Newcastle definitely missed three players who were out yesterday, two suspended and one injured – again.
Shola Ameobi – let’s hope this lad is back – very soon
Top midfield pair Kevin Nolan and Cheick Tiote were suspended after accumulating 10 yellow cards each on the season, and seasoned striker Shola Ameobi was ruled out just before the game yesterday, this time with a knee injury, which makes a change from his usual hamstring problems.
Ameobi will have a scan done today, and Newcastle fans have to hope that it will be a short term injury, otherwise we have no idea who will score the goals for Newcastle in the final six games of the season – maybe Shefki Kuqi gets his time in the sun?
The impressive Leon Best, with 6 goals in 11 league appearances this year, is already out for the season with his ankle injury.
Steve Harper, who is currently topping our Man of the Match poll with 24% of the vote for yesterday’s game, talked to Sky Sports today, about losing players through suspension and injury :
“When you take three massive players out of the heart of your team, it is going to be to the detriment of the team,”
“To be without Kevin Nolan and Cheick Tiote was massive for us – but losing Shola overnight was one too many.”
“Suspensions and injuries are killing us. We knew we had a small squad and that’s why last week against Wolves was a massive result.”
“We’ve got to hope the two big games take a lot out of them this week because they are flying in the league,”
“It will be a very tough game for us against Manchester United, but hopefully they will have two tough games this week and we will have 52,000 roaring us on and a few first-choice bodies back out there.”
Newcastle will play Manchester United a week tomorrow, and will have Cheick Tiote back from suspension, but Nolan will not return until the Blackpool game at Bloomfield Road, on Saturday, 23rd April, which promises to be another cliff-hanger of a game for the Magpies.
Presumably Stephen Ireland is fit again, and could take part in the next game, and it’s a good job Newcastle are only paying Aston Villa for the games Stephen actually plays, because he was signed on loan 10 weeks ago today, and has been unavailable through injury, and he couldn’t play yesterday against his own club.
The only chance Newcastle will have against Manchester United is because the fixture is very crowded for the Red Devils at the moment, and that’s only because of their vast success again this season.
They have a game against Chelsea in the quarter finals of the European Champions League tomorrow night, and take a 1-0 lead from Stamford Bridge into their home game at Old Trafford.
That’s followed by an FA Cup semi-final tie against Manchester City this coming Saturday, and therefore they may be a bit tired at St. James’ Park a week tomorrow.
Anyway, that’s what we are hoping for – that they will be completely knackered – to use the Geordie vernacular. 😀
Howay The Lads!!
Comments welcome.
94 comments so far
ochytoon
Apr 11, 2011 at 11:18 PM
Comment #81http://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/en/kazenga-lualua/profil/spieler_52576.html
It seems his contract is up in the summer but I’m sure it will be renewed. The rules are different for youth players leaving on frees. I think they remain at the club until they accept an offer from their parent club or another club
gorskino10
Apr 12, 2011 at 12:18 AM
Comment #82Lua Lua is free to leave in the summer and with Brighton getting promoted they will 100% go for him and then he is gunna play in the Championship week in week out he may cut his losses with us, i hope not i loved his direct approuch and in the Cup and what i saw at Brighton we have a talented player would be a stupid mistake if we let him go, nearly at stupid as Chelsea losing Fabio Borini for free a guy who scored like 20 goals in 12 games or something crazy.
boater
Apr 12, 2011 at 12:57 AM
Comment #83Kuqi only looked OK on sunday because we had grown used to watching ranger spinning around looking lost, making the wrong runs, failing to control each and every ball, win a single header, and failing to pass to a team for 80 mins.
Anyone else read the article about nufc turning the biggest turn of year profit of any football league club in the country – despite relegation! And you still defend Ashley. It beggars belief how bad this club is run.
Brutooon
Apr 12, 2011 at 1:03 AM
Comment #84Start Kuqi, he got experience – play alongside lovenkrands. Let Ranger be an impact sub….
We cannot blame the injuries because it been there for the past 10 yrs.
ascot7
Apr 12, 2011 at 5:10 AM
Comment #85Ncle have themselves to blame, they need a Carrol, not a singing one; a scoreing one. what about local lad, Phill Airey ???? What is Pards thinking, Airey will be a hit ! he will be better then Lovenkrands, and Ranger. We have to use him against Man-U, or we will be masacered. He is the next Andy.
Sav
Apr 12, 2011 at 6:07 AM
Comment #86Carrolls are like trophies, they don’t come along often, ascot. I’ve been watching Newcastle for 40 years so I speak from a wealth of experience.
Rreserves make it to the Newcastle first team only very rarely in any position. Especially no.9s
You may be grey or bald before you see another one.
On Enrique, I can’t feel the magnanimity of many supporters towards him. If he buggers off to Liverpool, I don’t blame him but I won’t be cheering him.
Finally, as for the praise Ashley gets for running the club at break-even – how many owners buy in expecting to make a profit? Only the likes of Glazers who have hocked ManU to the hilt do owners MAKE money from owning a club. Its publicity and status or a labour of love. If Ashley has lost money on Newcastle as owner, well that’s his job – To lose money and make the club successful until he finds a richer one to buy him out. Trouble is, Ashley seems to want to get his money back out mid-investment by asset-stripping. It won’t work. If we escape the drop this time, he will HAVE to splash this summer or we will plummet next season after 9 more miserable months.
cyprus
Apr 12, 2011 at 7:07 AM
Comment #87That’s desperate, your title, Ed. Though I must admit he can play, on occasion. Maybe I’m too critical on Shola, perhaps he has many poor games because he is ALWAYS coming back from an injury. BTW AC had a great game last night… On the positive side, I honestly think we will beat MU: They have too much on their plate right now, they have a big cushion on Arsenal, they’ll underestimate us, they are the most vulnerable (still, always lucky) MU I’ve seen for years. 2-0 lead first half, 2-1 soon on the 2nd, but we don’t do a West Ham, we hold on to win. Goals from midfield
bills-son
Apr 12, 2011 at 7:53 AM
Comment #88Davybtoon – thats 60million nearly so this myth ashly dont spend aint true
Gorskino – he has pocketed around £75+ Million from SALES OF PLAYERS
So Gorskino, according to you we must have sold £135M of players in Ashley’s time eh? Well, £35M for Carrol (which we didn’t have time to spend) leaves £100M – Milner £12m, Given £5M, NZogbia £4M, Martins £6M, Bassong £6M, Duff £3M, Beye £2M, add in another £5M for crap Ive forgot – thats £43M and i’m struggling now AND SO WILL ANYONE ELSE BCOS YA TALKIN BOLL%X.
You are at least £57M out – either get a new calculator or stop spouting sh&t.
What brasses me off on here is the number of fans like you who just invent figures and ‘facts’ to justify your rants. I’ll judge MA during the summer transfer market. If he spends well I’ll keep giving him the benefit of the doubt – if he doesn’t I’ll join the knockers.
Until then we should all save our breath for supporting the lads until the we are 100% safe.
Crawfordladd17
Apr 12, 2011 at 8:08 AM
Comment #89bills-son
Martins was £8m R we counting any players from 07/08 season because Dyer and Parker 13m and N’Zogbia was 6m Bassong was 8m-10m
PHOENIXNIGHTS
Apr 12, 2011 at 8:30 AM
Comment #90This summer is crucial however we do not have to spend huge amounts. Our major outlay is obviously a trophy striker (if we can persuade one to join us) Elmander may come on a free so that is two forwards. Add HBA, Best, Lua Lua,Gosling,Barton,Guitierez,Ferguson,Nolan we have attacking options anyone outside the top six would like. A left back to replace the Bull and I would finish off with Blackburn’s Samba to play alongside Collo. This will be make or break for Ashley – he has to spend to protect his investment however all we can do is speculate and god knows its bloody frustrating and depressing.
Keep the faith
Brutooon
Apr 12, 2011 at 9:01 AM
Comment #91Players that we can get from teams below us
-Zoggy (if Wigan relegated and no other team want him)
-Kevin Doyle (good player playing for average team with limited supply)
-Samba
Others:
-Weiss (Man City got lots of talent, so he should be an easy option)
-Kranjcar
daneevz
Apr 12, 2011 at 9:04 AM
Comment #92http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1375831/Stephen-Ireland-set-make-Newcastle-debut-Manchester-United.html?ITO=1490&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+dailymail%2Fnewcastle+%28Newcastle+FC+%7C+Mail+Online%29
davybtoon
Apr 12, 2011 at 9:08 AM
Comment #93the reason airey should get his games from untill the end of the season over ranger n lovenkrands is bcoz this kid is jus a goal scorer his other wk may let him down but give this kid chances n he will finish them
ramboreilly
Apr 12, 2011 at 9:43 AM
Comment #94since ashley has took over 4 years ago he has sold 110m worth of players.
parker,luque,dyer,rozenthal,emre,faye,milner,given,nzogbia,martins,bassong,beye,duff,geremi and carrol.
selling you best players and replacing them with inferior players always results in relegation.
1976-78 we sold super mac,hibbit,natress,kennedy,craig etc,result relegation.1985-88 waddle,gascoigne,beardsley,result relegation and of course what happened two years ago.
we need to spend big and keep barton and enrique or it will happen again.