Newcastle got off to a great start in their game at Villa Park when Newcastle Michael Owen headed home a half chance from a great Damien Duff left wing cross to put Newcastle ahead after only 5 minutes.
Owen sent a message immediately to new England coach Fabio Capello and it was a typical Owen goal, so simple and so easy. In fact it was just what he did last week against Middlesbrough but this time it was allowed, as should have been last week.
 Michael Owen – great opportunist goal from the England Striker
Owen has looked very good in the first half with a spring in his step as had most of the other Newcastle players. The Newcastle team are playing good football and Milner, Duff, Butt and Barton are getting a lot of the ball for the team.
Beye is finding it hard sometimes to contain the impressive looking Ashely Young, but Stephen Carr is coping at left back – although he keeps switching the ball to his right foot.
Given was called on to make one very good save after 41 minutes, when he stopped a Carew header, but other than that the defense ha splayed quite well.
There was a dodgy moment early on, when Cacapa allowed himself to be barged off the ball by Petrov – he just cannot allow that to happen in the Premier League.
Villa will now have to attack more in the second half and the longer Newcastle can remain ahead the more chance we have of catching them short at the back, in a breakaway.
This is a very good performance from the full team, and oh by the way, we have some good subs available in Emre, Faye , Viduka and Enrique if we need to shore up things in the second half.
We expect Newcastle to keep attacking in the second half to try to get a second goal and not just defend a one goal lead – which we wouldn’t expect from Keegan in any case.
We badly need these 3 points today to give everybody associated with Newcastle a big lift. We need it.
Comments welcome.
217 comments so far
daiv
Feb 9, 2008 at 3:23 PM
Comment #201Obafan,
keegan just looked paralysed when we went behind and did not know what to do. How can he pick Carr, Smith and Butt…all players too slow and should be drawing their pensions. Smith has not scored a goal in 26 games for NUFC but gets the nod over Viduka. Viduka must think its all madness. I get no pleasure in watching the club self destruct. If Keegan keeps picking Smith, Butt and Ccarr we will get relegated. But what does their selection say about Keeegan’s grasp of things. He has not got a grasp?
CJ
Feb 9, 2008 at 3:23 PM
Comment #202Howie 171
I always think like that. You would think Terry Mc and Pearson have told Fatty and KK that the likes of Carr Butt and Ameobi just are not good enough to play for the Toon but they obviously haven’t so you wonder why we are in the pos we are in with Football coaches who think Carr Butt Ameobi and other’s are good enough it is a complete JOKE.
taylor27
Feb 9, 2008 at 3:24 PM
Comment #203need to do something.I love the way everyone thinks taylor is r best defender hes just all passion,sits so deep in the defence.Its not passion its talent and skill that we lack.Give the kids a chance lua lua kadar tozer and carrol.Plus duff is shoking he drifts all over the place,he even afraid to take on defenders now.What must owen be thinking,i cantg blame him if he wants to go and we should let him.We cantgs waste a player of his skill and talent be wasted in are team
CJ
Feb 9, 2008 at 3:27 PM
Comment #204Fook off Sinead take Given goals away and Duff powderpuff back to Ireland and don’t forget that fat little shit Carr with no engine.
taylor27
Feb 9, 2008 at 3:28 PM
Comment #205to be fair guys anything that keegan done or changed wouldnt change the game,all are players can do is pass it back then to the midfield and back to the defence again.The thing is in two weeks time were all be on here going i think we can nick something off man u and the when we lose,just get the same recation
CJ
Feb 9, 2008 at 3:29 PM
Comment #206Taylor27- 1000% agree with you on Taylor being totally overated cos he is he would not been as highly rated if he was not a local lad nearly every match he makes mistakes.
Eve
Feb 9, 2008 at 3:32 PM
Comment #207CJ..you’ve really proved her wrong, nothing like really getting rid of someone by making comments like that. Maybe she is right, take a look around, we’re fighting between ourselves, blaming everyone.
PK
Feb 9, 2008 at 3:32 PM
Comment #208CJ- 205,hahahah with no engine..and no sense for navigate–
daiv
Feb 9, 2008 at 3:34 PM
Comment #209Eveyone has to accept that we are in a relegation fight. If we can accept this fact we might survive. If we refuse to recognize it (saying we are too good to go down, heads in the sand attitude) then we are certainties to go down. Anybody know what odds the bookies are quoting for relegation.
tdoomed
AdamCF
Feb 9, 2008 at 3:34 PM
Comment #210Taylor27.. the choice is to play youth… Kadar on the left if Enrique isn’t fully fit.. Carroll up forward and piss Smith off.. Surely the scoreline with just those 2 in the side wouldn’t have been that bad.. at least strategically all the players are in the ‘supposedly’ correct positions.. it’s not rocket science mate.. But it’s damn well becoming a circus!
CJ
Feb 9, 2008 at 3:37 PM
Comment #211Eve- What do you expect she is on here criticisng nearly all us toon fan’s.
Obafan
Feb 9, 2008 at 3:45 PM
Comment #212I’m glad that some of you also see how average Taylor really is. Every time again Cacapa gets blamed (sometimes i is correct), but nothing is said about Taylor.No nothing bad is said about Taylor. Really look at all his mistakes he made this season, I think, no I’m sure’, he will be the leader of that mini-league (only defenders in this league tho’ 😉 .
Nick Dryden
Feb 9, 2008 at 3:49 PM
Comment #213I didn’t realise just what an extremely poor collection of players we have amassed over the last 5 years by so called experts. KK can’t do anything with that shower, who in all honesty could? The team is full of brain dead, half wits like Barton and Smith. All of them, over paid spoilers without an ounce of creativity.
Carr, Butt and Duff were awful buys, well past their best. I’d rather give the kids a go.
Eve
Feb 9, 2008 at 3:56 PM
Comment #214CJ..ya but why is she criticizing us?? We haven’t denied it, we haven’t proved her wrong have we. If anything I think we proved her right.
CJ
Feb 9, 2008 at 4:01 PM
Comment #215Nick- I agree Carr Butt and Duff all awful signings i’ll not even mention fat man but Alex Ferguson getting rid of Nicky Butt just after he had a great world cup there was something not right about that signing. Duff just 18 months after signing for chelsea for 17 mil Mourinho let us have him for 5 mil another signing that just did not seem right prob fat Freddys signings.
CJ
Feb 9, 2008 at 4:05 PM
Comment #216Eve do you just expect us to say we are playing really well.
The last 3-4 years being a supporter of the Toon would make every fan negative broking promise after broking promise i say if any fan doesn’t want to hear people being negative do not come on here or just accept it.How can anyone say don’t be negative.
Eve
Feb 9, 2008 at 4:32 PM
Comment #217CJ, I don’t think it was about saying we played well I think it was just being civil. Which know one was.
In Ireland, it’s a wee bit different, by the talk of her (she’s used the word langer more then once I’ve only ever heard that used in Cork) she’s from Cork or Munster anyway, Munster’s a strange place.
They love their sport, their fans are brilliant, very loyal. In Munster, believe it or not, their rugby fans sing them off when they loose, which isn’t very often.