Aside from us, the other teams that are part of the ton-up club are the dirty tramps from down the road, Fulham and Reading. I wondered what exactly this meant, so spurred on by an idea from one of our fellow ‘bloggers, Richietoon, I decided to see just how they fared back in in the big time, and the results are rather surprising, certainly more surprising than I thought they would be. (more…)
Despite the intense heat it was Ian Holloway’s Blackpool outfit who came out on top against Cardiff to earn the final Premier League place that was up for grabs. It was a richly deserved win in which Blackpool had the best of the game, and despite falling behind twice they eventually won 3-2.
Congratulations to Blackpool will be doing the rounds for some time now, but from a purely selfish, Newcastle United perspective it now means we know just what we are up against in the fight for survival, and hopefully means that some media focus could be shifted from us and onto them, allowing us to go about our business ‘under the radar’ so to speak. Lets not forget the defeat we suffered at the hands of Blackpool way back in September, which was branded as an embarrassment by a very large proportion of fans, will now look a little bit more acceptable now they themselves have managed to gain promotion with us. (more…)
Of course, we had already seen Chris in charge of the first team a couple of times in brief spells as a caretaker whilst the managerial doors were flapping open and closed all around him. He just got on with it, and whilst it probably wasn’t the most successful stints anyone has had as a caretaker, few can blame him for having any part in what was our departure from the Premier League. He was thrown in at the deep end with a bunch of players who didn’t know if they were coming or going, or indeed who else was coming or going above them, yet he just got on with it. (more…)
All the noises coming out of the club seem to suggest, well, more than suggest that the days of the NUFC retirement home for football gentlefolk has gone, with an emphasis on younger players and a much more careful and measured approach. It is time to forget the past though and move on. Of course, being relegated to the Championship also had a huge financial price, and many of these ‘big ticket’ players were offloaded ASAP. The rollcall including Michael Owen, Damien Duff, Habib Beye and someone who came out of nowhere (well, Metz actually) to make a name for himself amidst the wreckage of last season, Sebastien Bassong. Some key players were kept on of course, and Chris Hughton signed reinforcements, albeit on a budget that was somewhat less grand than in the past. So, as things stand at the moment, how does our diminished squad measure up to the rest of the sides competing in next year’s Premier League? (more…)