bit all over the place at the moment with there schedule, they’ve added a lot more channels which are blank on the schedule so fingers crossed one of them will be showing it 😐

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  46. Was at the cricket today and wearing the toon shirt with pride. Saw one Mackem and about half a dozen toon tops.

    Shame the fucking cricketers are a bag of *****

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  49. Fine thanks mate, Xmas in Uk then back here for New Year with the inlaws(who just left this morning) so a couple of days chillin before I tackle the garden again.
    Hows you and yours especially the grandbairn?

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  50. i see pardew has allowed cabaye to return to france for a rest 🙄 oh-eye nowt in it like 😆 😆

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  51. RICHIE everything ok at moment,just waiting for hospital app,then over to malta for a while can go with the mrs now as we lost the dog 😥 baby is flying and has a toon outfit too 😀 careful with that garden mate its hard graft and a fultime job i know as i watch the mrs 😀

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  52. We’re not going to finish in the top four, we’re not going to finish top 6 and I reckon problem top ten is assured so se might as well go all out for the cup, but I guarantee Pards will rest a full team, we will go out and we’ll be left with another season complete fucking emptyness. But having said that the club have already said cups aren’t a priority so why are we bothered going…

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  55. Ice…Shame about the dog mate.
    Enjoy Malta with the young un

    Ref the garden 😆 …bloody weeds never stop growing owa here 👿

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  56. <<<<<<<<<<<<<< is still here waiting for Troys done deal for Luke De Jong
    😆 😆 😆 😆

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  58. Solid team fancy a win today.

    P.S Feel sorry for Jonas not a nice way for a good, honest servant of the club to be shown the door especially while fucking Oertan still continues to get in the matchday 18…

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