Blackburn 2-4 Newcastle: Debut goals, disastrous injuries & late drama – but we’re through!

In a game where we saw special moments for our local lads, several untimely injuries and extra time in a game we could’ve done without, late goals from Joselu and Ayoze Perez finally sent us into the 4th round of the FA Cup!

A much needed win, a confidence boost for the group and rare enjoyable moments for us supporters, but it’s come at a cost with Ciaran Clark and Jamaal Lascelles forced off through injury – although it feels only right to focus on the positives when we get through to the 4th round of the cup.

To see both Longstaff and Roberts bag their first senior goals for the club was a special moment, with the U-23 pair performing well after being given a big chance to impress by Rafa Benitez.

Roberts took his goal well and showed promise in patches, but Longstaff was the U-23 addition that stood out yet again for me. He ran himself into the ground, showed real maturity and quality on the ball and got stuck in from the first moment until the last, with him lasting the entire 120 minutes superbly.

Schar was also a class act and as good as anyone out there in black and white tonight, showing his ability to play as a holding midfielder in the first half with his impressive range of passing there for all to see once again. Murphy and Joselu showed a worrying lack of quality once again, but in their defence the former chipped in with an assist for our second and the latter got our all important third to see us through in extra time.

Here’s Perez’s emphatic finish to make it 4-2 – a goal that sealed our place in the 4th round in extra time:

The focus now is on Cardiff this weekend, and although tonight’s win is a step in the right direction, it’s a victory that’s come at a cost.

Our squad already looked threadbare as it is, with Ki and Muto away at the Asian Cup and Diame, Kenedy, Dummett and Shelvey already injured, so to lose Lascelles and Clark is a blow Benitez could’ve done without – especially when there were so many others who went down with knocks during the game.

A long night full of highs and lows but one that’s ended in a well deserved win – although injuries really are mounting up now.

Time to back Rafa, Mike. We’ve done our bit on the pitch, now it’s time to do yours off it.

(Fancy writing for us? Send any articles/ideas over to us at [email protected] & we’ll get back to you!)

About Olly Hawkins

As a Junior Magpie since birth and season ticket holder, I eat, sleep and breathe all things NUFC! Here at the blog, I aim to bring you news, views, match reports and transfer exclusives as and when I get them.

54 thoughts on “Blackburn 2-4 Newcastle: Debut goals, disastrous injuries & late drama – but we’re through!

  1. I’m hoping this win makes us push on but to see so many injuries now really worries me. That game was a game we could of done without tbh, and the extra time doesn’t help.
    Oh well ,just got to hope we can pull a rabbit out the hat now.
    Longstaff was motm, bl oody lovely display from him , Roberts too .
    Schar coped well but not wholly convinced if i’m honest.

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  2. It’s always good to win, but when you’re 2-0 up so early on, it was disappointing to have to drag it through ET. If I’m being honest and fair, I think Bburn were the better team on the night and had Dack put his chance away it would have won the game I think.

    What pleased me more than the win was seeing 4 young uns getting game time last night. Woodman still looked a little shaky, but was better than the first game.
    Sterry for me has the potential to be better than Yedlin – I think he’s better defensively.
    Roberts done really well and I’m so pleased he was able to take his chance – good finish getting in front of his defender like that. He looked more of a goal threat than Kenedy or Atsu.
    But Longstaff is a young player I’ve been very impressed with in the last few games. I think he definitely has what it takes to step up to the first team. Both Ki and Diame are older players and Hayden wants away, so I would hope there is definitely a place for him to progress to.

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  3. I urge Rafa to drop Joselu now.

    There were a few sub standard performances out there last night – Manquillo was in effective, Murphy is a one trick pony – run with the ball, slow down as the opponent closes him down then tries to speed up again going for the line – so predictable, he made it easy for the defenders.
    But Joselu ??‍♂️. I have never seen a more anonymous display!!. He offered nothing – to the point I would have swapped him for Danny Graham last night.

    Rafa has to call time on him now. He’s not creative and he offers no goal threat – unless he’s offside.

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  4. The two kids were great last night although Roberts tired and faded. Isn’t he more of a winger though? Murphy was rubbish along with Joselu AGAIN. Why does Rafa keep playing them.
    There’s a lot being made of the injuries but with Lejeune coming in alongside Fernandez we haven’t really lost a lot (for now). Schar and Longstaff in midfield?

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  5. I liked the idea of Rafa trying Schar as the holding midfielder – but I don’t think it’s a possession that comes natural to him, so he was bound to be a bit shaky. He’s a good footballer and has a good pass on him – I think he’s best suited in a back 3, coz I’m not sure he has the discipline to be in a 2 man CB partnership.
    I find him a bit similar to David Luiz – he can look a real classy player, but defo has a fault in him.

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  6. Sharpy17:
    I liked the idea of Rafa trying Schar as the holding midfielder – but I don’t think it’s a possession that comes natural to him, so he was bound to be a bit shaky.He’s a good footballer and has a good pass on him – I think he’s best suited in a back 3, coz I’m not sure he has the discipline to be in a 2 man CB partnership.

    I find him a bit similar to David Luiz – he can look a real classy player, but defo has a fault in him.

    Agree, that’s why i said i’m not convinced. worth trying as an experiment but not totally convinced as not his natural position.
    Class act at the back though.

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  7. KIMTOON: Agree, that’s why i said i’m not convinced. worth trying as an experiment but not totally convinced as not his natural position.
    Class act at the back though.

    agree with that mate

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  8. You’ve really got to wonder what Rafa sees in Joselu that nobody else does.
    A bit like Lee Ryder making Murphy MOTM.

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  9. icedog:
    imo Woodman is a long way off the standard required from his last two showings

    Got to agree Ice, not living up to the hype. Needs to be out on loan.

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  10. People keep saying Ashley is a reluctant seller, and whilst I have no reason to doubt it (in fact I think it’s the most likely reason), it does make me wonder why we have heard nothing from the potential buyers?!.
    I mean, if they are sat with the £300m, ready to go, why have they not gone public like Staveley did last year???.
    If they know they meet the criteria at their end and they have money ready to spend in January – why not come out and say it?.
    The wall of silence from any takeover party worries me and inevitably fuels doubt and speculation in everyone.

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  11. georgio:
    You’ve really got to wonder what Rafa sees in Joselu that nobody else does.
    A bit like Lee Ryder making Murphy MOTM.

    Do you really want to get me started on Wor Lee?

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  12. Sharpy, i would realistically expect an announcement anytime now on the future of the club.
    Fully expecting the following- Kenyon’s interest to be confirmed but that he will revisit his desire to buy us in the summer once our status is known .
    If in fact that does happen i think his stature in the wider football field will of been damaged just as Staveley’s was.
    It’s abundantly clear that if there was/is any desire by Kenyon, he hasn’t got the funding and neither have any of the other supposed 3 investors that were alluded to by jabbas PR team.
    Mick Quinn has stated that Ashley makes it very difficult for buyers to buy us and the latest revelations from Jiminez about the bar disturbance and anti islam stuff means we will likely never attract interest from that neck of the woods, so we can rule out any rumours of potential buyers from there.
    American backed interest would seem the most likely outcome, but they won’t touch a relegation threatened club or a club as run down as we currently are imo.
    In the end , we have a reluctant seller, if my house is not selling after 8 years of supposedly trying then i’m going to ask the agents why and what can i do to shift it ? Do it up , fix and repair or significantly lower my price to allow new owner to do it , not rocket science .

    He has zero intention to sell but it gives him a reason not to invest by saying he wants to.

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  13. As well as the £18m forward Cardiff are on the verge of signing, they also have Niasse from Everton having a medical.
    I know he isn’t world class, but he’s a far bigger goal threat than Joselu – and his goals could be the difference between them and us.

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  14. We will be relegated, he will loan us enough to get back up so he can continue to advertise his tat globally and saddle us with yet more debt from his self inflicted mismanagement of us.
    I hope it backfires spectacularly and we drop again and it wipes him out to the point he has to sell up or face ruin. It will be worth it in the long run, we will come back eventually and one day he will be nothing more than a bad memory.

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  15. Sharpy17:
    As well as the £18m forward Cardiff are on the verge of signing, they also have Niasse from Everton having a medical.
    I know he isn’t world class, but he’s a far bigger goal threat than Joselu – and his goals could be the difference between them and us.

    Aye, fair play to Cardiff, but we can’t and won’t compete with them

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  16. KIMTOON: Got to agree Ice, not living up to the hype. Needs to be out on loan.

    I said a couple of times that he was shyte at that England Toulouse tournament. And that Elliot is better. Woodman is now 3rd choice for the England under 21s.

    The hype is because his dad is the goalkeeper coach at Arsenal and at NUFC before that.

    He is shyte though,

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  17. KIMTOON:
    Sharpy, i would realistically expect an announcement anytime now on the future of the club.
    Fully expecting the following- Kenyon’s interest to be confirmed but that he will revisit his desire to buy us in the summer once our status is known .
    If in fact that does happen i think his stature in the wider football field will of been damaged just as Staveley’s was.
    It’s abundantly clear that if there was/is any desire by Kenyon, he hasn’t got the funding and neither have any of the other supposed 3 investors that were alluded to by jabbas PR team.
    Mick Quinn has stated that Ashley makes it very difficult for buyers to buy us and the latest revelations from Jiminez about the bar disturbance and anti islam stuff means we will likely never attract interest from that neck of the woods, so we can rule out any rumours of potential buyers from there.
    American backed interest would seem the most likely outcome, but they won’t touch a relegation threatened club or a club as run down as we currently are imo.
    In the end , we have a reluctant seller, if my house is not selling after 8 years of supposedly trying then i’m going to ask the agents why and what can i do to shift it ? Do it up , fix and repair or significantly lower my price to allow new owner to do it , not rocket science .

    He has zero intention to sell but it gives him a reason not to invest by saying he wants to.

    Kim – I simply don’t believe Micky Quinn has the first clue about what goes on backstage at NUFC. It was maybe 25yrs ago he was there and I don’t believe he even has any contacts at the club.
    These stories of Ashley in Dubai happened 10yrs ago, and certainly aren’t needed to understand the measure of the man.

    But, if Kenyon was a PR stunt, why would he have not come out and said he has no real interest in buying NUFC – as you say, the longer this drags on the greater damage it does to his reputation too.

    Selling a house is different, in that you would likely have your house up for sale because you have a desire to relocate – your desire to sell the house would like be greater than that of the person looking to buy – but with businesses it’s the opposite (generally speaking). You can also generally sell a business without the need to replace it – whereas a house you tend to need an immediate replacement – the urgency to sell a business isn’t as great. There’s is also a lot more connected to the sale of a business – the staff that goes with it, existing contracts with other companies connected. I’m pretty sure if it was just a case of give me £300m and he could walk away, it would be easier. I think Ashley is an inactive seller, or not desperately in need of the sale and that is different to reluctant imo.
    The price has not changed since Staveley wanted to buy it (as far as I am aware). Kenyon would have known he would need in the region of £300m to buy NUFC, and yet it seems he did not have funds or backing in place before making the approach – and now appears to be struggling to get that backing – was it ever a realistic proposal from him?!. If he is struggling to raise the funds to buy the club, how much will be available for transfers?!.

    I am by no means defending Ashley, because until it is sold, it is still his club and he should be ensuring Rafa gets what he needs to keep NUFC a PL club. If you want to sell at a specific price, you have to maintain its value.
    But it takes 2 parties for the club to sell, and I don’t see Kenyon stood at the gates of SJP with a cheque for £300m.

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  18. Woodman is too slight. He needs to bulk up and be more physical in the box. He is a good shot stopper and Elliott is now long in the past.

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  19. KIMTOON: Aye, fair play to Cardiff, but we can’t and won’t compete with them

    Kim – Rafa needs to cut short Kenedys loan deal. As it stands right now I would loan Niasse over Kenedy, but he can’t coz Kenedy holds one of those loan places.

    Send Kenedy back and move Roberts up to the first team squad. I know he’s very inexperienced, but his determination and desire to play for NUFC would be worth far more than a disinterested Kenedy.
    As this season progresses and we get further into a relegation battle, Kenedy will care even less imo, coz he knows he won’t be at NUFC anyway – so why ran that bit further or try that bit harder. That’s the risk with loan players.

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  20. Sharpy, if you listen to all Ashley’s supporters , he’s had enough and wants it sold. He also wants to take back control of SD and get his hands on Debenhams completely. To that end he needs ready cash, which he tells us he doesn’t have as it’s all ‘ wallpaper’ so you would assume is desperate to sale which would not make him an inactive seller. The house analogy still stands up imo, whether it’s your house or business, if it’s on the market for over 8 years then something is clearly wrong with your property /business or asking price/conditions. Other clubs have been sold much easier and quicker than us and i might add with out a load of publicity and hullabulu like ours is seemingly going through.

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  21. if jabba gets jailed over this insult carry on will he then be classed as a unfit to run a PL club,would love to think so

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  22. KIMTOON:
    Sharpy, if you listen to all Ashley’ssupporters , he’s had enough and wants it sold. He also wants to take back control of SD and get his hands on Debenhams completely. To that end he needs ready cash, which he tells us he doesn’t have as it’s all ‘ wallpaper’ so you would assume is desperate to sale which would not make him an inactive seller. The house analogy still stands up imo, whether it’s your house or business, if it’s on the market for over 8 years then something is clearly wrong with your property /business or asking price/conditions. Other clubs have been sold much easier and quicker than us and i might add with out a load of publicity and hullabulu like ours is seemingly going through.

    Kim – I think it’s clear by his actions of buying up the high street where his priorities are.
    Like I say, I’m not defending or excusing him one bit. But Kenyon does not seem to be the buyer we all may have hoped he would be – he certainly doesn’t seem to have a the money in place.

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  23. icedog:
    if jabba gets jailed over this insult carry on will he then be classed as a unfit to run a PL club,would love to think so

    God i do hope so, can you imagine him in a jail over there.

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  24. Sharpy17: Kim – I think it’s clear by his actions of buying up the high street where his priorities are.
    Like I say, I’m not defending or excusing him one bit.But Kenyon does not seem to be the buyer we all may have hoped he would be – he certainly doesn’t seem to have a the money in place.

    Yeah mate, he don’t look a good fit right now and seems to of fallen off the face of the earth too, no one knows where he is !
    All really odd, he is a friend of Ashley apparently, could it all be a ruse , could Ash have something on him ? honestly, all these stories about him being short of the money , it’s making him look rank amateur . Like Staveley all over again, people say she couldn’t speak out because of NDA yet it didn’t stop jabba bad mouthing her, and no reply from her either.

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  25. I think it will be 3-1 to NUFC on Saturday. Now for the worst Sunderland team of all time:

    Little Jimmy Krankie (Jordan Pickford)

    Eamon Dunphy Anton Ferdinand Phil Bardsley

    Peter Reid Jack Rodwell

    Jonny Bell-End Adam Johnson

    Roker Parks El Radji Dioff Michael Chopra

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  26. You probably don’t know who Rosa Parks was. A civil rights activist who wouldn’t move to the back of the bus in Alabama.

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  27. Eric Sykes:
    You probably don’t know who Rosa Parks was. A civil rights activist who wouldn’t move to the back of the bus in Alabama.

    yep, i know who she was.

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  28. Monday January 21 is officially the most depressing day of the year ( I know I have mentioned it before). So, I am trying to cheer myself up by thinking at least we are not Sunderland.

    Best football song ever:

    Cheer up Peter Reid, you’ve got a Monkey’s Heed. And a **** Football Team.

    Worst football song ever:

    Oh When the Spurs go Marching In.

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  29. We’ve got Joselu… We’ve got Joselu… He’s got 3 goals and not just 2. But he doesn’t sing Rigolettoo.

    We’ve got Joselu. Thank God we’ve got one and not two.

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  30. Tiger, tiger burning bright
    In the forests of the night
    What immortal hand or eye
    Could frame that fearful Joselu.

    In what distant deeps or skies
    Burnt the fire in your sleepy eyes.

    And what wonder will we be told
    About the bucketful of missed goals

    Tiger, tiger burning bright
    We all know that you are shyte.

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  31. The quality of Mercy is not stained

    It droppeth like a like he gentle Joselu shot from heaven for the opposition.

    It is twice blest. It besseth Cardiff City and Southampton.

    It Blesseth him that giveth (Rafa) and him that takes (Warnock).

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  32. I wandered lonely as a cloud
    That floats o’er hills and dafodils
    When all at once I saw a NUFC player miss another sitter
    A host of golden Joselus.

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  33. Eric Sykes:
    I wandered lonely as a cloud
    That floats o’er hills and dafodils
    When all at once I saw a NUFC player miss another sitter
    A host of golden Joselus.

    best one 😆

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  34. Ode To Joselu;

    My idle days?
    Rife was my drowsy Joselu home
    The blissful clout of summer indolence
    Benumbed my eyes, my pulse grew less and less
    Pain had no sting

    Unhauted quite of all but – nothingness, JOSELU.

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  35. That’s enough poetry Eric. The Sad Eyed clown needs Opera. What’s the one with the clown?

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