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.
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…)
We should have had a 3rd goalNewcastle United manager Alan Pardew identifies some areas in which we can improve, despite our creditable 4th place Premier League position.
There has been a lot of comment since our 2-1 victory over Wolves on Saturday, much of it of the pat-on-the-back variety, which – it has to be said – is better than the poke-in-the-eye variety that might follow a defeat.
Alan Pardew, however, still has some room for criticism. Pardew said:
“I’m just disappointed we didn’t get the third goal – it wouldn’t have then been a grandstand finish, it would have been game over. We missed a couple of big chances in that period.”
Indeed, whilst it may appear churlish to criticise a team that’s currently performing beyond expectations – at least in terms of league position – one problem I think we do have is that we don’t close games down very well.
It seems to me that there are two ways of doing that. The first is simply to score more goals and put the game completely beyond the opposition. The second is to nullify the opposition with possession, not allowing them to put us under pressure. The latter trait in particular is one which I think we can improve upon a lot. (more…)
