Newcastle United: We can only beat who is put in front of us

Posted on October 23rd, 2011 | 19 Comments |

NUFC - Showing our credentials ths season?
NUFC - Showing our credentials ths season?
Many critics have spoken about Newcastle’s fantastic start to the season, and merely dismissed our position due to the teams that we have played.

To coin a phrase that is normally reserved for the top four (well we are now anyway), “They can only beat who is put in front of them”. So I thought I would preview a few of our upcoming fixtures.

Sky TV continually shoves this “greatest league in the world” down our necks at every opportunity, often followed by the obligatory “no easy games in this league” statement.

Yet why are Newcastle United still not getting the credit they deserve?

I believe that against Spurs last week we really showed our credentials, twice coming from behind to draw with a team which on paper is far superior to ours. Let’s not get carried away, we know that we aren’t going to win the league. But attempting to emulate that Manchester United never say die spirit will go a long way to helping boost the Toon’s fortune.

Against Wigan yesterday we weren’t at our best. As Alan Pardew admitted yesterday, we were more “Light Ale football” than “Champagne football”. Yet we still managed to get the job done, and that is what it is all about.

The real test does start in the upcoming weeks; an important away cup fixture at Blackburn, then a real tough game at Stoke that I personally think we should try and match brawn for brawn rather than play the flair players (I can’t handle seeing HBA injured again).

Moving past that we hit the Toffees away, then the big 3, 2 of which are away.

Saturday, 19 November 2011
Barclays Premier League
Man City v Newcastle, 15:00
________________________________________
Saturday, 26 November 2011
Barclays Premier League
Man Utd v Newcastle, 15:00
________________________________________
Saturday, 3 December 2011
Barclays Premier League
Newcastle v Chelsea, 12:45

If Newcastle are still roughly around top 6 after that run of games, then people must stand up and notice us.

Howay the Lads.

NUFCBlog Author: Mick toons Mick toons is a proud nufc fan hailing from Durham. He now lives in Yorkshire with another group of hard done by fans... Leeds United Mick toons has written 13 articles on this blog.

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19 Responses

  1. Well, after seeing the results of the manc darby… ridiculous. Stoke is always terrifying because you just don’t know who they’re going to maim. I hope HBA doesn’t start that match. Maybe a cameo later in the match. Everton at home is very winnable and then November sets in. That’s going to be a tough month. Hopefully we can pick up a point or two, maybe even nick a lucky one, but I just don’t see a lot happening there. Chelsea at home is our best bet for a result. Will be interesting to see how they fair in the second half today.

  2. Watched the City game today they where awesome.
    I wish we could have that kind of dosh to spend….great day for English football,City breaking Manchester United in glorious style away,things will never be the same again.

  3. I’m getting a bit tired of the sniping from other fans/clubs/the media that United “haven’t played anybody yet”

    There are 19 other teams in the Prem and we’ve played 9 of them….thats almost half of the boogers!

    Yes we still have to play the 3 teams above us (did you see what I did there ) – and we may lose to them – but so will every booger else!!

    FFS

  4. SJT, Arab potentate spends more money on fancy foreign players than American John McCrurick lookalike and that’s good for English football? :-)

    ManU only had ten men anyway, and most of them just had a shite day at the same time. Just like Why aye / Howay 5-0 all those years back, I wouldn’t read too much into it yet; though Man City could win the League this year.

  5. Teams can buy who they like we have a load of Foreign players as well just not in the same price range :lol:

  8. We have played less than 25 percent of the schedule, mostly bottom ten sides, clubs we should beat.
    In most cases made hard work of it and others had the rub of the green, taking advantage of poor decisions by the officials.
    So let’s not get carried away, talk to me after the next four games.
    Not that Im not thrilled to be in such company in the league, but we are as of yet not a top four side, hopefully following some decent additions to the side that may happen (Next season ?)

  9. Chuck, if you really wanted to put our current success in perspective from your own point of view, you should have used the example of Phil Brown’s Hull City in the season when we were relegated. They were third in late October and ended up one point above us at seventeenth when it came to the last judgement.

    I don’t think we’ll be like Hull or other similar examples at all. Going by the strength of our current squad, we should be bang in the middle of the table by the season’s end. Significantly better than that and we’ve overachieved. Significantly worse than that and we’ve underachieved.

    Having written all that, fourth is much better than a poke in the eye even at this early stage, and it’s about time we had a bit of luck anyway!

  10. I think the important think is that we have beaten the teams we need to be beating. The draw against QPR was defo fortunate as was the win against wolves. But we are getting results against the weaker sides in the division and if we continue to do that, we’ll be in very good shape. Anything we get against the more potent sides is a bonus. The up coming matches against stoke and toffees will be more interesting and important than the 3 subsequent matches.

  11. Its still early in the season to start thinking about the end of the season, but from half way through the first round it seems pretty optimistic.
    We beat most of the teams we needed to beat and we havent lost to teams that perhaps in other times we would have lost to.
    The games in November are points we werent thinking of getting anyway so every point we make is bonus.
    That said, other teams that are on our level lost games to other teams in our level and that is something we havent done yet.
    This is the main point, as long as we dont lose to teams in our level or worst (that means for me all teams besides the big four plus man shitty and tottenham maybe) we didnt lose to 2 out of the 6 teams mentioned which is 33%, even if we didnt win, they didnt gain the 3 points from us.

  12. Tripp says:
    October 24, 2011 at 1:24 am

    “The draw against QPR was defo fortunate as was the win against wolves.”

    That win against Wolves, aye, definitely Tripp. In the game against QPR, though they played better than us in most areas, but that Bothroyd was fairly shite upfront and couldn’t polish it off for them which was their problem I suppose. Wigan were perhaps unfortnate not to get a point, taking two off us. Though they didn’t beat us in most areas like QPR, they did match us at least, but they coudn’t polish it off either because Rodallega’s shooting was a bit wild. Ditto I suppose.

    Our defence, including the Flying Dutchman and Mr T have been important too. Some very important saves and clearences off the line have helped us with our current position.

  13. Aye. In fact, in the video clip you posted, the commentators pointed out our defense as being well organized. And having General Krull at the back, clawing away the dangerous stuff has really helped. He must have earned us at least 5 points so far this campaign.

  14. Tripp says:
    October 24, 2011 at 3:09 am

    “And having General Krull at the back, clawing away the dangerous stuff has really helped. He must have earned us at least 5 points so far this campaign.”

    Aye Tripp. I know I’ll probably get trolled for this again, but despite his excellent shot stopping, he has been a little lucky not to be punished so far for being caught off his line a bit more often than the norm, and his kicking can be a bit of a mare sometimes, so there’s still room for improvement. I still think that Harper’s an excellent goalkeeper too, and I’m not sure at all about this Elliot gadgie coming and forcing him out of even being a reserve sometimes.

  15. That’s a good point, Worky. The goal conceded to Fulham was down to that. I’m not able to watch the full matches so I mostly rely on highlights and the blog’s general mood following a match. That and the match facts, but those don’t really tell the story. He’s only in the infancy of his career as a goal tender though, so hopefully the nuance will come.

  16. Goaltender? I thought you were from the other side of the pond Tripp! :-)

    I think that the hierarchy at the club want Krul to be selected for proper Netherlands games to bump his value up by a few million, but he isn’t quite Stecklenburg yet. I am a cynical old sod though.

    Better get off to bed as it’s silly O’Clock here. Good job I’m an insomniac!

  17. Sleep well Worky… and I am. I’m from Denver, Colorado. I used to play a lot of ice hockey and the term Goal Tender is used there too… In fact I used to play that position a bit until my left wrist was knackered by rheumatoid arthritis and I had to retire from the sport. But I’m back to 5-a-side now… when one door closes, another opens…

  18. Aye Tripp. Durham City just south of Newcastle used to have one of the top Ice Hockey teams over here. Durham Wasps were the Manchester United of the English Ice Hockey world in the 80s and 90s.

    Divven’t knaa much about them now as I’m in London.

    Some of my joints got a bit knacked too Tripp, osteo rather than rheumatoid though.

    Definitely off to bed now. Later!

  19. The Durham Wasps franchise moved to Newcastle after years of domination in english ice hockey through 70’s-90’s.

    ;)