Hopefully, Benteke will stub his toe on the way to Villa Park!Venue: Villa Park, Birmingham. Date: Sat 14th Sep, 2013. Kick off: 3.00pm. Referee: Mike Dean. UK TV: None.
The resumption of Premier League action after the International break see Newcastle United travelling to Birmingham’s Villa Park for this afternoon’s game against Aston Villa.
Previous results.
Newcastle United and Aston Villa come into this game at 12th and 13th in the Premier League respctively with 4 points to Newcastle United, and 3 to Aston Villa. Looking at their Premier League form so far this season, Aston Villa got off to an excellent start, convincingly beating Arsenal 3-1. However, this was followed by two successive defeats, 2-1 to Chelsea and 0-1 to Liverpool. Meanwhile, as you probably know, Newcastle’s results have been getting steadily better. After a 4-0 mauling by Manchester City in their opening game, this managed a 0-0 draw with West Ham, finally scraping 1-0 win against a toothless Fulham in their last game. (more…)
Very brief highlights of the very well attented (over 50,000) testimonial match for Steve Harper against a team of AC Milan legends, a tribute to his twenty years of loyal service to the Magpies. They mostly feature Paolo di Canio being booed, Harper and Alan Shearer being cheered then Harper missing his penalty when the game went into a shootout after a 0-0 draw. The Milan legends side won on penalties in the end.
The fans are revolting, but Will they be effective this time?Newcastle United fans are revolting!
However, writing as someone who used to be an protester and fundraiser myself in the past, not over Newcastle United but over causes such as civil liberties, racism and the like, from what I have read and seen of Newcastle United fans’ planned protests so far, the chances of success don’t seem to be that great at all. This isn’t because the protestors don’t have a case, more that the protagonists don’t seem to be protesters, quite simply, they don’t know how to do it properly. They’re more like brickies and plumbers who are blundering around in a field they don’t understand, a bit like Mike Ashley trying to run a large Premier League football club really!
Please don’t misunderstand, this is not to be unecessarily disparaging at all, it’s just an appeal to realism, a plea for the protestors to consult with people who know what they are doing this time before they go blundering in once again with their size 10s and misspelled bedsheets. In a David and Goliath struggle, you don’t just need all the help you can get, you need the right help to avoid falling at the first few hurdles. (more…)
Pardew: Persisting with phony Cabaye narrative.In the latest chapter in the Yohan Cabaye saga, Alan Pardew has been speaking further on what he calls “the situation” with the French midfielder.
Despite a constant campaign of innuendo against the French midfielder, and ably assisted by his friends in the local media, he still steadfastly refuses to mention whether the player actually went on strike for the first two games of the season, instead preferring to hide behind vague terms like “the situation.”
Whether Cabaye went on strike or not, the idea, as stated by Pardew himself that he has been “protecting” the player from the savagery of we fans if he reveals the real facts is obviously ludicrous, not to mention an insult to we fans. He knew perfectly well when he said that he was protecting Cabaye from being savaged by primitive fans that most of us would only assume one thing, that Cabaye was refusing to play. If he really wanted to protect him, he would have kept his mouth firmly shut (If that is possible for Pardew?). It was either very stupid or very devious, and I’m pretty sure it wasn’t the former. We are being played again, just as we have been so many times in the past. Meanwhile, being almost certainly bound by a gagging clause in his contract, Cabaye probably can’t speak for himself. (more…)
