No Joelinton. No Saint-Maximin. No Wilson. No Trippier. No problem.
I am running out of superlatives for this new-look Newcastle United, as Eddie Howe’s Mags come away 2-1 winners at Southampton thanks to goals from Chris Wood and Bruno Guimaraes.
One a night where some felt our unbeaten run might just come to an end, we dug deep and got the better of a Saints side who’d only lost ONE game at St Mary’s all season.
It was a night where new signings shone and spirit, hard work and character won out, as we responded superbly from going a goal down to pull off yet another big win.
The result takes us 10 (yes, TEN!) points clear of the drop zone, with results going our way elsewhere as Leeds and Watford were hammered – although I’m not sure that conversation is needed any more the way we are going!
We’ve now won SIX of our last seven games and extended our unbeaten run to NINE games thanks to tonight’s win against a Southampton. We remain in 14th but are now just five points from 9th and four points away from a place in the top 10; which is some going when we have a game in hand on most of those sides in the mix.
Ralph Hasenhuttl would’ve been fuming when he saw the Newcastle United team sheet, with FOUR January signings all in Eddie Howe’s XI.
This was because Bruno Guimaraes came in for his first Premier League start, with our £35m man replacing the ‘injured’ Joelinton – who was this one out alongside an unwell Allan Saint-Maximin.
STARTING 11: Dubravka – Krafth, Schar, Burn, Targett – Willock, Shelvey, Guimaraes – Murphy, Wood, Fraser.
SUBS: Darlow, Dummett, Lascelles, Manquillo, Ritchie, Longstaff, De Bolle, Almiron, Gayle.
We made a confident start to the game over the opening 10 minutes, passing the ball well and looking pretty comfortable against a Saints side who usually dominate possession and control games at home. However, the tide soon changed and so did the scoreline.
Walker-Peters was getting a lot of joy down the left and was allowed too much space (by Murphy) to get a cross in. Targett was outnumbered by Broja and Elyounoussi at the far post and the latter headed back across goal for Armstrong, who nodded home after his effort struck Burn and crept past Dubravka. 1-0 Southampton on the 25th minute mark.
We were struggling to get to grips with them in wide areas and looked more vulnerable defensively, with the balance in midfield seeming slightly off and weaker in Joelinton’s absence. The big Brazilian’s disruptive power, constant energy and ability to protect the ball was noticeably missing.
However, we were level just seven minutes later. After working the ball out wide, Jonjo Shelvey whipped in a brilliant cross which was attacked superbly by Chris Wood.
The Kiwi got a run on Salisu and powered a header past Forster to bring us level and bag his first goal for the club! An important goal at a time where the game threatened to get away from us and EXACTLY what the big man needed to get off the mark as a Newcastle United player. 1-1!
After that, we went into our shells a little and the hosts continued to look by far the more threatening, with us fortunate to stay level as Adams smashed the bar after latching onto a Shelvey interception.
Guimaraes was showing flashes of his undoubted quality – even if our midfield looked a little unbalanced without big Joe – and he swung in a superb cross just seconds before the break which Willock should’ve really done better with.
The second half kicked off and we needed to up our game if we were going to come away from the South Coast with a result – and we did exactly that.
After Murphy forced a corner from a shot well blocked and the new signings combined to great effect just seconds later.
Targett’s delivery was swung in to the back post, Burn got his head to it and found Bruno Guimaraes, who pulled off an incredible backheel flick to fire the ball past Forster!
2-1 Newcastle and incredible scenes in the away end as our £35m Brazilian celebrated his first goal for the club in front of 3,300 Geordies who were now in dreamland down South.
We then had chances to make it 3-1. Bruno had a header blocked and Targett’s low drive was heading in had it not been blocked by Salisu. Burn was also causing havoc in the box, with us having a sustained period of possession that saw Southampton camped in their own box and unable to get out.
That period passed and they came back into it, yet we suddenly looked so much more organised and able to defend in wide areas – something we just didn’t get to grips with early on.
A knackered Bruno Guimaraes then made way with just over 20 minutes to play, seeing Sean Longstaff come on in his place to add some fresh legs to our tiring midfield.
Geordie striker Adam Armstrong then entered the match moments later, but despite all their possession and a flurry of threatening corners whipped in by Ward-Prowse, we stood strong and had an answer to everything they threw at us.
Almiron replaced Fraser – who’d ran himself into the ground once again – and it was then Dubravka’s turn to step up, with the Slovakian making an outstanding save down to his right to deny a Salisu header that looked set to creep in before the big man got a glove to it.
Six minutes of added time were shown on the board and Southampton – who didn’t know how to break down this stubborn NUFC defence – had one last effort through Armstrong, who saw his long range effort tipped over the bar by Dubravka.
Schar won a foul from the resultant corner and the referees whistle went soon after. A superb reaction to going 1-0 down, a huge effort from a visibly tired side and a night where the quality of new signings and sheer grit and determination of existing players won the day.
Next up, a trip to Chelsea on Sunday!
What a great win. Really didn’t expect that. Was prepared to take a draw at best. Bruno!! What a goal! Cannot fault a single player. Shelvey immense tonight. Burn incredible once again.
Gilly Toon(Quote)
Bruno must be wondering what the hell he has walked into. He’s sitting in Brazil on the National Team bench and his Agent says he is off to the 4th bottom team in the PL. He gets here and it is bedlam in the crowd and full squad and staff dressing room selfies after every match. Not to mention winning 5 of the last 6.
I doubt he knew much about Newcastle. How old is the lad, 24. He would have been 9 when Ashley took over so would have missed Robson and Keegan.
Eric+Sykes(Quote)
My MOTM last night was Shelvey. I mentioned his dip against Brighton – only in that he looked fatigued. But last night he stepped it back up again. Whether he’s been rested a bit in the week or it was the presence of Bruno in the team and thought of his place being at risk – whatever it was, he was outstanding last night.
I thought Burn came good too, but just seemed to get dragged out of defence a bit chasing Adams. He settled down quite quickly & was immense in the 2nd half.
Olly has scored Bruno the highest of our midfielders, but other than the wonder goal – I thought some of his play was quite sloppy & he was trying too many cute passes rather than the simple ones that would have retained the ball. I’m not digging the kid out coz it’s his first start & he’s still learning the league. I think he’d be keen to impress as well – and certainly did with that goal.
Overall I thought it was an excellent team performance.
I thought Bruno’s goal would be my moment of the night. But a non injured Krafth rolling back onto the pitch with non cramp nicked it for me ???????????
Sharpy17(Quote)
I was absolutely buzzing for Woods last night as well.
He’s worked his nuts off since he’s came in, but not had many chances.
The ball in from Shelvey was first class & Woods header was a proper no. 9 finish.
It was a big goal as well. Fairly even first half but Saints were obviously 1-0 up.
Great for Woods confidence.
Sharpy17(Quote)
So with all the fuss over not wanting the Saudi state to own us, how will the PL square the Chelsea situation given the British government effectively own Chelsea now 😆
KIMTOON(Quote)
And Everton Kim.
What I don’t get is he still has 81 days to sell it. Look at the damage the Russians are doing to Ukraine every day – 15 days in now & nearing Kiev. Where will they be in 81 days time.
What’s the point???. He can’t profit by selling a shirt for £50 – but he can still sell the club for £3 BILLION!!!. – he’s certainly walk away with a profit then wouldn’t he???.
Sharpy17(Quote)
Can anybody think of any role, other than Hobo, that Boris would pass a fit and proper person test for, cause he certainly isn’t competent to run a football club, nor a pi** up in a brewery for that matter.
PremAndUp(Quote)
Abramovich bought Chelsea for £150m and the club is reportedly in debt to around £1.5b to him. Even if he sells at £2b he walks away in profit.
Sharpy17(Quote)
Well every one of our new guys has made a significant contribution to the team. Trippier’s goals, defence and leadership, Burn and Targett solid in defence, Wood with his goal and hard work and Bruno with his winner last night. We are a team again. What a pleasant change. I can really enjoy watching again. Bring on Chelsea!
Gilly Toon(Quote)
I know we are this mega rich club now and the talk is competing for the league in the next few seasons.
But you know what, I see Ollys other article with videos of Wood getting an ovation walking into the changing room, and the photos of the group celebrating after each game – then other articles with the owners tweeting back and forth with fans – and I’d honestly settle for top half with cups runs & keep this feel good vibe about the club.
It’s fresh and exciting & I hope it doesn’t get lost with the expectation of big spending & trophy chasing.
I hope as supporters we see that there is more to this than that.
Sharpy17(Quote)
I think we are a long way challenging City or Liverpool, I would add Chelsea, but that is unknown. The rest however are not fay off. Our form guide is better than any of them, It is clear that even a few more good players would put us in the mix for Europe.
Beyond that I think that challenging for the league is a far bigger step that I think people realise and to think it will happen next season is optimistic.
I agree Sharpy, one step at a time and lets keep this team spirit alive.
PremAndUp(Quote)
I thought Bruno had a very good debut overall. He got shoved off the ball a couple of times and HE thought he was fouled. I thought they were touch and go. I think he will learn quickly what is and what isnt a foul. Maybe the Refs will give him some protection because they give the same challenge as a foul on one player and not on another. Depends on the team and reputation of the player (Grealish).
Eric+Sykes(Quote)
Can anybody remember the crowd singing “Steve Bruce’s B&W Army”. We went on a Willock fueled good run towards the back end of last season and I still cant remember him getting any love. I thought he would relegate us last year and said so the previous season.
Eddie seems to have made an instant connection and, of course, results have helped. But, the cabbage had that decent run. Rafa also got a lot of (partly undeserved) love.
Not dwelling, honestly. It is just so apparent the difference between how the fans are reacting to Eddie.
Eric+Sykes(Quote)
I think Little Joe was probably Man of the Match apart from missing that header. His form over the last few games has been a Bonanza for Howe. If Big Joe is fit it will give Eddie a selection headache and something to ponder(oza) at Chelsea.
Eric+Sykes(Quote)
Great result and another decent team performance against a good PL savvy team. I absolutely love watching this team play for and support each other .. burn and longstaff screaming at willock after that late block was fab
Good to see wood score if only to quieten his critics a bit.
I was a bit bemused by the lack of belief and direct criticism hes faced.
He’s slotted in well and has been part of (maybe even a leader in) a transformed team.
I really don’t buy into narrative that he’s a striker and his first objective is to score.
he’s a Nufc player first and his first objective is to play well for the team to get results. He’s done that well and he is very durable .. has he missed a minute since his first game ??
Howe believes in him .. so maybe others should trust Howe on this .. and he has demonstrated already he’s happy not to tinker with a team performing well.
It’ll be interesting to see how he manages the situation when Wilson is fit if we’re still going well
GoWest!Mag(Quote)
If ASM was really only an illness he should be fit for Chelsea. You bring him in for Murphy who did OK but ASM offers a different dimension. Bruno could only manage 60 mins and that is probably due to the pace of the PL and maybe fitness. It sounds like Big Joe has been carrying the hamstring problem for a while but perhaps he can play a half? How about giving them a half each?
Then there is Krafth. He hasnt done badly but every team targets our right side. That says something. Time to give Manquillo a full game I think.
I dont agree with the people that say we should play a weakened team at Chelsea. We should start with our best team and if we ship a couple of goals, take off the players who have been carrying knocks, or are new – Big Joe, Bruno, ASM.
Dubs
Manquillo Schar BDB Target
Shelvey Willock Big Joe
Fraser Wood ASM
Eric+Sykes(Quote)
Not sure Schar is going to be fit.
PremAndUp(Quote)
Eric – a weakened team was my thinking before our Palace game was rescheduled mate. Now we have that break I think we should change as little as possible.
I also think we are safe now. We will pick up a few more points before the season is out & those below us won’t catch up now imo.
But I admit, the idea of effectively forfeiting some fixtures was something I suggested.
Sharpy17(Quote)
Prem – would you give him a new contract or let him leave on a free in the summer to bring others in?.
Sharpy17(Quote)
I don’t mind giving him a one year extension, but to be fair I expect him to be replaced as starting RCB by somebody in the summer. I also saw a young lad, name escapes me who plays RB and RCB who would provide cover for both those roles making Schar 3rd place alongside Manquillo. In Time I see BDB on the bench providing cover for the left side of defence.
If Lewis is coming good we merely sign Targett, if not we get Luke Shaw.
PremAndUp(Quote)
Sharpy: even though I want us to maintain the momentum and put out a strong team against Chelsea, I am much more interested in our Everton result. I really want us to put them more in the sh!tter, so if we are down against Chelsea I would rest our less-than-100%-fit players.
Even if Everton do not go down, I want their fans and their supporters in the media to squirm a bit. They have the worst run-in of any team, so even a draw against NUFC would get them being even more high pitched squealy scousers than normal.
I actually watched a post match show on Toffee TV after the Spurs game. It was hilarious. They did player ratings and about half got zeros. I watched for the comedy value as I really dont give a toss about Everton and their fans.
Eric+Sykes(Quote)
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FNj3zRqXEAIAxDh?format=jpg&name=large
Well deserved
KIMTOON(Quote)
Not a new thread but thought you might enjoy this one, folks!
https://www.nufcblog.co.uk/2022/03/12/50-things-i-love-about-this-new-look-newcastle-united/
It feels good to be a NUFC fan again! 🙂
Olly Hawkins(Quote)
Lawro says that “all it would take is 2 or 3 defeats and the Magpies would be back in trouble”. Did he fail his CSE maths class in school? We are 10 points above the relegation places. There are 6 teams below us. They are all bottom of the form league. Maybe one team will go on a run but the likelihood is they will continue to lose or draw. If we lose our next 3 games the table would look very much like it does today with a couple below us swapping places.
How does Lawro still have a job? The man is a clown. He predicts a 2-0 loss. So does Paul Merson’s Giant Balloon Heed.
I am buoyed that these 2 are predicting a loss. If the 3rd of The Fun Boy Three (Owen) predicts a loss I will go for a win to NUFC. Currently I see 1-1.
Eric+Sykes(Quote)
Lampard is saying that there is a negativity in the Everton fan base. He says it is his job to turn it around and that the players are still up for it. He has to be careful what he says. When you start questioning the fans that is a slippery slope as a certain Cabbage has found out at all of the recent clubs he has managed.
I dont care about Super-Frank the player. He has done nothing in Management to get the Blue Bindippers to show unreserved faith in him.
Eric+Sykes(Quote)
Never a penalty against Brighton! Liverpool’s Mike Dean, 54, is carrying about 20 extra pounds. Do they even have fitness tests for Refs during the season? Does he have a scale at home? He might consider wearing a looser shirt to hide his rolls of fat.
Eric+Sykes(Quote)
Mike Dean is not fit to be a Ref, in both senses of the word. They should retire them at 50. That would get rid of Dean, Marriner, Fat Boy Moss, Atkinson, Friend and 2 others. The standard of refereeing in the PL is terrible and VAR is even worse. I dont know whether it is an age or fitness thing, but it cant help. They do not keep up with play. Refs for all European comps have to retire at 45.
Eric+Sykes(Quote)
Have a salad now and again Mike, you fat kernt.
Eric+Sykes(Quote)
Dean is such a strutting peaco@ck that he will never retire of his own volition. If the PL do not act he will still be doing his Mike Dean arrogance next year.
Eric+Sykes(Quote)
Mike Dean’s job is not an accountant or a truck driver. He is a Premier League Referee and he should be physically fit to keep up with play. He has noticeable rolls of fat now and he is too old. On top of that he is a strutting peacock and has 2 sons with season tickets to Liverpool. And yet, AND YET, he is refereeing the LIVERPOOL/Brighton game. He needs to retire.
Maybe Simon Jordan and his Pals on TalkShyte should spend less time criticising everything NUFC and talk about the state of Refereeing in the PL.
Eric+Sykes(Quote)
The swear blocker removed c@ck from peac@ck.
Eric+Sykes(Quote)
I know I am ranting, but there were 2 decisive moments in the Liverpool game that Mike Dean and VAR got wrong. The Brighton goalie should have been sent off and that was never a Liverpool penalty. It sums up the incompetence of the Refs because they do the calls on the field and for VAR. It is not all down to age and fit(fat)ness. They just are not very good at their jobs.
Who makes their yearly assessments? I bet they have a panel of senior Refs doing it, basically rating themselves. Or an old boys’ club. I saw a podcast with Keith Hackett a couple of months ago where he said he would have suspended a couple of the current Refs, or sent them down to lower leagues, for their incompetence. He was recently head of the Ref oversight board. He thinks the current head is a clown.
So, if you hire clowns to oversee the Refs, you get Refs who are clowns – and old, slow and fat.
Eric+Sykes(Quote)
Weghorst was supposed to be a steal and Chris Wood the donkey. They both have 1 league goal each so far.
Eric+Sykes(Quote)