Pass pass pass pass.....This season, even at this early juncture, has been full of surprises for us Newcastle fans, well in my opinion it has anyway.
The 6-0 win against Villa was a surprise. The 1-0 away win at Everton was a surprise. Last nights 4-3 Carling Cup win at Stamford Bridge was a surprise. You following me now?
But perhaps the most surprising thing from my point of view has been the kind of football we have been playing. Last season, particularly in the early part of last season, some points were a little unhappy regarding the style of play that the team were adopting. To be fair it was perhaps a little one-dimensional, but it got us the results we wanted. Then, after the January reinforcements arrived, our style of play changed quite dramatically. We opened up teams and won a fair few games rather convincingly. (more…)
Lost for words is one way I felt after last nights match at Stamford Bridge. It may only have been the Carling Cup, but if there were more matches like last night in the competition then I very much doubt that it would be carrying the label of being devalued by teams playing weaker sides.(more…)
It's Carling Cup time!Newcastle will be hoping their second string has enough to beat Chelsea’s second string in tonights Carling Cup 3rd round tie at Stamford Bridge.
Personally I don’t expect much out of the game tonight and I’m not overly fussed if we go out of the competition at this relatively early juncture.
My main hope is that the fringe players who will get their chance tonight go out and have a go and try to impress Chris Hughton and prove to him that they are worthy of a place in the first team. (more…)
Stamford Bridge - Home of Chelsea FC.Newcastle head to London on Wednesday for what will be a tough test against a rampant Chelsea side in the Carling Cup.
The reality is that both sides are likely to field watered down versions of their respective teams so it is very much going to be a battle of the fringe players at Stamford Bridge.
That won’t sit well with fans who would like us to make a concerted effort to get to the latter stages of the competition, but it is unfortunately part and parcel of what football is about these days. Premier League survival is the priority, and Hughton has made no secret of that, and if you look at the figures you can perhaps see why. A team that finishes 17th in the Premier League will recieve around £3.2 million in prize money plus the guarantee of another lucrative season of TV money compared to a team earning just £100,000 in prize money for winning the Carling Cup. (more…)
Carling Cup anyone? Meh....I think it is fair to say that the Carling Cup has become a little devalued over the last few years.
It’s the same before every game in this particluar competiton. The team news pages of clubs that are participiating are full of names of reserve players who are set to get a chance and players who are just coming back from in injury or whatever.
The Carling Cup has now become the reserve cup, a poor relation to the FA Cup if you will. In reality it probably always has played second fiddle to the FA Cup although not quite to the extent we are currently witnessing. It just seems that nobody really cares about it anymore, me included.
That is not to say that if we got to the latter stages of the competition that I wouldn’t want Newcastle to go on and win it. Of course I would, seeing my team lift a trophy is what I dream about and is something I have yet to witness in my lifetime. If the Carling Cup changed that then I would be more than happy. (more…)
