Newcastle United 2-0 Aston Villa – How The Pantomime Villain Became The Toast Of Tyneside

Jake Swinburn

Before the game, there seemed to be a feeling that last night’s game against Aston Villa was a must win, and that the game would be difficult.

If truth be told, both of those things were true. Villa were well organised, pressed high and had a great work ethic, everything that you would expect from a struggling team hoping to get a result against one of the top sides in their division.

However, despite this, the quality of the Newcastle players shone through and they were able to win by two goals to nil, playing some wonderful football in the second half of the game.

Another thing that everyone was sure of, going into the game,  was that Henri Lansbury would definitely not receive a warm welcome, and shockingly, he didn’t.

The former Nottingham Forest man was booed and jeered for almost the entire game, following a performance that would have been more suited to a pantomime than a football match, the last the that he played against Newcastle.

Actually, the only time that Lansbury was not booed was for a brief period following Newcastle’s second goal. The reason? He was the one who scored it. Lansbury’s own goal doubled Newcastle’s lead, following a first half strike from Yoan Gouffran, which was met by a brief chorus of “there’s only one Henri Lansbury.”

However, that was soon drowned out by a far less complementary song about the Villa midfielder.

In summary, Newcastle fans could not have wished for a better night. A comfortable win against a massive club, and the player who wanted so badly to be the villain of the piece sealing the win for them.

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285 thoughts on “Newcastle United 2-0 Aston Villa – How The Pantomime Villain Became The Toast Of Tyneside”

  2. Scrappy game last night but I think all in all we played well. Only remember Darlow making 1 really good save – other than that he didn’t need to do a great deal.
    By the same token I don’t remember us having many real efforts on goal and the ones we scored were scrappy too.

    Good to see we are able to grind those ones out though.

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  3. Until the last 20 minutes, grind was the word. We were really poor in the first half too. Mitro gets a lot of stick, sometimes from me, for the missed chances but he does really liven things up when he comes and become a game changer. He looked fitter and faster to me too. Good performance. Mind you Villa are dreadful. They really could get relegated again.

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  4. The website Football365 are running a poll today: “Biggest flop of the season”. The choices are:

    * Moussa Sissoko

    * Somebody Else

    So far, Sissucko has 71% of the vote.

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  5. Is there anybody who has left NUFC who has gone on to do well?

    Wijnaldum – the Scousers are warming to him but he is not an unqualified success.

    Andy Carroll – not at that price and always injured

    Danny Simpson – PL winner

    Hetem ben Arfa – did well enough at Nice to earn move to PSG

    Pards – trousered 5 million pounds for doing a **** job at Palace

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  6. Remember in the summer how all the papers were touting Englishmen for the England Manager job. The names most often were Fat Sam, Brucie and Pards. I wonder how that is going?

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  7. Eric – Southgate is hardly any better like 😆

    I’m not quite sure we played wonderful football at any time, but it was an improvement and a pretty comfortable win. Glad that we were able to secure it fairly easily because it looks like Gayle is out again and our main gameplan along with him…

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  8. I know many fans don’t rate Gouffran but compare his attitude and performance with that of Sissoko. Gouffran is unlikely to put in an exceptionally good performance on the other hand he rarely puts in an exceptionally bad performance. He has scored seven goals this season which is not bad – another comparison in his favour with Sissoko’s record. He has often scored at vital times like last night just before halftime when we had been under the cosh. Also didn’t he score the goal that drew us level against Norwich at home.? A good solid professional with a good attitude. Not a primadonna. If as been reported he leaves for Lille at the end of the season then he goes with my grateful thanks.

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  9. I know we complain about Ashley, and rightly so, but spare a thought for the Villa fans. They are a once great club no matter that their fans were disparaging when we were relegated. But… they haven’t won since boxing day and have 2 points from the last 30. They might be in trouble as they are only 6 points above relegation. It is like when Ugly John managed us. Everybody thought we already had enough points and there was no way we would go down. It was only a gift at QPR that kept us up though.

    I also read some stats from a Villa fan… in the last 18 months they have had 2 owners and 5 managers each of whom have won an average of 2 games. They have used 45 players and spent 150 million pounds. They have played 69 games and won 11.

    And we think we have it bad 🙂 We are top of the league and have Rafa Benitez.

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  11. Eric I think the only team’s Carver beat as manager was Hull City 3-0 and West ham 2-0 mate. QPR’s saved Pardew from relegating us.

    However Carver was caretaker manager in a 3-0 win against Blackburn Rover’s.

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  13. As for Villa fan’s they should show more respect to relegated team’s in the future as Troy said long ago.

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  14. Terry: I must be getting old. Even QPR who finished bottom managed to beat the pickled walnut with hair’s NUFC that year.

    And, be careful quoting Troy. He has a 100% record of being wrong with his predictions – England to win the Euros 🙂 🙂 🙂

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  15. Troy may not have said what year England would win the Euros so when we are all in Nursing Homes he might be right, and that will be cause for celebration because it will be the first time.

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  16. Eric I do feel a bit of sympathy to our Villa fan. I hope they can turn thing’s around for his sake. Did Troy say England would win the world cup in 2018 ?

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  20. Groucho:
    I know many fans don’t rate Gouffran but compare his attitude and performance with that of Sissoko. Gouffran is unlikely to put in an exceptionally good performance on the other hand he rarely puts in an exceptionally bad performance. He has scored seven goals this season which is not bad – another comparison in his favour with Sissoko’s record. He has often scored at vital times like last night just before halftime when we had been under the cosh. Also didn’t he score the goal that drew us level against Norwich at home.?A good solid professional with a good attitude. Not a primadonna. If as been reported he leaves for Lille at the end of the season then he goes with my grateful thanks.

    I like him mate, same as I liked Jonas, both solid performers if not star turns . Sometimes all you need is a solid performance from players.

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  22. ATM: Chris Brown is famous over here for pleading guilty to assault of his then girlfriend Rihanna.

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  23. We do have some solid performers Groucho mate. I think Shelvey, Clark and Yedlin fall into that category along with Goofy and Ritchie. Ritchie has actually been outstanding most of the time. Gayle’s scoring is still top of the Champs and Darlow has been very solid. We have the core of a Prem squad but far from top 8. Get to work in the summer Rafa! 😀

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  24. Just about to watch Citeh against Monaco and the pundits are all raving about Monaco’s Wunderkinds.

    How come we got the only **** player to come from there – RIVIERE.

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  26. Reading play Huddersfield tonight, then Brighton on Sat, then us on 7th March. That’s them dropping points/taking points from others. Just need to keep winning most games and we’re laughing.

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  27. Off tack a bit but this just shows me what some players think of themselves,Messie has told his club that he will not sign a new contract unless they sell three players he does not like,who the fk does he think he is,arsehole

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  28. Ice: Messi knows who he is. The best player to ever play the game.

    Well, best player I have ever seen anyway, and I am old enough to have seen the end of George Best’s and Pele’s careers and watched quite a few of Cryuff’s games.

    BTW: going to Madrid next week and have tickets for Real Madrid so will be able to see Ronaldo, and hopefully Bale, live.

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  30. Eric Sykes:
    Ice: Messi knows who he is. The best player to ever play the game.

    Well, best player I have ever seen anyway,and I am old enough to have seen the end of George Best’s and Pele’s careers and watched quite a few of Cryuff’s games.

    BTW: going to Madrid next week and have tickets for Real Madrid so will be able to see Ronaldo, and hopefully Bale, live.

    You will have to give us all a heads up when you return mate,Bale is back from injury and scored on his return,I’ve been to a couple of games in Spain while my son worked there

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  32. Ice: I watched the Madrid game this weekend and Ronaldo didn’t congratulate Bale after he scored after 3 months out. Bale committed the cardinal sin of shooting and scoring when there was a pass on to Ronaldo, so CR7 went into a sulk.

    They show every Madrid game live here and I have seen that quite a few times, especially when Gareth chooses to go it alone instead of playing it to Ronnie.

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  33. Eric Sykes:
    Ice: I watched the Madrid game this weekend and Ronaldo didn’t congratulate Bale after he scored after 3 months out. Bale committed the cardinal sin of shooting and scoring when there was a pass on to Ronaldo, so CR7 went into a sulk.

    They show every Madrid game live here and I have seen that quite a few times, especially when Gareth chooses to go it alone instead of playing it to Ronnie.

    Cannot stand players like that they get my goat,it’s a team game ffs

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  35. Huddersfield have by far the easiest run in, I fear 3rd place for the toon.
    Still, we’ll have a canny day out at Wembley and go up the hard way.
    Pity really for a club of nufc’s resources.

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  36. No surprise Huddersfield beat Reading. They have a good home record. In my opinion they will run out of steam. They don’t have a big squad, they have had to win 6 on the bounce just to get within 6 points (inc GD) of us so it is more than reasonable to expect them to drop points sooner rather than later. Their next game against Barnsley would be my bet.

    The run in for them is ok but for them their players have played much more than ours this season and will surely start to feel the strain. Also we have to play Wigan, Burton, Bristol C and Preston at home 89 points will get us promoted and thats’s 7 more wins. 50% win percentage which is what we were running at during our “bad run” so I think were in a good position.

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  37. Stuart: we have games against Huddersfield and Brighton which will be pivotal. Wins, or even draws, will see us set. I just hope we do not go in with an attitude of not to lose. Our away form is the best in the league though so we have a shot.

    I don’t get how some are anointing Brighton as Champions. We are top and have a better squad.

    I like Hughton and think he was unfairly sacked. But let’s not forget that he has had a team relegated when he was manager and was in a very good position last year and Brighton did not get promoted.

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  38. Some would say that the relegation and non-promotion that Hughton achieved gives him that bit extra this time. What about 2 La Liga’s, a Champions League and 2 EUFA Cups? And 2nd in the PL only behind a team that had Tevez, Ronaldo and a young Rooney as their front line?

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  39. we badly need Mitro to come to the fore,he needs to keep his head when things go against during games we dont need a sending off,he could be a hero or a villian lets hope its hero

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  40. Huddersfield have a cup replay to handle yet and as STU says its more work for their players but they must have a canny set of players they made 8 changes in the first leg,i really dis-like their manager

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  41. Some people act like it is a foregone conclusion that Brighton will be promoted, and even be Champions. How so? We are ahead of them and are probably more likely to finish as champions. As I said I like Hughton, but…

    * He is not a young pup. I think there is a myth that he is an up-an-coming manager. He is 58.

    * he was part of the staff that saw us relegated

    * He did a great job for us to get us promoted, but afterwards…

    * He was mutually consented when Norwich were in 17th place and were subsequently relegated.

    * He Managed Birmingham to the Championship playoffs and they were not promoted.

    * Brighton were not promoted last year (obviously) with a good squad.

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  42. Am I wrong that there is a perception that Hughton is an up-an-coming Manager? To put it in perspective, he is 58 and Jose Mourinho is 54.

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  44. Reading play Brighton next too which will be good for us regardless of the result. If Reading drop points and we win that basically means they’re pretty much out of it. That will leave us, Brighton and Huddersfield.

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  46. I agree with your earlier analysis Stuart. All teams on a run as good as Huddersfield judder to a halt sooner or later. Back in our last CCC campaign Forest got within a point of us with a 21 game unbeaten run but then fell away. It will happen to Huddersfield especially when we win there!

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  47. Eric – free speech is always only allowed when it comes from the mouth of a bleeding heart liberal!

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  48. I think Huddersfield are a good team with a good manager and they seem to have the momentum with them at the moment. Will they continue winning, who knows, it’s too easy to say they’ll run out of steam or go on a poor run, it could just as easily happen to us or Brighton. On paper we have the better squad but they need to take more of the chances we create, especially now Gayle is out the picture for weeks again.

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  49. Stuart: I am very far from a bleeding heart liberal.

    Just think Trumpy, Trump Trump is a bit crazy.

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  50. Eric, he’s the first democratically elected leader in the history of planet earth that’s actually implanting policies he got elected on. Yet he still gets pelters from everyone. It’s completely bizarre.

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  51. Trump sticking to his promises (I promise to tell lies, all the lies, and nothing but the lies) is a frightening thing. He is completely unsuited to his position. The most dangerous man in the world. A narcissist who would rather talk about how much he won the election by than actual policy making.

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  52. Cannot understand people not giving Trump a chance,I don’t live there so Ime looking from the outside,two things I tend to agree with,trying to bring work back into the USA great idea for me of coarse the money men getting work done cheap from outside won’t like it one bit,trying to put a block on some people getting into the USA seems fair enough,now I know I don’t know the full storey so I’ll leave it there and won’t bring politics up anymore sorry if I upset anyone,but give the guy a chance imo

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  53. Stuart: trump was elected with less than 50% of the popular vote and is acting like a dictator. He is having rallies in Florida to pump up his own volume. I wonder who he reminds me of?

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  54. That’s a totally irrelevant argument, Eric. Trump won in the electoral system of the USA. It isn’t based on the popular vote so it’s irrelevant.

    If the popular vote mattered in this country a party like UKIP would have more seats in parliament that the SNP and Lib Dems put together but around the world the electoral systems don’t work like that.

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  55. It is not irrelevant, Stuart.

    The US senate gives equal say to useless crazy states like Utah (got good National Parks though) and corrupt places like South Dekota, as they do to California.

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  56. it is also not irrelevant because I was pointing out that Trumpy is acting like a dictator. If this was happening in Germany, North Korea, China or Japan you would be scared.

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  57. We must be doing well football wise… Yank politics is back on the table! Where are the good Wenger v Arsenal debates when you need them ??

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  58. You also might not understand that Thatcher gave up the industry in the North East for political reasons. I mean, saving shipyards in Glasgow and Belfast served her purpose.

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  61. I do like Barry Humphries though.

    Only good Australian export.

    I remember being in Egypt about 25 years ago and there were 10 Aussies on the trip. They bitched the whole time and tried to get the tour guide sacked. Talk about whinging Poms, these people were brutal. Non-stop moaning. Reminds me of AMF and BrisV.

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  62. Correct about, Aussie, Eric. Wrong about Trump. Whether his policies are right or wrong he was democratically elected in the US electoral system. Whether the system is correct is another matter. He was elected on that system and he was elected on policies that he is starting to implement – rightly or wrongly.

    As for dictators. Well in Germany Merkel decided unilaterally that the continent of Europe could welcome unlimited numbers of refugees and migrants from the middle East. Nobody is moaning about that are they…

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  63. Or Eric, what about the European commission telling Ireland what tax rate they can set Apple? When did the people of Ireland vote for anyone in the commission to set their tax laws?

    Maybe UKIP voters (4m of them) should be up in arms and ignoring the laws that are helped past by SNP and Lib Dem MP’s who didn’t get as many votes as UKIP did combined yet UKIP only have one MP compared to over 60 SNP and Lib Dem MP’s?

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  65. But she acted unilaterally and unlike Trump she has nobody to hold her to account or to stop it. She just did it. Trump has had supreme courts stopping his policies. So I would say the US system is better than Germany’s so basically it one big pile of hypocritical bollocks!

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  66. You are wrong Stuart.

    The USA no longer has checks and balances, it has dictates from a dictator.

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  68. No. The US supreme court has a 4-4 split because the Republicans blocked a nominee that they originally agreed with. Get it correct, man.

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  70. Also, Stuart: I probably know more about US politics than you do mate, having lived here for 27 years. But you can suck Thatcher’s dry C@nt if you want, man.

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  71. PSG admit they tried to sign Mitro in Jan window,pleased now we kept hold of him,we are going to need him hitting form now

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  72. You’re getting worked up again Eric. I can see why pal. Stuart’s argument in favour of the hard done by UKIP and Trump would have even Thatcher spinning in her grave.

    Here’s some good news though.

    During Huddersfield incredible unbeaten run they have actually only gained 1 point on us and our GD has increased.

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  73. Icedog:
    PSG admit they tried to sign Mitro in Jan window,pleased now we kept hold of him,we are going to need him hitting form now

    Ice – with Gayles injury, could we recall Armstrong?.
    If not, I would consider signing Robbie Keane til the end of the season – I know he’s 36 but I reckon he could still do us a job to get us over the line.

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  75. Georgio: not getting worked up. I have crazy fun time planed…

    Wilco tonight. The best Chicago band ever.

    Spain on Saturday with Madrid, Segovia and Toledo.

    Real Madrid on Wednesday with Gareth and Ronaldo.

    ### and I like what Stuart says most of the time except his Thatcher fetish.

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