Nile Ranger in action yesterday.Firstly, apologies for the lateness of today’s roundup.
Well, first cab off the rank today is, of course, Newcastle United’s first friendly of the season. Toon emerged fresh from their gruelling Irish “boot camp” to face the mighty Shamrock Rovers at Shamrock’s Tallaght stadium.
The Mirror’s Ciaran O’ Raghallaigh describes how “wobbly” Newcastle teetered on the brink of disaster, finally managing to “scrape” through by the narrowest of margins, three goals, scored by Steven Taylor, Shola Ameobi and Nile Ranger respectively.
Meanwhile, a report in the Mirror’s sister paper, The People, focused on Joey Barton in a piece by the risable Dale Finnigan, which describes how the Toon blacksheep, apparently, “failed to finish the game” and was “continually abused by the Irish supporters”. Translation: Hughton let the bairns have a bit of a run in the second half, and Barton received a few boos from the crowd when his name was read out. (more…)
Shamrock's manager & NUFC old boy, O'Neill.Shamrock Rovers game (today).
Well, today’s the day of Newcastle United’s first friendly game of the season, this time against the Emerald Isle’s Shamrock Rovers (K.O. 3pm). Shamrock’s manager and NUFC old boy, Michael O’Neill spoke to Newcastle’s Chronicle yesterday about the game, and also of his “heartache” over the current situation facing his old club. He said:
“I have some very fond memories of my times there and you could see then it was a place waiting to take off.
“I played with Gazza and Mirandinha during their pomp at Newcastle, which was a great experience for a young striker.
“Now I’m just as gutted as everybody else up there to see it back in turmoil.(more…)
In case you didn’t know already, the fixture list for our season in hell the “Coca Cola Championship” has been released today. Remember to use the menu at the top of the fixtures page to find the particular fixtures you are looking for.
