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