Hughton gets all Churchillian: “we needed fighters and men.”

Posted on November 3rd, 2009 | 15 Comments |

Two points clear
Two points clear
Newcastle United’s 1-0 win last night wasn’t pretty but it did the job. Newcastle go back to the top of the table, clear by 2 points.

Hughton had this to say about last night’s game:

“It was an ugly win. Sheffield play a style which makes it difficult. You have to be strong and resilient.

“For the majority of the game I thought we handled everything they threw at us. We’ve just got to make sure we keep up the performances and stay where we are.”

I suppose he’s right. We did handle everything they threw at us inasmuch as we didn’t concede a goal, although Sheffield United only really looked dangerous in that respect at the end of the game when Harper produced some good saves.

Hughton goes on to say:

“We knew here they haven’t had the best of times of late and would be after the win.

“They play a particular style of play that makes it very difficult for you. You’ve got to be strong and resilient and I thought for the majority of the game we handled everything they threw at us.”

Then he gets a bit ‘Churchill’ with:

“I don’t think there’s anyone that I can pick out. It’s a team performance. We needed everyone on board. We needed fighters and men out there today and that’s exactly what we got.

“I thought we showed moments of quality. We weathered the storm in the first half. I thought we got into our passing game early in the second half, although I was a little bit disappointed we weren’t able to elaborate on that a bit more.”

Sheffield United manager Kevin Blackwell was fairly indignant about things, although to be fair there are rumours that his job is at risk. Blackwell said:

“It sums it up. We were fabulous. It was a foul on Kyle Walker and then it goes in off Morgan.

“I thought we were the better side by a mile. That was top class in every respect – there wasn’t much wrong. I’m proud of the players.”

Well, perhaps not the ‘better side by a mile’ although they did have the best of the first half but just couldn’t score.

NUFCBlog Author: Hugh de Payen I'm a baby-boomer of the punk rock persuasion, currently exiled in Somerset for crimes committed in a previous life where locals keep trying to poison me with something called 'scrumpy'. Hates sprouts, coat-hangers, Cilla Black, ornaments, Steven Seagull movies and 50 Cent (he's not worth 10). Hugh de Payen has written 634 articles on this blog.

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Comment on this post

15 Responses

  1. I’ll give him the commitment was good from the majority in the second half but some lads just weren’t good enough last night at times and collectively we weren’t with it, again, in the first half.

    As for Blackwell, ‘top class’ is a bit strong but to be fair they looked like the better side, for longer periods overall, than we did. They had guile, we didn’t.

    1. Newcastle
    2. WBA
    3. Cardiff

    Though……

    Hard to grumble too much? Points over panache? Ah I’m not sure anymore.

  5. Well, as promised I did not watch the game in protest.   I didn’t go to Sheffield and I didn’t watch it on sky.  Although I will admit that I didn’t stand in the garden shouting abuse about large london born businessmen.  This was due to me having to have a “night out” with the missus.  So instead of being in the garden I was in a restaurant with two friends and the missus.  I didn’t think it would be the done thing to start shouting random abuse, but believe me I was thinking it.  I was thinking so hard that I swear at one point the veins were popping out on my forehead.
    How’s that for protest, eh Troy?  I didn’t even watch it on the telly, unlike you.  All mouth, you fella.

  6. If  Steve Harper has any chance of ever playing for England – last nights performance was certainly an eye catching one for anyone watching from the England set up.

  7. Surely Harper is the best English keeper.  There aren’t too many out there.

    Not sure about Hughton’s ‘got our passing game back’ comment.

    There is a distinct lack of passing in our team and we seem to be edging more and more to the long ball game.  Especially when Caroll plays.

  8. i dont think cappelo and his assistant travel this far up north,they should defo come and have a look at harper

  10. I thought it was all about playing regular football that got you noticed, but i guess the ‘rules’ can always be over-looked for the Toon?
     

  11. I agree Andy Carroll was MOM – but Enrique and Harps weren’t far behind him.
    Encouraging display from Tamas Kadar too.
    Still too much of the long ball “hump it and see” where invariably all that happened was we lost the ball and they came back at us – especially in the first half. But I suppose when you have a midfield that lacks pace……
    Ugly, dour, but 3 points is 3 points.

  13. Re: the headline.
    What? CH started rambling in a posh, hot spud in the gob, barely discernable manner?
    Musta missed that bit?