Fulham v Newcastle United match preview

Posted on February 2nd, 2011 | 50 Comments |

Fulham v Newcastle United
Away at Fulham the neet
As the dust seems to be doing anything but settling over the Andy Carroll sale, we now have to get back to the troublesome business of winning football matches as Newcastle United face a challenging away trip to Craven Cottage this evening.

Fulham are on the back of an impressive 4-0 thumping of Spurs in the FA Cup, so their confidence will be high and we’ll have to be on our toes to counter the direct brand of football Mark Hughes peddles at Fulham.

We’ll be without Tiote, who is suffering the last of his 3 match ban, and Ben Arfa, Gosling, Smith, Raylor and Saylor are still out with injury. As too is new loan signing Stephen Ireland who has a hamstring injury.

Speaking ahead of the game, Pardew said (initially referring to life without Andy Carroll or any replacement striker for him):

“That doesn’t feel good and it’s a difficult day because I have to prepare the team for Fulham.

“And if you think I feel like that, then the players feel the same and of course the fans do too.

“The fans’ big icon has left the club and what are we going to do between now and the end of the year? That is the question we need to ask as a group and answer emphatically.

“We’ve got Fulham on Wednesday and our performance there has to be spot on. Our last few performances without Andy have been terrific and we need to carry that on.”

Fulham have Briggs, Schwarzer, Senderos and Zamora definitely in the treatment room and Etuhu is doubtful with a hamstring problem. However, Fulham’s new signings Gael Kakuta and Eidur Gudjohnsen are both apparently fit and ready to play and could get their first game for the club tonight.

Of their impressive result against Spurs, Mark Hughes said:

“We lacked a cutting edge earlier this season and that was hurting us, but now we are getting the players back we are turning that around.”

I’ve got a horrible feeling we’re going to struggle against Fulham this evening and I’ll be pleased if we can come away with a point but, hey, I was wrong once in 1976 and it could happen again.

History is slightly in Fulham’s favour with them having 25 wins to our 24 (and 13 have been draws). We’ve lost 2, won 2 and drawn 2 of the last 6 games, whereas Fulham have won 3, lost 2 and drawn 1.

Newcastle (from): Harper, Simpson, Williamson, Coloccini, Enrique, Barton, Guthrie, Perch, Nolan, Gutierrez, Best, Lovenkrands, Ameobi, Ranger, Krul, Campbell, Ferguson.

Fulham (from): Stockdale, Pantsil, Hughes, Hangeland, Baird, Duff, Gera, Sidwell, Murphy, Dempsey, Dembele, Johnson, Etheridge, Kelly, Salcido, Kamara, Greening, Davies, Etuhu, Kakuta, Gudjohnsen.

Mike Jones is the beak.

Kick off is at 8PM tonight and the match is live on Sky Sports 2.

HWTL!

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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50 Responses

  2. Ok – here’s something from the left-field…

    How about…

    Best (up top on his own)
    Lovenkrands and Ranger (playing just behind but wider with the ability to change wings)
    Jonas and Nolan (sat deeper and take it turns to either support the forwards or defence)
    Barton (playing in front of the defence spraying the ball around)
    Enrique, Collo, Staylor, Simmo (flat back four)

  4. Saylor is out Chicken, Hugh said in the story and he’s not in the “from” list, put willo in his place and it’s worth a gamble

  7. Why are people talking like Saylor is our first choice centre back? Hes crap, and hasnt shown anything of any worth since hes come into the team for Williamson who usually looks solid with Colo.

    Im sick of watching Saylors arms waving around like a target for a penalty, hes useless!

    And everytime his arms get hit he does the whole ouch that hit me in the chest, or his platoon style antics a few seasons ago!

  9. Chicken: i think 4-3-3 sounds like a danger-wank. And leaves no impact sub to come on…I doubt Ranger will start cos i dont think Pardew thinks he’s ready, but might use him as an impact-sub (a less dangerous wank, more like whipping out some ass beads for the final few strokes of play).

    So i’d imagine:

    Simpson, Colo, Willo, Enriq

    Guthrie (holding)
    Barton (R) Jonas (L)
    Nolan

    Best McLoven/Ameobie

    I imagine he’d chose Best and Amoebie up front after singing their priases as a pair against s**derland.

  10. Ok everyone, I actually forgot about Willo for a moment there – soz Mike!

    Wasn’t saying that’s what I think Pards will play – far from it – just thought it might be interesting to talk about the playing side of football for a while. :)

  11. OK – here comes the eternal optimist. I will be surprised if we get more than a point from the next 2 games (Fulham and Arsenal) – and we could get nowt. Both teams in good form, our lot have had a knock-back.
    So there.

  12. Can anyone tell me if the Ireland deal is a simple loan or is it loan to buy? I am happy we have him in but with Pardews comments about getting him shined up I would hate for that to be for him to go back to Villa or someone else. In normal circumstances you would expect something in the contracts but we all know what we are dealing with

  13. I can’t wait for the match. I really hope we kick on tonight, and go for the win. I’d give Ranger a start alongside Shola…Guthrie and Nolan in the middle…I think, or is it just hope, that we might shade it.

  15. I reckon that it’ll be a difficult one tonight but we know that many of the lads are true pros and will play for a result.

    I fancy a 3-2 win with Nolan and Colo among the goals

  17. Getting a draw tonight would be a miracle and restore my faith to some small extent.

    NUFC may actually have a chance at redemption for the AC debacle. If Nile Ranger comes on strong, a team could be built around him. But he is only 19, and may have itchy feet as well if he does not see NUFC improving.

  18. BeeGuy,
    if Ranger or anyone else is more interested in themselves than the club, they can do one too.

  19. BeeGuy,
    if Ranger or anyone else is more interested in themselves than the club, they can do one too.
    There’s no ‘I’ in team & that’s what it’s all about, teamwork.

  20. I don’t think Hulk want to join us at all. But for tonight, lifegoing on without Carroll. I still think we have good enough players. Nolan,Barton,Jose,Colo,Jonas and Tiote,Ben Arfa,Gosling and Ranger coming up. Show them how good we are. HWTL !

    It will take sometime to forget about Carroll but if we can find good replacable. It will be OK. HULK is example one but not Crouch.

  21. Agree. Hulk won’t entertain us at all. Not impressed with his stats either. Portuguese league is about on par with spl.
    Looking for everyone to step up and confirm we aren’t a one man team. We’ve shown we can manage without Judas this year, so let’s forget about him and get a result tonight.

  22. Aye Micky,
    now if it was the incredible Hulk, we could stick him in goal for a whole host of continuous clean sheets.
    :)

  23. Raffa @ 12: Dunno about Ireland loan, mate. I just checked on the club site, and nowt’s been updated since September! Figures…

    As the dust settles, what are people’s thoughts on the prospect of us getting Ireland back on the straight and narrow? Does he have a point to prove?

    Seems he’s not shown much since the regime change at Citeh, and his subsequent transfer to Villa. If this is his way of registering some sort of protest, that might explain some of it. He’s got a ready made fan club here if he rolls his sleeves up, but will be hated if he continues to show no interest up here.

  25. ant,
    he’s got something to prove mate.
    We could help turn him round.
    If he gets stuck in, he’ll love it here, then maybe
    a deal is in the offing.
    I’ll reserve judgement ’til i see what he has to offer.

  26. If Hoots was still here, I would be confident of him helping ireland, like he did Barton. No so confident of pards doing the same.

  27. CLiNT – Re: “There’s no “I” in TEAM”.

    A place I worked at while I was at Uni had that on the wall to encourage us to work together.

    Underneath it someone wrote, “Aye, but there is a ME”!

    Always used to make me laugh :lol:

  28. Aye, Clint. Same here…He’s one of me old man’s favourite players, like, though from his showing a couple of seasons ago,rather than more recently.

    I was dubious, down to his recent state of mind, but all slates are clean once he pulls on the shirt, and we go from there. There’s also a receipt if he doesn’t bother himself, and with the squad as thin as it is, I think it’s win/win.

  29. Good point Micky Toon about Hoots/Pardew. I think the thing that might really galvanise him, though, will be the lads themselves, and the fans in particular.

  30. TC,
    :)
    Interestingly though,
    all the pundits now use the term ‘side’ instead of team.
    There is an ‘I’ in side, so i think that speaks volumes right there on how things have changed.

    ant,
    me too mate.
    I’m just glad we haven’t bought him, so he has stuff to prove first.
    Wasn’t ower keen on him coming to us, but i think it’s worth giving him a shot for a few months.

  33. Just read the HBA story on Sly Sports reiterating he’ll be playing again by March. There are slight discrepancies with the exact time, though. The surgeon who performed his 2nd op in November, Eric Rolland, says: “… the player should be able to resume playing early in March.” HBA’s agent has said: “The hope is that Hatem will be back on the training pitch in March…” There’s a world of difference between resuming playing and starting training.

    Thing is, we’ve only got 2 games in March ( 5th (H) v Everton/19th (A) v Stoke ). So really, he’s got until April to get back, which gives him even more time, and seems the most realistic scenario. Anything in March would be a bonus. There are 8 games left, following the Stoke game.

  35. Raffo, aye mate, can’t wait! :0) Ed’s site now running this as a thread and someone’s said the same, but looking at the fixtures, there’s not much spoiling in March anyway.

  36. lesh says:

    “Incredible?”

    http://www.caughtoffside.com/2011/02/02/newcastle-united-plan-ambitious-record-breaking-25m-striker-bid/

    There’ll be many more stories like this before the season ends. They’re aimed at the gullible who’ll think that the £35m is ringfenced and ready to splash out on a few strikers as soon as we hit May 1st.

    Maybe Laurel and Hardy have been in the lost property bins at SJP and found Fat Freddy’s old copies of “Bullshit Quotes to Trot Out to Fans”.

    Must have taken them a few hours to dust them all off ?

  37. The Asia Chinese gonna celebrate the annual chinese New year including me,where i will be receiving annual red packets(cash included) by relatives tomorrow.

    So hopefully,a win against the cottagers,will bring up the festival mood even higher for me. :lol: :mrgreen:

  38. United look to the Reserves for bench cover – Michael Richardson and Paul Dummett joining up with the first team after being omitted from Tuesday night’s reserve team squad.

    :roll: :roll:

    Good to see Paul getting bench seat. He is a good prospect.

  39. AOD, the one good thing about the Carroll transfer is that it is one hell of an incentive for these young lads to put 100% into their game as 18months in top form can catapult them from relative rags to riches, the only other way they will do that is by winning the Lottery.

  40. AngelOfDeath: Happy New Year for tomorrow. Can’t say I’m sad to see the back of the tiger…;0) I wonder what the rabbit will bring? ( Cue Easter egg jokes)

    There seems to be a lot of wisdom in Chinese astrology. Are you familiar with the I Ching?

  45. NOTHING BL**DY CHANGES ! NOTHING BL**DY CHANGES !

    Does anyone remember the following ;

    Malcolm Macdonald SOLD to Arse,
    Gazza SOLD to Spurs,
    Andy COLE SOLD to MANU,
    David Ginola SOLD to Spurs,
    AND MANY MORE….

    IT GOES ON IN FINITUM,

    We maybe a English Premier but we are run by busines men who run us like a Coca Cola Club ,

    ANYONE well connected with the club including Ashley and Pardew knew AC was definitely going.. and if PARDEW knew then he would have to have a readily available replacement , but NO , so I accuse PARDEW and ASHLEY of not giving a fech aboot TOON , and if Chrissy H was in place still would he have put up a better fight for keeping AC I thin so… IT STINKS PARDEW IS ASH’s YESMAN….

  46. Dry er eyes man Kiwi – we’ve moved on.

    Everyone used to say Hoots was Ashley’s puppet too……zzzzzzzzz!!!

  47. The only thing that gets me TC was how sick was AC before the transfer , and how quick will he be readied for his first pool game , there was alot greater prep in the move alround ….