Alan Pardew has produced a couple of surprises in that he has given a start to Massadio Haidara at left back, and a good move is that Ben Arfa is also in the starting line-up at Southampton today.
Ben Arfa – starts today at St. Mary’s
And as half expected Luuk de Jong is relegated to the bench, and so is Paul Dummett after a mediocre performance against Everton in mid-week.
It’s not clear where Ben Arfa will play – maybe as a withdrawn striker or he could be on the wing, and of course he could easily interchange with Yoan Gouffran, who can also play in both positions.
It’s a surprise that Massadio Haidara has been brought in, but the young Frenchman must have been playing well in training, and certainly he deserves his chance, and he’s a very good young player.
And for Southampton striker Jay Rodriguez is fit and starts for the Saints this afternoon.
This is a tough game for the Magpies, and we just hope somebody can get the goals, and we’ll have to start this game very quickly, as Southampton are often out of the blocks very quickly at home.
And only 17% think we can win this game and 65% think we’ll lose – so the lads can shock us on the positive side this afternoon.
And with the Saints being only one point behind Newcastle, we have to hope we can at the very least come away with a draw this afternoon at St. Mary’s.
Howay The Lads!!
Teams:
Southampton: (4-2-3-1): Artur Boruc; Calum Chambers, Dejan Lovren, Jose Fonte, Luke Shaw; James Ward-Prowse, Jack Cork; Steven Davis, Adam Lallana, Jay Rodriguez; Rickie Lambert
Substitutes: Paulo Gazzaniga, Jos Hooiveld, Harrison Reed, Morgan Schneiderlin, Gaston Ramires, Guly do Prado, Sam Gallagher
Newcastle (4-2-3-1): Rob Elliot; Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa, Mike Williamson, Fabricio Coloccini (c), Massadio Haidara; Cheick Tiote, Vurnon Anita; Moussa Sissoko, Hatem Ben Arfa, Yoan Gouffran; Papiss Cisse
Substitutes: Jak Alnwick, Paul Dummett, Davide Santon, Steven Taylor, Dan Gosling, Luuk de Jong, Shola Ameobi
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505 comments so far
GeordieTwo
Mar 29, 2014 at 5:18 PM
Comment #481It’s knobs galore in our club. Owned by a knob, managed by a knob, formerly directed by a knob.
JP...from The Rock
Mar 29, 2014 at 5:18 PM
Comment #482Give Remy a huge wage packet and have him sign on the dotted line. That would save us from a certain disaster. I don’t care if he’s only here for the money anymore, I just want to see us play proper football like every other team play against us.
Remy signed even if it costs us getting only 1 more striker in instead of the much needed 2 or 3.
At least we will know the lad is a proven goal scorer.
Don’t sign De Jong he’s pants
Don’t sell HBA he is our only world class player along with Debuchy.
Finally get rid of ‘rotton’wood like Strolla Ameobi, Obertan, Gosling, Santon etc
And Sack the useless Pardew and Carver!!
What a bunch of jokers claiming to know something about football and using our only top player as a scapegoat.
They can’t say HBA didn’t track back this time he was really trying and has been these last 3 matches.
I would cry if I would see him leave and Pardew stay.
GeordieTwo
Mar 29, 2014 at 5:20 PM
Comment #483I think Stoke will definitely pass us next. They’ll give us a good hiding when we meet them. Such disarray is hard to believe.
yo-yo
Mar 29, 2014 at 5:20 PM
Comment #484catchy in norway // Mar 29, 2014 at 4:29 PM
“i want us to get hammered now , 5 or 6 would be nice”
So who’s the idiot ?
Supporters who hate to see us play badly or you – the biggest Mackem WUM on the blog who just loves it when we get humiliated ?
Online Guy
Mar 29, 2014 at 5:22 PM
Comment #485Sack Pardew Sunday , Hoddle in on Monday ..at least Hoddle is a deep thinking Football man..
That would give Hoddle time to formulate plans in the Transfer window and asses the staff.
Pardew is just a chancer who’s failed.
Hoddle would Organise the club from top to bottom.
Hoddle would not be my top Choice ..I just know he is a mate of Ashley’s, and I’m thinking of what’s possible in Ashley’s head .. Hoddle would be a better Manager with a better team on the pitch than Pardew.
My first Choice as gaffa would be Rafa
Bottom line is I want Ashley to Sell up. We are not run as A Football Club ..thats not Ashleys priority
I really have had as much as a fair minded supporter can stand for .
Ashley is walking all over Newcastle United and The people of the north east .
toonbrother
Mar 29, 2014 at 5:22 PM
Comment #4867 goals conceded in two games. lol. No Dummett to blame today i wonder who the scapegoat will be?
toonking
Mar 29, 2014 at 5:22 PM
Comment #487BWB
well all the french players.
you see, lots of the bloggers are blaming the bad results on pardew alone and expect us to be higher in the table with a manager like martinez. So basically what they are saying is our team is a quality team and has got internationals otherwise the is no chance we could see the performances of the team be that good.
If they aren’t world class (I believe they just average myself) then pardew has did great and 90% of the season’s fault should be aimed at ashley for 2 windows without investment.
catchy in norway
Mar 29, 2014 at 5:22 PM
Comment #488yoyo
hoop kisser
noladonna
Mar 29, 2014 at 5:23 PM
Comment #4893 years of watching this what i can only describe a sh** football has took it outta me so many games are the same its like groundhog day over and over and over we might play a decent game now and again but more often than not we just play with no style always far to direct no control, no triangles, no width, no team pressure, no progress
GeordieTwo
Mar 29, 2014 at 5:23 PM
Comment #490I can see 3-4 points coming from our last 6 games, IF we can beat Cardiff at home! What a way to end the season.
armchair fan
Mar 29, 2014 at 5:23 PM
Comment #491Pardew and his tactics? Not sure what they are
Never won a game where the other team scored first. This is a problem as clearly it showed our lack of consistency, show up one week, go 1-0 up and we dont lose, but today was the opposite.
Also, Pardew is talking about getting signings in for the Summer so he can persuade Remy to stay – well I hope so
toonbrother
Mar 29, 2014 at 5:23 PM
Comment #492long live captain colocinni.
sparky55
Mar 29, 2014 at 5:23 PM
Comment #493not easy to be objective after a performance like that…we were dreadful.
Southampton’s movement was terrific but to be honest we made them look better than they were because we were so poor.
The season was over after we lost to Cardiff in the cup and you can see it our lack of application and fight…which is of course all down to the manager, his tactics, his set up and his ability to get the players up for the game.
That performance was so bad we’re actually doing a dis service to the rest of the premiership because we’ve given up and we’re rolling over most of the time meaning the teams we’ve already played at the bottom are at a significant disadvantage to the ones we haven’t played from the bottom of the league because the team hasn’t got any fight left in it and the results are therefore skewed.
Irrespective of the fact our season is over we should be coming off the park on our knees and nearly puking up like Scott Parker used to…not walking of and saying…ahhh well…season never over.
Not asking a lot there am I?
PATHETIC…THE LOT OF THEM
Graeme
Mar 29, 2014 at 5:25 PM
Comment #494Sparky – we were not worthy of being classed as “dreadful” – we were nowhere near that good!!!
manxpie
Mar 29, 2014 at 5:26 PM
Comment #495catchy but a whole squad without a winger is not gonna create chances
plus we sell our best creater in cabeye half way through the season!
did you watch the game?
because if you did you can’t say they are great players?
the fact that we have only done well this season with 11 players that equate to our best team and there on form suggests the squad is very very poor
sorry but the squad is majorly over-rated!
beermonkey
Mar 29, 2014 at 5:26 PM
Comment #496come on people lighten up
the players are a little tired this week after all we played on Tuesday night as well
we have been unlucky with injuries any team would struggle with out its top players
expect to hear that and more shit on motd when they interview old pards
Ashton
Mar 29, 2014 at 5:28 PM
Comment #497Pardew got outclassed by a better manager yet again. We have a better squad than Southampton yet we got murdered. We made them look like Brazil and our retarded manager is the only one to blame.
toonbrother
Mar 29, 2014 at 5:28 PM
Comment #4984 goals Mancity
3 goals Everton home
3 goals Everton away
3 goals Swansea
4 goals Southampton
3 goals Hull
guess which “nonchalant” beautiful passing captain led our back line into these shit storms? lol
sparky55
Mar 29, 2014 at 5:30 PM
Comment #499Graeme@ 492…never been good with words…best word I could come up with without swearing!
how about SHAMBOLIC!
yo-yo
Mar 29, 2014 at 5:33 PM
Comment #500JP
We are a team of mediocre players with a mediocre manager and an owner who wants ‘Top Ten”, isn’t keen on cup runs as there isn’t enough money in it and has little or no affection for the Toon or its fans. He’s an accidental owner as we guess he onloy watned the speculative quick buck sell on when he bought the club – abnothre stock market style gamble.
Our £2-6m players are all journeymen – might be on the fringes of a national side or U19 standard but are not regular starters in a top international side or even stars in a mid ranking national side.
We have only really had Cabs and Remy showing class this season. Benny is so inconsistent he looks a great pub team player one week and a top international the next -trouble is you just do not know which guy is going to turn up. Real classy players can deliver more often than not.
Mediocre players + playing badly + lack of motivation – class players – decent game plan = relegation form
Southampton and Everton both have more international class players and better management than we do – try Barkley and Lallana for starters.
Trouble is our mid table side is in relegation form – playing as badly as last season and with AP not knowing how to get out of the rut. Our defence is as bad as any time it has been in the Prem.
And then we go and outplay Hull and give them their worst loss of the season at home. Totally inconsistent.
Online Guy
Mar 29, 2014 at 5:33 PM
Comment #501Pardew on radio He’s busy Patronising the travelling fans .
Online Guy
Mar 29, 2014 at 5:35 PM
Comment #502Pards going on about no threat up front .leaning on remy excuse ..I knew he was going to get that in
yo-yo
Mar 29, 2014 at 5:36 PM
Comment #503catchy
Your comments this afternoon have shown what a WUM you really are – basically a brain dead Mackem level. The ultimate loser.
Himanshu Dhingra
Mar 29, 2014 at 5:36 PM
Comment #504Just a Game No one died.
Bambams
Mar 29, 2014 at 6:26 PM
Comment #505Pards is always building Colo up. He was a great player and still is a good captain. Problem is I think Pards is told to build players up as much as possible whenever there is a possibility another club is after him. I think last week Pards mentioned Colo always wants to be the best player on the pitch which was followed by Pards stating ‘He usually is’…. Come on Alan !
I think our best back four is Debuch, MYM, Will, Haidara.
Pards doesn’t but its interesting how many goals we are leaking.