144 thoughts on “Newcastle United v Fulham: Waving the Lilywhite flag

  1. I don’t have words left to express how angry I am at this shocking shocking performance

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  2. Let’s be honest, our play has been average at best all season, exceedingly average but effective, playing more on the deficiencies of our opponents as to being good ourselves. Thank goodness we got some lucky breaks against Hudd, Brighton and Reading.
    I’ve never understood our midefiled formation, and cannot retain the ball. A one trick pony with Shelvey in the middle.

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  3. Hey, Rafa wanted to strengthen the team but was not allowed. I guess he sees this could happen that is why he wanted to strengthen the team.

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  4. So disappointing, but not really surprising. Our midfield is too cumbersome..

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  5. what a real pity for young sessignon,a hat trick for a 16 year old would have been amazing. How selfish to not give him the hat trick chance ! Bizzarre !

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  6. bad day at the office. I said I was concerned with our home games but this was always gonna be a tough game

    move on… we have some easier games coming up 🙂

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  7. Sessignongs dad usually battered us when he played for the makkems…keep it in the family…

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  8. Absolutely disgraceful performance. Must think they have the league won. Could see this coming from 100 miles away n’all. We knew Fulham were pushing for play offs and were gonna have a right go. For once have to applaud the opposition as well, they’ve done the double but unlike Blackburn they are a better team than us. They ARE today no arguments. Scratching my head how they’re not in the top 4. Can only think they don’t bother in ‘lesser’ games and aren’t consistent. For once I can’t defend out players today, we’ll and truly beaten and deservedly so, no complaints at all. Brighton must be loving it. Some of these players can’t handle the pressure of September and should find a new club in the summer.

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  9. Aye Gash, but the big picture is pretty dismal. If we were losing unluckily it would be something else, but we are tepid at best, even when winning. I don’t think Darlow has made a save, yet concede 3 goals, and should have been 4 !

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  10. What do you make of that crock Rafa ? Outthunk by Fulham, a way better footballing side.

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  11. Delusional Jawdee:
    what a real pity for young sessignon,a hat trick for a 16 year old would have been amazing. How selfish to not give him the hat trick chance ! Bizzarre !

    agree, real pity

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  12. Ando has it dead right, we don’t intimidate teams at SJP, going after them, affording them too much respect. I think it goes deeper than that, Rafa knows he has an average squad, bereft of midfield creativity.
    Too many bottlers cannot handle the pressure at home, and the trainer couldn’t turn it round today tactically.

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  13. makes you wonder.. is that 5 loses at home? some **** teams have beaten us and some poor teams have drawn here.. are we too defensive? apparently to many hopefully long balls played today

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  14. 9 games to go:
    Birmingham City 15:00 Newcastle United
    Newcastle United 15:00 Wigan Athletic
    Newcastle United 19:45 Burton Albion
    Sheffield Wednesday 17:30 Newcastle United
    Newcastle United 19:45 Leeds United
    Ipswich Town 15:00 Newcastle United
    Newcastle United 15:00 Preston North End
    Cardiff City 15:00 Newcastle United
    Newcastle United 12:00 Barnsley

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  15. Bristol City 19:45 Huddersfield Town
    Huddersfield Town 15:00 Burton Albion
    Huddersfield Town 19:45 Norwich City
    Nottingham Forest 15:00 Huddersfield Town
    Huddersfield Town 15:00 Preston North End
    Derby County 17:00 Huddersfield Town Sky Sports
    Huddersfield Town 15:00 Fulham
    Wolverhampton Wanderers 19:45 Huddersfield Town
    Birmingham City 15:00 Huddersfield Town
    Huddersfield Town 12:00 Cardiff City

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  16. Can only say that I’m pleased we haven’t really got many teams with anything to play for, and we haven’t got to play Fulham another nine times. Coz man, we were spanked today, wasn’t unlucky or anything like that. This team would be destroyed in the PL. Just like Boro, look good in the second division, can’t win in the top division. Massive investment needed in the summer. I still think we’ll get up in second place. Big reality check today, no champions on the pitch for us.

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  17. Don’t give up on the lads. We’ve bounced back before. It is disappointing playing poorly at home. Rafa will be very frustrated.

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  18. The real worry is how we would do in the Prem without huge spending as DJG says. It keeps reminding us how difficult that jump up is. I imagine Ashley will just shrug it off but without a huge improvement we will be fighting one long relegation battle.

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  19. GeordieTwo:
    The real worry is how we would do in the Prem without huge spending as DJG says. It keeps reminding us how difficult that jump up is. I imagine Ashley will just shrug it off but without a huge improvement we will be fighting one long relegation battle.

    Agree… this was Fulham, not Chelsea, Man City or Arsenal et al. We are desperately needing some prem quality players in the summer.

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  20. Probably the worst performance of the season but also Fulham without doubt the best team at SJP this season.

    Nothing really new though – our home form is poor. Thankfully our next game is away.

    We are still top and in all likelihood still need another 4 wins to hit the historical promotion winning points total.

    All in all, a bad day at the office but something rafa really needs to work out is our home form.

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  21. Don’t want to be meeting Fulham in the play offs…they have our number for sure.

    Obviously the last 3 away games on the road took it out of the toon, physically and mentally.

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  22. Our home form is poor this season, which is not only worrying, but a bit weird to figure out. Rafa made Anfield a bit of a fortress when he was there and I would have expected with the home support, the same would have happened at SJP.

    That said, to put a bit of a different slant on things – we’ve lost 8 games this season and that’s the only one we’ve been properly beat that I remember.

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  23. I said yesterday that I didn’t want to go up with too much confidence as the quality of opponents improve massively next season.
    Plus I think if we go up too easily, would they put too much faith in a squad not good enough.

    We will go up for sure, but let’s be right, this squad needs a lot of improvement.

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  24. Sharpy17:
    I said yesterday that I didn’t want to go up with too much confidence as the quality of opponents improve massively next season.
    Plus I think if we go up too easily, would they put too much faith in a squad not good enough.

    We will go up for sure, but let’s be right, this squad needs a lot of improvement.

    i said all along that Fulham were the team i feared the most pity it came true

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  25. Cairney sounded like he was pulling a lot of strings today (certainly in the first half). He’s the type of player we are missing at the minute I think.

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  26. reckon Huddersfield and Brighton will push us to the wire and we could even lose top two spot. I’m not confident one bit.

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  27. DJ – I fully expected us to get beat today to be honest mate.
    After a week of playing the 3 teams around you and picking up 7pts from our main competition – I feared there would be an air of job done round the team.

    This could well have been the kick up the **** they needed just after those games mate. That reminder that nowt has been achieved until mathematics say so.

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  28. Kim – We lost today for the first time in 11 games. If we take that same form into the last 9 games we will go up. In the last 4 games we have beaten Brighton and Huddersfield, drew with Reading and got beat off Fulham. That run of results doesn’t warrant such pessimism.

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  29. Sharpy17:
    Our home form is poor this season, which is not only worrying, but a bit weird to figure out.Rafa made Anfield a bit of a fortress when he was there and I would have expected with the home support, the same would have happened at SJP.

    I dunno, I think it is the way he sets us up, to counter, in a negative way. He actually had no answer or response today. It has worked away from home. Gayle at home today up front, no CF to play off, he is scared. Rafa, at home you need to throw players forward and attack teams otherwise you will never last at Newcastle!!Sorry to burst everyone’s bubble. 🙂 🙁 😉 Not enough today!!

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  30. DJG: I dunno, I think it is the way he sets us up, to counter, in a negative way. He actually had no answer or response today. It has worked away from home. Gayle at home today up front, no CF to play off, he is scared. Rafa, at home you need to throw players forward and attack teams otherwise you will never last at Newcastle!!Sorry to burst everyone’s bubble. ? ? ? Not enough today!!

    DJG – I’ve got no problem with the away tactic of sit back and soak up the pressure.
    But at home we have to press and put the pressure on when we don’t have the ball. SJP can come alive with just a committed tackle, and that’s what you need – 50k fans getting excited and lifting the team.
    It inevitably goes quiet then you are watching the other team knocking it about.

    I always remember Peter Beardsley scampering round, chasing the ball down high up the pitch and eventually blocking a passing with the going out for a throw in to them – but the toon army would go mad for it. Don’t see anything like that kind of work rate nowadays though.

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  31. Brighton got beat 3-0 by Forest a couple of games ago. There are blips in a every team’s season. What we have done most of the time apart from today is grind out results even when we have not played particularly well and have conceded possession. I think that will continue and we will win this league.

    One loss and suddenly Huddersfield are Bayern Munich and will win out. They will not. Not every team will be able to neutralize Shelvey as Fulham did. I think him having an off day and Gayle not fully trusting his hamstring was a problem. We’re over reliant on those 2 and when they do not play well, neither do we.

    Of course there is the elephant in the room as well and that is Colback. We needed to strengthen there in January and Fat Man should have backed Rafa with the funds to buy McCarthy. Hopefully Hayden will be fit soon.

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  32. DJG: I dunno, I think it is the way he sets us up, to counter, in a negative way. He actually had no answer or response today. It has worked away from home. Gayle at home today up front, no CF to play off, he is scared. Rafa, at home you need to throw players forward and attack teams otherwise you will never last at Newcastle!!Sorry to burst everyone’s bubble. Not enough today!!

    I don’t think so. We didn’t have any presence in midfield today. The ball couldn’t be passed properly to our forward, no mention attacking. I think Rafa’s response was to avoid the midfield battle (if there was one) by long and high balls and putting Murphy in the front. You have to admit it worked a little bit. Rafa wanted to strengthen the midfield but he was not backed by the owner. What else he can do? Throw players forward and attack? That is much easier said than done with our midfield performance today. He may not be your type but I have to say with the passed winter transfer window he may realise Newcastle may not be his type, and that maybe a good news for you.

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  33. its only Huddersfield that concerns me. Brighton are consistent so theyre gonna be 1st or 2nd. If we take the form from the last 9 games its going to be tight. very fine margin between winning and drawing.

    18pts from our last 9 LDWWDWDWW

    where H’field have take 25 from their last 10 WWLDWWWWWW

    Bham & Shef Wed away will be tough, Leeds@home, PNE@home will be tricky.

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  34. Brighton should be in there but after their next game v Leeds away they have an easier run-in

    away @leeds
    Brighton v Blackburn Rovers
    Brighton v Birmingham City
    Queens Park Rangers v Brighton
    Wolverhampton Wanderers v Brighton
    Brighton v Wigan Athletic
    Norwich City v Brighton
    Brighton v Bristol City
    Aston Villa v Brighton

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  35. Eric Sykes:
    Brighton got beat 3-0 by Forest a couple of games ago. There are blips in a every team’s season. What we have done most of the time apart from today is grind out results even when we have not played particularly well and have conceded possession. I think that will continue and we will win this league.

    One loss and suddenly Huddersfield are Bayern Munich and will win out. They will not. Not every team will be able to neutralize Shelvey as Fulham did. I think him having an off day and Gayle not fully trusting his hamstring was a problem. We’re over reliant on those 2 and when they do not play well, neither do we.

    Of course there is the elephant in the room as well and that is Colback. We needed to strengthen there in January and Fat Man should have backed Rafa with the funds to buy McCarthy. Hopefully Hayden will be fit soon.

    I dont think McCarthy would of improved us that much mate. Hes no better than Hayden imo.
    Listening to the game yesterday, Fulham played a high defensive line and we kept pumping balls to Gayle on his own. Fulham easily defended the high balls and if the defensive line didnt the keeper did.

    We need to play a bit more on the ground @ home instead of sitting back. we’ve only lost 8 but 5 were at home, Blackburn, wolves, shef wed, Huddersfield & fulham.

    I’m not going to start posting formations etc as I havent got a clue what works in training but surely Gayle and Murphy would be an improvement to Gayle with Diame just behind?

    maybe nerves play a part @home, big crowds wanting goals early doors.

    Look how Huddersfield played @home v us last week, they came flying at us, didnt work for them in the end 😐

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  36. Stuart79:
    Kim – We lost today for the first time in 11 games. If we take that same form into the last 9 games we will go up. In the last 4 games we have beaten Brighton and Huddersfield, drew with Reading and got beat off Fulham. That run of results doesn’t warrant such pessimism.

    Maybe not mate, but we cannot afford to keep playing like that at home, we may as well of stayed in the dressing room first half as we only turned up in the second. Gayle looks proper out of sorts too, he still isn’t right and if we are depending on him getting a haul of goals like before his injury I don’t think he will somehow. I would be starting Murphy I really like him and he has no fear it would seem. He actually seems to enjoy the pressure of playing at sjp. Be interesting to see if other teams can replicate Fulhams approach to playing us. That Ryan Sessegnon looks a really good prospect, I can see PL clubs all over him come summer, especially if Fulham can’t orchestrate a return to the PL.

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  37. My money is on us reaching the play offs, I predicted that weeks ago.
    Brighton and Huddersfield both playbwith intent, wanting to win the game outright, the toon play on the break. I know Rafa is perhaps playing the best tactics to suit his available squad, but I fear that the inability to perform at home will cost us dearly.
    I can see Huddersfield winning the league, I was really impressed with the way they battered us last week.

    Toon Fulham in the play offs final at Wembley.

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  38. not been on much as having terrible problems with this site, small print still when typing and constant freezing on and off. then getting told nufcblog is not responding. Security certificate notifications and taking an age to type too . This has taking me over 6 mins to type 😯 never right. No issues elsewhere so I’m at a loss what’s going on here. Will shut down link and pc and retry again but it doesn’t seem to mike much difference.

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  39. Kim – try re booting your router. Leave off for 30 secs.

    Well that was bloody awful wasn’t it. An air of fatigue about the team, sloppy passing poor closing down. Poor bairns were tired. I’ve lost patience with Diame and Colback. Diame especially doesn’t resemble a good footballer at all. Even Mr Relaible Anita had a stinker.
    Rafa will put it right.
    We haven’t been great in the last six games and won with huge slices of luck. Interestingly though Huddersfield have only gained 2 points in that time. We will get promoted.

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  40. Does Clark really have a knock? Or did Rafa take him off because he lost the plot with his teammates? That was my first thought when he went off. He’d gone bananas with Ritchie just before hand.

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  41. Watching brief highlights from yesterday, same old same old, whenever the ball comes into the box Lascelles and Clark seem to be standing somewhe else. DUmmet also seems to have been at fault, the clearance for that second goal was absolutely pathetic, he coukd have also seen red for the Fulham pen. Bad day all round. Too many midfielders sprinting away from Shelvey, thats probably why we play so deep to prevent us being exposed because to be honest my neighbours granny is faster than Shelvey over 20 metres. Our opponents see that too, we are way to predictable and until we get more power and athleticism into our midfield we will always be chasing games. Thats why Rafa has to go for the defensive line up, the sooner we get Hayden back the better.

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  42. Fulham were the best side I’ve seen this season, that was like a Premier League team. Better than Brighton or Huddersfield in my opinion. Fulham would beat anybody in this league playing like that. It wasn’t just that we were bad. We were bad because they didn’t let us have the ball. They were on a run of wins before that as well and I think they will get up through the playoffs if they can keep it going. Watch us finish 3rd and them 6th. 😯

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  43. Delusional Jawdee: you been down the old folks home watching granny races again? Seems a bit of a strange passtime to me, but each to their own.

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  44. We have to win the next game against Brum and I think we will. After that is the bloody international break and any slip up would set the nerves a jangling on here.

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  45. This might be scapegoating but I am well and truly on the Colback brings nothing except giving away free kicks in dangerous areas bandwagon. The international break may actually be good for us as it will allow Hayden to recover which will be at worst addition by subtraction (of Colback). Then we have Wigan and Burton which could allow us to build some momentum.

    I know Huddersfield have done well recently but I just can’t see them keeping it up.

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  46. Agree with that Eric.

    However it’s not a little run Huddersfield are on. They’ve been good all season and like you they’ve surprised the hell out of me. Still . .. they might falter near the end. If we win 6 they need to win 9 out of 10.

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  47. Fulham played well on the day and we did not. If they were a stand out team, they would be top. But they are not, so they have issues and a fair way to go until we can start saying they are better than us at this level. If they were, they would be top of the pops, not us. We will get auto promotion and yes there will be major work to do for next season, but isn’t there for any promoted team? Agree Colback is holding is back.

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  48. One summer doesn’t make a swallow, we’re still top and like someone else said, on current form over out last 10 games, we’ll go up easy.

    Anyone remember this game a few years back? http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_div_1/8501105.stm

    A relegation-threatened Derby beat us comprehensively (albeit at their ground) and we weren’t even top of the league at that point and look what happened….

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  49. ‘one swallow doesn’t make a summer’ I should say, or maybe ‘one robin doesn’t make a winter’ in our case 😆

    Andy The Magpie: One summer doesn’t make a swallow, we’re still top and like someone else said, on current form over out last 10 games, we’ll go up easy.

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  50. Just watched the last 30 mins of Spurs in the cup… how I wish the Toon could play like that. ?

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