50-50?Newcastle United have injury worries ahead of their visit to Eastlands on the weekend, so who will be fit enough to play on Saturday?
There are a couple of ways to look at our next three games against City, United and Chelsea: either we’re in with a chance of some points if we have a fully fit squad or we have no chance and it’s therefore a ‘good’ time to suffer injuries, given that we have to suffer them at all. Either way, we do have injuries and I thought I’d round up the latest news I can find on them.
Cheick Tiote had a medial ligament injury which has caused him to miss the last two games. Apparently he’s been working with medical staff all week to try and get fit for Saturday’s game and as far as I can tell it’s about 50-50 as to whether he’ll be fit in time. It’s (usually) caused by a high-impact landing on a slightly bent knee and the fact that Tiote has any chance of being fit for the game at all probably means it’s the lowest grade of medial ligament injury, which can apparently take anything from 2-10 weeks to heal.
Presumably Guthrie will continue to be the man to step in for Tiote if the Ivorian remains injured. (more…)
Practising for contract negotiations?Newcastle United have some player contracts to sort out, in particular the contract of team Captain Fabricio Coloccini who – it is rumoured – will initially be asked to cut his wages by half.
With all the furore over the stadium naming, let’s not forget that there’s a football team somewhere there in the background!
Apparently the international break is being used to sort out some contract issues with players, most notably those of Fabricio Coloccini and Danny Guthrie.
But one item of news I did read in connection with Coloccini worried me a bit. It comes from the Northern Echo, which first suggests that Coloccini’s wages are currently around £80k/week and further suggests that the club will be looking to cut those in half as part of a renewed contract.
I have seen quotes of £60k/week – £80k/week for Coloccini’s wages in the past, so I’m not sure how accurate the Northern Echo’s assessment is, but surely the club will struggle to get Coloccini to cut his wages by half won’t it? Again, I’m not sure how the Echo knows that’s what the club intends to do but I’m hoping that, if there’s any truth in it at all, it’s merely a starting point for negotiations. (more…)
Harper and Lovenkrands: Looking for a way oot.In the last week, both Steve Harper and Peter Lovenkrands have made very strong suggestions that their days at Newcastle United are numbered.
Firstly, speaking in an interview with Brighton and Hove Albion’s website and also in the club’s match programme, currently on loan ‘keeper, Steve Harper, has once again become weary of his peripheral role at Newcastle United. The goalkeeper said that now he was a bit more settled in at Brighton, he would definitely be open to extending his trip to the seaside further, also adding that he wished he had “moved on” ten years earlier.
Harper, who joined the club from the mighty Seaham Red Star back in 1903, and was a close personal friend of the Magpies’ legendary Edwardian centre forward, Albert Shepherd, said on extending his current one month loan from the current deadline of the 20th November:
“I’m certainly open to that, definitely, but the focus this week is Tuesday and Sunday and hopefully getting four or six points.
“Then Sunday night I’ll speak to the manager and my wife and see how she is getting on with the kids and we’ll take it from there!” (more…)
They have shirt hating weight watchers too!Venue: Britannia Stadium, Sir Stanley Matthews Way, Stoke-upon-Trent. Date: Monday, October 26th, 2011. Kick-off: 8:00pm. Referee: Mike Dean. TV: Sky Sports 1, Sky Sports HD 1.
Well, The Magpies must pick themselves up from their disappointing capitulation against Blackburn Rovers in the League Cup and prepare themselves for a trip to another of the nation’s great beauty spots, Stoke-upon-Trent.
A game against Tony Pulis’s hard tackling long throwing giants will be no Vicarage tea party, that’s for sure, and though there probably won’t be much “Champagne football” on the menu, it will be a stiff test for the lads. Especially so after a gruelling extra time midweek thriller which ultimately ended in disappointment. As if that wasn’t enough, we could also be without our own head of enforcement, Mr T, but more on that in the team news. Consolation for us however is that whilst the Magpies were exerting themselves in the ultimately doomed encounter at Ewood Park, Stoke were also playing in the competition, suffering the same kind of disappointment when they were knocked out by Liverpool in a 2-1 defeat.
If you won’t be at the game, make sure to check out our regular “match banter” feature, which will be posted around an our before kick off. (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…)
