Newcastle United VS Birmingham City

[Noelie 103]

Chuffed as fuck with the result but we are clutching at straws to find positives from that performance, when will the penny drop with Allardyce that N'Zogbia should play on the left wing and Milner on the right ?

 

 

I'm more than pleased with the result but I must admit it didn't look as though we would win, in fact I thought we were going to throw the game away in the 2nd half after overwhelming Birmingham in the last 20 minutes of the 1st.

I think it was highly noticable that Milner continually tried to get the ball to his right foot to make the crosses, even the match commentator made a comment about that. That being so, why does Allardyce persist in playing him on the left.

As for N'Zogbia, he is most dangerous when running at the opposition's defence but you don't expect someone in a full back position to be doing that all the time, that's what you expect from a wide left or right player.

[Guest alex]

Huffed and puffed without creating much 2nd half but I reckon we deserved it over the 90 mins. A positive performance for me. Obviously the late goal makes all the difference in terms of the assessment.

Fuck off you bastids that's my catchphrase

 

Sorry Mr Wolf.

[sweetleftpeg 0]

As much as I hate the phrase, that result has papered over the cracks. As the lad behind me pointed out, despite the fact his tactics didn't work again, he'll be telling the press et al that he got it spot on as we won. How much of a farce was it at the end when Enrique came on and nobody knew where the fuck they were supposed to be playing? Jesus weptaphon!

[Happy Face 29]

Am I being biased, or is this match report a little harsh on us...and inexplicably kind to Birmingham...

 

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/foo...icle3022209.ece

 

In an effort to demonstrate that his team have been making progress, Newcastle manager Sam Allardyce insists recent performances have improved, but the result was all they had to be proud of yesterday. Just when the Tyneside club’s midweek revival looked destined to be exposed as a false dawn, Habib Beye’s late winner provided them with their first win in seven matches.

 

After a draw with Arsenal was supposed to have put the worst behind them, Newcastle contrived to make hard work of opponents who did not deserve to lose. In the final minute of a second half in which Alex McLeish’s side called most of the shots, Emre swung in a hopeful corner to the front post, and Beye darted in ahead of Sebastian Larsson to divert the ball over the line. What the new Birmingham manager had inflicted on Spurs a week before, he had now fallen victim to, and the prospect of more dissent from Newcastle’s fans was averted.

 

The fervour with which the Geordie nation follows its team can be both a boost and a burden. Against more fancied opposition, such as Arsenal in midweek, it serves to galvanise them, but when the likes of Birmingham come along, the backdrop manifests itself as pressure. The visitors’ Gary McSheffrey had warned that were Newcastle to concede an early goal, the raucous encouragement from which they benefited three days earlier would quickly turn to abuse.

 

The theory was tested after just nine minutes. That the breakthrough should be attributed to another of the home side’s frequent defensive mistakes put paid to the notion that Allardyce had shored up his porous back line. When Rafael Schmitz hurled a long pass from deep in his own half, David Rozenahl failed to utilise the ball’s ample air time, and somehow hesitated long enough to let Cameron Jerome take control. The 21-year-old lone striker for Birmingham calmly rounded the goalkeeper and slipped it over the line.

 

There was bewilderment in the stands as a stunned home side struggled to respond, and although they came good towards the end of a rainswept first half, it was only after a slice of fortune. The catalyst appeared to be an injury to Nicky Butt, which forced Allardyce to bring on Mark Viduka in his place, and a penalty that only just crossed the line. It was a spot-kick all right, Mathew Sadler caught Obafemi Martins with a trailing leg, but when the Nigerian smacked his shot towards the bottom right-hand corner, Maik Taylor pushed it on to the post. As the goalkeeper turned to assess the damage, the ball was trickling over the line. It was Newcastle’s first penalty this season, and it looked like it.

 

To their credit, the fans had stuck with Newcastle who showed in what remained of the opening period that they were worthy of the equaliser.

 

Although Jerome again tested Shay Given with a snap-shot, it was the Birmingham goal that was under threat. A flurry of activity just before the break ought to have earned Newcastle a second, but James Milner was twice denied, first by the goalkeeper, and then by the woodwork. Although he should have connected better with a cross from Charles N’Zogbia, a lack of conviction that allowed Taylor to tip over, the midfielder was unfortunate to see his 20-yarder come down off the crossbar. Newcastle, though, were as nervous in the opening stages of the second half as they had been in the first. The same Birmingham XI that had defeated Spurs in McLeish’s first match again showed the kind of ambition that was too often lacking under Steve Bruce.

 

Larsson, scorer of a wonderful winner at White Hart Lane, could have put the visitors in front after exchanging passes with Jerome, but with a defender closing him down, he blazed the chance high and wide. Then Jerome demonstrated his searing pace with a burst past Steven Taylor’s leaden legs, and a cutback that Rozehnal did well to intercept.

 

All of which inspired the Midlands side, who were able to boast not only a swift counter-attack, but the bulk of possession.

 

Apart from a shot sliced wide by Alan Smith, after a flick by Joey Barton, there was precious little to lift a disillusioned home support. Only the replacement of Geremi with Emre, 19 minutes from the end, relieved the familiar drone of anxiety that seems to pervade St James’ these days. There seemed to be a helplessness about the home cause, which was reflected in Barton’s late booking, the least he deserved for a cynical lunge as Jerome left him for dead.

 

Relief, though, came from an unlikely source. Beye had not scored in nearly two years. He knows how to pick his moments.

 

Paul Forsyth

[Happy Face 29]

Commentary on Match of the Day after the Birmingham goal goes in "you can feel the pressure rolling off the stands onto the pitch"

 

...while the fans are chanting "Newcastle, Newcastle, Newcastle".

 

[marci 0]

The media wont back off until we win 3-4 games on the trot imo. Bastards.

[sammynb 3641]

The media wont back off until we win 3-4 premierships and champions league titles on the trot imo. Cunts.

 

FYP!

[LeazesMag 0]

Chuffed as fuck with the result but we are clutching at straws to find positives from that performance, when will the penny drop with Allardyce that N'Zogbia should play on the left wing and Milner on the right ?

 

 

I'm more than pleased with the result but I must admit it didn't look as though we would win, in fact I thought we were going to throw the game away in the 2nd half after overwhelming Birmingham in the last 20 minutes of the 1st.

I think it was highly noticable that Milner continually tried to get the ball to his right foot to make the crosses, even the match commentator made a comment about that. That being so, why does Allardyce persist in playing him on the left.

As for N'Zogbia, he is most dangerous when running at the opposition's defence but you don't expect someone in a full back position to be doing that all the time, that's what you expect from a wide left or right player.

 

agree. Same as Wednesday, in the last 20 minutes of the first half, after Viduka came on, Smith played a forward role close to Viduka. In the second half he was back to playing in the centre circle. Waste of time. He plays up front, and his mobility helps us to keep pressure on opponents, Viduka can't and never has done this.

 

I am still hoping Allardyce will show that he understands the game by seeing these problems, and sorts them out asap. It is baffling, as is his treatment or use of Zoggy and Milner.

 

I accept that not too many quality players are transferred in january, but I would expect that we bring in someone, even someone who is short term, to plug these gaping weaknesses in this team ie those left by Solano and Dyer.

[tinofbeans 91]

that of creativity in the middle of the park.

 

that would be nice.

[Baggio 0]

An average game apart from a bright spell before half time.

 

Our tactics of playing long balls up to the long man was a complete waste of time and I don't remember us once making anything of any of them, far too easy for the Birmingham back four who probably couldn't believe their luck how easy we made it for them, we swapped Butt for Viduka and the team picked up after that, not because of anything that he done but the Birmingham players struggled to cope with the width we created with Martins cutting in from the right and Milner on the left with N'Zogbia overlapping, basically we were playing with the ball on the deck and looked much better for it.

 

The second half started similar to the first, more aimless long balls being pumped forward and we didn't really create that many chances, by playing long ball football we surrendered the ball to easily which put us continuously under pressure, Birmingham looked the team likely to score at the end when they were winning corners but luckily for us we got the winner which will paper over the cracks.

 

I'm not a fan of Milner's but I thought he was excellent on Saturday, it was the best game I've seen him play for a long time but I doubt he'll be able to continue that form, Beye also had an excellent game getting up and down the right hand side, he was winning balls and putting crosses in which we've been desperate for from the fullback positions, Martins was not as impressive as those two but still caused a threat when we played the ball on the floor, he's scored more than the rest of our strikers put together so we could be fucked when he goes off to play in the African Nations, everyone else was pretty average.

 

Hopefully we'll see a target man like Crouch or Ashton come in if Allardyce wants to stick with the 4-3-3 formation, also someone to play wide left as I don't think either Milner or N'Zogbia are good enough to play out there if we want to be anything more than a mid table team, maybe someone who's handy from dead ball situations since fat Sam has us making good chances from them.

[bassplayerjj 0]

Milner has played on the left more than he has played on the right, FACT. He started that position for Leeds and off the frontman also. He plays there alot for England U21s. I can see why Sam plays him htere because he's very two footed and can get the ball in the danger area one way or another.

 

Would like to see him play on the right with Zog on the left of course. But Enrique obviously isn't ready for the prem yet, hopefully in the 2nd half of the season he will get more games and more confidence and Duff and Zog, Milner and hopefully someone like Arshavin will be competing for the right hand slot or the other way round.

 

Zog looks a fairly decent left back, would have him there over Baba any day of the week as he is so useful going forwards and has pace that can help out a back four that isn't blessed with it.

 

As long as we get a few more results when we aren't playing that well our confidence will grow and we will slowly climb the table =)

[sammynb 3641]

Huffed and puffed without creating much 2nd half but I reckon we deserved it over the 90 mins. A positive performance for me. Obviously the late goal makes all the difference in terms of the assessment.

Fuck off you bastids that's my catchphrase

It really was a matter of normal service resumed today after the Arsenal blip.

Yes so what the team ended up with the points and absolutely battered their goal for the last 15 minutes of the first half, it doesn't make up for the lacklustre effort the rest of the match and the fucking pityful tactics and substitutions.

Why does it take the team so long to start both from the initial kick-off and then after half time.

Why do we insist on humping it long to forwards that just don't play that way and inevitably we get caught when it gets humped straight back at us and we fall over ourselves to let them score.

Why the fuck wasn't Smith subbed ten minutes into the second half when he'd disappeared from the game completely and it was obvious their 5 in the midfield was butt fucking our 3 everytime. Why can't professional footballers actually make 5 to 10 yard passes to their own players. How long will it be before other teams realise that if you just shut down our left side we're fucked because we have no right side and our centre midfield are just a bunch of plodders.

It's there for the world to see and yet 3 lucky points against relegation fodder and 1 point against a 3rd choice Arsenal midfield and we're heading in the right direction again.

There has to be a better way.

What was that Chemical Brothers song with Shirley Bassey?

[Jimbo 175]

Huffed and puffed without creating much 2nd half but I reckon we deserved it over the 90 mins. A positive performance for me. Obviously the late goal makes all the difference in terms of the assessment.

Fuck off you bastids that's my catchphrase

It really was a matter of normal service resumed today after the Arsenal blip.

Yes so what the team ended up with the points and absolutely battered their goal for the last 15 minutes of the first half, it doesn't make up for the lacklustre effort the rest of the match and the fucking pityful tactics and substitutions.

Why does it take the team so long to start both from the initial kick-off and then after half time.

Why do we insist on humping it long to forwards that just don't play that way and inevitably we get caught when it gets humped straight back at us and we fall over ourselves to let them score.

Why the fuck wasn't Smith subbed ten minutes into the second half when he'd disappeared from the game completely and it was obvious their 5 in the midfield was butt fucking our 3 everytime. Why can't professional footballers actually make 5 to 10 yard passes to their own players. How long will it be before other teams realise that if you just shut down our left side we're fucked because we have no right side and our centre midfield are just a bunch of plodders.

It's there for the world to see and yet 3 lucky points against relegation fodder and 1 point against a 3rd choice Arsenal midfield and we're heading in the right direction again.

There has to be a better way.

What was that Chemical Brothers song with Shirley Bassey?

 

History repeating ???

 

 

Ps it was The Propellerheads

[Dr Kenneth Noisewater 0]

What was that Chemical Brothers song with Shirley Bassey?

If you're getting at what I think you're getting at, I think you mean Propellerheads with Shirley Bassey

[sammynb 3641]

What was that Chemical Brothers song with Shirley Bassey?

If you're getting at what I think you're getting at, I think you mean Propellerheads with Shirley Bassey

It was to jimbo (and Dr), thank you.

Either way Allardyce is still a useless twat.

Edited December 23, 2007 by sammynb