Game On! Southampton v Newcastle

toonsy

Game On at St Mary’s
Game number 13 of our Premier League season will see us travel to St Mary’s Stadium this afternoon where we will face Southampton.

It’s been well documented how poor we’ve been this season so I don’t need to go into that again, but our record against newly promoted clubs isn’t exactly great and with a long absentee list to contend with I’m left wondering if it will get any better this afternoon?

This game will mean that we’ve played all three promoted clubs and so far we have just one point to show for it from our previous games against West Ham (a 1-0 home loss) and Reading (a 2-2 away draw). To me that is not good enough but it also isn’t a trait that has been reserved for this season. Indeed ever since our return to the Premier League we’ve struggled against promoted clubs, under both Chris Hughton and Alan Pardew, with only four wins from 12 games against teams fresh from the Championship.

A win this afternoon could see us climb as high as 8th place in the Premier League table if other results go our way and we find ourselves firing on all cylinders in front of goal. To be honest it’s unlikely given how we’ve performed in recent weeks so rather than looking at where we could end up I’d rather we just get the win at all costs.

My match preview is online here if you haven’t already had a look at it. It features news of injuries for both sides, a history of meetings between the two clubs and some rather alarming statistics from an NUFC perspective.

With this game being moved as a result of our ongoing participation in the Europa League we are not being broadcast live here in the UK. However there are a number of overseas channels who have picked our game for broadcast so, as ever, should you manage to find a stream of decent quality then by all means feel free to share it with fellow NUFC fans who may not be able to make it to the South coast today.

Team news, as you should now expect, will be published below in full as and when it becomes available.

Howay the lads!

Southampton; Gazzaniga; Clyne, Fonte, Yoshida, Shaw; Schneiderlin, Cork; Puncheon, Lallana (c), Ramirez; Lambert.

Subs: K.Davis, Hooiveld, S.Davis, Rodriguez, Ward-Prowse, Mayuka, Guly.

Newcastle: Krul; Simpson, Williamson, S.Taylor, Santon; Gutierrez (c), Tiote, Anita, Ferguson; Cisse, Ba.

Subs: Harper, Tavernier, Perch, Bigirimana, Marveaux, Sammy Ameobi, Ranger.

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.

View all posts by toonsy →

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523 thoughts on “Game On! Southampton v Newcastle”

  1. @MM
    I agree. Usually optimistic but this is very worrying. We need new players, but we need a whole bloody team by the looks of the things.

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  2. So many players just jogging and going through the motions. The midfielder just jogged past Tiote there with the ball, no hint of a tackle.

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  3. JJ – I totally agree, totally useless playing hoofball yet again, fucking *****. I’m fucking raging here, nearly 100 quid a month to watch this utter tripe every week. Pardew doesn’t have a clue at the minute and Ba has ****** us big style by demanding that forward role. Selfish tosspot.

    Even the Mackems have put 5 goals away in the last 2 games, says it all.

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  4. The worst part about this is that just like in our relegation season we appear to have no clue how to change the direction we’re heading in. It’s not like we try one thing one week, fail and then change it. Instead it’s the same **** every week.

    Pardew has a big half time talk ahead of him.

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  5. We dont have strategy
    So make me laugh when says Benny trying too much, you can easily see know waht. Because other players don’t know how to play a single pass, and he has no support ,so he prefers to go alone

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  6. Just got a link up, why is Fergie RM, Jonas LM? Fucking pathetic that this team is losing, to relegation favourites

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  7. JJ the tactic is “hope and pray for a touch of magic from Ba or Cisse”
    there are NO other tactics or game plan evident.
    utter tosh

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  8. 7 chances created against zero. Southampton have the poorest defense in the league and you can easily see if you just able to make 3 passes we can be dangerous but we are not able.

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  10. JJ they dont keep the ball at there feet i agree with sharpy

    and seriously Strumpet your fooking shiting me right !!

    u think for one minute the board dont hold any blame we have nee players to play there playing day in day out u nugget

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  11. Solano, they are not just better than us, they are BATTERING us… Som many “lesser” clubs have battered us this season, and that is the worrying thing. It’s difficult to see where we will get a spark from. Shocking, and this is not the first time this season. Way too light weight and devoid of ideas in midfield. Coupled with a defensive line which are all too ready to **** there pants, just isn’t good enough…

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  12. The camera has picked up Ba shouting at a teamate and our normally smiling Cisse looks totally fed up for the first time 😯 The whole squad looks shell shocked at going a goal down ,no fighting spirit there. The Saints are second bottom but you would never know from their endeavors today. Our attack play is shamefull again ,we should set up to attack more because we can’t rely on our ability to defend all game. Krul ****** up again too.

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  16. Feel like I’ve recorded the worst game to watch in the world, and then every weekend I put on the tape and watch it over and over again as some sort of sick punishment.

    I said yesterday I want Pardew to turn things around. I am starting to think he isn’t capable or has lost faith in his own ability.

    To bring Ranger back after everything makes him look so stupid.

    I am now 90% sure he will be sacked by January.

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  17. I remember the exact same feeling our relegation season- watching “lesser” teams batter us and then the players look like they don’t give a f**k

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  20. There’s no way Pardew will be sacked, even if we got relegated, Fatty gave him a long contract and there’s no way he will want to pay compo out!

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  21. AOD – dont go there mate.
    Its not like there is any one to replace him with.
    No. we are stuck with Pardew.

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  22. Kim, Krul was set for the goal. Look at the replay. Did well I thought and not his fault at all, moreso Santon for not tracking in this case. As for the rest we are seeing relegation football. No team spirit at all and we have some individuals trying without any cohesion 🙁

    Well there is always the second half. Pardew does manage to get a better performance out of them for the second forty five. The statistical problem is that we are behind and we don’t seem to win from behind…

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  24. Us fans worked harder having to watch that ****, than the actual players worked on the park. So little effort to close down space, players jogging back, zero intensity.. I don’t mind going behind if we are working hard but this is BS.

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  25. i cant see him being sacked but for me if u dont back the guy with money as well he aint going to pull wonders ….

    mourinho couldnt make willo half decent never mind pardew he needs new players

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  26. The depressing thing is that if we got relegated top teams would still sign our players as they are class 🙁 what is happening with this club? It’s just so unexpected that we are **** this season.

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  27. Krul again starting to show his inexperience and weakness (kicking). What the hell’s he thinking, the team is playing **** just kick it out or blast it away, don’t kick it straight to their player! I would love to say we are a second half team but we haven’t even done that in the last couple of games. So much for easy month against the bottom teams. Woorying times indeed and relegation form atm. What you gonna do now Pardew?

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  29. Ice pup

    They are devoid of confidence. They like to play off the last man, but they are being forced out of their own game because of Pardew’s pathetic tactics and his insistance of playing them together in a front two and 4-4-2.

    Pardew’s arrogance and stubborness is destroying us.

    These players don’t turn ***** over night. And its no coincidence that nearly ALL of them seem completely out of sorts.

    Thats not bad luck. Its simply a demonstration that none of them actually know what the manager wants them to do on the pitch. Are they aren’t suited to playing the style he wants them to.

    Pardew changed the formation to keep Ba happy. When Ba scores we sneek results, when he doesn’t we lose.

    Its pathetic, spineless clueless management. So disappointing after what we seemed to have built last season.

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  30. ive seen enough of pardew now, i want that ****** out, that team is set up to lose, 😕 absolute fucking rubbish!

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  31. @Beardsleys Boots: We have John Carver to replace Pardew? LOL.

    Or if mike ashley is much richer now than before, go get Pep guardiola.

    if cheaper option, di matteo. lulz.

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  33. Depressing.
    The consensus is unaminous we have no shape or strategy on how to play the game. No leadership on the field and even less must come from the coaching staff.
    I said to workmates after Thursday it was worse than 2009 and they didn’t believe me. They will when they watch MOD.

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  34. truely shocked! We have no creativity, no grit, no spirit and no real leaders. This doesnt look like its down to tactics or formations, just pure loss of confidence, leadership and mental ability. Sad to say it but we are missing the likes of Barton and Nolan.

    maybe we should just apply to join the SPL and win some games……….

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  36. This is how we’ve been playing 80% of the time but our defence is usually suspect.
    Could’ve been 3-0…. Still 45 mins to go.
    We have been ahead in a few games at home and not got 3 points. Man U(twice), Fulham, Swansea…. Might still add Newcastle to that list!

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  37. JJ……..just like players dont turn ***** over night neither does the manager

    u cant expect tiote to burst past 4 players either its a combination of both we need to invest new blood

    cisse and ba cant play hold up football which is needed but normally technically very good

    we have poor centre half very poor in willo anita unfortunatly hasnt settled….. iv faith its a player issue more than a manager issue in that we dont have the players but heyyyy i could be wrong its been known on a ***** load of occasons and at the minute im fooking furious to

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  39. I can’t believe people are blaming individual performances.

    This is the worst I have seen us play since relegation, and I mean ALL 11 PLAYERS.

    We are diabolical. Truly diabolical.

    Long season ahead.

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  41. Yep it’s no coincidence that we changed from 4-3-3 playing some great footy in the latter half of last season then reverting back to 4-4-2 this season so Ba would pick his bottom lip off the floor, and now we are garbage.

    Ba has ****** us for spitting his dummy out and Pardew has ****** us by giving into player demands. Pathetic.

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  42. ffs get real.
    There’s not enough money in the whole world that would get Pep Guardiola to come here.
    Joe effing Kinnear very likely tho

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  43. @Pup
    Nah they have some of it, but the team we have out isn’t THAT bad that we should be getting spanked in every department. Something seriously rotten going on in the club.

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  45. Something i cant understand is that every week this formation doesn’t work either offensively or defensively. And either week we try the same things.
    Do you think Pardew is so stupid to don’t see the same things than us?
    Why not try someone in the hole like Marveaux, maybe we can play a little bit differently, i m not sure it will works but at least we try something different.

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  47. I want to see Lambias’s head rolling down the street before we get relegated again. But Pardew’s tactics need to improve, every club he has been at (apart from Southampton where he was shagging the chairman’s wife or something) he has started well with his motivational speeches under someone else’s set-up. Then it eventually goes to **** under his tactics and he gets sacked.

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  49. But Icepup

    You just said it yourself. Ba and Cisse are good players.
    But neither player is effective at holding the ball up well. Its not their game. So why does Pardew persist on picking both of them?? How many games does it take for him to realise it doesn’t work??

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  52. For me, move Fergie left back. Put Santon RW take Jonas or Tiote or Anita off and put Marv on the LW.
    We have to mix this up because every who is saying we are strolling and going through the motions are dead right. Seriously not good enough man. The board are partly to blame, Pardew is more to blame but this is down to the players!. If they haven’t got the fire in their bellies to work for this, there’s nowt anyone can do!.
    And Cisse, seriously please be aware of where their last defender is!!!

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  55. in my opionion and thats all it is

    i think he’s hoping cisse is just on a bad spell and he will come good

    i think he feels not trying him not playing him he wont improve at all in fact go backwards

    personally i think its a bit of everything thats all im not saying pardew or him or board its a combo of everything I think

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  58. The issue is is that the players need to wake up and realise that they are not as good as they think they are, and that they need to up the effort and tempo. That is quite simply down to Pardew. He needs to rip them ALL a new **** hole so that they get out there and show some fight.

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