Carroll hit for £5k....Well it looks like those expecting a protracted trial for Andy Carroll this week will have to be left disappointed.
The verdict has been given by Newcastle Crown Court after the striker pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of common assault whilst claiming that his glass “accidentally slipped out of his hand and caused a cut to Mr Cook’s (the prosecution) eyebrow”.
Carroll will now have to pay a £1,000 fine, £1,500 in court costs plus £2,500 in compensation to the victim, but the plus point from the Newcastle perspective is that the trial has been sorted out quickly and the verdict has been given prompt enough to avoid another week of the good name of Newcastle United being dragged through the press again.
No doubt there will be disgruntled voices emanating from Wearside after this decision as I have no doubt that those of the red and white persuasion will have been frothing at the mouth and willing for Carroll to be sent down. Well unfortunately, fizzers, it’s bad news for you! (more…)
Court case looms....This week signals one of the most important weeks so far for both Newcastle United and Andy Carroll.
Carroll’s court case starts today and although it is only scheduled for three days initially there is a possibility it could roll on for longer than that, with the worst case scenario being that the Geordie hitman will have to spend some time at her majesty’s pleasure.
If that happened it would be disastrous for Newcastle, who are back in action against Arsenal on Wednesday night before hosting the first Tyne/Wear derby of the season next Sunday.
Now obviously I’m not going to make wild assupmtions of what went on and what is going to happen, as quite frankly I wasn’t there and I’m not a lawyer so wouldn’t be qualified to make an assumption, but if he is found guilty I would hope he is subjected to the extent of the law, much like you or I would be. On the flipside, if he is found not-guilty then I would hope that people will stop using it as a stick to beat the lad with.
I am sure that the details will be revealed soon enough, but assault occasioning actual bodily harm can be a very serious offence. Carroll will plead not-guilty to the charges that are laid out in front of him. (more…)
Carroll grabs the headlines for the right reasons...Those of you that have been reading the ‘blog in detail during the week will note that I said that the match against West Ham had a hint of Doncaster away last season about it.
I may not be the best with predictions, although certain people seem intent on me having to make one when I never really want to, but I was spot on with the Doncaster comparison.
To refresh your memory, we went to Doncaster last season, who were in good form at the time, with the fallout from the Carroll/Taylor affair still circulating through various parts of the media. Carroll was at the centre of attention for the wrong reasons again, but he popped up and scored the winning goal to put an end to a troubling run of form for Newcastle at the time. Sound familiar?
Well it should, as yesterday was almost a carbon copy of that scenario as Newcastle beat a West Ham side, who had not lost in five games, 2-1 at The Boleyn Ground/Upton Park (delete as appropriate), and once again it was Carroll, a source of negative headlines during the week, who popped up to score the winner. (more…)
Will we hit the 250 today?Newcastle head to West Ham United for the Saturday evening kick-off in a match that will be beamed live around the globe.
I think most fans would settle for a point now, shake hands, and head back to Tyneside relatively happy. But what if we can sneak the win?
Not only would it be a fantastic boost after after a torrid week where the ‘old-style’ headlines started to rear their ugly heads again, but it would also signal the 250th win in the Premier League for Newcastle.
That’s right, a milestone awaits for whenever we can record our next victory, and we would be only the seventh club in the history of the Premier League to achieve such a feat, although admittedly a lot of those wins will have come in a couple of purple patches under Kevin Keegan and Sir Bobby Robson.
Upton Park - Home of The Hammers.Chris Hughton takes Newcastle back to one his old stomping grounds on Saturday evening, with both sides knowing that three points would do them the world of good.
Hughton was actually in charge of Newcastle the last time the two sides met at Upton Park back in September 2008 in which The Hammers strolled to a 3-1 victory in his caretaker capacity.
I think it is fair to say that a win for Newcastle would be a good result, and given the poor run of home form the team seem to be going through right now I would also say that gaining the three points away from home is something we will need to do at somepoint during the season in our efforts to secure Premier League survival.
Kevin Nolan will be back in the squad for the trip to the capital after being rested last week to allow a niggling ankle injury to calm down whilst Danny Simpson will be pushing for a start at the expense of James Perch after coming through his third reserve game in midweek unscathed. (more…)
