This season is in danger of fading into nothing with no cup competitions to aim for and the ghastly (from a club perspective) prospect of qualifying for the Europa League seemingly beyond us. It kind of feels like when you pop into a shop just before it closes, you know when all the staff just want to lock up and ****** off. That’s how I’d describe how I feel about the rest of the season anyway.
Having said I’m still a fan, as we all are for our sins, and we still have games to play and points to try and pick up so I’ll always want United to win, including tomorrow against Tottenham. You never know, perhaps it might spark some inspiration into a fanbase that is rapidly losing some of the passion expected from Newcastle fans?
Newcastle:
Loic Remy serves the last of his three game suspension having previously sat out the defeats to Sunderland and Chelsea. Cheick Tiote, Fabricio Coloccini, Mathieu Debuchy, Papiss Cisse, Yoan Gouffran, Gabriel Obertan and Gael Bigirimana are all said to be injured although Tim Krul is fine after appearing to pick up an injury at Stamford Bridge.
Tottenham:
Erik Lamela, Sandro and Vlad Chriches are out but Andros Townsend is available once more after returning from injury as a substitute against Everton at the weekend.
Previously…
Against the odds, and despite an attacking barrage from Tottenham, Newcastle go looking for a league double over Spurs thanks to a goal from Loic Remy securing a 1-0 win at White Hart Lane back in November last year.
We have a good recent record against Tottenham and have not lost to Spurs at St James’ Park since August 2004 – a 1-0 win for the visitors. A total of 71 games have been played here in the North-East with United winning on 30 occasions and Tottenham taking all of the points in 22 of those 71 matches.
Overall it is Tottenham who shade the head-to-head having won 60 of the 143 meetings to date. United have won 52 times with 31 draws making up the numbers.
Stats and facts…
Newcastle have lost their last three league matches at St James’ Park. They have not lost four in a row at home since 1987.
They have had just eight goalscorers in the Premier League this season, fewer than any other side.
United have won just one of the last seven league matches. The other six resulted in losses with no goals being scored.
Tottenham have lost just two of their 12 Premier League away games this season – away at Arsenal and Manchester City.
Only Jose Mourinho has picked up more points than Tim Sherwood since the former Spurs player took over the managerial reins at White Hart Lane.
Final thought…
Well on the plus side, my new keyboard seems to work so I’m back in business in terms of being able to write articles and stuff like that.
On the other hand we’re in poor form and I’ll probably end up writing about another loss come full-time. Sorry to be pessimistic and all that, but it’s how I feel. The sale of Cabaye was always on the cards and I’m not surprised by it one bit, but the failure to acquire a replacement (again not a real surprise) seems to have sucked the life out of things. That and the derby defeat and everything else that is going on really.
We made a cracking start to the season but now it looks like it will all be going to waste. It doesn’t matter in the boardroom as they are happy that we’re pretty much secure for life in the Premier League again next term, but as fans you have to wonder if this is it?
Howay the lads!
Date: Wednesday, 12th February, 2014
Time: 7:45pm
Venue: St James’ Park
Good debate this.
It might be just my age – I belong to the generation who thought that Davey Mc was a good midfielder, and Imre Varadi a fearsome striker – but to me success would be to improve on our historic achievements in my lifetime (alright, I was one in 1969).
That would mean to be a stable top half of the top division fixture, as opposed to a volatile one good season in three team, which is how other fans see us. That stability would go a long way towards making it possible, even likely, that we could actually win a trophy one year.
I’d love to get back to the SBR days of CL tilts, but then we had three advantages we don’t have now:
A board prepared to place the club in dangerous levels of debt
A world class manager
No bankrolled Chelsea or Man City to compete against, let alone the fact that the income differential was so much less vs teams like Liverpool and even Spurs
Not defeatist. It also means I still get excited about every game – for this season, are we seeing one or two squad players emerge? Sammy, Dummett? Will De Jong make it? Is it time to forget Barfa? All good football questions to watch over the next dozen games.
Gallowgate Terrace West(Quote)
Bris – No chance of engaging in debate with you is there…
Stuart79(Quote)
The fact is that every single NUFC supporter could accept not winning something as long as we were giving it our very best shot. We’re not! We’re just muddling along with a regime who thinks PL survival is the be all and end all. Nobody I know wants us to go and spend £500m as we just don’t have that money, but we do have a considerable amount (£50m) that hasn’t been spent. That amount could make a different between competing to win something or even getting in CL. At least then we could all go to the games thinking, yes we are at least trying…
Stuart79(Quote)
the starting point of all achievement is desire.
the one thing ash doesn’t have for the club.
0 – 0 the neet.
roy cropper(Quote)
Not when you insist on defining words to match your own opinions.
BrisVegas(Quote)
Given we can’t win the league, then trying for a cup is our only chance of winning something. That the board have stated cups are not a priority then what does that leave?. Every sporting team will start their campaign in what ever sport you care to mention looking to attain some form of trophy, why should we be any different, it’s not conditional support our attendance figures are testament to that. Is success really just about keeping our place in the league, it’s a sad day if it is. What gets fans out of bed on a bitter cold Saturday morning to play some semi pro lot at the other end of the country in the FA cup, it’s the belief that this year it could be us not this year we could finish 8th ffs. Bris you say our support is conditional on success like it’s a bad thing, since when did starting the season in hope of a cup win become a thing to be mocked. What is making a mockery of our support is a feckless owner who see’s fit to offer no support recruitment wise to a manager struggling to stem the tide of apathy caused by the constant chaos that the owner seems hell bent on creating .
KIMTOON(Quote)
That’s well said Kim
No, not just about keeping our league position for it’s own sake, but if we can be season in and out in the 6-10 range, then it will make it possible for us to really prioritise the cups – even under this owner.
Gallowgate Terrace West(Quote)
Kim:
“Bris you say our support is conditional on success like it’s a bad thing …”
Weeeell, no, I didn’t, but, yes, I think some seem to have conditional support
“… since when did starting the season in hope of a cup win become a thing to be mocked.”
It isn’t. I wouldn’t dream of doing so. I think that dream is admirable.
BrisVegas(Quote)
Kim – fantastically put missus!.
We aren’t a bunch of people who are expecting the owner or board to go out and spend £100m every window. We don’t have unrealistic expectations that we will compete for the league title.
All we want, and have every right to expect, is that strive for alittle more than stability.
Sharpy17(Quote)
Bris –
I think (as it always has been with this regime), it’s just the manner they go about everything.
After last seasons horror I would have gladly taken a comfortable 8th/9th finish – consolidation with a higher aims the following season.
It’s just having had top 6 well within competing range, it’s utterly demoralising to lose your best player with no reinforcements added.
I actually agree with the players sold funding the players in, but the board just do it so half-arsed.
We shouldn’t be in a position where we have the three key players in def/mid/fwd are leaving within a few months of each other with no plan in place.
SolanosTrumpet(Quote)
All we want is HOPE!
Stuart79(Quote)
Bris –
I also think this season is a bit alien to a lot of us. It’s quite rare that the toon have nothing to player for, it seems we either struggle or challenge (and fade) for European places.
SolanosTrumpet(Quote)
Hope is all we have, like I said I think it’s unlikely (not impossible) I’ll ever see us winning a trophy but every season I still have the “hope” that this year will be our year.
GTW… I think it was more Davey Mac was a fearsome midfielder and Imre was a good striker 😉
Kim@81 Good comment.
richietoon(Quote)
GTW, To reach a the position of 6- 8th every season ,yes I agree a good thing to aim for but it HAS to be alongside having a good go in the cups unless we are really battling relegation or dreadful injuries. Look at the Scum this season, really up against it , new manager installed, low staff morale yet they still had a right good go at the cup reaching a final no less and who knows they may yet win it. Compare to us last season relegation scrap and out the cups in a jiffy 😳 yes I know we had injuries and Europa but a good owner would of strengthened in pre season in an effort to try and prevent such an outcome, the foresight and ambition simply isn’t there imo.
KIMTOON(Quote)
Richie – I don’t even have hope, mate! You cannot expect to achieve anything at a football club when it’s being run like a down market sports shop. 🙄
Stuart79(Quote)
Stuart…I don’t “expect” owt with Ashley in charge but I won’t let him take my hope away from me…even if it’s a forlorn hope.
Actually not strictly true, I usually “expect” disappointment during the transfer window and he rarely let’s me down 😕
richietoon(Quote)
My first match experience was a 3/4 empty SJP against Oxford in the old 2nd division watching Ossies bairns battle relegation while the club itself battled bankruptcy. Since weve played in europe 13 seasons out of 19, Finished 2nd twice, 3rd twice, 4th, 5th twice, 6th, 7th and ive been privileged to see and continue to see amazing footballers strutting their stuff at SJP. I deem that a success even without a major trophy.
No way im having Wigan and Birmingham as more succesful football clubs than us because they fluked a one off cup, Surrounded by years of lower league hopping and obscurity…
CC(Quote)
Richie – I loved Davey Mac, Ando…in them days it was only a foul if you actually broke someone’s leg.
Kim – couldn’t agree more, but if we do get stable, which I still think is the business plan, we might just give the bloody cups a good go
Gallowgate Terrace West(Quote)
Some of the guys at the start of the season that expected another relegation battle are the same ones calling for protests and season ticket cancelations (as if that will hurt anyone but Newcastle). They are the ones who now site the no ambition as if its absolute truth.
I thought top 10/8 at the start and was one of the most optimistic iirc so we are right on course with that expectation and if we finish there will be in a strong position to capitalise next season.
Though it looks like people would rather us be in the relegation fight struggling.
Santii(Quote)
GTW…Aye happy days, Ando was great, liked Jeff Clarke too. The only expectation we had back then was for the players to give 100%.
richietoon(Quote)
I never got Jeff Clarke in the Panini album! Is Colo’s hair in reality just a Jeff Clarke tribute?
Gallowgate Terrace West(Quote)
CC
February 12, 2014 at 10:59
That’s the exact point! We won nothing but we sure as hell give it a go. We had hope, ambition and pride. Supporters can accept that, but what we cannot expect is not even trying… 😡
Stuart79(Quote)
Lol could be, I wear a Mick “Zico” Martin tribute haircut mesel like 😆
richietoon(Quote)
Ah Zico – happy days of anonyminity 😆
georgio(Quote)
Georgio…Aye
“Zico” Martin!! we really were “deluded” back in those days 😆
richietoon(Quote)
Myself I wear a Temuri Ketsbaia tribute non-haircut – mind, I have no choice about that these days
Gallowgate Terrace West(Quote)
I think there is a grey area between club ambition and fan expectation… and a lot of fans on here live in that space…
I could go into more detail but I can’t be fuked!
Aussie Magpie Fan(Quote)
Aye tbh mines more of a Ketsbaia with a Micky Quinn tribute belly and Shola’s sense of balance and Pedro’s stunning good looks
richietoon(Quote)
I used to have hair that made Coloccini look like Ketsbaia.
BrisVegas(Quote)
“I could go into more detail but I can’t be fuked!”…That’s because you’ve lost all hope 😉
richietoon(Quote)
Bris…but now you get a Brazilian once a month 😆
richietoon(Quote)
Kill me now cuda! 😆
Aussie Magpie Fan(Quote)
Actually, I’ll just read Stuarts posts, that should do the job! Death by misery! 😆
Aussie Magpie Fan(Quote)
😆 Better off reading KK’s, die laughing I say (just kidding KK…or am I?) 😉 😆
richietoon(Quote)
I still look forward to our games.. can’t wait till they start.. its a game of football between two teams, so who knows what will happen on any given day. If you let the regime spoil your enjoyment then that is purely down to you..
Aussie Magpie Fan(Quote)
I think you are getting close the nub of things there, Oz.
BrisVegas(Quote)
Aussie@110 Ditto
richietoon(Quote)
😆 in regards to my expectations comment.. I think its more about fans expectations not being met than club ambition. An example of this is the last transfer window. Our expectation was that 1 or 2 players would come in and Cabaye would be replaced. Now when this didn’t happen we dismiss any valid reason for not getting players in and blame it on a lack of ambition…. anyway so much for not going into detail.. 😆
Aussie Magpie Fan(Quote)
Too true AMF. I don’t even think it’s the beer.
Gallowgate Terrace West(Quote)
Richie @ 112 ditto
BrisVegas(Quote)
Oz @ 113 Expectations or dreams? Or should that be desires?
BrisVegas(Quote)
All of the above Vegas.. I did hint that it was a grey area 😉
Aussie Magpie Fan(Quote)
My only expectations are that the club punch its weight and try its very, very best to achieve success (winning something). Under this regime that has not happened.
Nobody has unreasonable expectations like asking the club to spend like City or Chelsea, just invest what we have and we have a hell of a lot more than we have invested so far under Ashley.
Stuart79(Quote)
At least we agree on something, Stuart – that second part.
BrisVegas(Quote)
Stuart, I never mentioned that anyones expectations are unreasonable. Just that when our personal dreams/desires/ expectations are not met, we look for something to vent against.. there may well be some valid reasons for our poor transfer dealings.. but no one would care to hear them..
Aussie Magpie Fan(Quote)
Stuart what was your expectations at the start of the season?
Santii(Quote)
Santi@94 You say
“I thought top 10/8 at the start and was one of the most optimistic iirc so we are right on course with that expectation and if we finish there will be in a strong position to capitalise next season.”
That’s an interesting statement , didn’t we finish 5th 2 seasons ago , if so by your logic we should of capitalised on that strong finish and pushed on . Why then should we expect any different this time around 😕
KIMTOON(Quote)
@Aussie
We’ve had 2 windows of poor transfer activity. JFK lost his job due to poor activity. I don’t know many fans (if any) in Newcastle that are happy with Ashley at the moment.
Do you think things will get better in the summer when, as Pards said, there will be big changes.
Do you think we’ll spend sufficiently to keep pace with 8-10 spot?
mark(Quote)
Aussie, I think it’s accepted that we often bid too low and end up in a war of words with the selling club. Infact this time round the player found our offer insulting as he thought it too low considering he ( Grenier ) was meant to be Cabs replacement but apparently only worth half his value. That said I would not want us paying stupid money for an untried and tested player at PL level, but there was absolutely no reason for us not to try for say Ince for example. Why every window do we fail to land our targets and leave it so late in the day. The one time we got 5 in one go was when Jabba stepped in and got it done, and that was because he saw disaster looming.
KIMTOON(Quote)
Stuart
I still have hope even with Ashley here; Last season individual mistakes and poor finishing cost us against Benfica, We would have beaten Fenerbache and with our 50/50 record against Chelsea recently it could have gone our way. Even this season we should have beaten man city in the league cup and would have faced Leicester, West ham over two legs and Sunderland in the final.
One will line up perfectly for us like it did for Swansea last season; Not Arsenal chasing the double, Man Utd chasing the treble or losing half the team before marseille.
CC(Quote)
Mark, I haven’t been happy with our transfer activity, don’t get me wrong. I hope we see some activity mate, but I would rather we sign no one than another Obertan type player as a panic buy.. we just need some tweaks to have a solid squad.. only god knows what will happen in the summer…actually he probably doesnt either! 😆
Aussie Magpie Fan(Quote)
well i see Ranger back in bother,caught at 2.30am in toon he barred from being in toon centre so hes breached his bail,he will never learn that kid 🙄
icedog(Quote)
Santii – My only expectation at the start of every season is that we give ourself the best possible chance to win a trophy and break into the top 4 (although I accept the latter is a dream, but they do come true). However this season we have not give ourself even half a chance for any of them things to happen for a few of reasons; 1) Not signing one permanent player in the summer. 2) Playing a weakened team in both cups. 3) Failing to strengthen the squad in the January transfer window when we were within genuine striking distance of the top 4. 5) Selling our best player, again when within genuine striking distance of the top 4.
All in all, just disappointed that yet again we’ve let a great opportunity to progress slip away, the same as we did when we finished 5th and only brought in 1 player but sold 5 the following summer.
Stuart79(Quote)
CC – There are quite a few ifs, buts and maybes in that last comment… But I must point out one glaring point that is fact; The reason we did play weakened sides in the cups is because the clubs priority is staying in the league and giving the development players experience in the cups. That’s a fact as this has come from the club itself and is documented. How can we expect to win a cup with our development players?
The club’s model is flawed in very single way when it comes to football.
Stuart79(Quote)
Kim, in regards to the low bids… low based on what though? We are bidding on untried/tested pl players and the selling clubs want top top dollars for them.. would you say Dejong looks like a 12m player(it’s early days I know) that he was sold for… Look at what we got for Carroll, if Liverpool weren’t cashed up from the Torres sale, there is no way they would have paid that much for him..
Aussie Magpie Fan(Quote)
Santii @ 121. If you wanted to know what people were saying before kick off on the first game of the season you could look in the archives. For your benefit, and because I’m such a nice guy, and because I love archives, try this link:
https://www.nufcblog.co.uk/2013/08/14/how-are-you-feeling-ahead-of-the-new-season/
BrisVegas(Quote)
Hope Williamson and Anita get dropped for tonight.
Toby Le Rhone(Quote)
The team that lost to Man city: Krul, Debuchy, Haidara, Williamson, Yanga-Mbiwa, Sissoko, Anita, Tiote, Cisse, Ameobi, Gouffran
The team that lost to Cardiff: Elliot, Santon, Haidara, Taylor, Yanga-Mbiwa, Sissoko, Anita, Cisse, Ben Arfa, Gouffran
How weakened are they really ? Considering Colo and Cabaye were injured for both and Debuchy was suspended for the 2nd. Remy was left out which was a mistake but i would expect that side to beat Cardiffs first team at SJP let alone their reserves…
CC(Quote)
Well it looks like we’ll have a fairly weak side this evening. The injuries and suspensions are really starting to mount up. Good job there is a week and a half until the Villa game. 😕
DJG(Quote)
Brisvegas@131
Whey love comment 103 on that page, At least some people know what they are on about (discount the bit about Kinear doing his job)
CC(Quote)
@Bris. good readying thru that link.
Seemed spot on tbh. we needed signings was the jist of feelings and Pardew agreed. Ashley didnt. Same happened in Jan.
This is why fans are sick of false promises. Our expectations are to expect **** al.
but i also agree, we’re a miserable lot 😆
mark(Quote)
CC – Cabaye wasn’t injured for City, HBA was benched, so too Remy, Santon and Colo (I don’t think he was injured). The team as going along great in the league and winning matches yet he still made changes. Why? Sorry but at that time Cabaye, Remy, Colo and HBA were having major impacts on our team so leaving them out against a City was poor and in my opinion would have made the difference.
As for Cardiff Cabaye wasn’t injured, they rested him due to a knock… In other words if it had been a lague game he would have played. Remy again – why didn’t he play? Krul? Tiote? So that’s 4 of our first team left out against Cardiff for no real reason.
You can’t really argue about this. The facts are there – we played weakened sides in both games and this was to satisfy the clubs business plan.
Stuart79(Quote)
Aussie – “there may well be some valid reasons for our poor transfer dealings.. but no one would care to hear them..”
Quite the opposite mate, I think everyone would like to hear them – but the club refuse to communicate with fans and media.
That lack of communication is inevitably going to lead to these assumptions and conspiracy theories
Sharpy17(Quote)
Sharpy, would you believe what the club said regarding their transfer activity anyway? Most fans have made their own mind up and won’t be swayed by club press releases..
Aussie Magpie Fan(Quote)
If Goof is fit id start with..
Krul
Yanga-Mbiwa Williamson Taylor Haidara
Santon Sissoko Anita Marveaux
Gouffran
de Jong
mark(Quote)
Santii & Bris, I’ll say again what I said to Prem the other day…
I think a lot of the ill-feeling currently is a case of ‘what might have been’. Yes, most of the people on this blog, after last season and considering what a ****-poor summer window we had, would have snapped your hand off for top 10.
HOWEVER the season worked out better than expected. At the start of January we were genuinely within touching distance of the top 4, albeit as outsiders. We didn’t need to spend £100m and bankrupt ourselves chasing the CL, but we seem to have known that Cabaye was off for months now.
The ambition people are after isn’t specifically to be qualifying for Europe ever year, it’s preparing a quality replacement BEFORE losing your best player. It’s sensing that this season there was a genuine chance of upsetting the odds and sneaking into a Champions League spot, and investing a little to try and force the issue (just not enough to hurt the club financially). It’s employing a DoF who knows how to take the club forward and giving him free reign to do so because he knows more than the owner about the game. It’s recognising that the club hasn’t had a decent winger for YEARS and buying/loaning one or two.
We probably wouldn’t be hearing as many dissenting voices if we were skirting with relegation all season and then finished 8th-10th. There’d probably be celebrations, in fact. But just because the mood has only darkened recently for circumstantial reasons doesn’t make all of the above and less true.
blip(Quote)
*any less true
blip(Quote)
Is failing to replace Cabaye a lack of ambition or is it just a lack of good planning?
Aussie Magpie Fan(Quote)
AMF, surely the latter suggests the former?
We didn’t plan for it, as we had no ambition to aim for loftier positions in the league.
Or we planned, but had no ambition to act upon those plans. Who knows?
blip(Quote)
Blip, or, we had a dof that couldn’t organise a fuk in a brothel!
Aussie Magpie Fan(Quote)
Aussie @143 ,It’s both mate. 😀 A lack of ambition because we are letting a top player leave and not convincing him that if he stays with us he’ll have a genuine chance of winning a cup from one of 3 competitions , (obviously that’s not the title ) because we intend to invest and go for the cups. Lge/ FA and Europa if we get in the comp. And planning because we knew he wanted away and let him go before a replacement was secured.
KIMTOON(Quote)
If im wrong about Cabaye then it was a definately as mistake to drop him for the man city match. Colo certainly was injured, We played Dummett at centre half at sunderland three days before and Williamson and MYM the three matches afterwards. We had actually only won once in five matches with three defeats going into that game so he probably did feel the need to rest players.
I agree dropping Remy was stupid and probably would have made the difference in both matches. Next seasons cup matches should be interesting after the ammount of stick he got after Cardiff hes playing with fire if he considers resting players again…
CC(Quote)
Aussie@145 😉 😆
KIMTOON(Quote)
Stu
Completely agree on the cup situation. If we were looking to spend in January and push for top 4/Europa then I could understand. Can’t understand why if we knew that we were happy just finishing top 10 in the league (which start of Jan was looking very, very likely), why we wouldn’t play the first team in the FA Cup.
Madness.
SolanosTrumpet(Quote)
What is the weather like in Newcastle, it’s gale force winds and chucking it down in Bristol. Just wondering if the games at threat of postponement
if it’s anything like here. 😕
KIMTOON(Quote)