Sam Allardyce, the Sunderland manager, thinks that it´s almost a forgone conclusion that Newcastle will win against Crystal Palace on Saturday.
No, it´s not because we got 5 points out of the last three games and held both Manchester City at home and Liverpool away after we were two goals behind.
Rafa Benitez and Sam Allardyce
It´s because he says the Crystal Palace players will have been celebrating their semi-final win against Watford and will not be in a good state mentally to be a challenge to the resurging Newcastle side.
This is what Sam has said:
“Newcastle will win on Saturday, I’d have a bet on that if I could,” “Newcastle pose the bigger threat than Norwich to our survival.”
“I think they’ll beat Palace and they’ve got Villa, then it depends on what Spurs do there. So I think they’ll win at least two. ”
“Palace are in the FA Cup final and they would all have been celebrating, they would all have been on the pop.”
“They won’t be mentally ready for it and neither will Alan [Pardew], because he’ll be thinking about the final now, not thinking about Newcastle away.”
“You’re not going to stop the lads celebrating having got through to a final, particularly Crystal Palace, because it’s such a good achievement for the club, the fans, Alan and the owner, there is such euphoria around the place.”
“It may well serve in reverse. He could say, ‘Off you go lads, go and play today and relax, the result doesn’t matter as much’ and they might win.”
“But it could go the other way, “Ooh, I’ve had a good couple of days off and I don’t want to get injured for the final, I might just stay out of that tackle,”
“Who knows? I suspect it might be the latter.”
Note that what Sam says has nothing to do with Newcastle possibly being the better team on Saturday, after we drew with two European semi-finalists in the last two league games after hammering Swansea 3-0.
Sam is getting a little worried, but it’s because Newcastle are starting to play very well under Rafa Benitez and he´s right – Newcastle are a bigger threat to Sunderland surviving the drop than are Norwich.
But Sunderland are still the favorites with the bookies to be the club that survives this season.
What do you think?
Comments welcome.
31 comments so far
Jail for Ashley
Apr 28, 2016 at 11:33 PM
Comment #1Not strange at all, just windong Palace up to make sure they turn up.
YoungMagpieFromBurnley
Apr 28, 2016 at 11:35 PM
Comment #2Tsunki
So why do you have an agenda against me? I can’t remember saying anything bad to you.
Your ‘Mr Observant’ name has gone under the radar though.
Bobbybee
Apr 28, 2016 at 11:37 PM
Comment #3Greetings lesh, i trust your health is well? My backs my back – unreliable at best. 😉
lesh
Apr 28, 2016 at 11:41 PM
Comment #4Bobby
Glad to hear you’re felling better and in good fettle.
On thread, I think Sam’s alluding to a fixed result….. Naughty Sam for suggesting such.
For you Bobby, a repost to get you thinking…..
Jib et al
Harking back a couple of days when the craic touched on music and there was reference to John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers (my misnaming at the time)..
Here’s a list of noted (boom boom!) musicians who played in that band…..
The Bluesbreakers have included musicians such as:
?Eric Clapton (April–August 1965, November 1965–July 1966) and Jack Bruce, both later reuniting in Cream
?Peter Green (July 1966-July 1967), who departed with Mick Fleetwood (April–July 1967) and then also enticed original bassist John McVie a few weeks later to form Fleetwood Mac
?Mick Taylor (summer 1967–July 1969), who later joined the Rolling Stones, and reunion tours in 1982–83 and 2004
?Harvey Mandel, Walter Trout, Larry Taylor (Mandel, Trout and Taylor left Canned Heat to join Mayall)
?Don “Sugarcane” Harris, Randy Resnick, Aynsley Dunbar
?Dick Heckstall-Smith, Tony Reeves and Jon Hiseman (later of Colosseum)
?Andy Fraser (Free), Chris Mercer (Juicy Lucy), Henry Lowther, Johnny Almond and Jon Mark (later of Mark-Almond)
Quite an array of talent in there.
One day, we might be able to form a list of Newcastle players who moved on to greater heights.
Any suggestions?
Bobbybee
Apr 28, 2016 at 11:42 PM
Comment #5Ha ha! This is knacka brain trying to emulate SAF’s mind games, but he’ll just end up confusing himself so i would’t let it bother anybody. We’ll beat palace because we need to and are the better team at last. Let him convince his own thick lot with this gibberish. Clown.
Bobbybee
Apr 28, 2016 at 11:43 PM
Comment #6I suppose big andy is in a better position, injuries excluded. Get stuck after that! 😉
Bobbybee
Apr 28, 2016 at 11:45 PM
Comment #7Oh yeah, and danny simpson. God knows how though. 🙂
magscar
Apr 28, 2016 at 11:45 PM
Comment #8Allardyce has torn a page out of Ferguson’s book on how to wind up your competitions next opponents .
Cue Rafa saying after beating Palace
” I’ll love it just love it if they go down”
whilst stabbing finger at SKY camera
Then again Rafa prefer’s a bit of banter about facts rather than this old school crap I think.
jimmysmith
Apr 28, 2016 at 11:47 PM
Comment #9Ashley’s agreement with Benitez, I imagine would likely be along the lines of “you’ll have the players to bounce back, and you’ll have access to the profits to build the first team and develop players once back, but no more.” Nothing on the never, never.
Benitez, wanting to coach in England, might not get a better offer and might think it reasonable.
YoungMagpieFromBurnley
Apr 28, 2016 at 11:49 PM
Comment #10Anyhow you’ll all be glad to know I’m getting off to watch fear the walking dead and then bed after for work tomorrow. Night.
Bobbybee
Apr 28, 2016 at 11:51 PM
Comment #11Oh well, got things to catch up with on the planner and i’m getting grief about ‘available space’. G’night all. Pleasant dreams about running around wembley with a trophy, things like that.
magscar
Apr 29, 2016 at 12:05 AM
Comment #12Lesh
Before I turn in – on former players not sure how far back you mean but the names coming to my mind are from way back
Alan Kennedy
Peter Beardsley
Terry McDermott
Chris Waddle
Frank Clark
All with European Cup medals I think
Peter Withe
Paul Gascoigne
Anyway some to get list started as I’m off night
lesh
Apr 29, 2016 at 12:33 AM
Comment #13Magscar
Good shout and you’ve narrowed the options significantly.
Can I stretch things a bit by suggesting Ronnie Simpson – European Cup with Notts Forest?
lesh
Apr 29, 2016 at 12:35 AM
Comment #14Whoops…. Or was it Celtic for Ronnie Simpson?
😐
Mister Tuff
Apr 29, 2016 at 12:37 AM
Comment #15Hatem Ben Arfa – shortlist for French player of the year.
Novocastrian66
Apr 29, 2016 at 12:41 AM
Comment #16Leah; Celtic mate.
jimmysmith
Apr 29, 2016 at 12:43 AM
Comment #17Andy Cole, and the opposite of course, Alan Shearer, who lost out on so many medals in deciding to join us rather than Utd. That decision probably cost Scholes, Giggs, Neville, Beckham et al medals.
Mister Tuff
Apr 29, 2016 at 12:47 AM
Comment #18Two weeks on Saturday and all the speculation will be over. My shout for what it’s worth.
Relegation and Rafa will be away. Only way he would stay would be the promise of mega cash – and belief of coming straight back up. Cannot see Mr Tubbs sanctioning that.
Survival – I think Rafa would be amenable to stay – conditions mega cash and STRICTLY no interference.
Penfold remains in post.
Carr retires – due to his age -a natural retirement as opposed to being pushed. (spun as)
Plus no real explanations of what went wrong this season.
Mister Tuff
Apr 29, 2016 at 12:53 AM
Comment #19Another point.
If we stay up, Rafa stays and we do really well next year and progress is evident any hostility towards Mr Tubbs will vanish.
People won’t give a crap about foreign Sweatshops, SD Business practices, zero hours, dodgy dealings.
Folk will even admit they shop in his stores.
lesh
Apr 29, 2016 at 2:26 AM
Comment #20Mr Tuff
Your asking a lot if you expect fans to admit to shopping in SD!
davis_toons
Apr 29, 2016 at 3:42 AM
Comment #21Hatem Ben Arfa back with Rafa in-charge.
Mister Tuff
Apr 29, 2016 at 3:54 AM
Comment #22lesh – they may not readily admit to it but you know what I mean.
davis – it will never happen – now wonder why they got rid of him so quick – what might have been – Benny- Aubameyang – Mitro.
We would not be at the bottom of the table.
Off and away to the pit.
Ron Knee
Apr 29, 2016 at 6:22 AM
Comment #23lesh
James Milner (rhythm guitar) to Manchester Citeh?
Munster Mag
Apr 29, 2016 at 6:47 AM
Comment #24Hba wudnt get on a rafa first team, end of.
lochinvar
Apr 29, 2016 at 6:56 AM
Comment #25Allardyce conveniently forgets his lot play Everton – hardly the team of the moment and soon to be Managerless, possibly like Sunderland as well. There’s an opportunity for you Sam but get in quick unless you want to be second to Pearson at the interview.
Munster Mag
Apr 29, 2016 at 7:27 AM
Comment #26Lochinvar, and stoke who are useless now. Whilst pardew is a tool, i really do dislike fat sam. If memory serves me right, i recall watching one of his first games for us v aston villa? From our kick off, ball went one pass back and our striker made a beeline for their corner flag. Our midfielder hit the ball long and it went out near their corner flag. All within 15 seconds of start of match. I cudnt believe what i was seeing.
Jail for Ashley
Apr 29, 2016 at 7:31 AM
Comment #27WBA who had absolutely nothing to play for agai st Sours gave me hope that Stoke, Everton and Watford might want to salvage a bit of pride to towards the end of their season.
Jail for Ashley
Apr 29, 2016 at 7:33 AM
Comment #28I also really don’t get the accusation of hypocrisy because I’ve been going to games to give support when the team needs it most.
Jail for Ashley
Apr 29, 2016 at 7:53 AM
Comment #29Realistcally we could be four points clear of the mackems by the time they play their game in hand. Surely Stoke will want to go out with a win under their belts and Chelsea have got to show a bit of quality with Terry back in the side. I can see the mackems getting two points out of those two games though leaving us to have to thump Palace 4-0 and Villa 6-0
hibbitt
Apr 29, 2016 at 8:08 AM
Comment #30Jail for Ashley
all we can do is win our games and HOPE
i wish we had more like you we need all the support we can get at the moment
lets have the inquest at the end of the season when we know were we are
good luck toon army
Vader
Apr 29, 2016 at 8:09 AM
Comment #31Mind games.