Newcastle found themselves one down at half time, mainly because of their inability to take a number of half chances, in the first half against Manchester City tonight.
Newcastle had quite a few chances in the first half against City but couldn’t put any of them away to take the lead. And then with one half chance Manchester City had, Brazilian Elano drove the ball just inside Shay Given’s right hand post for the Geordies to go one down. That was the score at half time in what is a must-win game for Newcastle.
It was a fairly even first half with Newcastle probably having the better of the chances but Martins, Duff and Milner all had chances on goal, but either delayed their shots or shot straight at goalkeeper Joe Hart. In fact Newcastle looked so laborious in front of goal it surely will not be long before both Michael Owen and Emre will be introduced into the game. That will give the Tyneside side more creativity in front of goal.
The game started off slowly and nothing much happened in the first 15 minutes or so, but then some chances came at either end, with neither side taking advantage of them. The Newcastle defense had looked fairly solid until the goal, when it looked so easy for Manchester City to score. There were at least 5 Newcastle players between Elano and the goal, when the Brazilian rifled home from about 15 yards.
Newcastle will once again need to increase the pace of their game if they are to take anything from this game, and a win is what most fans expect. Anything less will be another huge disappointment for the Newcastle fans, who have had a lot of poor football to watch this year at St. James’ Park.
It seems ages since we’ve seen a free-flowing Newcastle side in action, if at all this season. Sir Bobby Robson, please come back – all is forgiven. 
Sam has to instill in his players that this is a crucial game, and a defeat will be simply unacceptable this evening.
44 responses so far ↓
1 Penalty-Spot // Jan 2, 2008 at 8:54 PM
We should score. At the least. The problem could be keeping that bloody Elano chap at bay…or Baye
MO’s on…come on! Never a better time to make redress.
2 Edd Case // Jan 2, 2008 at 8:59 PM
Man CIty will just sit back now and hit us on the break.
We CAN wint this.
3 ToonJon // Jan 2, 2008 at 9:00 PM
i saw that Tim Krul has been sent off for voilent conduct.
We need to score quickly in the second half to have a chance of winning.
4 Callum // Jan 2, 2008 at 9:16 PM
Who’s that spanish guy that just came on? Havent seen him before
5 Penalty-Spot // Jan 2, 2008 at 9:19 PM
I guess you mean Enrique. A left back, much promise, hardley played. Lets hope he does the biz tonight! 70mins…tick tick tick tick
6 hanzemre // Jan 2, 2008 at 9:21 PM
we’re damned still can’t score n yet keep conceding goal(s) at the back..ouch this is painful. ok be patient maybe goals come late in the game.
7 LeazesEndLoyal // Jan 2, 2008 at 9:35 PM
na na na na na na hey hey hey pi55 off sam!
8 Bigted28 // Jan 2, 2008 at 9:37 PM
Get the cretin Allardyce out. He is tactically inept, the players do not want to play for him and most of them are average at best anyway. The sooner that people realise that he is an overrated lower league manager, the better. We are going backwards, Everybody bangs on about how well he did at Bolton, he didn’t do a good job. They were an average slightly overachieving team and are struggling now.(what a good position he has left them in……) We will get nowt at Stoke.
9 Penalty-Spot // Jan 2, 2008 at 9:37 PM
Holy hell, Sam’s doomed, season’s doomed. Sorry lost all hope…and I used to be so optamistic. I so wanted BSA to work. You b@st@rds that slag him off all the time can’t be right….nooooooooooooooooooooo.
Will they sack him?…God knows, I feel only a good win against Stoke will save him, for now…
10 matthewjai // Jan 2, 2008 at 9:41 PM
fat fool
can’t think why sub faye but not butt
11 Penalty-Spot // Jan 2, 2008 at 9:42 PM
Titus scores…second game running…Christ!
12 Steve_48 // Jan 2, 2008 at 9:42 PM
WTF from BBC:
2140: GOAL Liverpool 1-1 Wigan
Steven Gerrard’s poor defensive clearance goes straight to Titus Bramble and he absolutely belts it past Pepe Reina from just inside the ‘D’. Two in two for Bramble.
Bramble! BRAMBLE! FFS!
http://www.samaritans.org/ – this might help
13 Tripp // Jan 2, 2008 at 9:43 PM
The only thing I can think of was that Faye looked really knackered towards the end of the Chelsea game.
14 Hammy // Jan 2, 2008 at 9:44 PM
Well at least we have hope
Bob Hope and no fu**ing hope….
15 Singa_Toon // Jan 2, 2008 at 9:51 PM
If i had a baseball bat i will smash big sam myself just to get rid of him. Piss off Sam
16 Hadrian // Jan 2, 2008 at 9:53 PM
and again this sickening feeling in the pit of my stomach.
sick of saying this but sam lost this job weeks ago , with his tactics , squad selection and media comments .
everyone who thinks we should give him to the end of the season is only putting off the inevitable and giving whoever comes in next less time to get sorted for next season , this one’s a loss .
city have been shocking away from home this season, we seem like automatic points to nearly any team atm .
17 ToonKing // Jan 2, 2008 at 9:54 PM
Steve i called them……..they can’t help……. when i told them i support the Toon they said to take some Prozac and a bottle of whisky and just end it…….
18 Howie // Jan 2, 2008 at 9:54 PM
LOL @ steve 48. maybe we should make a bid for this bramble chap he sounds promising. i think we were unlucky tonight but we werent good enough second half. first half very goos. keep that up and we will win alot of games. dont sack sam.thats madness
19 ToonKing // Jan 2, 2008 at 9:55 PM
i don’t really understand you guys atm, i personally can’t really blame Sam tonight, except for subbing Faye, we played well in the first half but we just fell apart in the second.
20 Penalty-Spot // Jan 2, 2008 at 9:56 PM
Singa_Toon: Get a grip man, if I had a baseball bat I’d hit a baseball. Let Mort do the biz. They either back him (and historically backing managers does work…Fergie, Moyes et al) or sack him. But lets not kill him, bad ju ju all round
21 Eve // Jan 2, 2008 at 9:56 PM
Bramble..Why is it that when we FINALLY get rid of him he remembers how to play football, well even if it’s just a little bit, but still. CHRIST.
As for our current pluck of defenders….Oh my God..only in Newcastle could we manage to find 4 professional, “decent” players who don’t seem capable of doing what they’re paid well to do.
22 Hadrian // Jan 2, 2008 at 9:57 PM
so what use is that in football then toonking? a game is for 90 mins not one half .
23 ToonKing // Jan 2, 2008 at 9:59 PM
your right, but i don’t think that was Sam’s fault.
24 Tripp // Jan 2, 2008 at 9:59 PM
amazing that there are only 18 comments so far. Are the kids already tucked in? Well, at least spurs lost too. It’s gonna be a long rest of the season…
25 Penalty-Spot // Jan 2, 2008 at 9:59 PM
Eve: The Bramble dilema beggers belief. However, one day, and one day soon he’ll just drift off at the wrong moment…..
26 Cockney Magpie // Jan 2, 2008 at 10:01 PM
dont worry Bramble still cant defend
27 Zx // Jan 2, 2008 at 10:01 PM
I can sense angry fans storming out of the stadium venting their frustrations in the city centre…
28 Penalty-Spot // Jan 2, 2008 at 10:02 PM
Ed’s gone quiet.
Don’t do it Ed, we’ll bounce back. Put the pills and whisky down. Don’t listen to ToonKing!
29 Andy1 // Jan 2, 2008 at 10:02 PM
Faye and Duff off? It should have been Butt and Milner. They both looked knackered when they came off but I think he kept Butt on because he’s captain.
30 Andreas // Jan 2, 2008 at 10:02 PM
Aye, only one thing I thought SA did wrong tonight and that was the Faye sub.
Do hope he won’t use this loss as an excuse to go for the containment crap again. With this tacs and style we’ll do (fairly) well I reckon. However, it worries me that Smith will be an automatic choice when he’s back and if he plays anywhere else but target man instead of Viduka we won’t look as good as first half today.
Moreover, will be interesting to read SA’s comments. Will he only slag off the refs, defence and Martins or will Owen get some for his miss in the opening part of the 2nd half (that was really our clearest chance).
31 Hadrian // Jan 2, 2008 at 10:02 PM
well imo , it was individual performances from a few of our players tonight that made us look good .
we have a little superstar in zoggy , and beye and faye are sam’s only signings that seem like money well spent.
sam’s appointment was a mixed reception before the toons circumstances changed . and was appointed for a situation we are no longer in (debt ridden)
32 Penalty-Spot // Jan 2, 2008 at 10:03 PM
Zx..nar, they’ll just go home pissed off.
33 Howie // Jan 2, 2008 at 10:03 PM
i understand why yee are all frustrated but give allardyce till the end of the season. the chap deserves that at least
34 Andreas // Jan 2, 2008 at 10:04 PM
Tripp, 175ish comments in another thread mate…
35 Tom_Toon // Jan 2, 2008 at 10:04 PM
i still think he should be sacked, bit more promise today though, butt should have come off not faye.
36 steve // Jan 2, 2008 at 10:08 PM
Kinel – Bramble played a blinder and scored a wonder goal – WTF
Good effort first half, should have really put one of our changes away.
2nd half was bizarre, we just seemed to stop playing and constantly gave the ball away, Milner and Butt were poor throughout and Viduka is so slow he was almost playing in reverse, tried some fancy flicks but he really doesn’t put any effort in.
Martins is really lacking confidence and Owen doesn’t look match fit which is hardly surprising.
It’s getting really hard to see where we are going to pick up any points and teams below us are – Sam better make some decent buys in the Jan transfer window or we’ll be in relegation dogfight and on current form will be one of the faves to go down.
No wonder BBC picked Stoke – Newcastle game for live match – they obviously sensed an upset, although on this form us winning would be a massive upset!
37 Chicken // Jan 2, 2008 at 10:08 PM
Bramble is still crap – has everyone forgotten the goal he gifted city just a couple of weeks ago?
38 Bobby Ollox // Jan 2, 2008 at 10:14 PM
Why on earth does anyone think that SA deserves to the end of the season – there are half a dozen managers in the premiership who have had a more or less immediate effect on their club – they dont need 3 years to get it right, so wh on earth does sam think he deserves that amount of time
Sam is taking this club backwards, and is now exposed for the charlatan that he is. Sterile soulless football, not a clue.
Can we swap him for Sammy Lee ?
Get rid of him
39 hanzemre // Jan 2, 2008 at 10:14 PM
wow how lovely…yeah like we must get used to this feeling gutted, be ashamed etc, till the end of season?. ….NO! Sam out now!
40 Shropshire Blue // Jan 2, 2008 at 10:26 PM
As I said on your blog yesterday ” … after our lucky win tomorrow …”
N’Zogbia was excellent, I’d swap Owen, Viduka, Martins or Ameobi for any of our strikers, Butt and Milner good. I still say you’ll get into Europe. Just hope our bubble doesn’t burst and you finish above us.
Good luck to good supporters …
41 Tom_Toon // Jan 2, 2008 at 10:26 PM
i gotta say i see why we paid so much for enrique, if he plays like he did in the time he came on for 90 mins it possiblewho could be the best lb in the world, simply brilliant tonight (enrique).
42 Eve // Jan 2, 2008 at 10:27 PM
You know, whatever happens, whatever he does, whenever the word Bramble is said the one and only image that comes to mind is the match against Arsenal where he thought it’d be a good idea to see if Given could save with his head, thankfully, he could. He cause Given all sorts of problems for all those years. LOL!!
Bramble, is a strange, strange man. He gives hope to any aspiring player, they look at him and think well he made it, that means anythings possible. Whenever in doubt, look to Bramble.
43 iain // Jan 2, 2008 at 10:29 PM
big sams solution to overcome a team he called overly defensive, play two dfm at home. marvellous. that will of kept city on the back foot.
yeah weve been unlucky at times but juct as lucky at others, but has sam put pressure on himself in games like this by refusing to adapt.
44 Bobby Ollox // Jan 2, 2008 at 10:38 PM
spot on iain – refusal to adapt – his arrogance is infuriating. He has not earned the right for such arrogance . Bolton wanderers ? Pah.
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