It’s set up to be quite an intriguing game in truth. Newcastle have the ultimate motivation of knowing that a win could see us jump as high as fifth in the table should other results go our way.
For that to happen we’ll need Arsenal to lose at Swansea and for us to beat QPR (obviously) along with a four goal swing in our favour, so if Arsenal lose by two goals we need to win by two clear goals. Easy. More realistic though is the opportunity to jump into sixth place in the table ahead, of the ultra ambitious Liverpool and their expensively assembled squad.
However QPR aren’t the prospect they were just a week ago. They are still without a lot of first team players, but they do have a new manager in the shape of Mark Hughes who will want to avoid defeat in his first game in charge. Add to that a group of players who are all pretty much trying to justify their future at Loftus Road and you can see why they too have motivation for the game today – and that is not even considering the fact that they slipped into the bottom three yesterday!
I honestly hate these type of games. You would have to think we are favourites for the match. Home advantage and finding some form once more, fresh from a last minute win against Blackburn in the FA Cup last weekend and resounding 3-0 victory against Manchester United prior to that it would suggest that we are the favourites. It’s a dangerous place to be and some fans will be expecting a relatively easy game. I personally don’t think it will be as straight forward that but we’ll see…
For more background on the match, some tactical thoughts, analysis and stats why not check out Shamrock’s most excellent match preview article by clicking here, or if you want to crunch some numbers and look at a boatload of stats why not take a peek at NUFC_Stats’ preview by clicking here.
The match is on Sky this afternoon so those who can’t get to the game can be fairly safe in the knowledge that there is a fairly good possibility of picking up an internet stream. Once again, if you come across one on your travels please feel free to leave a link to it in the comments section below.
Right now though it’s time for the lads in black and white to do the talking and try and claim that sixth place in the table. Surely not? Sixth in the table with 21 games gone? We’ll find out later on this afternoon!
Howay the lads!
Newcastle: Tim Krul, Danny Simpson, Mike Williamson, Fabricio Coloccini, Davide Santon, Ryan Taylor, Danny Guthrie, Yohan Cabaye, Jonas Gutierrez, Leon Best, Shola Ameobi
Subs: Rob Elliot, Shane Ferguson, James Perch, Dan Gosling, Mehdi Abeid, Gabriel Obertan, Hatem Ben Arfa
QPR: Paddy Kenny; Luke Young, Danny Gabbidon, Anton Ferdinand, Clint Hill; Shaun Wright-Phillips, Shaun Derry, Akos Buzsaky, Jamie Mackie; Heidar Helguson, Jay Bothroyd
Subs: Radek Cerny, Bradley Orr, Fitz Hall, Hogan Ephraim, Tommy Smith, DJ Campbell, Federico Macheda
Defo a pen there, Ray not making much of that , how can an arm be a chest 😯
kimtoon(Quote)
Christ there’s bias and there’s just stupidity, why is Helguson such a tough nut but Cabaye should just get on with it?!
SolanosTrumpet(Quote)
@Toonsy “My word this is a mans game” 😉
buddy(Quote)
Haha – It’s that or Cockney rhyming slang. I know what I prefer! 😆
Shamrock(Quote)
fkin ray wilkins is driving me nuts.
hes as dry as a cracker
hitman(Quote)
MsiDouglas Mark Douglas
Minor ligament damage to Cabaye, reports Talksport. Relief #nufc
14 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply
toonsy(Quote)
I actually think Shola has done fairly well
SolanosTrumpet(Quote)
Buddy 😆
toonsy(Quote)
Should we take off Shola?
Toon TRW(Quote)
and ray wilkins after all this nonsense you must be wandering you dont have a job in management
ron(Quote)
Sharmrock at 286. You should see Warren Barton on American TV- he sometimes pumps his fist in the air when we win 😉
MDS(Quote)
Solano@302- spot on ,he clearly knows nowt about our players cause Cabaye don’t stay down that easy. Keeps banging on about our crowd in all the ****.
kimtoon(Quote)
my word I think Jonas is better on the right
Big Dave(Quote)
THAT IS NOT A FAIR CHALLENGE WILKINS YOU BELLEND HE LEAD WITH HIS SHOULDER
TOONPIPES(Quote)
wtf hthis commentator its no way a fair challenge
HBA39(Quote)
“It’s a fair challenge” says Wilkins. As Mackie smashes his elbow straight into Guthrie’s back 🙄
toonsy(Quote)
we need to score a second one i m too sressed
HBA39(Quote)
oh close there from Jonas
Big Dave(Quote)
Fair Challenge! This is what mute was made for!
SJP14(Quote)
close control and ball protection of Ben Arfa are just magic
HBA39(Quote)
BENNYY IS GENIUSS REALLY
HBA39(Quote)
oh come on
Big Dave(Quote)
Great play from Benny
richietoon(Quote)
Quite impressed with Santon, has the defensive ability of Enrique without the cockiness and the constant need to beat the attacker and play the ball out. Class act 🙂
cornish-magpie(Quote)
SHOLA has a little bit lack of reaction in the box
HBA39(Quote)
we need a second goal.
Toon TRW(Quote)
MDS, yeah it’s part & parcel. I hope they dont give him any more QPR/Chelsea gives to commentate on though. It’s unfair on the opposition to have a biased picture painted against them…
I stopped watching Sky Sports ages ago though, because Andy Gray was a ***** who always slagged us off very time we played and then they would sit Allardyce on their sofa, who would also slag us off at every opportunity because he could not admit he was out of his depth with us.
Shamrock(Quote)
perch for best.
WTF
hitman(Quote)
@325 I would go so far as he has no reaction in the box! seems to be on a different wavelength to all of his teammates in the worst possible way
buddy(Quote)
Perch on
*waits for outcry*
toonsy(Quote)
Perch , really. one goal enough apparently then.
kimtoon(Quote)
why not ameobi!!
ron(Quote)
Perch does well sitting in the hole between midfield and attack. Wealso have Benny to get more forward.
Shamrock(Quote)
Seems Pardew will settle with 1-0. I’ll accept it.
Toon TRW(Quote)
Shamrock – Exactly. Perch will do **** all but sit there in front of the defence leaving the likes of Benny to go forward more
toonsy(Quote)
because Best was hobbling slightly maybe?!!
richietoon(Quote)
Cautious substitution 😯
TonyGreenSupreme(Quote)
thanks for your service today, raylor!
Toon TRW(Quote)
So obertan officially drop? 😐
AngelOfDeath(Quote)
Was Best defo injured then?
kimtoon(Quote)
I don’t mind Perch in this role- I actually think it suits him. I just don’t like to see him playing in the back 4
MDS(Quote)
WILKINS CONTINUES TO BE A TOTAL *****
TOONPIPES(Quote)
not a bit of wonder wilkins got sacked from chelski, they must have got sick of listening to him, he is a boring fuking *****
Big Dave(Quote)
5 minutes left
HBA39(Quote)
Danny Guthie MOM
toonsy(Quote)
My word, he didn’t give a QPR player MoM 😯
richietoon(Quote)
reet come on lads
Big Dave(Quote)
Ray gives Guthrie MOM ,must of been chokin on the words.
kimtoon(Quote)
Ameobi is nice but really really slow back to the goal he is good
HBA39(Quote)
aye his legs
Big Dave(Quote)
HBA application much better today
TOONPIPES(Quote)
Shola crocked again
kimtoon(Quote)
get in there lads 😀
Big Dave(Quote)
Ugly win, but 3 more massive points 😛
TonyGreenSupreme(Quote)
Happy days!
cornish-magpie(Quote)
WE NEED TO BRING IN A FORWARD,COZ SHOLA IS NOT UP TO IT,TRANSFER HIS BONE IDOL ****
hitman(Quote)
soz left caps on 😆
hitman(Quote)
A very good 3 points…a tricky one today with Hughes arrival and the first match w/out Ba and Tiote. Well done and back in 6th 😉
MDS(Quote)
Get in lads leapfrog over the bindippers. 😀
kimtoon(Quote)
Back up to 6th! To be fair we still need to play some of the big teams LOL
SolanosTrumpet(Quote)
not the best game but we got 3 points thats nice we are ahead of Liverpool hope we can reach this 4th position for the Champions League..thats a dream but we never know
HBA39(Quote)
Yeah, thought this one would be a tough game. Good result. Well done boys 😮
BTW – Liverpool behind us again. Obviously far superior to us.
Shamrock(Quote)
Just need 4-0 to Swansea this avo 😀
cornish-magpie(Quote)
We’ll be in the **** when we have our first real test though
richietoon(Quote)
jonas MoM for me..he works his sock off
ron(Quote)
Santon had a really good game after his shaky start. He’d get my vote.
Shamrock(Quote)
Phew…our lass asked me if she could use the stick of celery on her salad and I said, I’ll let you know in 3 minutes of added on time hahahahaha
wolfie(Quote)
Either Shola is carrying an injury or he was doing a fantastic version of a mannequin in the last 5 minutes lol
wolfie(Quote)
now we are 6th will sky say we are in the title race, like thet have been saying with the dippers.
I THINK NOT
😆 😆 😆
hitman(Quote)
Shola Man of the Match.
Excellent display!
Left foot in, left foot out! In out in out, shake it all about!
Moreno(Quote)
Best goal aside it’s more evident than ever we really really need a frontman in and a proven one at that. Was mighty impressed with our defence though.
kimtoon(Quote)
not the best peformance today but 3 points so its all good!!
hope benny starts next game and we have a new striker in bcos shola ameobi is the slowest clumsiest player !! best , guthers , santon and jonas all had good games and benny did well when he came on!! lets hope cab isnt oot for long!!
above dogliesh now into 6th woop!!
Army69(Quote)
The amount Ameobi contributed it was like playing with 10 men!
jill(Quote)
Big win without Ba and Tiote! Next 3 league games , Fulham away , Blackburn away and Villa at home , if we can remain unbeaten in those games ( picking up atleast another win ) and be a great run of results, Hopefully we will have one if not both Ba and Tiote against spurs
Johno Toon(Quote)
we didnt reach 36pts last season until 26th feb!! welll done lads today – excellent goal by best
1 DOWNER ABOUT THE GAME WAS RAY WILKINS!!!! 👿 👿 👿 👿 👿 I REPEATED HIMSELF ALL GAME , WHAT A BORIN MAN
Army69(Quote)