With a tough game at Fulham next Monday night, and a very tough December schedule coming up, and with Newcastle having already qualified for the knock-out stages of the Europa League, Alan Pardew will likely play a weakened side tomorrow night in Bordeaux.
Alan Pardew – I can’t afford to lose anybody
And Tim Krul was talking about Europe yesterday, and we are the first English side to qualify for the final 32, and whether Tottenham and Liverpool can also qualify is still up in the air.
This is what Tim said:
“We’ve already achieved one thing: the Europa League. We wanted to stay in that, we’re in the last 32 and it’s a great competition to be in.” “We’ve qualified, that’s the main priority,” said Krul. “Now we just need to see how everyone is. The manager will decide who’s fit and who’s not fit to go.
“Is it important to get the top spot? Yes and no. I think I’ve heard (Jose) Mourinho say that every time he’s won the Champions League he’s finished second in the group.” “Great teams are dropping down from the Champions League but I’ve also seen a lot of good teams in the Europa League already.”
I’m not really fazed whether it’s top of the group or second. We’ve qualified, that’s the most important thing.” “We’re the first English team to do that. We went through a bad spell but like I said, hopefully we’re over that. We’re through now, hopefully we’ll top the group and I’m looking forward to Fulham now.”
It seems ridiculous that some clubs who have failed to qualify in the Champions league will drop down to the Europa League, although Manchester City will not even qualify for that, after losing 1-0 at Borussia Dortmund last night.
And with four successive defeats in the league for Newcastle, that set a few alarm bells off at St. James’ Park recently – we were finally able to right the ship a little with a good 3-0 win over 10 man Wigan on Monday night.
And it’s clear that the Premier League just has to be the top priority for Newcastle every season, and it’s unlikely a lot of our big guns will play in France, and many may not even make the trip.
This is what Alan Pardew said yesterday:
“Our fans need to know that I’m going to have to protect our side because we have got massive games coming up.” “I can’t afford to lose anybody in that game, so there will be a few debuts there and if we have got fans flying over or thinking about it, they need to know that.”
It would be nice to keep our unbeaten record in Europe, and it seems that players like Rob Elliot, James Tavernier, Shane Ferguson, the Ameobi brothers and Gael Bigirimana will get games tomorrow night.
The Fulham game on Monday night is far more important.
What do you think?
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16 comments so far
Ibizatoon - Back by popular demand
Dec 5, 2012 at 9:43 AM
Comment #1Is this Abeids chance to change our season?
If he does, I’m putting a bet on Falcao to arrive in January. In Kets we trust!
mindshaft
Dec 5, 2012 at 9:46 AM
Comment #2Well I presume that means we’re going to end up as runners up in the group meaning we’ll face one of the teams that drop down from the Champions League… take your pick
Dynamo Kiev
Olympiakos
Zenit St P’sbg
Ajax
Chelsea or Juventus
BATE Borisov or Lille
Benfica or Celtic
Galatasaray or Braga
Personally I’d rather avoid the eastern european teams as too far to travel
G
Dec 5, 2012 at 9:50 AM
Comment #3Frankly, given the damage the squad has taken over the season so far, I don’t care if they start with a front pairing of Alan Pardew and Joe Kinnear. The prem table is still ringing alarm bells, so I won’t be too upset if we went out in the next stage anyway. I just hope we get to play a good side to watch.
chris_g
Dec 5, 2012 at 9:55 AM
Comment #4Ibiza
Funny you should mention Kets. He’s just been on twitter
Ketsbaia9 @ketsy1
104 years ago we lost 9-1 to Sunderland. I blame Danny Simpson and Mike Williamson #NUFC #Scharner
Transfer Sage
Dec 5, 2012 at 9:57 AM
Comment #5Play a weak team.
We won’t get any easy games in the next stage anyway.
I hope we get a bit side…athletico Madrid would be my choice.
Realistically I can’t see us winning it so might as well play and test ourselves against a top side
Ibizatoon - Back by popular demand
Dec 5, 2012 at 10:00 AM
Comment #6chris_g….You’re pulling my leg? Although I hope you’re not 🙂
G…I agree. We’re through so PL must take priority. If we play a strong side tomorrow and lose an important player or two it will be soul destroying, going through in 2nd place would only be disappointing. Still, hope whoever plays gives it a real go.
mind…..Less distance the better. In theory, there are no easy games and to win we’ll have to beat the best, so all we can hope for is less travel.
Ibizatoon - Back by popular demand
Dec 5, 2012 at 10:02 AM
Comment #7TS…That would be a tough game, BUT, I would probably be able to go. Cheap flights to Madrid…oh yeah!
coatesy
Dec 5, 2012 at 10:06 AM
Comment #8i think that we should play our younger players and not to take our big players only to sit on the bench. a couple of times now he has taken people like ba cabaye(when fit) and players like that. personally i think he should field:
elliot or harper
tav
willo
perch
furge
marv
bigi
abied
sammy
amalfinano
ranger
subs
harper/elliot
abaid
shola/xisco (if fit)
anita
richardson
obertan (bench warmer if still got injury)
even though this is not a very good team, it would give the bigger players more time to rest and not to get jet lagged for next monday night against fulham. also it is a good chance for younger players to get to play as first teamers and it will boost their cereers prospects at the club by playing at bordeaux
ps. i am contridicting myself with willo in the team but salyor is out Good and drummet is on loan and colo needs a rest
karasu
Dec 5, 2012 at 10:13 AM
Comment #9Not too weak, man. Beating Bordeaux again means more than securing an easier draw. Beating the Ligue 1 powerhouse will do wonders for our confidence and build up on our winning mentality. Why do you guys hate the Europa League anyway? We need to learn how to handle a European competition alongside the domestic campaign or we’ll never make it to the next level. Besides, the competition in Europa League is just as intense and prestigous as the Champions League. All it’s lacking is the funding to make it a big time event.
Ibizatoon - Back by popular demand
Dec 5, 2012 at 10:18 AM
Comment #10Karasu….I don’t think it’s about not liking the EL, more that we have a tough but winnable game against Fulham and we need to be as close to full strength as possible. The next run of PL games are tough, so we need as many points as possible as our PL positioning is effecting everyone, we need to climb back up and quickly.
Graeme
Dec 5, 2012 at 11:06 AM
Comment #11If we are playing – we should be playing to win – otherwise why bother??
jasper
Dec 5, 2012 at 1:33 PM
Comment #12Just been watching the game on footballorgin.com having been to the game. We played better in he first half than I recalled, probably because the second half was so dire. There was no sense that we were going for the jugular. It was like watching Joe Bugner grinding out a win when you just wanted him to get stuck in and knock his opponent over. This resulted in an almost silent crowd, it was like a morgue until Bigi scored. Even then we had a breakaway, the ball got to the other end and six of our side were still deep in our half. We had shut up shop and it was pretty tedious.
Positives were Marveaux and Anita obviously. A bit more common sense in the roles assigned to Ba and Cisse to try to stop them tripping each other up. Better support of the ball carrier but still nowhere near Swansea or WBA level.
Downside is the obvious lack of an on field leader. To quote Catalina the team looks like “a body without a head”. I have to admit that I had not fully realised the value of Nolan in this respect.
I have always admired Jonas’s contribution but there is something wrong with him, it looks as though his legs have gone. He has lost both speed and athletism. He can.t beat a man anymore and so is now inferior to Perch as a DCM and to anyone you care to mention as a winger.
Cisse’s inability to stay onside is staggering. It is not just a question of timing of runs, when Ba broke down the right Cisse ran 30 yards and was 2 yards ahead of the ball the whole way.
As someone said one left a 3-0 win feeling remarkably dissatisfied. It might sound disloyal to say so but I do think it was what most people at the match felt.
There is still a long way to go AP.
danuneek
Dec 5, 2012 at 1:57 PM
Comment #13———————Harper———————-
Tav———Willo———Perch——–Ferguson
——–Abeid——-Bigi——-Marv————
Obertan———————————-S.Ameobi
———————-Cisse—————————
I would play Cisse just to give him more game time. He’s looked off it all season.
tenpointnine
Dec 5, 2012 at 10:05 PM
Comment #14Like I said previously, I have heard from a good source that Remy Streete is in the squad.
It would be nice if they played in black and white. Not too keen on the slime green.
On second thoughts, lets just hope they play football and not hoofball, whatever the colour strip.
petey
Dec 6, 2012 at 12:44 AM
Comment #15Give the following a chance i reckon
Alnwick
Tavienier
Curtis Good (i cant remember if he went on loan or not)
Ranger
Xisco
Albeid (fit?)
Amalfitano
brian kilclines pony tail
Dec 6, 2012 at 12:57 AM
Comment #16one way of looking at it is that in europe we are 6 games away from wining a trophy.
field a weekend side in this game yes, but i would like us to have more of a go at this than the FA cup.
its only 6 games on top of the remaining schedule.