Wants a swift return?Marlon Harewood’s three-month loan spell expired on Boxing Day and he reaffirmed his desire to return in the New Year, either on loan or on a permanent basis, to help Newcastle’s push for a swift return to the Premier League. Extending Harewood’s loan would be a safer option but ultimately more costly than we would have surely imagined, if the rumour in The Mirror is true.
Apparently Villa want £250,000 as a loan deal fee, despite the fact that we’ve been paying and would continue to his £28,000-a-week wages. Having grabbed 5 goals in 15 games for the Toon, few fans are still convinced he’s worth an extended loan and if the fee is anywhere near the truth, I would expect fans and board alike would baulk at the proposition.
Chris Hughton has been coy on whether Harewood would be required for the remainder of the season, and the player admitted he has no idea what is going on: (more…)
Sucker-punch!An early boxing day start took me to Hillsborough in the hope we could continue our fine run of form against struggling Sheff Wed. It’s been well documented recently that our boxing day winning record has been less than impressive – the next chance we get, it will have been 22 years since we won! Here is my account of the match, and the day out in general…
After arriving in Sheffield and quickly finding a car parking space, me and my mate set off for the pre-match ritual pint. After a half-mile walk up an icy hill, The White Horse beckoned. Honestly, it was just like old times when we used to take over pubs and city centres, with toon flags outside and toon fans only inside.
Feeling refreshed, we walked to the ground taking our seats (second row, directly behind the goal), and sat down to enjoy the warm-up. I experienced that heart-sinking feeling as I watched our boys warming up, and quickly worked out that there was no Alan Smith, and that Nicky Butt was warming up with the starting XI (more…)
Proving his point?Newcastle strolled to yet another Championship victory, at the expense of our Teeside rivals and in front of a record Championship attendance. And yet as bored as I’m with repeating myself, this was another game in which we failed to get the blood flowing, on a day when it was needed most. Boro’s inadequacies and the ref’s ineptitude played as big a part as Coloccini’s immense display at the back or Danny Guthrie’s pinpoint cross for the second goal.
Despite it looking distinctly like the game would be called off, reminiscent of the game the Smogs called off at their place not long back, it went ahead on a freezing day with the travelling conditions treacherous. And yet St James’ wasn’t far off being a sellout as the supporters turned out in force, tackling the deep snowfall and icy conditions, for this season’s home derby as the attendance just about tipped the 50,000 mark.
Hughton once again made some fundamental changes to the Newcastle side as Danny Simpson replaced Ryan Taylor at right back, while Danny Guthrie came in on the right midfield for Fabrice Pancrate. And as he reverted to a standard 4-4-2, Harewood and Ameobi were paired together as Nicky Butt and the suspended Andy Carroll made way, with Nolan dropping into an orthodox central midfield pairing with Smith. (more…)
Two goals and two fingers!Seems like everybody was expecting a tight if tidy affair at St James’ today and with two of the meanest defences in the division, a high-soring game wasn’t on the cards. But with barely a third of the game gone, Newcastle were three goals to the good and showboating as some of the travelling contingent headed for early beers.
Expectations were high that Swansea would prove to be a well-organised and competent football team, particularly stingy at the back but a new-look forward line of Peter Lovenkrands and Marlon Harewood put paid to that theory within half an hour of the kick-off, and Swansea looked like just another fairly average Championship side. Eeh that Marlon Harewood, eh? I always knew he just needed time to settle in…
Harewood’s first came from a bouncing ball in the box and with the defence hesitant he headed the ball in the net to make it 1-0. After some good build up play on the left, Gutierrez finally managed to do what we have been crying out for him to do and delivered perfectly with his left, so that Lovenkrands had the simplest of headers to make it 2-0 with 21 minutes gone. And before we’d reached the thirty minute mark, more good work on the left and and an almost identical cross from Lovenkrands and a similar finish from Harewood and the game looked to be beyond the Welsh side at 3-0. (more…)
Hughton: Promotion first.Newcastle United manager, Chris Hughton, has been talking about bringing players into the club, either on loan or permanently. His main emphasis seems to be on promotion first, leaving the onerous task of building a squad that is fit for another long spell in the Premiership and beyond until that objective has been achieved. The mangerial maestro said:
“We are a third through the season, so it is difficult to be thinking about the Premier League,”
“I know it will continue to be very tough. Our one objective is to get through this campaign and gain promotion. If we are fortunate enough to get promoted I think there are issues which can be dealt with at that time.”
Of course, the issue of how much control Hughton has on who comes into the club has been something the thorny issue for some fans since Mike Ashley’s statement on having the “final say” (as all owner’s ultimately do anyway). Touching on this, Hughton remarked:
“I have been told it’s for me to identify the players I want. (more…)
