Plenty to be happy aboutNewcastle United manager Alan Pardew gives all the kudos to the team for yesterday’s win at Stoke whilst Tony Pulis is somewhat less generous.
Yesterday’s game could arguably be seen as our biggest test of the season so far and we passed it with flying colours. Alan Pardew, however, refuses to take much credit for the win and instead prefers to praise the players. Pardew said:
“The players have to take great credit. You can have a game-plan of what you want to do but by the same token, players have got to be brave enough to see it out. And we showed some bravery. Absolutely brilliant, some of our players tonight.
“You’ve got to be brave, and we were brave at their throw-ins. We left two up and that caused them some problems on the break a couple of times.
“Sometimes you’ve got to change the emphasis of a game and we did that well – in the second half, not so well and that’s why we came under pressure.
“Having said that, it was a soft penalty that they got, I thought. But at least the ref was consistent because we got a soft one too!” (more…)
The shy and retiring Pardew and Pulis.This evening sees our beloved Magpies facing Stoke City away at the Britannia stadium.
As an addition to Jimbob’s excellent match preview, I will be maing my usual review of what the managers have been saying in the run up to the game. As usual, we will also be running our regular “match banter” feature, as well as post match reports, highlights and post match interviews after the game.
Firstly, with this being a Newcastle United blog, I will be taking a look at the black and white corner to see what Alan Pardew has to say looking forward to this evening’s game. Looking back to the team’s first defeat of the season, in the League Cup to Blackburn, he hoped that the team’s “resilience” would have them bouncing back against the difficult challenge of Stoke at home. On this he remarked:
“I don’t really know how they’ll react to defeat because that (winning Gaël Givet) goal came so late and even then we had a good chance with 20 seconds left through Colo.(more…)
Disappointed ... yet confidentNewcastle United manager Alan Pardew has been talking about Liverpool’s alleged interest in Coloccini and the defeat we suffered at the hands of Blackburn on Wednesday.
Alan Pardew has responded to recent press speculation about Liverpool’s interest in Coloccini by saying:
“Liverpool like looking at our players, don’t they? But I don’t want to add any more to that. He’s been outstanding for us as a captain and a player and we’re in negotiations with him on a new contract.”
Somehow that’s been taken to mean that negotiations are going well by some elements of the press and blogosphere, although that’s not something I’d extrapolate from the above quote. Not that it matters much what Pardew thinks anyway – it will be Ashley’s decision based on the results of the contract negotiations between club and player and on any offer we receive from Liverpool, if indeed we receive one at all.
Nile Ranger: A reformed character on the comeback trail?The somewhat unexpected inclusion of Nile Ranger for Newcastle United’s ill fated League Cup encounter with Blackburn signals something a second chance for the young striker.
Although he is still way back in the pecking order, with Alan Pardew suggesting in a phone in on BBC Radio Newcastle’s “Total Sport” that even 19 year Sammy Ameobi has overtaken Ranger in the manager’s thoughts, he’s now back training with the first team and that’s a start. It’s cerrtainly something of an improvement on the previous situation, where he found himself completely out in the wilderness with the club simply itching to offload the recently troublesome young gangster striker permannently at the earliest available opportunity.
Whilst there could be several reasons for the club’s change of heart on Ranger, reasons such as the forthcoming loss of Demba Ba, and possibly Shola Ameobi to the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations, a rumoured improvement in his attitude in training, a recent impressive performace for the Reserves against Liverpool where he scored two goals, or possbly a lack of interest in a permanent £1 million move from other clubs due to his reputation preceding him, he still has some way to go to make up for lost ground. The question I will be asking in this piece, or specifically, the poll below, is can he make it? (more…)
Tactical rethink? Or just unlucky?Newcastle United lost 4-3 away at Blackburn last night in the Carling Cup, which probably ended the club’s best chance of lifting a trophy this season.
I’ve never really been one for the League Cup, seeing it mainly as the poor relation to the FA Cup, but when a place in the last 8 is looking possible it starts to become a little more important.
It was not to be however as Blackburn were up to the task, either in spite of or because of their lowly league position, and although we twice levelled the game they persevered and won out.
After the game, Alan Pardew said:
“I don’t like the tag of gallant losers but it was a fantastic effort and the fans would have appreciated the effort we have put in.
“Sometimes events just go against you and events certainly did tonight. But the players don’t know when to give in, we kept going and two great hits got us back into the game, but tiredness cost us at the end.
“If we are going to go out of the cup that’s how it should be – giving it everything.” (more…)
