Strong 2011 puts Newcastle in position for European challenge

It always goes so quickly doesn't it? Yes here we are again at the climax of another year, and its has been yet another tumultuous one on Tyneside, complete with plenty of ups and downs.

Still, despite the sales of Carroll and Enrique; the Joey Barton saga and the infamous stadium name change, Newcastle United are well placed to make a return to European competition. 

A 1st goal of the season for Hatem Ben Arfa and a 14th for Demba Ba helped the Magpies to a 2-0 win at Bolton Wanderers on Boxing Day, a victory that ended a six match winless run. 

United's Boxing Day triumph means that Alan Pardew's side will leapfrog Liverpool into 6th place with a rare victory at Anfield on Friday. A win on Merseyside would also leave Newcastle level on points with Arsenal and just one point behind 4th place Chelsea, although both those sides would have a game more to play.

Taking the three points away from Anfield promises to be an arduous task, Newcastle have not won there in the League since Robert Lee and Andy Cole netted in a 2-0 triumph back in April 1994 (Newcastle completed the double over Roy Evans' Reds that season), and their record since has been nothing short of dismal.

Still, Pardew's charges can take heart from the fact that Liverpool have only won three times at home this season, and although the outstanding performances of a number of opposition goalkeepers have played a role in that statistic, it is fair to say that Liverpool's home form has been indifferent at best. 

Newcastle will also be buoyed by the absence of Luis Suarez - the Liverpool talisman who is serving a 1 match suspension for aiming an offensive gesture at Fulham supporters during the clash between the two clubs last month - and with Toon old boys Andy Carroll and Jose Enrique set to start for the Reds, the Magpies will need no extra motivation to try and wrap up the points. 

Thanks to their fantastic early season form, Newcastle are in thick of the European picture, however there are a few factors that will be key in determining whether they stay there.

United's most immediate concern is out of their control, top-scorer Demba Ba and midfield mainstay Cheick Tiote are both set to travel to the African Cup of Nations with Senegal and Cote D'Ivoire respectively, meaning they will miss a maximum of six league games.

Newcastle coped well in the weeks where Tiote was out of action with injury, but how they cope without the prolific Ba remains to be seen. If the side struggles for goals without their Parisian targetman then it could well derail their season, on the other hand, if the likes of Leon Best, Hatem Ben Arfa and Shola Ameobi are able to fill the void, then the Toon Army's European dreams may not seem so far fetched. 

Whether Pardew is allowed to go into the January transfer market for another Centre Back will also go a long way to determining how far Newcastle's European push goes. Defence is an area of the side that lacks significant depth, and this has been exposed in recent weeks due to the season ending injury sustained by Steven Taylor. 

Mike Williamson has since returned to the fray but another injury to him or to Captain Fabricio Coloccini could have disastrous consequences for Newcastle's campaign. Pardew understands this and he is therefore desperate to add at least 1 new face at the Centre Back position. 

Ajax's Belgian Captian Jan Vertonghen has been mentioned as a possible target, though he would command a fee in excess of £10m. West Ham's James Tomkins, Birmingham City's Liam Ridgewell and FC Twente's Douglas Franco Teixeira are also all reportedly on Newcastle's radar. 

Of course, adding a new body to Newcastle's defensive ranks all depends on whether Mike Ashley is willing to release the funds to make it happen. If he isn't he will risk the club sliding into midtable mediocrity. However, if he agrees to do so, the travelling Toon Army could well be dusting off their passports come the end of the season.

Taylor injury exposes Magpies Achilles heel

It was all going so well, Newcastle United had just earned a fantastic point at Old Trafford and were in confident mood ahead of their clash with Chelsea.

However, things change quickly in Football and Alan Pardew’s side are now facing an injury crisis that threatens to derail their fine start to the Premier League season after Chelsea ran out 3-0 winners at St James’ Park, a score line which very much flattered Andre Villas-Boas’ charges.

The defeat should not be difficult for Newcastle to shrug off, they have proven themselves to be a spirited side throughout this campaign, however, the loss of Steven Taylor for the season with a ruptured Achilles tendon will surely be a massive blow to a team that has prided itself on its defensive strength.

Newcastle’s captain Fabricio Coloccini was also forced off with a thigh strain during the clash with Chelsea and is a major doubt for the Magpies’ trip to Norwich City this weekend.

The possible absence of both their first choice centre backs would pose Pardew with a major dilemma, as their only other experienced central defender, Mike Williamson is still recovering from a long-term injury suffered in the Carling Cup at Scunthorpe, leaving  James Perch as the only senior option at the position.

Pardew now must carefully reshuffle his pack for the clash at Carrow Road, 21-year-old Hungarian Tamas Kadar could well be called up to the lineup, while full backs Danny Simpson and Davide Santon have some experience of moving into the centre of defence.

The crisis has exposed what is perhaps Newcastle’s biggest fallibility, lack of squad depth, and they will now face a tricky trip to East Anglia to face a Norwich side that have built their team around the considerable aerial presence of striker Grant Holt.

Regardless of what happens on Saturday, the decimation of Newcastle’s first choice defence will surely prompt Pardew to push owner Mike Ashley to release more funds in order to add reinforcements in the January transfer window. Whether the unpredictable Ashley will grant this wish is another matter entirely.


Note: Post has also been published on dexysden.co.uk. A football site that has kindly given me the opportunity the platform to showcase my work to a wider audience. 

Football unites in wake of Gary Speed tragedy

A great manager once said: "Football isn't a matter of life and death, its much more important than that."

Whether a serious comment or a clever piece of tongue-in-cheek wit, it has become one of the most infamous fallacies ever uttered in football history.

The talking points and controversies of the weekend's round of Premier League matches the dominated phone-ins and highlights shows of Saturday evening, but by the following morning, they had faded into insignificance, as the football world learned of the death of Wales Manager Gary Speed at the age of 42.

Speed's death has understandably sent the football world into a state of shock and universal mourning, with an array of players and managers from across the footballing landscape paying tribute to the former Welsh international midfielder, who enjoyed a storied career with Leeds United; Everton; Newcastle; Bolton Wanderers and Sheffield United.

It is not right to discuss the circumstances of Speed's tragic passing out of respect to his family, but it is right that the game of football remember one of its most faithful servants in the right way.

Thankfully this is something that football as a sport, despite all its ills, knows how to do, floral tributes have been laid and books of condolence have been opened at the clubs where Speed plied his trade. At Newcastle United, the hierarchy are actively communicating with those who knew Speed best in order to decide how to properly remember him this Saturday when they welcome Chelsea to St James' Park.

The world of football can, at times, be a cold unforgiving place, but in times of tragedy it tends to rediscover its soul.

Indeed, this has proven to be the case yet again; Leeds; Everton: Newcastle; Bolton Wanderers and Sheffield United stand together, united with the rest of the footballing world in mourning for their fallen friend.

Football isn't a matter of life and death, and it certainly isn't more important, but the one thing it can do, is unite diverse groups of people and give them the strength to carry on in even the darkest of times.

So this weekend, at grounds up and down the country, the world of football will stop to remember one of the sport's true nice guys. Perhaps the best tribute it can pay is to persevere, and play the game Gary loved so much with the passion and spirit that he did throughout his career.

When Sir Bobby Robson passed away Heaven gained a great manager, now it has its Captain.

Rest in peace Gary, don't forget your armband.

Ashley and Llambias set for another PR disaster?

The contents of this blog were strictly confidential, until a national newspaper journalist allegedly committed a cardinal sin and broke an embargoed story on twitter, and that is perhaps the bigger story. Still its been a while, but obviously messrs Ashley and Llambias just couldn't help themselves, so yes folks its time for another Newcastle United public relations farce.

The twittersphere, yes I used that wonderfully stupid word, is abuzz (another daft word) tonight with the news that the club's hierarchy have elected to rename St James Park, here goes.... The Sports Direct Arena. 

It is not publicly known whether the news is 100% true - though the noises coming from both local and national journalists suggest that it is - but if it proves to be correct it will be yet another unnecessary and avoidable fiasco from a regime that seems to revel in annoying its own customers. 

No matter what Ashley's intentions, whether to attract sponsorship for the stadium or just to advertise his business, there can be no denying that the Sports Direct Arena is an absolutely awful name. 

Now over my many years as a Newcastle fan I've learned lots of things, a couple spring to mind: (A) You don't drop Alan Shearer ahead of a Tyne-Wear derby clash when you're in the bottom three and (B) You don't mess with the stadium, well unless you know, happen to own it. 

Ashley does own St James Park, and, sadly, can do whatever the hell he likes with it. Still it goes without saying that this decision, if it does come to pass, will go down like a lead balloon on Tyneside. (Sorry for the cliche, analogies aren't my greatest strength).

What will probably reduce the impact of this move is the fact that Newcastle do not play another home game till December 3rd against Chelsea, a game that the Magpies, taking into account Chelsea's unpredictable away form, will probably be looking to win. 

Newcastle's current lofty league position will also help stem the tide of discontent that this decision will most likely induce. Because, when it comes down to it, football is all about what happens on the pitch. If things are going well, then the fans will remain happy regardless of what happens in the boardroom.

Times have rarely been better for Newcastle than they are at the moment, and although Ashley and Llambias seem unable to avoid another PR slip up, they may well escape heavy criticism. The team is still unbeaten and  currently basking in the glow of the Champions League places. As a result,  Newcastle's much maligned  owner may get off lightly.

It matters not, in the eyes of myself and all fans, it will always be St James Park. No commercially motivated decision will ever change that. 

An addendum: The news has now made the back page of Thursday's Times, this is, for all intensive purposes, confirmed. 

International break good timing for unbeaten Newcastle as injuries hit

Injuries, sooner or later every side suffers them, the mark of a good side is whether they can overcome them.

On Saturday, Newcastle United did just that, grinding out a 2-1 win over Everton despite Cheick Tiote's continued absence and further injuries to Yohan Cabaye and Sylvain Marveaux.

The win briefly moved Alan Pardew's side up to 2nd place in the Premier League table, Manchester United's 1-0 victory over Sunderland soon demoted the Magpies back down to 3rd, but their prolonged stay in the top four continues to amaze and dumbfound pundits and commentators across the land.

Newcastle, unsurprisingly brimming with confidence, made an excellent start as they took the lead after 12 minutes, Johnny Heitinga deflecting Danny Simpson's near cross past Tim Howard and into his own net. The home side's advantage was doubled inside of the half hour mark with a typically spectacular goal from Ryan Taylor, the hero of the August's North East derby powering a delicious volley into the top corner from 25 yards out.

At 2-0 the game looked beyond Everton, but injuries on either side of Half Time to Cabaye and Marveaux respectively began to stretch a small but spirited Newcastle squad.

Jack Rodwell reduced the deficit just before the interval with a fine header from Royston Drenthe's corner and the visitors maintained the momentum well into the second half as they pressed for an equaliser that may well have been deserved given the amount of possession and territory they enjoyed.

The fact they didn't is both an indictment of Everton's toothless attacking display and a testament to Newcastle's defensive organisation and strength. Dan Gosling and Sammy Ameobi filled in for Cabaye and Marveaux, and produced admirable displays. Gosling competitive in midfield and vigilant in protecting the back four, while Ameobi provided a threat on the counter with his pace and drive.

Everton continued to be stifled despite going forward despite Newcastle's reshuffle and in the end Pardew's men were able to hold on for the win with relative simplicity. The only moment of controversy coming when the visitors had an appeal for a penalty turned down when Gosling appeared to deflect a Louis Saha strike with his hand.

That incident should not overshadow another fine performance from Newcastle's back four, the two full backs, Simpson and Ryan Taylor, dealt with the substantial wide threat of messrs Coleman, Baines and Drenthe excellently. Though praise must again go to Jonas Gutierrez for another excellent and determined display from the Argentinian wingman.

Newcastle's centre-back pairing had a somewhat easier task, as Everton suffered from the loss of Apostolos Vellios in the pre-game warm up, leaving David Moyes without a physical threat to test Fabricio Coloccini and Steven Taylor, both of whom continue to enjoy excellent campaigns.

Moyes should be encouraged by the performance of Louis Saha, who caused Newcastle problems on a number of occasions and was unlucky not to add his name to the scoresheet, but it will be precious little comfort to Toffees fans as they now find themselves staring over the shoulders in an uncomfortable 17th position.

Newcastle on the other hand continue to dream of a return to European competition, and with their total of 25 points from 11 games it is an aspiration that can be considered achievable. However, Pardew and his troops know that the toughest test of the season is now just around the corner.

Indeed Newcastle now face an unenviable run of fixtures, first travelling to Eastlands for a battle of the two remaining unbeaten teams with Manchester City, before making the trip across Manchester to meet Manchester United. A bruising three game stretch is capped off with a home game against Chelsea.

These three games that will provide the best insight into just how far Newcastle can go this season, it is good timing then that prior to these fixtures is an international break. Pardew and his staff will be grateful for this brief interval to the Premier League campaign. As it is one which gives the likes of Tiote; Cabaye; Marveaux and Gabriel Obertan - who missed Saturday's game with a toe infection - a  chance to recover from their respective injuries.

Even the most casual of observer knows that Newcastle will stand a much better chance of gaining positive results from their next three fixtures with a full strength side. However, with 27 games left of a long, arduous season, Pardew and the fans can take great solace in knowing that Newcastle - as they demonstrated in Saturday's game - do possess strength in reserve.

Newcastle bounce back from cup defeat in emphatic fashion

I can't hear you: Ba celebrates his opener against Stoke

It still hasn't happened. I've still not had to write about a Newcastle loss, and obviously, just like any Newcastle fan, I don't want to.

Ok, so technically Newcastle have suffered one defeat, a 4-3 Carling Cup extra time thriller at Blackburn Rovers last Wednesday. Gael Givet finally giving Rovers the win after injury time strikes from Danny Guthrie and Yohan Cabaye had sent the game to extra time.

That result has been Newcastle's only disappointment so far this season, and they maintained their unbeaten run in the league with arguably their best result of the campaign on Monday night, as Alan Pardew's side comfortably dispatched Stoke City by three goals to one to move up to 3rd in the Barclays Premier League table.

This was undoubtedly one of the finest Newcastle United away performances in recent memory, and
like many of Newcastle's successes this season, this was a result born out of the side's defensive strength. The Magpies hold the best defensive record in the league, and they proceeded to show why as they blunted Stoke's much famed aerial attack with dogged, determined defending from their back five.

Any threat Stoke may have offered in open play was also neutralised by Newcastle's energetic and persistent midfield, who closed down at every opportunity, effectively cutting off the supply line to forwards Jonathan Walters and Peter Crouch.

Newcastle's defensive task was made considerably easier inside 12 minutes when Demba Ba nodded an acrobatic header into the top corner of the net after Gabriel Obertan had latched onto a Leon Best flick on to deliver a perfectly placed delivery into the box for Ba to give the visitors the lead.

The often raucous Britannia Stadium crowd were silenced by this early strike, and this enabled Pardew's charges to take a firm grip on proceedings as they continued in the ascendancy, Ba twice denied by an onrushing and alert Asmir Begovic following two excellent through balls from Cabaye and Guthrie respectively.

Senegalese international Ba did eventually grab a deserved second goal five minutes before the break, strike partner Leon Best again involved -  the former Coventry striker demonstrating superb technique to control a deep left footed cross from Fabricio Coloccini and fire a volley across goal - providing Ba with the simple task of prodding into an empty net with Begovic stranded at his near post.

The inevitable Second Half fightback game as the Potters bombarded Newcastle's box from set pieces and a string of predictably well delivered long throws from Rory Delap.

The visitors rearguard stood firm until the 75th minute when Stoke were awarded a dubious penalty after Ba was adjudged to have bundled over Crouch during one of many 2nd half goal line scrambles. Walters smashed home the resulting spot kick to give the home fans hope. It was hope that soon evaporated however,   as Referee Mike Dean awarded Newcastle a chance to seal all 3 points when he ruled that Robert Huth had fouled Best inside the six yard box.

Ba duly stepped up to fire in from 12 yards, capping off a wonderful hat-rick and extending Newcastle's unbeaten Premier League sequence to 13 games, their longest such run in the top flight for 61 years.

The result represented a complete turnaround from the heavy 4-0 defeat the Geordies suffered at the Britannia in the corresponding fixture last season, and although stats suggest otherwise, this was indeed a dominant and confident display from Newcastle, and one which re-affirmed the togetherness within the side, considering that it was achieved in the absence of key midfielder Cheick Tiote.

It truly was a night where everything went to plan for those in Black and White; Pardew's ploy of using Obertan to combat an uncompromising but sluggish Stoke backline worked to perfection; and the excellent defensive record was conserved with a committed team display. A special mention should go to the efforts of winger Jonas Gutierrez however, the Argentinian was exceptional and tracked back at every opportunity as he helped stonewall any hope Stoke had of penetrating Newcastle's left side.

Stoke are often a team that frustrates and infiltrates the mind of opposition sides, on Monday night everything Newcastle did - from Demba Ba scoring a hat-rick against the club he almost signed for, to Danny Simpson using Rory Delap's trick of drying the ball before throw-ins - frustrated and angered Stoke's supporters and players. Simply put it was a night where Newcastle out-Stoked Stoke.

Late reaction: Cabaye curler keeps Magpies run alive

Newcastle United  are halfway there, it may not be their overall aim this season, but the Magpies are pretty much halfway to safety.

Given the course that this Premier League season has taken, it seems unlikely that it will take more than 40 points to secure survival.

Newcastle will have set their sights a little higher this campaign, but to achieve roughly half the points needed to stay in the division after 9 games, is a highly commendable accomplishment.

Their points total was increased to 19 after Yohan Cabaye scored his first goal for the club late in the game to give Newcastle a 1-0 win over a determined Wigan Athletic side. As first goals go, this was a pretty special one,  Cabaye curling a first time shot into the top corner after Sylvain Marveaux had controlled a Ryan Taylor delivery before laying off a well placed pass for the former Lille man to score.

Wigan will perhaps feel they deserved a point from what was a committed and well organised display - and Newcastle will be the first to admit that they were far from the best- still it was a result that perfectly demonstrated just how far Alan Pardew's side have come in a very short space of time.

Last season Newcastle showed great fighting spirit to come from 2 goals down to snatch a 2-2 draw in the corresponding fixture against Wigan. This year it was a dose of quality, provided by Cabaye that handed them the victory.

The team spirit within the squad is still very much there, and it was evident in Cabaye's celebration, as Cabaye was mobbed by his teammates after he had initially run to celebrate the goal with the staff in the club dugout.

That has been the difference for Newcastle this season, they may have lost the leadership of the likes of Nolan and Barton, but they have gained quality through messrs Cabaye, Ben Arfa, Marveaux and Ba, while the team spirit still remains.

The end result, Newcastle can win games without playing particularly well, the Toon Army will be hoping they can do this on a regular basis and maintain their current rich vain of form.

Smells like team spirit: Newcastle resilience earns point against stunned Spurs

Its a headline that has used before and is very cliched, but this overused, unintelligent play on the title of one of the most famous songs of the 90s has never been more apt.

Pundits and 'experts' alike were predicting defeat for Newcastle ahead of their clash with Harry Redknapp's Tottenham Hotspur side, the general consensus being that Spurs would have too much for a Newcastle side that has had to ride their luck at times in an impressive unbeaten streak.

It is a disappointing trend that exists throughout media circles that a large number of media personalities seem to be concerned with when Newcastle's unbeaten run will come to an end, rather than paying tribute to the fantastic work of Alan Pardew and his staff in guiding the team to their best start since the 1996/97. Others have been quick to credit the former West Ham boss, who gracefully bats away praise rather than embracing it.

The plaudits will keep on coming though if Newcastle continue to perform like they did on Sunday, as they silenced the doubters once more, twice coming from behind to level and snatch a well earned point against a Spurs outfit clearly brimming with confidence.

The contest had been a listless one up until the 39th minute, when Steven Taylor felled Emanuel Adebayor inside the area after Yohan Cabaye had uncharacteristically given the ball away inside his own half under pressure from Jake Livermore. Referee Lee Probert hesitated briefly, but eventually pointed to the spot, allowing Rafael Van Der Vaart to send compatriot Tim Krul the wrong way and slam home from 12 yards to give Tottenham a 1-0 lead at the break.

Rather than sucking the life out of Pardew's men, Newcastle fed off this setback, and responded almost instantly at the beginning of the 2nd half. The equaliser came from a familiar source - Demba Ba netting his 5th of the season following good work from Jonas Gutierrez - the Argentine weaving his way past Luka Modric and Kyle Walker before delivering a delightful cross for Ba to prod towards goal, Spurs keeper Brad Friedel did match to collect the ball but only managed to succeed in carrying the ball over the line after he was caught out of position by Gutierrez's well placed delivery.

The visitors reacted well to the leveller and took command of the game once more, but it was an inspired substitution by Redknapp that put Spurs back in front, Jermain Defoe finding half a yard of space to turn and lash home from just outside the box after the striker had replaced a tiring Van Der Vaart.

Pardew, quickly reacting to falling behind for the second time, made changes of his own in bringing on Hatem Ben Arfa and Shola Ameobi for Leon Best and Demba Ba. The switch in personnel again proved pivotal as Ben Arfa's pace and drive shifted the momentum back towards Newcastle, Friedel called into action twice, first from Cheick Tiote long range effort and then again from a well hit Ryan Taylor free-kick.

Friedel's heroics would prove to be to no avail however, as three minutes from time the American was beaten, substitute Ameobi latching on to Ryan Taylor's through ball to power home a beautiful left foot strike into the bottom corner of the net and send the St James' Park crowd into raptures.

The goal was a timely reminder for Ameobi's critics of how the striker tends to deliver when it matters for Newcastle. His double in the 5-1 demolition of Sunderland last season will always be fondly remembered, but many will be quick to forget his contribution during the Championship promotion campaign and his overall tally of 9 goals in all competitions last season. Say what you like about the much maligned forward, but when the chips have been down, Ameobi has often been there to save the day.

Another thing that was notable about Ameobi's late equaliser was the celebration, raucous and wonderful, it was a joy to watch. Ameobi found himself mobbed by his team mates who celebrated the goal as if it had just won Newcastle the FA Cup. It served as a clear indication of the team spirit within the Newcastle team and it gives me an excuse to put the following song at the bottom of this entry. Enjoy!

http://youtu.be/hTWKbfoikeg

The great Mike Ashley debate: Visionary or Mr. Burns in a black and white shirt?

The international break is a time for reflection, a time for players, managers and fans alike to really analyse the start to the season, what has gone well and, more commonly, what has gone wrong.

Because, lets face it, nobody really cares about another English major tournament campaign that is destined to end in defeat on penalties to Germany, Portugal, France, Italy etc. etc. Do they? Well some might but I certainly don't. Therefore, with that in mind, lets have a debate about Newcastle, everything has gone so well on the pitch that there isn't really much to discuss there, however, its never a bad time to have a chat about our owner, our sturdy, cold-hearted rock Mr. Mike Ashley.

Judging from the countless number of arguments I've read, listened or been a part of, I've come to the conclusion  that there are two ways in which Mike Ashley is viewed among Newcastle fans and among neutrals. The points and reasoning behind both are laid out below.


Mike Ashley: Saviour of Newcastle United and more recently, football genius. 


A few months ago, uttering that sentence may have seen me committed to an asylum of some description, but now the notion that Mike Ashley's is in fact to Newcastle United's benefit doesn't seem so crazy anymore.

Lets begin with perhaps the most boring aspect of football, finances. Ashley purchased Newcastle United via his company St James Holdings for approximately £134 million. Following this Ashley then had to invest £100 million into the club just to ensure its financial security, according to a 2010 BBC documentary. Further reports have suggested that Ashley has ploughed over £200 million into the club since his tenure at the top began. Former Chairman Chris Mort alluded to the perilous state of Newcastle's accounts back in 2007, stating that the club was on the brink of collapse before Ashley stepped in.

This is hardly surprising, you only need to look at the ridiculous transfer fees and wages paid out by Freddy Shepherd during his time as principal owner of the club - as he attempted to buy Newcastle's way back to the top by signing the likes of Kluivert, Owen, Emre, Martins, Butt, Duff etc, following the equally ridiculous decision to sack Sir Bobby Robson - to understand that Newcastle's finances were akin to those of a University student after freshers week.

1-0 to Ashley then? Well if the Buckinghamshire businessman had taken the opportunity to examine the club's books before purchasing the club and undertake due diligence he may have saved himself £200m. Still the point remains that without Ashley's intervention, the club could well have been on its way to becoming Leeds United mkII.

A well earned point to Ashley in that case, he of course will lose many through because of relegation, and the Keegan and Kinnear sagas, but lets not trouble ourselves with such horrible business just yet, let us focus on the good stuff.

Finances? Check. Now on to playing staff and Ashley certainly gets some credit here, right? Gone is the deadwood, Owen, Viduka, Martins and the rest all said their goodbyes following relegation while the likes of Nolan, Carroll and Enrique helped steer Newcastle back to the summit of English football in one season. The same squad was able to help the club avoid relegation comfortably, while the signings of Cheick Tiote and Hatem Ben Arfa for under £10 million added much needed depth and quality.

All this achieved despite a mid-season managerial change, Alan Pardew replacing Chris Hughton as I'm sure you all know. Ashley was even able to make those beloved balance sheets look even prettier by turning a £35m profit on Andy Carroll thanks to Liverpool's seemingly madcap new owners.

The side has since been further revamped, Nolan, Barton and Enrique all following Carroll out of the door, replaced by French international Yohan Cabaye, along with Gabriel Obertan, Sylvain Marveaux, Demba Ba and Davide Santon. Yet in spite of such a drastic overhaul Newcastle sit 4th in the table after the first seven games and are still unbeaten, keeping in mind that the club has made a £35.25m profit in transfer business since January. Pardew deserves a lot of the credit as do the players of course, but for many there is only one possible explanation, Mike Ashley is not only our financial saviour but is also, much more importantly, a genius.


While many people buy into to this opinion of Michael James Wallace Ashley, a large percentage of Newcastle fans see him in an entirely different light. Ladies and gentleman let me introduce you to ....


Evil Mike Ashley: Dictator, Grinch and general nasty man


My futile attempts at humour aside, it can be said without any shred of doubt that there are many members of the Toon Army that wholeheartedly despise Mike Ashley for what has occurred at Newcastle United under his stewardship.

They have fair reason to of course, as if the ignominy of relegation in 2009 wasn't enough, Ashley has also continually to manage to alienate fans and club legends alike. The hiring of Kevin Keegan was in hindsight a mistake, and from a purely business perspective you have to sack someone who refuses to toe the party line. However, Ashley and his advisors much surely have known that Keegan is and has never been that kind of individual. When hiring someone of Kevin Keegan's ilk, you are employing someone who is passionate about the game of football and - as everyone who has seen that infamous interview will know - someone who is not afraid to speak their mind. The mistake was not specifically employing Keegan, the mistake was that Ashley and his staff catastrophically mishandled one of the biggest personalities in English football.

Sacking KeeganKinnear, a dash of Chris Hughton and of course another club legend, Alan Shearer. Shearer's appointment had Newcastle riding on the crest of a wave for a brief period but it wasn't enough. Despite relegation from the Premier League Shearer showed the desire to stay for the fight and re-build the side. Ashley failed to agree a deal to keep Shearer at the club, thus alienating a Newcastle United great, again.

While Chris Hughton became the unlikely hero as he guided Newcastle back to the Premier League at the first time of asking, many of those vehemently against Ashley and his regime would argue that the Newcastle owner deserves little to no credit for Hughton's quiet revolution which was the result of Hughton and the players clubbing together in an admirable show of team spirit. Indeed, the Newcastle hierarchy showed little determination in planning for life in the Championship, to the contrary, Ashley appeared pre-occupied with his  fruitless search to find a buyer for the club.

Ashley shelved his plans to sell the club following Newcastle's return to the Premier League, and quickly found the time to mistreat another of football's good guys by sacking Chris Hughton.

The decision to replace Hughton with Alan Pardew is quickly beginning to look one of Ashley's shrewder moves. Still, while Newcastle have made a successful start to the season on a shoestring budget, the overriding opinion of many observers is that the sale of key players such as Jose Enrique and Andy Carroll highlights a distinct lack of ambition and desire to move the club forward. The sale of the likes of Enrique and Carroll has fueled skepticism among numbers of fans that any player who quickly becomes a success at the club will be sold on at the nearest juncture.

On the whole, the predominant view among Mike Ashley detractors is that the ambition, heart and soul has been sucked from the club in a cold hearted and ruthless manner. It is a viewpoint that is furthered by Ashley's desire to advertise his sportswear company, Sports Direct, all over St James Park. Advertising your business is all well and good, but not when it extends to renaming the stadium sportsdirect.com@St James Park, revamping the club sign on the East Stand with fresh new Sports Direct and Puma logos adjacent to it and painting Sports Direct in gargantuan lettering on the roof of the Gallowgate End.

The defacement of Newcastle's footballing cathedral is a slap in the face to pretty much every single Newcastle United fan, and for many Newcastle fans, advertising a business that is supposed to be an entirely separate entity represents everything that is wrong with the Ashley regime. It is regime that knows everything about how to run a business, but it is also one that knows little about how to run a football club and shows little sensitivity to the feelings of football fans. Perhaps Mike Ashley is lucky that football has essentially become a business, but it doesn't change the fact that hoards of Newcastle fans would like to see him leave the North East as soon as possible.

My own personal view


It is my opinion that Newcastle fans will eventually get their wish. Newcastle United is nothing but a business to Mike Ashley and I fully believe he intends to balance the club's books before attempting to sell the club and  turn a profit on his investment. In the mean time the Newcastle faithful will have to do what they have done so well over the years and stick it out for the long haul. This is a task that should be much easier given the way that Alan Pardew's side are currently performing, indeed the Toon Army should be thankful that one of Ashley's decisions appears to have been for the better of the club. In Pardew they have a manager who has the ability to get the best out of his players and has guided the club to its best start in 17 years, the longer Newcastle's form continues, the more the fans will be able to forget about Ashley's ever controversial presence at the club.

Rapid reaction: Newcastle ride luck to Molineux victory

Another weekend, another victory for Newcastle United, Alan Pardew's men continued their superb unbeaten run as they came away from Molineux with a 2-1 win over Mick McCarthy's Wolverhampton Wanderers.

The visitors made a shaky start to proceedings, as Wolves enjoyed most of the early running. However, the Magpies quickly grew into the game and took the lead in the 18th minute when Demba Ba glanced home a near post header from Yohan Cabaye's well placed corner.

Cabaye has been in sterling form since joining from French side Lille, and it was another good outing from the French international, as he and central midfield partner Cheick Tiote controlled the game for much of the 1st half.

Newcastle doubled their lead just over 20 minutes later thanks to a spectacular solo goal from Jonas Gutierrez. The Argentine, who has just signed a new four year contract with the club, evaded the challenges of  several Wolves' defenders before slotting home beautifully with his a left footed strike into the bottom corner of the net.

The visitors' commanding lead remained in tact until the 88th minute when Steven Fletcher headed home at the far post from Adam Hammil's cross. Controversy followed as Kevin Doyle looked have snatched a dramatic equaliser for the home side when he poked home Matt Jarvis' knock back, however the linesman adjudged that the ball was out of play when Jarvis made contact. 

That decision denied Wolves' what would have been a hard earned point, and the home fans will feel aggrieved not to have taken something from the game as they were also denied a penalty when Referee Mark Halsey ruled that Steven Taylor's foul on Jamie O'Hara occurred outside the 18 yard box. 

A draw would not have been overly harsh on Newcastle, as their 2nd half performance was in marked contrast to their 1st half display. Pardew's charges sought to protect their comfortable advantage and did so with consummate ease for the majority of the final 45 minutes. Wolves continued to press however, and Newcastle's resistance began to wilt, forcing Goalkeeper Tim Krul to make a number of smart saves before Fletcher finally managed to beat the Dutchman. 

Despite this it would not be unfair to say that Newcastle were worthy of their win. They dominated most facets of the game in the first 45, Ba and strike partner Leon Best causing the Wolves defence plenty of problems with their hold up play and movement off the ball. Cabaye and Tiote seem to have formed a highly formidable partnership in the centre of midfield, while the back four defended well up until the frantic spell of Wolves pressure in the dying minutes. 

The disappointing factors in Newcastle's performance stemmed from their 2nd half tactics and substitutions, although the Magpies had chances to kill the game off they never actively seemed to search for the third goal that would have ended the game as a contest. On the contrary Newcastle seemed content to sit back and invite Wolves to attack their goal.

The changes made by Pardew also proved to be questionable, the introduction of Peter Lovenkrands added nothing to Newcastle's attacking threat while Danny Guthrie was also brought on late in the game but made no impact as Wolves continued to throw caution to wind in attack. 

Pardew's substitutions were questionable, not for the players he did bring on, but for the players he chose to leave on the bench, specifically Hatem Ben Arfa and Sylvain Marveaux. The French duo offer the Magpies more options going forward. Both are able to play on either side of midfield, while Ben Arfa is also comfortable playing in the hole just behind a main striker. 

Deploying the former Marseille man in this position could have aided Newcastle's cause in two areas. Firstly it would have enabled them to maintain their attacking impetus, and secondly it would have handed them the luxury of an extra man in midfield to protect against the threat posed by the home side. 

Fans will debate Pardew's tactical decisions at length, while analysts and so called experts will argue over the questionable decisions made by Halsey and his assistants ad naseum. In spite of all of this there can be no doubt that Newcastle's start to the season has been nothing short of sensational, the Toon are enjoying their best start to a season for 17 years and are vitally still unbeaten after the first 7 games of the campaign.

Pre-season skepticism has been washed away by a wave of optimism, the most exciting aspect of Newcastle's start to the season is that there is still room for Pardew's side to improve. If those improvements are made then it could be a very enjoyable campaign on Tyneside. 

Newcastle's superb start continues but tougher tests ahead

Off the mark: Ba scored a hat-rick in the win over Blackburn

Not since the days of the late Sir Bobby Robson have things been so rosy at St James Park, the home of Newcastle United is a pretty happy place to be around these days, as Alan Pardew's side continue sit pretty in the top four of the Premier League and, perhaps most surprisingly, still unbeaten.

It was something of a procession for Newcastle on Saturday as they comfortably dispatched a hapless Blackburn Rovers side to the tune of three goals to one. The contest was especially notable for the contribution of striker Demba Ba, who scored all his side's goals as he bagged himself an impressive hat-rick.

The treble marked the end of Senegalese international Ba's six game scoring drought, the emphatic nature in which Ba ended his dry spell was indicative of the current state of Newcastle United at this present moment in time. The club has faced much adversity in recent years, and has always, somehow managed to overcome it, doing so repeatedly in spectacular fashion.

Newcastle stay 4th in the Premier League table following the result, and the dominance they showed almost throughout the contest will give them much hope of reaching the 5th Round of the Carling Cup where Rovers will again be their opponents, this time at Blackburn's Ewood Park.

However, for as much as Newcastle's start to the season has been near perfect, there may be some that will argue that is unsurprising as the teams they have faced have been far from stellar.

This viewpoint is a fallacy, Newcastle, despite playing in some very winnable games against the likes of Fulham and Blackburn, have faced a fair share of tough challenges so far this campaign. An opening game against Arsenal, in spite of their recent troubles, can never be taken lightly. The magnitude of winning away from home in a North-East derby cannot be underestimated, while away draws against a QPR side that have invested heavily and Aston Villa are results that most teams in the Premier League would be content with.

Still it is fair to say that the litmus test for how much Newcastle have improved will come in the next few months.

October and November are set to be very difficult months for Pardew and his charges. Newcastle face a tricky trip to Wolves on Saturday, following this a home game against Tottenham Hotspur and a trip to the Britannia Stadium to face Stoke are separated by the slightly less formidable challenge of facing Wigan Athletic at St James Park.

Pardew's men will have little respite in November, as Newcastle face a home clash with Everton before tackling the far from enviable challenge of back to back away games against both Manchester sides.

The games against Wolves, Spurs and Wigan all finished in draws in the corresponding fixtures last year. The Britannia Stadium on the other hand will trigger painful memories for Pardew and the Toon Army, as the travelling support saw their side thumped 4-0 on their last trip to the North-West Midlands.

It is those four games that will showcase just how much Newcastle have grown as a side, if they can transform those draws into victories and leave Stoke with any kind of result then fans can begin to think about a top half finish. However, mid-table mediocrity may beckon if the revamped Magpies are unable to improve on last season's results.

Newcastle fans can be forgiven for looking forward to these games with increasing optimism, strikers Leon Best and Demba Ba appear to have hit form, midfielders Yohan Cabaye and Cheick Tiote have been exceptional in recent matches, Hatem Ben Arfa is back in action and the defence, anchored by captain Fabricio Coloccini and Steven Taylor with the fast improving keeper Tim Krul behind it, continues to maintain its solidity.

Even the most ardent of Newcastle fan would accept that a first defeat is inevitable but for the moment the Geordies should enjoy their spell near the summit of English football, after all, it is somewhere the club hasn't been for quite a while.

Shutting down Hoilett may be key to ending Blackburn hoodoo

Another week, another positive set of results for Newcastle United and another blog entry hastily constructed on a Friday night after several bottles of beer.

Still it is a pleasure to write about Newcastle at the moment as their unbeaten run in both the Premier League and the Carling Cup continues. The Toon's latest victory was not without struggle however, as Steve McLaren's Nottingham Forest equalised 3 times before Newcastle finally sealed a 4-3 victory in the last minute of extra-time through captain Fabricio Coloccini's header.

The win booked Newcastle's place in the 4th Round of the Carling Cup, an extremely positive result after Alan Pardew made nine changes to a side that drew 1-1 at Aston Villa just three days earlier. Among the changes was a return for Hatem Ben Arfa after a year away from competitive action following the broken leg he suffered last season at Manchester City.

The former Marseille and Lyon man played 70 minutes before being substituted. Ben Arfa had a hand in Newcastle's first goal as he delivered a delightful ball out wide for Sylvain Marveaux who crossed for Peter Lovenkrands to head home. It was an impressive display be ex-Rennes man Marveaux who won the penalty for Newcastle's second goal which was converted comfortably by Lovenkrands. That goal put Newcastle back in front after Robbie Findley had levelled for Forest.

Matt Derbyshire levelled matters again late on to send the contest to extra time. It was an unlikely source who provided Newcastle's third goal as Danny Simpson's cross deceived Forest keeper Lee Camp to nestle in the top corner, Pardew's men thought that was to be the winner before Marcus Tudgay drew Forest level for the third time before Coloccini's header settled the game right at the death.

A number of young guns featured for Newcastle on Tuesday night, including Lens academy product Mehdi Abeid and Irish full-back Shane Ferguson.

It will be a more experienced side that takes the field on Saturday though, as Pardew's charges look to maintain their good start to the season with a home win against Steve Kean's Blackburn Rovers. The Lancashire club have become something of a bogey team for the Geordies in recent years, Rovers have won on their last five visits to St. James Park.

Newcastle will be confident of ending that run after their strong start, but Blackburn will also be revitalised following a 4-3 home win over Arsenal. A big factor in Rovers' victory over Arsene Wenger's lacklustre Gunners was the form of Yakubu, who netted two goals in the win.

The Toon defence has been excellent in almost every game they have played so far in the league and they will need to be on their guard again to prevent the Nigeria hitman from finding the net once more. The key to stopping Yakubu will be cutting off his supply line, the Nigerian is far from the most mobile of striker's and will rely heavily on the service of Junior Hoilett, Blackburn's star midfielder who is arguably Rovers' best player.

If Newcastle can nullify the threat of threat Hoilett then it could be a profitable afternoon for the Newcastle attack who will be boosted by the improved form of Marveaux and the return of Ben Arfa. That extra dose of creativity may prove to be useful as the Toon will have to break down Blackburn's experienced centre-back pairing of Christopher Samba and Scott Dan if they to continue their impressive unbeaten run.

Cabaye magnifique in Villa draw

I said in my post leading up to Newcastle's game against Aston Villa that Alan Pardew had to either add an extra man in midfield or start Demba Ba up front if his side were to take something from the game.

Pardew opted for the latter, but despite an improved performance of the Senegal international forward it was the display of Yohan Cabaye, Newcastle's French midfielder, who delivered something of a masterclass as the Magpies dominated the Villa midfield.

It was Alex McLeish's side that took the lead against the run of play with Gabriel Agbonlahor capitalising on a rare mistake from Fabricio Coloccini to slot home from six yards, but although Villa did have chances to double the lead, most notably from Darren Bent, it was Newcastle who made most of the running for the majority of the contest.

The Toon were well worthy of the point they earned when Leon Best levellled the scores. The Irish international prodding home a rebound after Shay Given had saved Best's initial header from Cheick Tiote's well placed cross.

It was the performances of Tiote and central midfield partner Cabaye that enabled Newcastle to control the game, the Ivorian Tiote breaking up play frequently to allow the former Lille man Cabaye to play with increasing freedom.

Only the fantastic reactions of former Newcastle keeper Shay Given denied Cabaye from sealing victory for the Toon Army, the Irishman making a spectacular save from Cabaye's stunning 25 yard volley that seemed destined for the top corner of the net. The midfielder had beaten Given in the lead up to Newcastle's equaliser but was denied by the crossbar.

Newcastle had one late chance to snatch victory as Cabaye latched onto Sylvain Marveaux's lofted pass to race through on one on one with Given, but the Frenchman sent his shot despairingly wide of the goal.

In the end an encouraging display and well earned point for Newcastle, and although some Toon fans will have left Villa Park feeling that their side had missed an opportunity to take all 3 points, there will be surely be a sense of excitement that Pardew's side are still unbeaten with new summer recruits beginning to gel into the team.

Villa preview: Santon injured as Taylor form sparks England rumours

Steven Taylor has been in outstanding form so far this season

I haven't posted in a while, so I thought I'd knock up a quick post on Newcastle's trip to Villa Park this Saturday.

The Toon travel to the Midlands still unbeaten after gaining a point at Loftus Road despite a poor performance in West London on Monday evening. The challenge will be markedly more difficult this weekend as they face who possess one of the most dangerous attacks outside of the top four in English football.

Newcastle's defence has been one of the best in the league so far this campaign, conceding just one goal in four games, their back four will have to stand tall once more if they are to keep a clean sheet against the pacy Gabriel Agbonlahor and deadly finisher Darren Bent.

One option that will not be available to Manager Alan Pardew is recently signed full back Davide Santon, the Italian has suffered a re-occurrence of a knee injury in training and has been set for a scan by the club's medical staff. This setback means Ryan Taylor is likely to continue at left-back despite struggling noticeably against Sean Wright-Philips.

The former Wigan man can take solace in the form of his two centre-backs Fabricio Coloccini and Steven Taylor who were impressive again on Monday night, with the latter now reportedly on the radar of Fabio Capello.

There are a number of issues the Newcastle boss has to address ahead of this encounter, the first is the threat of the side being overrun in midfield, which happened with alarming frequency against QPR. Many Newcastle fans, this blogger included, believe that this problem can be solved by simply deploying an extra man in midfield to serve as a link between attack and defence, allowing Cheik Tiote to focus more on protecting the back four.

Both Tiote and Yohan Cabaye were in poor form on Monday night, which unsurprisingly did not help the situation in midfield, still it appears that Newcastle are suffering most from the unavailability of Hatem Ben Arfa, who Pardew has earmarked for a return to action against Nottingham Forest in the Carling Cup. Ben Arfa would most likely play in behind a main striker and provide the link in play between midfield and attack.

However, with the Clairefontaine academy graduate still unavailable, Pardew has an interesting decision to make. Does he stick with the 4-4-2 formation or switch to a 4-4-1-1 and deploying an extra man to play behind a solitary striker. If he chooses the former he surely must partner Demba Ba with Leon Best, Irish international Best is clearly the most talented forward at he club, while Ba offers a more mobile presence to that of Shola Ameobi who was ineffective in Monday night's contest.

If Pardew does decide the change tack then he has a difficult decision to make as to who to play in the hole behind a frontman, the electric Gabriel Obertan may be a good candidate as the Frenchman possesses the speed to put opposing defences on the backfoot, compatriot Sylvain Marveaux may well be another viable option to play in a free role as he versatility enables him to play on either flank. Despite Newcastle's growing contingent of French attackers, Pardew may well be tempted to throw an Englishman into his side.

Midfielder Dan Gosling has been blighted by injury for a large portion of his young career, but the former Everton man is available for selection and could well have provide Newcastle with the attacking impetus they need after he scored two for Newcastle's reserve side in a 6-0 thumping of Norwich.

Whatever Pardew decides his selection will have to guarantee one thing for Newcastle, goals. The side cannot rely on on its defensive stability every week and a positive attacking display is needed if Pardew's men are to add to their points tally at Villa Park on Saturday.

So long Summer sun: August review

Who doesn't love a good alliteration for a title? I'm quite pleased with that. Anyway this post is just a quick review on how Newcastle have started the season, and why the heck not? On the pitch every thing is a-ok for Alan Pardew's men *touches wood*. So let us have a quick look back.

It started, typically, with an element of controversy, controversy that came quite predictably from the now departed Joseph Barton. Barton may be gone but he managed to leave a lasting impression in his last two games for the club. First in an otherwise dour 0-0 draw against Arsenal Barton was involved in a 'melee' or in layman's terms, a minor slapfight with Gervinho, which started after Barton hauled Gervinho up after the Ivorian had tried to win what would have been a dubious penalty for his side, and ended with Gervinho being sent off for 'striking' Barton in the face. Wenger complained, Barton garnered a lot of media attention, Newcastle earned a point which now looks a bit disappointing given Arsenal's subsequent struggles. 

The last act for Mr.Barton in a black and white shirt was to participate in yet another derby success over Sunderland, it was a contest in which Barton was heavily involved, having a clear penalty claim denied as well as seeing a goal correctly chalked off for offside, but the glory and the plaudits went to fellow Scouser Ryan Taylor, who clinched victory for the Magpies with an expertly placed free-kick that evaded Sunderland keeper Simon Mignolet and nestled in the corner of the net. The win owed much to Newcastle's defence, particularly centre backs Fabricio Coloccini and Steven Taylor, as well as keeper Tim Krul, who pulled off a string of good saves in the first-half.

Following wild celebrations with the fans after the win over Sunderland, Newcastle were forced to move on without Barton, and they did just that as they moved into the 3rd round of the Carling Cup with an 2-1 extra time victory over Scunthorpe at Glanford Park. Scunthorpe took the lead thanks to an early Craig Dagnall strike and looked like holding out until Ryan Taylor delighted the away fans by curling another free-kick into the top corner of the goal. By this point Newcastle were well on top and had created a host of chances and continued to do so without finding a winner.

The winning goal was well worth waiting for as Sammy Ameobi sealed the win with a fantastic strike from 25 yards out after collecting the ball from the halfway like and charging at a tired Scunthorpe defence. The win was a testament to Newcastle's character and although it was a largely lacklustre performance, there were good displays from Yohan Cabaye, Sylvain Marveaux, goalscorer Ameobi, and youngster Haris Vuckic. Tim Krul was also extremely impressive again in the Newcastle goal.

The Dutchman was at it again as he pulled off some truly phenomenal saves from point blank range against Fulham to seal a 2-1 win in a game that yours truly was able to attend. Leon Best allayed some fears about Newcastle's goal scoring ability up front with a double, whilst Demba Ba also put in a pleasing cameo in which he set up Best's 2nd and also smashed a strike against the crossbar. 

The home side were poor in what was a dull first 45 minutes but came to life in a 2nd half where they played some very good possession football. Cabaye was outstanding in retaining possession for his side, whilst the high line deployed by the back four ensured that Newcastle were able to put Fulham under pressure with regularity. What has also become clear is that the pace provided by Gabriel Obertan has allowed Newcastle to become a much better team on the counter attack.

Newcastle did sit back a little too much late on in the game and the fans had to endure a nervy last few minutes after Clint Dempsey finally managed to breach Krul's goal. Thankfully Pardew's men rode out of the rest of the game and ended the first month of the season undefeated. 

Alan Pardew has defied many critics who said Newcastle may struggle by leading his team to an undefeated start which has been built largely on defence. Here are the ratings for each player that has participated during the month of August.

Tim Krul 9 - Didn't have much to do against Arsenal, but was outstanding against Sunderland, Scunthorpe and Fulham. The Dutchman is showing real international pedigree.

Danny Simpson 5 - Has had a poor start to the season in which wingers have managed to get past him too easily.

Steven Taylor 9 - Superb, dominant in the air and much more composed than he has been in the past. Maybe a bit too early to talk about England call ups but Fabio Capello should definitely have his name in his notes.

Fabricio Coloccini 10 - Speaking of international call ups, bloody hell Alejandro Sabella (Argentinian National Coach) get this man called up. The Newcastle captain has been near perfect in every single game, his positional sense is faultless and he has adapted the physical side of his game to suit the Premier League. Player of the Month.

Ryan Taylor 8 - Taylor may soon be displaced by new signing Davide Santon, but the contribution he has made over the last month cannot be discounted. For a man playing out of position at left back he has played brilliantly. Competent in defence and two goals from free-kicks including the winner against the Mackems, what a month the former Wigan man has had. Hero. 

Gabriel Obertan 6 - Encouraging. His performances haven't been spectacular but he displayed lightning pace and a desire to beat his man to the byline and put in a cross. Can only get better with experience.

Cheick Tiote 6 - Lack of pre-season preparation and Ramadan fasting have clearly had an effect on his game. Tiote has looked off the pace so far, but did look better in his last outing against Fulham.

Yohan Cabaye 8 - The Frenchman has settled extremely well, after a slightly sub-par performance in his debut he has rebounded with a few composed and combative performances. Gets an extra point for squaring up to Phil Bardsley in the game against Sunderland.

Jonas Gutierrez 7 - Has made a very decent start to the campaign, keeps possession excellently and his strong running won the free-kick that led to the winner against Sunderland. Has been called up to Argentinian national side.

Demba Ba 5 - Poor against Arsenal and Scunthorpe, but improved in cameo against Fulham. Ramadan may also have been a factor, but needs to hit goal trail to get fans on his side. 

Shola Ameobi 6 - Held the ball up well against Arsenal and Sunderland but displaced by lively Best.

Joey Barton 6 - Lets not spend too long on this, did fairly well in his 2 final outings, now a QPR player, move on.

Mike Williamson 5 - Struggled against Scunthorpe until injured.

Peter Lovenkrands 4 - Lord only knows why Pardew persists with playing this man, missed 2 or 3 good chances in the cup game at Glanford Park and was non-existent against Fulham.

Dan Gosling 5 - Missed a guilt edged chance at Sunderland and put in an inconsistent display against Scunthorpe.

Alan Smith 5 - One sub appearance against Fulham in which he did little.

Leon Best 7 - Had one goal incorrectly disallowed in the league cup but followed that up with an impressive double v Fulham. Looks to have the predatory instinct that could see him back up a strong season last term.

Sylvain Marveaux 6 - Just the one game so far for Marveaux, but the signing from Stade Rennais looked a threat at Scunthorpe and Newcastle fans should be excited to see more of him.

Sammy Ameobi 7 - Excellent in coming on as a substitute and firing Newcastle into the next round of the Carling Cup. Deserves place in first team squad.

Haris Vuckic 6 - Broke his hand in the Fulham game, but shouldn't be out too long. Appears to be a very clever player, composed on the ball and has a touch of elegance about him. Very promising prospect.

So there you have it, all is well on the pitch at Newcastle United, but Pardew and his troops have an important September ahead of them. If Newcastle are still unbeaten this time next month, then the Toon Army will be forgiven for getting excited.   

Transfer Window: The Final Verdict

Hello there! Its been a while since my last post, and a lot has happened at Newcastle United since then. The Toon are unbeaten in league and cup and have added extra bodies in the transfer window, but rather controversially not another striker as many Newcastle fans had hoped. The window is now closed, Jim White has been sent back to his dungeon till January 31st and we can finally concentrate on the football. However, before we do, I'd like to give final analysis of the club's dealings in the summer transfer window. The list of the ins and outs is compiled below.

Ins

Mehdi Abeid (Lens) - Free

Yohan Cabaye (Lille) - £4.3m

Demba Ba (West Ham) - Free

Sylvain Marveaux (Stade Rennais) - Free

Gabriel Obertan (Manchester United) - £3.25m

Davide Santon (Inter Milan) - £5m

Rob Elliot (Charlton Athletic) - 100k

Major Outs

Sol Campbell - Released

Kevin Nolan - West Ham (£4m)

Wayne Routledge - Swansea City (£2m)

Jose Enrique - Liverpool (£6m)

Joey Barton - Queens Park Rangers (Free)

Looking at the fees involved in Newcastle's moves in the transfer window, the first thing that stands out is the number of free transfers. Newcastle have bought shrewdly in that respect, filling positions in the side without spending large amounts of money. While this is a positive from a fiscal standpoint, it has been the cause of much anger among fans that the promise made by Alan Pardew that all of £35m received for Andy Carroll would be re-invested in the team has not been kept. In fact when adding up the final figures, Newcastle have a net spend of around £0.25m, which is, in modern football, peanuts. 

Despite this, it hasn't been the worst transfer window for the club. Critics will look to the controversial sales of Kevin Nolan, Jose Enrique and Joey Barton, but others will look to the acquisitions, particularly Yohan Cabaye who has delivered 2 composed performances after struggling slightly against Arsenal. Obertan and Marveaux add some much needed pace to a side that had a severe lack of it in the previous campaign.

Fans can also be happy with Jose Enrique's replacement, Davide Santon, the 20 year old who has won 7 international caps with Italy during his short career. Described by his former boss Jose Mourinho as 'phenomenal', Santon undoubtedly has exceptional talent, although a drop off in performance saw him loaned to Cesena last season. The Italian's versatility will also be an asset to Alan Pardew, as he has the ability to play on either side of defence, Santon is, in essence, the typical Mike Ashley signing, young and relatively cheap in today's market. However, he has the calibre and the potential to develop into a mainstay at left back for many years to come. 

Still for Newcastle fans the major talking point has been the situation up front, and now that the window has shut, many fans will be extremely displeased at the club's inability to bring in another striker despite some last-ditch deadline day attempts. Pardew will now have to go with what he's got. Luckily for him, Leon Best looks like hitting form as he wrapped up all 3 points last weekend with 2 goals against Fulham. Demba Ba has been largely poor in the opening games but was also much improved against the Cottagers, setting up Best's second goal. 

The worry for the fans will be the lack of depth below Ba and Best. Shola Ameobi is a somewhat effective target man, while Peter Lovenkrands is aging and truthfully isn't good enough to be a regular starter in the Premier League. Below that Nile Ranger looks to have blown his chance after being arrested for assault, so the young bright hope is Shola Ameobi's younger brother Sammy who scored a magnificent winner in the Carling Cup tie at Scunthorpe. For many Newcastle fans though, the great hope will be the return, again, of Hatem Ben Arfa, who is due to return to full training on September 10th and has been pencilled in by Pardew for a return against Wolves on October 1st, expected to supply many of Newcastle goals in his role in behind the main striker, Frenchman Ben Arfa will return with a weight of expectation placed on his shoulders. 

Verdict: Newcastle have let 3 big stars go this window, but have replaced them with clever buys with a view to building a young, pacy side. However, the lack of  depth of front will have many wondering where the goals are going to come from. 

Transfer Window rating: 7/10

Sunderland vs Newcastle United Review: Taylor strike seals derby win for Magpies

Bragging rights: Newcastle celebrate Ryan Taylor's winner

                                   

Sunderland 0-1 Newcastle

It was a typical North-East derby, full of controversial decisions, incidents and plenty of fouls. The only surprise, the scorer of winning goal, Ryan Taylor. The Scouse utility man etched his name in Newcastle history when his free-kick looped over the head Simon Mignolet and into the top corner of the net.

Sunderland had dominated the game for large periods of the first-half but faded badly in the second 45 as Newcastle grew into the contest before Taylor's strike sealed glory for Alan Pardew's men.

The result was little more than Newcastle deserved as they were denied a blatant penalty in the first-half as Sebastian Larsson prevented a Joey Barton header from crossing the line by palming the ball out of play. Barton and the rest of the Newcastle side protested vehemently to referee Howard Webb and the linesman on the near side but their protestations fell on deaf ears as neither official appeared to get a proper view of the incident.

For as much as Newcastle were unlucky not to be awarded a penalty, Sunderland were arguably just as unlucky not to have scored themselves as the lively Stephane Sessegnon crafted a number of chances in a vain attempt to give the Black Cats the lead. A series of bad tackles set the tone for what would follow in the second half as first Yohan Cabaye was booked for a high challenge on Phil Bardsley before tempers began to flare slightly following a late Lee Cattermole tackle on Joey Barton.

Steve Bruce's side ended the first period in the ascendancy as Asamoah Gyan's curling effort narrowly crept over the bar. The second half performance from the home side will have many Sunderland fans scratching their heads as to what Steve Bruce said at Half Time as all the momentum they had possessed in the early stages evaporated and Newcastle took a stranglehold on the contest.

Yohan Cabaye and Jonas Guttierez were particularly impressive for the Magpies and it was a typically strong and surging run from the Argentine Gutierrez that won the free-kick that led to Newcastle's winning goal as the Argentine was brought down on the edge of the area.

It was left to Taylor to do the rest and the former Wigan man, who scored so many for the Latics in the past against Newcastle, didn't disappoint as he delivered a perfectly placed free-kick which left a despairing Mignolet stranded and nestled in the top corner sending the visiting Toon Army into raptures.

From that point on it was a relative stroll in the park for Alan Pardew's men as Sunderland laboured to try and find an equaliser. There was still time for more spice and a predictable derby-day red card, first the spice as Cattermole was booked for a scything challenge on Gutierrez, the tackle led to a melee that had been brewing throughout the game which resulted in Barton and Bardsley both being booked for their involvement in the incident.

It was Bardsley however who proved to be the deserving recipient of the derby-day dismissal as he was shown a second yellow late in the game for a horror tackle on Coloccini which television replays showed would have been worthy of a straight red. The sending-off killed the game as a contest, but Newcastle had been coping comfortably long before Bardsley had been sent from the field as Pardew's decision to take off the intelligent Cabaye and switch to 5-4-1 quelled the Sunderland attack with Fabricio Coloccini and Steven Taylor impressive yet again.

In truth Newcastle could have by more by the end, Joey Barton was again denied a goal as his effort was correctly chalked off for offside, while substitute Dan Gosling spurned a late chance to score his first Newcastle goal and give the Geordies the 2 goal lead their play probably deserved.

It mattered not as the contest lulled to its conclusion and Alan Pardew added his name to the list of victorious managers in Tyne/Wear derby history, lifting considerable pressure that had been placed on him due to recent inactivity in the transfer market. The challenge now for Pardew and Newcastle, is to push on from this result and gather early season momentum.

Man of the Match: Yohan Cabaye - It would be easy to give it to Coloccini, who was imperious yet again, but I've plumped for Cabaye. The Frenchman was neat and comfortable in possession and battled well in the midfield which compensated for the relatively poor performance of his midfield partner Cheick Tiote. Very impressive for his first ever Tyne/Wear derby. Jonas Gutierrez also deserves an honourable mention.

Moment of the Match - Easy one this, Ryan Taylor's winning goal, horrible from a Sunderland perspective, but wonderful in every way from a Newcastle one. A beautifully weighted free-kick that clinched victory and put the noisy neighbours back in their place once more.

Player Ratings:

Krul - 7
Simpson - 5
S.Taylor - 7
Coloccini - 8
R. Taylor - 7
Barton - 5
Tiote - 6
Cabaye - 8
Gutierrez - 7.5
Obertan - 5
Ameobi - 6

Subs:

Williamson - 6
Gosling - 6

Sunderland vs Newcastle United Match Preview

So its almost time, its only the 2nd game of the season and fans of Newcastle United and Sunderland have a battle for local pride to endure, and while it may still be very early in the campaign, there is already much at stake in this game, particularly for Newcastle.

However, lets start by looking at Sunderland. Steve Bruce's men heading into the fixture on the back of an impressive 1-1 draw at Anfield against a new look Liverpool side. Although as good a result as it was for the Black Cats on Merseyside, you would be hard pressed to find many who would argue that Sunderland weren't fortunate to be 3 or 4 goals behind by Half Time.

Sunderland adopted a 4-5-1 formation against Liverpool as shown below:

The formation failed to create the desired effect in the first half of the game against Liverpool as Sunderland were overrun on the counter attack and Liverpool bossed the midfield. However, the Black Cats turned the game around in the second half and snatched a draw after Sebastian Larsson brilliantly volleyed home Ahmed Elmohamady's searching ball into the box. The result also owed much to the composed performances of central defender Wes Brown and holding midfielder Jack Colback, which helped stem a Liverpool attack that had been rampant in the first half.

Sunderland weren't the only ones showing defensive fortitude last weekend, as Newcastle comfortably held firm against Arsenal side that appeared largely devoid of ideas minus the outgoing Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri. Alan Pardew opted for a straight 4-4-2 for his side's opening game of the season. The formation is once again shown below:

Despite Pardew having to deploy Ryan Taylor at left back for reasons I'm too annoyed about to go into, Newcastle were able to handle the threats posed by Gervinho, Andrey Arshavin, Theo Walcott and Robin Van Persie with relative ease. Aside from the Joey Barton-Gervinho episode, the game passed without real incident, which given Arsenal's dominance of possession was an indictment of the Gunners attacking play as well as a testament to the solidity of Newcastle's defence. Both centre-backs Fabricio Coloccini and Steven Taylor put in fantastic displays, while Cheick Tiote did a solid job in covering for both full-backs when Arsenal counter attacked.

So two very solid results on the opening day for both sides, but what changes should the sides make as they look to try and secure derby day glory. Well in the case of Sunderland I would certainly expect that 4-5-1 to become a 4-2-3-1 with Colback and Cattermole playing the two holding roles, Stephane Sessegnon playing in behind the main striker with Larsson and Elmohamday on either flank.

The main striker may be the main problem in that equation for Sunderland, Asamoah Gyan is short of fitness and was subbed after 66 minutes for new signing Ji Dong-Won. Dong-Won is naturally lacking Premier League experience as is starlet Conor Whickham, who despite his clear talent and the hype surrounding him, may take a while to adjust to the Premier League. On the other hand, the heated atmosphere of a local derby maybe the perfect environment for a young star like Whickham to announce himself on the big stage.

Newcastle also have a dilemma to resolve up front. Yes, they gained a positive result against Arsenal but there was an evident lack of sting in attack and new signing Demba Ba lacked the service needed to try and begin to replicate his 1 in 2 record at West Ham. An injection of pace was the most obvious element absent from the Newcastle attack, Gabriel Obertan helped rectify this when he came on for Ba at Half Time and while Brown and Titus Bramble are an effective centre-back pairing, they are far from the fastest. Therefore it would be worth Pardew considering giving the former Man Utd man a starting spot in order to try and get in behind the Sunderland defence.

Sylvain Marveaux, another of Newcastle's French contingent signed from Stade Rennais may also be another option after the winger played a full 90 minutes in a game for United's reserve team.

So both teams have selection issues to address, but where will the game be won and lost, well in my mind there are two battles that will be absolutely vital, and both concern the left back position. The two sides are currently operating with makeshift left backs, for Sunderland Kieran Richardson, who has taken to the position well in recent times after moving there from the wings, and for Newcastle Ryan Taylor, the utility man who did an ok job against Arsenal last week, but is predominantly a right sided player.

The two managers will surely look to exploit these possible areas of weakness, but, should he start it is arguably Taylor who faces the bigger challenge against Elmohamady, the Egyptian possesses slightly more pace than Joey Barton who will most likely occupy Newcastle's right wing spot. However, Richardson could have a lot more to deal with if Pardew decides to throw Obertan and Marveaux into the mix as the game progresses. Whichever left-back does the better job will, in my opinion give his side the best chance to win.

I anticipate that both sides will stick rather than twist and opt for the similar if not the same lineups that they used the previous weekend. Alan Pardew has already said that Shola Ameobi will start up front for Newcastle, the veteran frontman has an outstanding record against Sunderland and will look to continue his good form against them on Saturday. The question is whether he will be partnered by Ba or left to play up front as the lone striker with Obertan playing in behind.

Sunderland have the home advantage and if an early goal comes I suspect it will be from them, both teams will be tight at the back however, and in my mind this will be a low scoring affair. The pressure is on Alan Pardew with fan discontent over the club's transfer business growing with each day, so I think Newcastle will be happy to leave the Stadium of Light with a typically hard-earned point.

Prediction: 1-1

Newcastle v Arsenal Match Review: Toon stand firm against goal-shy Gunners

I said in my previous piece that Joey Barton needed to let his actions on the field do the talking, and against Arsenal yesterday that is exactly what he did, but once again the controversial midfielder found himself in the headlines for the wrong reasons.

However, in doing so I believe Barton demonstrated part of his value to the Newcastle side, in a few mad minutes he was involved in the game's two major talking points. First he was quite blatantly stamped on by Alex Song, apparently unseen by both the Referee and his assistants the offence went unpunished, this naturally angered Barton who walked off the pitch to confront the fourth official and ask why he had not drawn the referee's attention to Song's indiscretion.

Still that wasn't the end of it, as Arsenal attacked and Gervinho probed Newcastle's down the left-hand side and went down in the box theatrically under a challenge from Cheick Tiote, no penalty was given but Barton, after being stamped on and seen Gervinho dive earlier in the contest had seen enough as he aggressively pulled the Ivorian to his feet.

The inevitable happened, a melee ensued and Gervinho raised his hands in the direction of Barton's face, Barton claiming a punch fell to the floor and the rest as they say is history. However much hypocrisy Barton showed in going down easy from the forward's 'punch', raised hands has never been acceptable in modern day football and Gervinho received a red card on his debut while Barton was cautioned for his part in the episode.

Barton had an average game on the whole, and he will likely be vilified by the media for his role in the incident, but in Newcastle circles, he should be praised for ensuring that the home side gained a well-earned point, for this, aside from possessing a very good delivery and range of passing, is what Barton does well. He gets under the skin of opposition opponents, he will fight and stand up for his team's cause and generally annoy teams, and in getting Gervinho sent from the field, Barton helped stem any real threat Arsenal possessed which ensured that the game ended in a stalemate.

Away from the life and times of Joey Barton the game was somewhat of a damp squib, Arsenal had much of the possession, and the game's best chances, but without the craft and guile of the soon to be departed Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri as well as the injured Jack Wilshere, the visitors failed to break Newcastle down.

This has often been a failing of Arsenal sides in recent history, but it was also much to Newcastle's credit, captain Fabricio Coloccini was outstanding throughout, while his centre-back partner Steven Taylor enjoyed a solid outing. Cheick Tiote couldn't repeat the heroics of last season's 4-4 draw but did a serviceable job covering for both Newcastle's full-backs whenever Arsenal launched a counter attack.

Going forward, Newcastle created the odd opening but never really threatened, with the home side's best opportunity coming after substitute Gabriel Obertan and Yohan Cabaye combined cleverly in the Arsenal penalty area but in the end it came to nothing. Had Cabaye managed to get a better connection on his shot it would have undoubtedly been the winning goal.

The pacy Obertan was a bright spot for Newcastle in attack but in the end this was a largely forgettable encounter with the spice predictably coming from Barton, both teams will have been happy to take a point from the game, but both still need to address their clear lack of firepower in attack.

Man of the Match - Fabricio Coloccini: Newcastle's captain was a colossus at the back yesterday, regularly breaking up Arsenal attacks with consummate ease and composure.

Favourite moment - Obviously the whole Barton episode was the game's major talking point, but for me my favourite moment was Gabriel Obertan racing half the length of the pitch to beat Bacary Sagna to a ball he had no right to win. It was insignificant in the grand context of the game but highlighted the winger's raw pace and the Frenchman rightly won the appreciation of the St. James Park crowd for an excellent show of commitment.

Finally, something to look forward to, at 1800 BST this evening Joey Barton will be talking to Robbie Savage on BBC 5 Live's 606 program, if ever there was a radio broadcast to tune into, it is this one.

Season Preview: Its adios to Enrique as Joey stays put

This will be a rushed blog, the Premier League season is less than 24 hours away and there is a lot to fit in, but we'll start with the most recent development to have taken place at Newcastle United, the departure of left back Jose Enrique to Liverpool.

Enrique swapping the North-East for the North-West should hardly come as a shock, the Spaniard has been making disapproving noises about the club's transfer policy for a while and has seemed a distracted player ever since Andy Carroll left for Anfield back in January. The former Villareal man also stayed quiet throughout the second half of last season and has done so for the majority of the pre-season period.

In the end it was something of a no-brainer for the club as they elected to accept a bid reported to be around £6m from Liverpool, rather than lose him for nothing at the end of this season.

Two questions spring to mind following Enrique's move:

1) Why did Newcastle accept an offer so small for a player that has improved considerably during his time at the club?

2) What now for Newcastle at the left back position?

No one aside from messrs Pardew, Ashley and Llambias knows the answer to the first question, but one thing is for sure, a figure of £6m is a considerably low one for a player that has been talked about as one of the best at his position in the country.

Newcastle fans will naturally be disappointed to lose a player of Enrique's calibre, the Spaniard is excellent in one-on-one situations and also possesses an impressive delivery and bags of pace. The supporters will demand a replacement as quickly as possible and the noises coming from Holland suggest that they may get one in the shape of PSV's Dutch international Erik Pieters.

I confess to knowing little about the 23 year old Pieters, but after a reported fall-out with PSV coach Fred Rutten, Pieters has apparently expressed his desire to leave the Eindhoven club and negotiations between the two clubs have reportedly now opened.

In the short term Newcastle have to come up with a solution for how to replace Enrique for Saturday evening's opening encounter against Arsenal.

Another area where Alan Pardew has a selection dilemma is in the midfield, though this is for entirely different reasons. Newcastle have a wealth of options in the middle of the park with Hatem Ben Arfa the only confirmed absentee. Among the decisions that Alan Pardew has to make is whether to include Joey Barton in his matchday squad.

Yes, Barton, despite his twitter rants criticising the club's board, still remains a Newcastle player and Pardew has refused to close the door on Barton's career at St.James Park and the former Manchester City player has resumed training with the first team squad in the past week.

In spite of the club stating that Barton is free to leave the club for nothing, offers for the midfielder appear to be few with Stoke City and Zenit St-Petersburg the only reported suitors. Neither of these clubs would represent a significant step up from Newcastle and it may be the case that Barton decides to stay in the North-East for the immediate future.

Barton re-invented himself playing on the right hand side of midfield for Newcastle last season as his delivery into the box and range of passing was a major factor in a large number of goals scored by the team in 10/11 campaign.

There is no doubt that it would be fantastic news for the club if Barton does decide to try and repair his relationship with Pardew and the rest of the management at Newcastle, but that reparation process may take a while and two things will have to happen for it to be a successful one.

Firstly, Barton must let his play on the field do the talking, the Huyton-born player is without doubt one of the most entertaining personalities on twitter, but if the player-management  is to be a harmonious one then it may be best for Barton to delete the twitter app from his phone.

Finally, and this is key for Newcastle's season in general, the club must replace Enrique and must sign another striker. Investment in the squad will keep Barton and the rest of the squad happy and a new striker is absolutely vital if the club is to make inroads into the top half of the Premier League table. If this happens then Newcastle can look forward to finishing in a strong league position, if not, questions will surely be asked about the atmosphere within the dressing room.

Whatever happens, it is sure to be another exciting season at St. James Park, I have listed my predictions for the season below.

Newcastle:

Key Player: Cheik Tiote - An effective barrier in front of the back four, the holding midfielder is key to Newcastle's success in the middle of the park. They have struggled to retain possession in games when the Ivorian has been absent, whereas they have been able to dictate play more often when he is on the pitch. Go figure.

Most important signing: Demba Ba - Unless Newcastle sign another striker, then there will be a lot of pressure of Ba's shoulders. If he can stay fit and replicate his form of 7 goals in 12 games for West Ham throughout the season, then Newcastle will be sitting pretty in mid-table security.

One to watch: Yohan Cabaye - Pardew has raved about Cabaye's ability to control games, Newcastle will win many battles in midfield if the Frenchman can do so on a regular basis.

Young gun: Haris VuckicVuckic was highly impressive during pre-season scoring in games against Columbus and Leeds and having one disallowed against Orlando. Vuckic is best suited to playing in the hole behind the striker, with Hatem Ben Arfa injured, expect Vuckic to see more action than anticipated this season.

Premier League: 9th - Being forever the optimist, I expect Newcastle will sign another striker, with all players fit Newcastle are comfortably a top ten side and a top half finish will represent further progress, albeit at a slower rate than some fans may desire.

FA Cup: 3rd Round - I'd love us to win the cup, but two things always seem to happen with Newcastle in the FA Cup. They either draw a Premier League team and get knocked out, or draw a lower league side away from home and suffer a giant-killing.

Carling Cup: Semi Final - Seen as a somewhat 'second-rate' competition with the top sides often resting players, I feel this is the competition Newcastle have the best chance to win. I think they will get far in the competition, but run into a Man Utd or Chelsea in the Semis.

General Predictions:

Premier League: Man City - If Man Utd sign Sneijder, then this prediction may change, but as it stands, with City due to sign Samir Nasri, the Eastlands club has the better midfield, and is at least on equal footing with Utd in other areas of the field. If City can get over the mental hurdles presented by Utd and their other challengers, then they will win the title.

2nd Man Utd
3rd Chelsea
4th Spurs
5th Liverpool
6th Arsenal

Relegated: QPR, Norwich, Swansea - Sorry I can't see any other outcome. One may do a Hull/Blackpool strong early start, but none of the squads capable of staying in the division.

FA Cup: Man Utd
Carling Cup: Liverpool

Champions League: Barcelona - Explanation? Still the best team in the World and they will show it, again.
Europa League: Paris Saint-Germain - The French Man City, bags of money and they know how to use it. Once the team gels they will be a force to be reckoned with.