Game On! Stoke v Newcastle

toonsy

Game On at The Britannia Stadium.
Game On at The Britannia Stadium.
Good afternoon all and welcome to what is likely to be the next defeat that will leave myself, and everyone else, annoyed and angry.

Sorry to start things off on a sour note but at the end of the day I’m not feeling too grand about Newcastle at the moment.

Outsiders looking in will see us sitting in the top half and wonder what all the fuss is about, but we know it could be different. A lack of even trying to better ourselves doesn’t sit well with me and wit results nosediving there is very little in the way of positive feeling for Alan Pardew – currently banned from the dugout following his nuttiness at Hull – to cling to.

But still we have just a few games remaining in what has turned out to be an unremarkable season that threatened to promise so much yet has delivered so little in terms of enjoyment, but we’ve backed the lads all the way through so we should probably carry on doing just that before we pack everything away for summer.

There is no live TV broadcast here in the UK so once again we are relying upon streams to watch the game. Some overseas channels are showing the game so hopefully there’ll be a few knocking about. Have a look in the ‘comments’ below and you’ll usually find a few links. Team news will be featured below in full as and when it becomes available.

Stoke are going to want to give us one back after beating them 5-1 earlier on in the season. in truth it was a scoreline made up by the referee and neglects the fact that we were once again poor and were in fact losing until Stoke had a man sent off and gave us that helping hand. As for United, avoiding defeat after recent weeks would be a start. Actually, putting some effort in might ultimately be a start.

Howay the lads!

Stoke: Asmir Begovic; Geoff Cameron, Ryan Shawcross, Marc Wilson, Eric Pieters; Stephen Ireland, Steven Nzonzi, Glenn Whelan, Marko Arnautovic; Peter Odemwingie; Peter Crouch

Subs: Thomas Sorensen, Marc Muniesa, Wilson Palacios, Charlie Adam, Jonathan Walters, John Guidetti, Andy Wilkinson

Newcastle: Tim Krul; Steven Taylor, Mike Williamson, Fabricio Coloccini; Vurnon Anita, Dan Gosling, Cheik Tiote, Yoan Gouffran, Paul Dummett; Shola Ameobi, Papiss Cisse

Subs: Rob Elliot, Massadio Haidara, Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa, Gael Bigirimana, Hatem Ben Arfa, Luuk de Jong, Adam Armstrong

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.

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683 thoughts on “Game On! Stoke v Newcastle”

  3. Well then who’s fit for the Swansea match mates? Down here at Blog End, home of your beloved Official Blog Hobbit the flags have been lowered to half mast in keeping with our last 4 performances (or should I say non performances)? Harrumph. Should this hairy footed one be hoping for a goal actually scored by us in the coming game? Will there be successful passing? Some jinkiness in their box? I’m watching our goal difference with some worry as well. Has a ninth place team ever had such a bad goal difference? Sigh.

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  4. I can say with tremendous pride that I am Official Blog Hobbit on 2 different footy blogs! Yes mates that’s right, count them and weep! Two sites. It’s been tremendous support from all of you out there. I am puffing up my hairy little chest with pride as we speak! Huzzah!

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  5. I think Bruce should wind his f**king neck in if I’m honest.
    It was actually a genuine administrative mistake. The club notified the FA, as soon as they realised the error had occurred and didn’t try to get away with it.
    I think a fine was right.
    If the FA had uncovered the error in the first place, well then it may have looked like they were trying to cover it up. So points could/would/should have been docked.
    I don’t really think Hull City (:grin:) are in any danger of going down, but I would laugh my sausage off if they do now after this from Bruce.
    Fat gimp.

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  6. Come in mates. Take off your shoes and sup on some ale at Blog End. Take a pipe full those of you who need it. There is much to discuss. Urgent matters. For example who is the worst striker currently on our roster? Shola has been terrible for years now but De Jong is moving rapidly up on his right now. He may pass Shola on the final stretch. No goals to date for us from De Jong and 4 matches left. A lot of pressure here. Who will perform worst? Get your votes in now mates.

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  8. I also would like to be fair to our defense. Who has performed the worst on defense then? Saylor has been shocking this season but we can’t fail to ignore some of MYM’s performances. Nor should we leave Santon out of the argument. It’s difficult. But this is a highly prestigious award. Worst Newcastle Defender of the Season. What do you lot think then?

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  9. And finally midfield. Possibly we should have 2 awards here. There could be Most Disappointing Newcastle Midfielder of the Year and also Worst Newcastle Midfielder of the Year. Now, as for MDNMotY I would like to nominate Benny. Yes Marveaux has also been tremendously disappointing but for me Benny gets the edge. Pards has managed to get so little out of him. It’s been amazing. As for WNMotY I have to go with Benny once again. His determination to deteriorate has been outstanding. Tremendous weight gain, combined with sulkiness and occasional dressing room outbursts. It’s an unbeatable combination mates.

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  11. G2, Mbiwa is better at CB where he’s meant to play, more worrying is his sudden weight gain, it’s quite something 😯

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  12. Yes Kimtoon mate. I think MYM is taking dietary advice from Benny and Jonas. Meat pies. Mmmmmm. Will others join in? What is Pardew doing about the fitness issues of the team? Has he noticed? It’s a worry but it seems there is little positive going on. Surely a good performance is a must against Swansea though even if we don’t win?

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  13. If we don’t have Remy on Saturday we are stuffed. The best we can hope for is a draw.

    Then again, that goes for every game without Remy.

    You could have the best manager in the world, but if you haven’t got a goalscorer in your line up, then it’s likely you will not score. 😉

    Of course, Pards will get the blame for the tactics. That goes without saying. Particularly on here anyway. 😉

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  14. G2 How can Shola pick up 30 grand a week and not even find the back of the net once ? LDJ probably picks up 40 grand a week and isn’t any better so I applaud Mike for not wasting 8 million on him. I do believe under a different manager that show’s a little confidence in the squad could restore some of the players confidence. I find it very bizarre how we did so well up until xmax and ever since Kinnear left things have suddenly gone bad to worse. Alan has gone back to lazy ways again in training since Kinnear’s departure ?

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  15. It’s been a terrible season Troy mate. There is plenty of blame to go around. The whole operation looks very shaky to me. From the top down. We won’t ever commit to going for a top 6 place again under Ashley. He will try to stay around 10th-12th and see if the supporters will put up with it and continue to show up in huge numbers for the games. More SD hoardings. More money for him. No accountability at the top. He won’t even try to explain his actions as he used to. If people continue to go to games there will be no way out of this. His purse will continue to get fatter.

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  16. Terry that’s very unfair of you about Shola mate. 😆 He did find the back of the net once this season. It was in the League Cup during our tremendous run in that competition. So Shola is actually one goal ahead of De Jong although to be fair Shola has had more playing time. I believe it’s over 1200 minutes since Shola last scored in a league game for us. The competition for Worst Newcastle Striker of the Year is tremendous this season! 😀

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  17. BB@535 I often have a read of that site and a odd time make a comment,he’s just a very young lad and a nice kid too that puts that site up

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  18. Another important Blog Hobbit Point. What are the odds that Pardew will win League Manager of the Year? I feel this is quite important as it would bring positive publicity to the club. After all we have come from 16th place to around 9th or 10th. A tremendous improvement. We have employed 2 strikers from other clubs giving them something to do (De Jong just likes to run around and kick the ball a bit but still). We are making sure our players stay nicely full of meat pies. To me this looks like another LMA award for wor Alan mates!

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  19. Have you lot seen how the Monty Python lads play football? It reminds me a great deal of the current Newcastle side. Beautiful.

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  20. Is it possible we can get a bronze statue of wor Alan head butting Meylor erected outside St. James Park Mike? It’s something we just won’t ever want to forget.

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  23. a second successive win for Swansea at SJP would strengthen their hand against relegation considerably.

    And were that to happen, then Alan Pardew would acquire another unwanted record for his ever expanding collection; namely that of the first United manager to lose five successive Premier League fixtures. 😯 👿

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  24. Troy – your on going defence of Pardoom is admirable. 😛
    We DO have a goalscorer other than Remy, but Alan prefers to play him as a winger/defensive attacker minion, along with the other 9 defensive midfielder defenders.
    Oh and blame everyone bar himself for our lack of attacking thrust and creativity in the final 3rd.
    If Pardoom would only try something different, and try to actually win a match for a change might help.
    But he is so arrogant and pig headed, I doubt he will.
    Bafoon

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  25. G2 I do apologise. I don’t really rate the league cup against some mickey mouse team. It must have been against Morcambe ?

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  26. Yes that’s right Terry mate! Both Ameobi brothers scored in that one. You win the Official Blog Hobbit Pocket Lint Remover for your efforts. Tax, shipping and batteries not included. 😯

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  27. G2 as official blog hobbit I think it’s your responsibility to get Ashley to rename SJP for 1billion pounds which would be spent wisely on players. Convince Ashley to get a better manager than Pardew ?

    Over and out

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  30. ****!!!! How did you find out about my cunning plan Terry mate? That was supposed to be a secret to make the supporters happy on the last day of the window.

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  33. Now lads, I realize this is hot, difficult work discussing our club’s problems. So take a break now, and if they’re itchy by all means scratch them. I always have your best interests in mind mates. G2. OBH.

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  37. I see everyone’s favourite charlatan is being taught a footballing lesson by Tony Pulis 😆 so funny if they don’t get champions league because of this!

    Mackems equalised tho, bloody typical!

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  38. 11th place finish is still on the cards 😯
    imagine getting overtaken by Palace ffs
    Pardoom OUT

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  40. what the hells going on with palace tonight 😯 they must of all had 3 shredded wheat for brekie 😉

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  42. BB , If we did get overtook by Palace it would serve Jabba and Pards right, I am at the stage I couldn’t give a **** where we finish so long as we’re safe like. Do I give a toss about Pards and the players 10th place bonus, do I ****.

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  43. BB-I think city threw the towel in on the title when Coutinho netted. To be fair in that game they were all over liverpool and definitely looked like they would win in the end, but liverpool had moment of fortune and took their chance. The chelsea game is huge now but form is clearly with liverpool, what a season for them.

    Sunderland winning now 😆 **** me, they seem to play everyone at the right time.

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  44. to be fair scum are playing with a lot of passion and determination

    Kim – I know exactly what you mean. Reap what we sow eh?

    and there is city’s equaliser :mrgreen: 😆

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  46. Newkie , I said the other day ,Scum have been playing with real spirit and actually play some nice passing footie too, it has to be said they look much better than us as a unit. 🙁 God I feel sick now I had to admit that 🙁

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  47. BB, I just don’t think anyone at the club has earned a bonus tbh, not one of them has put in 100% all season imo. The fans deserve the bonus for sitting through too many lacklustre performances .

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  52. Yeah, none of them deserve their bonus’ so **** em, if none of them can be bothered to put a shift in now then so be it. At the same time I still lay most of the blame at the top, without even the slightest attempts to push on then everyone will naturally feel frustrated and demotivated.

    Kim-they have, and they certainly did in the derbies. However it’s swings and roundabouts, whatever people say we have put in some brilliant performances-but our team performances are hard working and usually come against the top sides-we don’t score a lot of goals against them so people naturally forget them

    But we probably played “better football” Chelsea than we did say against Villa in the 6-0, but the flip side is it’s not so memorable and obviously for a highlights reel there’s only so much “hard work” you can watch when what you like summing up the match is a ridiculously one sided scoreline 😀

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  53. What a header from Bartra. Even Barca are scoring headed goals from corners, the **** is wrong with ours 😆

    Mind you some of our deliveries lately have been absolutely pathetic, i can’t beleive nobody can put a decent one in. ***** since Barton left, Raylor might walk back in the team just because he can actually swing a ball in or out 🙄

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  54. Newkie – all our corners are out swingers. Not conducive to headed goals, but great for the defenders to clear out for a rapid break out and score against us.
    Sound familiar ❓
    Crazy thing is, we all know it doesn’t work, yet Pardoom never changes it.
    Beggars belief. He just is incapable of learning it seems

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  55. No one seems to have mentioned that both Liverpool and City have to go to the form team Palace!!

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  56. beardsley-I was always taught at footie that outswingers made it easier for those players who were **** at heading-I tended to find that was the case because you could just stick your head in the air and the ball would generally bounce off it and head towards the goal. But the delivery still needs to be good, obviously, it needs to have enough pace to cause trouble and actually manage to beat the first man, which ours hardly ever do.

    Inswingers require people to time their runs and possibly get more of an angle on the header-so if you have good players at it (carroll) it makes sense. I just think Cisse being **** in the air and Sissoko and Willo being truly woeful at attacking a baill in the air, along with most of our players, the coaches think we might have more luck if they stand like trees and let the ball bounce in off their face (as my coaches at school seemed to think of most of us) 😆

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  57. I’m glad Crystal Palace have to play Chelsea and Liverpool in their 4 games or they’d be flying past us…

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  59. How I’d love a reporter to ask Pardew about what Pulis is doing with Palace compared to what he’s doing with our team.

    “It isn’t my fault, Pulis is given a better tracksuit than I am, we can’t compete”.

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  61. Funky@584 😆
    Someone needs to tell Pac-man that there is no such thing as can’t, least that’s what I was always told by my parents. 😉

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  62. Pardew possibly going for three at the back again against Swansea. Shows his usual attacking intent for a home game.

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  63. Fair play to Palace, cracking result last night and an unbelievable achievement when you consider they only had 4 points when Pullis took over.

    Jason Puncheon is doing great for them at the moment as well. He’s a player I said we should be going after when Palace took him and was shot down on here because apparently he wasn’t better than what we already had. Well I’d love his pace, creativity and goals in our team just now like :roll:.

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  64. I also had to laugh at the Scum game. They did well getting a point, but really could have won it with better finishing and what a howler by the keeper!.
    But they have struggled for goals all season, but still loaned Connor Whickham out for most of it. The lad comes back and bags a brace against City!. I wonder how things might have been if they had shown a bit more faith in the lad and played him in the first team instead.
    Still, at least they know he can score goals in the Championship – and he’s gonna get plenty of chance next season 😆

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  65. Sharpy

    Pardew tried to sign Puncheon not long after arriving here and he chose blackpool over us 😆

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  66. CC – so the silver tongued charmer hasn’t got at 100% record then?! 😆

    He only went to Bpool on loan though. He may have still hoped that he had a Saints career then. I think he joined Palace on loan initially then signed up. I still think Pardew should have tried for him then though.

    I think that’s the difference between us and club like Palace though. They have a squad of players who probably think that this is there best chance of regular PL football. Whereas we have a squad of players who think – I’m only here til an Arsenal or Chelsea or PSG come and get me.

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  67. Well done Pulis, doing great job reviving Palace when they looked well and truely buried. Hope they keep it up and fly past us. Hope we finish out of the top 10. To think our shower will all get a pat on the back and a fat cheque for serving up that **** week after week is an absolute insult to the paying public. Saw this on another site this morning, headlines in the Chronicle from the time when the idiot signed his 8 year deal, so full of **** when you consider the mediocrity, and his cowardly approach – anyway read and laugh or cry!:

    HE aims to shape the Magpies into a genuine Champions League side

    :: HE will work around the clock to ensure HE is the man to bring the first trophy back to St James’ since Joe Harvey in 1969

    :: HOW vital Geordie coaching guru John Carver is in making sure the club retains its Tyneside roots

    :: WHY the Magpies can still attract big names to Newcastle

    :: HIS aim is to ensure more Geordie youngsters like Adam Campbell and Sammy Ameobi break through the ranks

    :: AND his bid to make sure every game at St James’ Park will be a complete sell-out

    http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/alan-pardew-eight-year-newcastle-1371963

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  69. Deb – the trouble is that he meant every word – and probably still believes it!.
    You can only be a liar if you know what you are saying is untrue.
    This clown is delusional!.

    I honestly think he sees a different match to what we do, because it surely can’t be possible to lie THAT much and keep a straight face.

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  70. Sharpy – dead right mate. He also has a poor memory and completely forgets what he said last week. The delusion is deep. We were missing 10 players against Stoke for example. He has to go. I dread to think what he’ll do over the summer if he stays. Bent should be cheap enough now for Ashley 😳

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  71. To be fair:

    * We won that bridge thing

    * John Carver is still maintaining our roots. **** knows what he does like

    * Mourinho, Silva, Toure, Kompany, Suarez, Ozil and Hazard to name a few have set foot in Newcastle and one direction have been to darsley park

    * Dummett and Armstrong have broken through to follow in the footsteps of Phil Airey, David Beharall and Ryan Donaldson

    * The poor sods do still pack out SJP

    Just need Anthony Pilkington and Carlton Cole to fire us into the champions league and its a full house… 🙄

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  72. Georgio – it’s worn thin now and I think it has on Ashley as well to be fair. I know his directive for the season was a top 10 place and we look likely to JUST scrape in on 10th.
    But the football we are playing under Pardew is not selling season tickets (I know there is the Ashley factor too, but the loyalist fans want good football as a minimum). If season tickets aren’t selling or being renewed that hits Ashley in the pocket – so the BS stops working.

    I know people rightly talk about investment and Pardew being backed. But how many players have Everton signed?
    I know it’s a monotonous comparison, but it’s true.
    They have a manager with tactical nous and a small squad of players committed to the club.
    We have a manager with only a plan A, and a small squad of players who see our club as a stepping stone to the bench of a super rich club.

    I hope we not only replace Pardew, but also change the type of player we are looking to sign.

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  73. “The security is there to a degree, but at Newcastle it is still the fans who will decide whether you stay here or not – and I’m under no illusions about that.

    “I now have to bring success to this club.”

    😯 😯 😯 🙄

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  75. Time for Pac-man to shut up and just get on with improving things on the pitch if he can. Sick of all his BS now , I don’t wanna know what they are working on to put it right for the next game, it’s clearly not working so just shut up and deliver. Equally frustrating is the endless bloody parade of excuses which get more bizarre and embarrassing by the week ,I dread to think what this weeks will be if we fail to win again. No doubt it will have something to do with them being Welsh or some such bollocks 🙄

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