Newcastle United vs Bordeaux Europa League match banter!

Posted on October 4th, 2012 | 52 Comments |

Newcastle United v Bordeaux.
Our toughest Euro test so far.
Venue: St James’ Park, Newcastle.
Date: Thursday, 4th Oct.
Kick off: 8:05pm
Referee: Antonio Miguel Lahoz‎.
UK TV: ESPN.

Hello, good evening and welcome to our latest “match banter” feature for this evening’s Europa League tie against the team who should be our toughest opponents in Group D, Bordeaux.

If you’re looking for some in depth background on our opponents and you haven’t read them already, I have written not one, but two pieces looking forward to our two games against les Girondins. The first one, written around three weeks ago deeply probes the Ligue 1 side, along with their manager, Francis Gillot, with the second one bringing things up to date with with some of the more usual preview stuff such as team news and squads for this evening, what both managers have been saying in the run up to the game, along with highlights and a little bit of analysis of their progress since the last one.

However, two things I didn’t write in either of those (I think) is that this is the first time we have met in a UEFA European competition, and this evening’s game will also be our hundredth in UEFA European competition. I say “UEFA European competition” as when we had our finest hour in Europe, winning the “Inter City Fairs Cup” in 1969, it wasn’t under the auspices of UEFA and hence, it doesn’t count in the above figures. The Fairs Cup. To quote the Wikipedia:

“While the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup is recognised as the predecessor to the UEFA Cup, it was not organised by UEFA. Consequently, UEFA do not consider clubs’ records in the Fairs Cup to be part of their European record.”

But anyway, back to the present day. This game will be broadcast in the UK on ESPN, though I will be posting some links for those of you who don’t have it. As usual, I will also be posting teamsheets when they become available, as well as match highlights, and possibly a video of the whole game when it’s all over.

Howay the Lads!

Team sheets

Newcastle United (4-3-3): Rob Elliot (G), Danny Simpson, Mike Williamson, James Perch, Shane Ferguson, Vurnon Anita, Cheick Tiote, Yohan Cabaye, Papiss Cisse, Shola Ameobi (C), Gabriel Obertan.

Subs: Steve Harper (G), Davide Santon, Gael Bigirimana, Dan Gosling, Hatem Ben Arfa, Sammy Ameobi, Demba Ba.

Bordeaux (4-4-2): Cedric Carrasso; Mariano, Henrique, Marc Planus, Benoit Tremoulinas; Henri Saivet, Ludovic Sane, Jaroslav Plasil (c), Ludovic Obraniak; Jussie, Yoan Gouffran.

Subs: Kevin Olimpa, Florian Marange, Matthieu Chalme, Abdou Traore, Landry N’Guemo, David Bellion, Cheick Diabate.

Poll

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

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52 Responses

  1. Elliott, Simpson, Perch, Williamson, Ferguson , Anita, Tiote, Cabaye, Obertan, Cisse, Shola Ameobi

    subs :Harper, Santon, Gosling, Bigirimana, Ben Arfa, Sammy Ameobi, Ba
    somewhat strong lineup..we will 3-1 today ..hope cisse socres and fergy keeps the crosses firing in all nite long

  2. Great goal. Pass from Cabaye, then Obertan.

    Much much better shape today. But most knew this was our best system…

  3. Very patient. If we can’t find a way through we are just keeping it and making them work instead of just a quick hoof down the center. Keep it up!

  4. I am actually enjoying a game of ours this season. I hope we can start playing like this in the prem from now on.

  5. Looks as though we’ve gone 4-4-1-1 or 4-5-1 now. Cisse’s more central. Shola’s been excellent as has Obertan, and Cabaye is finally pushed up further. That’s the benefit of having Anita and Tiote on the pitch.

  6. Cracking first half and we should be 3-0 up. I hope we dont slow down for the second half.

  7. We altered as soon as we went 1-0 up Worky.

    I hope Pardew finally stops this direct 4-4-2 rubbish and keeps this system. So much better. If we had HBA on there has been so many instances his creativity and pace would have made the most of our build up.

    That midfield 3 of Tiote, Cabaye and Anita complements each other.

  8. He will tunyc, which plays into our hands as long as we stay alert and play to a counter now. Obertan and a later introduction of HBA can put this one to sleep.

  9. That showed the benefit of someone on the left (Ferguson) who is left footed and can cross. You need at least one on the side who is natural. You can’t have two like Santon and Jonas who are wrong sided. That’s why Enrique and Jonas worked so well because Enrique never had to slow it down and switch feet.

  10. Completely agree, Jimbob. The number of times Jonas or Santon got into good positions out wide on the left against Reading but couldn’t put in a decent cross…

  11. Jimbob says:
    October 4, 2012 at 9:21 pm

    “No Worky just been racking my brain and we beat West Ham 5-0 didn’t we?”

    Oh aye Jimbob! Best hat-trick.

  12. It’s very easy to defend against Tunyc, just show them down the line, they can’t do anything. So predictable.

  13. Oh, boy. Bigi on but not for one of our booked CDMs but rather Cabaye. I was actually going to predict that at half. Defensive sub. Not surprised.

    Jimbob-that makes me think of the last match I went to at SJP against Spurs a couple years back when Lennon scored the equalizer in extra time. Simpson kept giving him the inside and he predictably scored. That kind of goal is the definition of a self-inflicted wound.

  14. Yeah I remember that well Tunyc, I was watching in a bar in Canada screaming at Simpson to show him down the line!

    I remember Spurs beating us 1-0 at St James’ Park when Atouba (I think) curled one from the edge of the box with his right foot. He was a left back and pretty useless with his right foot usually.

    Bit like when HBA smashed that one versus Villa with his right foot. Nobody knew he had one.

  15. All true, Jimbob-though I’ve always quietly suspected that HBA is pretty much 2-footed, just so good with his left as to make his right forgettable.

  16. tunyc says:
    October 4, 2012 at 9:34 pm

    “Dammit. Stuck at work. I hope you get a full match vid for this one, Worky!”

    I’ll definitely try tunyc.

  17. well we have played awesome controlled the game and rested .ba Jonas and hba for the w@nkers on Sunday toon toon

  18. I’m not gannin’ to be giving a big build up to any more Frog teams after that display. They were shite! I certainly don’t think they’ll be that bad at their place though.