Next week it is QPR at St James’ Park with the aim being very much three points against a side who have yet to win this season (famous last words, watch them get a win today or next week against us), but today we have to try and get something out of the Premier League champions and their expensively assembled squad.
It is going to be a tough ask, a very tough ask, when you look at how we’ve been playing recently but all we can do is give it our best shot and see what the outcome is at the end of it. Giving it our best shot is something we haven’t done too often this season for me, but it’s all I ever ask and providing we do just that I’ll be happy regardless of result. Well, relatively happy anyway…
The big team news in the build up is the news that Hatem Ben Arfa is rated as doubtful after aggravating a hamstring injury on Monday night at Fulham. Maybe it’s some of those “mind games” regarding his selection but I guess the team news will reveal all. Incidentally all team news will be published in full below as and when it becomes available.
The game is live on Sky Sports 2 so if you aren’t at the match you can head down the pub or watch it at home providing you have Sky. It’s also being picked for broadcast by a whole host of overseas TV channels so if you aren’t at the game, don’t fancy heading down the pub or don’t have Sky then you might be able to catch a stream of it. Suffice to say should you find a good stream please feel free to leave a link to it in the ‘comments’ section below.
Which just about wraps it up. The match preview is online here for you to peruse should you feel the need to although it basically details our horrific recent record (L9, D2 of the last 11 games) against City.
Suffice to say my expectations aren’t exactly sky high for today but we’ll see what happens. A hammering wouldn’t be good for confidence so I’d obviously like to avoid that as I’m sure most of you would, but I have a horrible feeling about this game…
Howay the lads!
Newcastle: Tim Krul; Danny Simpson, Mike Williamson, Fabricio Coloccini, Davide Santon; James Perch, Cheik Tiote, Vurnon Anita, Papiss Cisse, Demba Ba, Jonas Gutierrez
Subs: Rob Elliot, James Tavernier, Shane Ferguson, Gael Bigirimana, Sylvain Marveaux, Sammy Ameobi, Shola Ameobi
Manchester City:
Subs:
Well done Tim
KIMTOON(Quote)
All our good stuff is going through Anita.. 🙂
Aussie Magpie Fan(Quote)
BP Yeah we have been very poor for most of the season but surely he desevres time to turn it around no?
Johno Toon(Quote)
Aussie, He looks good doesn’t he
KIMTOON(Quote)
Aussie at last your right on something 😀
Big Dave(Quote)
Good spirit from the lads but fearfull of the counter attack 🙄
KIMTOON(Quote)
come on Lads lets get at them
Big Dave(Quote)
He does Kim and I always am Dave 🙂
Aussie Magpie Fan(Quote)
great pressure lads well done
KIMTOON(Quote)
Kim @ 156 I know
Big Dave(Quote)
oh I thought that was in for a min 😀
Big Dave(Quote)
Win or lose today if we play the rest of the season with this endeavor we must surely start getting some wins. 😕
KIMTOON(Quote)
Johno – I would like to have a manager for 10 years but the stat that says we attempt / complete more long balls than all the other teams says it all.
That is not how to get the best outta Benny, Cabaye and Cisse. Probably why we dont use Marveaux more.
BIGPAPA(Quote)
Well done Colo
KIMTOON(Quote)
Don’t know why City should be worried by our free kicks we never score from em 🙄
KIMTOON(Quote)
Tiote off Marv on, why not take off Jonas 😕
KIMTOON(Quote)
City are well dodge at the back mind ,if only we could exploit it
KIMTOON(Quote)
Fuking hell 😈
Big Dave(Quote)
God we need a new defence ❗
Axel(Quote)
ffs unbelievible ,we have spent so long attacking to drop a ******* in defence AGAIN. 👿
Cisse pays the price for being ineffective bec ause he’s played out of his preffered position 🙄 And he’s actually made some nice touches today
KIMTOON(Quote)
Lucky goal from Ya Ya.. nutmegged Willo and Krul..
Aussie Magpie Fan(Quote)
Please score from a corner
KIMTOON(Quote)
Strolla looks like he’s got a cushion up the front of his shirt 😯 I thought Jonas had put the beef on 😀
Big Dave(Quote)
Ba still trying the wonder goal
KIMTOON(Quote)
Fergie on for Simmo and Jonas gets to potter on 😯
Big Dave(Quote)
Dave ,If young Campbell is fit he needs drafting into the first team as he can’t be any worse than strolla .
KIMTOON(Quote)
Dave ,it’s baffelling his loyalty to Jonas 🙄
KIMTOON(Quote)
Unlucky lads, Man City have been incredible attacking (albeit defensive errors have helped), we play like this against QPR and it’s 3 points in the bag.
SolanosTrumpet(Quote)
😆 😆 😆 cracking air shot Ba
Big Dave(Quote)
ST that sad thing is I don’t think we’ll play like this against QPR 😥
Big Dave(Quote)
FS Jonas
Big Dave(Quote)
Anyone agree that our players are real real slow compared to other teams wingers??
Or that our play are always that slow. 👿
AngelOfDeath(Quote)
Perch well done
KIMTOON(Quote)
Good effort from the lads.. worked hard and didn’t drop their heads… signs of improvement but some points wouldn’t go astray..
Aussie Magpie Fan(Quote)
Why don’t we start Marv more often? He brings a new dimension not HBA, but a really tricky character. He is definitely one to watch.
Michael12(Quote)
Eff off Dave 😈 , let me have a week of being a dreamer! 😆
SolanosTrumpet(Quote)
KK @ 12 looks like he knew what he was talking about for a change 🙄 😆 😆
Well have to say I was a lot happier watching us play today
Big Dave(Quote)
Well, they gave it a go. That was a good performance. Pity about the result … again!
brisvegas(Quote)
AOD, The fitness level has looked poor all season and the injuries may be in part due to that. Funny thing is we have looked quicker today than in previous games 🙄
KIMTOON(Quote)
Anyway, promising. We were expecting to lose. Didn’t expect us to make that much of a game out of it, especially after the first half. BIG game next week.
SolanosTrumpet(Quote)
Poor defending once again cost us.
Hash(Quote)
Oh, Jonas is our worst player. He just doesn’t add anything anymore.
SolanosTrumpet(Quote)
ST thats what annoys me the most we can play and we normally raise our game but I think the players will thing ah it’s only QPR 👿 I am just trying to look out for you as I don’t want you jumping on the dreamboat to then have your hopes crushed 😆 😆
Big Dave(Quote)
We played really well, the score doesn’t reflect the match. A lesser team would have lost to us playing like that. Guarantee the pundits in MOTD and the like will just show it as if they thrashed us.
Andymag(Quote)
Well I was expecting defeat today which we got but I’m pleased with how many problems we caused and how we kept going. Another improved performance and if test continues next week we should be able to get a win against QPR
toonsy(Quote)
**** but expected result, but good effort especially 2nd half.
Reet few things to do before flying to Toon tomorrow, if I divn’t get on again have a good Xmas lads n lasses…and Aussie
richietoon(Quote)
Not surprised at the result but happier with our effort considering the talent we were up against.IF we play that spirited V QPR I would like to think we’ll pick up the points but it’s vital they don’t score first as we seem incapable of coming back from behind.
KIMTOON(Quote)
Marv was complacent and irritating when on the ball, reiterate what I said earlier sell him and bring in Remy.
Andymag(Quote)
Dodgy 15 minutes or so in the first half aside, I can’t really fault the lads. Got to worry about their confidence though – second half was maybe the best I’ve seen them this year, and it still wasn’t enough! Although hopefully the post-game post-mortem will highlight the fact that this was against the reigning champions.
On a brighter note, Anita is looking better and better. Marv showed enough to suggest he should start. His attacking play is so direct – it’s such a nice change from Jonas.
blip(Quote)
As happy as I can be with a loss. Anita coming on well. Would you drop him when Cabaye returns? Santon was picked out as the weak link by Mancini and it worked. However despite how good Anita, Tiote and Perch made the midfield look, Cisse and Ba simply don’t work together.
griff(Quote)
Whehay, all aboard the 1 point till Jan train, or will it be 0? Too little too late. No good trying in these games, we aren’t good enough to beat city and haven’t been since last decade. Batten down the hatches because we’re in for a rough ride. It’s okay saying the defence needs to improve and we will win games by scoring enough goals. What goals? We can’t score from set pieces, Ba wastes most of his chances and scores the odd chance, nobody else is scoring. Pardew is living in cloud cookoo land. ‘It’s more important that we get a home win against them now’. 😆
DJG(Quote)
No surprises there then
Newkie(Quote)
This is not a bad defeat. I accept this defeat and had not hoped for more. We showed passion, determination, and character. That is not lacking in our team. I do not negatively mark Pardew on this game it really was a mitigating game in that it was City not a team we would beat even in extraordinary circumstances we would win.
Entertaining game I must say. Anita looked very good today and I like what I have seen in him thus far this season. Started slow but is making up for that. Marv looking like a secret weapon but needs to be deployed much more often. He looks like he can get a few goals and create too.
Ba, the only reason we are not in the relegation Zone. On his own is bagging our goals. Cisse, non entity. A poacher being played in midfield. He needs to played to his strengths so currently he is limited.
Pardew muppet. Lucky city played to our strengths rather than we elevating our approach. Credit to him as well for keeping the mood and spirit in the team despite his poor results.
Michael12(Quote)
Good second half. But really Ba and Cisse for me are so poor they score some weird goals but when its easy, they missed easy shoots. And Ba tries too much, very selfish.
And again I dont understand why Jonas is again in this fucking pitch he must be a sub at best. Marveaux is much much better than him.
But defensively we are really a nightmare, they can easily score 5 or 6 if they dont miss some easiest chances.
hba39(Quote)
I am still quietly believe that we can avoid the relegation zone. Even we get into it, we will be able to get out. 😎
AngelOfDeath(Quote)
Sunderland just got more incentive to do well today after seeing us lose as have Wigan ,QPR and Fulham too 🙁
KIMTOON(Quote)
HBA39 I was hoping after the 2nd went in that it would be 4 or 5-0 tbh. Why paper over the cracks? We need the owner to see that we need serious investment in Jan. It is a combination of things; but the league seems a lot stronger this time. Last season we came up against some poor teams and got a win and could kick on from it. That isn’t happening this time. Even Reading gave us a good game, there are no Blackburn or Wolves type games this season which is a bit worrying. The strength of the Premier league now seems to be… improve or die. Are we this seasons Bolton I wonder? 😕
DJG(Quote)
Kim-well seeing as Fulham are playing QPR, our match won’t make much difference to them 😉
Scum already behind.
Newkie(Quote)
RVP 1 SCUM 0
😆 Day just got better
KIMTOON(Quote)
Newkie If Fulham win they pull away even more and if QPR win they come to us with confidence so I think the game does effect us . 😉
KIMTOON(Quote)
Richie 🙂 That Anatov AN 225 must be setting you back a fair bit of coin to freight you back to the Toon… 🙂 🙂 🙂 Have a good Xmas and new years mate. I’ll miss your spell checking 🙂 🙂
Aussie Magpie Fan(Quote)
Scum 0.2 down already 😆 lalas
KIMTOON(Quote)
Then is simple. Fulham and QPR play out a draw. 😆 😆
AngelOfDeath(Quote)
Geez. Aston villa just scored. 👿
AngelOfDeath(Quote)
Kim-yes, their games effect us, but we don’t affect them. You’re saying they both have more incentive after watching us lose…which means they’re the same again 😉
Newkie(Quote)
Am I the only one who thought that Jonas played well today? Won important freekicks and his crossing was pretty good today, a couple of dodgy passes aside, he did well. Marv on the other hand is a poor-man’s Ben Arfa, shooting at unnecessary points and trying to be skillful when the simple is required. Also is far too complacent.
Andymag(Quote)
ANDYMAG
I think that’s a bit harsh on Marveaux. He gets thrown on for the last 10 mins or so and what is he supposed to do then. He looks like he has better control of the ball and will do more with it than Jonas. I’ll admit Jonas looked slightly better today but only because he ups his game for City and he Argie chums (he did last time) and he could hardly be any worse. He’s still not a patch on Santon when it comes to attacking with the ball.
DJG(Quote)
****, 0-2 Villa. Swapping places with the bottom teams now.
DJG(Quote)
In response to someone above who asked if we should drop Anita when Cabaye returns… no.
If anything Anita is looking more useful as a link-up player than Cabs. Think we should look at 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3, with Cabaye, Tiote and Anita all playing.
blip(Quote)
Andy-I thought Jonas was gash. Won a few free kicks, which we can’t score from anyway so they weren’t important. Other than that, every attack down the left stopped completely once the ball got to him. Can’t beat a single man anymore and his delivery was always poor, just a pointless player really.
Marv had about 15mins to make a difference. I’ve said he seems to lack hunger, but he certainly wasn’t any worse than Jonas.
Newkie(Quote)
And no, Anita should not be dropped, he should be played in a midfield 3 with Cabaye and Tiote, just like I said when we initially bought him 😉
Newkie(Quote)
Newkie @215 ,WHAT 😕 .the incentive is as I said QPR who are winning as I write ,can win and come to us confident and Fulham can pull away who would have us on their backs had we won.
KIMTOON(Quote)
@Newkie
Our dream could finally come true! Whether Pards would do that…
SolanosTrumpet(Quote)
Fellani being a naughty boy with a deliberate headbutt apparently , didn’t think he was that tpye of player like. 😯
KIMTOON(Quote)
Type@224 😳
KIMTOON(Quote)