Merry Christmas! To all of our readers and Newcastle fans across the world, we hope you have a lovely time and a happy 2024.
In our final game of 2023, we end with a Boxing Day clash with Nottingham Forest; and it feels like an absolutely massive match. We handed Luton an early Christmas present with yet another awful away performance on Saturday and must bounce back here ahead of a tough run of fixtures to come.
Forest arrive with a new manager in Nuno Espirito Santo, who got off to a losing start over the weekend in a 3-2 defeat to Bournemouth. They’ve been equaully poor on the road this season, but our form at St James’ Park has never been a problem. It’s been sensational all year and it’s vital that continues, giving us a platform to build on and much-needed three points ahead of a January featuring Liverpool, Sunderland, Aston Villa and Man City.
Team news
Jamaal Lascelles is a major doubt to face his former club after he was forced off at Luton, but Joelinton could return after missing defeats to Chelsea and Luton with a hamstring issue. Sven Botman and Alexander Isak are in contention to start after coming off the bench on Saturday.
Elsewhere, the likes of Harvey Barnes, Joe Willock, Elliot Anderson, Jacob Murphy, Nick Pope, Matt Targett, Sandro Tonali and Javier Manquillo remain out.
For Forest, Willy Boly is suspended after his controversial red card on Saturday and Serge Aurier is a doubt, with Felipe, Ibrahima Sangare, Taiwo Awoniyi all ruled out, meaning we could see former Mag Chris Wood start up top.
Predicted XI: Dubravka – Trippier, Schar, Botman, Livramento– Longstaff, Bruno, Joelinton – Almiron, Isak, Gordon.
Prediction: Newcastle 2-0 Nottingham Forest
Forest have collected just five points on the road all season, while our record on home turf has been imperious, seeing us pick up 24 points from a possible 27. We need to see a respond after a really damaging few weeks and I think we’ll get one.
Isak to get back amongst the goals and Botman’s return to have a big impact at the other end. HWTL!
Well at home this is a must win isn’t it, really need a confidence booster ahead of Pool away or I dread to think what state we’ll be in when we go to the unwashed.
Thanks Olly good write up again.
kimtoon(Quote)
If we want to stay in touch for Europe places then we must win all our home matches. This one especially as you say, Kim, to give back some confidence for these next few away games. Fingers crossed.
Thanks again for the article Olly, hope you had a great Christmas mate!
Gilly Toon(Quote)
I know it’s a busy schedule over Christmas & Jan looks a bl00dy tough month in terms of fixtures – BUT dare I say the team & bench looks healthier and Howe now has options to switch things up if he needs to.
Sharpy17(Quote)
HWTL
kimtoon(Quote)
Well we have our first choice back 4 back in place today. Decent first 11. Let’s hope there’s no new manager bounce for Forest 3-0 to us.
Gilly Toon(Quote)
PEN
kimtoon(Quote)
YES ISAK
kimtoon(Quote)
Goooaaalll
It looked a bit soft to me but good penalty
Gilly Toon(Quote)
That came from Miggy’s wasteful miss, giving the ball away. 😡😡😡😡😡
Gilly Toon(Quote)
Forest were pushing and deserved that I guess. We have been very wasteful again. Miggy? What is going on with him?
Gilly Toon(Quote)
Almirón is absolutely horse ****.
I’m sick & tired of Howe sticking with him now like – I’d rather play Tino there til we can upgrade.
Same story – so wasteful in the final 3rd.
Trippier should have taken Gibbs-White out on the halfway line for their goal & Elanga has been turning Burn inside out – so why was he given so much space to get that ball in.
A better side would have us today – they are as poor as us finishing.
Anfield next week we will get destroyed if we give them the opportunities we gave Luton last week & Forest today
Sharpy17(Quote)
We will lose this if we don’t sort our sh.it out 😡😡
Gilly Toon(Quote)
🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬
Gilly Toon(Quote)
Pathetic!!. Absolutely pathetic!!
This is on Howe this. Burn was getting turned inside out on the first half & should have been off for Tino at HT.
Almirón is garage & should be in the team!!.
10 mins too late Eddie
Sharpy17(Quote)
What the fucking hell is this shi.t. Woods of all people! Awful
Gilly Toon(Quote)
We are playing like a Bruce team 🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬
Gilly Toon(Quote)
Same old story – when we are **** we are proper ****.
Bored with excuses now we’ve been pathetic since Spurs
Sharpy17(Quote)
Absolutely dogsh.it. These players need to hang their heads in shame.
Gilly Toon(Quote)
How was that not handball on the line?? Stopped the ball going in FFS
Sharpy17(Quote)
There’s very few players that will look good after this. 🤬🤬🤬🤬
Gilly Toon(Quote)
Definitely a handball there. More of a penalty than the one we were given
Gilly Toon(Quote)
If we lose here as it appears we will, we will definitely lose to Liverpool. They will tear us apart. I expect us to lose against the scum and that then should be the end of Howe. I don’t know what’s gone wrong but this is wrong on many levels.
Gilly Toon(Quote)
About as bad as I’ve seen since Bruce ball. 🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬
Gilly Toon(Quote)
Pathetic!!.
Sorry but the players are happy to take all the cheer’s & plaudits when they do well – they can face the criticism when they turn out the performances they are at the minute!!.
I’d be fine if I never saw Miggy in a Newcastle shirt again if I’m honest. He’s not good enough & Trippier is having to do more offensively with him in the team.
Tino playing LB in recent weeks has shown just how limited Burn is – and I think Howe is bang off for dropping Tino just coz Burn is fit actually. He was playing really well & deserved to stay in.
These aren’t close defeats we are suffering. We could keep playing another 90 mins and I’d have no confidence we’d score in open play!!.
Sharpy17(Quote)
Too many passes and slow in the build up. We need more pace.
Groucho(Quote)
Look at those Jan fixtures – if we get 4 points we’ll have done well – that won’t keep us in the fight though.
Sharpy17(Quote)
Have been waiting for site to be sorted before commenting. Did not thing it was going to be this type of comment. The “party’s over” for Toon fans normal service has been resumed!
Felt very uneasy watching Howes body language and replies after the Luton match. I was reminded of seeing him on the touch line in a defeat he had with Bournemouth in their relegation season, a rabbit caught in the headlights and pure fear. This will be a severe test of his character and his team.
Just in case how many points do we need to be safe?
This season is about done for us now start preparing for next, at my age I can’t have many more
How sad a post has this been? sorry! All the very best for the new year to you all.
nutmag(Quote)
Can’t stand the twist about the demand of CL football either – it’s been 6 games FFS & we’ve had 2 international breaks.
Then say it’s good that we didn’t get Europa football so we can focus on the league & top 4 again – WHY?? So we can use CL football as an excuse again.
Sharpy17(Quote)
Dubravka – not good enough
Burn – not good enough
Longstaff – not good enough
Almirón – not good enough
Schar – below par
Trippier – below par
Bruno – below par
Gordon – below par
That’s not just today, that’s been since Spurs imo – for the below par players anyway. I think the not good enough players haven’t been good enough for along time.
Sharpy17(Quote)