Just three days after our disappointing 2-0 defeat to Wolves, we face Walter Zenga’s side yet again in this EFL trophy third round clash.
In what was a subdued performance by Rafa’s men, tonight represents the perfect opportunity to take stock of what went wrong and take the necessary steps to correct it.
Team News
With squad rotation a must at this level, signs point to Benitez handing new striker Daryl Murphy a start in tonight’s match at SJP as well as defender Grant Hanley. How he intends to shoehorn the former into the starting line-up remains to be seen; fellow striker Dwight Gayle’s record in this competition (below) certainly isn’t to be grumbled at with the former Palace man netting 8 goals in 6 appearances during his career.
#Newcastle‘s Dwight Gayle’s #EFLCup career record:
Apps: 6
Goals: 8#NUFC #Wolves #wwfc— Goodbrand Stats (@StatsChristian) 20 September 2016
As is now common knowledge, full back Vurnon Anita will not appear in tonight’s game or indeed the trip to Villa or game against Norwich City after getting sent off in Saturday’s defeat.
Prediction
With Zenga’s men not bothering to head home after Saturday’s game with a return fixture just a couple of days later (correct me if I’m wrong), a prolonged stay in the north east capital could indeed unsettle tonight’s opponents.
With the presence of Murphy up top providing a much more direct outlet, and the likes of Hanley using tonight as a means of proving their worth to the gaffer, tonight we’re expecting the Magpies to bounce back from Saturday’s defeat with a comfortable 3-1 win in the return fixture.
Predicted Line-Up (4-4-2)
GK: Darlow
RB: Yedlin
CB: Hanley
CB: Lascelles
LB: Lazaar
RM: Ritchie
CM: Colback
CM: Hayden
LM: Atsu
CF: Murphy
CF: Gayle
Hmmm I seem to have stumbled onto a Palace site? how many weeks, months, years will Troy gan on and on about Pardew….pleeease ffs stfu ?
Not convinced we’ll walk it
Not convinced with Gayle on his Tod up front
Not convinced with Diame just behind Gayle
Not convinced with Sels.
Not convinced Mitro looks interested 😥
The one hope is we have a big squad. Once Norwich etc start loosing a few players they’ll be in trouble.
Gashley(Quote)
Gash: we have a solid and deep defense and Rafa is good at organising that. Boro got promoted on the back of the Championship’s stingiest defense last year. We just need a couple of the forwards to find their shooting boots – I don’t care which ones.
A bloody last minute equalizer after squandered chances and letting the other team back in it always puts people in a bad mood. If we win on Wednesday the mood will change again.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
See Troy had a couple of woppers wriggling on the line recently… same old same old…what a larf 🙂
Munich Mag(Quote)
Eric. I said we’d get 4 points from Villa and Norwich so its still on.
I reckon we could beat Norwich but I was also convinced we’d beat a poor Villa side, who in my opinion, wont be there-abouts come the end of the season. they are ****.
We missed so many chances. Diame had 2-3. Has he ever played in this role before?
These are the game we could look back on and regret…
Gashley(Quote)
What shocked me from the bits I saw yesterday was the way we just sat back and invited them to attack us in the second half.
Palace and the makkems would both batter this toon side, we are way off the pace, can’t even hack it in a decidedly average Championship…
Our strikers wouldn’t get a kick in the Premier League..
Munich Mag(Quote)
Pity Yedlin is injured, he seems to be one of our main attacking options… offers much more than Anita going forward…
Munich Mag(Quote)
was Colback injured? Picking Tiote over him suggests he was
Gashley(Quote)
Gash, I’m not convinced at all tbh…
Munich Mag(Quote)
why didn’t Atsu get a second half run out yesterday ?
Munich Mag(Quote)
Well it was a shitty way to end the game conceding so late on , 2 points dropped for sure. We were totally dominant first half and really ought to of got 2 more to put it to bed first half. We got the jitters second half and let them come at us far too much when we had controlled the midfield first half. It’s awful that Sels has had to close his twitter account due to abuse, that’s just ridiculous. It doesn’t alter the fact that he and Mitro, who really disappointed, were at fault for the equaliser. All Mitro had to do was clear the ball but he conceded the first corner which led to a second corner which led to their goal. Sels should of done much better for the goal but I would be looking at Mitro before him. And to think I thought he’d make a difference when he came on 😳
I can see Rafa offloading him in January for an upgrade if he doesn’t shape up. Why was Murphy not on the subs bench, was he injured ? Can’t help but think with his experience he could of made a difference yesterday. In the end it’s Villa and we always seem to come unstuck against them at their place.
I see no post match report is up then, oh well, off to cook the roast .
kimtoon(Quote)
September was always going to be the acid test: Brighton, Derby, QPR, Wolves, Villa & Norwich
We have 10 points with three more on offer on Wednesday, Scoring 11 conceding 3
Disappointing last 20 minutes yesterday but were in a decent position with kinder fixtures to come
CC(Quote)
Just watched the highlights, that tackle on Gayle in the first half was a stoner penalty imo.
Where was the defender on the post for the Villa goal, Gouffron bottled it in the air, and Sels was all over the place and had no idea where the ball was. Surely the coaches can get this sorted, these are goalkeeping basics at the end of the day !!
We have some muckle defenders in there, but Villa bossed us in the air in the second half.
Glad to see that Lascalles has wound his neck in and isn’t giving it so much large, when he has big strikers bouncing into him he struggles… there agin a lot of it is donw to the local reporters setting him up…
The reporters at the Chronny take the biscuit though, stupid reporting bigging up average players with daft and provoking comments which the majority of toon fans can’t relate to.
Munich Mag(Quote)
Kimtoon watch out you don’t burn the roast in your despair… 🙂
Munich Mag(Quote)
I love The Troysta. He boldly predicts that England will win the Euros and then when they inevitably crash and burn he says they let HIM down. Like his prediction had any validity in the first place! Just sayin’ because whenever he comes on here he always wants full explanations of anything anybody said ever, YCMIU.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
I read somewhere that Rafa tends to get the defensive side of things sorted, but struggles at the other end of the field. That Diame and Gayle miss yesterday was absolutely shocking if the truth be told. Diame’s miss in particular was absolutely rubbish… Gayle one on one with the goalie…poor…
Munich Mag(Quote)
It’s late today mate as I overslept, not good when Lew needs his meds an hour earlier 🙄 Was not a good nights sleep tbh, had an offer on a bungalow accepted yesterday and although I have to move and love the property, I feel sick at the thought of leaving my home of 26 years and all my good neighbours too. Mine goes on the market tomorrow gonna be a busy time of it.
kimtoon(Quote)
Eric divvent bite man, you know Troy has nowt to offer 🙂 ….fishy on the little dishy … 🙂
Munich Mag(Quote)
MM, Gayle had thought to walk it into the net when he should of just whacked it when he got it.
kimtoon(Quote)
Kimtoon, aye I can believe it mate. 26 years energy expended in your home is a lot, all that Lew has known probably. It’s all a state of mind too mate, you’ll find a way, a new start always costs a lot of energy, and a house move is one of the biggest choices you can make… It’s all for the better though !!
Munich Mag(Quote)
Kim, the chance when Gayle nicked the ball off Elphick, he just didn’t lift his head up, sweet strike but lacked composure at the deciding moment..
Munich Mag(Quote)
MM, Aye mate, I said yesterday that our composure needs working on, not just Gayle’s either. It’s a confidence thing really, look how well everyone collectively played once we got 2 in at QPR, they suddenly played with freedom and confidence. I think at home in particular they feel the weight of the crowd on them, which is odd as it should lift them by rights.
On the move, I’m dreading it, it will be horrendous with Lew to consider, gonna try for a weekday move when he’s at day centre if possible, so I don’t have to worry about meds and feeding him. Fingers crossed that he stays well too.
kimtoon(Quote)
Kimtoon, keep a clear head and expect the best, perhaps you’ll be surprised at the outcome ! ….I’m talking about the house move by the way 🙂
Munich Mag(Quote)
MM, 😆
kimtoon(Quote)
its easy mate just dont read his posts,i dont i just whizz past them
icedog(Quote)
Still no new article then ??.
Sharpy17(Quote)
bloody bad day when Toonsy sold up mate,sites gone to pot,imo there not bothered about the toon or fans,just a site to make a few quid 👿
icedog(Quote)
Ice, Starting to think that’s true too mate 🙁 I would do one but I’m up to my eyes in appointments this week and sorting out the house ready for viewings.
kimtoon(Quote)
Good luck with the house sale Kimtoon lass. Where will you move to then? I hope it’s a move that really works for you and Lew. All the best with it. Just moved twice in two years myself so I can relate to what you’re going through.
GeordieTwo(Quote)
hope Yedlins fit for Wednesday. the lads got tremendous pace. I think we need to see either Mitro and Gayle from the start or Gayle and Murphy
Drop Diame back to CM alongside Shelvey
I hardly ever click on this site now. its going down faster than the Scum 😀 Less articles = less viewers= less ppl replying to you = total lack of interest in visiting again….
Gashley(Quote)
Good luck with the house mate,remember a old sale ploy,one bidder is better than ten lookers-on 😆 😆
Icedog(Quote)
Why don’t you write and article Gashley mate? You seem up to it. It’s the way to get things started again. Shamrock where are you as well? We need top quality writers to get our juices flowing again!
GeordieTwo(Quote)
I was hoping to see a thread from over seas from someone called G2 😆 Ime sure you would be ace
Icedog(Quote)
Mind I think Darlo should be in the net,but what really makes me angry is the so called toon fans abusing Sels on Twitter it’s a disgrace
Icedog(Quote)
haha aye mate. There’s only a cpl of ppl that respond to me so I’m sure it’ll go down a treat 😆
tbh, its a bit cliquey on here now
Gashley(Quote)
there are numpties everywhere, a grown man punching a horse ffs. On the other hand how easy is it to create an account and pretend you’re a toon fan. As sad as it is, Footballers should know better than to have a public profile on twitter…
Gashley(Quote)
Problem is, less and less folk are coming on, it picked up a bit with a couple of new posters but has dropped off again. This thread has been up 5 days now. Now the owners may be away like last time this happened but they need to keep us in the loop or it looks like they aren’t arsed with us and just want the click on the no comment articles.
Sorry guys if you are reading but it needs saying .
kimtoon(Quote)
Anyone on social media leaves themselves open to this sort of ****, famous or not, it isn’t worth the bother imo. Why have people suddenly developed this need to get likes and people following them?, seems like a massive ego trip to me. So long as my family believe in me that’s all I care about personally. Where are their followers in times of desperation? they are just numbers on your profile, it’s so out of touch with the reality of the average persons existence in real life . Just my opinion but I have never felt the need to tell the world where I am and what I’m doing every second of the day or post pictures of my breakfast, lunch ,dinner. Idiots will abuse Sels cause they can, constructive critique is one thing, abuse quite another and they will harm his confidence which in turn harms the club they purport to love. If they had a brain they’d be dangerous.
kimtoon(Quote)
Ryder is saying that it is the coaching staff that are encouraging Selz to punch from corners, so it seems his natural instinct is to catch them or stay on his line. They have identified a weakness but do we want him sorting it out in games? I am in two minds on dropping him, it either shatters his confidence or gives him a breather to get used to England and the pace of the game which he himself has said he is finding difficult. Elliot cannot be that far off anyway and with anther fcking international break coming up I would expect him to be pressing immediately for the first team.
I am leaning towards bringing in Darlow because I think both he and Selz should be backups when Elliot is fit. So we would only be sitting Selz a few weeks early. I also know some fans don’t rate Elliot ( like my nephew), but I think they are crazy. He was player of the season on Uncle Ed’s blog and I know the consensus are not always right but in this case they agreed with me so they are right 🙂
PS: Elliot was maybe player of the season by default because the rest were **** or inconsistent.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
MM: I am not biting at anything with Troy. I had been waiting for him to come on to explain his England prediction. If he gets anything close to right he gloats for months but when he fails he disappears or doesn’t give a straight answer. It is no coincidence that after Pardew got a couple of wins that Troy comes out of his laundry basket with his super hero gear on with “Sooper Pards” emblazoned on the chest.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Eric, Elliot is my preferred choice too when fit.
kimtoon(Quote)
Ice – they certainly arrived with big ideas & promises – and even brought new writers for a short while. But it seems all those have disappeared & all that’s left are some tacky adverts.
I was more than happy to allow some bedding in time, and accepted that close season is quite & new and frequent articles would be unlikely.
But since the season have kicked off, we haven’t seen one game yet where there’s been a pre & post match article – that’s bad craic IMO.
If the lads have bitten off more than they can chew, I’d have more respect for them coming on and saying so – and I’m sure there would be willing volunteers to help out. But no articles & no posts – draw your own conclusion.
Sharpy17(Quote)
I see things are going great for West Ham at their new FREE stadium ?
Sharpy17(Quote)
Sharpy: I am glad you brought West Ham up because I am pissing myself laughing. The free stadium to odious owners was a joke. They put a 100 million price tag on a 30 year old Payet and are therefore totally delusional. He cannot win them all their games by himself either.
They keep going on about the academy and the West Ham way but they haven’t brought through a good player in more than 10 years (Carrick?) and haven’t played flowing, expansive football in about 15 or even 20 years. Their fans have shown recently that they are just as thuggish as the other East Enders.
I wanted them to fail because of the free stadium and condescending attitude about their way of football, with the bongo brothers being the cherry on top of a particularly unappetizing sundae.
They actually don’t have a very good team. This is who they played today: Adrian, Nordveit, Reid, Ogbonna, Arbeloa, Noble, Kouyate, Payet, Lanzini, Antonio, Zaza.
It is just a pity that the Mackems, Burnley and Hull will probably save them from relegation. I think they will be bottom 6 though.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Cannot stand the owners mate,right greedy sods,with their porn ****
Icedog(Quote)
Ice: they are living on that ’66 cliche/lie of them winning us the World Cup. That was 50 years ago.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
a draw or a defeat on Wednesday wouldnt be disastrous but it would be a kick in the teeth. Look at Brighton, flying then took a confidence hit after losing to us. Now theyre back in it. Look at Fulham, bottom 4 i think now. We’re only 3 points from 13th position.
Its a very long season and we need to show a bit more mettle to look worthy of the top positions..
The concern for me is there are a few teams that look more settled.
We look like we could concede goals, something Rafa has sorted but we still look vulnerable. Huddersfield, Fulham and Wolves play a similar system. Big blokes throwing their weight about..is this our weakness?
Gashley(Quote)
A lot of teams seem more settled than the toon, I reckon come the end of the season we’ll be relying on the playoffs to get back into the premier league. wheas thatll be a come down for a club of the resources of nufc it really is one step at a time, get back in the big league, take stock, and kick on from there. promotion at all costs, however at the moment we seem to be still missing a piece of the jigsaw.
Munich Mag(Quote)
If they stay clear of injuries Norwich will walk this league
Munich Mag(Quote)
MM: I can understand you saying Norwich will be one of the automatic promotion slots but who do you think will beat us to the other one? Rafa will get this right and we will kick on mate.
I suppose you are referring to a goalscorer as the missing piece. We should have bought Charlie Austin but if none of ours click, we can buy one in January.
BTW: Charlie Austin has to stop scoring. The tabloids can only us the headlines “Austin Powers Southampton to win” so many times, baby.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Should of loaned Tammy Abraham
kimtoon(Quote)
Eric, you could be right mate, surely one of the two promotion spots are ours. I wonder if this constant tinkering with Rafa is preventing a fixed 11 from establishing a consistency to bring us forward. Perhaps we need to be more patient, but I dont like to see us sitting back and letting the opposition dictate the game to us. I was disappointed how a poor Villa side bossed us big time for the last 30 minutes at the weekend, its as if we had a team wide lethargy and couldnt get the momentum going again. surely its not a question of our fitness levels, though often shelvey looks knackered just warming up !?
Munich Mag(Quote)
MM: Shelvey dictated play to Villa for 60 minutes and we should have put the game away. He had a really good game overall. We were by far the better team. However, Ayew was a menace and came more into it and we found him hard to deal with and gradually we let them in it.
You are too used to watching FC Bayern where they dominate from the first to last whistle. Normal matches have ebbs and flows and if you let a team off the hook they can gradually gain confidence and may punish you.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Rafa needs to rotate Gayle out of the squad altogether. And Diame stumbling around in a position he doesn’t understand. And with a natural no 10 in Perez sitting on the bench. Come on Rafa sort it out.
I’m saying nothing about Sels in case he’s reading.
Georgio(Quote)
Weird that we play Preston twice in.a row (cup and league) just like we did with wolves.
Shamrock(Quote)
Sels has now shut down his twitter account,you should have left him alone 😆 😆
icedog(Quote)
lets hope we get a better double result than the Wolves was
icedog(Quote)
Hey guys,
Nick is no longer involved with the running of the site (barely was anyway) and have been up to my eyes in my own personal stuff recently.
A couple of threads will be going up in prep for Wednesday night’s massive game. I appreciate the comments, there has been a lull recently but I’m now on top of it.
Andy The Magpie(Quote)
I think we can keep up with Norwich but the keeper issue has to be settled promptly. I would give Darlow the start against Norwich. Play Clark and Lascelles with Yedlin and Lazaar at the back. A midfield of Hayden, Diame and Gouffy. The number 10 goes to Shelvey. Murphy and Gayle to start up front. 4-3-1-2. Easily becomes 4-3-3 at home. Push them hard from the start but don’t fall into a defensive shell in the second half. Anybody who shirks gets replaced straight away.
GeordieTwo(Quote)
Glad to hear you’re in charge Andy by the way. 😀
GeordieTwo(Quote)
Also anybody who was abusing Sels on Twitter should be fonged immediately!
GeordieTwo(Quote)
its a disgrace mate,were they toon fans i ask??? have you wrote that thread yet for the blog 😆
icedog(Quote)
Adam Armstrong! Adam Armstrong!
He looks good to me!
Bring him back and play him in place of Perez. That should wake Perez up!
GeordieTwo(Quote)
bloody good of you big Al
http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/local/northdurham/14765516.Newcastle_legend_Alan_Shearer_offers_helping_hand_to_disabled_youngsters/?
icedog(Quote)
agree Ice, top lad is big Al
kimtoon(Quote)
Sharpy, Tom Page has sent this to you you;
Tom Page
September 26, 2016 at 13:39
For Sharpy17
”I’m just a lad that was raised in a pit village outside of the toon, went to a grammar school, served my apprenticeship at Vickers who were good enough to send me to Rutherford College in Bath Lane and then to Ncle University where I finished my engineering.
Then Vickers gave me a job in the drawing office before I moved on into the wide world of Tyneside in the 1940s following the War. I started my football interest at school, played for South Northumberland but wasn’t much good. Certainly not good enough to attract any scouts from any of the clubs, not even Hartlepool! Ah well, I’m no footballer, that’s for sure.
Funnily enough, from todays pint of view, my first visit to a football game was when I was taken by my Dad to Roker Park, Sunderland. He was a railway worker during the week but on a Saturday he had permission from my Mam to go to the match. So he had a ticket at St. James’ Park as well as a seat at Roker Park, so could go to see Newcastle one week and Sunderland the next!
In 1946 we both went to Ellend Road, Leeds to see Newcastle play Charlton Athletic and my favourite player was to play, Charlie Wayman, Newcastle’s No. 9. However, the board dropped Charlie and played a new bloke they had signed, I think the day before. He was called George Stobbart. He went on to be a reasonable player but on that day he rarely gat a kick of the ball and we got stuffed 4-0. I came home devastated, no Charlie Wayman, their player Don Welch getting a hat-trick and my team out of the semi-final of the Cup, all in one afternoon!
So Charlton went to Wembley to play Derby County, who had a magnificent football team. From Vic Woodley in goal, Leon Luety, centre half, to a forward line boasting three wonderful Internationals. Centre forward, Jack Stamp of England, Raich Carter of England and the magnificent Irish International, Peter Doherty. What a team they were! Unfortunately for Charlton, Derby turned on the heat winning 1-0 with a goal from the Derby winger, Chris Duffy and so Derby were the winning team that year.
Their first game of the next season was at Roker Park, the former team of England’s Raich Carter. My Dad took me to see them believing, for the first Cup winners after the War, that they would parade around Roker with the Cup we had just missed out on. Unfortunately, they didn’t but I did get to see those wonderful footballers of the 1940s. For the record, I think, Derby won 2–0, with one scored by the former Sunderland idol. That’s football for you!”
Shamrock(Quote)
I’m really disappointed by Perez and Mitro so far. Let’s look at the stats shall we?
Mitovic: 1 goal, 1 assist, 111 minutes played
Perez: 1 goal, 1 assist, 473 minutes played! weak in all categories according to whoscored.com! Wtf???
GeordieTwo(Quote)
Get Armstrong back Rafa mate! This Perez has become a joke!!!
GeordieTwo(Quote)
Sorry I haven’t managed to contribute much to the site recently all. I was busy with my little lad’s 1st birthday and more recently I’ve got no machine as laptop is in for repair. I’ll get some articles written as soon as I can. Gutted we didn’t take our chances against Villa, a 2nd would have killed them off. Big game on Wed night now but imagine what a win would do for us!
SRF(Quote)
Tom, yet another interesting tale, keep em coming mate 🙂
Kimtoon(Quote)
For those who have/are about to write off Wednesday’s game: you have to realise this is Newcastle United. Most away goals scored in 50 years at QPR; lose 2-0 at home to Wolves.
Rafa wants consistency. Will he be able to change the habits of several lifetimes?
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Tom – you are a True Geordie mate. You could have only been a miner, shipyard worker or Vickers man.
I thoroughly enjoy reading what you write mate. I’m sure you’ve had your ups & downs and you’ve seen good & bad at SJP – but you always write so warmly – the words of a man who appears to have enjoyed life (I truly hope that’s the case).
My first experience at a football match was also Roker Park as my dad is a Sunderland fan born & raised in Felling. Fortunately my mam was a Benwell lass so my Uncles & Cousins saved me. Not that I needed much saving like, I only went to Roker once when they played Oldham & Sunderland got turned over – the atmosphere was so flat as a result.
Not long after my uncle & cousin balanced it out with a trip to SJP – and no surprise, Newcastle also got beat – but the atmosphere was absolutely electric!!. As daft as it sounds, but every time I visit SJP I almost seem to become that blown away kid again.
Sharpy17(Quote)
I didn’t realise the Mackem’s were in such bad shape financially as well as on the football field. This is from The Guardian on Monday and written by Uber-Mackem Louise Taylor:
“They have failed to post a profit since 2006, recording pre-tax losses totalling £170m over the past nine years. The latest one – registered for the financial year ending summer 2015 – was £25m. Perhaps significantly, the only top-tier clubs to produce worse figures were the subsequently relegated Aston Villa and QPR.
Indeed, he (Ellis Short, The Club’s American Owner) has poured £160m of his own money into Sunderland, capitalising £100m which dictates that latter sum can be recouped only if he achieves a certain sale price. Not that consortiums are queuing up to buy a concern where the last registered wages/turnover ratio was an extremely unhealthy 76%”
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Here’s a “fun fact”: only Laselles and Dummett started against Villa on Saturday of the 11 that drew 0-0 at the back end of last season.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
i think big Sam could end up getting the bullet over him fiddling,bloody crook
icedog(Quote)
Ice: guess who the favourite is to get the England job if Fat Sam gets sacked? Please God no. Troysta would justify Pards being a great manager at NUFC next time England beat San Moreno or Gibraltar 2-0. And I would hate the international breaks even more than I do now.
Eric Sykes(Quote)