Game On! Newcastle v QPR

St James' Park.
Game On at St James’ Park
Newcastle take on QPR this afternoon in what could tentatively be described as one of those “relegation battle six-pointer” affairs at St James’ Park.

It’s also our last home game of 2012 and with Christmas just around the corner the fans attending St James’ Park this afternoon will undoubtedly want to be sent home happy ahead of trips to Manchester United and Arsenal which conclude our festive fixture list.

The need for three points couldn’t be greater, but it’s a need both sides have as league position isn’t looking pretty for either club right now. Newcastle currently sit 15th but could drop to 17th if results go the wrong way, whilst QPR could end up bottom of the league should they suffer defeat this afternoon and should Reading manage to pull of what would be a surprise result against Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium.

The importance of this game has been described in great detail in many places so I wont go into it too much more. My match preview, which you can view here, is one of said places but that isn’t all it includes. You can get yourself up to speed with all the injury news ahead of the match, take in some fun facts and have a trip down memory lane all in one place.

Being a 3pm kick-off on a Saturday means that unfortunately the game isn’t being broadcast live here in the UK. However there are a number of overseas broadcasters who are showing the match so hopefully, if you can’t get to the match itself, you can join us on here and watch it online. Normal rules apply so if you find a stream please feel free to leave a link to it in the ‘comments’ section below.

Which just about wraps this up. Team news will be published in full below as and when it becomes available. It’s my last day in the UK before heading to Europe to work over Christmas, missing my boys first Christmas in the process. I’m pretty pi**ed off about it in truth but a win would be a decent way to put a smile on my face, at least for a day.

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: Steve Harper, Shane Ferguson, Gael Bigirimana, Sylvain Marveaux, Gabriel Obertan, Sammy Ameobi, Shola Ameobi

QPR: Robert Green; Fabio Da Silva, Anton Ferdinand, Clint Hill, Ryan Nelsen; Jamie Mackie, Esteban Granero, Stephane Mbia, Alejandro Faurlin, Adel Taarabt; Djibril Cisse

Subs: Brian Murphy, Samba Diakite, Armand Traore, Nedum Onuoha, Shaun Derry, Shaun Wright-Phillips, Junior Hoilett

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.

234 thoughts on “Game On! Newcastle v QPR

  1. Big win today. Really needed. If we can get a point from next two games be a decent xmas period for us. Cabaye Ben arfa and Taylor due back in a few weeks and if we get two players in Jan and replace anyone leaving we be in a strong position going into second half of the season.

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  2. Big D@150, what has what Pardew says about HBA got to do with my comments about working your socks off ?

    I think you are somehow trying to defend Cisse, but I cannot see the logic behind it mate.

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  3. Well I’d say we just about deserved that.

    QPR are terrible so we had to get that result.

    Good finish from Strolla, who seems to do well in these 10-15 minute cameos. Unfortunately when ever he starts he is useless so cameo role seems to suit him.

    I though Obertan made quite a big difference. With Cisse out of form I’d like to see Marveaux and Obertan playing on either side of Ba. I think Cisse could slowly get some confidence back by being brought on for Ba later in games against tired legs.

    Thought Perch was excellent and Simpson has been in super for the last four games.

    What is clear though is that neither Cisse or Ba have the creativity or technical ability to play out wide. If played they must be used in the centre.

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  4. Sick of this Ba v Cisse thing now like.
    The fact is that Pardew made our job difficult today before QPR even took to the pitch thanks to his selections again today.
    It was a vital 3 points today, and other results have gone our way fortunately. But if Pardew keeps selecting Jonas and Ba and Cisse in the same team, we WILL be in a relegation battle this season!.
    Marv and Oba made a difference when they came on and without the creativity that Cabs and Benny can provide, Pard should be playing Marv and Oba wide rather than a DCM and CF on the wingers.

    We got away with it today, but our next 3 games are very difficult based on our current form.

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  5. No surprise there then. We go to 4-4-2 with two big CF’s and swop Jonas for a winger and we suddenly started creating chances. It’s Pardeaus main tactic and he simply had to get Cisse and Jonas off for it to work. How vital could these 3 points be? 😯

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  6. I think I’ll whisper this quietly, but it’s good to see Obertan back. He’s frustrating as hell, but he offers things to the team which no-one else can bring.

    Surely Marv must be knocking on the door too ?

    Surely today was the day when it became obvious to Pardew that Jonas needs a spell on the bench to recharge his batteries and rediscover his form ?

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  7. Anita created 8 chances today. More than anyone else has for a long time. His set pieces are pretty decent and varied.

    For me, Anita, Obertan and Marveaux won us that game with their quick movement of the ball.

    …Oh yeah, and Shola’s great strike 😆

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  8. MM I thought the point I was making was pretty clear 😯 your stating that working your socks of for the team was the minimum requirement.
    I am saying in Pards opinion it’s the most important requirement, even regarding Benny who is and was the most skillful player we have 😉

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  9. Im glad tiote is suspended against united to be honest, he has to play marvaux now but knowing pardew he will play guti in the middle and obertan out right. Never the less massive 3 points today even though we were hopeless

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  10. Dave, I think when played in the centre they offer much the same. The only difference would be the fresh legs. But I can’t see Pard’s bringing Ba off no…

    Sharpy @162
    Completely agree with that…

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  11. We are quite safe going into boxing day as Sunderland will face Man city,Spurs….. Aston villa will face spurs,wigan.

    We got Man utd and Arsenal. I believe we can actually take points from these two games

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  12. Bigirirama for Tiote. Obertan for Jonas and Marveaux for Perch? I assume Perch is out as well with the yellow (not sure what it was for)

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  13. French journo reporting that debuchy has been left out of LIlle sqyad, says he has played his last game for lille, i will be suprised if we dont sign him.

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  14. I actually thought Obertan looked tidy when he came on. Definitely more impact than Jonas. Whether that was running at tired legs or not, I’m not sure, but he worries defenders a bit more than Jonas I feel. He still looks unsure of himself though and needs to run at goal a bit more directly, but he’s better on the left for sure.

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  15. Just read Matt Spiro saying on Twitter that Debuchy has played his last game for Lille and wants a move in January.

    I hope it’s true. It would be amazing if we could totally fix the imbalance of our offensive play in one window. (Debuchy & Remy)

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  16. JJ – it’s really pissing me off now like!. I don’t want to be one of those shout for Pardew to get the bullet but I really think he’s getting it badly wrong.
    This Ba v Cisse thing is quite simple. If Pardew believes that Ba is likely to leave in Jan, then for me he HAS to play Cisse through the middle with Marv and Oba either side of him IMO.
    I really don’t see the point finding a formation that favours Ba if he’s likely to leave in the next 4 weeks.

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  17. That was painful but enjoyable. 😆 Can see that we should play 442
    —————————-Krul————————-
    -Simpson—Williamson–Colocinni—Santon-
    –Obertan———Anita——-Tiote——–Marv-
    ————————Shola——-Ba—————
    Until HBA and Cabaye are back. Afterwards I’d like to see
    ——————————Krul————————–
    ———S.Taylor——Colocinni——-New CB—-
    Attacking full-back—————————Santon
    ————————-Tiote/Bigi(ACN)—————
    ————-Cabaye——————Anita————-
    ——————————HBA————————-
    ——————————Cissé———————–

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  18. Well i knew he would come good but now surely everyone can see why Anita was signed in the summer , for me he was the motm today . The lad is getting to grips with the premiership . The last 15 /20 minutes showed we are too good to finish bottom half of the table . We dominated the game today but created nothing untill Shola ,Gabby and Marveaux were brought on . Time too bench Jonas i think and give Cisse a chance as the striker against Manure , we all know after all that Ba is going in January , so bench him and show faith in those that want too be here .

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  19. Agreed Axel. Put Cisse in the No 9 position in games that you don’t expect to win. Don’t want to be penny wise and pound foolish. Cisse is starting to get frustrated.

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  20. To be fair, I thought we looked better today than in the same fixture last season (1-0 thanks to Best, to refresh the memory…).

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  21. Axel ,Cisse must be bemused at why he no longer gets the central spot when that was what he was signed for 🙄 He couldn’t have done any better when he arrived if he tried and gets scant reward for it imo.

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  22. KIMTOON Cisse is not being played in his position because Ba has spit the dummy out and is holding the club to ransom . I say **** him , goal scorer or not , no one is bigger than the team but he thinks he is . Just look at his second free kick , Anita wanted too take it but Ba claimed the ball and hit it high over the bar for the second time . Loved the fact that the crowd booed when the lad was brought off .

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  23. Relieved. Thank you Santa for the mackem slayer. Pardew causes the problems with his selections. Anita Perch and Tiote have no idea where the goal is. Too reliant on the front men.Only one of Perch and Tiote should start.

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  24. Cisse looks like a mixture of Frank Pingel Tony Cunningham and John Tudor. I was gonna include Howard Gayle but Cisse isn’t that good

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  25. For me Marveux is a central option and not a wide player but the manager doesn’t like midfielders with attacking intent

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  26. <<<<<< well happy big win for us we defo needed that,kick in the bollocks for all the strolla knockers also though obertan had good game he had there right back on toast lmao 😀

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  27. Toonarmyelite

    I still think Shola isn’t premiership standard, but it was a great finish.

    Its a bit like when Jonas cracks one in once a year or puts in one decent cross every second season, then people start saying…

    “Where are all the people who say Jonas can’t cross!”

    Having said that. Shola is decent enough as long as he only plays 15 minutes or so against tired legs.

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  28. @ JJ I still think Shola isn’t premiership standard, but it was a great finish.so what ya saying is that cool finish wernt of premship quality lmao 😈

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  29. Taarabt and Hoilett, two “great” players linked with the toon 😯

    We did well to avoid those two 🙁

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  30. Munich Mag

    I remember when we were “in for Hoillet” and loads on here and Twitter were desperate for him. I said at the time that he is nothing but a highlight reel player. He has 1 good game in every 6 or 7 he plays, but his season’s best bits are enough to have fans saying things like, “He’s underrated, him.”

    No, no he is not. He is an inconsistent, lazy winger.

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  31. @mattspiro: Mathieu Debuchy left out of squad by Lille today. Wants January move and has probably played his last game for club #NUFC #LOSC

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  32. Mattspiro is a French football journalist so could just be bollox but I think there’s a good chance we might get him

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  33. Cisse was better than Ba today. Cisse did ok today hence the crowd booing his taking off. But why did it take 60 minutes to take Jonas off? Ten minutes was enough. Didn’t beat his man once – again. Crowd round me were shouting take him off. Pity really – always liked him but he is a liability at the moment.

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  34. Evening all.
    What a horrendous match that was. Two ***** teams, neither wanting to lose, but unable to create very much to get the win.
    I have to say, my opinion of Cisse hasn’t changed much. But I will give him great credit for his work rate and over all contribution.
    You’ve gotta kind of feel for the lad mind. Ba is ruling the roost in the striker department, and has made himself undroppable. Despite the fact he played utter tripe today. He has certainly vindicated those that say he is selfish and its all about Ba. Me Me Me.
    Well on todays performance, he should be benched and let Cisse show what he can do up front on his own.
    Also think Marv showed more in 25 mins than Jonas has all season, plus Obertan looked ok on the left wing. Same old Obi tho.
    Shollas goal was so well taken, 😯 sweet as you like. Plus he showed his strength up front where it counts.
    Really happy with the 3 points, but was shitting it at the end with that free kick.
    Well done Krul. A clean sheet and 3 points 😆
    Happy fooking Christmas.
    Could this be the turning point of our season ❓ Here’s hoping.
    HTL

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  35. From where I was sitting today, Cissie had a nightmare and had to go off, though wont give him too much stick as just another game, but i think the stick Ba is getting is a bit off. Yes he had some shots from way out, but he put a lot more into it today than Cissie.

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  36. Groucho – I think the boos were for Pardew, and well meritted.
    Same old guff from pardew unfortunately.
    He is pissing people off with his cluelessness. 😈
    The players got us out the crapper today, no thanks to pardew.

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  37. Its ironic that Shola could be away to ACoN, just when we really need his efforts coming off the bench. lol
    Not very impressed with Tiote again today either.
    I wonder if Marveaux will get the nod to start against manure.:?:
    Probably not 😕

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  38. I would say Marv must be pretty fuked off aswell seeing Jonas start game after game.
    I do respect the fact that Pards shows loyalty to Jonas and I think he should, but after a few games he has to realise that Marv should take over until / if Jonas gets it back.

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  39. BB

    I really don’t understand where you are coming from.

    “The players got us out the crapper today, no thanks to pardew.”

    Eh? Even a blind man could tell you that it was the substitutions that won us the game in the end. Shola gave Nelson and Hill a nightmare, and Obertan came on at the right time to exploit Ferdinand’s tiredness.

    Marveaux came on a little late for my liking, but he set the goal up so can’t fault Pardew there.

    Today’s performance was nothing to do with Pardew, but instead a lack of quality in the final third. He did what he could with the players at his disposal. Only thing he did wrong in my opinion was play Jonas, who was improved, but still pretty ineffective.

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  40. We have a flying left winger at the toon, his name is Santon. Jonas can fill in at left back….
    We have a steady right back at the toon who doesn’t look good going forward, his name is Simpson, and he’s gonna walk away for nowt at the end of the season.
    We have an average right winger at the toon, who could sit in front of Simpson and cause problems with his pace, his name is Obertan.

    We have two good central strikers who need players further up the field buzzing around them, Cisse and Ba, isolated from the rest of the team they will struggle…

    We have two excellent midfield anchor men in Anita and Tiote

    Get it sorted man Pards

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  41. Big Dave @206, I second that regarding Jonas, the lad needs a break.
    We need to see if Marv is up to it. If not he needs to move on, we can’t wait around for senior pros to show there worth.

    Pardew has a big part to play in it all too.

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  42. Kid- Pardew set us up the same old same old way with the same old plan and formation and tactics.
    You just knew he wouldn’t make a sub until 60 mins.
    Yes, the subs changed the game, but they should / could have started or come on sooner.
    I’m sick of the Jonas antics. What has Marv got to do to get a start I wonder:?:
    Same goes for Obertan, could he not have started the 2nd half for example.
    Tiote was poor again and should have come off sooner too.
    On a plus note, I must add we passed and kept the ball alot better today.
    Hardly any hoof ball of note.
    😆

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  43. Have to say, Shola ‘s nailed his role of impact sub striker.
    He is able to give his all for 20 – 35 mins. Thats fine for me.
    His strength and hold up play at the end is invaluable.

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  44. BB I disagree regarding Tiote. He just needs some better players around about him. He’s a fetcher carrier at the end of the day.
    A bit like blokes expecting Cisse to become a certain type of striker. He’s not a central hold-up type striker. If we expect that from him we’ll all be disappointed. I know that, I’ve watched him for yonks in the Bundesliga.
    Cisse needs nurturing over the next few months, that he hit the ground running so well in his first season was quite amazing. He needs time to adjust to the fact that defenders have got him sussed out.

    Regarding Shola his mere physical presence helps him, and say what you like about him, but he has cracked in some decisive goals for us at the end of theday. I felt better today when I saw him being exchanged for Cisse and Obertan coming on on the wing. It won’t always work for Pardew, but it worked for him today.

    I really think it’s up to the trainer and his coaches to get the best out of a quite talented squad. They haven’t managed it so far this seson, due to injuries and drops in form amongst other things.

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  45. Well a question for everyone on here who is better Anita or Tiote for me its Anita and i would not mind if Tiote is sold in january for a fee between 10-15 m .

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  46. Axel,Anita may well turn out to be the complete package for us ,he certainly seems to get better all the time where as with Tiote we have seen his best and worst sides and for me as good as he is he misses games too often . I suppose his playing position means he’s always gonna be at risk of a card ,that and his combative style like. But for me I see huge potential in Anita so he’d be the one I’d want to keep.

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  47. Munich Mag

    For me, Anita and Tiote are very different. The two should play together, not replace one another.

    However, I do feel Tiote will be offloaded soon. For some reason, I am just very confident of Moussa Sissoko arriving in the summer, which will indicate that the club is taking a more continental approach to building a team. If I could paraphrase Alex Ferguson, players just aren’t allowed to tackle anymore. Therefore, the destroyer role will soon become obsolete and be replaced by more rounded central midfielders, a la Sissoko, Busquets, Khedira, Arteta etc.

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  48. Chelsea may have hijacked the Remy deal. Hence why they’re so desperate to get rid of Sturridge quickly.

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  49. Can’t really see how people can talk about Anita replacing Tiote. They aren’t like for like. Agree with The Kid really, we may want a more complete player than Tiote as he is limited going forward. But for commitment and his strength on the ball he is a very tidy player. Tiote’s impact on Newcastle as a side has been immense imo. He was a revelation when replacing Smith and he’s got more pace and energy about him than Parker ever did.

    I can’t ever see Anita grabbing the ball and shrugging off three players to get us moving forward, even though I think he’s a great little player and thought he’d be good from the start.

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  50. I’m a wee bit pissed but **** game, **** ref, 2 **** teams. We are exactly where we deserve to be….but great 3 points :mrgreen:

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  51. In a complete change of heart from this morning i’d like the record to show that i want ba gone.
    I think being there today is the first time I’ve had a proper watch recently (no sky etc and haven’t had a decent stream in ages)
    he is talented,but there’s something not right. when we were winning freekicks at the end, he’d sprint to the ball to try and take it quickly, WHY, noone else wanted to, he just clearly wanted to score himself, regardless of it risking the result had he lost the ball. crowd seem behind cisse, booed when he was taken off.
    Definite lack of creative talent, number of players; perch, willo etc performed to their capabilities, can’t ask for more.
    Jonas is so, so far past whatever he had.
    Anita is.class, when the rest of the team is up to scratch i think he will shine.
    I’d quite like santon on a wing atm, maybe fergie/perch at left back? we are so short of creative players we need santon free to attack.
    We barely resorted to hoofball in the first half, we did when shola came on which is fair enough as he wins headers.
    Obertan should.feature, frustrating but it lifts the crowd when he gets the ball, him and shola completely changed.the atmosphere.

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  52. I can see how it can be justified (even if it doesn’t work with our midfield) for us to play 4-4-2 with cisse and ba up top.
    But 4-3-3 with cisse fully on the wing, people have said it before but i hadn’t really seen it to be true, is completely ridiculous. something very dodgy going on there.
    Again you could justify playing 4-3-3 with Obertan for cisse on the wing, but playing a pure striker on the wing?! Madness.

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  53. ..alwiz fkn leyts oot wenahm waking up like.

    …bought some new sunglasses the day like

    😎

    …arekn thi look boss like 😎

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