Game On! Stoke City V Newcastle United

Shamrock

Toon take on the Potters
Toon take on the Potters
Welcome one and all to to today’s match thread where we come together to watch our Toon charges take on Stoke City at the Britannia Stadium (through the gaps in the fingers of the hand covering our faces).

A win see’s Newcastle pull 3 points clear of the drop zone with a game in hand over Norwich City and local rivals Sunderland. With Swansea away to Title chasers Arsenal today – and their manager having been taken ill – the Magpies also have the chance to match them for points, again with a game in hand. The importance of this game cannot be underestimated, as our other game in hand is against Manchester City in a game we have no right or expectation of getting anything from. Ordinarily a game away to Stoke should be feared, but their home form is inconsistent of late and our lads should by now be worrying about their form in the lead up to the Euro’s – as well as their long term futures and pay packets at the highest level. They have had an 18-day break and there is no excuse for not showing fight and application tonight.

Shearer’s right foot did an excellent preview, which you can read here. It’s full of injury news, interesting stats and key battles. Since that article, news has come out that January signing Andros Townsend has been laid off with a hamstring injury – which has seemingly gifted Yoan Gouffran a starting berth tonight.

Stoke City: Butland; Bardsley, Cameron, Wollscheid, Pieters; Whelan, Imbula, Shaqiri, Afellay, Arnautovic; Walters. Subs: Haugaard, Muniesa, Ireland, Joselu, Diouf, Crouch, Bojan.

Newcastle United: Elliot; Janmaat, Taylor, Lascelles, Dummett; Shelvey, Colback, Sissoko, Wijnaldum, Gouffran; Mitrovic. Subs: Darlow, Sterry, Saivet, Aarons, Perez, Riviere, Doumbia.

As you can see the Toon have gone with 3 strikers from the bench. Does Steve McClaren anticipates Aleksander Mitrovic not to last the full game following his recent injury? Or he is planning a full scale assault for the last half hour should things not go to plan? Lets find out…

HWTL

About Shamrock

Like everyone here, support Newcastle United. Not the easiest side to feel good about at times, but it's our side!

View all posts by Shamrock →

You may like these posts

588 thoughts on “Game On! Stoke City V Newcastle United”

  2. Sham – have you heard much from the new guys? Are you still able/happy to upload things?

      (Quote)

  3. Yes I am still an administrator mate. The new guys don’t have time to write themselves so are looking for somebody to write an article or 2 per day in return for payment. Trouble is, to write a well researched article takes an hour at least, normally 2 – so the payment is not worth the time if you work full time already and have a family etc. It’s a difficult one but I would think the owners will have to get hands on if they can’t find a paid writer.

      (Quote)

  5. A match preview should go up today but no idea if anybody is writing one. Nothing in drafts and I’m off to work later so not doing it myself.

      (Quote)

  6. Sham – agreed, doing a good one daily would eat far too much into my time for anything permanent. Although a **** one comparable to some sites could probably be done in 10 with some invented quotes… 😉

    I’ll try write something up when I get back in tonight if not too inebriated… what’s the process now, do I email it to you directly?

      (Quote)

  7. I think the players should be more focused on winning the fucking game rather than what might happen in yet another defeat.
    The players have hardly covered themselves in glory this season & whether you like Mc or not, the players contribution to our current plight should not be forgotten!!!.

      (Quote)

  8. Cool yes Newkie just email me. I’m not back from work until about 3:30 am but will schedule it in for publishing.

    I did point out that if it’s traffic you want, then it’s relatively easy to smash out several articles a day with little effort such as a couple of other well known Toon sites. Sensationalist headlines and articles based on Paul Merson quotes etc, but it would alienate this site’s existing users. Certainly I would get bored very quickly and move on!

      (Quote)

  9. Ah I didn’t even think about the preview because I won’t be watching the game, can’t bring myself to think the actual match days let alone write about them.

      (Quote)

  10. Sharply I agree there. Just look at Bournemouth. They fight for every ball. The tempo is so intense. That’s partly tactics but mostly heart and desire. Our lads could learn a lot from watching them. Bunch of slack softies in our squad.

      (Quote)

  11. Sham – are you able to see my email as an admin and send me one quick so I’ve got yours?

    Sharpy – agreed, plenty of spineless ones in there, but we’ve known that for years.

      (Quote)

  13. Cheers mate

    I would also abandon the site if the usual standards dropped, spammed articles attracts the wrong kind of people here and the posters are key, even if some of the better ones do seem to have gone quiet over the year or so

      (Quote)

  15. Yeah I agree Newkie. I think the new guys do too. Time will tell I guess… But we need more regular articlese because I won’t be writing very often anymore and neither will the new guys by the looks of it. .

      (Quote)

  16. Bourenmouth are away from us now and we won’t catch them so personally I would sacrifice a win tomorrow IF it meant The Grin Reaper was sacked.

      (Quote)

  18. Tottenham v Arsenal 2-1
    Chelsea v Stoke 2-0
    Everton v West Ham 1-1
    Man City v Aston Villa 5-0
    Newcastle v Bournemouth 1-1
    Southampton v Sunderland 1-1
    Swansea v Norwich 2-1
    Watford v Leicester 1-0

      (Quote)

  19. LAWRO’S PREDICTION

    The Magpies are second bottom, eight points behind Bournemouth, and it is already looking like three of the current bottom four will be the teams going down.

    Prediction: 2-1

    24pts ..Toons current points tally is the lowest ever after 27games in the prem

      (Quote)

  20. Toon: Across all competitions, they have won seven, drawn six and lost 29 of 39 games since March 4, 2015. That’s a staggering loss ratio of 75% – which speaks of deep problems at the heart of the club.

      (Quote)

  21. Reckon tomorrow it will be 1-1 or 1-0 but neither result will change things – he still needs to go.

      (Quote)

  22. Stuart I agree entirely with your comments about losing tomorrow to get rid of the Grin Reaper. I am between a rock and a hard place at the moment. I certainly don’t want us to go down. However if we win tomorrow, or heaven forbid scrape a draw, Charnley may give the Grin Reaper a vote of confidence which will in any case lead to us being relegated. Our only chance, and it is now a slim one, is to get in a new manager as soon as possible. It would be worth while Ashley giving a top manager a large pay day , if only till the end of the season, if he can keep us up.

    By the way, I do not seem able to send comments from my iPad.

      (Quote)

  23. Groucho Ice has the same problem. Hopefully the owners are reading the comments and working on it….

      (Quote)

  24. Sham – I have noticed a few sly (or not so sly) digs at the new owners. Are you not a happy chappy?

      (Quote)

  25. Tottenham run a lot. Over the whole season they have covered the second highest amount of distance in the Premier League (second to Bournemouth’s 3,273km with 3,245.4km) and completed the highest number of sprints (15,074

    Wonder where we are?

      (Quote)

  27. Stu there has been very little presence since they took over and I’m concerned the place will die of it does not have people running the place in a hands on role. Until last year Toonsy was very much hands on and the place was banging as a result. When he stepped off the gas a lot of other writers did too and the place lost momentum. It would be a shame to see the site fade away that’s all. People like Ice and Groucho will be on less and less if they can’t do simple things like post from an iPad. Its early days but you would expect infectious enthusiasm from the word go. Feels more like business than passion. Anyway, enough from me. I appreciate a happy medium has to be found….

      (Quote)

  29. Stu. you seem a fairly intelligent chap 😛 with lots of time on your hand, could you not knock some articles out..

    Erics the man! sitting around all day reminiscing about his Germany days getting the knock-back off al the big bootied yanks! stop fantasizing Eric.. get your brain in gear 😀

      (Quote)

  30. @Kim

    if there was any truth in that Rafa story I’d personally bang the drums outside the players hotel all night so we lose on Sat 😮

    Sadly in our wildest dreams Mike would hire a bloke that wants to win things and is capable of winning things.. 👿

      (Quote)

  31. There are stories of the Frenchies forming a clique. The only one that plays regularly is Sissoko and the rest are injured and on the fringes. I can see how they might be disgruntled but I don’t see why anybody would really be that bothered. Look at who they are: Thauvin, Obertan, Riviere, Haidara, Gouffran – all on the fringes or on the way out.

    MBemba and the rest of the Arfricans probably speak French but I am not sure why they would want to be associated with a clique that never plays. They have been pushed out for the simple reason most of them have been ****.

    If it is true then it still should have been dealt with and shows a lack of control by the staff.

      (Quote)

  32. I mean, it shows a lack of respect for the leadership and a lack of discipline from the players. You would have thought McClaren might have learnt something from Alex Ferguson about man management and discipline.

      (Quote)

  33. Yeah Gash, I mention that a lot 🙂

    Anyway, I will not be on the site as much as i have to get a job. I took some time off and did a bit of travelling but the money doesn’t last forever. So I am not your man to be writing on a consistent basis.

      (Quote)

  34. lol Eric. what can grinny learn from Sir Alex

    can you imagine McClaren angrily throwing a footy boot at a player, he’ll probably just go beetroot red and start grinning awkwardly

    the blokes a coach for a reason. we need a manager.

      (Quote)

  35. @Eric

    you can always ask Munich if he has any jobs going on the factory floor he mops 😆

      (Quote)

  36. I know that article in The Mail was **** stirring but I am amazed it hasn’t happened before now. It hasn’t been until the last month or so that there has been any criticism from the local papers and even Luke Edwards at The Telegraph and Louise Taylor at The Guardian have been surprisingly silent on the downward spiraling NUFC.

    Edwards has an axe to grind and Taylor is very pro-Mackem so I am surprised they haven’t been sticking the knife in.

      (Quote)

  37. Gashley: McClaren is already pretty much beetroot red. That is the ONLY thing he has in common with Ferguson.

      (Quote)

  38. The new owners could recruit writers from The Mag. They seem to bash out a lot, but of mixed quality. If it is a matter of keeping things ticking over they could get one or two I bet. If the quality is **** just don’t publish.

    The main thing is the quality of football and results at the club. If that was better, I think there would be a lot more interest in writing articles. At the moment it is very difficult to say anything positive so everything comes across as a moan.

      (Quote)

  39. I am amazed that tomorrow is almost sold out. It shows amazing loyalty but if the crowd turns I think McClaren may need more than a brolly. Maybe he can curl up in a ball and hum to himself. Wait, that was his half time team talk at Stoke.

      (Quote)

  42. I could honestly believe we have no contingency plans in place. The club were happy for Pardew bungling his way through a 8 yr contract.

    they probably hope theyve showed enough loyalty for Steve to hang around nest season in the Championship..if he doesnt mind…

      (Quote)

  43. @Eric.

    good on the journo for speaking the truth

    Are Newcastle going to stay up?
    He’s taking them down – 39.4%
    Yep – with McClaren – 33.2%
    They will – but Mac won’t be there – 15.4%
    They’ll get rid and get relegated – 12.0%

      (Quote)

  44. There have been several more reports about the row at the press conference with no-one being willing to name The Journalist. They must be scared of being banned again. It is sort of pathetic but at the same time understandable since it is their job to report and if they are banned it stops them. However, this is coordinated so NUFC must have told them not to name the Journalist.

    Schteve referenced a disparaging article and that was by Craig Hope of The Mail. I linked it above if you want to read it. It has to be him. Isn’t he the one that stands outside either SAFC of NUFC for Sky on deadline day?

    Loiue Van Gaal called Neil Custis of The Sun “fatman” and he has had a lot of publicity and notoriety because of it. I have seen him talking quite a few times and repeating the same joke that he took it on the chinS. He’s a fat geordie c*nt anyway and almost as bad as Ryder.

      (Quote)

  45. As I have said, it is amazing how spineless these journalists have been up until now. They should read this blog now and again to see what fans think. I said yesterday that Ryder had said SCORES (that’s 20 in old time speak) of fans were wanting McClaren sacked when his own paper had a poll of thousands and 81% wanted him sacked. Ryder is loyal to management until the end, then he writes a column or 2 when someone is sacked and never mentions his fawning again.

    I say Ryder is loyal to Management not NUFC, which are two completely different things in at least the last 3 years.

      (Quote)

  46. Actually found I can send comments from my iPad. Tap below “Website” and the box to send comments comes up. It is there all the time but is extremely faint.

      (Quote)

  47. I know a lot about these journalists because NBC interview them here in The States and Keys and Gray have a show where they have the most kiss-*** interviews with print journalists.

      (Quote)

  49. Groucho, It’s the same when I’m on the PC mate, you cant see post comments but because I know where it should be I hover over that area and it pops up like you said. OK for us as we know where it is but a problem for new visitors to the site I’d imagine.

      (Quote)

  50. Eric, sounds like he’s touched a nerve for such a reaction. Surely you would ignore it as tittle tattle otherwise. Rags stir **** all the time, most clubs ignore it.

      (Quote)

  51. Kimtoon: this is the first time he has been really called out. I would not be happy if I was a player and learned my manager said the reason we are ***** is because the players have character flaws. A complete abdication of all responsibility and now at least McClaren’s feet are being held to the fire as well. AT LEAST 2 MONTHS TOO LATE. To be fair to Chris Waugh though he did say McClaren should be sacked after the Chelsea game, but again, if the press had put a bit more pressure on him earlier we wouldn’t be here. He has been given a free ride.

    They were a bit harder on Ugly John but his responses were so crazy they wrote their own copy.

      (Quote)

  52. The fans at games have pretty much given McClaren a free ride as well which is hard to fathom given some of our performances.

    I remember a recent quote from McClaren saying at NUFC it is one step forward and two steps back. Isn’t it his job to reverse that and make it 2 steps forward and maybe 1 step back. Then we might not be facing relegation.

    When the heat is on he tends to melt: England, Wolfburg, Derby and now NUFC (even Forest).

      (Quote)

  53. I still want us to beat Bournemouth but McClaren should then be sacked anyway.

    We have Leicester on a Monday Night so that gives a new Manager 9 days.

      (Quote)

  54. Gashley – re the previous page.

    Wasn’t aware you hadn’t been on fella, I mean I always skim your posts anyway…

    😆

      (Quote)

  55. 😆 i was referring to “some of the better ones do seem to have gone quiet over the year or so” 😉

      (Quote)

  56. well after all of the **** SM has talked about how good we are at home I reckon he’ll still be here Monday after we draw 1-1 👿

    If thats the case, we deserve to go down..

      (Quote)

  57. How about Di Matteo? He won the Champions League with Chelsea and his record at West Brom and Shalke wasn’t actually that bad. I reckon he would take an interim job.

      (Quote)

  58. So that’s Pearson or Di Matteo? Rodgers and Moyes would probably want too much power and neither really has done more than Di Matteo anyway.

      (Quote)

  59. I don’t know why I didn’t think of Di Matteo before. He has played and coached in England. I am sure he didn’t have much say at Chelsea and Shalke probably had a DoF. When you think about it his record is as good as plenty of current and unemployed PL Managers:

    Hughes
    Pulis
    Pardew
    Allardyce
    Eddie Howe
    That Jock at Norwich
    Martinez
    Moyes
    Rodgers
    Pearson
    Garry Monk

      (Quote)

  61. In fact, think about this. Win or lose against Bournmouth we are not expected to get anything at Leicester, especially with our away form. That gives a new Manager 2 weeks to get situated for the Mackems.

    We have another opportunity here, Charnley just has to sack his Pal who he talks to every day according to Schteve. Maybe Charnley has forgotten he is Schteve’s boss?

      (Quote)

  62. mcclaren is out of his depth.
    geordie jc isn’t a main man, he’s a 2ic.. and also out of his depth when given the main gig…

    …however, the one consistent is that the players are just not good enough and letting everyone down. mcclaren is rubbish, but the players should also bear the brunt imo

      (Quote)

  63. sorry to turn up so late on the blog but I was on the late shift at the factory and by the time i had finished mopping the floor and thumbed a lift home time had just flown by…

      (Quote)

  64. Shamrock: if you want I could kick out an article next week with just talking points/random thoughts since I basically do that anyway 🙂 Something to keep things ticking over and not having threads reach 600 (300 of which are mine anyway 🙂 ).

    I am not really into in-depth stat analysis and when tasked to write something in-depth I can never really think of a topic.

      (Quote)

  67. MM, I agree, players also have to step up. We need backbones of steel over the next few matches and anything less from them is unacceptable. I don’t give a flying **** if they detest Steve or not, they get paid a good salary to put up with him, we how ever don’t .

      (Quote)

  68. eric, despite being swiss italian and speaking the lingo, di matteo made a complete bulls lug of things at schalke. he had them playing poor football and the fans wanted him out…
    having said that FC Schalke 04 are also a basket case club like nufc…a massive loyal and noisy fan base, but perrennial under achievers… to repeat di matteo wouldn’t get my vote mate, thumbs down..

      (Quote)

  71. MM: I will do it next week as there will be one hell of a match thread tomorrow I can imagine.

      (Quote)

  73. Eric, Top idea, it’ll take till next week for everyone to calm down if we lose again.

      (Quote)

  74. I did notice Di Matteo goes in streaks like Pards. However, I think he would take it and he has had success as a stand in. Even when he f-ed up at Shalke they finished 6th.

      (Quote)

  75. kimtoon, i fear the drastic combination of mcclarens demotivating mutterings about his own group of players, and the true fact that we have too many fair weather homers in the squad will only bring us max 1 point tomorrow…
    our players aren’t any better than this, we’ve been **** for years, plus this season we have been too predictable and haven’t enough threat in the team…

    bournemouth will come here to avoid defeat and take home a point, and they’ll succeed i reckon…

      (Quote)

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *