Newcastle United Football Club

[Metalfyre]

I think the trick here is to score an early goal. The spurs are still trying to get their act together..and if we get the lead early their resolve may just crumble.

[WAI]

The game is getting nearer!!!

[chrislayer]

it's a mon's night game..luckily not a Sat game as most likely will be over at kl for Sepang weekend...

Mon night football confirm lotsa goals!

[syaiguy]

WE WON!!! WOOHOO!!

 

courtesy of soccernet........................

 

 

Newcastle plunged Tottenham boss Martin Jol into ever deeper trouble as they secured a fourth successive Premier League victory, 3-1 at St James' Park.

 

The Magpies took full advantage of some kamikaze defending by the Londoners, who remain rooted inside the relegation zone, to claim all three points despite having to survive a concerted fightback.

 

Obafemi Martins fired the home side in front on the stroke of half-time after embarrassing Michael Dawson, and the unmarked Claudio Cacapa made it 2-0 six minutes after the break with a powerful header.

 

Robbie Keane's seventh goal in as many games briefly gave the visitors hope with a 57th-minute strike, but substitute James Milner made sure with a 73rd-minute volley to cement his side's eighth-place standing in front of a crowd of 51,411.

 

Jol's pre-match comments about his side's relative recent success compared to that of the Magpies was left to sound hollow as the Tyneside club completed a fourth successive league victory over the men from White Hart Lane.

 

Newcastle chairman Chris Mort took the opportunity in his programme notes to dismiss speculation that owner Mike Ashley is ready to buy into Spurs, and that he supports the north London club, and the billionaire took his seat in the directors' box once again wearing his black and white shirt.

 

Ashley headed for the hospitality lounges at the break wearing a broad smile after seeing the Magpies eventually grind down a Spurs outfit low on confidence to take a deserved lead.

 

Newcastle had not lost at St James' this season before kick-off, while Spurs had not won outside of London, and after a reasonably even opening, a pattern started to emerge.

 

Newcastle boss Sam Allardyce had little choice but to pair England international Michael Owen and the similarly diminutive Martins in attack with Mark Viduka still nursing a calf injury and Shola Ameobi only fit enough for a seat on the bench.

 

However, despite some less than intelligent service at times, their pace and movement was simply too much for Younes Kaboul and Dawson.

 

That said, it was defender Abdoulaye Faye who came within inches of opening the scoring on 13 minutes when he thumped a header against the post from Charles N'Zogbia's corner.

 

The visitors, who started with £16.5million signing Darren Bent on the pitch and Dimitar Berbatov on the bench, might have gone ahead seconds after Faye had rattled the woodwork.

 

Jermaine Jenas' free-kick found Keane, but the Republic of Ireland skipper's shot was hacked off the line by Cacapa to the relief of Allardyce's defence.

 

Owen was left criminally unmarked on 27 minutes to run on to Geremi's pass and curl a shot towards the bottom corner, which is exactly where it would have ended up had Paul Robinson's replacement Radek Cerny not managed to get his fingertips to it.

 

The goalkeeper distinguished himself once again two minutes before the break when, after Martins had brushed off the towering Kaboul to reach Jose Enrique's long ball, he blocked the striker's shot with his legs.

 

But Spurs did not learn the lesson and when the Spaniard launched the ball upfield two minutes later, Martins ran away from Dawson to control and fire through the goalkeeper for his fifth goal of the season.

 

Milner arrived as a half-time replacement for N'Zogbia and took up his place on the left wing.

 

Tottenham emerged in determined fashion with Keane, as ever, at the forefront, but their hopes were severely dented within six minutes when the Magpies increased their lead.

 

Dawson blocked a flicked header from Owen out for a corner, but when Emre delivered the ball to the near post, Cacapa ran in unopposed to power a header into the back of the net.

 

But as the home side sensed blood, the visitors grabbed a lifeline when Bent headed a Pascal Chimbonda cross against the post and saw the rebound sit up nicely for Keane to reduce the deficit.

 

Jol responded by sending on Berbatov in place of Steed Malbranque as St James' descended into a nervous hush, and the anxiety increased by the minute both on and off the pitch as the visitors took control.

 

The mood did not improve on 70 minutes when referee Steve Bennett waved away Nicky Butt's claims for a foul by Didier Zokora deep in the Spurs half, and the visitors raced away for Bent to blast over.

 

Allardyce decided the time was right for Joey Barton to make his competitive bow, and within two minutes of his arrival, his side restored their two-goal lead.

 

Kaboul was unable to clear his lines and although Milner miskicked his first effort, the ball fell nicely for him to blast a left-foot volley into the bottom corner and end Spurs' hopes of another comeback.

 

Beleaguered Tottenham boss Martin Jol vowed to turn his troubled side's season around after seeing them suffer a mauling at Newcastle.

 

Spurs remain rooted in the bottom three with only one Premier League win all season after a 3-1 defeat at St James' Park which piled further pressure on the manager.

 

Glaring defensive errors contributed to their downfall at St James' Park as Sam Allardyce's men took full advantage of their edginess to complete a fourth successive league win on Tyneside.

 

The defeat ended Spurs' unbeaten six-game run and left Jol facing fresh criticism, although he remained unbowed.

 

He said: 'If everybody comes back, we have got a very good team and a very good defence.

 

'We still lack a bit of leadership, but it is about mental strength as well.

 

'Two years ago, we had that; last year at the start of the season, we lacked it as well, but we came back.

 

'Even today, we tried to come back, but we concede goals at the wrong moment all the time.'

 

The visitors fell behind on the stroke of half-time when Obafemi Martins out-stripped Michael Dawson to control Jose Enrique's long ball and fire past Paul Robinson's replacement, Radek Cerny.

 

Defender Claudio Cacapa made it 2-0 within six minutes of the restart with a free header, and although Robbie Keane pulled one back on 57 minutes to spark a fightback, substitute James Milner sealed the win 17 minutes from time.

 

Jol had introduced striker Dimitar Berbatov as a 58th-minute replacement for Steed Malbranque, and was swift to deny suggestions that the Bulgarian, who immediately gave his side a greater threat, had needed to be persuaded to make an appearance.

 

He said: 'No. I have heard that, but that was rubbish.

 

'There was no problem at all. Berbatov knows exactly what the schedule is for the next couple of weeks.

 

'He was fine. He played when (Darren) Bent did not play for two weeks and he could train.

 

'I need him on Thursday (for the UEFA Cup clash with Getafe). He knows that and I don't know where this rubbish is coming from.'

 

Jol's mood was not improved by a foot injury to big-money summer signing Gareth Bale, who will undergo a scan tomorrow.

 

The manager said: 'Hopefully he is not out for long because we have five games in 13 days.

 

'Hopefully, it is not too bad, but it doesn't look good.

 

'His foot was swelling up after the game, so it could be a pretty tough injury.'

 

Allardyce was sporting a broad smile as he surveyed a result which capped his side's best start to a season in a decade.

 

He said: 'We scored three great goals tonight, we outplayed Tottenham, we went out there and did what we wanted to do, and that was get three points.

 

'We have not moved in the table, but we have got within one point of the top pack now.

 

'We have played nine games, we have 17 points and it is our best start in 10 years now.

 

'From my point of view and that of the players, with us all just coming together in July, it is a terrific performance up to now from the team.

 

'That is three games on the trot we have scored three goals at home now, and at this moment in time, our home record is getting us where we want to go.

 

'We have got to make sure next week at Reading, we do not waste all this hard work. This home record has got to continue into the away record to make sure we come away from Reading with something.'

[khaitronic]

Oh man i did not sleep cause i scared i wont be able to wake up...and it really worth it!...**** yew jol!

If only faye head had gone in

if only owen had scored...

but still its a super satisfying!

 

Rating for our newly ''real'' defends...its like finally we had ''real'' defender!...

 

Beye : look great defensively but still not convince about him going foward

Faye : well he rocks man!...but tend to fall easily though...

Cacapa : he's the man!i began to love him man...talented and clever defender...just what we need...will be my signing of the season for now...MOM of the match for me if we were to had a clean sheet yesterday

Enrique : i think he still adapting to both epl and nufc style of play...but he really got the potential to be a great defender...great defensively and not shy going foward...distributing was promising...soon we will see him make it perfect and will be his trade mark hopefully...long through pass to martin or owen...

 

Though our defends is quite strong if u compare to the previous few seasons...we yet to have clean sheet aint we?

[chrislayer]

power la...pity Steven Taylor though, now being left out

[syaiguy]

power la...pity Steven Taylor though, now being left out

 

if we win all the way to the end of season, i dun mind him left out everytime... haha

[QuietStorm]

afterall he is still young... got a few great yrs ahead of him...

[khaitronic]

Surprise to know that Berbatov is newcastle fans...

 

he Spurs striker was bought a Toon strip bearing his name and Big Al’s number as an 18th birthday gift from his parents.

 

And that was the reason he chose the No 9 shirt when he moved to Tottenham in the summer of 2006.

 

The Bulgarian, 26, will be relishing the chance to walk out at St James’ Park on Monday night where Shearer was so popular for 10 years.

 

Berba’s mum Margarita, 45, a former champion handball player, recalls how the Shearer shirt became her boy’s prized possession.

 

She said: “Dimitar wore this shirt all the time.

 

“He even used to sleep in his Newcastle shirt! It’s that special to him.

 

“Dimitar told me it was his dream to play for Newcastle United one day and wear the same shirt as Alan Shearer, who is my son’s hero.

 

“Shearer was a major inspiration for him to work hard for himself and the team. He liked the fact that Alan Shearer scored goals but was not a selfish player.

 

“Dimitar thinks this shirt may even have been a sign he was meant to play in England.”

 

Berbatov was brought up in a sports-mad house. His father Ivan was a striker for CSKA Sofia but the youngster chose Newcastle as his team. Berbatov was such a fan of Toon legend Shearer he even tucked into the ex-England hitman’s famous pre-match meal of chicken and beans.

 

Shearer netted 148 league goals in 295 games for Newcastle and in his schooldays little Dimi got into trouble for scribbling Shearer’s name and records on his school books.

 

Then when he hit the big-time, he bought his mum a Honda Civic with a personalised number plate that included the No 9.

 

His old schoolmate Mario Bekov, who has known Berbatov for 20 years, said his admiration for the former Toon ace bordered on obsession.

 

He said: “Dimitar never missed a Newcastle game when it was on television. And Shearer was up there with Pele as a God for him.”

 

Another pal, Stefan Damianov, recalled how Berbatov considered himself to be an honorary Geordie as he followed the Toon and grew up in a mining region of Blagoevgrad.

 

He said: “People in this part of Bulgaria like the Newcastle team especially and identify themselves with the football-mad culture of the people there and loyalty to the team.”

 

Sadly for Berbatov, Shearer had hung up his boots by the time he made his first visit to Tyneside last December.

 

But this next visit will still be crucial with only goal difference separating Spurs from the bottom three at the start of the weekend.

 

Berbatov enjoyed an explosive first season in English football and scored 23 goals after his £10.9million move from Bayer Leverkusen.

 

He is idolised by Spurs fans and is already considered as good as White Hart Lane legends Alan Gilzean, Glenn Hoddle and Jurgen Klinsmann.

 

But Berbatov has not enjoyed as much success so far this term with just two goals to his name in nine appearances.

 

He remains highly ambitious and is unlikely to be impressed by Tottenham’s shaky start to the season.

 

His mum added: “Dimitar has told me he’s hungry to win cups and wants to play in the Champions League in the next few years.”

 

Tottenham came within a minute of taking all three points from Liverpool two weeks ago until Fernando Torres stole a point with his header.

 

And Berbatov’s fellow striker Darren Bent has called for a repeat of the Anfield performance as Spurs look to kick-start their league campaign.

 

England forward Bent is warning they could face an early bombardment from Toon — who have won three and drawn one of their league home games this term. The Geordies have also beaten Spurs 3-1 on their last two visits to St James’ Park.

 

Bent said: “If we play like we did at Anfield then we can go there and get what we want.

 

“Newcastle start really fast and we’ve got to be prepared for that — but we know what we’ve got to do.

 

“People think it will be straightforward after what we did at Anfield but it doesn’t always work like that.”

 

http://img.thesun.co.uk/multimedia/archive/00375/Berbatov_375683a.jpg

[GuiNNeSS]

tat jersey could be a reality soon..

[QuietStorm]

finger crossed.... hope he can fulfil his childhood dream...

[WAI]

Enrique's vision seemed to be superb. but his passing and defending a bit off. Hehehe

 

Berbatov would be a good signing man. SELL OFF AMEOBI!!!

[khaitronic]

ameobi to spurs!...haha...

I think defensively enrique is okay...only when the opponent counter then he really got problem there...always slow to fall back...His distribution out of 3 only one is perfect...haha...but i think he still trying to adapt...he look promising to me...let give him a couple of week...see how he fair then...

[kenNUFC]

3 cheers for newcastle and nufc fans!

[chrislayer]

away to Reading this weekend...how?

[kenNUFC]

reading's defense is considered one of the best in epl i must say. I bet we wont lose, it either draw or win! if lose then i will .................

[khaitronic]

against this type of little2 club im really scared...we always sucks vs this type of team...donno y...against big club...though sometimes we lose...but u can see the spirit of the player is high...against little2 club...haiz...remember derby...

but hope we will win...time to climb the table!

[WAI]

3 cheers for newcastle and nufc fans!

 

Hehe....3 cheers for Newcastle and 1 for Spurs

 

Hope Newcastle can win big against Reading......

[chrislayer]

joey barton's first full debut tonite...game had started...

[khaitronic]

as expected...away form sucks...we really need to improve our away game...

[kenNUFC]

SUPER DUPER SAD! haiz

[chrislayer]

2 soft goals conceded...dont understand why Big Sam had to start with 4 natural central midfield players....Emre Butt Barton Geremi........can at least put in N'Zogbia and Milner from the start to terrorise the flanks what....newcastle's play had no idea at all....and he still took off Martins...i think he don't like Martins or wat....

[GuiNNeSS]

i tink cos theres no big man in attack and if crosses goes in frm the flank, nobody to knock it down to the 2 small strikers..

by playing more creative central midfielders, they can play ball to feet thru the middle of the park to owen or martins to dribble and show their stuff..

it was really a sad result.. we cld haf been 4th!

[WAI]

Just dun understand why we could not capitalised on the games that we need to capitalised on.

[chrislayer]

next up home to Pompey...watch out for Benjani