The Newcastle United Blog

72 responses so far ↓

• 1 Charlie Bucket // Mar 18, 2008 at 8:36

  I didn’t see the game last night but I was impressed when I heard the starting line-up. Playing three upfront was a bold move as was dropping Smith and Duff, although the latter was not even on the bench. Was he injured?

  A similar system at home on Saturday against Fulham, maybe with N’Zogbia or Emre just to add a touch more creativity instead of Butt, Geremi or Barton and we could get our first three points since we played them last December.

  Good result, and it suggests things are on the up. Lets see if we can get that Sam Vokes lad in from Bournemouth now

• 2 toonhitman // Mar 18, 2008 at 8:43

  keegan got his tatics wrong last night 4-3-3 we played with no width,then to top it off he took oba off when viduka should of come off he did nothing all night,as for barton he was shite the second half was better we could have nicked it,but 1 point is better than no points…

• 3 Ian // Mar 18, 2008 at 8:45

  Keegans stupid decision was taking Martins off, Martins and Owen look as if they will work well together. It looks as if it will work as I thought it would, Martins scatters the defense has a go at goal or passes to others and Owen is there to pick up the pieces without being marked out of play.
  I do not understand why Martins is still not viewed as our only way (at present) of winning games, even if he doesnt score himself he is usually involved in some way even if it is simply drawing away some of the opposition’s defense, without Martins on the pitch the other side reamin composed and pretty much know what is going to happen, Owen will be at the front waiting for a pass so they defend against that, with Martins on the pitch their guess is as good as mine to what he may do, Take the long shot? Go it alone? Hold it for a pass? we dont know and they do not know so they cant plan against it, that is when either Martins himself or someone else in the team will get a chance, there are always more shots on goal with Martins out there, dont hack him off otherwise we are back to the type of games while he was away-rubbish.
  One thing with Owen you can always rely on him being in the right place at the right time, ideal to play alongside someone like Martins.
  Viduka looks promising for his first game.

• 4 Anon // Mar 18, 2008 at 8:50

  Toonhitman, you talk bollox!!!!!!!!!!!!
  Viduka, Martins & Owen up front were outstanding together in the second half because we got the ball to them, first half all three were quiet because Butt & Barton dwelled far too long on the ball in the middle of the park.

  Keegans tactics were spot on!!

  Bare in Mind that only Chelsea have beat Brum at St Andrews this season and last nigth was a bloody good result!!

• 5 phoonCK // Mar 18, 2008 at 8:51

  Ratings for Newcastle players, with starting points at 5.

  Harper: 6
  safe pair of hands and looked more commanding in handling crosses than Given.

  Beye: 6
  reliable and hard working with occassional over lapping runs.

  Taylor: 6
  partly to blame for the goal conceded. could have challenged for header instead of ball watching. should have done better with his header at goal unchallenged, when M.Taylor hesitated with the cross.

  Faye: 5
  the main culprit for the goal conceded. poor positioning and poor timing of his jumps for most of 1st half, but improved gradually in the 2nd. have to improve or risks being replaced by Cacapa or Diatta.

  Enrique: 7
  just gets better and better for this highly-rated spaniard. one of his best performances for us. strong in challenges and showed he’s no push-over. linked up with the attack well and had a Riise-like shot only to be saved brilliantly by M.Taylor.

  Geremi: 6
  lack of pace and was poor with his deliveries at set-pieces. had one delightfully weighted cross though, only for Faye to mis-time his jump. needs to be more penetrative with his supplies or we can see Milner straight back into the side when he’s back.

  Butt: 7
  impressive especially in 2nd half, showed what he has learnt all this years at Man United. kept the ball well and distribution was good, for the 2nd time this season.

  Barton: 5
  lost the ball far too often. should have been more adventurous and try from outside of the box. a far cry from his Man City days. liked his committed never-say-die attitude though, but that’s just like Smith, isn’t it?

  Martins: 8
  most of our threats came from this little Nigerian. by far our most dangerous player on the field. linked up well with Owen, and played an important role in that equaliser with his sheer determination and that was a tremendous leap for a tiny guy. was surprised with the substitution, tactical reasons maybe. certainly my MOTM (and most of you who polled).

  Owen: 7
  though lost a yard of pace, looked lost when receiving the ball deep and easily robbed of possession by stronger defenders, he still had that striker instinct in him and positioning is great. unlucky not to have scored on the 50th min but was lightning quick to have pounced onto the lose ball with 2 defenders ahead of him. i wasn’t too impressed with him though for wanting to impress too much with Capello watching wtih one instance in the 2nd half where he should have squared the ball back to Martins who was better positioned. nice to see him apologised afterwards.

  Viduka: 7
  showed tremendous ability at holding the ball up and good foot skills, but was guilty with not releasing the ball earlier when he was driving towards the oppositions’ box with 2 defenders breathing down his neck and 1 infront of him, when both Owen and Martins wide on either side of him unmarked. and when he did finally released the ball to Martins, it was too far ahead. seemed to be out of breath towards the end. need to up his match fitness and stay fit if he is to play a part in the relegation battle.

  N’Zogbia: 6
  not much to comment on with only about 10mins of play time. looked dangerous when in possession. preferred him to Geremi, but his desire to play is questionable. hope he’ll stay, he has the potential to be a big player for this club, but it seems he is turning out to be another Jenas, a wantaway player..

  Keegan: 7
  good starting XI, if not the best. at least he showed guts to drop ‘gold dust’ Smith and is probably spot-on at the Martins-N’Zogbia substitution, and its nice to see him walking up to Martins a 2nd time when he’s clearly unhappy. maybe its a telling-off? but i believe Keegan being Keegan, it”ll be more of an explanation of the change rather than a shout at him

  overall, a good improved 2nd half saw us fighting back to equalise in what many thought would have given up the fight again. no matter what Keegan had said to them in the dugout at half time, he certainly worked his magic as we saw a completely different side out there in the 2nd half, almost thought he had made a 10-men substitution change!

  Bring on Fulham
  Keep the Faith
  Howay the Lads

• 6 stantos // Mar 18, 2008 at 9:02

  We showed spirit last night and maybe should have nicked it. With a bit of run I think we’ll be ok. Sooner or later we’ll be giving someone a hiding in a game where everything goes in our favour.

  If that happens against Fulham, Reading and the scum at home we’ll stay up simple as. 38 points will keep us up when you look atn the other teams run in.

  Iv’e been at my lowest over recent weeks but I saw enough last night for me to think we might just be ok.

  Oh and well done KK for having the balls to drop smith and duff, we looked so much better. Martins and Owen starting again on Sat is a must !!!!

  Keep the faith lads !!!!!!

• 7 Vitorbarbosa // Mar 18, 2008 at 9:05

  We were too cautious in the first half. Playing an attacking strategy/formation but the players are too afraid to go forward. For them, they need to stay back and defense.

  However, when the second half begun, they played like they have nothing to lose and want to enjoy their football. This is when we see the players play some nice short passes, winning 50-50 balls, creating chances.

  I thought Geremi crosses were dangerous. The only problem is all the crosses landed on Birmingham players head.

  First half performance was worse than the Championship standard. I have no idea who invent that way of playing football. No direction, lack movement, didn’t pressure opponent, poor clearances, no creativity, and many more.

  Second half, we showed why we are the Magpies and they are the Brums. Hope Magpies will fly high soon~

• 8 ELFER // Mar 18, 2008 at 9:06

  I’m happy and I think this was an excellent way to build the win for saturdays game against fulham!!

  Also MARTINS substitution (do not overrate it) was a good motivation - why? Well, imagine how he will go and fight from the first minute on saturday to avoid further substitutions

  And now go and get em on saturday!! 3:0

• 9 Sandy McNair // Mar 18, 2008 at 9:07

  All in all something to be pround of with confidence being fragile.

  Still better to be had though:
  1. More creativity in midfield (Emre, Zog etc).
  2. Dont sub martins (unless he losses a leg), Duke first, then Owen. Martins must stay on, all 90 mins (nice to see him being so upset that he did not even want to talk to KK)

  Looking forward to fulham game

• 10 toonhitman // Mar 18, 2008 at 9:07

  anon so keegan was right in keeping viduka on the pitch instead of oba keegans tatics wernt spot on in the first half,in the second half they were much better tho,keegan should have taken barton off and put zog on

• 11 Doctapaul // Mar 18, 2008 at 9:24

  In the 2nd half we looked up for the fight. In the first we didn’t.

  So all this stuff about who plays, what formation we use, what KK does right or wrong is secondary. It’s important and secondary because every other team in the mini-league at the bottom is fighting 100%. Derby and Sunderland proved that at the weekend.

  We all have our views BUT one thing KK did get last night was his half time chat.

  Let’s hope this is the start of the resurrection and the Light!

• 12 big pea ov the weab // Mar 18, 2008 at 9:25

  y waz the zog left out i bet he would ov been able to put some decent balls into the box for our 3 strikers to latch on to mabe zog should be in team n that may just be the right team for the fulham game drop gerimi n replace with zog

• 13 ToonKing // Mar 18, 2008 at 9:39

  i agree with toonhitman, the 433 was’n really good. The 3 “midfielders” were lost and nothing really happened for us.

  In the second half we picked it up a little but tbh it still was pretty average play at best and i don’t understand why everyone is so happy this morning and throwing praises around. We were just a little less shite then before and i’m still more worried then a teenage mom.

• 14 iain // Mar 18, 2008 at 9:45

  all problems still stem from mf imo.

  look where the move started for brums goal, barton gave the ball away cheaply in there half.

  i hate and detest barton and his performances are a joke. but at least hes out there sort of trying (he still bottles numerous tackles) when emre has ran off and hid.

  keegans getting closer to a decent team

  only still viduka did nowt, the way we are playing we need a targetman who wins headers from balls aimed above his standing height viduka will never do that as he cant jump, so carroll should be brought in imo.

  and get the zog starting he was cutting brum to pieces once he came on.

  team for fulham

  harper

  beye faye taylor enrique

  geremi butt zog oba

  owen carroll

  also how is geremi still allowed to take free kicks and corners when an oap in a wheelchair could do better. i laughed when enrique eventually ran over to try and stop geremi wasting another croner by making him play it short. we might as well not bother sending our ch forward the amount of times he hit the first man.

  if there was thing i would let barton do if hes going to play and thats take corners and free kicks.

• 15 Ian // Mar 18, 2008 at 9:48

  Phoonck, agree with your points for each player.

• 16 Ian // Mar 18, 2008 at 9:51

  We dont want Martins coming on trying to prove a point after being taken off last night, he is fast enough and tries hard enough for us as it is, I would hate to see him try harder and injure himself, I see no danger at all even against Birmingham without his prescence although Viduka may come back into play eventually-if he is in the right mood and it isnt a bit too cold or..

• 17 MattyDread // Mar 18, 2008 at 9:51

  ToonKing - our midfielders are lost no matter what formation we play. In fact, although they are crap, I thought Butt and Barton looked more useful in that lineup than they have yet under Keegan.

• 18 Spyro // Mar 18, 2008 at 10:01

  My assumption that the fulham match will be like the birmingham one was wrong, simon davies has came out basically saying they are going to frustrate us and try and get the crowd on the teams back, which means 10 men behind the ball until the 70th minute and then try nick a late goal.

• 19 John // Mar 18, 2008 at 10:01

  same again for Saturday. I would’nt change a thing..These guys played there hearts out in the 2nd half and anyone on here critisiing them should be ashamed of themselves..

  What more do you expect . We had plenty of chances and probably should off won.

  Keegan got it spot on last night , and we should play the same line up against Fulham, and if they win that game or when they win that game keep the same line up again. Make it hard for the other first teamer wannabees to get into the line up.

  COME ON THE TOON..

• 20 Spyro // Mar 18, 2008 at 10:03

  agree john, exact same line up would be good

• 21 Bardy08 // Mar 18, 2008 at 10:13

  toonhitman you are talking a load of bollox!!!!!!
  the 433 system worked like a dime.
  if you keegan keeps this system on saturday then i predict a 3-0 win.
  the owen and martins partnership looks like it could keep us up
  this is because martins will help owen score the goals needed because when he gets his shots away the keeper will have no chance of holding on to it and if that does happen you will see owen 90% of the time waiting there unmarked to slot it home into a empty net.two changes to make is take of barton and butt and replace them with smith and nzogbia.this is because nzogbia will put in quality balls and smith is outstanding when he is in the middle of the park.if these changes happen i think we will be unstoppable in every area of teh park only if the defence plays like they did in the second half.if you started with those two yesterday it would have been a simple win

• 22 andyc290 // Mar 18, 2008 at 10:23

  I thought we played very well second half. The players settled into the system well. If it hadnt been for the error by Faye for the goal we would have got all three points. As for Martins coming off - he was starting to look tired as wasnt making as many runs as he had been earlier in the game. Granted Viduka also looked very tired but that formation would not work without a target man and i think Keegan was also reluctant to take off any of the midfield three incase we went too attacking and lost it. A good point but we NEED a win on Saturday - anything else will be a disaster because we need to put points on the board NOW while we have the chance.

• 23 dopaz // Mar 18, 2008 at 10:24

  stick with martins owen and viduka up front the goals will flow, barton cannot start he is so poor, cant remember a player who gives the ball away so much he brings nothing, start zog their and weve also got milner to come back from injury, roll on summer for the rebuilding, keep the faith…

• 24 Dunc // Mar 18, 2008 at 10:31

  I don’t know who saw the starting line up last night but it wasn’t 4-3-3. It was 4-4-2 with Oba on the left wing supposedly pushing forward to make it a 4-3-3 and then dropping back in when we didn’t have the ball.
  Oba can’t play this position though and was all over the place, leaving Enrique exposed every time Joey barton lost the ball (which was every time he got the ball).
  The amount of posession we squandered without pressure on us was appauling, as was the lack of pressure on the ball.
  This is why we were so sh1te in the first half. We couldn’t lose our shape because we never had any in the first place.
  The only reason we looked better in the second half was because we were so bad in the 1st and we looked as if we were playing 4-3-3.

  Relieved to see Smith out. But no Zog or Duff ?? WTF (is Duff injured?) NO wingers… why not??

  Moving on. Has anybody seen Keegans interview on Setanta? What he says about the midfield is shocking and laughable. I love Kev but what he says is BULL!!!!!! I hope he’s only saying it as motivation.

• 25 Dunc // Mar 18, 2008 at 10:39

  John… comment 19.

  Did you watch the game on the radio???

  I’m not ashamed of having an opinion and being passionate about my team. The same as I support I have a right to come out with constructive criticism. I feel it my right when I put petrol in the car and spend money on a ticket for the game.

  Yes we did o.k. in the second half but from our line up we should be expecting a hell of a lot more.

  Also, if you feel KK got it spot on last night, well… er…er… speechless!!!

• 26 Hadji // Mar 18, 2008 at 10:44

  Any hope for Emre on Saturday?

• 27 Michael // Mar 18, 2008 at 10:46

  I still debate if indeed he still has them, I have always argued that avoiding relegation is motivation enough. If you worked for a company and the company was falling, you would try to save your job. Most of these players know now that it is not good on one’s cv to have been relegated, many a toon fan on this very forum refer to Viduka and smith as being in the leeds side that descended out of sight.

  Not only this not all our current crop of players is going to walk into another club and earn what they are currently earning and this one of their last opportunities of playing for a big club. You would imagine players like smith could end up at say Boro, wigan etc.

  There is sufficient selfishness that motivate the players to stay up.

• 28 BILLY-B // Mar 18, 2008 at 10:47

  The second half performance means that they put in a good half shift, the trick is to to put in a full shift in the same way. I hope Kevin plays the same team on Sat.against Fulham except put Zog in for Barton and Milner for Gerami (so i suppose i dont want the same team) which will be a lot more creative. Owen Viduka & Martins worked and will work even better at home with Milner and Zog creating. And no i dont want paying for this sound advice kevin but if you want anymore you where i am

• 29 Hadji // Mar 18, 2008 at 10:56

  Robbie Keane was fined 120 ooo for his reaction when he was substituded in the last game.
  That’s 2 weeks of playing for free for him.
  Imagine…Keane & Smith on the same salary

• 30 Leo Kompany for the Toon // Mar 18, 2008 at 10:58

  they should repay his faith he has put into them with a performance like the second half, for the rest of the season

• 31 valle // Mar 18, 2008 at 11:11

  Oba came to life in the scond half, but he was very poor in the first half, i hope Duff will return soon, tho im not sure if i want Milner to start ahead of Geremi… Both can be frustrating, but i guess Milner are faster and more attacking, while Geremi is far better at set pieces and crossing.

• 32 faustino // Mar 18, 2008 at 11:17

  Billy - I agree totally about Milner but he’s out for 3 weeks mate.

  N Zogbia though - I’m not sure; as I said in another thread I reckon he’s checked out and on his way to White Heart Lane already. Not what we need attidtude wise right now.

  Good performance from a team that looks to be verging on gelling. No their not great but they’re the best we’ve got and I for one are right behind each and every one of them. Stop being miserable bastards or next year the wind might change and you’ll stay that way.

• 33 Spyro // Mar 18, 2008 at 11:22

  If tottenham want zoggy then we should do a swap with taraabt, he is better anyway.

• 34 MattyDread // Mar 18, 2008 at 11:26

  Well said Tino

• 35 Ben // Mar 18, 2008 at 11:30

  Whats with all the positive comments? - The first half of football I witnessed was one of the worst I have ever seen.

  Defending - lame as usual, both Taylor and Faye caught out time and time again, but are the best we have! - we really desperately need some composure and experience at CB in the summer.

  Keegan praises the midfield???…..
  True that Butt put a decent shift in breaking things up but Geremi?- seems unable to take even half decent corners or set pieces and Joey Barton loses the ball every single time he gets it and provides absolutely nothing of note whatsoever.

  The lads obviously came out 2nd half after Keegan throwing a few bottles around and gave it a bit of a go.

  Just when we were building up a head of steam though Keegan subs Martins!!!- The guy who set up our goal and the only player on the pitch to actually threaten, run at people, have shots and generally look dangerous- What the hell is going on here? - The boos from our fans said it all.

  How the hell can every single supporter know that Oba is easily our best striker and the man in charge not?

  Cant remember a decent shot/ header or pass the slow lumbering Viduka made all night…. yet he is favoured!?

  Plus points - dropped Smith or Duff who have been consistantly terrible.

  Kev - Please play your best team against Fulham! Its not Rocket science! : -

  Harper

  Beye Faye Taylor Enrique

  Geremi Butt Emre N’Zogbia

  Martins Owen

• 36 Ben // Mar 18, 2008 at 11:35

  Actually- changed my mind! - give Diatta a go at centre half - he might actually bring some confidence into the back four.

• 37 Doctapaul // Mar 18, 2008 at 11:35

  Geremi showed some quick feet and thinking under pressure and is certainly worth his place on Saturday

• 38 Doctapaul // Mar 18, 2008 at 11:38

  It was 442 last night except Keegan clearly gave Martins a free rein (a la Chris Waddle). This allowed Enrique space to come forward where he looked the best I’ve seen him.

  Viduka keeps two defenders busy so is worth his place for that alone. if we can just get our passing and crossing into gear - we’ll see a big difference come Saturday.

• 39 Spyro // Mar 18, 2008 at 11:42

  did anyone watch soccer AM, Steven Taylor was on the teammates section, he said n’zogbia is the laziest trainer and the dumbest teammate…i hope he was only kidding lol

• 40 iain // Mar 18, 2008 at 11:43

  i have no problem with geremi playing but i sware if he wastes any more set pieces you have to ask what on earth keegan is doing letting him take them.

  the first half performance though was shocking we would struggle in teh championship playing like that. at least there is some sort of plan and organistation into the long ball football they play at that level.

  geremis lean back and chip it approach is horrific to watch and the amount of players just punting the ball away as they didnt want it was shocking. ive never seen a team actively trying to give away the ball as much as our lot did 1st half.

• 41 Spyro // Mar 18, 2008 at 11:43

  he also said enrique is a lazy trainer and an awful dresser lol

• 42 Betting on the Toon // Mar 18, 2008 at 12:04

  Much better second half last night after a poor first 45. Very surprised at the starting line up but suppose it paid off in the end. Owen looked as sharp as he has for ages and Martins was a constant menace until he went off. Keegan deserves credit for getting the lads up for it in the second half but I can’t understand why he took Martins off. He was the biggest danger and I think it was a negative move. If he’d have stayed on then the win was there for the taking but removing him basically told Birmingham that he was happy with a point. I just hope he doesn’t rue that decision in a few months.

• 43 ToonKing // Mar 18, 2008 at 12:05

  Taylor said almost the same things that Shay did a couple of months ago on Soccer AM, only difference was that Shay said the least intelligent was Taylor lol . They matched in every categiry besides that.

• 44 hanzemre // Mar 18, 2008 at 12:32

  If we play like the 2nd half with 4-3-3 formation N’zogbia/Emre start instead of Barton in the LM/CM we’d do much better & be more threathening & ruthless to tear apart Fulham’s defense. Just hope all payers keep intact that winning mentality. A win is a must this Sat. so at last we can do it as it is never too late to do it & build for better future. Howay NU !

• 45 david bulman // Mar 18, 2008 at 12:37

  i agree with ben,it was a good 2nd half and deserved a point but too many newcastle fans pleased too easy.the first half was a joke and we were lucky not to be 2 or 3 behind,faye bad reading of the game and taylor makes alot of mistakes.beye was good and enrique had great game,hes finaly getting his chance,fat sam wouldnt give him a game,he showed alot of potential and got forward well,need to keep martins on pitch,viduka looked tired last night and we cshould have brought on carroll,he deserves his chance,banging the goals in the reserves.geremi is one of the worst crosses of the ball of seen and shouldnt be allowed to take every corner and barton giving ball away alot.not enough creativity with these 3 together in midfield.we need a win against fulham and then win the games against reading sunderland and wigan and we will be ok to stay up,need to pick up the points as we have chelsea then everton as last 2 games.

• 46 Bosck // Mar 18, 2008 at 12:40

  while martins was the best player for us yesterday, i can understand the thinking behind keegan taking him off and not viduka or owen. aside from going for the win we also had to make sure that we did not concede, so viduka is better at holding possession. also bringing on n’zogbia gave us more width and 2 players looking to whip in crosses, and while martins may have a good leap, viduka does pose more of an aerial threat simply by being so much taller.

• 47 John // Mar 18, 2008 at 13:06

  Dunc sorry , some off us have work to do and dont sit at home drawing my hard earned tax from the dole office.

  Anyway just as you i have an opinion and i thought the SECOND half of the game the guys were quality..Nobody on here can question that .. I’ve seen many a game this year and the second half we played excellent considering the lack of confidence in the side. Imagine what it would be like if they were buzzing with confirdence.

  Hey if your not happy with spending money on going to see them , its simple..DONT Go

• 48 Spyro // Mar 18, 2008 at 13:19

  anyone noticed how aston villa fans boo everytime their team go in at half time losing? Because the f****n media haven’t! villa fans are as fickle as they come yet no one mentions it.

  Also, Sky now get more champions league games from next season, this includes the final, semi final etc. does this mean itv will not show it anymore? because if that is the case i think it is disgusting. I really feel sorry for some fans, they are even being priced out of watching games on TV!!!

• 49 JP from The Rock of Gibraltar // Mar 18, 2008 at 13:22

  I don’t like Barton but he did impress me last night. He tried to play like a decent footballer and even did a few flick-ons for other players. Nice to see that he’s capable of the odd showboating. He even won some vital tackles for us and he ran his socks off for a change. Very impressive, on the other hand Butt was awful. OK so Butt did win a few good tackles but that is all he did. Butt doesn’t give us any creativity from midfield and with the strikers we have we need a player that can pick out a pass. Replace butt for N’Zogbia, Duff, Smith, Geremi or even the young kid Lua Lua. They would all be much more effective than Butt in there.

  Also I have to mention I was very pleased to see such an attacking minded starting line-up and Jose Enrique is class, with every game he gets better.

• 50 CRAIGG // Mar 18, 2008 at 13:42

  JP from The Rock of Gibraltar

  Butt was impressive and has set up a couple of chances over the past few matches even though it is not his job, his job is to win back the ball and shield the back 4 on that note he was excellent last night.

  Barton on the other hand is our creative attacking midfielder yet he Never created hardly anything, his best work was also in defence as was geremis so really butt did his job and Barton didnt.

  And the reason that Barton and Viduka stayed on and Martins didnt is simple:

  We needed to tighten up as we were under pressure, We went to a 442 as we were too open and Viduka can keep the ball to relieve the pressure as his hold up play did, Martins played well but it was good tactics .

  Some of you say KK doesnt know tactics but i think it the other way round, what do you want to push everyone forward and get caught out like we did against Blackburn

  3 points against fulham will do just fine.

• 51 MattyDread // Mar 18, 2008 at 14:18

  We’re now 4 points ahead of Bolton. Here’s their remaining fixtures:

  Manchester United (a)
  Manchester City (h)
  Arsenal (h)
  Aston Villa (a)
  West Ham United (h)
  Middlesbrough (a)
  Tottenham Hotspur (a)
  Sunderland (h)
  Chelsea (a)

  I personally can’t see them picking up more than 3 points…

  3 points on Saturday and we’re well and truly safe.

• 52 Chicken // Mar 18, 2008 at 14:36

  Given out for the rest of the season.

  Oh well, on current form can’t say I’m too disappointed - be good to see one of the young lads getting a chance later in the season too (assuming we reach safety before the last game).

• 53 iain // Mar 18, 2008 at 14:38

  i love the idea that some people think keeping viduka on was a good idea in theory it was.

  but i cant remember him once holding onto the ball or doing anything usefull with it.

  he was taking far too many touches and turning into brum players, he didnt have a shot, he didnt win any flicks ons, he had a great chance to play owen in late on and played the ball out wide instead when the owen pass was the easier ball.

  im all for a target man but its pointless when owen is dropping into mf and the target man viduka cant win any headers. and the one player who can run in behind from deep is taken off.

  if fulham play anything like they didnt against everton and we repeat that 1st half brum performance we will loose against them for sure.

• 54 Gary Holliday // Mar 18, 2008 at 14:46

  Whatever Keegan said at half-time worked. So much for the muppets who say he has lost all his motavational skills. Another goal from Owen which will disappoint the “Owen just wants to play for England brigade”. Keep the Faith.

  PS; VERY IMPORTANT THIS SATURDAY TO SUPPORT TEAM THROUGH THICK AND THIN.DON’T GET ON THE PLAYERS BACKS AT THE SLIGHTEST MISTAKE. WE ARE THERE TO HELP AND SUPPORT THE TEAM NOT HINDER THEM.

• 55 MichaelA // Mar 18, 2008 at 14:51

  Craig Burley said last night that, “Newcastle fans haven’t seen the real Joey Barton”. The many pictures of him leaving Court would prove otherwise.

• 56 Dunc // Mar 18, 2008 at 14:53

  John, 47

  How did you know I was on the dole??? Flickin meself off to Trisha every mornin. Stinkin ‘o’ sh1t!!!!

  Actually, I run my own business… you know… employing people. So I do my bit for the British economy when you’ve quite finished stating things that have nothing to do with the subject of this thread. Atacking people and thier personal circumstances as in how and by what means they live thier lives is not very clever or nice… is it??

  I agree the second half was better, but to say they were quality I believe is wrong!!!!
  They dragged themselves out of it, but damn they’re nervous.
  With confidence a player does take the ball on and distribute it better. But does a lack of confidence make Joey Barton play like he did last night? Does it make Geremi not able to take a corner without beating the 1st man time after time?

  Last night when we got down the wing we looked reluctant to cross the ball. That is lack of confidence. As was the disjointed 1st half display.

  I will keep going and not give up on my team no matter what division we’re in, though I believe we will stay up.

  If every unhappy fan had given up going when BSA was in charge then we would have been screwed!!! You don’t stop going, you don’t stop supporting. You don’t have a choice!!!! You think you do, but you don’t.

  We need a clear out in the summer and a better season next time out.

  Hopefully.

• 57 geordie jock // Mar 18, 2008 at 14:54

  Don’t you all get carried away about second half Birmingham were absolute crap. Half of this team are not good enough to wear black and white shirt, Harper - ok, Beye - ok, Taylor - too many mistakes, Faye - pure crap, Enrique - defended ok but kept passing to opposition, Geremi - can’t pass or cross, Butt - did well, gave everything, Barton - please judge lock him up quick, Martins - tried his heart out, Viduka - we need him fit as he gives us an outlet and Owen - he at least showed some passion but is not a captain. We desperately need a strong captain and Butt could be the answer to get us out of our predicament.

• 58 faustino // Mar 18, 2008 at 15:05

  Geremi wouldn’t cross at all, kept cutting it back to Beye - which is a sorry reflection of our corner taker. Geremi to me looks his best as a holding player and tracking back. i.e. Away game starter.

  To say Barton is playing to the best of his abilities is following a bias set up by the press. He’s way under form as anyone who has watched football for the last 3 years will tell you. Of course what’s happening in his personal life but I’m from Newcastle and am not an ar*e hole enough to judge some one for a scuffle in town of a saturday night!

  I tell you what the whole country is choosing to ignore. Woodgate and Terry [Bellamy too, but no one cares about him!]. Both [all] guilty or accused of as heinus or violent a crime as Barton but cos he’s Scouse[ish] and at our club he’ll never live it down. And cos the former two now play at cosy London clubs they will more than likely never get grief again!

  Barton is one of ours and until he leaves, things like apposing crowds booing him will get my back up and make me support him more!

• 59 faustino // Mar 18, 2008 at 15:06

  For gods sake if your Toon - you support the players on the pitch and their performance not the one’s you have dreamed up in your head!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

• 60 Spyro // Mar 18, 2008 at 15:21

  LOL @ Dunc

• 61 MichaelA // Mar 18, 2008 at 15:54

  faustino, I have been defending Barton throughout the season, knowing what his performances at City were like, BUT……

  I too could forget his favourite past-time of polishing his fists on teammates,15yr old fans,fellow knackers,and taxis, if he were a top class player.

  He’s now slow, with no first touch, and an uncanny knack of giving the ball away. When we signed him I thought ‘poor mans steven gerrard’, which was a good thing. BUT his mind is elsewhere, and it’s his own fault.

• 62 Swepalle // Mar 18, 2008 at 16:03

  Make Harper no1 and Viduka to leeds play Carrol instead with Owen and Oba-Oba best player yesterday

• 63 Hammy // Mar 18, 2008 at 17:19

  Reflecting on yesterdays’ game I was very impressed with Keegans man management skills concerning Martins, I’d struggle to think of anybody else in Premiership management who would have bothered to have had a word during an important match…..
  Decent performances from Martins, Owen, Beye, Enrique and Butt especially.
  Barton is so one paced it’s unreal.
  At the end of the day it was a handy point and Birmingham didn’t make up any ground which was the important thing.
  Also well done to KK for having the balls to drop Smith, should buck the idea’s up for some of the senior players during the run in.

• 64 big pea ov the weab // Mar 18, 2008 at 17:29

  keegan dropping smith was a good thing but y wasent the zog playing it baffils me y he wasent playing keegan has some funny old tacticks going on just cant get me head round it

• 65 Ian // Mar 18, 2008 at 17:35

  Barton was crap, either he has a lot on his mind or he was the worst choice of player ever made, if he has a lot on his mind he needs keeping out of the way until all his troubles have gone otherwise he will cause us more grief, he caused their goal and nearly allowed them back in a couple more times.

• 66 steve k // Mar 18, 2008 at 17:48

  Last night’s result, and fortunate results from those around us at the weekend, have made it more unlikely that we’ll get relegated. I think we have a good chance of beating Fulham at the weekend and that should, considering the poor quality of the sides around us, secure our league status.

  Appreciate the great optimism shown here and it’s a credit. Still feel that the situation at the club is very serious. Truly believe that Ashley and Mort should and will admit their mistake in bringing back Keegan and put someone else in the job at the end of the year.

• 67 Viper // Mar 18, 2008 at 18:02

  MattyDread comment 51.

  Bolton at Man bastartd U. Are they not actually canny there? I hope they do not win as much as I hate the man - it looks like will be in our favour for them like.

  I got my prediction right last night btw. £16 in pocket!

  Geremi not a winger. Fact. Not saying I could cross better… but! And barton? head still in the cells?

  Bring on Fulham!

• 68 Spyro // Mar 18, 2008 at 18:48

  all this optimism is good, but its starting to scare me a bit, we have been here before a few times this season, and what normally comes next is a harsh dose of reality…Too many people are speaking about fulham like we deserve the 3 points already, make no mistake this game will be very hard, Fulham have basically came out and said they want to frustrate the team and get the fans on their backs…i.e. 10 men behind the ball and then nick a late goal. They are deadly from set pieces now they got bullard back, add to that hangelaand and eddie johnson are both threats in the air, we need players like butt, barton and smith (if he plays) to avoid giving away fouls in dangerous areas.

  I just hope the players are not falling in to the same trap as some of the fans

• 69 Spyro // Mar 18, 2008 at 19:06

  also, the reason i have been, and will continue to be on here all the time is because i am currently on break and i have to revise for my HRM exam and Psychology and Consumer Behaviour exam in April and May. For this reason i am stuck on this laptop all day and i use this site as a distraction. you could call it my current means of escapism (if thats how you spell it) sorry to bore you…who ever it is that could be bothered to read past the 3rd line, but i am very bored

• 70 Stami // Mar 19, 2008 at 6:43

  i think our midfield would be much more effective, provided we keep this 4-3-3, with Zoggy on the left, Butt/Geremi/Barton in the middle and Milner on the right! we lacked creativity and think these 2 players could spice things up a bit. here’s hoping that Milner is fit for Saturday!

• 71 Femi Lena Lover // Mar 19, 2008 at 8:36

  Geremi is our worst player. He is absolutely shocking. I can’t believe KK said he had a good game! He’s slow, he can’t deliver a good ball, he lacks anything creative (although he thinks he is creative) and overall a very very poor player. Barton is also terrible, i didn’t think he was that slow when he was at Man City! We can not play Butt Barton and Geremi in the midfield again. Its probably the worst midfield in the premiership this season. Good on Martins, Owen and Viduka- i liked them up tops. N’Zog is the boy for me….at the min i dont care if he doesnt necessarily wnt to play for us, i can assure u he will still play well because he’ll want to impress to move on. I’d rather have him playing and win then him not playing and lose. Anyone else agree with my slating Geremi?

• 72 Doctapaul // Mar 19, 2008 at 8:44

  Femi,

  Geremi is certainly not our most creative player and to call him an absolute shocker is unfair.

  He has quick feet and combats well in a midfield tightspot. He is similar to Butt, whom I also admire. Essentially a defensive midfielder - solid, not brilliant.

  I’ve seen several epithets such as shocking, great, marvellous…. we seem to live in an age where balance is no longer fashionable.

  Stay cool huh?

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