Oh Danny Boy!Well that was a bit drab then! I don’t think anybody expected that sort of entertainment but Newcastle ran out 4-3 winners against Huddersfield Town in a pulsating Carling Cup game after coming from 3-1 down to put us in the Third Round draw.
With old boy Lee Clark was back in toon, his side were also in tune as both teams gave the supporters value for money. As predicted Hughton gave some of the youngsters their debuts and that probably gave Huddersfield more opportunity as the new-look team tried to gel early on.
Having taken the lead on the half hour through Guthrie, Newcastle went 3-1 down but with the grit and resolve we sorely lacked last season coming from the current squad this season, we fought back with goals from Geremi, an Ameobi pen and then although Nolan seems to have been awarded it, he and Shola may fight it out for that honour as Nolan appeared just to help his header over the line for the winner.
So this is more like the character we’ve been looking for, albeit against slightly inferior opposition but they were there to beaten and they still gave us a scare. However, as John Anderson mentioned on Radio Newcastle, we’ve got back into the habit of winning and that’s crucial. To have a team that doesn’t know it’s beaten is a valuable thing and it seems that’s how we are at the moment. (more…)
Not leaving, says HughtonThe takeover farce is, as usual, suffering from conflicting press opinions.
First we hear from newspapers like The Guardian, The Telegraph and The Journal that Ashley arrived at the training ground in his gunship to join Llambias and Moat in takeover talks. Then The Chronicle comes along and says Ashley isn’t there for takeover talks at all but is merely dealing with some ‘routine paperwork’. The Chronicle’s ‘United source’ said:
“It is nothing to get excited about, it was a routine visit, Mike was here to sign some paperwork relating to Damien Duff’s transfer and the launch of the third kit.
“It is not the first time he has been at the training ground recently, and it won’t be the last.”
And Chris Hughton said of the visit:
“He came in, wished everyone the best for the Sheffield Wednesday game, and just wanted to tell people he wouldn’t be at the match.”
So make of that what you will. I am however going to speculate. I think the reports about the takeover being sorted out by the end of this week are probably true. I would imagine that Ashley, if he stays, or any new owner would want at least a week to deal on the transfer market and I think if Ashley feels the bids are going nowhere by the end of this week he’ll pull the plug on the sale. So I’m thinking we’ll hear one way or the other by Monday at the latest. (more…)
Number one super guyPoor old Chris Hughton deserves a fair bit of credit for quietly taking over a job he doesn’t want and just getting on with it.
Ashley’s dumped him in it a few times now but Hughton simply remains unruffled, appearing to treat his frequent calls to stand-in as manager of one the most media-exposed teams in the country with no more alarm than he’d treat a hole in his sock.
According to The Chronicle, Hughton had this to say about the club sale saga at the club’s Benton training ground:
“I think the sooner there is a line drawn on the situation the better for everybody.
“I think that’s what everybody wants.”
That’s about as close as he gets to a complaint. If the man was any more relaxed he’d be horizontal. He puts me in mind of Hong Kong Phooey actually, although that’s probably more to do with my insane, laterally-articulated brain than anything else. (more…)
