This weekend, Rafa’s Magpies make the three hour journey down the M6 to take on a Preston North End side no doubt wounded from their 6-0 Cupset midweek. In what was firmly expected to be a much tighter game, a vibrant Newcastle side put 10 man Preston to the sword to book an EFL last 8 match-up against Hull City.
And now, with a rematch looming, I feel the dynamics of Saturday’s contest will be completely different to that of Tuesday’s win for four reasons:
- Home advantage for Preston (the obvious one)
- The size of Deepdale’s pitch
- Complacency
- Selection headaches abound
It hasn’t been long since the last time NUFC had a cup/league double header – against Wolves last month in fact, where both sides claimed one scalp a-piece. We were a mess, if truth be told in our first game against Wolves but dramatically improved in the midweek outing to progress further in the EFL Cup.
This time around we were stunning in our first match against Preston North End, so will our second match-up be ill fated in a reversal of what happened against Wolves?
The main conduit that will help Rafa’s men pick up all three points on Saturday will without doubt be the ability to switch up our style of play to suit a smaller pitch such as Deepdale’s. Looking back to midweek, playing a 10 men side on a pitch the size of SJP is small fry for the likes of Jonjo Shelvey who can zip the ball around with ease. So the question is, what do we do when faced with cramped conditions against a side desperate for redemption? The answer – fight fire, with fire.
With many of Newcastle’s slow starters of the season i.e. Perez and Diame now starting to find their feet also, Rafa certainly has some tough decisions to make this evening. But I feel this match is made for our more guttural midfield and attacking fighters. Whilst not expected to start, target man Daryl Murphy may be a savvy inclusion in Benitez’s squad should he wish to bring him on to see the game out with 20 minutes to go.
As good as Clark has been this season, I’d favour the slightly more physical Mbemba to line up along side our skipper. Elsewhere I feel the front two picks themselves with both Mitrovic and Gayle being partial to plenty of goals recently.
Preferred line-up (4-4-2)
GK: Darlow
CB: Mbemba
CB: Lascelles
LB: Dummet
RB: Yedlin
CM: Shelvey
CM: Diame
RM: Ritchie
LM: Atsu
CF: Mitrovic
CF: Gayle
I don’t think I’ve ever heard of 9 minutes extra time in the PL. Was there a long injury delay in the game? It didn’t sound like it on the radio. Other than a player was down and the PNE fans booed because we didn’t put the ball out. But the game seemed to carry on straight after! This league has cowboy and Indians for refs and fourth officials. At the end he didn’t seem to know what to do or who to give the ball to. 😈
DJG(Quote)
Shamrock. You may be right there. Brighton have been nearly promoted for about the last three seasons, maybe they will finally swap with the mackems. 😀 I said Huddersfield would drop off into the playoffs, but their bubble has burst recently. This is a hard league to get out of, not because of the quality but because it’s so tight in my opinion. There just isn’t the gap between rags and riches of the PL. Even Rotherham (who are the only team marooned at the bottom) gave us a game and don’t lose by many. In contrast, look at how poor the mackems are, compared to Arsenal, who probably didn’t get out of 2nd gear until it was 1-1. 🙂
DJG(Quote)
The Mackems are in real trouble. They have a Texan hedge fund manager as their owner who laid off 70 million of the debt. When you consider Villa cost 60 million from another missing Yank you have to worry that with 200 million in debt the Mackems will not find a buyer when they are relegated.
It is not like Ashley who is actually in the business indirectly with his sportswear. He has made many miscalculations but he knows if gets us back to the PL he can get his money back if he wants it. He is all in with us but I don’t think Ellis Short would be with Sunderland.
I only really looked at Sunderland’s finances today and realised how bad of a state they really are in WHEN they are relegated. They need another miracle because in their financial position the parachute payments will not save them. They would need an immediate return to the PL but who is going to fund it? I don’t think there are any Mackem “white knights” who could afford it. Maybe, just maybe, a Chinese conglomerate to use them as a feeder club for the Super League?
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Eric , it doesn’t help when their sole aim seems to be to just survive every season. God knows we know how that pans out and to see us now really going for the cups and trying hard to get back up is so refreshing. As you say they are in deep **** financially and if they drop I don’t see them coming back up. They should be trying to build something there, especially after surviving by the skin of their teeth but they are sleep walking into the championship at the moment. Not one player looked really up for it today imo, feel sorry for Moyes as I don’t think they are playing for him at all.
kimtoon(Quote)
Moyes’s rep is really taking a battering after all he achieved at Everton. His last 3 jobs all landed deep in the brown stuff. Unfortunately he doesn’t have a Steve McClaren get out of jail card gene which just seems to pull jobs out of the hat no matter what happens.
Munich Mag(Quote)
Sham – LVG didn’t have a better record than Moyes either. The irony is that if they’d have stuck with Moyes it’s likely they’d be a much better team today. It’s a case of welcome to the real world for Man Utd fans. They’ve been insulated from it for the last 25 years under Fergie.
Stuart79(Quote)
Spot on, actually Moyes should never of left Everton, they were a perfect fit and very hard to beat under him.
kimtoon(Quote)
No one will ever replicate SAF achievements and so are on a hiding to nothing from the get go. Spoilt fans who expect the team to pick up where SAF left off, full of unrealistic expectations. Their days of dominance are long gone, what with City, Chelsea, Arsenal, Spuds and Liverpool all more than capable of winning the title and having the cash to do it too. Time to wake up to the fact theirs bigger bullies in the playground now.
kimtoon(Quote)
There’s *
kimtoon(Quote)
Kim I would like Sunderland to stay in the league just so we can beat them. Colocini was the main reason we lost last time. A horrid defender that was good for one season.
Stem(Quote)
Good win today. Rafa and the players have done a great job.
Stem(Quote)
Stem, got to be honest I don’t and wouldn’t miss the Derby games mate. In recent times they seem to raise their game and play out their skins against us then revert to cack after 🙄 Didn’t help that we had a succession of inept managers who didn’t have a clue and half a team of soft shites at times.
kimtoon(Quote)
Yet another 2 week break after Cardiff.
Shamrock(Quote)
Not sure there is a sweeter sight for Newcastle fans than Newcastle top of the league with Hughton’s Brighton as second place.
The dream top 2 for most of us, I’d assume.
funkyjesus(Quote)
Norfolk City, (or is that East Anglia?) took a good hiding today from Hoots boys. Watch it on channel 5 if you haven’t already. Norwich have conceded a ton of goals and that’s why they have a more or less level goal difference. I may need to downgrade their, moody’s/standard and poors, league winning, credit rating. 😯
DJG(Quote)
Funky
I would like to see the likes of Sheffield Wed go up. Brighton have moaned too much about being ‘Premier League ready’ and finishing ten points above 4th place… So what? If you don’t finish top 2 you have the lottery of the playoffs. That is the rule we know and are playing to now! Best of luck to Hoots, and all that, but I certainly wouldn’t want him to overtake us.
DJG(Quote)
Kim I just think Sunderland exploited our weakness’s like most team’s have in the past. Bad managers, leaky defence, low on confidence, players adapting to the league. Now we have Rafa, a better defence, high on confidence and scoring goals. I reckon Sunderland are defiantly going down but I like to beat them.
Stem(Quote)
Bog standard English managers constantly moan about being discriminated against in this country . Can you imagine the reaction if AVB, Van Gaal, Pepe Mel, Bob Bradley & other overseas managers the press have had it in for, Had won just 5 of their last 32 matches in the premier league…
I’ve barely heard a peep about wor Alan
CC(Quote)
CC, Pards is Teflon mate, didn’t you know?
kimtoon(Quote)
He’s getting some stick over his comments about the ref, nowt over the unbelievably **** results
****** of a man
CC(Quote)
I’d be happy if CH got Brighton up in 2nd place. I really like the bloke. Championship may be his level but he definately deserves a chance IMO
Pardew is the luckiest manager in any top flight league. He wins 2 games and his sympathisers are doing back flips whilst his critics know he’s 1 game away from a 8 game losing streak.
I’m really pleased he’s been given another chance at palace and lots of cash to spend. No excuses now
Gashley(Quote)
Paper talk already firing up regarding January exits. Lascelles to Chelsea the first of them.
Shamrock(Quote)
CC
We would have lost that game yesterday under Pardew. He just mustn’t even practice corners in training, we went two years without scoring a corner! That’s the manager IMO. The defending is also the manager and they reckon the reason M’bemba is out is because he’s struggling to adapt to Benitez’s system. The gap between Pardew/Alardyce and Benitez is embarrassing. No wonder foreign managers are getting the top jobs.
DJG(Quote)
Pardew is being groomed for the England job, of course he is going to be protected by the media.
Munich Mag(Quote)
I must say,not a huge fan of derby games so it gives me massive delight to see sunderland slowly dying so early in the season. They are down… it would take a new, decent manager and lots of money to save them..ain’t gonna happen 😆
Gashley(Quote)
Whilst Palace are only 4 points ahead of the bottom 3, they are only 4 points off 6th. As it stands he has them exactly where they expect to be; mid table. I’m not a fan of his, but I also don’t really care what he’s up to these days. He will love the fact Toon fans can’t stop talking about him. Let’s move on!
Shamrock(Quote)
Until he gets the England job, then when he %&*$s up they’ll go all medieval on his *** 😀
kimtoon(Quote)
Never rated Lascelles, and top premier league strikers would be all over both him and Mbemba. Lascelles looks ok when there is no-one on his case, would Chelsea manage to coach his slow feet out of him ? They could give Ashley 20 mill to give it a try, Rafa knows what the deal is anyway 😎
Munich Mag(Quote)
Lol that’s a good 1
Gashley(Quote)
Sham, trouble is he keeps talking about us and his time with us and how he was so hampered by the owner. Whilst that may be true, he has his every wish now with the Palace owner so why does he feel the need to bang on about his Toon time when ever he has the chance. His record with them isn’t a whole lot better even with all the cash he’s been given and it kind of makes him look a fool to go on about the lack of backing from Ashley.
kimtoon(Quote)
Kimtoon, where is Troy when you need him, with his in Pardew we trust tee shirt ? Maybe eric sykes has scared him off ?
As eric posted yesterday, we could be looking at a decade without tyne wear derbies in the Premier League. Sunderlands only chance is a desperate Chinese consorium paying through the nose for exposure to the EPL. The gap at the bottom is ever growing, the fans have also hoyed in the towel. If Moyes can turn it round it would be amazing.
Personally I love Tyne Wear derbies in the Premier League, hopefully we can both be the next season.
Munich Mag(Quote)
Media will try their best to unsettle our players I’m sure 🙄
kimtoon(Quote)
Sham, I reckon Pardew has a bit of big Sam about him, he has an amazing self belief that will ultimately keep Palace in the Prem, whilst never raising above lower mid table. An amazing achievement for a club of Palace’s stature. Having said that they now have a gazzilionaire in charge, few clubs in the Premier League can survive outside of the bottom 6 without a gazzillionaire in charge .
Munich Mag(Quote)
MM, I can live without them mate, far too stressful and form means nowt in them games .
kimtoon(Quote)
Pardew has a point though. He was hamstrung by a completely backwards structure. We all have said for a long time that it had to change.
Shamrock(Quote)
Not many points though Sham! 5 wins in 32?
Thank god for those 8 days in May when Rafa negotiated his contract with Ashley and Charnley.
Georgio(Quote)
Munich Mag
😛 Did Sissoko and Wijnaldum even get a game yesterday? Townsend was benched also. £68million worth of sales for us in the summer. And rival managers moan that we’ve spent £50m. 😆
DJG(Quote)
Pards can’t moan he’s not being backed now though and he’s still only average or below in his teams form.
kimtoon(Quote)
spot on mate can also do without the crowd trouble it brings.
really hard fought game y/day lucky to come away with three points draw would have been fair,think its the first time we never had a corner in the whole 90min Preston had 8
icedog(Quote)
I would love just one journalist to point out to Pardew, That if Newcastle had been run correctly under Ashley he would have never been considered for the job.
CC(Quote)
DJG let the media purpetrate a wrong and banal theory about toon spending while Rafa fills Ashley’s spondoolick coffer whilst we make a stealth attack on the Premiership and ultimately Champions Leage !!!!!
In Rafa we trust !!!!!!!!!!!!
Munich Mag(Quote)
I hope Townsend negotiated a relegation clause into his contract 😳
So funny eh, the grass isn’t always greener on the other side. Whereas at the same time not getting in the starting line up from your club doesn’t necessarily omit you from the england squad /team !
Munich Mag(Quote)
Recognise the connection somewhere along the line ?
Mascherano, Tevez, Townsend Pardew Lascelles Darlow Anita McClaren
Munich Mag(Quote)
oops, too much caffeine this morning 😆
Munich Mag(Quote)
Icedog, we got battered yesterday apparently.
Reiterates the fact that we still have a long way to go.
Munich Mag(Quote)
Says a lot for the self styled best league in the world that the only match worth watching today is in the championship…
CC(Quote)
to true mate thing i didnt understand with Dwight being out we lost pace in attack Mitro is not known for his pace he relys on others for that he had Atsu to bring pace back into the side but he chose Gouffy,strange one for me as Atsu can defend as much as him,ah well luck held out
icedog(Quote)
Icedog, that had me baffled too because its not easy defending against pace, but in Rafa we trust. He’d obviously decided it woul be a batten down the hatches day and get the result. It worked too !
Munich Mag(Quote)
What is it with Villa, they just can’t hold on to a lead
kimtoon(Quote)
good game mind
kimtoon(Quote)
So another 2 points villa drop
kimtoon(Quote)
so gob ***** is at it again,he cannot get the toon out of his brain,mind it looks real bad on Carr
http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/alan-pardew-admits-desperate-sign-12098177?
icedog(Quote)
There you go Ice, this is why we still talk about him cause he is always taking a swipe. He can’t help himself can he. Well why doesn’t he chat about the fact that he has full control at palace re players now , yet still can’t orchestrate a decent run.
kimtoon(Quote)
not sure but i think its something like 3 wins in 21 games,no wonder their fans are starting to kick off,the bottom six are poor teams which might save him,it should not with the amount of money hes spent imo
icedog(Quote)
5 wins in 32 league matches since Boxing Day
Including his trademark 3 wins and a couple of draws in a row which gets him noted by manager of the month selectors before reverting to type again… 🙄
CC(Quote)
cheers for that imfo mate mine was just a guess,cannot stand the bloke mesel
icedog(Quote)
the chronny are showing there true colours with there year long fawning over our ex manager. At the same time our chief scout is getting pilloried and keeps schtum.
Its all click bait from pardew and the chronny, bbc also laying out the land for pardew’s england appointment.
Munich Mag(Quote)
never been a lover of our local rag and their third rate reporters (i miss the Pink on a Sat like),nee time for gob ***** never did from day one
icedog(Quote)
So one more league game then another bloody 2 week break. Beyond stupid so close to the last one, how are teams supposed to hit their stride and keep momentum. 👿
kimtoon(Quote)
kimtoon, dead right mate, the momentum in the Premier League is also affected, this stop start every 6 weeks is really irritating !
Munich Mag(Quote)
The magic word was said so SHAZAM Troy should appear. Woo hoo, average manager, we could never get better etc. Oh, is that you Rafa? Troy insisted Pards was the best we could ever get and we should settle for Lee Clark.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Thank for reminding me about the international break kimtoon 😛
It is where blogs go to die.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
hi all,
see you are starting to storm away with this league.
and bruce is starting to turn us round,as a few of you said he would,when i didnt want him.
dont think we will come up this season.
but at least its looking far better for us,than a couple of weeks ago.
so,you might have to wait another season,before we can join you.
a villa fan(Quote)
Hi Villa. To be fair, Villa are only 6 points off the top 6. The sides in the play off positions are not exactly consistent and there is a long way to go yet. Brucie just might pull you through yet.
Shamrock(Quote)
shamrock,
hi mate,
yes you are right,but some villa fans start to expect too much.
id rather,take it one game at a time.
on another point.i agree with you fans,about the international breaks.what a waste of time.
a villa fan(Quote)
Villa, I reckon Steve will get you to the playoffs as I can see a few of the early pretenders falling away. It’s a real shame they can’t hold on to a lead like but I’d expect Steve to sort that out soon enough.
kimtoon(Quote)
We are on tv after the break too 🙂 Leeds v Toon sunday 20th nov at 1.30pm
Probs loose cause it’s on tv 🙄
kimtoon(Quote)
kimtoon,
hi mate,
it seems some of you have more faith than me,as regards to the villa.
i hope you are right.
but at least at this time,you can have no complaints with your club.
you are doing what i expected you to do this season.
a villa fan(Quote)
Villa, yeah all good at the moment mate but it’s a long road to travel as they say. I do think Bruce will do well for you though, he’s got good form .
kimtoon(Quote)
right,
night all. 😉
a villa fan(Quote)
Both Villa and Toon are on TV more than they were last season in a higher league!
New thread up tomorrow folks.
Andy Magpie(Quote)
Just been reading a few Norwich forums. This post sums up their mood;
Just read it an now at last the Pink Un in turning against this idiot of a so called manager . Davit is now saying what we have been saying on here for months (and longer) , that with his horrific formations , tactics , substitutions and purchases , he has dragged us down to Saturdays pitiful showing . AND …as DG keeps pointing out , the Board are heavily involved in this shocking decline . Their pathetic appointments of a series of clown managers , of their refusal to buy the defenders and attackers that all fans KNEW we deparatly needed , their continued support of this shocking manager have brought us to situation as well .
***To me the only way forwards is a takeover (the right one of course) , the sweeping away of the old guard in terms of a Board , management and those miserable failing players . A plan for the future is required that involves massive investment in the ground , management and players , and all this should be based on a desire , hunger , passion and burning commitment to see our fabulous club play proudly at the highest level.***
Their fans seems pretty unanimous in wanting their manager sacked. Tbey think there is infighting amongst the squad, no leadership and a manager that has lost the plot.
Looks like automatic promotion has been handed to us on a plate – and it’s there for Brighton too if they want it.
Shamrock(Quote)
SHAM cheers for that and as you say its ours for the taking,i see Richie misses Sat game after 5 yellows,another chance for Atsu then
icedog(Quote)
They were at the peak of their powers when Lambert was in charge. Ever since he left it has been more or less downhill from there, albeit very incrementally.
Andy the Magpie(Quote)
Andy I thought they started the season very well, but clearly their underlying issues from last term have not been addressed and the rot is still eating away. Great news for us!
Ice, shame about Ritchie but also gives him a chance for a rest. Atsu seems to be comingalong nicely, so hopefully he continues to impress so he can get his permanent switch.
Shamrock(Quote)