Archive for category: Interviews.

Newcastle United vs Southampton match banter!

February 24th, 2013 | 109 Comments |

Newcastle United v Southampton.
The Saints are marching in!
Venue: St. James’ Park, Newcastle.
Date: Sun 24th February, 2013.
Kick off: 1.30pm.
Referee: Chris Foy (Meeerseyside).
UK TV: None.

Hello, good afternoon and welcome to our latest “match banter” for this afternoon’s game at St James’ Park, which sees the Magpies pitted against the Saints of Southampton.

As you may recall, our last game against Southampton at their place was something of a dire performance, with Newcastle losing 2-0 to an Adam Lallana goal in the first half, with the coup de grâce performed by Gastón Ramírez an hour into the game. Here’s hoping that things are different this afternoon.

One thing that certainly will be different is that the Saints will be rolling up at St James’ park with a new manager this time, the highly talented young Argentinian coach, Mauricio Pochettino. For those of you who might fancy a bit of light reading in the run up to this game, I have already prepared a little primer on the new man at the helm at St Mary’s, and he could be a very tricky customer indeed. (more…)

Metalist Kharkiv vs Newcastle United match banter!

February 21st, 2013 | 91 Comments |

Metalist Kharkiv v Newcastle United.
A score draw or better and we’re though.
Venue: Metalist Stadium, Kharkiv.
Date: Thurs 21st February, 2013.
Kick off: 6.00pm UK time (8pm local time)
Referee: Serge Gumienny (Belgium).
UK TV: ESPN.

Hello, good evening and welcome to our latest “match banter” feature for this evening’s Europa League game against Metalist Kharkiv.

With the first leg at St James’ Park ending in a 0-0 draw, this means that a score draw or better would take the Magpies through. If they can manage this, a last sixteen clash against either German Bundesliga side Hannover 96 or Guus Hiddink’s Russian side, Anzhi Makhachkala. So far it’s looking like it’s more likely to be the latter, as they currently leading the Germans 3-1 after their first leg in Russia and they are certainly not to be sniffed at with Hiddink at the helm, not to mention superstars old (Samuel Eto’o) and new (the Brazilian wide man, Willian). Still, we have to get through this one first, and as they showed in the first leg of the tie, they will be no pushovers, especially on their own (probably frozen) Ukrainian turf. (more…)

Joe Kinnear – Underrated at Newcastle?

February 16th, 2013 | 37 Comments |

Joe Kinnear at St James' Park.
Uncle Joe.
In Joe Kinnear’s “Talk Sport” interview just over a week ago with Richard Keys and Andy Gray, besides being touched as Kinnear recalled the awful series of events which befell him after his reign at Newcastle, not just the heart episode which forced him into retirement but also the loss of his only son Elliott to multiple myeloma (cancer of the bone marrow), and then Kinnear himself contracting Septicaemia (blood poisoning), it also reminded me of the complete and utter of contempt shown to Kinnear by the media and many of Newcastle United’s fans when he was manager, a contempt which still remains seemingly after seeing some of the responses to it. So in this piece, I thought I would examine his record at the club, and attempt to explore some aspects of why this might be.

Getting to the interview itself, which is still available in full on the Talk Sport website, Keys remarked at the beginning of the interview on Kinnear’s time at St James’ Park:

“You slipped away so quietly after that time at Newcastle as a result of illness. we never really got the opportunity, I’m sure all Geordie fans would like to say ‘well done.’ You didn’t get quite the credit you deserve for laying the foundation stones to sorting that mess out. It was quite a period, wasn’t it?”

To which Kinnear responded: (more…)