It’s surprising to us that after almost making the last two league games with his thigh injury, Joey Barton still remains doubtful for the game at Stoke on Saturday afternoon.
Joey Barton – still a doubt for Saturday?
Both Joey and Jose Enrique are rated doubtful for Saturday’s game, and we’re not surprised about Jose, because it will hard for him to make that game with his hamstring injury.
The good news on the Spanish U21 International is that he should be fit for the game against Wolves at home two weeks on Saturday and for the remaining 7 games after that.
Joey’s injury must be a lot worse than Newcastle had thought if he again misses out on Saturday.
We thought the players were back in training yesterday, but apparently they just returned today, to get ready for the important game against the Potters at the Britannia Stadium on Saturday.
And Alan may even draft in Sol Campbell for the game, to combat the aerial threat Stoke always seem to pose.
Pardew told the Evening Chronicle today:
“Joey and Jose are still doubts, but Jonas will be OK.” “We’ll wait and see.”
“My gut feeling is that if Joey and Jose aren’t 100%, we won’t risk them.”
Newcastle must be ready for a very physical game against Stoke, and lots of high ball coming into the penalty box, so players like Mike Williamson, who are good in the air, will be vital.
They’ll be training on those all week, and let’s hope they can deal with the bombardment on Saturday.
Alan continued:
“Stoke are a different proposition, as they showed at the weekend.”
“We’ve got to be able to compete, and we’ll put a team out to do that – and play our game.”
“We’re going to need all our best players available for the run-in, and we’re working very hard to ensure we have them.”
“I was at the Stoke v West Ham game, and it’s a difficult atmosphere to play in.”
“I’m sure we’ll take plenty of fans ourselves, and they’ll make themselves heard.”
Indeed the Stoke game is all but a sell-out right now.
Alan Pardew has shown himself a good tactician at times, and certainly the way the lads played in our last win at Birmingham, we completely outplayed and out thought (and even out fought) the opposition that day, and we’ll hope for something similar this Saturday.
Newcastle really need a win on Saturday, but we think that will be very difficult, but a draw would be a good result too.
And most teams, including West Ham over the weekend in the FA Cup, seemed to have a problem dealing with Stoke’s tactics, of high balls into the box, long throw-ins from Rory Delap and generally being very dangerous from all set plays.
But that’s the way Stoke play, and they’ve been very successful with those tactics over the last three seasons or so in the Premier League.
What Newcastle need to do is go there with a plan of somehow combating that threat, and finding a way of scoring some goals against the Stoke defense, who are not that strong this season.
Stoke are better at home than they are on the road, but of course they beat Newcastle 2-1 at St. James’ Park, after Newcastle completely dominated the first half and were 1-0 up at the break.
Stoke have won 7 games and drawn three in their 14 home games so far this season, and Stoke are 2 points behind Newcastle right now.
So the very last thing we want is a defeat, but Stoke will also be in confident form, following their fine 2-1 win against West Ham that takes them into the semi-finals of the FA Cup, where they will meet Bolton Wanderers.
Comments welcome.
25 comments so far
nufc_mad
Mar 15, 2011 at 1:57 PM
Comment #1I really am getting sick of all this crap, we keep getting told Barton almost made the squad for the last two games and now he is a doubt for this game as well, what the hell is going on, does the lad not want to play for us any more or something as this doesn’t sound right to me.
Davies
Mar 15, 2011 at 2:14 PM
Comment #2We’ve been seeing a lot of this lately. It started in December with Carroll, who only played a week(ish) ago. Now it’s Jose and Barton.
Does anybody know what’s going on with Ireland?
shearermania
Mar 15, 2011 at 2:20 PM
Comment #3barton wont make it – cause hes on strike…
and ireland well hes still on holiday….
shpetmeister
Mar 15, 2011 at 2:34 PM
Comment #4Haper
danny- cambell – williamson – colo
ireland – tiote- nolan- guitrez.
best- løvendkrands
this is the team for saturday:P Even do joey makes it he cant start the game i dont give a f how good he is, no one is that good to get a free card to start every game. Ireland has trained all week, and is clear for start.
gorskino10
Mar 15, 2011 at 2:35 PM
Comment #5http://www.goal.com/en/news/12/spain/2011/03/15/2395625/sevillas-diego-perotti-on-liverpool-radar-report
Are liverpool interested in EVERY player we want/ and have!
nufc_mad
Mar 15, 2011 at 2:35 PM
Comment #6Ireland is just slacking, must be nice just to do a bit of training each day and to get paid an absence amount of money, can’t see how a permanent position is possibly being offered to him when he has not even stepped on the pitch yet….joke!!!
jimmymagpie
Mar 15, 2011 at 2:44 PM
Comment #7Barton was nowhere near being fit for Everton. A thigh strain is at least 3/4 weeks. More shit from Pardew. Ireland should never have been bought as he failed his medical. Gosling is fighting to save his career. I am a retired medic who treated professional sportsman for the best part of 15 years, and don’t believe a word that comes out of SJP on injuries, or anything else come to that. As Barton said 2 weks ago, pay peanuts and you get monkies.
gorskino10
Mar 15, 2011 at 2:51 PM
Comment #8http://www.goal.com/en/news/755/europe/2011/03/15/2395601/juventus-fiorentina-chase-boltons-johan-elmander-on-bosman
Seems Juve and Fiorentina want Johan means we may not be able to get Johan for FREE.
Jammydodger
Mar 15, 2011 at 2:51 PM
Comment #9Nufc mad, barton was being paid wages while he was in jail and youre not criticizing him. if irelands injured he injured so be it. Pardew did well to get him, massive talent as he proved at city reluctantly got shifted to villa where he clearly wasnt settled, so he was injured when we got him but if he settles here and he likes it we have a real top class midfielder
GeordieGerman
Mar 15, 2011 at 2:52 PM
Comment #10I’ve also heard that Barton is refusing to play till he gets the contract he wants. Hope it’s not true as that would, in my eyes, make him into a massive (rhymes with punt and starts with a c) after all that we have gone through with him. It’s simple he owes us.
nufc_mad
Mar 15, 2011 at 2:54 PM
Comment #11jimmymagpie – to be honest mate I think none of us believe what come’s out of SJP any more, too long have we heard nothing but countless lies, enough is enough, AP just tells the fans what we want to hear by saying he’s almost ready, when someone from your professional background tells it how it is, think you should go for the managers job mate, might actually get some truth out the place. haha
GeordieGerman
Mar 15, 2011 at 2:54 PM
Comment #12Jammydodger, you sure about Barton being paid when in jail? Never heard of any other employer doing that.
BeeGuy
Mar 15, 2011 at 2:59 PM
Comment #13This all sounds like the old Woodie Guthrie song “We’ll all get pie in the sky in the bye and bye”. Every week it is so & so will be better for the next weeks game.
Personally, I harbor the thought -though I have no proof- that this Ireland guy may be poisoning the minds of many in the locker room with both his strange attitude and his lack of fitness. Used as bait to keep the fans interested, he may actually be poisoning the waters of the goldfish bowl the squad swims in.
BeeGuy
Mar 15, 2011 at 3:00 PM
Comment #14Oh, by the way, NUFC will get hammered at Stoke with NUFC having so many bodies in the hospital. I am actually afraid to see this game get underway.
Jammydodger
Mar 15, 2011 at 3:02 PM
Comment #15we paid peanuts for williamson tiote and now ben arfa, williamson and tiote have proved themselves to be bloody good monkeys and im sure benarfa will be looking forward to show his banana peeling skills.
Gosling was free and is a fantastic prospect.
Ireland is like being offered a porshe for 10k youd be daft to turn it down just cause the tires flat
jimmymagpie
Mar 15, 2011 at 3:05 PM
Comment #16Nufc – mad. Manager here mate, not on your life, even if I was qualified, not under this regime. The one we have and the likes of Kinnear are all we’ll get while Ashley owns the club, such is the lousy reputation he has in the game. He hasn’t got one friend in any boardroom in the country, nor has Lambias, and a Premier League chairman told me that to my face. We had a decent man in Hughton, and look what happened to him.
jimmymagpie
Mar 15, 2011 at 3:09 PM
Comment #17Jammy dodger – if Williamson is your idea of a top defender, we’ll have to agree to disagree. Did you see the Stoke game at home, Wigan and N’Zogbia out jumping him, Blackburn and Jason Roberts blowing him over for the winner, etc? I think I’ll close my eyes on Saturday.
Jammydodger
Mar 15, 2011 at 3:10 PM
Comment #18GG yeah pretty sure he was because there was no clause in his contract saying any reason why he shouldnt be
Not 100% though but i swear i read it back when he was in the nick, either way we still paid him when he was crocked for years
The thing about him refusing to play until he gets the contract i agree that would make him a massive c unit.
firstly i think nolan would just slap him and tell him to grow up, also hes been to all the games spectating which i doubt he would be doing if hes abandoning the team
nufc_mad
Mar 15, 2011 at 3:13 PM
Comment #19What I worry about with Ireland is that if he does not get a game due to these injuries and we decide to pay the 6-7 million price tag to have him sign a permanent deal before we actually see what he has got, just because he was a good player else ware does not mean jack at Newcastle look at the players that were considered top class in the past that we signed and ended up being flops.
Burni
Mar 15, 2011 at 3:16 PM
Comment #20Beeguy, I just had the same thought as you, I love the way the lads have been playing recently and you cant take away the fact that they have a lot of spirit……. but spirit dont kick it when theres not enough talent. Im not looking forward to our new frankenstein defense and midfield that has been bodged together by Pardew.
I want us to win and if we had all players fit then we would TANK stoke but we dont and I feel we are gonna be made a mockery.
nufc_mad
Mar 15, 2011 at 3:22 PM
Comment #21jimmymagpie – I agrees fella, I loved Hughton, first decent and respectable manager we had in a long time, he was Newcastle, not just some Londoner that is AP brown nosing Mike Ashley. AP still needs to realise that the team sheet at the moment is Hughtons and he time will come next time, then we will see what he is made of. as for fat Mike, that does not surprise me at all no one liking him, he’s a moron.
Jammydodger
Mar 15, 2011 at 3:28 PM
Comment #22just researched the thing about him getting paid in jail, he was docked wages but still contractually got image rights payments. Also just read the guy who barton assaulted was done for beating the hell out of his wife, not condoning what barton did but maybe the guy deserved it
The Leazus End
Mar 15, 2011 at 5:08 PM
Comment #23even though ime a life long season ticket holder in the shite seats ( level 7) and yes i am anti ash.
we will never (NEVER) WILL BE TOLD THE TRUTH from cashly and co . the sooner this lot go the better / pardew says and does what ever the mob tell him,
i am starting to get concerned now about all this cr@p about barton and irelands injurys ( paranoid maybe) but does anyone get the feeling theres something not right here
ochytoon
Mar 15, 2011 at 5:49 PM
Comment #24Yh its funny how Barton got injured soon after we offered him a contract below his expectations
batty
Mar 17, 2011 at 10:22 AM
Comment #25http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=1598789175144&oid=172441186139781