Mike Williamson insists that Newcastle can still qualify for the European Champions League next season, following our 2-0 victory over Liverpool yesterday.
Mike Williamson marking Andy Carroll yesterday
A second Papiss Cisse brace of goals in successive games for Newcastle, left us level on 53 points with Chelsea.
Newcastle are in sixth place in the Premier League, five points behind Arsenal in third place, and now a full 11 points ahead of Liverpool in 8th place.
Mike Williamson said this of Sunday’s win:
“It’s massive, it keeps the momentum going and the dream alive of as high a finish as possible”
“If we keep playing like that and working hard then anything’s possible.”
Newcastle’s Dutch goalkeeper Tim Krul, who has conceded only one goal in the last three games, paid some compliments to Williamson and James Perch in central defense, and James again played great for the Magpies.
This is what Tim said:
“Williamson and Perchy were outstanding, they blocked everything – I didn’t have to make a proper save today.”
“Cisse is a fantastic striker, a proper goalscorer. He’s a typical number nine for Newcastle and I’m happy we signed a top-class player like him.”
The returning Andy Carroll’s miserable day – a very miserable day in truth, started when he was booked for diving, as he tried to round goalkeeper Tim Krul in the penalty area.
And it ended with the former Newcastle number 9 being booked, and then after 79 minutes he stormed off and down the tunnel ripping his Liverpool shirt off in the process, after being substituted.
This is what Tim Krul said about Carroll’s diving incident after 10 minutes:
“I never touched him,”“He dived. He was looking for a penalty which all strikers try and do, but the referee was in a good position and he made the right decision.”
And on the first half possible hand-ball by Danny Simpson, which could have cost Newcastle a penalty and a sending off, this is what Newcastle manager Alan Pardew had to say about that one:
“It hit Simpson high on the shoulder, I’d be very surprised if the referee gives that – it’s not a hand sticking out, I thought it was fine.”
And was Papiss offside for that second goal?
Of course not – but it didn’t stop the TV commentators from trying to prove it was offside throughout the game, and this is what Alan Pardew had to say about the possible offside:
“That little touch, by that time the Liverpool player is level and he’s onside,” “It’s a rule none of us managers like but that’s how it is.”
And finally Alan tells us what they had to eat last Friday, as Pardew tries to put things on the menu for our players from the different parts of the world.
And it happened to be curried goat for Papiss Cisse, Cheick Tiote and Demba Ba, that all the players and coaches ate for Friday lunch.
This is what Alan said about that:
“We all had curried goat on Friday and delicious it was too. It was Africa Day and we enjoyed it. The curry helped!”
“It was Cisse’s best performance yet for us.” “We have the new No.9 but I felt for Andy today,” “He is a terrific lad and has had a tough year.”
“But from our side of the coin we have Cisse and long may his form continue. His hold-up play gave Carragher a tough day.” “Two great goals, fantastic finishes and Cisse’s all-round performance was excellent.”
“If someone said we’d be in the Europa League after this season, I would snap their hands off.” “We have won three out of three now, and with seven games to go, we have Swansea away next. We are in good shape.”
“Hopefully we will get enough points to get into Europe.”
Papiss Cisse is fast making a name for himself with 7 goals in 7 appearances for the Magpies. And we put out an article this morning on his goal-scoring prowess at the other clubs he’s played for, and he has 122 goals at the rate of about one goal every two games, in his 247 appearances.
That’s about what Alan Shearer managed throughout his career at Southampton, Blackburn and Newcastle, with an amazing 379 goals in 733 total appearances.
Papiss looks a real star to us.
Comments welcome.
252 comments so far
ilovetoon8788
Apr 2, 2012 at 12:35 PM
Comment #1Ashley is set for a massive summer spending spree for us.
Apparently he has already agreed an undisclosed massive fee for the signing of large quantities of Strawberry Syrup and Goat Curry to fuel our front lines.
CODARM (The poster formely known as Ibizatoon)
Apr 2, 2012 at 12:39 PM
Comment #2We wanna keep the Strawberry syrup and Goat curry thing quiet. Not too long before the FA catch on and ban it as a performance enhancing drug…don’t want anyone failing a syrup test 🙂
jayphoto
Apr 2, 2012 at 12:43 PM
Comment #3right, curried goat for the rest of the season it is then! come on lads, surely we need to get “strawberry syrup” and or “curried goat” into some kind of song!!!
Dannyo
Apr 2, 2012 at 12:44 PM
Comment #4Goat Curry and Strawberry syrup = The breakfeast of Champions.
jayphoto
Apr 2, 2012 at 12:45 PM
Comment #5anyone else notice yesterday how “in it together” our team all looked yesterday? noticed it before the game in the warm up, all smiling laughing with each other, when we scored they all celebrated, when players were subbed off they were gracious, shook all the hands of the benched players etc compared to liverpool that were arguing with each other on the pitch, didn’t look like a team etc
CODARM (The poster formely known as Ibizatoon)
Apr 2, 2012 at 12:48 PM
Comment #6Did anyone else notice that our warm up looked like we were all dancing? Made me smile. Looked almost like a taunt towards Liverpool.
CODARM (The poster formely known as Ibizatoon)
Apr 2, 2012 at 12:50 PM
Comment #7Jay…The team spirit is incredible and has been pretty much all season. We have a great “squad” which makes the collection of “stars” when we were relegated look pathetic.
Toon_Tom
Apr 2, 2012 at 12:50 PM
Comment #8jay – yeah totally agree with your points there.
I believe that Pards subbed Benny as he knew that he would get a ROAR of a reception from us and will obv do wonders for his confidence!
geoff777
Apr 2, 2012 at 12:50 PM
Comment #9If anyone wants to watch the match again theres a torrent here. 4 files – pre, post match and the two halves.
http://thepiratebay.se/torrent/7151975/Newcastle_VS_Liverpool_-_01-04-2012
jayphoto
Apr 2, 2012 at 1:02 PM
Comment #10bit mean on my own part, but yesterday i was particularly happy that Andy Carroll got to witness our new number 9 in all his glory! Bet he felt like an ex girlfriend that had just seen her ex boyfriend turn up with a reet stunner!
GHOSD (The poster formerly known as Ruddy Marveaux-lous)
Apr 2, 2012 at 1:04 PM
Comment #11Came on here today totally ready to give it all “I told ya so” to all the neggars that said that Pards was a muppet, tactically inept etc but then I thought to myself, no, all these people are probably gutted at how catastrophically wrong they have got it that they won’t even come on here to read it. So what would be the point! 😀
What a win yesterday, in terms of significance to our season, I think that one was even bigger than the 3-0 victory over Manure, but only just!
Hatem looks a real gem of a player, kudos to Pards for playing the waiting game with him, it is really coming to fruition now. Graham Carr is a genius for spotting half of this team! Papisto, Demba, Cabaye, Tiote…truly magnificent performance by all involved.
Williamson and Perch, our 3rd and 4th choice CBs were the 2 best players on the park (followed closely by Papis, HBA and Tiote) and I am just so proud of those 2 lads, for all the stick they have received they have remained professional and focused on the job in hand. Buzzin 😀
stk85
Apr 2, 2012 at 1:07 PM
Comment #12the positivity coming out of the club, team trying world meals together, soemething i’ve never seen before. and to get perch and willo to a level where they believe and can nullify suarez and bellamy, and somewhat carroll is great man management by pards.
and the next four, swans, bolton and stoke, then wigan are all winable. i doubt chelsea would win their next four. we win all them then the chelsea game will be massive!
and we’re gonna be getting some top quality players this summer. pieters seems tied up. but one more defender and a winger/striker. i’d be happy with hoilett and mbiwa.
i reckon tavernier and streete will come through next year
Irie-Magpie
Apr 2, 2012 at 1:08 PM
Comment #13“If Carlsberg did signings, they’d have to be NUFC signings probably the best signings in the world..Cisse! Cisse!
jayphoto
Apr 2, 2012 at 1:10 PM
Comment #14@GHOSD yeah you know the pardew haters will come out in force again if we lose 1 or 2! Manager of the season for me bar none! People talk about rodgers and lambert, sorry but in the winter and summer, pardew had his team dismantled! They at least could build on the success they had in the championship, Pardew had to start from scratch! Also, the job of toon manager, the pressure, etc is far greater than at norwich or swansea, the media attention (and bias, or lack of it) is far more intense not to mention he has to work with Llambias as a boss! Not to mention, we are going to finish miles ahead of swansea and norwich! The only manager possibly that deserves manager of the year more could be sir alex if man utd win the title! For them to beat city, after they spent so so much money and were so far ahead will be a true achievement!
CODARM (The poster formely known as Ibizatoon)
Apr 2, 2012 at 1:13 PM
Comment #15Ruddy…What a game 🙂 Couldn’t have written more of an optimistic outcome myself!
martoon
Apr 2, 2012 at 1:14 PM
Comment #16I enjoyed the humbling of Carroll & co. as much as anybody else. Starting to wonder if the ‘Carroll dive’ was maybe a sub-conscious thing where he did not want to actually score and by getting a penalty somebody else could actually score the goal/ Of course that could be Freudian cr*p and the donkey tripped over his own feet!
GHOSD (The poster formerly known as Ruddy Marveaux-lous)
Apr 2, 2012 at 1:15 PM
Comment #17Some were even touting us as possible relegation fodder, or at best struggling to break into the middle of the pack. I remember in the January of 2010 that Lawro had said on Football Focus that Newcastle would be relegated if we sold Andy Carroll, he was wrong. Pre-season he claimed we would struggle because we sold Nolan and Enrique (followed by Barton) he was wrong again.
Not only have we not struggled, we have flourished, Pards has shown that he can play multiple formations that he feels are most suited to the players he has at his disposal and has got the best out of players who supposedly had no real future at NUFC, Perch, Raylor etc and has re-energised our technical maestro. Alan Pardew has restored pride and belief in NUFC once more and the term “greatest manager since Sir Bobby” has been bandied about more often than not. The fact that people are mentioning him in the same light as the late great Bobby only goes to show how good a job he has done.
In the last 7 games he can take an excellent season and turn it into a miraculous season…for me, whatever happens between now and the end of a season is a bonus 😀
GHOSD (The poster formerly known as Ruddy Marveaux-lous)
Apr 2, 2012 at 1:19 PM
Comment #18Ibiza 😀 Seriously mate, if Optimism Valley’s Brain Trust were tasked with job of scripting the “Perfect Scenario” of how that game could have went I don’t think we could have even come up with a result and performance as sweet as the one we witnessed yesterday! 😀
The only way that could have been made any sweeter would have to be if Papisto nailed his third goal against the scumbag Enrique… but I’ll take that result 7 days a week, 365 days a year 😀
HOVIS (the poster formerly known as cheick norris)
Apr 2, 2012 at 1:19 PM
Comment #19posted this last night but thought it was worth another post
Went to the Barbers and asked for a Liverpool FC haircut.
Mess at the back, nothing on the sides and nothing up front.
He charged me £130 million.
GHOSD (The poster formerly known as Ruddy Marveaux-lous)
Apr 2, 2012 at 1:20 PM
Comment #20Ah HOVIS ye loaf 😉
Saw that while I was trawling through the threads this morning, made me laugh a lot!
IPToon
Apr 2, 2012 at 1:20 PM
Comment #21Did anyone see the incident in the second half when Suarez went down holding his face? From what i saw Gutierrez was running away from Suarez, put his arm out to shield the ball, pushed him in the chest and Suarez went down holding his face, obviously trying to get gutierrez sent off. I havent seen a reply though but for all those having a dig at Perch should also have a dig at Suarez.
CODARM (The poster formely known as Ibizatoon)
Apr 2, 2012 at 1:21 PM
Comment #22Ruddy….I was praying for a goal in that last 10 minutes!
Next up Swansea. If we play like we have done recently we “should” be able to get a result.
Hovis…Good one 🙂
jayphoto
Apr 2, 2012 at 1:22 PM
Comment #23http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_prem/predictor/default.stm
love the old scores predictor! I got us finishing 6th 3 points off chelsea and 5 points off spurs!
CODARM (The poster formely known as Ibizatoon)
Apr 2, 2012 at 1:23 PM
Comment #24Jay…You best re-calculate then 🙂
martoon
Apr 2, 2012 at 1:23 PM
Comment #25Just a thought – where does this leave Raylor? Perch seems to have taken his crown as Mr Versatile.
CODARM (The poster formely known as Ibizatoon)
Apr 2, 2012 at 1:25 PM
Comment #26Martoon…Spot on. I can’t see Pardew playing Raylor over Perch at this time. He’s earned his place
GHOSD (The poster formerly known as Ruddy Marveaux-lous)
Apr 2, 2012 at 1:26 PM
Comment #27Watched the Spurs-Swansea game yesterday and I thought that Swansea were unlucky, although they do have an Achilles heel in the way they defend set pieces, so perhaps we could exploit that.
If we continue with this 4-3-3 formation, which has yielded our 2 most impressive performances this season, then the away game to Swansea could be a very open game of football, much like the game was yesterday. What is patently clear is that we need Tiote to do what Parker did to their midfield yesterday and seriously press them and press them hard. If we squeeze their midfield we could break them down and hit them on the counter 😀
Already looking forward to it!!!
Dannyo
Apr 2, 2012 at 1:27 PM
Comment #28@Martoon
I doubt Raylor will touch the field much the rest of the season. Marveux is coming back too u know.
Sad for him, but despite his helping hand this season, i just don’t rate him that highly.
geoff777
Apr 2, 2012 at 1:30 PM
Comment #29@Dannyo
Marveaux or Raylor?
Marveaux is class.
Raylor like Perch is a great squad player.
jayphoto
Apr 2, 2012 at 1:31 PM
Comment #30@codarm – just for fun, if you recalculate it a certain way, we can still pip man united to the title by 1 point! (until they win tonight) looks nice as a table tho!
Dannyo
Apr 2, 2012 at 1:34 PM
Comment #31@geoff777
Sorry, Raylor, he’s a squad player as u say, and we have a few who should be getting the nod ahead of him.
JAMSHA
Apr 2, 2012 at 1:36 PM
Comment #32LOVE THAT PIC WEN PAPA RIENA DRESSES ENRIQUE N HBA LAUGHS… 🙂 GONA KEEP IT AS MY WALL PAPER
martoon
Apr 2, 2012 at 1:37 PM
Comment #33Ruddy @27. I watched the game also, Spurs constantly disrupted their passing game by hastling and harrying them which a couple of teams have done recently. We are quite capable of doing the same with perfect front 3 to catch them on the break.
HOVIS (the poster formerly known as cheick norris)
Apr 2, 2012 at 1:42 PM
Comment #34i love how our less glamourous players have really shone. thanks uncle pards
geoff777
Apr 2, 2012 at 1:46 PM
Comment #35@Dannyo
Hard to see Raylor getting a game next season, possibly in Europe or the Carling Cup.
Handy to keep the lad if we do have a real injury crisis.
Raylor always gives 100%.
Dannyo
Apr 2, 2012 at 1:49 PM
Comment #36@geoff777
Well, obviously he understands his own situation if u read his interviews throughout the season.
I reckon he’s in the same mindset as Perch. “I’d be crazy to leave here now”.
Also, there’s the contract extension he’s signed recently. It’s been a good season for him, but we’ll always be looking to improving, and as u say, i reckon Raylors first team chances will be severly limited next season.
Especially if we permanently adopt the 4-3-3 formation. More or less atleast. I think Raylor knows he’s regarded as a squad player.
jayphoto
Apr 2, 2012 at 1:53 PM
Comment #37rare clip of andy carroll warming up last sunday!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YjFNq_l7gXU
Toon_Tom
Apr 2, 2012 at 1:54 PM
Comment #38Dannyo – i agree. I think Perch, Raylor and Guthrie, who have all featured alot this season ALL know that they are squad players and fill in when called upon.
The question is, are they happy with this?
Perch and Raylor I think are more than happy, however Guthrie may leave to seek first team football next year.
Spuggy
Apr 2, 2012 at 1:56 PM
Comment #39Based on the last few weeks I think it’s disrespectful to call Perch a squad player. If he can keep this level up he’ll be in contention as a starter, either at CB with Collo or more likely due to Willo’s height advantage at LB. Santon on at 60-70 mins.
Dannyo
Apr 2, 2012 at 1:58 PM
Comment #40@ToonTom
Yes, i think u’re right. Perch and Raylor knows their limitations. Guthrie i rate higher then them overall. Altho Perch is probably the best of the lot atm.
I feel Guthrie deserves to be in a starting XI, he’s good enough to do that. Imo, he could walk straight into all the teams below the top 6.
On his day, he’s good enough for England, but i don’t think he’s consistant enough to manage that.
I still remember his Villa game… WoW!
Perch and Raylor are both humble lads, but if they’re severly limited next season, then i could see them leave next summer instead. It all depends.