West Ham 0-2 Newcastle: New signings score in opening day win in over the Hammers

We ran out 2-0 winners against West Ham at the London Stadium tonight and look a completely different team to last season, playing on the front foot in a well deserved win over the Hammers.

Here’s my thoughts on a brilliant victory.

The starting line-up certainly divided opinion before the match, with Bruce leaving Almiron out and starting Andy Carroll in a 4-4-2. Jamal Lewis, Callum Wilson and Jeff Hendrick all made their debuts, with Karl Darlow starting in goal in Dubravka’s absence.

I’ll be totally honest, I wasn’t exactly bursting with confidence after seeing the starting line-up and formation, but we dominated the early exchanges and looked the better side.

Callum Wilson had three half chances – the best a curling effort from range that went just wide of the top corner. Fernandez had a header saved by Fabianksi and Shelvey struck the side netting with a thunderous effort.

Despite being off the pace, it was the home side who came closest to opening the scoring, with Angelo Ogbonna and Pablo Fornals both hitting the crossbar in the opening 45.

The match was certainly there for the taking and there was a real sense of optimism heading into the break – even if we were yet to break the deadlock.

Then, ten minutes into the second half, two of our new boys combined as Jeff Hendrick nodded a deflected cross into Callum Wilson – who then poked the ball past the keeper. A debut goal for our new talisman and we were deserving of the lead. He does love scoring against the Hammers, with him making it 8 goals in 9 games!

The rest of the second half mirrored the first, Newcastle dominant and West Ham remained lethargic. After we scored, the game started to peter out and neither side really looked like scoring until the 87th minute when Jeff Hendrick absolutely rocketed an effort into the top corner from just inside the box. A goal and an assist on debut for the Irishman!

Soon after, the final whistle blew and we had won our first game of the season since 2012. A scrappy affair at times, but a well deserved win for Steve Bruce.

There were so many positives to draw from tonight’s game. Callum Wilson was lively all night and scored on his debut. Jeff Hendrick scored one and set the other up in an industrious display down the right. Jamal Lewis looked solid defensively, constantly teased with overlapping runs and crosses into the area. Ryan Fraser will be made to wait until next week for his debut.

The old guard also stepped up – Andy Carroll won so much in the air and linked up well, proving why Bruce gave him a start. The defence was solid and kept a clean sheet, giving Darlow a much needed boost in Dubravka’s absence. The midfield duo of Jonjo Shelvey and Isaac Hayden dictated the game; keeping West Ham’s creative threat to an absolute minimum.

Despite a disruptive and short pre-season, we looked a solid unit and a side boosted from the arrivals of Wilson, Lewis and Fraser in midweek.

Bring on Brighton next Sunday!

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120 thoughts on “West Ham 0-2 Newcastle: New signings score in opening day win in over the Hammers

  1. The one thing I will not do in Oregon is get into any political arguments. Open carry means they can take hand guns into bars and have in in a holster like it was the wild west. Imagine that!

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  2. Eric, it sounds like a nightmare mate, completely lawless.

    Ice, re the test, spot on, it’s ridiculous expecting people to travel so far when unwell. There are nhs staff who cannot get a test, how is it happening, they have had months to sort it out.
    I know it’s difficult for all governments but the lack of test and labs to diagnose them is simply inexcusable after all this time.

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  3. I watched Wraith and Pals on the youtube channel and they werent that impressed. We dont get any of the English cups over here. It was a bit of a bash Joelinton fest but that didnt surprise me.

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  4. Anyway, however turgid the football this is the sort of game we would have lost in the past. Remember Notts County 2nd team?

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  5. Eric Sykes:
    I watched Wraith and Pals on the youtube channel and they werent that impressed. We dont get any of the English cups over here. It was a bit of a bash Joelinton fest but that didnt surprise me.

    Eric, Joelinton was really bad tonight. Pretty much the whole team were ****, but Joe was a low point. Other than Miggy and Fraser, the rest were rubbish. But, job done!

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  6. I wont be surprised to see the same team that started at West Ham play against Brighton. It would be a bit harsh on Miggy and I think Bruce will ease Fraser in. I expect to see Clark back on the bench.

    Glad we seem to have an option at keeper even it is after 1 game. He came from Motherwell though so it would be miracle if he was actually that good. My hope is that we can get by with Darlow without too many errors until Dubs comes back. I reckon Bruce will give Darlow chances even if he messes up. I am not trying to jinx the lad, he just isnt PL standard.

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  7. I watched the Wham match again yesterday and Andy Carroll had a great game. Not only did he put himself about but he chased everything down. It got me thinking that Bruce cannot get carried away thinking he can do this every week. The record says otherwise and it is up to Bruce to manage Big Andy. Same with Wilson. He played a lot of games with Bmth last year but he has had a hard time with injuries as well. I think the key is Miggy and rotating a front 3.

    Having said that, Miggy will get plenty of playing time because history tells us that Carroll will break down. I think Wilson and Miggy will be able to build a rapport and along with St Max and Fraser we must have the fastest front 4 in the league.

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  8. Gilly, saw quite a few saying Maxi looked injured after he came on, they said he got up but wasn’t moving freely at all. ?
    Hope he’s not injured for the sake of playing for a short time, i wouldn’t of played him today tbh, save him for the PL games, especially after the way he was constantly fouled on saturday.

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  9. Carroll went into several aerial duels leading with his elbow , he will not get away with that for long and I can see a red card coming.
    I was pleasantly surprised that Bruce started the game against West Ham with two strikers , especially in an away fixture.
    When Gayle is fit I am hoping Bruce plays him up front with Wilson , I think they will make a good striking partnership.

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  10. The Chronicle
    @ChronicleNUFC
    Speaking head in silhouette “Joe has always, always worked his socks off, and given the club the best he can.”

    What Steve Bruce said about Joelinton last night.

    Well with praise like that……………….

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  11. Everyone can see the kid’s rubbish. No way good enough for the PL. Just leave him out of the equation Bruce. A real donkey would do a better job!

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  12. Lovely goal and understanding between Almiron & Fraser.

    Fraser is a really exciting player for us and with him & ASM making those intelligent runs, we could see a different Miggy as well.

    But last night was a timely reminder that Joelinton isn’t a CF. I’m not slagging the kid off – he’s not a CF. He can do a decent job on the left flank, maybe as a second striker – but as the front man, the goal scorer – that’s not Joelinton.

    We need another CF on loan before the window closes imo. We know the injury worries with our forwards – it would be foolish to risk going back to Joelinton being our main/only option up front.

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  13. kimtoon:
    Gilly, saw quite a few saying Maxi looked injured after he came on, they said he got up but wasn’t moving freely at all. ?
    Hope he’s not injured for the sake of playing for a short time, i wouldn’t of played him today tbh, save him for the PL games, especially after the way he was constantly fouled on saturday.

    Kim, he didn’t look comfortable at all really, and after he went down, he limped quite a bit, but we’d played the 3 subs by that time. Surprised they brought him on really. He didn’t really impact the match at all. The only highlight was Miggy and Fraser and I though Goalie did ok when called upon. We won, that’s it. We learned how rubbish some of our players can be… ?

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  14. Gilly Toon: Kim, he didn’t look comfortable at all really, and after he went down, he limped quite a bit, but we’d played the 3 subs by that time. Surprised they brought him on really. He didn’t really impact the match at all. The only highlight was Miggy and Fraser and I though Goalie did ok when called upon. We won, that’s it. We learned how rubbish some of our players can be…

    Bruce was asked about it after the game and said he took a kick but will be ok. No lasting damage.

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  15. Sidekick:
    Carroll went into several aerial duels leading with his elbow , he will not get away with that for long and I can see a red card coming.
    I was pleasantly surprised that Bruce started the game against West Ham with two strikers , especially in an away fixture.
    When Gayle is fit I am hopingBruce plays him up front with Wilson , I think they will make a good striking partnership.

    Felaini got away with it for years. When Andy was referred to VAR for that assault on Soucek I felt for sure he was off. The defenders get away with much more than the attackers usually. Diving over the top, sandwiching a player between 2 centre halfs, pulling a player’s shirt so they cant jump etc. Hopefully the Refs will ignore Andy’s elbows. They do a great job of ignoring Jack Grealish’s patented move of running into a player’s leg and falling over They give a free kick every time.

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  16. Is Sean Longstaff getting too much attention because he is a local lad? I really think his injury has held him back but the excuses are being rolled out a bit too often now. He is a number 10, is he? Not when he played his best games along side Hayden in the middle. Now he is 4th choice at best behind Shelvey, Hayden and Hendrick. He might even be behind Matty so it will take injuries to get a game. Dont worry though I have no fear that we WILL get injuries.

    And as a number 10? I he gets 5 games there I will be shocked. Carroll played as a number 10 on Saturday. Then we have Miggy, Hendrick and even Joelinton. Not to mention Dwight when he is fit who is not going out on loan now with his injury.

    Sean better get used to being a sub and has to make his mark during limited playing time. It is like he is starting again but he gets a lot of column inches in The Chronic and Blogs. More than he now deserves.

    I still hope he comes good. Just pointing out he gets more attention than his performances warrant with people clutching at straws saying stuff like he played well for 25 minutes before he went off injured late last season.

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  17. I agree with Olly: it is time for Bruce to stop hanging Joelinton out to dry. He is not a number 9 and playing him there is just asking for trouble with the fans who already have their knives out for him. It is a failed experiment. It is not good for Joe, not good for the club and not even good for Bruce.

    Never again. Otherwise there will be even more calls to loan out the most expensive player in NUFC history. What a shambles that would be.

    If you are not going to play Wilson or Carroll then play a false 9. Lots of clubs do it but maybe Steve hasnt heard of it 🙂 We have several candidates, mainly Miggy though. You look at Liverpool and they dont play with a 9.

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  18. This may not be popular, but we have to keep Joe at the club. We have to find out if he is really as **** as he has shown so far when played out of position. He cannot start. He has to be eased in. He does not have the maturity to handle the pressure or the fee and Bruce has to help him out. Taking him out of the spotlight is just pushing the problem into next year. Deal with the issue in the here and now.

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  19. Eric Sykes:
    Is Sean Longstaff getting too much attention because he is a local lad? I really think his injury has held him back but the excuses are being rolled out a bit too often now. He is a number 10, is he? Not when he played his best games along side Hayden in the middle. Now he is 4th choice at best behind Shelvey, Hayden and Hendrick. He might even be behind Matty so it will take injuries to get a game. Dont worry though I have no fear that we WILL get injuries.

    And as a number 10? I he gets 5 games there I will be shocked. Carroll played as a number 10 on Saturday. Then we have Miggy, Hendrick and even Joelinton. Not to mention Dwight when he is fit who is not going out on loan now with his injury.

    Sean better get used to being a sub and has to make his mark during limited playing time. It is like he is starting again but he gets a lot of column inches in The Chronic and Blogs. More than he now deserves.

    I still hope he comes good. Just pointing out he gets more attention than his performances warrant with people clutching at straws saying stuff like he played well for 25 minutes before he went off injured late last season.

    Eric – I think almost the opposite mate. I think there is a greater expectation on Sean because he’s local and started well.
    I think when he’s played he’s done ok. When he plays with Hayden he performs better imo. But he’s still quite young – certainly in terms of first team experience.

    I grew up at a time of NUFC when Clark, Howey, Watson, Elliott were all part of the squad.
    I have no great expectation on the Longstaff brothers or Barlaser or Dummett for that matter. I’m just happy to see local lads or youth players coming through and getting a chance.

    Sean to Man Utd for £50m was madness and perhaps raised expectation levels of the kid.

    I’m pleased they are in the squad and want to see them play their hearts out when they get chance.

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  20. georgio:
    This is nonsense. The kid is useless and needs to leave for a smaller club. Brazil maybe?

    Georgio – in the role we ask him to play he’s ‘useless’ but the kid isn’t a bad footballer. He’s a young lad who was thrown in at the deep end as to play a role he’s not used to.

    I thought he and Miggy linked up well when they came on against WH and give them a new threat to have to figure out. Miggy could have got a couple of goals out of it too.
    I wouldn’t bin him off just yet.

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  21. Gilly, glad he’s not as badly injured as some thought.

    On Joe, it’s a shame it’s gone like it has for him, he never set his price and the number 9 is a massive load to carry on young shoulders. He knows the caliber of players who have worn it for us and it’s obviously wearing heavy on him knowing what he has to match.
    Steve has a big decision to make now, does he keep putting him in the firing line or loan him out or try him in a different position ?
    Not sure what the lad offers us really, clearly not a number 9, has little pace and movement and looks shot of confidence now.
    What was Ashley thinking .

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  22. I am not even playing devils advocate with Sean and Joe. I really believe we have to see what we have with Joe and that Sean has to prove himself again. Another couple of bad performances and he will be lucky to make it onto the subs bench.

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  23. Listened to Wraith and Supemac. Finally somebody said it – that Darlow missed that 1st West Ham attempt that hit the bar and should have palmed it over. Nobody else even mentioned it in their reports that he his hand was 6 inches to the left of the ball and what should have been a routine tip over would have been a goal if it was 1 inch lower.

    Have a look at the highlights if you doubt me.

    Not only that but Darlow was very tentative for any crosses.

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  24. I dont think we will be the biggest comedy club this year. I think Spurs and West Ham will generate more laughs.

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  25. Bale to Spurs is an unreal signing for them. He’s a player who is a long way off being passed his best and has played little football over the last few seasons. He will be desperate to prove people wrong & Spurs will be an ideal club for him to do it with – guaranteed footy & will be the main man again.

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  26. Sharpy17:
    Bale to Spurs is an unreal signing for them.He’s a player who is a long way off being passed his best and has played little football over the last few seasons. He will be desperate to prove people wrong & Spurs will be an ideal club for him to do it with – guaranteed footy & will be the main man again.

    Injuries!!! I have no idea what happened at Madrid. He won them a champions league almost single handed and they ridiculed him. I was at the Bernabeu for the one and only time in my life 3 years ago and Bale was sent off. They booed Christiano when they were 3-1 down. Can you believe that? Then Ronaldo scored 2 in extra time to get a draw. Madrid fans are the worst.

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  27. And the Bernabeu is a bit of a sh!thole. A relic of the 1960s concrete block type buildings with unbelievably steep terraces and nothing around there. The fans get the metro there, watch the match, go home. There is nothing much to do. They really want to get away so badly that you can actually get a beer and a burger nearby as the “fans” flock away.

    I was really unimpressed by the whole scene/atmosphere/area.

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  28. Bale seems a bit of a risk to me. He only played 16 league games last year with 2 goals. Not sure how many of them he started but The Guardian say he finished only 6 games. That was probably ZZ subbing him, so it is a bit of a false stat. Anyway, he has been injured a lot so I am not sure if he will start against us.

    As I said earlier, Spurs didnt play as badly as Jose and the Journos made out against Everton but they were still not really good. It is so weird that Jose has them set up to play to their weaknesses. Their defense is pretty **** with Dier not being a very good player and Alderwelderied not what he was. They also play a holding midfield. Sissoko is now a defensive midfielder and he is often in there with Winks.

    Bruce better not play his famed 9-0-1 against them because against Mourinho’s Spurs he doesnt have to.

    Not looking past Brighton, it is just Spurs are in the news. They are in Bulgaria tonight. There should be some good quotes from Jose win or lose.

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  29. Warren Barton is on Wraith’s youtube channel at 6pm UK time Thurs.

    I love Warren Barton. He does commentary over here and is about the only one who doesnt w@nk about the “big 6”.

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  30. Michael Owen had us for a loss last week. Keep your money in your pocket lads and save it to get him a personality transplant.

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  31. So this is still the current thread then… nothing relating to the midweek cup tie against Blackburn. Bad as it was, I sort of thought we may get a match review…

    We have a good chance to actually win our first 2 league matches in a season for a very long time. Probably means we will blow it against Brighton, but I’m hopeful we can do it.

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  32. Brighton are a decent little side under Potter & he has them playing some good football. They were a little unlucky against Chelsea I thought – gave them a good game.

    They rested the full team, and I know it was only Pompey but some of their back up players looked decent too.

    I think they’ll be a lot tougher than we’d expect. Some have them relegation, but not me, I think they’ll be safe this season.

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  33. Gilly Toon:
    So this is still the current thread then… nothing relating to the midweek cup tie against Blackburn. Bad as it was, I sort of thought we may get a match review…

    We have a good chance to actually win our first 2 league matches in a season for a very long time. Probably means we will blow it against Brighton, but I’m hopeful we can do it.

    Just because we didn’t put cup games on the top banner of the blog / as a ‘new thread’ doesn’t mean they aren’t on the site:

    Match report – https://www.nufcblog.co.uk/2020/09/15/newcastle-1-0-blackburn-awful-nufc-limp-over-the-line-thanks-to-one-moment-of-magic/

    Player ratings – https://www.nufcblog.co.uk/2020/09/16/player-ratings-newcastle-1-0-blackburn-two-8s-two-7s-a-few-6s-several-5s-three-4s/

    Pre-match chat with Blackburn fan – https://www.nufcblog.co.uk/2020/09/15/from-nufc-reject-to-20m-star-the-fascinating-view-from-blackburn-on-adam-armstrong/

    Post-match chat with Blackburn fan – https://www.nufcblog.co.uk/2020/09/17/interesting-comments-as-blackburn-fan-is-left-baffled-by-nufc-one-player-in-particular/

    I can put a preview and post-match review of each cup game on the top banner of blog if you regulars would prefer that, I just thought it would’ve meant a new thread every other day (and some have complained that this breaks up conversations when I’ve done that in the past).

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  34. I’m really quite shocked that we are letting Yedlin leave on a free ?.

    I was expecting at least £5m for him, and after spending more than the £30m suggested budget, I thought any player leaving would have generated a fee.

    I know it gets him off the wage bill, but he’s a player who could have backed up RB or RW if injuries hit – Bruce really mustn’t want him to let him leave for nowt.

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  35. I will try to do a Michael Owen commentary:

    For me, he just missed the ball there. Like he missed the ball or something. It was almost like he missed the ball. Can I get back to training my horses or do you want more commentary?

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  36. Got to agree Sharpy , you would think we could get something for him wouldn’t you ?,It’s certainly very strange.
    Nice enough guy, good going forward but a poor defender for me sadly.

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  37. https://www.espn.co.uk/football/tottenham-hotspur/story/4106234/coronavirus-tottenham-borrow-175m-from-british-government

    So they stated they would not use the cash for player acquisitions but to cover lost revenue for concerts and other events they had lined up, they predict £200m of losses due to covid.
    They had put aside £25m for transfers .
    They previously recorded the best pre tax profit of any PL club £87.4m .
    I’m at a loss as to how they can afford Bale and his no doubt huge wages given only £25m is allocated to transfer fees, can someone better at finances enlighten me ?

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