Hereford all over again! Stevenage v Newcastle F.A. Cup match report.

Posted on January 8th, 2011 | 52 Comments |

Stacey Long celebrates Stevenage's first goal
Stacey Long celebrates Stevenage's first goal
It is hard to write a match report when you are a fan who is almost lost for words at the dire performance of your own team. But that is what I am. I think that it is safe to say that this was the worst Newcastle performance I have witnessed since I travelled to East London to witness the Magpies’s 6-1 defeat at the hands of another League 2 side, Leyton Orient.

Stevenage manager, Graham Westley, was once quoted as saying “Attitude is better than ability”, or something similar. However, Newcastle were so poor, and so primitive in their tactics that it could be said that on the day, Stevenage were the ones with the ability as well as the attitude.

The Magpies started poorly, then proceeded to get worse as the game progressed, especially so in the second half when all of the real damage was done. Newcastle’s approach seemed to consist largely of lots of long balls punted into the box but with hardly any real chances created, except, perhaps, for a Barton effort just before half time which was saved by Stevenage keeper, Chris Day. They seemed to find it very hard to get going, and their tactics were so poor that one could be forgiven for thinking that Stevenage were the Premiership side, and Newcastle the League Two battlers. They certainly had the lion’s share of the chances and played a more passing game.

As half time approached it was hard to imagine Newcastle being any less effective against League Two opposition. However West Ham Hat-trick hero, Leon Best, was substituted for Nile Ranger, the team changed shape into something reminiscent of a “Christmas Tree” formation, though this quickly decended into something which looked more like a Mike Bassett style “Christmas Pudding” formation, with a disjointed and unbalanced Newcastle looking aimless and toothless.

The almost inevitable Stevenage goal, the first one that is, came on 49 minutes, with a strike from Stacey Long being cruelly deflected of Newcastle United centre back, Mike Williamson, to whistle past Tim Krul in the Newcastle goal. I’m sad to write that it was no less than Stevenage deserved though.

Stevenage’s second goal wasn’t yoo long in coming, this time an excellent Michael Bostwick strike, with no help from a deflection this time.

Things got even worse after around 70 minutes, when Cheik Tiote was shown a straight red for a challenge which could be said to be debatable. He won the ball although his studs were showing, so that will be him out for another three games, which wasn’t good news at all. Incidentally, Joey Barton could also have been sent off too, for petulantly throwing the ball at a Stevenage player.

Two further goals came in extra time. Newcastle made a last ditch push forward, resulting in a consolation goal from the aforementioned Barton in the second minute of extra time, and the optimist in me rallied for a VERY short while. However in what seemed like seconds, and was, the ball was at the other end of the pitch, with Steveage’s Peter Winn storming forward on the break, slotting an excellent finish past Krul for the Borough’s third goal.

Game, and F.A. Cup over.

Newcastle United: Tim Krul, James Perch, Fabricio Coloccini, Mike Williamson, Joey Barton, Alan Smith, Kevin Nolan, Wayne Routledge, Peter Lovenkrands, Leon Best.

Subs: Ole Soderberg, Shane Ferguson, Tamas Kadar, Nile ranger, Cheik Tiote, Danny Guthrie, Philip Airey.

Stevenage Borough: Chris Day, Ronnie Henry, Jon Ashton, Mark Roberts, Scott laird, Michael Bostwick, John Mousinho, Stacey Long, Peter Winn, Chris Beardsley, Lawrie Wilson.

Subs: Yemi Odubade, Ben Maye, Ashley Bayes, Robert Sinclair, Luke Foster, David Bridges, Charlie Griffin.

NUFCBlog Author: workyticket workyticket has written 1096 articles on this blog.

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52 Responses

  2. Routledge, Smith, Perch, Lovenkrands all take a bow for that performance – totally unacceptable!
    Why did Pardew play Tiote at ANY point in the game? not fit? Fine, rest him for the more important game against the mackems.
    I could go on about the whole teams performance but really I’m just too disconsolate to be bothered.

  3. if this is the snides idea of tatics i fear for us,but just dont think players were up for up for it,scum will be clapping hands watching that display imo

  4. worky,
    i’m still here mate, no defecting for me.
    ;)
    Just been out with the bairn all day.

    What an embarrassing spectacle that game was.
    Less said the better.

    Fair play to stevenage for at least wanting the game.

  7. BATTY never seen him like,dont think hes banned,see you won a few quid today good lad,i owe you nowt now :)

  9. if Routledge ever plays for us again it will be a crime. Only positive from the game is as Keegan said, some players were given a chance and they were ‘found out’

    At 2-0 we were looking to a 19 year old who had one of football histories greatest misses up front along….completely mental

  14. ice,
    i was just making sure that she didn’t think that was football she was watching.
    Consistently inconsistent!

  15. icedog , you seem like a nice fellow , i wish you all the very best for the future my friend.

  17. clint , like my good friend , Mr Cropper was saying just the other day…one foward and 2 back , and treasure your “little one” it wont be long before she’s up and looking to get married and leave home.

  18. BATTY they love you m8,it must be your nice easy going fellow,and nice nature like we all do :)

  19. just looked at the footage of the fan hitting the stevenage player one hell of a right hook that and can hear the impact as well!

  20. Thats the third time we’ve worn that vile blue kit and the third time we’ve lost in it.
    BURN THE DAMNED THING.
    Bring back the yellow one from last season, we had some great wins wearing that one.

  23. CLINT in the huff with the whole show m8,it storys true about new guy we might have someone with pace and guile if he can handle P.L. still need a nippy striker up top for me like

  26. New blog user here. What’s everone’s verdict on tiote’s red card? Does anyone think it’s worth taking the gamble of making an appeal to the fa to overturn it? If you ask me I think it’s worth the risk with what’s at stake next week.

  27. CLINT guy called ZIANI right winger,but can play across m/f,played against england in first W,C. game,not that you can judge but you see him on you-tube playing against l/pool

  29. baz,
    no way was it a straight red mate, great tackle.
    But they were trying out their prem-style rolling around on us & the ref was falling for it.

    ice, which national team did he play for?
    Can’t remember who england played in the wc.
    :)

  30. ROY they were asking aboot 6mill or sumit but toon have got them doon to 3mil and lad has dropped his wage demands,two reports in rags in germany.at toon sun/mon for medical so they say,how true who knows,least its not english rags

  34. ‘Newcastle were so poor, and so primitive in their tactics that it could be said that on the day, Stevenage were the ones with the ability as well as the attitude.’

    good review. the reason we’ve beaten teams for 5 or 6 this season has been because our horrible long ball tactics work against less physically strong defences. hence we’ve had some surprising results.

    on the flip side, we’ve had some shocking results when the opposition defence are physically strong enough to cope with carroll, ameobi, ranger. this game underlined how primitive our tactics are – a league two team passing us off the park?!?

    i would welcome someone like ziani alongside ben arfa. any signings need to be creative, especially out wide as we really lack spark when jonas and especially routledge play.

    p.s. has there been an exodus to ed’s blog?

  36. PR nah I think they all gone to Toonseys.Y?
    but then they repeat everything on here too anyway, so wots the point?

  39. Found it hard to believe what I was watching, pathetic display, no tactical direction, simply welly it up the pitch.
    Yeah I know it was a weakened side, even so it`s the worst game i have seen Newcastle play in years.
    Well thanks Mr.Pardew, you really got them fired up for to-days game and your tactical direction was superb, wonder how our astute owner feels about both the game and his big name manager now ?
    The real lesson to be learned from this game is the fact once we have a couple of injuries, we become exposed as having no quality on the bench.
    I hear repeated calls to play the youngsters, who frankly for the most part are simply not yet ready, sure we can bring on one or two late in the game, when well ahead and sometimes they look good for that brief period, giving the impression they are ready to start, yeah right !
    Whats needed is some quality, enough to be able to put out two decent sides in case of injury, and not have to rely on second tier players and kids.
    But what do I know ?

  41. and whats so SAD now is we will have to watch re – runs of this match as well as Hereford for the next twenty years ad infinitum until the next humiliation comes along !! Its great being a toon fan , one week really UP after a 5-0 romp , next week straight into a drubbing by a lower league team TYPICAL , toon , its just too much , sometimes wish I’d been born italian , or spanish or sumfin not a bleeding geordie !!

    Centre Paddock 1966, has fond memories, but all these happy memories are all TOO DISTANT , for fechs sake toon lets start winning some silverware before I die lads !!!

  42. Pardew doesn’t do draws does he, 3 wins and 3 losses. I wouldn’t mind a draw at the mackems. Tbh yesterday was embarrasing for the north east but the last 2 wins were more important, it’s better we go out now imo than have loads of matches and replays which usually lead to fatigue and injuries. Lets not forget our top priority this season, staying up.

  44. Unless Pardew said to the players “go out there play crap and look clueless” then I don’t think you can blame the manager.Don’t get me wrong I can’t stand Pardew, he has a face you want to slap,an ego second only to fat Sam and a track record which at best is below average.The players he picked are fully professional premiership players and if they did there job that they are very well paid for then they would have won.After all it was Stevenage not Arsenal

  45. The players are to blame, Smith, Routledge, Perch, cannot use the fatigue excuse, they are just not good enough or committed enough, when they play the whole team performance drops.
    Worryingly, Pardew said yesterday that he wants to keep Smith?
    Listened to his interview from yesterday and he is going to appeal the red card against Tiote, hope he does, seemed as if their players were under instructions to go to ground after every challenge, pathetic.

  46. bbb aye that guy who tiote fouled was sitting up watching then started rolling round like a tart

  47. Worky, can you not ban this nob Bobby Shilton…

    He never says anything constructive, and always tries to stir.

    Clearly he is no Newcastle supporter.

  48. The trouble pardew has is not getting players in it is getting players out. In this transfer window or the next he has to move on
    Perch, Campbell, Smith, Guthrie, Routledge, Lovenkrands, Best and Xisco. Also I think Ashley will soon be accepting offers for Collo and Jonas as I cannot see them getting contracts renewed on their present terms.

    Their has to be shared responsibilities for yesterdays debacle. Pardew for picking a team with no left side. Kadar should have been at full back and Ferguson ahead of him. If he wanted to play Perch then it should have been instead of Simpson. One is bad as the other. Also Smith and Nolan in the middle is a big no no. After that the players let themselves and the club down with an inept performance. Nothing can change the result so lets move on. We weren’t gonna win the cup anyways

  49. @JJ
    Typical of an ill informed leprechaun. Ban me? What for?
    I come up with all the scoops.
    I will share my latest scoop on the new thread.

  50. Apart from the poor formation and the pathetic excuses aboiut tiredness and fatigue when only four out of the starting line up had featured in both the previous games, what I find truly hard to understand about Pardwho’s massive cock up yesterday was the decision to put Tiote on in an effort to change the game ?????????????????

    How in God’s name can you expect a ball winning, defensive midfileder to add spark and zest to a team floundering in all aspects of the game ?

    IMO and it must have been obvious to 99% of the watching public yesterday, he had to stop their full backs from getting forward which he could have done easily by bringing on Fergie to run his little legs off, as he has a great engine, and switching Barton to the right. That would have given Stevenage a few problems to solve, restricted the ability of the full backs to go forward and given us an opportunity to provide two forwards with some sort of service.

    So forget the excuses Pardwho and step up and admit you got it wrong and learn from this quickly :(

  51. well said Any Mac. Don’t think Pardew is the type to take the blame though. Snidey types always blame others