Game On! Newcastle v Wolves

Game On against Wolves!

Well I think it’s fair to say that the two weeks just gone has seemed like a proverbial lifetime.

The reason – no NUFC action!

That changes of course this afternoon as we return to Premier League action and look to put behind us a horror show at White Hart Lane last time out. It’s not the only sub plot to the game today though as Wolves will be trying exorcise their own demons after going down 5-1 to their local rivals last time out.

I must confess that I don’t actually know what it is like to be thumped 5-1 by your closest rivals. I’d ask a Mackem but I can’t stand the smell of them so couldn’t get close enough, plus I don’t think they’d be able to answer without covering me in some form of mouth froth.

Anyway, I’ll save that malarkey for next week. Right now it’s managerless (sort of!) Wolves to contend with. I say ‘sort of’ because Caretaker Manager Terry Connor has been handed the Molineux managerial reins until the end of the season. Will that lead to the “new manager” effect on his players? We’ll find out this afternoon I guess…

For more background on the match you can peruse my match preview by clicking here or you can take a look at NUFC stats’ number crunching stat attack by clicking here.

That’s enough talking for now anyway as we prepare for battle against Wolverhampton Wanderers. Can Alan Pardew’s men keep the Wolves from the door? Or will Terry Connor’s men huff and puff and blow the house down?

Howay the lads!

Newcastle: Krul; Simpson, Williamson, Coloccini, Santon; R Taylor, Cabaye, Tiote, Gutierrez; Ba, Cisse

Subs: Elliot, Ferguson, Perch, Guthrie, Obertan, Ben Arfa, Ameobi

Wolves: Wayne Hennessey; Ronald Zubar, Christophe Berra, Richard Stearman, Stephen Ward; Kevin Foley, Karl Henry, David Edwards, Jamie O’Hara, Matt Jarvis; Kevin Doyle

Subs: Dorus De Vries, Jody Craddock, Roger Johnson, Nenad Milijas, Stephen Hunt, Michael Kightly, Sylvan Ebanks-Blake

About toonsy

A lifelong Newcastle fan and current webmaster of this very 'blog who has the sole aim of creating a place by Newcastle United fans, for Newcastle United fans.

406 thoughts on “Game On! Newcastle v Wolves

  1. we have what we have now so have to get on with it ime sorry to say from the last few games we are not a top 6 side,even at spurs you “may”think we would get beat but thumped like that no,fulham also thumped us,now we cannot beat a bottom club with there better players missing proves it to me some will say we had a couple of our better players missing we should at least got a draw in brighton ect,no decent depth to the team imo,7th the best we can hope for imo

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  2. just found out where the phrase “scot-free” came from, apparently it comes from medieval ages when pople who had got away with not paying taxes “got away scot free” with scoet meaning tax in old english. tune in for more andymag factoids 😆

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  3. Question: Are our players unfit due to lack of squad rotation? What are the stats? Are they covering the same amount of ground as early season?

    As a silver lining today, I really think Santon is growing into his role. I also am happy with Cisse’s efforts.

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  4. TOONSY overall ime happy with the season just think some are expecting to much from the team we have at the mo

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  5. Stuart – Hence the use of the word OVERALL…

    I said right from the word go this wasn’t going to be easy, and it wasn’t. In fact it looks as though we made it easy for them! However, we’re still in roughly the same position as we were before the match. Would have been nice to win, but you can’t win every game.

    I agree with Ice. Expectations are rising to a level which is dangerous, like people expect us to be where we are all of a sudden…

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  6. Andy @ 378 I wouldn’t agree with owt Stardy says, except that he thought wanky tissue was a lying cheating scumbag 😆
    IMO Saylor added so much to the defence I think he was the vocal leader we lack and I think he made Simmo a better player.

    Yeah expectations are rising but thats only to be expected but the players performances arn’t to be expected they are capable of a lot more, and imo games like that are not acceptable

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  7. But Toonsy, why shouldn’t our expectations rise? We’re having a good season, so with that comes rising expectations. Just because we’re over achieving shouldn’t mean no expectations.

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  8. What i don’t understand is how so many players can perform badly at the same time. How can they all have an off day, it’s not like we were carrying one or two today . Maybe they believe the hype and think they don’t have to work hard anymore. As for Pards ,strange to put on a sub when your defending a set piece , most odd.

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  9. DAVE i agree i also think the players had the wrong frame of mind i bet if we had been sitting 10/12 in the lge we would have approched the game in a better frame of mind and beat them if you get my gist

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  10. Ice when there was ones today predicting us to hammer Wolves I said that I hope the players don’t think like that, but after the way they switched of after the 2nd goal ? I think they thought the game was over

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  11. STUART nowt wrong with expectations mate from fans but theres a point to where jabba halts that shown by the none signing of a centre half ect in jan there is a limit to those expectations with what we have at the moment imo

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  12. Hope Simpson does not agree a new contract and is sold in the Summer.

    Guthrie was obviously peeved at starting on the bench and surprisingly gave a poor performance when he did come on. I say surprisingly because he should be giving his all every time he comes on the pitch if he wants to find a decent club when his contract ends at Nufc.

    The most disappointing part of today was Pardew giving his after match interview and stating that he was NOT OVERLY DISAPPOINTED with the result.

    I can assure him that there were fifty thousand fans at SJP who WERE very disappointed , not only with the result but with the overall performance.

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  13. sidekick
    fifty thousand fans at the stadium and further a half a million (I assume thats how many fans we’ve got) world-wide disapointed with this result. though i cant say we deserved to win 🙁

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  14. Given that we were championship fodder a few seasons ago I think I am realistic about our achievements this year. I did think it was realsitic to tie up 3 points against a struggling managerless team reeling from being pounded by a bottom-feeding rival. I’m beginning to think the novelty of being played out of natural position and against playing style is beginning to wear off some of our team members. I prepare for a royal scorching when I say the following. New RB, Simmo wanders too far (although the whole back line does tbf) and produces little, gets caught out trailing back to position. Superb shot illustrates he is where he should not be. The Santon/Jonas overlap combo is not working, it’s nothing like Jose/Jonas, and even that was flawed. Plus Joans looks a bit wrecked.I would rather switch Santon to RB, put Raylor back LB. You can’t replace Tiote with Guthrie and expect your midfield to hold up,and when Guthrie has a **** day (today) he is a man down. Shola was not bad but didn’t need to come on, should have put Benny CAM behind Ba/Cisse to draw players away from them and create holes. Cabaye saw everything go back and forth over his head or down the wings, hardly involved. Sub timings are not Alan’s forte. Willo is sometimes very effective but not accomplished enough to do more than clear aball, he can’t plan a feeding pass when he wins the ball, just knocks it forward aimlessly. Unless these lads get settled into their proper roles, the sad & soapless hordes will go home to their hovels sniggering at their win next sunday.

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  15. tsunki
    agree with all you say, except with jonas who i thought along with santon were are best players and thought their combo is beginning to take effect. they were shaky at the start as they didn’t really know each other but now they understand where the other is gunna run. jonas apart from his goal also put the most effort in (wasn’t hard with the rest of the team uninterested) tracking back and making runs and his passes/crosses were genuinely good and many were unfortunate to be intercepted.

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  16. Andymag – I agree that the left side performance was probably the high spot of the day, apart from the welcome return of Tiote, and again Jonas scores a wonder goal only to be overshadowed by events, but I feel there is something still missing from Jonas & Santon together. Jose always knew his place at the back and didn’t neglect it (much). Santon sometimes lingers forward and changes Jonas style to a more conservative, defensive one I feel. He seems aware that he cannot take on too much without possibly exposing a gap behind him, a gap even Raylor wouldn’t have exposed him to. I didn’t say it WOULDN’T come together, just that it seems a bit stifled. Now, the RIGHT side – don’t get me started! 👿

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  17. tsunki your def right about the right side, abysmal, exactly why HBA needs to be given a chance. people critised obertan (myself included) but we need that sort of player taylor is too casual, and not clinical

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  18. @TROY looks more to me it was ya mate big dave owned not just owned but pimped out lmao to me when you go back and read lmao 😆 @BIGDAVE is it still your honest opion that guthrie aint lost the shirt lmao them words made ya look very silly my friend :

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  19. @TOONSY379 Yeah the sub at the set piece was strange, 2 subs at the set piece you mean strange you say, i say a defensive coach would not even think of a sub while you defending a free kick simple basics that is

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  20. A bit of a negative atmosphere at the game yesterday. Didn’t like the way Williamson was being booed from his touch. This does not help in any way. Same went for Barfa who came on – yes he needlessly gave the ball away but then again I can accept that as he almost won the game for us when no-one else looked capable.

    Fell asleep in the first 15 minutes of the second half and… NEVER MAKE A SUB WHEN YOU ARE DEFENDING A SET PIECE.

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