If you could sum this season up in one sentence it would be: “One step forward, two steps back.”
And if you could sum this season up in two games, it would be West Ham (H) and Everton (H).
Bobby Robson once said that the issue with his team was that they were consistently inconsistent. Truer words could not be spoken about this season’s squad. Still, we find ourselves in the hunt for a European place and a chance to make it seven points out of a possible nine in the last week.
Fulham are a team who find themselves in a spiral of inconsistency too, losing 3-1 to relegation-threatened Forest, drawing with Sheffield United, but beating Brighton and Spurs both 3-0 in their last two home games.
Eddie Howe’s Mags have already gone to Craven Cottage and returned victorious once this season – a 2-0 FA Cup win.
But, the Cottagers are a side who the Toon must be wary of and boss Eddie Howe understands the need to put a good run together at this crucial point in the season.
“I see a lot of teams searching for consistency and searching for a run of victories that will catapult them to where they want to be and we’re one of those teams,” Howe said. “Everyone is finding that consistency hard to find so it’s up to us to grab that.”
Team News
Lewis Hall has impressed in the last two matches and, despite suffering from fatigue against Everton was back in training today and expected to be in the squad. Kieran Trippier’s return to fitness is taking longer than expected.
Callum Wilson is still training despite a pectoral injury. Pope, Almiron, Livramento, Joelinton, Lascelles, Botman all remain on the treatment table.
Meanwhile for Fulham, Marco Silva confirmed that the Londoners would have a full team available for selection. Must be nice!
Predicted line-up: Dubravka; Krafth, Schar, Burn, Hall; Bruno, Longstaff, Anderson; Gordon, Isak, Barnes.
It looks like another makeshift squad. I would expect Anderson to start again after Willock’s laboured introduction on Tuesday – he never really got going and Anderson looked much sharper.
Murphy has had a run of a few games without particularly standing out and, after Gordon has returned from his suspension, his injection of energy will be welcomed.
That front three is something to admire, for sure!
Prediction: Fulham 1 – 1 Newcastle
Having come so close with my prediction of a 1-0 win on Tuesday (thanks Dummett…) I am going to say that we will just fall short again of all three points.
Fulham have a goalscoring machine in Muniz at the moment and our makeshift backline can, and will, be exposed. It’s not that I lack optimism, it’s that I possess realism.
If we play the front three that I predict, then I can see us scoring. Let’s just hope it’s a bad score prediction.
Why the negative vibes?
Calling out/naming players for a 50/50 mistake is childish and unnecessary!! Please be a bit more positive, get behind NUFC and support our team properly, or give up writing on this site.
Northern soul 66(Quote)
I don’t see negative vibes just a healthy dose of realism .
We have had an amazing run of injuries that’s for sure, is it bad luck or poor training, medical regimes ? A bit of everything I suspect.
Really can’t call todays result, we are inconsistent, often from one half to another let alone game from game. Must be a bookies nightmare.
kimtoon(Quote)
I don’t get 2 keepers on the bench – especially as both are likely to leave at the end of the season. Stick another one of the young uns on there for a bit of first team exposure 🤷🏼♂️.
Gonna be a tough one today I think. I’d take a draw right now.
Sharpy17(Quote)
HWTL
kimtoon(Quote)
Getting rinsed 😡😡
Gilly Toon(Quote)
Willock off injured 🙄🙄🙄
Gilly Toon(Quote)
Pretty drab affair so far and another injury.
kimtoon(Quote)
Jaysus now Schar injured
kimtoon(Quote)
Scharrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
get in
kimtoon(Quote)
Get iiiinnnnnnnn
Gilly Toon(Quote)
Hang on var check
kimtoon(Quote)
🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬 seriously
Gilly Toon(Quote)
no goal
kimtoon(Quote)
Effin joke man
kimtoon(Quote)
I’m fucking fuming at that 🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬
Gilly Toon(Quote)
C’mon lads
kimtoon(Quote)
Yessssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss
BRUNO
kimtoon(Quote)
Get in. Bruno …
Gilly Toon(Quote)
credit to young Anderson too
kimtoon(Quote)
Now hang on to this lead
kimtoon(Quote)
9 mins 😳😳😳 where the FFFFFF did they get 9 mins from? This is a joke.
Gilly Toon(Quote)
min of 9 minutes extra time ! where the h ell have they got 9 mins from
kimtoon(Quote)
Gilly, that’s iffy as **** that 9 mins
kimtoon(Quote)
There’s a rabbit off somewhere. 🤬🤬🤬
Gilly Toon(Quote)
No other game has that much added time, still can’t work out how there is 9 mins
kimtoon(Quote)
Oh gawd Dummett on for Hall
kimtoon(Quote)
Oh no the wrestler is coming on! 🙄😳.
Gilly Toon(Quote)
Hammers game and Villa game has gone over by 10 mins now
kimtoon(Quote)
Hammers concede equalizer but var rule it out
kimtoon(Quote)
west ham into 14th minute extra time now !
kimtoon(Quote)
Get in lads
3 points
kimtoon(Quote)
What was that? 12 mins added? Jesus. Definitely a rabbit off there. Good win.
Gilly Toon(Quote)
Hammers game was almost 15 mins over, it’s proper silly amounts now.
kimtoon(Quote)
Huge result, should have been 2-0 but at least it didn’t cost us. 7 from 9 and good results around us. Maybe just as well Dummett messed up on Tuesday because with 3 wins I’d be dreaming of champions league again
Newkie(Quote)