Manchester City vs Newcastle United match banter!

Posted on March 30th, 2013 | 54 Comments |

Manchester City v Newcastle.
Manchester City v Newcastle.
Venue: City of Manchester Stadium.
Date: Sat 30th March, 2013.
Kick off: 3.00pm.
Referee: Neil Swarbrick (Lancs.).
UK TV: None.

Hello, good afternoon and welcome to our “match banter” feature for today’s game against Manchester City at the City of Manchester Stadium.

Of course, this should be a tough one. Going on previous results, if the score is predictable, it should either a 2-1 or 3-1 victory to them (3-1, 2-1, 2-1, 3-1 to them in the last four games at their place with roughly similar results at SJP too). There is also some discouraging team news too. Although the Citizens displayed a soft underbelly in their previous game, a 2-0 defeat at the hands of bogey team, Everton, they were missing some key players throughout the spine of the team in that one. Those players were Captain, Vincent Kompany, at the back, Yaya Toure in the heart of midfield and Sergio Aguero at the front, all of whom could be making a return today. The fewer the better, hopefully. We will be without quite a few of our key players of our own too, with Fabricio Coloccini, Davide Santon, Mathieu Debuchy, Cheick Tiote and Hetem Ben Arfa all missing.

Putting my pessimistist’s hat to one side and putting my optimist’s hat on however, it certainly isn’t an impossible task, and it will just make victory all the sweeter too in the unlikely event that it happens. Also, we still have the likes of Cisse, Gouffran, Marveaux, Sissoko and Cabaye in attack, with Yanga M’Biwa in Coloccini’s central defensive slot and Danny Simpson to take back his old position at right back. The big problem lies with the left back position of course, with both Santon and Haidara both missing. Even there though, there are still options. We shall see soon! If you fancy a flutter on the game, don’t forget to check out sports.bwin.com before you do.

So I shall leave things there, except to sign off with all my usual reminders about how I will also be posting the team sheets here when they are available, along with links to watch the game online in the comments section, with seperate posts for highlights and also a video of the whole match when it’s all over.

Howay the Lads!

Team sheets.

Manchester City (4-3-3-1): Joe Hart (G), Pablo Zabaleta, Vincent Kompany (C), Joleon Lescott, Gael Clichy, Gareth Barry, Yaya Toure, David Silva, Samir Nasri, Carlos Tevez, Edin Dzeko.

Subs: Costel Pantilmon (G), Kolo Toure, Aleksandar Kolarov, Javi Garcia, James Milner, Scott Sinclair, Sergio Aguero.

Newcastle United (4-2-3-1): Rob Elliot (G), Danny Simpson, Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa, Steven Taylor, Jonas Gutierrez, Vurnon Anita, Yohan Cabaye (C), Yoan Gouffran, Moussa Sissoko, Gabriel Obertan, Papiss Cisse.

Subs: Steve Harper (G), Curtis Good, James Perch, Gael Bigirimana, Dan Gosling, Sylvain Marveaux, Adam Campbell.

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NUFCBlog Author: workyticket workyticket has written 1091 articles on this blog.

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Comment on this post

54 Responses

  4. Thanks Worky. Optimistic underdogs. We could nick something or else take a beating. The game’s a foot…

  5. I’d imagine the thinking with Obertan is that he will work harder defensively and Pardew feels that’s important in this game. Not keen on Gutierrez at left back either but we don’t really have a lot of good options for that position with 4 full backs out injured (Taylor, santon, debuchy and Haidarra).

  6. looking at the other fixtures, I don’t see much change in the league positions around us if we lose, as Stoke, Norwich and West Ham probably will to.

  7. Paulos says:
    March 30, 2013 at 2:47 pm

    “I’d imagine the thinking with Obertan is that he will work harder defensively and Pardew feels that’s important in this game.”

    Aye Paulos, I forgot that we were managed by Alan Pardew for a moment. Silly me.

  15. Bloody woeful. It’s like watching the San Marino v England game. Guttless performance, but I’m so used to seeing this from Pardew it doesn’t surprise me. Only one team deserves to win today and it ain’t us.

    Elliot’s been time wasting from the first minute and we haven’t put three passes together.

  18. Can’t go through another season like this if we start next season like this one. Utter tripe.

    Suppose we’re this bad because Santon and Debuchy are missing. Expect some BS excuse. I don’t mind losing away to City but FFS put some effort in. Pass the ball at least.

  19. Constantly soak up pressure in your own box, hope to pick up crumbs and launch a brief ill-fated counterattack, get nowhere, concede a goal, have no plan B, lose.

  22. We could only be three points off relegation tonight. Would make Llambias, Pardew etc look like the tools they are after gushing how we’ve improved so much because we bought five players. And Pardew amazingly saying “we’re safe” a few weeks back.

    Sissoko’s all over the place, headless chicken. Gouffran does nothing. Debuchy and Haidara have been the best signings. Maybe they’d all play better under a manager who realizes the talent the squad has under the right guidance.

  23. I haven’t felt this level of hopelessness in a game since before the transfer window.. Woeful!
    Why are Obertan and Anita playing instead of Marv and Perchinho?

  24. Paulos says:
    March 30, 2013 at 2:47 pm

    “I’d imagine the thinking with Obertan is that he will work harder defensively and Pardew feels that’s important in this game.”

    Well he certainly didn’t work very hard trying to defend that goal Paulos.

  25. Awful to watch!
    With the side going out to hopefully defend and possibly get lucky and steal a goal.
    Hoofball at it’s best.
    With Elliott working hard, but you cant stop em all and the side is fortunate to be only two goals down.
    I’m not looking forward to he second half, as i dont expect Pardew to have the answers.

  26. Ankit NYC says:
    March 30, 2013 at 3:56 pm

    “Why are Obertan and Anita playing instead of Marv and Perchinho?”

    Well you could say Marveaux should have played but that isn’t the big question, it’s Pardew’s overall tactics. We’re just sitting back constantly, hoping to pick up the ball and launch a counterattack, but it’s shit.

  27. Those criticising Elliott, should realise our defence is letting Citeh walk into the box and were it not for him and the poor finishing by Citeh, we could very well be down by four or five.

  31. Elliot’s made one critical save – from a shot fired right at him.

    He won’t save us from the drubbing we’re about to get. Krul might have stood a chance.

  32. God ! is this it ?
    The forlorn hope, Gosling ?

    Put this one in the forget category.
    This has to be the worst of the season game, with relegation still a huge possibility we have to do better than this, it’s pathetic.

  35. Sissoko seems to be trying to play all on his own. He keeps running half the length of the pitch with the ball, then losing it instead of laying it off. And there have been players going with him – it’s not like he hasn’t had the opportunity to pass ti someone in space.

  36. workyticket says:
    March 30, 2013 at 4:02 pm

    Well you could say Marveaux should have played but that isn’t the big question, it’s Pardew’s overall tactics. We’re just sitting back constantly, hoping to pick up the ball and launch a counterattack, but it’s shit.

    I agree with that. We went there basically expecting to get beat, and the changes when we’re behind are just shocking. No Marv until the end, and taking off Cabaye.

    The kind of game that can completely demoralize the team and supporters. Back into the relegation dogfight we go, not as much for the dropped points, but for the game itself and the mindset.

  37. GS says:
    March 30, 2013 at 4:37 pm

    “wish I hadn’t mentioned goal difference.”

    GS, the bottom four teams all had goal differences that were at least 10 goals worse than ours when the match started.

  38. Well if Simmo is “playing for a new contract” (either here or more likely elsewhere), he hasn’t done much for his prospects. Been woeful today, touch and passing awful.

  44. Damn Wigan. As Jimbob said, what was Pardew thinking saying we were safe? It is one of his main problems – overconfidence to the point of arrogance.

  47. A game no one wants remember.
    It only reinforces the fact of how clueless Pardew is and makes one wonder, when the other two football geniuses will figure it out.
    With only Sissoko and Elliott, praisworthy, even with four goals scored against him, he made some good saves.
    The rest were in disarray for the most part.
    It’s obvious Obertan has to go, the guy has all the tools, but never produces.
    Gouffran did’nt look great, plus Anita has to up his game (why was it we payed seven million for him again ?)
    Jonas tried hard but got little support from Obertan.
    As for Perch and Gosling, Perch is anything but consistent, but gives hs all, a benchwarmer.
    Gosling ? who knows ?
    Bigiramana, has potential a keeper.
    To-days game was a message to those expecting big things next season, or even in the UEFA cup run against Benifica, to not expect too much.
    That is unless we make some big signings during the summer which Aubameyang would be an expensive but good signing, plus to-days defending has shown we have to strengthen the back four again.
    But first and foremost we have to start to earn some points, as we are not yet safe from the drop.
    However the biggest positive for this club would be to find a manager, that can shape this side into a winning team and bring the club up into the top six, where they belong.

  48. chuck says:
    March 30, 2013 at 5:23 pm

    “With only Sissoko and Elliott, praisworthy, even with four goals scored against him, he made some good saves.”

    lol. Rubbish.

  49. Elliot didn’t make a save in the game that wasn’t blasted right at him (even then only a couple), and Sissoko was running around doing his own thing – to no effect whatsoever.

    There wasn’t a decent performance from anyone in a black and white shirt today. Stupid ineffective tactics of defending deep from the outset, and poor individual performances all round.

  50. Like the Nazis, they were only following orders.

    If any of them started trying to play football, they probably would have been pulled off by Pardew.

  51. Well considering Elliott was praised by both the play by play and color commentators, plus the BBC written commentary, plus their were eleven out of nineteen shots on target from Citeh, does it sound as if he had a poor game.
    I suspect it’s some personal bias against Elliott rather than admitting to what’s been commonly accepted.
    Plus to suggest Krul would have done better is pure speculation, perhaps in fact he may have done worse, who knows ?

  52. chuck says:
    March 30, 2013 at 5:58 pm

    “Well considering Elliott was praised by both the play by play and colour commentators…”

    On the feed I watched, he wasn’t praised by anyone, either during the game or in the studio (ESPN feed).

    “I suspect it’s some personal bias against Elliott rather than admitting to what’s been commonly accepted.”

    I admit to being personally biased against Elliot. The reason being that he isn’t as good as Krul OR Harper.

    As for the “eleven shots on target” chuck, four of them were goals. The rest were scrambled away by a gaggle of floundering defenders (somehow).

  53. Well no-one shone today, but to be fair, Elliot and Sissoko were probably the closest to mediocrity. Gosling too possibly though he was only on for 30 minutes.

  54. I thought Gosling did OK when he came on as well.

    I just wasn’t impressed with Sissoko in the first half, and I thought the end product of his long mazy runs in the second should have been a decent pass (people were running with him – he ignored Cisse a couple of times). Instead, he ended up getting picked off buy a defender *every time*.

    I certainly hope we see something better on Thursday.