Sometimes things go for you in a game and sometimes they don’t – and the latter was what happened to Newcastle last night against a good Metalist Kharkiv side, but manager Alan Pardew still thinks we have a decent chance to go through in the second leg next Thursday night in the Ukraine.
Alan Pardew – his look tells it all last night
And in retrospect we were probably a bit unfair on the lads in our first report of the game immediately after the final whistle – and we said it was only slightly better than a mediocre performance – but it was in fact much better than that – and on the chances we had we could have won the game by a number of goals – with just a little bit of luck.
We have to remember the lads were up against a good side last night – Alan Pardew had this to say today to nufcTV:
“Both goals look onside from the replay.” “At the time I thought the first half was perhaps offside but that showed it wasn’t; the second one, I knew wasn’t offside. I just knew, the way the ball went in and the angle and everything.”
“I just doubted that one and was proved right. It’s difficult for us because we’ve played an almost perfect game. We’ve got a clean sheet, we were tough, we were fast, we were intelligent and we played some great football. We had some subs who changed it a little bit for us – a couple of moments from Sylvain Marveaux and Shola Ameobi’s presence made it a little bit more difficult for them.”
“So all in all, I expect to win and it’s hard to look the boys in the eye and say ‘you should have won’ because the two goals were onside. I think the fans knew it as well – the reaction from them at the end towards the officials said that – and it was a day for us where we really, really didn’t get the rub of the green.”
“But I can’t fault the team. That was an outstanding effort and they were a good side, a real good side with some great players who we kept quiet, particularly Willian on the left. Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa did a good job on him.”
“So it’s all to play for. We got a clean sheet and no away goal so a clean sheet sees us through after 90 minutes and that gives us something to lean on when we go there.” “But we’re going to need to play as well as that to get that.”
And the Newcastle U19 side kept their hopes alive yesterday in the Torneo di Viareggio as they beat Congo’s under-17 team 2-1 in Strettoia – with goals from Alex Gilliead and Greg Olley – and with the game last night that news got ignored a little.
Newcastle lost their first game to AC Milan 2-1 but the lads got a good three points yesterday afternoon – well done.
Note: we are trying to help out one of our readers – Northumbria University student Alex Redfern – who is doing research on the impact of Newcastle’s recent sponsorship deal with Wonga – please fill out Alex’s questionnaire on the topic if you can – and that will help his research – Alex needs another 100 replies to his questionnaire today – many thanks.
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123 comments so far
Troy Stavers
Feb 15, 2013 at 1:50 PM
Comment #1@Fray Bentos
100% I believe Cisse is good enough to be our main striker.
He works tirelessly for the team, he’s got skill, we know he can score all kinds of goals, he gets into great positions and I can see his understanding with Sudoko developing.
I thought you would have gathered that from my last post.
He’s a quality striker no doubt.
Troy Stavers
Feb 15, 2013 at 1:54 PM
Comment #2I thought we played well against an organised side. We should be going to their gaff with a lead but the linesman was inept.
I don’t see a goal threat from them so I believe we can nick it. Hopefully Cisse will be rewarded for a cracking display last night.
Big Pappa Cissé
Feb 15, 2013 at 1:54 PM
Comment #3I really feel for Cisse. Could have had 6 last night and a few goals would have done his confidence the world of good.
Fostino
Feb 15, 2013 at 1:55 PM
Comment #4didnt get a chance to see the game with valentines and all that carry on. so i am just wondering…….how did mbiwa play at the back. Ive seen this lad play in france and I was very impressed. also was obertan any good? surprised marv wasnt playing from the start. also how ddi the trio of cab aye, sissoko and cabaye get on
fray bentos
Feb 15, 2013 at 1:56 PM
Comment #5@Troy
Think you got me mixed up with somebody else
I too like Cisse
Earl
Feb 15, 2013 at 2:05 PM
Comment #6@ Fostino
He had a pretty solid game. Looked a bit edgy at the start with a few wayward passes, but settled into the game. if I’m honest i want to see him in a CB role as, there wasn’t many incidents where he much in an attacking sense. But I guess Pardews idea was that he thought their winger ‘Willian’ was the biggest threat, so we needed someone who could defend well and mark him out the game, which he did well. So overall very promising, but at CB!
Earl
Feb 15, 2013 at 2:07 PM
Comment #7*offered much
Troy Stavers
Feb 15, 2013 at 2:08 PM
Comment #8@Fray
Soz mate. It was Benry! ;-D
You there Benry, you horrible little Cisse hater!!!
😀
woolerbill
Feb 15, 2013 at 2:18 PM
Comment #9Open your eye’s we are not good enough to win this tie, so let’s just get 3 points from Southampton, because if we don’t we will go down. No more, we should have something out of a game, or the ref was against us. We need to stay up, and that means winning, winning and winning again. Less talk Pardew .
Troy Stavers
Feb 15, 2013 at 2:19 PM
Comment #10@Fray
Actually I agree with you with the post below which is yours from the previous thread;
…………………………………………………………………….
Anybody who didn’t see that we were the dominant team who were really unlucky not to win with a good home score yesterday just aren’t football illiterate and can only comprehend the scroreline and judge accordingly, they are can’t analyse the football because their brains can’t handle it and therefore make judgement based solely on the score.
i feel sorry for them
noladonna
Feb 15, 2013 at 2:20 PM
Comment #11did anyone catch cabayes interview last night after the game man that was painful to watch he started stuttering and sweating felt for him
Troy Stavers
Feb 15, 2013 at 2:20 PM
Comment #12@woolerbill
Totally and utterly disagree with your last post. 😉
Troy Stavers
Feb 15, 2013 at 2:25 PM
Comment #13@Fray
However, I think you meant they aren’t football literate. 😉
bollance
Feb 15, 2013 at 2:31 PM
Comment #14We did enough to win yesterday but that is how it is going this season!
What impressed me most about yesterday and the reason i gave MOM to Sissoko was his ability from central midfield to turn and beat his man or power past one or even two. It put us on the front foot so many times yesterday.
MYM took time to get into the game which was understandable on your home debut. He has some class. the cross for Cisse’s second (disallowed) goal was something we have lacked all season.
Tiote is given a bit more slack in Europe. He can get away with things in Europe because the players dont go down like a sack of potatoes like in the Prem.
It will be a good game second leg but we will need to be at full strength to go through. Will pards play safe and keep his best 11 for Sunday?
No way!!! He knows we have the beating of this side. We are going to go for it in both games.
Fostino
Feb 15, 2013 at 2:38 PM
Comment #15thanks earl. likewise…i can see him doing well there. better than s.taylor which is a shame.
estechco
Feb 15, 2013 at 2:39 PM
Comment #16noladonna @ 11 – He had a little trouble getting his words out, but I think the overall effect summed up how many of us were feeling anyway i.e. the cheating officials robbed us of a win. Difficult to say diplomatically in any language?
Give the guy a break…how well could you give an interview to a French TV sports reporter?
fray bentos
Feb 15, 2013 at 2:40 PM
Comment #17@troy
No, i think you will find i wrote illiterate which means the same thing
Troy Stavers
Feb 15, 2013 at 2:44 PM
Comment #18Illiterate means not being able to read or write
Literate means you can.
I’m beginning to wonder if you are the former. 😀
Just jokin 😉
fray bentos
Feb 15, 2013 at 2:47 PM
Comment #19ah you see i was meant to write are not aren’t
Earl
Feb 15, 2013 at 2:52 PM
Comment #20@Fostino
You know, I actually think that if we can get Saylor and Mbiwa in the same starting line-up, we could see something special. We all know Collo could be on his way in the summer so I think it would be benfitial to getting them used to each other. We havn’t seen a lot of Mbiwa yet, but i’m led to believe hes quite capable of passing out form the back, similar to Collo but has bags of pace and strength. If we can keep Saylor fit for a full season, I don’t see why they cant be our first choice CB pairing going forward
fray bentos
Feb 15, 2013 at 3:11 PM
Comment #21Right im going to say this to stop me coming on here again (as i can’t go back on my word ha);
This will be my last post on here, my time is too precious to spend talking to or making sense out of posters who have no ability to make reasonable and balanced opinions. I also have no time for football fans who spend their whole fan existence critizing and booing players who have been hard working members of our team in recent years, footballers are human aswell, nobody is perfect and everybody makes mistakes. Also can’t be bothered with posters trying to belittle others using grammar/spelling, typo’s anyone
Troy Stavers
Feb 15, 2013 at 3:13 PM
Comment #22Jesus! Fray Bentos. Goodbye and don’t comeback. 😀
Jail for Ashley
Feb 15, 2013 at 3:17 PM
Comment #23I never got the chance to watch all of the game last night as I was working, but I taped ESPN and watched the first and second half analysis this afternoon, I can’t believe there were people on here last night claiming both goals were offside to justify their hatred of Pardew, the first was clearly clearly a yard and a half on side and the second was very close, are these the same people secretly hoping we lose in the forlorn hope that Pardew might get the bullet.
Fostino
Feb 15, 2013 at 3:18 PM
Comment #24earl
i just think colo’s positioning and reading of the game is top notch. i think saylor is a bit of a last ditch defender.
Tommyy
Feb 15, 2013 at 3:21 PM
Comment #25Thank God Fray Bentos is gone! He was such a dick.
Earl
Feb 15, 2013 at 3:32 PM
Comment #26Fostino
Without a doubt mate, Collo’s intelligence on the pitch is irreplaceable. But due to circumstances, we are probably going to have to get used to the idea, that Collo isn’t going to be around much longer. Saylor and Collo are a solid pairing; Collo’s a calm collective character, Saylor the gung-ho body on the line defender. My point being is Mbiwa has the potential to be more than capable of filling Collo’s shoes, and can add the natural pace which Collo lacks (his intelligence and reading of the game makes up for it). There could well be the same, if not better balance of braun and brains with them two which has been so successful in recent times.
Tinman
Feb 15, 2013 at 3:33 PM
Comment #27Was at the game last night, couldnt see the first offside as I was in the gallowgate. The 2nd one looked like it couldnt have been offside! Anyone got a videolink so I can rewatch the game? Need to see those decisions
Earl
Feb 15, 2013 at 3:34 PM
Comment #28*Brawn- apologies, my spelling is terrible!
awesome_fumaca
Feb 15, 2013 at 3:40 PM
Comment #29Have seen a lot of negativity over the performance last night. We should have had one goal (maybe two) and, had Cisse been a bit more clinical we would have a decent cushion going into the second leg. If anyone expected us to smash Kharkiv 4-0 or 5-0 then they know absolutely nothing about football; they finished top of a difficult group which included Bayer Leverkusen and only conceded three goals along the way. Ok, so we weren’t great last night, but there is no need for all the doom and gloom to start again.
Fostino
Feb 15, 2013 at 3:42 PM
Comment #30earl
aye, i hear you ..pinky and the brain partnership. but that partnership can cost a goal like the one bale scored last week. Id be very interested in seening cool and mbiawa paired up in the future…unfortunately for taylor and his last ditch type defending, it may only be a matter of time..as this makes him prone to injury. i think a cb is needed in the summer when colo leaves. a cb and a striker and even a replacement winger for jonas who can actually cross a ball is needed the summer
robin
Feb 15, 2013 at 3:42 PM
Comment #31Pardew, is the worst manager going, Ameobi Colocini and Jonas are terrible yet old clueless Pardew has to make room for them in the team. He cannot see what most fans, except for some of the Geeks on here who are beyond help!
Tsunki
Feb 15, 2013 at 3:44 PM
Comment #32Well its a shame fray has gone and those insulting hin sort of prove his point. There should be room for all sorts of opinions and the only posters I am glad to see the back of are the constant complainers who have no insight or commentary but like to dole out a hard time to people for having their point of view.
Fostino
Feb 15, 2013 at 3:45 PM
Comment #33robin
colo is far from useless….i have to disagree with you there now and so will the majority of premier league players as they voted him as cb on the team of the year last year
robin
Feb 15, 2013 at 3:46 PM
Comment #34Earl, you cretin Colocini is as bad as Williamson and i see the other clown Simpson, crept back onto the bench last night. Pardew has to go!
Tsunki
Feb 15, 2013 at 3:46 PM
Comment #35… And right on cue, robin.
AmericanGeordie
Feb 15, 2013 at 3:46 PM
Comment #36We gave it our best with AP fielding his strongest side, and we are unlucky not to have a 2 goal lead heading into the 2nd leg.
HOWEVER, I think it’s time for AP to field an almost entire 2nd XI to rest up and prepare for the Southampton 6-pointer next Sunday. Here’s my club for the 2nd leg:
4-2-3-1
Krul
Simpson-Willo-M’Biwa-Haidara
Anita-Perch
Obertan-Marveaux-Sammy
Shola
Bench: Harper, Taylor, Tiote, Ben Arfa (if fit), Bigi, Cisse, Campbell
Rest (incl. no travel): Colo, Santon, Cabaye, Sissoko, Jonas, and of course, Gouffran & Debuchy who aren’t eligible to play anyway.
At this point I’d take my chances with that lot. Who knows, we may still go through. Heaven knows we are due a bit of good fortune!
Earl
Feb 15, 2013 at 3:54 PM
Comment #37Robin,
Excuse me?? who are you to call people cretins. For a start I have never spoke to you ever. Abusing people on here for having a balanced conversation, referring to us a ‘geeks’ , literally shows your lack of maturity. Your entitled to your opinion regarding players, but trying to insult us for having a view is canny pathetic like. Bore off!
tequilamag
Feb 15, 2013 at 3:56 PM
Comment #38American I like your team if only for the fact it will drive Check into a frenzy. It could be improved by picking Jonas rather than Sammy to really get him going. I think HBA will be back for Southampton so Jonas could still be a decent option.
tequilamag
Feb 15, 2013 at 3:57 PM
Comment #39Earl if you had not noticed Robin comes on at this time as he is just back from school.
toonicle
Feb 15, 2013 at 4:00 PM
Comment #40So anyone else think we’ll see Shola start next thursday?