And that proved to be that case as Alan Pardew’s men succumbed to a 3-1 defeat at the Etihad this afternoon.
The victory for Mancini’s men came courtesy of penalties from Mario Balotelli and Sergio Aguero sandwiched either side of a smart finish from Micah Richards before a late Dan Gosling consolation put some gloss on the scoreline for the visitors.
Personally I never expected us to get anything from the game today. Being blunt, far better teams will go to Manchester City and get beat far more convincingly this season so there is no shame in getting beat by a team that I envisage will be Champions come the end of the season. What impressed me the most however is that it could have been oh so different on another day.
With injuries mounting up for Alan Pardew there were some question marks over his team selection. Would we change formation? Would we play Ben Arfa? Who would fill in for Gabriel Obertan and Sylvain Marveaux? The answers were yes sort of, yes, and Sammy Ameobi who was afforded his full Premier League debut.
We lined up in kind of a 4-4-1-1 formation with Ben Arfa being the man ‘in the hole’ on the ground where his Newcastle career came to a shuddering halt just over a year ago. As it happens he showed signs of getting back to his best and worked diligently for the team.
Anyway, moving on to the match…
The hosts started off brightly and kept possession well although they were unable to do a lot with it. In my mind there was only a couple of scares, with one being from a header from Balotelli that was smartly saved by Tim Krul and another from a quick turn and shot which Sergio Aguero blazed over the bar.
Newcastle defended from the front and gradually felt their way into the game. They could have even took the lead against the general run of play courtesy of Demba Ba who saw his shot saved after fine work from Hatem Ben Arfa. Ba went close again a few minutes later glancing a free header wide from a Yohan Cabaye corner.
From then on it all went wrong for Newcastle, and Ryan Taylor in particular. First a penalty was awarded against him after Yaya Toure’s shot hit his flailing arm. Mario Balotelli stepped up and calmly slotted the ball past Krul. Then, just four minutes later, he lost his balance trying to take the ball from Micah Richards and tied himself in a knot (not literally) allowing Richards a free strike at goal which he stroked home.
The annoying thing for me was the timing of the goals. We’d just started getting a grip of the game and were dealt two blows in quick succession. At 0-0, or even 1-0, it was salvageable. At 2-0 it was a tall order.
One of the things that typifies this Newcastle team though is their ability to not give up no matter what odds are stacked against them. That proved to be the case in the second half as they came out and gave it a bit of a go looking neat with possession and looking to make something happen.
And something very early did happen when Hatem Ben Arfa jinked past three players before trying to find the left-hand of Joe Hart’s goal only to be denied by the post. It was one of a number of cracking little runs and flashes of skill that we saw throughout the match. He played well.
Danny Guthrie went close to cutting the deficit when he latched into a rare defensive mistake by City and surged into the box only to see his angled drive palmed away by Joe Hart. The resulting rebound fell inches behind a onrushing Steven Taylor to add to our catalogue of missed chances and misfortune.
Newcastle arguably had the better of the chances in the match but it was game over after 71 minutes when Hatem Ben Arfa fouled Micah Richards in the box. It was a clumsy challenge and Ben Arfa should have been there but he was covering for Ryan Taylor who was in turn covering for Steven Taylor who was off the pitch having treatment on a bloody nose. Sergio Aguero gave Krul no chance and gave the hosts a rather flattering 3-0 lead.
From then on the game just drifted towards full-time. City kept the ball well and looked to break on the counter-attack, something they would have done but for some kind offside decisions.
Ben Arfa, Sammy and Cabaye were replaced with Lovenkrands, Gosling and Perch, and it was the two subs who gave Newcastle the goal deserved on the stroke of 90 minutes. James Perch fed the ball through to Demba Ba who charged down on Joe Hart. The two players collided allowing Dan Gosling to tap in the loose ball from six yards out.
Full-time: Manchester City 3-1 Newcastle
I’m proud of the boys today. They gave it a go and that is all we can ask for really and despite the possession being tipped heavily in favour of the hosts the stats show that they only managed an extra two shots on goal for it. I can’t help thinking that on another day it could have been different had we not made some horrendous individual errors or if we’d have buried some of the clear chances we had. Alas it wasn’t to be.
Manchester United next. Go to Old Trafford armed with the same and we might just get something!
Howay the lads!
Manchester City: Joe Hart, Micah Richards, Joleon Lescott, Vincent Kompany, Gael Clichy, Nigel De Jong, James Milner, Yaya Toure, Samir Nasri, Sergio Aguero, Mario Balotelli
Subs: Costel Pantilimon, Kolo Toure, Aleksander Kolarov, Garteh Barry, Adam Johnson, David Silva, Edin Dzeko
Newcastle: Tim Krul, Danny Simpson, Steven Taylor, Fabricio Coloccini, Ryan Taylor’ Jonas Gutierrez, Danny Guthrie, Yohan Cabaye, Sammy Ameobi, Hatem Ben Arfa, Demba Ba.
Subs: Rob Elliot, James Perch, Davide Santon, Alan Smith, Dan Gosling, Peter Lovenkrands, Shola Ameobi
Attendance: A club record at the Etihad – 47,408
Referee: Chris Foy
lads gave it there all didnt expect to get anything out off this game bring on united a point would be brill
paul bain(Quote)
good effort good result really as city are going to dominate this season and we could have been 2-0 up before they scored but hey never mind
demon110178(Quote)
said before ime not down hearted missed two three with bennys against the post and we gifted them two.
toonsy you got it right,dave you got it wrong 😀
icedog(Quote)
As i said before good effort from the lads today.
Hope some of our injured players are back for Man U and i wonder if Ben Arfa will keep his place after that very good perfomance.
Lets hope Vidic gets injured or banned for our game because without him their defence is a joke.
N.Irish Toon(Quote)
good read Toonsy…
lets give the boys some credit and not point fingers at mistake. after all we are all humans… bring on manu and tiote n oba… i would like vudic n abide in this team as well to get some game time… breed the youths with experienced…. big bros
Max-T-million(Quote)
woh n irish toon cant bring tiote back in guthrie is a world beater just like santon can’t come in for raylor
1892(Quote)
max t million won’t play santon but want’s vudic and abide out there don’t know who they are?
1892(Quote)
heard the man city fans were throwing coins at our players.
heads held high,we should of had a draw..
hitman(Quote)
got beat fair and square……..forget it ….next beating comming up….lol
john(Quote)
@1892
Your right i cant but Pardew can 😉
N.Irish Toon(Quote)
heard the man city fans were throwing coins at our players.
heads held high,we should of had a draw..
No, totally incorrect! Some Barcode moron chucked a firework into the City fans which provoked a reaction, and resulted in a few of your morons chucking seats.
zblue(Quote)
Yep. Not surprising to lose, but we were decent nonetheless. Hit the post a couple of times, didn’t we? Coulda’ been 2-2. Not too upset about this one.
I guess Raylor might have one or two more weak performances in him before Santon gets picked over him. I’m not a huge fan (or a huge critic) of his, but he had a bad day, obviously.
Fans Should Own The Club(Quote)
@Zblue
That dosn’t make that statement incorrect now does it?
I suppose all fans have morons like that though.
N.Irish Toon(Quote)
@zblue cheers for shooting the messanger 😆 😆
hitman(Quote)
@ NirishToon
Nothing was thrown onto the pitch, but if wasn`t for the intervention of the police there would have been a few of your fans chucked on to the playing area. Unfortunately all clubs have their element of idiots.
I take it you were not there
zblue(Quote)
N irish you know what I mean! If you bring in Mr. T then surely Santon needs his shot as they’re both better than what they replace. And it’ll be better than just chucking him in if Raylor (or Simpson) gets injured. And good for the Gut so he doesn’t burn out with all of Raylors defending he’s doing for him, when he comes to attack he’s f00ked. If Simpson if had a game like that the knives would be out.
1892(Quote)
no zblue it wasn’t incorrect, but take it you sat in every seat if you know ‘nothing went onto the pitch’. Dolt.
Santoon(Quote)
Thought we did ok today – no heads went down when we conceded , we kept going to the final whistle and our consolation goal was well deserved .
Benny and Sammy both came in and did well.
Disappointed that Santon didn’t get a run out.
Really expected nothing from the 2 games in Manchester but if we put that effort in again next week I will expect to bring all 3 points home.
sidekick(Quote)
We all know who Ryan Taylor is by now. He has a wonder right foot, both with his delivery and on goal. Generally, he’s in the right position defensively.
Unfortunately, he has incredibly slow feet and can be trusted to give the ball away cheaply several times a game, plus he has no chance of doing anything with a pass played behind him, even if just half a yard.
Over the course of the season so far, he has been far more of an asset than a liability. In games against top teams when we are struggling to keep the ball, you do wonder whether we can afford to carry him.
Free Scoring Smudge(Quote)
@1892
I agree but we dont know how good Santon will be or if he can even speak English yet. As i said on the last thread he should get a slow intraduction into the team, who he replaces i dont know.
@Zblue
Nope i wasnt there.
N.Irish Toon(Quote)
Lads I was well pleased with Benny some real nice touch’s and he did a bit of defending which I was surprised at.
As for Citeh they are a good team but with the money they have spent and the players they have I thought they would’ve been better 😉
Big Dave(Quote)
Fireworks? Seats? Coins? Some fans, on whatever side, should be ashamed of themselves.
toonsy(Quote)
FSS the only complaint I have with Raylor is that while Jonas is doing half his work we lose Jonas’s attacking, and I think it’s unfair on Jonas because he should be free to attack but with having to cover for Raylor he is going to burn out, there is noway he can keep doing the amount of work he has been doing.
I do like Raylor and always have but he is not a LB but I would say he has done well upto today, but I can’t help think that maybe Santon isn’t ready yet
Big Dave(Quote)
Ice – If you’re about, this is for you 😉
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6q2mFiN7GIc&feature=related
toonsy(Quote)
N irish I understand but you heard colo speak english? He’s terrible and been here since 2008, just got extra lessons because he’s captain. Santon’s google translator can just stand on the sideline if he needs him ha. And we didn’t know how good Raylor was going to be at the start but I can guarantee Santon is better, and if you give him 12 games like Raylor he’ll be fine. No offence to Raylor like but yanaa.
Great effort from the lads today once more if they keep playing with this much heart then I don’t care if we finish 10th aslong as it’s above the mackems.
1892(Quote)
So Man City 3 NUFC 1 and Man U 1 Man City 6. By my calculations that means we will beat Man U 3-0. Simples 😆
Seriously though, they don’t look up to much against Swansea. We can definitely get something if we play well.
Jon R(Quote)
****! my life savings have gone!!
I didn’t get my 2156-0 to the toon!
Oh well… thats a pocket full of lint and a bruce forsyth fridge magnet I’ll never see again.
Skybet = robbing twats! 👿
nobby(Quote)
TOONSY ime always aboot
you a bloody mind reader me and pup love that number 😀 😀
icedog(Quote)
Toonsy- this is more Ice’s speed
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrM_OtfESUE
MDS(Quote)
The bigger picture about Santon is that Pardew obviously doesn’t feel that putting him in yet will reap dividends and is sticking by his trusted formation albeit minus some injured.
Santon has come into a tough league where no quarter is given so maybe he’s not quite up to the job just yet of giving his full quota .
I’m sure when Santon is ready, Pardew will have no hesitation of affording him his chance but we have to trust the manager because he’s called it right up to now .
wolfie(Quote)
I think he just doesn’t want to give Raylor the axe, or he doesn’t rate Santon like he didn’t rate tevez or mascherano
Noo-Carstle(Quote)
Toonsy im with you, on another day we could have had the result but thats football.I think we played well considering our team we had out and who we were playing.Players make mistakes, im not sure what raylor was doing with his arm out in the first place, when i first saw it i thought it was a balance thing but i think he was trying to put him off and it hit him.The second was sloppy play by raylor full stop he saw the danger before hand but failed to feal with it, but other than that i thought he played alright.Simo who i normally dislike i thought played well, attacking and defending
shottiesbru(Quote)
First 40 minutes was spot on, tactics, gameplan everything perfect…Shame Ryan Taylor had to ruin it but these things happen I guess. Pardew has to start Santon next game, we need to bed him into the team, he’s had a long time to settle in the area and adjust so to say. Everyone today but Ryan Taylor had a great game could not fault anyone; probably the ultimate ‘what if game’ considering the chances we had.
Main positives for me was that we showed we could compete with them only errors from one player prevented us from getting something, Ben Arfa showed us what we already knew – he is going to be a massive player for us this season. Devested when he hit the post, foolish for the penatly as well.
With Tiote, Santon and Obertan coming into the team for Man United I still believe we can go there and get something.
AndrewNUFC(Quote)
Look the best team won today.. but a lot of city like Newcastle so good luck this season
bluemoon(Quote)
Cheers blue moon if we took our chances before silva came on then it could have been a different game!
Noo-Carstle(Quote)
Feel gutted for Raylor. This could pave the way for santon. I’m not having a go at raylor, **** happens! But 2 very costly mistakes in the most important game so far. I’ve been and still am well behind him but if it wasn’t for his 2 clangers we would be on 26 points the neet. 🙁
skipwallsend(Quote)
@ bluemoon dont think you were the better team, you have better players in the positions but not the team ethic and apart from our errors created little
shottiesbru(Quote)
Of course football is about opinions, and of course that what makes this great game amazing. For 35 long years i have watched my beloved city… and so i am loving what is happing at my club… i hope one day you may be as lucky as we have been until as i said before good luck
bluemoon(Quote)
City fan here, comes in peace!
Whilst i don’t think anyone could seriously make a case for Newcastle deserving anything from the game, they did create four or five really great chances, and had you put one of them away, especially before we scored, you could well have got something.
That said, we completely stopped trying once it got to 3-0, and didn’t even play with a striker for the last 15 minutes or so.
No-one can have any complaints about the penalties, both blatant.
We genuinely wish you all the best, as fans and as a club. You just need to get next week out of the way. You’re good enough to get at least a draw against Chelsea at home, then hopefully you’ll get back to winning ways and secure European football for next season, and in turn, i hope you lot would rather us win the title than Big Red.
3-1 was about right.
Norfstander(Quote)
how can you say by your own admission we had 4/5 really good chances but didnt deserve anything from the game? how many chances stupid penalties aside did u create in your opinion?
And dont try the didnt have a striker ffs youhave world class all over the park and bench!
shottiesbru(Quote)
🙄 🙄 Just shows that all teams have proper fans, lads all the best im sure you’s are loving it at the minute, living the dream.
Big Dave(Quote)
Norfstander,
I rather Man Utd win the league than your team, mate. Atleast they ain’t trying to buy the league unlike your lot. Wait till your Arab **** fooks off then wait and see how fair your team will do.
Amar Singh(Quote)
Well, dispite loosing 3-0 this was a quite good game. Pardew has the team playing very well organised with very tight marking between defence and midfield. Very encouraging to play this well against the best team in the league. Shame for Raylor as he redeemed abit in the second half, but this might be the chance Santon has been waiting for??? Thing about Santon not playing might be, that he is still unable to communicate properly with the others? (language-wise). Seeing as we play a very organised game, Pardew might want him to be able to communicate well enough? Just a thought.
HWTL!
AlanPardewProject(Quote)
APP
Three nil what you on about. Been on the sauce have you. never read the rest of what you had to say after a start like that
Toby le Rhone(Quote)
Just got in from the pub then Troy’s house. Troy says the first penalty was right because you shouldn’t have your hands out. I have been arguing with the whole bar. I look at the rules. As far as I am aware, there is no rule to say you can’t put your hands where you want. The only rule is that you should not DELIBERATELY handle the ball. I may be wrong but that is my understanding. If your hands are out wide, they are not blocking a shot by your side. As far as I am aware, there is nothing to stop you putting your hands in the air when defending a freekick, provided you do not move them towards the ball. Troy reckons there is a rule in football like case law in the civil or criminal law that says, if you put your hands out and the ball hits it, that is a freekick or a penalty. I say I don’t know that rule. Troy says it is INTERPRETATION. I don’t buy it. OVER TO YOU PLEASE.
Blackley & Brownlie(Quote)
TLR – Might be on the sauce yaeh, but we werent bad today?? Bar Raylors mare of a first half and Benny penalty what did we do wrong?? And its not like we were expecting to win.
AlanPardewProject(Quote)
amar,you are talking oot your ****,if it was us being bank rolled like man city we would be luving it.
hitman(Quote)
Hmm. just realised we lost 3-1. 😆 Okay Toby I am on the sauce!!!
AlanPardewProject(Quote)
ALANPARDEWPROJECT and HITMAN please giive your view. Was it a penalty or not?
Blackley & Brownlie(Quote)
APP
Wish i was with you mate saturday night tv isn’t for me
Toby le Rhone(Quote)
B&B – Wether it be deliberate or not, it is not allowed to block a shot with an arm, and an arm out wide like Raylors it is a penalty for me. Never understood what he was trying to pull.
AlanPardewProject(Quote)
they were both stone wall pens.IMO
hitman(Quote)
shottiesbru,
C’mon mate, how about the two goals City would have scored but for incorrect decisions from the linesman?
And you didn’t deserve anything because you missed your chances and City took theirs.
If the linesman hadn’t cocked up, it would’ve been five.
Don’t you agree?
mm(Quote)
TLR – aye saturday night tv is a bore! Tell ya what, if you ever find yourself in Denmark, ill gladly buy a round of broons 😉
AlanPardewProject(Quote)
Both pens for me aswell. All day long. Zero complaints about them
toonsy(Quote)
I disagree the offside calls I seen (on the internet, I wasn’t there so I saw some replays) were all correct, unless you were listening to davie ‘hates nufc’ provan who said they were onside. He’s clueless.
The first penalty should have been a red I reckon, blackley and brownly he was denying a goal scoring opportunity so I think we were lucky in that. The second one while you would never get that in a game of men, modern football is now so soft that little benny touch big micah and the big man’s legs just collapsed.
Noo-Carstle(Quote)
APP and Hitman. What rule are you going by? My understanding is:
(a) you can take your arms and hands onto the field when you play; and
(b) you can do what you want with them provided you do not deliberately handle the ball.
To me, this means that, if you have your hands out wide or above your head and they remain there when the ball is kicked by the opposing player, you have not committed an offence if the ball hits your hand.
Really interested in everyone’s view. Played football for years, and can’t see it any other way, unless there is some rule I don’t know about? Prepared to listen as always.
Blackley & Brownlie(Quote)
are you saying you would have scored from the two offsides?
shottiesbru(Quote)
MM, we got beat fair and square because we didn’t score and Man City did, 3 times.
I’m just pleased that we made a fist of it and in my opinion came away with our heads held high.
The crux of the game was simply, 3 mistakes, 3 goals but we live to fight another day with confidence intact.
wolfie(Quote)
B&B – Denying a goalscoring opportunity. It’s not unique to us and penalties get given up and down the country for much the same thing every week. If that had been in their box people would have been screaming for a penalty.
No complaints at all from me. Lucky not to be a red. The only thing that saved him was that it wasn’t on the line IMO
toonsy(Quote)
Toonsy, you’re agreeing with Troy. Honestly, I just want to know why it was? I can see how it was given in real time, but not under the microscope and according to the laws of the game. Please someone give me the strict technical position. Always prepared to accept I am wrong given a good argument.
Blackley & Brownlie(Quote)
B&B – as Noo-Carstle is saying he is denying a goal scoring opportunity. His arm wasnt in a natural position so its handball all day.
AlanPardewProject(Quote)
B+B read my comment above he denied goal scoring opportunity so that’s why it was a penalty and he should have been red carded.
Noo-Carstle(Quote)
just wna say a MASSIVE congratulations to the lads in black and white today , they have done me so proud and gave it there all !! we are a loads better team than a few years ago and a few more signings from being a really good team!!! pardue has got this team buzzing with confidence !!! lets go 2 old trafford next saturday with the same attitude as we had today and maybee we can get something out the game!! HWTL!!!!!
Army69(Quote)
Blackley&Brownlie.
I agree, you can wave your arms about, stick them out like an aeroplane or in the air like an olympic swimmer but if you don’t move them out of the way when a shot comes in, it’s a penalty if it’s done in the box.
It’s as simple as that.
Raylor was basically using his arms as a balance and in normal circumstances should have been quicker to move the offending arm as the ball came at him but failed to do so and a pen was given “rightly”.
wolfie(Quote)
Toonsy – Aye if it had been on the line it would’ve been red, like ratface suarez during the world cup against Ghana.
AlanPardewProject(Quote)
Toonsy, just read you at 60. I agree if he had moved his arms towards the ball that would be a penalty. However, I thought he had his arms wide before the ball was struck. If that was the case, and the ball struck his arm, is that a penalty?
Blackley & Brownlie(Quote)
@ b&b i was thinking the same as you when i first saw it, i thought raylors arm was out for balance before the ball hit it, would it have went in? i think not, the second is silly but benny was back where everyone says he doesnt go so to me good on him for trying it was soft but city are the new darlings of english football who are us geordie tramps going there any acting like a team trying to win shame on us
shottiesbru(Quote)
The reason why I don’t think he got a red was for the fact his arms were already out and the ball basically hits the arm denying the scoring chance but ball to arm type of thing and the ref saw it like that.
Had Raylor had his arms down his side and then moved it out wide , then he would have walked.
wolfie(Quote)
Wolfie, what is the rule that says you have to move your arms out of the way of a strike? Also, if there is such a rule, what happens, if, as in the case, the strike was from quite close range? Does the rule say that, if your arms are by your side and it is ball to hand, that is okay, but if your arms are in the air, and it is ball to hand, that is a penalty?
Blackley & Brownlie(Quote)
I’m more pissed about the second one. Richards the sniper victim. 6ft and built like a brick shithoose taken down by a 5ft waif Frenchman 😕
toonsy(Quote)
Anyway, it’s irrelevant now. All done and dusted and can’t be changed.
toonsy(Quote)
i don’t really get the slating raylor thing at LB… 1 st penalty (and it was a penalty) he couldn’t do much about and micah’d goal – well – he was just wrong footed… that can happen anywhere on the pitch.
3rd goal he was covering for cb whilst sayolr was out…. he actually had a good game and was just a bit unlucky I…M…O 😛
nobby(Quote)
Toonsy @ 72 – Yes **** the game and lets focus on the positives, like Perch looking like a attacking midfielder at our goal 😀 B-E-A-utiful through pass to Ba.
AlanPardewProject(Quote)
Perch the machine 😀
toonsy(Quote)