Bordeaux's Jussiê and Yoan Gouffran v Red Star Belgrade.Venue: St James’ Park, Newcastle. Date: Thursday, 4th Oct. Kick off: 8:05pm Referee: Antonio Miguel Lahoz. UK TV: ESPN.
As I have already written a fairly extensive piece on Girondins de Bordeaux where I have already taken a look at some of the things we focus on in our usual previews, I will try to focus on the most up to date stuff such as team news and an update on Bordeaux’s form since I wrote that piece three weeks ago.
Recent form
The respective records for both teams in their last six games (in all competitions, last game first) are:
Newcastle United: D,L,W,D,D,D. Girondins de Bordeaux: W,D,W,D,D,W.(more…)
Eight more years for the three wise monkeys.If you have been reading Newcastle United stories in the media recently, you will probably have noticed the announcement that Mike Ashley has decided to give Alan Pardew and his backroom staff, John Carver, Steve Stone and Andy Woodman eight year contracts.
There has a recent precedent of course, with chief scout Graham Carr having already been given an eight year contract back in June. Both Derek Llambias and his Public Relations assistants in the the local (Trinity Mirror Group) media such as Lee Ryder and Mark Douglas have been getting excited to the point of tumescence about this latest round of contract extensions, with Douglas even having the impertinence to tell we fans, his readers, how we must think and behave from now on. He suggested that like all fans (and unlike Ashley and Llambias), we are simply primitive, bed sheet wielding “knee jerk” creatures of impulse, but that we must now bow down in obeisance to Ashley’s longterm plan and restrain ourselves from any form of criticism should the club have a bad run of results. (more…)
Highlights of this afternoon’s game between the Magpies and the Royals at Reading’s Madejski Stadium.
A real “game of two halves,” the first one being one of the most tedious 45 minutes in the whole of human history, and the second being somewhat better than that with four goals, one of them a controversial “Hand of Allah” effort from Newcastle United’s Demba Ba.
With Alan Pardew paying a visit to his old protege, Brian McDermott, at Reading’s Madejski Stadium. It was hardly surprising that this was a managerial “meeting of the minds” with two 90s style 4-4-2 sides pumping crosses into the box. (more…)
The Royal Blues of Reading.Venue: Madejski Stadium, Reading. Date: Saturday, 29th Sept. Kick off: 3:00pm Referee: Andre Marriner (Sheldon, W.Mids). UK TV: None.
Today sees Alan Pardew (complete with his new eight year contract), returning to his managerial alma mater, Reading.
Where José Mourinho and André Villas-Boas had Sir Bobby Robson, and Pep Guardiola had Johan Cruyff to guide them in their early stages of coaching, Pardew had Terry Bullivant. After a spell in the Autumn of his career as a player-coach under Bullivant at Barnet, Pardew subsequently moved with him to Reading in 1997. After playing 17 games for the Royals, once again as a player-coach, Pardew retired from playing, pressing on with his coaching role. When Bullivant resigned following a very poor run at Reading the following year, Pardew had his first taste of the hot seat as caretaker manager until the arrival of Tommy Burns. Like Bullivant before him, Burns didn’t last long, being sacked after the club were relegated to the then Division Two, leaving Pardew to be promoted to permanent manager in 1999. (more…)
Full match coverage of Newcastle united’s League Cup match against Manchester United at Old Trafford.
Sadly, Newcastle eventually bid their farewells to the League Cup for another season thanks to two excellent shots from Anderson and Tom Cleverly for his first goal in 18 months. In Cleverly’s case it more than made up for what was a hell of miss earlier in the game, something for which he received the “hairdryer” treatment for from Ferguson at half time according to Wayne Rooney. (more…)
