Newcastle saw off Scunthorpe 2-1 after extra time in the last round whilst Nottingham Forest – coached by former England manager Steve McClaren – comfortably saw off Wycombe Wanderers at Adams Park in Round Two of the competition.
The last time the two sides met on the banks of the River Trent was in the Championship season. The result favoured the Tricky Trees on that occasion as Newcastle failed to even show up. Not being big headed or anything, but the best sight in a Newcastle shirt that night was arguably when I made it onto Sky TV.
That game was a one off however and it was Newcastle who had the last laugh in the end as they beat Forest 2-0 at St James’ Park in the game that effectively sealed our promotion back to the Premier League at the first time of asking.
A lot of water has passed under the bridge since then however. Forest failed to build on the promotion challenge they managed to put together that season and kissed goodbye to the manager who took them so close to the Premier League promised land. Both Billy Davies and now Steve McClaren have been critical of the clubs transfer policy (sound familiar?) and now the club are languishing in the lower reaches of the Championship after a disastrous start.
In contrast Newcastle managed to survive their first season back in the Premier League and gained some fantastic results along the way. The start to this season has been fantastic in terms of points even though the performances have been left wanting at times. Newcastle currently occupy a space in the heady heights of the Champions League places. It won’t last but I’ll enjoy it while it does!
Nottingham Forest
Chris Cohen will miss the match this evening due to the injury sustained against Derby at the weekend. Paul Anderson, Gareth McCleary, George Boateng and Dexter Blackstock will also be missing through injury.
Forest lost the East Midlands derby against fierce rivals Derby County at the weekend. Despite playing against ten men for the bulk of the match they somehow managed to lose the game from a winning position in front of their own fans. The team they lined up with looked like this:
Lee Camp, Luke Chambers, Wes Morgan, Chris Cohen, Chris Gunter, Andy Reid, Jonathan Greening, Guy Moussi, Radoslaw Majewski, Matt Derbyshire, Ishmael Miller.
My reaction, not really knowing too much about the Forest team, is that it looks better than their league form suggests.
Newcastle
Alan Pardew will be without Dan Gosling, Alan Smith, Mike Williamson and Haris Vuckic for the trip to the East Midlands. Mehdi Abeid is back in training and is touch and go for the match but the big news has to be the likely return of Hatem Ben Arfa although it’s a return that is likely to be made from the substitutes bench.
It seems as though every time a Cup game comes along we have a discussion about team strength. Some want to name the strongest side possible with the hope of actually winning the **** thing whilst others are cautious about picking up injuries which could impact on our league form, especially with the lack of cover we have in certain areas of the pitch.
I happen to think there is room for compromise. On one had there are players who simply have to play because we have no other option. Then there are others who d have cover and have players behind them who have been impressing when given the chance. Players like Sammy Ameobi deserve a start in my opinion due to their limited appearances in the Premier League. If you can’t play them from the start now then when are you going to do it?
My team would look something like this:
Tim Krul, Ryan Taylor, Steven Taylor, Fabricio Coloccini, Shane Ferguson, Gabriel Obertan, Cheik Tiote, Danny Guthrie, Sammy Ameobi, Demba Ba, Shola Ameobi.
I’d then bring on players like Hatem Ben Arfa and Mehdi Abeid (if fit enough) from the bench. To me that team gives players who need the games another chance to get up to speed and also caters for those who have impressed in brief appearances by rewarding them with a greater role from the start.
Fun facts and stats
Nottingham Forest are unbeaten in the last four cup meetings between the two sides.
The last time Forest knocked a top flight team out of the League Cup was back in 1993.
The only ever League Cup meeting between the two sides ended in a 3-0 victory to Newcastle back in the 1974/1975 season.
Newcastle are yet to score a goal in the first half of a game this season.
I never get too confident when it comes to Newcastle. I’ve been kicked in the balls enough by the club I love to know different. Forest will be up for this and will be looking to atone for the disappointing result at the weekend by taking the scalp of a Premier League team in front of their own fans.
There will be a winner tonight. Whether it takes extra time and penalties there will be an outcome one way or the other. Hopefully it’s in our favour although there is most definitely a “banana skin” feel to the particular tie.
Howay the lads!
Date: Tuesday, 20th September, 2011
Kick-off: 7:45pm
Venue: The City Ground, Nottingham
Not feeling too confident tonight.
Hope we don’t play much of the first team though. We showed last season that one injury/suspension from these sort of games could ruin our season. Tiote was out for 3-4 games after getting sent off at Stevenage. Our kids/bench players should have enough.
CHRIS11(Quote)
Pardew has said Elliot will start.
Does anybody know what is really going on with Steve Harper? Is it that Pardew doesn’t really rate him?
GS(Quote)
Is there no TV or radio coverage of this game at all.. thats shocking, no wonder teams & fans aren’t bothered about the League Cup anymore, as they’re all expected to pay to watch it but away fans can’t get to the game… 🙁
Toon69(Quote)
For the game I think we might see
……………Krul
Rtayls…Perch…Collo…Fergie
Obertan…..Guthrie…Tiote….Marveux
……………..Ba….Loven
I think Oba will start as he is still not at match fitness and Sammy will come on for him at some stage. Whichever striker is looking crud will be replaced by Hatem and Shola will probably get a run out. It does make you realise we are fairly short of backs as I dont know if Kadar is fit.
.
…
Charlietoon(Quote)
Off thread, sorry, but just seen the bollox thats been daubed on the east stand. Ashley, you are a fookin disgrace.
Porciestreet(Quote)
Don’t know if it will show or not, but MYP2P is showing a stream available tonight. good luck chaps.
Porciestreet(Quote)
i think it will be a brusing encounter with us coming out on top if we play toite and guthrie in the middle. Krul wont play of course. Arfa to come on in the second half and with luck get through it without getting hacked down adn spending another year out on the sidelines. 0-2 the toon.
craig chisholm(Quote)
My step dad was a Forest fan growing up but described himself as a born again Geordie. He would have loved this tie.
Lacedaemonian(Quote)
I hope we come away with a win but more importantly, no injuries to any first team players….
Aussie Magpie Fan(Quote)
I have very few good memories of Coca Cola cup ties and am finding it difficult to be enthusiastic for this one. I hoped to see a bit of Ben Arfa and a couple of the kids though
Lacedaemonian(Quote)
Marveaux will start this game and so he should
M(Quote)
This game has banana skin written all over it! Hope the lads are up for the game and we put out a strong enough side
Johno Toon(Quote)
This will be a very tough game despite Forest’s poor start to the season. No doubt big Mac will have his team fired up for the game and they’ll be looking to claim a premier league scalp. However I feel even with a few of our fringe players and youngsters in the team, we have enough to get through. I’d personally go for the following team.
Elliot
Simpson Perch Taylor(c) Ferguson
R. Taylor Guthrie Cabaye Marveux
Best Lovenkrands
Surely there is enough quality in the team above to see off forest but it’s important we don’t take the game too lightly. I’m off to the game tonight so hopefully it’ll be a cracker!
Mihesh(Quote)
I’ve got a feeling we’ll have a good game tonight. There is such a strong contingent of fringe players at the moment, and I get the feeling that the will to break into the main team is huge among them so we’ll see 100% from those getting the nod.
I wish Vukic was fit; this is tailor-made for him. Gosling is touch and go with a groin strain, I believe, but I’d like to see him and Guthrie start in the middle. Marv and Fergie on the wings, at least to start; not sure how good Marv is on the right, or even if it’s an option for him. Fergie’s been brilliant on the LW every time I’ve seen him there.
That means Perch (yes, I know – but what do you want – pay his wages but never play him?) at LB and I suppose if Kadar’s crocked it’s the usual Colo-Saylor-Simmo back line.
Strikers… um… Sammy and Loven to start, I think. Then sub the latter with Benny and go 4-4-1-1.
Simples.
Whumpie(Quote)
Typical…2 weeks after I move from Nottingham to Newcastle they play at the city ground
witters(Quote)
Witters thats the luck of the draw,
Still say field a strong team to win this.
Big Dave(Quote)
Looking forward to see Barfa, as I’m sure there’ll be a few streams kicking about, but Pardew’s words give me cause for concern…..
..”This is a bit early for him but he needs a game. I know he’s a player that can reach heights that other players can’t reach.”
I just hope we’re not rushing him back. again.
..”last time Forest knocked a top flight team out of the League Cup was back in 1993.”
hahaha, oh dear.
Last time we played them was in a friendly in 2002, they battered us 3-1. Our squad was:
Given
Hughes
Dabizas
Bramble
Bernard
Solano
Dyer
Speed
Viana
Shearer
LuaLua
….apart from Big Al and Nobby, our squad looks better now than then, and we were a Champions League side!!
Rodzilla(Quote)
Match not on the telly here, and I’m buggered if I’m going to get up at 4.30am to watch it on twitter. This is one time I’ll get my beauty sleep and read about the game in the morning.
But I wouldn’t mind betting my internal clock will wake me at kick off time and I’ll toss and turn until I get up and search the internet for some sort of coverage.
Never predict a Newcastle result. After 50 years of watching the lads you learn to go with the flow. HWTL.
Brisvegas(Quote)
Rodz: had a lot of time for Given and Speed as well. I always liked people Given me Speed. 😎
Brisvegas(Quote)
God that was Dyer. 🙄
Brisvegas(Quote)
Indeed Bris, I used to have a lot of time for Gary too in the heady 90s.
@18, you’re actually older than me you ancient ******! Just stay up til 6am man, you lightweight! 🙂
Rodzilla(Quote)
Toonsy, in light of the board’s ramblings about us not being the club we were when playing Champions League football, how about an article comparing our squad now to how it was when we were in the Champions League, ’97 and 2002? Just a thought. Although our current first 11 looks pretty competent now, our squad numbers are way smaller. Could provoke interesting debate, and drag up a nice bit of nostalgia? Nowt wrang with a bit of dreaming anyway.
Rodzilla(Quote)
a banana skin… weird bc I happened to grab a banana for breakfast this morning. I might have a banana for breakfast once every 3 months lol. great, I hate omens.
OHurley(Quote)
Rodz, what’s up matey?
OHurley(Quote)
Hey what time is the game this evening?
OHurley(Quote)
alreet Hurls, how’s it hanging? I’ve been on the other thread. 7:45 KO I think. Doubt there’ll be any streams anywhere but here’s hoping!
Rodzilla(Quote)
….gotta go anyway, hoos is a mess. Be back on later……….
Rodzilla(Quote)