Coming into this match, both ourselves and Leeds were still looking for wins after less than positive starts to the new season.
In the build-up to the match, many people were calling Bruce’s head, there were reports of unhappiness behind the scenes and a threat of a protest loomed over.
The question lingered whether a loss would cement the end for Bruce or whether he’d pull out one of his trademark lucky wins and buy himself more time.
We ended up with a draw and I’m really not sure what that results in…I don’t think Bruce will be sacked and I don’t think there was enough of a “protest” to make him walk either. I would say that we’re simply continuing our sleepwalk to relegation and I’m sure Bruce would claim he’s helping us “ticking over”.
Steve Bruce made one change to the side beaten at Manchester United, with goalkeeper Karl Darlow replacing Freddie Woodman. Strangely, Hayden was kept in the centre-back position alongside Lascelles and Clark despite both Schar and Fernandez being available.
Leeds came in with a defensive dilemma as Stuijk, Llorente and Koch were ruled out but were able to hand a full debut to Dan James.
Leeds took the lead after 12 minutes with Raphinha scoring a tidy but stoppable goal. The goal was really a surprise given Leeds had been dominating for the majority of the time and we had a habit of giving away the ball. Rodrigo danced away from Clark and Ritchie to put in a good cross to Raphinha who easily beat Lascelles for the goal. Really, the cross should have been stopped before it was taken but the defending was too passive. This goal quickly triggered a number of anti-Bruce songs. The songs were present before the goal but they went into turbo after Raphinha scored.
Allan Saint-Maximin dazzled the stadium with his dancing feet after receiving the ball from Joelinton and scored an absolutely fantastic goal. It was never in doubt that if there were to be a goal from us, that Saint-Maximin would be involved. The mercurial Frenchman frolicked through numerous Leeds challenges before blasting the ball low into the corner of the net. It was fantastic play and something that he deserved for his hard work throughout.
The first half was a painful one to watch for the majority of the time really. The commentators spoke about how exciting the match had been but really it seemed like Leeds were dominating the match and having the best chances whilst Newcastle would now and then pose a mild threat.
It was a chaotic match with lots of chances but I did not come away from that half thinking we necessarily deserved the 1-1 score line. A quick look on Twitter told me that opinion was split on this with some people claiming that this match was absolutely brilliant and others bemoaning the slapdash nature of it.
Saint-Maximin and Almiron were the standouts on our side. Whilst Saint-Maximin pushed forward a majority of our attacks, Almiron was resolute with his contributions to attacking moves and also defending.
The second half was a lot calmer than the first and we were arguably the better side for the majority, though it can’t be claimed that we blew them out the water or anything.
Saint-Maximin remained a threat and Joelinton really put in a shift on the left-hand side of the pitch. The defence and midfield seemed to just set themselves more and were able to soak up any pressure in a more reassured manner.
Nothing particularly of interest popped up in the second half except maybe for the referee putting himself in a very annoying position during one of our attacks.
Ultimately this was another game which we have failed to win and against a team that we really should have done better against.
Next up, Watford away next weekend.
Disappointing second half. Need to win these games at home!
Gilly Toon(Quote)
35.4% possession at home against a makeshift Leeds side?
Why are we incapable of keeping the ball better?
What are the coaches doing when not on holiday?
Is a point really good enough?
Joseph(Quote)
Overall it was an entertaining game last night that could have gone either way – a draw probably a fair result, but the win is what was needed.
Far more confident with Darlow in goal – don’t blame him for the goal at all.
Their wingers pinned our full backs back, but Ritchie still did some good work. Manquillo quiet but dealt with James pretty well.
Our CBs are awful imo. I don’t know if Lascelles is carrying a knock coz he was running back from corners funny – he didn’t look comfortable and both him & Clark didn’t controls things at the back at all.
Our midfield looked so much better when Hayden was moved into it & I much prefer him in there. Willock is a real touch of quality in there too.
Longstaff wasn’t awful, but he was great either & need to work on his shooting.
Almiron really disappointed me last night. His passing was off & this going down looking for a foul isn’t on!! He’s not getting them this season & twice it put us to the sword – he can pack that in!!. He proved against Man Utd he’s better than that & that performance needs to be his benchmark.
ASM was outstanding & again thrived on carrying our attacking threat.
Joelinton did a lot of work tracking back & help Ritchie a lot who took an early booking. But again showed he’s simply not a goal scorer.
I personally would swap him out for Murphy or Gayle – I think both could do the work he does but would be more of a threat in front of goal.
Lots of talk of unrest before the game & not denying there is – but our fans conducted themselves brilliantly imo.
Sharpy17(Quote)
RIP Jimmy Greaves, what a player he was and i used to love saint & greavsie on a saturday. 🙁
KIMTOON(Quote)
the Chelsea manager who once said he would like to manage the toon just before he took the Chelsea job what a good guy he is,while at PSG his housekeepers son took ill needed a heart opp he paid for it then he bought her a house of there own before moving to Chelsea,they dont come better than this guy imo.
when is sick note Wilson be fit and for how long, do-heed should got cover in for him he was frightened to push jabba for cover he should have walked if he has any guts.
aye KIM rip jimmy i to loved their show
icedog(Quote)
Ice, I like Jose, i am convinced he will manage us one day. I know he is marmite with a lot of folk but under the right owner I think he would be good .
Sir Bobby liked him and that’s good enough for me.
KIMTOON(Quote)
Ice , Tuchel would not come within a million miles of us at the moment.
KIMTOON(Quote)
RIP Boycie ( John Challis )
KIMTOON(Quote)
Kim – I agree. It feels like it’s written in the stars he’ll manage us & id love it if he did – if we got a new owner in that’s who I’d want – maybe that’s why I didn’t take to Rafa as much.
Jose thrives on a relationship with fans – the clubs he did well at, he had that – but he didn’t have it at Utd or Spurs and it didn’t fit.
If he come to Newcastle the fans would love him – in greater numbers than Rafa I reckon (no offence to Rafa) but just that Sir Bobby link.
He would galvanised the club – that us against the world mentality he had at Chelsea.
We can only live in hope.
On a different note – what a day!! To lose Greavsie & Boycie in the same day is a dark dark day.
Sharpy17(Quote)
I meant to post the other night, but don’t know if anyone saw the build up to the game – it can be found on YouTube if not.
I thought the fans Carra & Neville spoke to were brilliant. They represented the fan base and our thoughts & opinions eloquently & accurately. I thought it was a fantastic idea by Sky to speak to fans and it was just a shame it was only around 10 mins.
Sharpy17(Quote)
Totally agree mate , it was excellent and I thought Gary Nev and Carra spoke about the club and how it needed selling very well.
KIMTOON(Quote)
Just got back from 5 days in New Mexico and it seems nothing has changed at NUFC 🙂
Eric+Sykes(Quote)
it has changed mate its got worse.now Willock got a boot on left foot,nobody decent to replace him 😈
icedog(Quote)
If this “super-computer” is so super then why didnt it have us relegated at the start of the season when it made the 1st prediction?
Eric+Sykes(Quote)
It’ll be reet man, we’ve got Hendrick ready & waiting
Sharpy17(Quote)
Eric – the same computer has Spurs finishing 5th – after losing their last 2 games 3-0. Figure that one out ??♂️.
Hope you enjoyed your trip mate
Sharpy17(Quote)
Sharpy: I has a good time mate, saw what I wanted to see. This Covid stuff is getting on my nerves now though. One town was virtually shut down but the rest were open, in the same State!! Figure that one out. And breakfasts. They had all shut down their beakfast rooms but made a token effort to put out some food. probably so they could say they DID provide breakfast. Last place had coffee, muffins and yogurts. I think that was a bit of a rip off and they could have given me a small refund instead so I could go elsewhere.
Eric+Sykes(Quote)
Today Football365 has worst players at each club as rated by Whoscored.com. Ours is Freddy Woodman. Lascelles must be thanking his lucky stars that neither Dubs nor Darlow were fit to start the season.
Eric+Sykes(Quote)
Sir Harold of Kane is rated as Spurs’ worst player. I wonder if that has anything to do with the Man City bid for him 🙂
Eric+Sykes(Quote)
Agbonlahor is yapping on about the Toon again. By my count, that is 3 rants in the last month. WTF has NUFC got to do with him. Stick to Villa. Simon Jordan also seems Toon obsessed and I am not sure why. Then there is Frank McAvenie or whatever his name is, I had never heard of him until he started putting his oar in about NUFC.
All of these pundits, and there are so many, say our fans are delusional and Bruce is doing a great job and we think we are bigger than we are. But they all keep talking about us, usually to take Bruce’s side, who gets stranger by the minute if you watch his press conferences.
Eric+Sykes(Quote)
Sad news about Joe Kinnear having vascular dementia, my mum had it and it’s an awful illness to suffer and witness.
KIMTOON(Quote)
Kimtoon: Kinnear has been through the wars. Didnt he have to quit NUFC with heart disease. I never got why we appointed him but I never got the sense we even saw what he could, or could not, do. That press conference rant will go down in imfany. Still prefer that to Brucies inane and blaming ramblings. Who was it at? I think it was Simon Bird but I could be wrong.
Eric+Sykes(Quote)
I dont know if anybody has paid attention to passengers getting angry on planes. Over here I think incidents have increased like 1,000%. Some blame Covid but it is mainly alcohol. They even duct taped a drunk passenger to the seat and put the tape over his mouth to shut him up. It is probably on Youtube. Why do I mention this? Because there was an incident on my plane ride yesterday.
I went to get a drink before getting on the plane. I walk into the small bar and there is an older lady and a short and slight young lad, probably 25. He puts 20 dollars on the bar and asks me to get him a drink. The bar maid tells me he is cut off for being drunk and stupid. 2 minutes later he comes back with the 20 and asks me again to get him a drink. I tell him no, and the barmaid is literally 3 feet away, so I guess she would know. This happens another couple of times until I eventually tell him to f-off.
So I get on the plane and he is in the row behind me. Somehow I manage to fall asleep, which hardly ever happens. But when we land I see the flight attendant giving him a lecture. I dont know what he did but the flight attendant is saying to him that he is really immature but will give him a break this time. He said that he could call security and what he did is a felony and he could go to jail for 2 years. Lucky Boy!!!
There have also been 1000s banned for life from airlines for refusing to wear a mask. They are banned AND kicked off the plane. They have even turned planes around for unruly passengers.
The Yanks are not usually big boozers prior to flights. It will be funny to see some stories when holidays resume in the UK. If it is happening here I am sure it will be 10 times worse in the UK for the stag parties and lads’ trip to Ibiza.
Eric+Sykes(Quote)
Imagine ruining your life for the sake of getting sh!tfaced in an airport and going to jail for 2 years!!!
Eric+Sykes(Quote)
I would never wish ill on anyone & dementia is awful – by cousins grandad had it & watching his deterioration before he passed away last month was tough.
But I’m really hard pushed to have real sympathy for Kinnaer or any of those sh!tbags who came in with Ashley & saw our club as just a play thing.
The likes of Kinnaer, Wise, Jimenez to name but a few came in to run our club for Ashley with little to no experience at all – and ultimately put our club on the path to destruction – mugged off a true club legend in KK & then Kinnaer took the club to the brink of relegation before Shearer was handed the impossible task of keeping us up – before being mugged off himself.
Like I say, I don’t wish him ill, but I couldn’t care less about him either if I’m being brutally honest.
Sharpy17(Quote)
Eric – I wonder how long it will be before the same Fwits start saying Ashley has done a great job at NUFC when you look at what has happened to Derby ??.
Sharpy17(Quote)
Eric, yep it was Simon Bird, he called him the c word.
He was not healthy enough to manage a big club like Newcastle and pretty sure he was grieving the passing of his son as well. Who knows his behavior with us was that odd it could even of been the early stages of dementia then. 2009 and his diagnosis was 2015 .
KIMTOON(Quote)
Just finished watching a recording of the Leeds game. Some cooments:
Donkey had a decent game. He actually managed to trap the ball a few times. I have seen people say he missed a sitter but he did most things right with his shot and it wasnt scuffed.
Longstaff was frustrating. He did most things tidely and then would suddendly turn into Shelvey and blast a shot over the bar or overhit a long pass.
Darlow makes a difference and I dont think he was at fault for their goal. It was a bit of a fluke.
Eric+Sykes(Quote)
Oh, and Mike Dean barging a player was a joke!!!
Eric+Sykes(Quote)
And… I am surprised Steve Bruce didnt ask to swap shirts with Bielsa like Lascelles did with Ronaldo.
Eric+Sykes(Quote)
Another thing on the game. Bruce has specifically said that the other Steves coach the defensive side of the game and Jones deals with the attack. Leaving aside who coaches midfield, how come Jones came down from the stands on about 17 minutes and CHANGED THE FCN DEFENSE!!! We went from back 5 to back 4. What does Bruce do? Why werent the Steves making these decisions?
Jones and Bruce were also talking over each other and it was mainly Jones coaching Ritchie in the new formation.
How much power does Jones really have?
It seems Bruce picks the team and chooses the subs and that is about it. If things are going badly, as they usually do, he defers to Jones.
Eric+Sykes(Quote)
I have seen some journos say that Jones saw something from the stands and made the decision to change things. How is that his responsibility? Going from back 5 to back 4 is a big decision. Surely that would be on Bruce?
I have said many times I do not think Bruce had anything to do with the hiring of Jones. It was forced on him and he basically had to give it the rubber stamp. It was Hobson’s Choice.
Eric+Sykes(Quote)
I saw the incident with Jones and Ritchie. Seems they both ignored Bruce and he just stood there helpless. Times up Brucie!
georgio(Quote)
It’s was absolutely hilarious – Bruce went to speak 2 or 3 times and then effectively just nodded, pointed to Jones and said ‘yeah, what he said’.
Sharpy17(Quote)
If it is all Jones then there is still a big problem because he would be responsible for the 2 points from 15 start 🙂 Nah, not really. There is dysfunction in the NUFC camp and that is bound to affect the players. They obviously dont know if they are coming or going with Jones tellimg them one thing and the Steves telling them another. Having 4 of them on the sidline standing up cannot be helpful. Other teams have a few coaches but they are usually sat on the bench. Pep, for example will talk to his right hand man, and only him. And there is no doubt who is in charge with Pep.
Eric+Sykes(Quote)
I’ve been giving some thought to who I would like to see replace Bruce based on where we stand just now – and it’s Frank Lampard for me.
He did a decent job at Derby for his first gig & really well in his first season at Chelsea.
It’s his links with Chelsea that probably edges it for me as well. Money will continue to be tight while Ashley is there & his relationship with Chelsea could see us have an advantage in loaning some of their players – if Ashley hands over the money to bring them in like.
It’s whether Lampard would be willing to work under Ashley – but I think he might.
His only target would be to keep us in the league – if he doesn’t, everyone knows Ashley is a nightmare to work for – so I don’t think it damages Lampards reputation too badly.
But if he gets us mid table, well clear of a relegation battle & decent cups runs (which he did with Derby I think) then he’s succeeding at a difficult club ??♂️.
Sharpy17(Quote)
It is not unusual to let the coach run things on the day. BFS let Little Sammy do it for example. The problem is when they are talking over each other in the technical area. That has to cause confusion.
I watched Chelsea take Spurs apart in the second half. Spurs were at home and just gave up. I have been catching up with replays after being away. We have Spurs in a few games and they are a mess. That might be a chance for our first win 🙂
Eric+Sykes(Quote)
I reckon Daniel Levy has well and truly screwed Harry Kane. I wouldnt be surprised if he sulks all year. Who is going to pay over 100 million for a 29 year old which he will be next summer? A 4 year contract would take him to 33. I think his one and only opportunity was City this year.
Kane will probably turn it around and score a few goals as he wants to move. But I dont see Spurs in the top 6 so Kane could end up with a Shearer at NUFC career. Big Al did win the PL though and when he moved to NUFC we arguably had the best squad in the PL with the addition of him. It gets on my t!ts seeing fans and pundits with perfect hindsight ridiculing Shearer for turning down Man U. They totally forget the team he moved to back then were competing with the likes of Barca.
It will be a pity for Harry as he seems like a genuine bloke. I dont see him having the longevity of Messi or Ronaldo as miraculously they never really picked up injuries, whereas Kane has had his share.
Eric+Sykes(Quote)
The Pledge is at 160k and stagnating as I always said it would. It was a totally wrongheaded idea from the start and I cannot believe they got Warren Barton behind it. He always seems so level headed when he is on American TV.
Eric+Sykes(Quote)
Eric – Levy gave him a nice new shiny contract when he wanted one. The person who has well & truly screwed Kane was whoever told him to sign it without a release clause.
Kane has acted like a prize pr!ck all summer & is now getting his comeuppance.
What’s worse is I think City were only interested this summer – I think they turn their attention to Harland now.
Sharpy17(Quote)
https://twitter.com/wyilegeordie/status/1439168623659073537?s=19
KIMTOON(Quote)
Sharpy: that’s what I said. I think the City move was a one time opportunity as he is 29 next summer. I just cannot see any club paying Levy’s price. Maybe Bayern would pay 80 mil as a replacement for Lewandowski? He and Muller are both getting on now, Lew is 33 and Muller is 32.
Eric+Sykes(Quote)
Kim – that’s brilliant ???
Sharpy17(Quote)
Eric – if he doesn’t go to City I think he stays at Spurs for the rest of his career. He will win nothing & will not break big Als record.
Sharpy17(Quote)
Looks like Willock is out now. I reckon he will go 4-2-3-1.
He will drop Clark and maybe Ritchie.
He will definately retain Donkey but I suspect he might bring in Gayle. Miggy as the number 10. This could be too attacking for Bruce, but here goes:
Darlow
Manquillo Lascelles Fernandez Lewis
Longstaff Hayden
ASM Miggy Donkey
Gayle
If Gayle doesn’t come in it will be Fraser or Murphy, or even Ritchie pushed forward. This is the hard bit to call because playing Gayle alters the shape and not playing him means you have basically 4 wingers up front.
If he puts Hendrick in a 3 man midfield I will throw my shoe at the TV !!! The bench will be light. Not sure if any of the youngsters who have been brought up will make it.
Eric+Sykes(Quote)
Actually, I think Bayern would be perfect for Kane. He will tear the Bundesliga apart and win everything going. Maybe even a Champions League. Lewandowski is 34 next August so they have to be looking for a replacement.
Eric+Sykes(Quote)
Kimtoon: one of the funniest things in that tweet is that Bruce is going to send the goalie on.
Eric+Sykes(Quote)
It did make me chuckle lads.
KIMTOON(Quote)
I have continued my football catch-up and watched Norwich/Watford. The scoreline was a bit deceiving as it was a very even game.
I know everything is doom and gloom at the moment but I would not be scared by Watford (famous last words 🙂 )
Eric+Sykes(Quote)
If Willock is out we could try Anderson there – I would.
georgio(Quote)
Why is it always our best players get injured . 🙁
KIMTOON(Quote)
A lot pf people’s preferred centre back partnership is Fernadez and Schar. With Lascelles out, maybe we will see that. Lascelles has probably been our worst player this season so his injury could be a blessing.
Eric+Sykes(Quote)
I have seen a lot of criticism of Lascelles. He is supposed to have leadership qualities, but leadership is not just yelling. What I have noticed from the very start with him is that he tends to back off but also lunge in. He has cost us a couple of penalties which for a team that scores very few goals almost guarantees a loss or a draw. I will be happy to see how we do without him.
It is a real pity about Willock because I would have made him captain. Rice is at West Ham and so was Grealish at Villa. You dont have to be old to be captain!
Not that it really matters that much, but I would make Hayden Captain tomorrow.
Eric+Sykes(Quote)
rubbish players never get hurt,its always been the case
icedog(Quote)
Kim – probably coz most of them are more busy fighting on the training ground rather than actually bloody training ?
Sharpy17(Quote)
I watched a TV show last night, a Law and Order spin off. Vinny Jones was playing an Albanian Gangster. I think he has moved to LA and this is his niche. The funny thing was that he looks like he has been so angry for so long that he has a permanent frown etched on his forehead.
Eric+Sykes(Quote)
Kimtoon: sad that Greavsie passed away but he had a good run at 81. Got me thinking about Saint and Greavsie. Ian St John always sounded to me like he was speaking with marbles in his mouth. Still a nice guy, but the marbles… It might be a Scottish thing because Lord Ferg and Strachen sounded like that as well.
Eric+Sykes(Quote)
I dont mind most of the Sky pundits but Saint and Greavsie were better. They just seemed to be having a good time and it was like talking to your Grandad down the Pub about football. Now there is Keys and Gray who mostly seem angry, especially on social media.
Thems were the days!!!
Eric+Sykes(Quote)
Paul Merson’s Giant Balloon Heed is predicting us to win. That’s good, given his gambling record. I had intended to go to the Pub to watch but now I might just sit on the couch.
Eric+Sykes(Quote)