Swansea v Newcastle United Good Friday Kick Off 4.30pm

[Dr Gloom 21847]

taylor's got to start ahead of obertan. he'd do alreet in a midfield three i reckon

[Christmas Tree 4711]

 

The BBC, sky sports, .com and the official site all go with the bench being Elliot, Santon, Taylor, Ferguson, Gosling, Vuckic and Shola.

 

Aye, my mistake.

[Christmas Tree 4711]

Magpies go from goat to mash in Pardew's kitchen

 

 

NEWCASTLE UNITED can take a giant leap towards the Europa League with a win today. Mark Douglas reports on Alan Pardew’s latest masterstroke.

 

AFTER Africa Day, Newcastle United had an England Day at training this week. It felt quite apt as the black and white League of Nations trek to Wales aiming to take a further leap forward in their bid to return to European competition.

 

Whereas last week it was curried goat to help fire Senegalese Papiss Demba Cissé, it was the more prosaic charms of sausage and mash and pie and peas for Newcastle’s players on Wednesday.

 

Such attention to detail might make a nice line for fans and journalists in the run-up to the Swansea game, but it is also indicative of the sort of attention to detail which has helped push Newcastle into Champions League contention.

 

Inclusion is the key at United’s Benton training base, and that means fringe players are made to feel as much a part of the team as star men like Demba Ba (pictured right) and Cissé. Hence James Perch slipping so seamlessly into the side when required – and the ladling of pie and peas at the training ground.

 

It is a philosophy which might aid them again this weekend, with Danny Guthrie missing and even Perch potentially on the sidelines.

 

Pardew explains: “You have to be mindful and careful you manage the group on an even keel.

 

“ I don't think I lean towards players who are not playing more, nor do I lean towards those who are. I am just trying to keep everybody in a good place and that is an important job for the manager of a football team.

 

 

“I feel for some players when they do not get a chance, like Peter Løvenkrands who is coming to the end of his contract and the fact he has a terrible injury which means he's not going to play.

 

“His situation put him under terrible pressure to play for a contract. All these things come into my mind.

 

“When you talk about team morale there was no one more happy in training on Monday morning after the Liverpool result than Peter, you would have thought he played.

 

“That is the sort of character we have here.”

 

It is the sort of resolve which means United have tended to respond positively in the face of adversity – both as a team and individually.

 

A collapse in away form at the end of the winter seems to have been put behind them in good time for the trip to South Wales, but now it is top scorer Ba looking to resurrect his goalscoring feats.

 

Pardew is not worried about his all-round play but admits the forward is in personal turmoil because of his form.

 

He added: “I don't think there is a turn in the corner because he is doing a fantastic job for the team.

 

“On a personal level I know he feeds off goals and I have to make sure he gets the opportunity to score goals, otherwise he is not going to do the work for the team. That is like all strikers, but we will find a route to make sure he contributes in the last six games, not just with work ethic but with goals as well.”

 

 

United will need him on song as they take on the Premier League’s surprise package this season.

 

Swansea have bewitched the top flight with their passing game, a style which has earned them the breathless nickname “Swans-alona” in some circles.

 

That is possibly pushing it – they remain the lowest scorers in the top 10 with just 35 goals this season – but they are difficult to play against and pleasant on the eye. For Pardew there is the added element of coming up against his former protege Brendan Rodgers, who was a youth coach under the United boss while the pair were at Reading.

 

He said: “He probably owes me a bottle of wine or two I should think, so I am expecting to have a nice drink with him afterwards.

 

“There is no rocket science behind it but there is a purity to their football and they open the pitch up, but if you do that you are vulnerable and what we have do is make sure we hit them when they are vulnerable. If we do that I think we can win.

 

“If we just let them play their game and are just happy to let them dictate then I think they will win, but we are there to challenge them.”

 

Jonás Gutiérrez looks set to continue at left-back unless Pardew changes formation to cope with the Swans.

 

 

Pardew feels his Argentina midfielder has been helped by a positional change which should “refresh” him.

 

He added: “We have players who can evolve.

 

“With Jonás, sometimes a player playing in a different position re-motivates you.

 

“He has done brilliantly at left-back and in central midfield against West Brom he was equally good, so it is nice sometimes to have something fresh going into a game.

 

“I thought two games on that left-hand side he got a little bit stale – so we have managed to re-energise him.

 

“Now I know I can put him back there and he will be full of beans.”

 

And the England day? “It went well,” Pardew chuckled.

 

 

 

Read More http://www.journallive.co.uk/nufc/newcastle-united-news/2012/04/06/magpies-go-from-goat-to-mash-in-pardew-s-kitchen-61634-30705047/#ixzz1rFAbWbwu

[McFaul 35]

The way people are going on about Obertan you'd think he was the worst player who's ever kicked a ball. He's had some canny games, Stoke away being one. 22 year old ffs.

[The Fish 10779]

The way people are going on about Obertan you'd think he was the worst player who's ever kicked a ball. He's had some canny games, Stoke away being one. 22 year old ffs.

Folks need a scapegoat.

 

I would rather stick with the same line-up that's worked so well in the last two games, but if Perch and Guthrie are missing it may mean we need to reshuffle the 1st team and subsequently the formation to get the best from the players we have. If that means Obertan starts, I've got faith in Pardew to believe he's doing it for a good reason.

[ewerk 30369]

It's not that he's a scapegoat, he's just not a very good footballer. For much of the season he was starting every game while consistently being one of the worst players in the team, that's why people are sick of him.

[2bias 3]

The way people are going on about Obertan you'd think he was the worst player who's ever kicked a ball. He's had some canny games, Stoke away being one. 22 year old ffs.

Ditto!

[Ayatollah Hermione 13837]

Obertan's done canny away from home this year. I thought he had a decent first half at Arsenal, played well at Stoke and Bolton, came on and scored past Blackburn. I don't think he'll ever be any great shakes but we said that about Perch and look at him. I think it'll be a midfield 3 of Jonas-Tiote-Cabaye with Ryan Taylor in at FB if Perch is out. Santon or Simpson going to centre half?

[jaythesouthernmag 0]

Anyone with Stan James there's a fuck up, Cisse @ 66-1, Demba@50-1 and Ben Arfa at 40-1 first goal

[jaythesouthernmag 0]

Also Cisse 22-1 anytime scorer

[2bias 3]

Tempted but dont gamble

[Park Life 71]

I've got this as a 1-3.

[The Fish 10779]

Anyone with Stan James there's a fuck up, Cisse @ 66-1, Demba@50-1 and Ben Arfa at 40-1 first goal

Suspended already.

[ewerk 30369]

I'd be surprised if they honour any of the incorrect odds.

[jaythesouthernmag 0]

Anyone with Stan James there's a fuck up, Cisse @ 66-1, Demba@50-1 and Ben Arfa at 40-1 first goal

Suspended already.

Got mine in on all three first or anytime

[Park Life 71]

Can someone inter-cut this raven footage with Papiss scoring. Edited April 6, 2012 by Park Life

[Davey Dave 0]

Not too confident about this. Swansea's style of play won't suit us at all.

 

3-1 to them i reckon.

[Christmas Tree 4711]

Can't wait for match time. The nipper got night and day mixed up last night so rather than my normal good Friday double shift, it's a few beer tokens this morning, bike ride with the kiddywinks then off to the pub.

 

What a great weekend it will be if we manage to pull this off and be 2 points off the champions league!!!

[Tom 14011]

Not too confident about this. Swansea's style of play won't suit us at all.

 

3-1 to them i reckon.

 

I think we've changed our game a bit since the 4-3-3 started working however - just like Norwich I can see Swansea running rings around us & if Perch isn't fit we'll be especially vulnerable at the back.

 

It's going to be quite high scoring, we'll have to hope that we are on the right end of it. We'll be incredibly high on confidence but our defence might just be hopeless.

[Monroe Transfer 0]

Not too confident about this. Swansea's style of play won't suit us at all.

 

3-1 to them i reckon.

 

We hardly struggled when we played them at SJP.

 

Some people just can't help but be pessimistic it seems.

[Andrew 4721]

Not too confident about this. Swansea's style of play won't suit us at all.

 

3-1 to them i reckon.

 

We hardly struggled when we played them at SJP.

 

Some people just can't help but be pessimistic it seems.

 

Aye as I said earlier, they play nice football but that doesn't make them this amazing unbeatable side. We're a good bit above them in the league and it's on merit. We can win this if we keep our level of the last few weeks

[ChezGiven 0]

The way people are going on about Obertan you'd think he was the worst player who's ever kicked a ball. He's had some canny games, Stoke away being one. 22 year old ffs.

There are numerous examples of players being written off by know-all fans only for them to turn around their game and prove them wrong. Despite the fact that recently 'the worst player i've ever seen playing for us" (not my words) James Perch has been putting in more than competent performances, people still think that a young player cant develop. Its just a messageboard ffs and all that but the debate on forums/online contributes to the general perception of the player and it just doesnt do us or the player any good. A debate on where he can improve, what he needs to work on is much healthier than just calling him shite.

 

Anyway the games keep getting bigger and bigger, i though last week was the biggest of the season but a win today is another massive step forward, i cant call the result but its a big one as victory today gives us a massive chance on monday to hit 59 points with 5 to play. That would be sensational stuff. Really excited about the match but its a shame we are so weakened. That does mean any sort of result is a great achievement though.

[Davey Dave 0]

Toms view is kind of what I was getting at. Norwich away is a good example.

 

Makeshift defence against a decent possession side might spell trouble for us.

[Tom 14011]

I was referring to the home match too - they passed it round nicely though admitedly didn't make many chances.

[zico martin 89]

I was referring to the home match too - they passed it round nicely though admitedly didn't make many chances.

 

swansea are a much better side at home so i wont be easy and as its gonna be the first time ive seen them this season i'm not 100% confident like!