“We’re three games away from a crisis. That’s the nature of the game. You can’t get carried away.”
“We’re doing well. Everyone’s working really hard everyone’s in with each other. It’s no different to last year except we’re winning games. We’ve got a couple of guys who can score goals. I’m no different to where I was last year.”
Those words are from Perth Glory manager Kenny Lowe after his team clinched top spot and another A League victory on the weekend. If you take a look at a Pardew quote about our recent run of good results it appears the two men a reading from the same hymn book.
Pardew says “”In my younger days I might have been carried away by a run like this, but now I won’t.
“The results are much better and confidence is high and we’ll just keep doing what we’ve done from the start of the season.”
It really does highlight the fickle nature of football and the demands that are placed on players and managers. A few weeks back Pardew couldn’t take a trick and it is pretty to safe to say that no fan would have shed a tear if he was sacked. Sure some would have questioned the sacking but realistically, most would have rejoiced the fact! Now after a few wins the pressure has lifted some what and there is a small ground swell of support for Pardew and his staff. However, there can be no doubt that if we were to lose a few games on the trot, that small amount of support will dry up as quickly as it appeared. Pardew is fully aware of this and you can see that his comments are a little more guarded these days for fear of getting too far ahead of himself.
When we talk about players, take a look at Obertan and Abeid, two players that were almost deemed surplus to requirements at the start of the season. No one could have foreseen the emergence of Abeid and the resurgence of Obertan. Pardew has dropped a few of his trade mark quotes stating that he always kind of knew that Obertan and Abeid had it in them to make a mark but you have to take what he is saying with a large pinch (bucket) of salt. Both players have played well once given the chance to start and Abeid in particular has generated some excitement with his no nonsense displays in the middle of the park. Like Pardew, a few bad performances will see their stock drop dramatically and given the cut throat nature of the game, they might not see playing time again other than brief substitute performances. Players do have one major advantage in regards to their fortunes and that is they are in control of their own game and how they perform is squarely on their shoulders. Most fans will cut some slack for a player who is down on form if they are giving their all. However if the effort or commitment isn’t there, players can go from hero to zero in a heart beat.
Fans are fickle, that can’t be argued but when you take into account the emotional investment they put into supporting their team, it is hardly surprising. We all want our team to do as well as possible and losses are hard to take. Losses can erode patience, rational and create doubt amongst fans and when you add a large portion of emotion and passion, it is not hard to see why the fortunes of managers and players can swing so quickly from good to bad.
This is football though, it is nothing new and it won’t be changing any time soon, it kind of reminds me of an old saying – “Winners are grinners and losers can’t be choosers”
So let’s enjoy this moment while we can!
Will the ACON still go ahead though, what with the Ebola problem, bit of a risk I’d of thought.
kIMTOON(Quote)
For QPR:
————————–T.Krul——————–
-Janmaat–Coloccini–Saylor–Dummett—
————————Colback——————-
—————Raylor——–Sissoko————
—Cabella—————————–Sammy-
————————Ayoze———————-
Subs: Elliott, Willo, Haidara, Tioté, Gouffran, Armstrong, Cissé. Bring Tioté, Cissé Arma as subs.
Cholo A. Sall(Quote)
ACN shouldnt be a problem, we can still put a decent team on field in Tioté, Abeid Cissé’s absence. We still have Sissoko, Raylor Colback, and de Jong coming back from injury.
Cholo A. Sall(Quote)
so Abeid is out for a month.
Then when fit again, he will be away for the ACoN.
Ridiculous. 👿
Beardsleys Boots(Quote)
Kimtoon@301…the ACN has been taken away from Morrocco cos they got all squidgy regarding Ebola…in fact they requested that the tournament be delayed by a year to 2016.
The powers that be told Morrocco to foxtrot oscar, and relocated the tournament instead to Equatorial New Guinea..
The ACN bods got all jingiostic, claiming the ACN needed “proper Africans”…which probably went down really well with the Moroccans 🙂
What it all means for the rest of the world..we’ll have to wait and see 🙄
Once the toon lads return Pardew will have them quarantined in the Bigg Lamp or somewhere for a few weeks to make sure they are ok..then back into first team training…..ahem…
Munich Mag(Quote)
One thing is for sure…the medicine man who manages to get Chiek Tiote fit for the ACN despite the fact that the bloke hasn’t played a Premier League game for 2 months…now he is a real diamond geezer.
Why we can’t let the same expert loose on Santone, Aaarons and Obertan and why we are top of the injured league is beyond me 🙄
Munich Mag(Quote)
MM you might find that our injury list is partly down to the fact that Jabba doesnt want to pay proper money for the right injury specialist 😉
Big Dave(Quote)
Big D…I can understand that mate when Ashley has to keep bailing the mighty Rangers out. Money doesn’t grow on trees at the end of the day 😉
Munich Mag(Quote)
MM spot on and we cant expext him to hand over his hard earned money to the Toon.
Big Dave(Quote)
MM, Didn’t realise Morocco had lost it 😯 must pay more attention 😳 All the same, still see it’s a big risk, that’s a lot of movement with potential to spread a virus. So North Africa isn’t proper Africa then, wow, now there’s a can of worms.
Massive shame about Abeid, just when he’d come good too. Our injuries will start to effect us pretty soon, it’s the same every bloody season, just what goes on with our training and fitness regimes god knows.
kIMTOON(Quote)
Kimster@310…the same medicine man who got Tiote fit for the Ivory Coast also managed to get Cisse on the bench this weekend, despite the fact that the bloke is cream crackered and can’t play for the toon… it’s a mystery mate… 😉
Munich Mag(Quote)
sickener for Abeid and the fans. We were looking good in the middle. Time for Raylor to step in should Tiote not make it.
mark(Quote)
MM, yep very odd, especially the Tiote situation.
kIMTOON(Quote)
Mark, real sickener for Abeid actually, cos the bloke has shown what he can do. We’ll probably see the reintroduction of one of the squad players, Anita or Gouffron, and our new-found defensive solidity will be tested…
Hopefully we’ll get to see Abeid in action again, otherwise he will be recovering just in time to leave for the ANC !
Munich Mag(Quote)
Kimtoon, one tends to think that the situation with Tiote being injured really is the case, cos otherwise he would have been at the recent Ivory Coast international game. Or the toon threatened to fine him…or summat… it’s a mystery for sure..
Or maybe he wants a pay rise…and / or generally wants to leave the toon for a last big pay day, and a shot at the Champions League ?
Munich Mag(Quote)
MM, Yeah, most likely wants out but who really knows.
kIMTOON(Quote)
Tiote didn’t play for Ivory coast but is expected to be available for QPR
MDS(Quote)
Wow. 😯
Bootsy & Psychs are cracking up. YCMIU 🙄
Troy Stavers(Quote)
Apart from Southampton and the first half of the Spurs game we haven’t been that bad this season. I really do think Pardew got a scare and decided to mix things up. Switching Sissoko to the middle was a big move but there were also two additions by subtraction – Shola and Williamson. Pardew cannot have the players just lump it to Shola now and Williamson is not the target for free kicks. I am not sure if it is a coincidence that we started our run of wins after Williamson’s injury?
As far as Abeid is concerned I think we will be lucky to see him again this year. Ed Harrison’s blog is quoting that he will be out for two weeks. I think that is extremely optimistic for a broken toe. I have had a broken thumb and the cast was on for four weeks so unless Tiote’s witch doctor is involved we better plan for an extended time out.
By the way, I thought Tiote was playing well before he was injured so there shouldn’t be that big of a problem, especially with Ryan Taylor as cover. Remember, Abeid has started two games for us, it is hardly the end of the world.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Another spanner in the works coming up soon, as both Janmaat and Colback are on 4 yellow cards and just one booking away from a suspension.
Just thought I would say like
Beardsleys Boots(Quote)
MDS@317, that’s really welcoming news, thanks mate. Pity him and Abeid couldn’t get a run out together… 🙁
Munich Mag(Quote)
Eric…you’re dead right there, Tiote seemed to have turned the corner, and was getting up to speed before he got injured… will be great to have him back..plus he’ll be busting a gut with the ANC on the horizon..
Munich Mag(Quote)
BB: but Santon is back in training and Ryan Taylor is cover for Colback. I thought I would morph into optimistic Eric, since I have had enough of arguing with Troy. He doesn’t listen to a word anybody says anyway so I will get my kicks from banging my head against a brick wall instead 🙂
Ryan Taylor might actually provide some set piece accuracy although I am not sure if he would merit a place otherwise. We have been p!ss-poor as usual at set-pieces. I think I have seen Colback, Dummett, Cisse and Cabella take free kicks in the last few months. Hell, I even saw Cheik (Shooooot) Tiote take one that unsurprisingly ended up in the stratosphere. The one person I haven’t seen take a free kick and who probably should is Janmaat.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Think some of our injuries may be self inflicted due to Dr Pardew. Hasn’t he had some playing who the medical team didn’t feel were fit, but Pardew felt were? Cisse wasone. He did it with one of the young lads a few weeks ago cant remember who. So may be MASH wont be for top flight doctors but what’s the point if Pardew know’s better.
**** news about Abeid mind
Geordie Deb(Quote)
Eric Sykes@323, why are you behaving like a bit of a drama queen mate, just cos Troy isn’t here you shouldn’t think that he’s watching your every move and will be back on your case pdq ? 😉 just when the rest of us were getting up a head of steam, and the rest of the bloggers were reappearing from there shells … 😆 😆 😆
Munich Mag(Quote)
[email protected] point there regarding Pardew overruling his own docs advice… 🙄 there have been a few cases over the last few weeks..Cisse being the prime one… and now Aarons is knackered again…
Munich Mag(Quote)
GDeb, It was Aarons he played while not fully fit, Cisse too apparently.
Re Broken toes, it will take longer than 2 weeks to recover I can tell you that much. I have suffered two broken pinky toes and a broken big toe on separate occasions and it took two weeks to get anything on other than a soft slipper or a flip flop. It is incredibly painfull, bad toe gets strapped to adjoining one to stabilise it but it still hurts like a sod. 3 weeks to feel comfy in a regular shoe let alone a footie boot and as for running god knows, I never went there 😆 .I would say 4-6 weeks to feel normal tbh.
kIMTOON(Quote)
Kimtoon: I know, broken bones don’t heal in two weeks. Abeid has to kick a ball after as well. I think Rooney’s metatarsal took five or six weeks.
MM: I am certainly not the only drama queen 🙂
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Eric, God the thought of kicking a ball makes me squirm, what is it with toes 😆 such little things that can cause so much pain, a bit like teeth.
kIMTOON(Quote)
@Eric.
I think Raylor can provide more that set-piece accuracy. he was brilliant @ City (I think it was City) 🙂
mark(Quote)
Munich Mag and Kim, thanks for clarification. So he is potentially at fault for allowing some of our players to be crocked by playing them against medical advice. He really is an arrogant ******.
Geordie Deb(Quote)
Mark, yep it was City mate, he was great that game, I think we have really missed Raylor this last couple of years, always 100% from him.
kIMTOON(Quote)
Geordie Deb: that Pardew is an arrogant ****** is pretty much beyond debate now. It is like saying – does a dog bark, does a cat meow or does a Troy talk shyte.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
RIP Peter Kassig. Yet another beheaded while trying to help.
kIMTOON(Quote)
Eric Sykes @328, at least you didn’t deny the fact big man. Well done ! 😆 😆 😆
Munich Mag(Quote)
Pardew admitted he played Cisse against doctors orders. He said that the Doctor was at a conference or on holiday or something and so he played Cisse. It was against Hull and he was so desperate to save his job that he threw him on and he scored 2. If it was Mourihno I would have said it was a brilliant move, but it was Pardew so he is still a **** 🙂 Ashley really was ready to sack him whatever anybody says, and Pardew knew it.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Eric @303 LOL
http://www.themag.co.uk/the-mag-articles/alan-pardw-admits-playing-rolando-aarons-advice/
Geordie Deb(Quote)
aye Kim, we’ve definitely missed Raylor, not just his playing ability but his attitude.
also RIP Peter Kassig. we really need to put boots on the ground to support the regional soldiers and take these dogs out, its already a few months too late 👿
Pardew has took risks with players health, its not the first time he’s done it.. but its paid off so he deserves credit, and if it wasnt for Pardew getting Cisse injured again, we may never have saw Perez playing so well 😀
mark(Quote)
Mark, there’s always that – every cloud and all that 🙄
Geordie Deb(Quote)
Erm, Mark: why would it be good to put boots on the ground? Wouldn’t it be better to let them kill each other? Why do we have to get involved? It is a tragedy if they kill aid workers but they should have their own fight now. Russia and the USA couldn’t fix it. Blair and Cheney are gone now. The Iraq oil is insignificant since the USA decided to poison their heartland with fracking.
So let them fight it out, it is about a stupid religious distinction anyway. Which side would you be on Sunni or Shia? Neither, so why would you fight for either? Don’t say what about the children? If that was a problem then there wouldn’t have been holocausts in Rwanda and Somalia. It was about Blair’s and Cheney’s ego and oil.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Looks like Psychs has an insight into Ashleys psychy.
“Ashley really was ready to sack him whatever anybody says, and Pardew knew it”
YCMIUWSD
(You Couldn’t Make It Up Well Someone Does.) 🙄
Troy Stavers(Quote)
And Mark: why would you want British soldiers to fight on behalf of religious zealots, either one side or the other? It is already as unstable as it can be and can’t get any worse. Assad was the enemy a couple of months ago and now you are saying to put boots on the ground to defend his regime because the others are worse? Chemical weapons on one side and beheadings on the other, but WE should put boots on the ground to get in the middle of a religion driven slaughter fest. I don’t think you have thought this through.
But, Pardew for England.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Hello Troy: I decided to start a fight with someone else 🙂
Eric Sykes(Quote)
😯 🙄 wow Eric..
let them kill each other? there are thousands homeless.. we’re to blame for most of the trouble in Iraq, we total destabilized the country for WMD that we’re not there
US supported the rebels in Syria against Assads rule which ISIS spawned from.. we have blood on our hand yet we do nothing but drop bombs 😯 🙄
anyway, thats my opinion and i feel strongly about it but this is a footy blog so I apologise for mentioning it
mark(Quote)
lol thought it through??. I think you should be saying that to the British and American governments
we’ll be worried when the **** hits the fan and we let the trouble manifest back to our shores. 🙄
mark(Quote)
Alright Mark. Let’s stick to football, we can’t be getting on to politics and religion. My head might explode if my best friend starts talkng about that 🙂
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Eric, Your fascination with Troy is similar to Troys with Pardew. you may have more in common than you think 😆
but yes, I agree 😉
mark(Quote)
So, I will do a Cholo to change the subject back to football. Assuming we get a couple of crocks back (not Coloccini because I think they have said it was worse than first thought), I think this will be the team against QPR:
Krul
Janmaat Taylor Dummett Haidara
Tiote Sissoko Colback
Sammy Cabella
Perez
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Mark: it was sort of joke which most of my conversations have been 🙂
Eric Sykes(Quote)
😛
I agree with that team, Its only QPR so I’m betting on another victory
2-0
mark(Quote)
Only Tory Boy could deny that Percy was in the last chance saloon after 10 months of abysmal tripe.
Deary me.
Predictable of course 😆
Beardsleys Boots(Quote)
Oh God: I just realised that Pardew and Harry will be on the sideline together. The fist pump, the flopping his chops, the sticking his head out of the Range Rover, the common history at West Ham and Southampton, the pearly king costumes and saying “I fink and I fought about that.” It will be a wild and woolly cockerney knees up (except neither are technically cockerneys).
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Bootsy
You were predicting Pards’ sacking this time two years ago. Comedy gold watching you.
Troy Stavers(Quote)
Tory Boy – you won’t find me predicting anything 2 years ago fella, but I have been calling for his head since then certainly.
Get your facts right before spewing forth your usual twisted garbage.
Beardsleys Boots(Quote)
So I came on last night and had a go at Troy and Eric arguing on, and Troy calls me a ninnie 😆
Troy – to be fair, you’re right. If you and Eric want to converse then we can read around it – but you 2 don’t converse, and have been mincing on about the same one thing for days – weeks now. Hence why I said for the sake of your sanity – not of the blog.
We don’t agree on everything, but for what it’s worth I agree that Pardew is an average PL manager.
Eric – you ask Troy to talk seriously about footy, but then when he asks you a question you won’t ‘work to his agenda’. Seems a bit daft to me, but hey ho. But, I would go with that 11 against QPR – and avoid the political craic, other than to agree with with Mark.
Sharpy17(Quote)
Here we go, from the Daily Mirror:
“Newcastle have suffered a defensive injury crisis ahead of a critical month for manager Alan Pardew.
Central defensive duo Fabricio Coloccini and Steven Taylor are both expected to be out for up to four weeks after suffering injuries during the current international break.
Coloccini has suffered a muscle tear and Taylor is believed to be nursing a knee injury.”
I just knew it couldn’t last even a couple of hours before I had to revise my team 🙂 It is pretty hard not to think there is a curse on the Toon. We finally look like we are getting somewhere, and Pardew has had a change of approach and then three serious injuries (Abeid). Not like I was expecting Steven Taylor to last long as as I have said he is made of glass and is a major reason why MBiwa shouldn’t have been loaned.
The good thing about Taylor is that it isn’t another bloody achilles or dislocated shoulder and he hasn’t had to get his jaw wired shut – which to be honest was a bit of a blessing 🙂
Eric Sykes(Quote)
You know, it could be worse. Dummett has played out of skin recently and Ryan Taylor is available. It is not like we are playing Chelsea next week either.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Eric – QPR will be nee push overs mate. They’ve played really well in their last few games and pushed Lpool and Man City really hard.
Charlie Austin is in great form and he will be a real handful for our senior CBs, nevermind a partnership of say Dummett and Satka.
November was the month we needed to pick up points, coz Decembers fixtures are horrible. I would have rather these injuries hit us then to be honest.
Sharpy17(Quote)
Eric, I’m not surprised, it’s like this every season, our injuries are ridiculous, I swear we are the worst in the league for injuries. 👿
kIMTOON(Quote)
M Abeid Ankle/Foot Injury 2nd Dec 14
E Riviere Knock 22nd Nov 14
F Coloccini Calf/Shin Injury 13th Dec 14
S Taylor Knee Injury 13th Dec 14
R Aarons Hamstring Injury 13th Dec 14
G Obertan Hip/Thigh Injury no return date
C Tiote Calf/Shin Injury 22nd Nov 14 slight doubt
J Gutierrez Testicular Cancer no return date
S De Jong Thigh Muscle Strain 1st Jan 15
D Santon Knee Injury 22nd Nov 14 doubtful
C Good Groin/Pelvis Injury no return date
kIMTOON(Quote)
We are 2nd behind Everton in the injury table. Good has been out for ages now, it’s not looking too clever for him.
kIMTOON(Quote)
It’s a shame, Colo and Saylor are probs our better pairing, it was them two when we went on our 10 game unbeaten run in the 5th place finish season.
kIMTOON(Quote)
Kim I always worry when Williamson is in defence. His good and terrible but mostly terrible. We should recall Mibiwa.
Terry(Quote)
TERRY@363,sorry mate but he’s injured as well out for thee weeks they say
icedog(Quote)
I know I am being a totally cynical git but doesn’t it always seem that our players get a “slight knock” and then are out for weeks. Coloccini and Taylor are the latest that they said had knocks. Before that it was Tiote who has been out for long periods twice this season with knocks. De Jong is the worst. They said he had a thigh strain and then after two months HE announces on twitter he had had an operation.
I don’t know if it is that the Newcastle doctors don’t know the full extent of the injuries or they think we the fans can’t take the bad news. Oh, and Santon. He disappeared from the radar for months.
This may be a conspiracy theory but I do think they hold back on the bad news. Perhaps all teams do it, but I don’t closely follow any other teams so wouldn’t know.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Now I am confused. This is from The Chronicle this morning:
“Newcastle defender Steven Taylor is expected to be back in contention for the clash with Queens Park Rangers.
And skipper Fabricio Coloccini is set to be assessed this week after hobbling off with a muscle injury in the 2-0 win at West Brom.
Both woke up to headlines today claiming they’d sustained injuries during the international break.
However, United will run the rule over both this week.
Whitley Bay lad Taylor missed the game with West Brom due to a minor calf injury and wasn’t played as a precaution.
But he will be expected to train this week as the build-up to the encounter with QPR begins.”
So, two different newspapers, The Mail and The Mirror, from two different Newspaper Groups go with the same story of them being out for a month and it is totally false? Is everybody getting their news from twitter now? I don’t know what to believe but it looks like someone close to the club is spreading malicious rumours.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Mind games perhaps to make it hard for QPR to set up against us as they aren’t sure who we’ll field on the day.
kIMTOON(Quote)
Wow! The blog is quiet without me & Psychs. And here’s me thinking I’m keeping bloggers off the blog cos they can’t work around us.
Everyone will jump on now to prove a point. YCMIU 🙄
Troy Stavers(Quote)
oi Troy! get back on the naughty step 😛
mark(Quote)
Hughton played simmo for half a season when carrying an injury, to secure promotion. I wouldn’t blame pards for bringing back cos early to secure safety. How many managers brought Owen back early? Most managers chance it. He came back, scored goals and now ironically without him we’re actually playing better and are seeing the talent in Perez. So maybe we should all be glad pardew went against the doctors eh? 😛
Newkie(Quote)
I agree Newkie, it was a risk but it paid off. 😀 Cisse may have got injured anyway even if he had a few more weeks rest.
I’m sure a cracked kneecap will cause anyone discomfort. 😯
mark(Quote)
**** I’ve been at work all day fretting…looking forward to reading the next episode of Troy and Eric sparring…and nowt has happened !! WAFBB…
Munich Mag(Quote)
EricSykes @366 “I don’t know what to believe but it looks like someone close to the club is spreading malicious rumours”
That’s a big leap of (il)logic. It certainly couldn’t be the newspapers and the journalists to blame; no doubt they only have the fans’ best interests at heart. [shakes head and walks away]
brisvegas(Quote)
Brisvegas: it was confusing enough that The Chronicle and The Shields Gazette stepped in to clear up the status of Taylor saying he will train this week, and that Coloccini will be out for an extended period. You are probably right that the journalists are to blame and I bet one of them just read the story in the other paper and lazily rehashed it putting their by-line on it.
If it was (is) true it would have been a major blow and meant a big shake up for the team that has done well recently with Coloccini seemingly returning to form. That’s why I posted the quotes, not to mention it may see a return of Williamson who is a very polarising figure for fans.
The club are not very forthcoming sometimes on injuries so I don’t think it was a stretch for me to ask if there was truth in the reports that Taylor and Coloccini would both be out for a month. That’s all. I don’t know why you would be shaking your head and walking away. There were enough questions that Lee Ryder and Miles Starforth were asking if this rumour was true.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Bris&Eric, We should all know by now that we only get fed news by the club in dribs and dabs . The root of many problems the fans have with the club is the lack of information and transparency, it’s as if they have an, ‘and what business is it of yours’ attitude. It’s not just the press kept in the dark but everyone, little wonder things get made up or exaggerated.
kIMTOON(Quote)