Newcastle need to guard against complacency tonight.

Posted on November 10th, 2010 | 49 Comments |

Hughton will need to gets his troops mobilized again.
Hughton will need to gets his troops mobilized again.
Life is good for Newcastle fans right now. Winning our last three games on the bounce has ensured that we have been walking around with a spring in our step.

Newcastle must ensure that we are doing much the same tomorrow!

You see, I’ve been waiting for the inevitable kick in the teeth to come along, but it hasn’t. We won away at West Ham, so I expected us to slip up against Sunderland. We beat Sunderland, convincingly, so I was expecting us to get a hammering at Arsenal. We won that, and, well you get the point.

Newcastle now begin a run of two ‘winnable’ games, starting tonight when Sam Allardyce brings Blackburn to St James’ Park, followed by Fulham coming to town on Saturday, and the first match of those two is ideally placed to give us Newcastle fans a massive kick in the teeth.

You can say whathever you want about Sam Allardyce and the way he sets his teams up, but the fact is that they are hard to beat. They always have been and always will be. Nothing is a given against them, and it will be a case of ‘same again’ tonight.

We’ve been here before already this season. A couple of good results followed by some disappointing results at home. Newcastle will have to show us tonight that they have learned from their mistakes and won’t go down that route again.

It’s imperative that we get points on the board as soon as possible to achieve our primary objective of ensuring survival in this league. Whilst a win tonight would take us up to fourth in the table, we shouldn’t forget our primary goal.

Once enough points to stop up have been accrued, then fair enough, aim for the stars, but we need to make sure, both as a club and as a set of fans, that we remember what the main mission of this season is.

If we can finally get our home form sorted, for good, and win these next two games, it will leave us with 23 points after 13 games. We would be over halfway to the magical 40-point barrier with much less than half of the games gone. If we don’t get the full six points it would be disappointing, but by the same token it wouldn’t be the end of the world.

Anyway, I’m getting ahead of myself. Tonight’s game is all that matters at the minute. Newcastle have a chance to get more points at home on the board, and we can’t afford to keep passing over those opportunites.

NUFCBlog Author: toonsy toonsy has written 643 articles on this blog.

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49 Responses

  1. Lets keep it going! Will be tough tonight but we are well capable of beating them with a similar performace of late. HWTL!!!

  2. Good thread, complacency is our biggest enemy tonight, not Blackburn or fat heed. That in itself is quite pleasing. They have let their performance slip in some non-telly games this season though so will have to cut that out.

  3. Nice one Toonsy, I think we all feel the same on this.
    Hopefully the lads have learnt from previous mistakes, and Hoots will have a cunning plan to send BFS home with nowt.
    HWTL

  4. a good performance from Nolan could be vital tonight, as he’ll know a lot more than most about Fat Sam’s tactics (and hopefully be able to exploit some weaknesses)

  5. @boater: Ref: Mike Jones (Chester) – a quick return to Tyneside for this whistler, who took charge of the 1-2 defeat by Stoke City in September. That day he showed no cards to home players and correctly awarding a penalty when Robert Huth blatantly obstructed the run of Andy Carroll.

    September 2009 saw Jones preside over our 4-0 success at Ipswich Town, while his first-ever senior Magpies game was a 1-2 reverse at Manchester City in January 2009.

  6. Great post Toonsy, agree 100% with all written. I remember going into the Blackpool and Stoke games with too much confidence and won’t make that mistake again.
    I’m hoping for (as opposed to expecting) a good performance and (said with fingers crossed) a hard fought 2-1 win to the lads!

  7. I don’t agree with a few points there toonsy…

    ‘If we don’t get the full six points it would be disappointing, but by the same token it wouldn’t be the end of the world.’

    IMO 4 points from these next two home games would be far from disappointing. It would probably keep us in 5th for starters. Also I can see these being very tricky games and we can’t realistically expect non stop wins in this league just because its at SJP. Blackburn and Fulham haven’t got the big club tag but I think some are underestimating what a solid act they are.

    ‘Newcastle now begin a run of two ‘winnable’ games’

    Again I don’t think there anymore ‘winnable’ than West Ham and Sunderland, although Arsenal was a shock.

    ‘Once enough points to stop up have been accrued, then fair enough, aim for the stars’

    There is no magic number where suddenly the game plan changes. We are simply trying to prepare for and do our best in every game. The points total at the end of the season reflects that. Are you suggesting we get to 40 points and then try and play better. Likewise it was rediculous to expect Shearer to suddenly come in and win loads of games, as it was people preparing to blame Man U if Hull won on the last game of the season. Survival, Relegation or potential qualification is based over a seasons results not 5 or 10 games or whatever.

    Also 15 points from 5 games in the prem is virtually impossible unless you are in the title hunt. Thats why I don’t see 3 or 4 points from the next two as dissapointing.

  8. I’ve harped on aboot this since the close season – but it didnt happen. My owldest lad has a mate who is related to Charlie Austin from Swindon. Apparently its a nailed on deal that he’ll come to us – either in Jan or at end of season if Swindon have a sniff of the play offs. He is the ideal replacement for Loverman. If you dont know owt about him – have a look on u-tube (i knaa…but) – he’s a good young lad – hungry for success. I get more excited with this kind of signing than some washed up twat form abroad who’s just in it for the coin. BTW – if you listen to sky sports on match days – when they go to goal alerts – its ALWAYS him who’s scored for Swindon!

  9. We need to start as fast as possible and bombard them, if we can get an early goal crowd will be up for it and Blackburn will have to go for a goal thereby leaving gaps at the back to exploit – longer it goes without us scoring the more likely it’ll end 0-0 or even worse a 0-1 to them :(

    Looks like theres a channel showing it on P2P for us exiled geordies ( links aren’t shown until an hour before game or summat)

    HWTL

  10. Chaars AOD – Mike Jones aint too bad I seem to remember.

    So, Simpson rumoured to get an england call. That will rocket his valuation up to about 8mil. Haha I gotta manure mate who’s gutted. Not like manure to offload their future england prospects for peanuts. I’d have G JOhnsson playing further upfield with simpson behind personally. Carroll and Walcott up front. Barton/ Gerrard in the middle… still not that bothered about the england side these days.

  11. I think CH has Fat Sam sussed and will set out his stall appropriately. Tiote will be so important, as will some ‘reducer’ tackles early on and absorbing 20 minutes or aerial bombardment before we try to go forward too much. We need Willo and Collo to own their bit of turf when those route one balls arrive, and for the full-backs to cover a lot of ground.

    At the other end, it’s business as usual. A load of very big, strong blokes with different skills to make sure there is no one way to defend.

    Ummm… so that’ll be exactly the same as at Arsenal, then. Except at home, against Blackburn.

    2-0. HWTL!

  12. tattyheed – I’ll take your post as just another rumour for now (but an interesting one, so at least better than one from the press) but I agree that I’d much rather see someone like that come in than a ‘big name’ who can never do more than meet expectations.

  13. 12 tattyheed says:
    November 10, 2010 at 2:34 pm

    ‘I get more excited with this kind of signing than some washed up twat form abroad who’s just in it for the coin.’

    :lol:

  14. Whumpie – i’m loving the way we’re looking at players that no-one knows (eg Tiote) – more power to the scouting system i say (Alan Carr’s Dad!!)

  15. start fast! up for it from the off..tell the team we are playing against mackums and the fans..which they have been doing all season…start fast…

  16. DJG – To address your points;

    “If we don’t get the full six points it would be disappointing, but by the same token it wouldn’t be the end of the world.”

    I think 6 points is what we should be aiming for, and if you look at the fixtures at the start of the season, these two games would be targets for three points, like Blackpool and Stoke were.

    ‘Newcastle now begin a run of two ‘winnable’ games’

    Of course they are winnable, if you campare it Man Utd. The fact is that these two clubs are in the same clutch that we want to be in this season.

    ‘Once enough points to stop up have been accrued, then fair enough, aim for the stars’

    I agree, to a point, about taking each game as it comes, but that is a very overused cliche. Each game builds towards a goal, once that goal is achieved then why not try? What harm can it do?

  17. tattyheed

    Aye would certainly prefer Austin to Beckford or some div like that. Remember when some on here were going on about getting Beckford and gutted when we didnt get him, ha he’s crap. Even the Leeds fans at the time were saying it. I recon it’s our ‘interest’ that got Moyes in for him and thank f for that haha.

  18. I hope so, fatlips. Mind you, after forcing my wife and sprog to sit in the pub with me (with lunch as a bribe) through the Arsenal game, I’m not sure I’ll have the brownie points anyway. MOTD here we come.

  19. Whumpie – you must be talented if you can make lunch last 2 hours !! – wor lass wouldnt sit still in a pub for 2 minutes withoot complaining if there was football on. We have to club together to send her shopping when theres a live game on (cost me a fu..kin fortune last year but)

  20. As for this ‘winnable game’ thing, the one thing we have to recognise about this season and this league is that all games are winnable, but all games are losable. Just as we should take one game at a time, I’ll be gutted one game at a time if we don’t win.

    But there’s something about the last couple of games that reminds me of our performances in January last year. CH seems to have implemented Plan B and until we get sussed again, that will continue to produce the goods for us. Let’s hope that, like last time, he’s got C and D lined up so we don’t have to go through a dip each time other managers work out how to play us.

  21. toonsy u saying that we will get nothing! 4pts i wont is a must..we will then be in still in 5th..but if we win today then look at getting 3 on saturday..

  22. I think what made it worth it for my wife was when I picked wor kid up over my head when Andy C scored, and he got so excited he dribbled… right into my screaming gob. I will feel slightly sick whenever I think of that goal.

    Worth it, mind. And my wife enjoyed that bit, at least…

  23. Toonsy

    Fair enough, I still disagree about looking at the ‘start of the season!’ and earmarking these as ‘winnable’ games. First off, every game in the prem is winnable and any team can win any match, it’s nothing like the championship where the manager can sit down at the start of the season and say right we’ll be looking to win this patch. Secondly we had no idea at that point what form we would have, Blackburn could be 8th and we could be 17th at this point. Thirdly its nowt like the championship where games are winnable just because they are at home, we are now actually doing better away from home where there’s less pressure and expectation as are a lot of other sides.

  24. i watched the arsenal game again last night before bed (trying to set up some good dreaming ;)) tiote’s looked like he was labouring a bit in the 2nd half after he took that knock. I hope he’s good to go today although i would think blackburn would be real negative so it wouldn’t be that bad if he missed the game. I think our biggest problem today will be scoring as we find it difficult to score aganst these kind of teams. Maybe it wouldn’t be a bad idea to give raylor a run out to have that right boot for free kicks. Not like pederson is pacey on the left so he should be able to manage.

  25. Toonsy – totally agree on the points thing. You can’t help but do some maths about what will happen if we get the 6, but we really shouldn’t panic if we get zero. Disappointed, yes – but in the grand scheme of things it’ll still leave us on course.

    Six more points, though… could theoretically put us 2nd!

    (Ouch – just been caught by a low-flying pig trotter…)

  26. r.taylor u must be kidding.. even u could go past him..couldnt even get a game in the cc at right back…even ch knew he is crap..

  27. JerseyGeordie – not a bad point about Raylor. But who do you take off? Barton, or Simpson? Tricky one to justify, but I think you have a point in that set plays may be our best bet for scoring.

    If Tiote is injured, Smith could do a job for us against a Fat Sam setup; he’s got the experience and plain-old hard-bastid approach that’s needed.

  28. With three matches this week, wouldn’t be surprised if CH made a change or two either today or this weekend. If Tiote has even a minor knck, Smith could get a run today. Could possibly see Kadar or Campbell as well. ranger to me has earned a bit more of a run out.

  29. I am not that sure why toonsy you would categorized fulham game as winnable?

    If you based on calibrate between a certain Man utd and fulham,ofc on paper Man utd would be a harder team to win.

    But Fulham is neither a relegation team or a top team,it somehow is inconsistent over the seasons.

    This such teams,with potential scorers from back all the way to front such as Brede Hangeland to Dempsey,have the “tools” to win us.

    So,i will be delighted to get a point against them,3points would be marvellous.

    As i said,if we get more or equal than 24points at the end of 2010,we are guaranteed to survive in BPL.

    Since we only need to win 4/5games in 2011,which is highly possible to get 40points.

  30. not sure who their LB is like but pederson plays LW. Simpson might not have the legs today as he’s just come back into the squad. He’s a young lad though and tough to boot so he might be able to go.
    I would put raylor in for him or if shola doesn’t play then play raylor at rm and move barton back inside and nolan up top. Mind i don’t see it happening because i think saylor, guthrie or routledge would get a look in before him. Just throwing it out there though.

  31. I know we played fantastic at Arsenal but there was elements of good luck in it aswell, like them hitting the woodwork 3 times and us scoring from our first shot at goal. I can see luck evening itself out tonight and it going in off someones backside or them getting a penalty for a dive or something. Howay when has newcastle ever been consistantly lucky?

    Also never underestimate a bogey team, Blackburn have won the last 4 at SJP.

  32. DJG- thats what they play for init. Fat Sam “right lads, keep it tight. I want 10 in the box, boot everything upfield an keep it nil nil till we get the goal off the arse.”

  33. JerseyGeordie

    I don’t think R Taylor was even on the bench in the last few games was he?

    One thing R.Taylor did do last season though when brought on as a sub was score in the last few minutes of games. I can remember him doing that a few times. Wonder if C.H would consider it if we were struggling towards the end.

  34. Thats a great article Free Scoring Smudge – hadnt seen that. Is there anywhere to find stats on Tiote’s passing – he has to be v near the top in terms of completion.

    With regards to tonight reckon it will be a tight game, Fat Sam will look to bore everyone in the first half and just sit back. If we can break them down early it will be a huge boost.

  35. Toonsy

    The first guy is a knob. Firstly he knows nothing about A Carroll’s private life and is going mainly off newspaper mumbojumbo. Secondly who is ethical out of Wayne Rooney, Terry and co. ??? I couldn’t believe it when there was talk about Cappello asking permision from the FA. Gerrard has had court appearences and that didn’t stop thm making him england captain! To take Moral advice off the FA is another matter but we’ll not go into that. The guy who he talks to rightly pulls him up for talking bollox.

  36. DJG
    I can see luck evening itself out tonight and it going in off someones backside or them getting a penalty for a dive or something. Howay when has newcastle ever been consistantly lucky?

    in fairness mate and just my opinion… newcastle have been unlucky this season..
    1. man u game played at wrong time..
    2. everton nolan fouled in box
    3. man city tevez pen
    4. man city ben afra
    5. man city shola foul pen??
    6.arsenal cc.. own goal
    7. arsenal cc.. offside goal.
    8. chelsea cc. alex dive
    9 . wigan nzogbia enough said there..

    as for tonight
    i’d happily see a good performance.. im sure the boys look at the table which installs confidence.. they no what they have to do…
    that said im going for a draw…