Bombs Away!Venue: St James’ Park, NE1. Date: Sat, 21st April, 2012. Kick-Off: 3pm. Referee: Andre Marriner (Sheldon, West Midlands). UK TV: None.
In the middle of March, with 10 league games left to play, Alan Pardew stated that winning five of them would just about get the club into Europe next season. He was right – but even he didn’t expect the team to win those games straight off! But they did. Now, with 5 games still left to play, United find themselves on the threshold of qualification for the Europa League, but because of those 5 straight wins, they are now also gunning for a place in the Champions League!
United’s rise to prominence this season has not only surprised most of their fans, it has also made quite a few media pundits look a bit foolish. Let’s just pause and savour that for a moment – as it doesn’t happen very often where we are concerned. First, Ladies and Gentlemen I give you every Newcastle United fan’s favourite pundit Mark Lawrenson. As we all know, Mark never fails to stick the knife into United and invariably predicts that we will lose, whoever we are playing. Mark’s nomination for “daftest bollocks uttered by a pundit” this season is “Newcastle won’t finish in the top six”. (more…)
Carroll: More committed than ever.Hot on the heels of all the earlier talk about new contracts and the like, Andy Carroll appears to be giving out a lesson in how to scotch press rumours.
It isn’t the first time that Carroll has turned tubthumper for The Toon, and he has intimated several times before that he doesn’t want to leave Newcastle.
The speculation continued though, with moves to Stoke and Birmingham being lined up by the press, aswell as those farcical rumours that Carroll was being eyed by Chelsea as a replacement for Didier Drogba. I mean, he is highly rated, but the reporter who suggested that must have stuck in the office with the superglue on that particular day. (more…)
Carroll: New contract talks in the offing?It looks like Newcastle are going to make a move towards securing the future of one of it’s rising stars, with Andy Carroll tipped to start negotiations on a new contract.
The Chronicle say that Carroll will be offered the chance of securing his long-term future on Tyneside, which is something that will come as a blow to the likes of Bimingham and Stoke who have both been long term admirers of Carroll, apparently. The constroversial Gatshead one-punch machine gun made a move a few weeks back to distance himself from leaving Newcastle and insisted he is happy playing regular football for his boyhood club. And now it appears that he will be offered the opportunity to spend his his next few years developing on home soil, whilst also upping a sale price if any club should come sniffing around for the player. (more…)
Unshaven havenAccording to the club site, Alan Smith will not shave until the Toon lose a game.
The bestubbled player said:
“It started off as a bit of a joke but then a few of the lads told me to keep it going until we get beaten so I hope it’s still there at Christmas.”
“Mind you, I’ve had a bit of a reprieve. I’m going to trim it because it is starting to get a bit itchy now. I need to sort it out.”
Let’s hope he doesn’t have to shave on Sunday evening!
Smith continues by saying that the players who remain at the club really want to be there:
“The players who said they wanted to stay did it because they want to prove they are good enough to get back in the Premier League.
“Only time will tell if we can. Squad togetherness is important. I think that’s the biggest impact on people who come and watch us play.
“When I speak to people, that is what they have said, so that means a lot to us because we are honest lads who want to stay, do well and get this club back in the Premier League.” (more…)