Newcastle United Preview

Well, here we are. December 22, we're about to go into the most hectic two weeks of Premiership football, and Newcastle are playing the best that they have all season. WHOOPS! We've also got four of the most difficult matches all season in the next two weeks!! home for Tottenham, away to Bolton, away to Everton, and none other than Manchester United at St. James Park. If we come away with 5-6 points from those four games, it'll be a definite positive. At the same time - the way we're playing, there's no reason why we cant steal 9-10 points. Get some sort of result EVERY GAME. Who knows? THIS IS THE TOON!

For the Tottenham game, look. This could possibly be the most entertaining game of football all season long. Both teams are playing excellent football at the moment, and both of their seasons are in the upswing. A loss to start this crazy scheduling partition will really damper their holiday plans. So both will be chomping at the bit for the 3 points. It's up to our midfield again to supply the on-form strikers with balls. James Milner has been playing out of his skin, and that will need to continue on Saturday. If it does, it'll give Kieron Dyer some much needed rest after a ful 90 minute spell on Wednesday with Chelsea. I think we should line up with Duff, Emre, Parker and Milner in the midfield, and have Sibierski and Martins up front. This has proven a very successful lineup lately. Then, if any of the mids(or strikers) go down or play below level, Dyer comes in to mop up all the goals. Simple as that.
Another obvious importance to this game - our back four. I've got no concerns whatsoever about Taylor and Ramage in the middle. They're the ideal guys to be holding the back. Solano has been class in the back as well. And who can fault young Paul Huntington for coming from the reserves to a starting role and playing solid, smart, Ramage-style football to keep his place. In my opinion - he gets the nod even before a healthy Babayaro. We've gotten the winning attitude back because we're working as a unit, and let's keep that going.

My official prediction:
Newcastle United: 3-0 : Tottenham Hotspur

Newcastle Review

Well, they guys played hard and played well last night. It was a tough match, and the goal should never have materialized. But of course the real story of the match is N'zogbia's injury. This has gotten ridiculous - I thought last year that it couldn't get any worse - well, this year is MUCH WORSE. I saw this on soccernet.com this morning. A very interesting list. Just take a look at all the players on this list who are first team, and all the players who play for their national team.


Newcastle's injury list

• SHOLA AMEOBI: Currently recovering from surgery to repair a long-standing hip problem and has set himself the target of returning for the start of next season.

• OLIVIER BERNARD: Arrived from Rangers in September well short of match fitness and has since suffered a hip injury which has prevented him from making a second senior debut for the club.

• TITUS BRAMBLE: Hoping to be fit for the new year after an alarming reaction to a blow to the calf in Frankfurt last month which resulted in an extended stay in hospital.

• STEPHEN CARR: Still fighting his way back from a foot problem which has kept him out of the club's last seven games with no imminent return in sight.

• DAMIEN DUFF: Back in light training following surgery to repair a damaged knee cartilage, but could be out for several weeks yet.

• KIERON DYER: One of those who could return at the weekend, Dyer has missed the last four games with a badly gashed thigh after coming back from hamstring and eye problems.

• EMRE: Picked up a nasty-looking ankle injury in the 3-1 win at Blackburn last weekend, but has an outside chance of making the Watford game.

• STEVE HARPER: In rehabilitation after surgery to repair a hernia last month, but should be available within a matter of weeks.

• TIM KRUL: Back in training following a knee operation, but the goalkeeping crisis which handed him a senior debut in Palermo last month has abated.

• CRAIG MOORE: Out with a hamstring problem for the last six games, Moore has a history of similar injuries which have cost him lengthy spells on the sidelines, and no date has been put on his return.

• CHARLES N'ZOGBIA: The club is still assessing the extent of suspected knee ligament damage sustained in last night's 1-0 defeat at Chelsea.

• MICHAEL OWEN: Owen has targeted a return late this season after separate operations to repair cartilage damage and the ruptured anterior cruciate ligament he suffered during England's World Cup finals campaign.

• SCOTT PARKER Strained a back muscle during the 1-0 Premiership win over Portsmouth on November 26, but could return at the weekend.

• NOLBERTO SOLANO Picked up a hamstring injury at Blackburn and could be out for two to three weeks.


The young guys from the academy played really really well against the champion last night, and from the looks of this list, they're going to keep getting chances to impress.

Newcastle United Preview

Well, the more negative I've gotten, the better my team has begun to play. So logically, I should continue with the ranting and raving and keep watching the Toon rack up impressive victories. But I just can't do that. The eternal optimist (Cubs fan) in me is tempting me to look towards the sky.

Here are the facts.
1) Chelsea is one of the most gifted, confident, and intelligent teams in the leage.
2) Newcastle are not one of the most gifted, confident, OR intelligent teams in the league.
3) Jose Mourinho has already declared this game as a victory for Chelsea and that they can look forward to being 5 points down from Manchester United on Thursday morning.
4) Newcastle have an injury list the size of Frank Lampard's missed penalty list.
5) Chelsea and Newcastle are both under enormous pressure to get points. But Chelsea need THREE.

No one is expecting NUFC to go to Stamford Bridge and come away with all three points. But at the moment - we're playing some of our best football of the season; not by scoring flashy goals and wowing teams with our agility - but by not screwing up in the back. We pushing forward, playing good emergent football, and the goals are coming where and when they should. We're finally putting the chances away that we've been creating all season long. So I'm not incredibly surprised by that. But what we're doing is not giving away too many goals on set pieces, and not slipping and falling at the back creating direct kicks or breakaway situations. Given's inhuman ability to see shots early has saved us in the past few games - and we expect him to do that now. We need it every game - especially today. And I expect for him to get another incredible stops to keep us in this match. Unfortunately we'll be without Solano, who's been filling in beautifully at right back. So Taylor REALLY needs to have a strong game. But more importantly, we need to rely on good defense by our MIDFIELD. We all know we've got a solid mid with quick wingers. But we can't let Chelsea gallup up the field easily to the penalty box every posession. Early pressure to keep them occupied in midfield will help our chances. And if Butt can continue to play as he has, it'll go along way toward an NUFC positive result.

My official prediction:
Chelsea: 1-1 : Newcastle United

Newcastle United Preview

Well, we're at that point in the season where the football is played during the week. You've got 4-6 games on the weekend, your standard Monday evening match, two Tuesday matches and a Wednesday, if not more. At this point in the season, things have been shuffled, irregularities have begun to settle. The order has begun to emerge from the chaos (barring the previously mentioned scheduling pitfalls). And at this point in the season, if your team is in the drop zone, you're not sleeping too well at night because you know that A) teams deserve to be where they are by now and B) you're beginning - just barely - but indeed, beginning to run out of time. For instance - Arsenal has basically dropped all hopes for winning the crown. Well, if Arsenal (currently 12 points clear of the Toon and in third place) have given up hope - what does it say for our misery?
Anyway, enough. On to the preview.

Reading are coming to SJP today with a great streak of wins behind them. They're scoring goals and they're keeping clean sheets. Strangely enough, Newcastle have also been playing probably the best football that they've played all season. But injuries are absolutely ripping this team to shreds. This is the second season in a row now, where I would imagine pretty much every manager is looking at the NUFC squad and actually feeling pity for Glenn Roeder. As much as I disagree with some of his decisions this season, the man can only work with the players he has. And when you've got Kieron Dyer, Titus Bramble, Michael Owen, Scott Parker, Damien Duff, Shola Ameobi, Craig Moore, Steve Harper, Olivier Bernard and Tim Krul all on the list, that doesn't leave a very deep squad of first-team players. But it still does leave us with a Premier League-worthy club, in my opinion.
We'll hopefully line up with Given in back, Solano filling in at right back, where he proved he can dominate, Taylor and Ramage in the middle, where they belong EVERY MATCH, and Babs on the left, who's just coming back from injury. I'm not a fan of Babayaro, but he's the only player we've got left back there. In the midfield, Milner on right, Emre and Butt in the middle, and Zog on the left. Up front, Rossi and Martins.
On paper, it's not too bad of a starting 11, but it's how they play together. And unfortunately, with so many lineup changes due to injury this season - the players don't know each other as well as they should. It's Roeder's job to teach that in training, but I'm beyond believing in his ability to do that. So we'll just have to wing it.
Watch for Rossi and Martins to decemate the Reading defense with their speed, and watch (again) for Given to keep a clean sheet in a game which should PROBABLY deserve to be won by Reading.

My official Prediction:
Newcastle United 1:0 Reading