Another huge win for Bruce’s battling Mags, with second half goals from Jonjo Shelvey and Federico Fernandez seeing us come from behind to secure a massive win over Southampton at St James’ Park.
To say it wasn’t pretty at times would’ve been an understatement, but that can take nothing away from the guts, bottle and dogged determination this side continue to show.
The first half was pretty dismal from a Newcastle United perspective (not that it matters now!), with us giving the 42,000 crowd so little to shout about.
Against a team that do not have better footballers than us, the game plan was one of just allowing the opposition the ball and expecting to keep them out and get something out of it. This mentality of doing just enough is always going to catch up with us sometime, but clearly not today!
The first 45 minutes today was woeful. Willems had his worst game in a Newcastle shirt, Joelinton, Almiron and Shelvey were awful, the lack of ability to play out from the back was painfully obvious again and yet again Dubravka was the only reason we weren’t losing at half time.
Despite us coming out of the blocks quickly, the second 45 took a turn for the worse early on when Danny Ings put Southampton 1-0 up.
We improved a little, there was a ripple of encouragement from the the crowd and then, it happened.
Yet again Bruce brought on Andy Carroll. Need a goal, put Carroll on. Need to defend, put Carroll on. Worried about climate change, put Carroll on. Could you be entitled to compensation? Put Carroll on.
Then, if aiming for Andy Carroll from a set piece doesn’t work, get Carroll to cross it back into the middle brilliantly and we score. Shelvey’s header was outstanding, it was 1-1 and out of nowhere, we were back in it.
Southampton threatened, with us never looking totally secure at the back, but with Carroll causing havoc, Shelvey picking up the pace and Saint-Maximin given a free role, we suddenly had a few outlets. Then, a moment I wasn’t expecting to see all afternoon based on our performance suddenly arrived..
I stared in disbelief for a nanosecond, before jumping higher than a man of my age and physical prowess should be able to when Fede Fernandez pounced, turning in the loose ball after a great effort from Sean Longstaff.
2-1. Get in! Not sure how but get in!
The result was slightly dampened by Allan Saint-Maximin going off with a serious looking hamstring injury right at the end, meaning he is almost certain to miss the trip to Turf Moor.
Nevertheless, the win means we’re up to 10th, have taken 7 points in the last 8 days and are now 2 points behind 5th – and SEVEN clear of the drop zone all of a sudden.
Southampton will be kicking themselves, mind. I wanted to gouge my own eyes out for 89 minutes of that match. Yet somehow Steve Bruce’s black and white army just keep on picking up points!
Three more at Burnley next weekend? At this rate, why not!
Oh Jeremy Corbyn
all together now 😉
Or you could vote for the lying snake who promises Brexit knowing full well it will take years of talks yet.
What a choice eh.
kimtoon(Quote)
Actually, Kim Brexit is the act of leaving the EU. That basically means it will be done on 31st Jan. the FTA isn’t Brexit it’s the future relationship and that’s not Brexit.
Vote for Corbyn if you want your benefits slashed even further a couple of years, you want the NHS to be a complete basket case that’s under funded and you want unemployment to go through the roof. If he wins, I will relocate my business to another country. That’s my Corporation tax he will lose. Imagine if 200,000 business do that. Where’s his NHS money come from then?
Stuart79(Quote)
Kim – Sky news obviously mass covering Election Day and have the main parties with their leaders on display – Johnson, Corbyn and Farage all on the graphic … how was British politics allow to get into this fucking state?!?!?!!!!
If I were in the EU I’d be paying to cut ties with Britain with the thought of one of those leading the negotiations.
Whoever gets in, I only see 5yrs of absolute turmoil.
Sharpy17(Quote)
Monotone Mike (Owen) has predicted another draw for us. He always predicts a loss against the top 6 and a draw with everyone else except the bottom 3.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Stu – very onesided mate. My mam and cousin were both made redundant under this Tory government and thanks to the cluster **** that is universal credit, both went 12 weeks without any financial help.
I can’t say I’m convinced the NHS is entirely safe in the Tories hands either – despite all these hospitals Johnson is building – and the 50,000 new nurses – 19k of which are already there.
My point is that there is no party riding in to save our Country.
Sharpy17(Quote)
Having been back and seen the mess that is this election it seems to me that none of them are fit for office. I went on a walk with my mother’s dog and a 75 year old friend of the family. He said he had voted Labour all of his life but even he would not vote for Albert Steptoe. He was abstaining. My nephew, who admittedly is not the sharpest tool in the shed, is voting Brexit Party. These would normally be your die-hard Labour voters.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Eric – he could be what keeps Labour out mate. They were mad not to replace him as leader when it was obvious this was heading to an election.
Sharpy17(Quote)
Sharpy: I have said on here that I was back to help my Aunt who had a stroke and to help my mother out with power of attorney and the nightmare that is social services. Anyway, I was putting my Aunts financial papers together and saw she got 600 pounds a month as a state pension. After rent, utilities and phone she has 135 pounds a month to live on. She has some money of her own as she worked until she was 80 but that is poverty level money for someone who has paid National Insurance all of her life.
Obviously both Political Parties should take the blame for this but they cant come on TV and say they are looking after pensioners.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Do they still have the Swing-Ometer? I haven’t watched UK election coverage for 30 years. I am sure that Monty Python sketch will we shown quite a few times today. It seems to get more accurate as the years roll by.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Yes, the 2019 election when Monty Python satire from 40 years earlier becomes real life! I am talking about you Nigel Ferage.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Eric – sorry mate, I missed that, hope your Aunty is on the mend.
Me and the wife are fortune to still have a lot of our elderly relatives with us and it’s lush watching my son with them. We were visiting her grandad last weekend for his 86th birthday but are there regular.
My dad took charge of my grandparents finances last year and he said the same. It’s disgusting how little they have to live on. They have all of us visiting them and helping out with stuff.
But they have 7 grandchildren and not enough funds for Christmas presents for each of them. We all put £20 into a kitty – none of my minded and sooner that than them feeling like they couldn’t treat their great grandchildren.
Sharpy17(Quote)
Thanks Sharpy. My Aunt has made an amazing recovery from the stroke but she has dementia and you don’t get better from that. She now has carers in 4 times a day and the Govt will take your money to pay for it until you only have 23,000 left.
I told my mother to get my Aunt to prepay a funeral and also go on holiday so at least she knows the Govt wont get it all. They have some financial person come in and assess if you can afford to pay for care. I am pretty sure how that will go.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Stuart mate, to get away from this depressing election. I think I might rival you for World Traveller Award. Was in Yellowstone last month, then Newcastle and Glen Coe and now going to Sedona and the Grand Canyon in 3 weeks.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Eric
I was staying with my son in Florida In June and he took me to look at some over 55s properties while I was there.
If Corbyn gets in I would be tempted to move there.
sidekick(Quote)
On a brighter note — there appears to be trouble at Sunderland.
Top scorer , Aiden Mcgeady has been involved in a training ground incident , dropped from the squad , and told he can leave in the January window.
What a great season they are having. 😆
sidekick(Quote)
Sidekick: Mackems look like they are on a death spiral. How their fans couldn’t spot that Stewart Donald is a chancer I will never know.
I don’t even know who I would want as PM. They both just seem like total idiots. I watched a bit of one of the debates when I was back in Nsctle and it confirmed to me that they are both idiots. I wouldn’t trust either to clean my toilet, let alone run a country.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
This has to be the worst choice for leader of a country since,,, erm… Donald Trump and Hilary Clinton. Maybe if Idi Amin and Muammar Gaddifi were running we would have a better choice? (I know they are both dead, but that might be a plus 🙂 )
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Labour have made themselves unelectable now by letting the SNP take over Scotland. The South will always be Tory because of the City of London and house prices. And Corbyn, he is too radical. More than Trump who was just running for ego in the US and never thought he would win.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
I don’t know why the pundits just didn’t tell the truth. Their only hope of a contest was that Boris is such a flouncy Eton boy that regular folk would not vote for him.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Trump actually didn’t win. It is a quirk of the electoral system over here that he is even President. Same with the Senate where 400,000 in South Dakota have the same say as 40 million in California.
I hate politics!!!!
Eric Sykes(Quote)
God help us if this exit poll is right. 🙁
well done Newcastle staying red, i fully expect Bristol to stay red
kimtoon(Quote)
Kimtoon: Albert Steptoe handed the election to the Tories. Not that Labour would have been any better like!
He was running against Flouncy Boris but still chose to take the path of MOST resistance by saying that immigrants would get citizenship.
On a 50-50 Brexit ticket that was insanity.
Steptoe should just step down and disappear like Hilary did. They both lost to bad candidates.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
There was no preferable outcome for me. The only thing I’m pleased about is that it’s been a clear win either way – no more messing about with one party blocking another.
Let’s get on with whatever happens now – no excuses or blaming the other side.
Sharpy17(Quote)
Back to football then. There are some great stats about NUFC and Burney possession in The Guardian. It basically says that we are both averaging about 40% possession so something has to give.
Unless Mike Dean is the Ref and decides to take the ball for himself for 20% of the time. The Guardian didn’t say that, I just did.
Anyway, I will quote The Guardian article in a bit because it is quite illuminating.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
The Stats:
NUFC have attempted 4,878 passes this season. 337 less than any other PL side.
Only 1 team in Europe’s top 5 leagues has attempted fewer – Gatafe.
The PL team with lowest possession is NUFC with 38%. Burnley have 42% which is why I was saying Mike Dean would take the other 20% and the camera time.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Thank God for that! Sorry, Kim.
Stuart79(Quote)
Stuart: you can’t tell me that wasn’t a contest of Dumb and Dumber. It was like if Jonny Fartpants took on Biffa Bacon in a Viz cartoon.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
I mean, the only way you can look even more dishevelled than Fat Flouncy Boris is to be Albert Steptoe. Do the not have advisors who tell them how to look and dress? And stand up straight?
Eric Sykes(Quote)
At least Blare (Blair) didn’t look like he had just got out of bed 2 minutes earlier, had a tab and went to the press conference.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Stu – are you pleased coz it’s the Tory mandate & Johnson, pleased to be leaving the EU, or just pleased it’s not Corbyn and the Labour mandate?
Sharpy17(Quote)
Eric – I remember Swansea under Rogers in the PL being lauded for being this passing team – but it didn’t serve them too well in the end. Stats only offer part of the picture – I prefer to look at the league table.
I think this could be a last on MOTD fixture though. It’s another one where we could and should get 3 points, but I’d settle for a point based on the players we have out.
Sharpy17(Quote)
I can’t quite believe so many northern seats went to the tories. The idiots didn’t realise that Get Brexit Done would leave them with 5 years Tory rule. Idiots!
georgio(Quote)
Sharpy: I was just passing on the stats and noting that if us and Burnley combined for our season totals that we would only reach 80% possession. So, as I said, Mike Dean would have to have the other 20%.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
I have no idea about the result tomorrow but I can guess at the team:
Dubravka
Manquillo Schar Lejeune Dummett Willems
Shelvey Hayden
Atsu Carroll Joelinton
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Eric – it will be interesting to see what he does. There’s a number of first teamers out.
He could go 4-3-3 as well, but I would stick with the 3 CBs coz their forwards – Woods and Barnes are big physical lads and they tend to play wide to get crosses in for them – I think the 3 CBs defend well against that.
I’d consider playing Joelinton, Carroll and Gayle and go all out attack with our front 3.
Sharpy17(Quote)
Can’t see him dropping Fernandez even though Lejeune is a class act. I’m not keen on this Joelinton on the wing idea either. It’s possible I suppose if Miggy is out otherwise Atsu just comes in. He’s been much better the last year.
georgio(Quote)