Alan Pardew couldn’t say anything else, but to say the Newcastle side were just not good enough tonight against one of the lower half sides – Fulham.
Alan Pardew – we did not play well enough
And now that Shola Ameobi suffered a suspected fractured cheekbone during the game, Alan admitted the obvious – we are very short of strikers.
Ever heard of Murphy’s law – it goes something like this.
“If something can go wrong, it will, and usually at the very worst time.”
Well that’s one possible definition of it – does it sound familiar?
This is what Alan told Sky Sports after the game:
“We did not play well enough tonight. The pitch was not the best and didn’t help either team, but we did not threaten enough and we could have been a lot better,”
“They didn’t let us play much, it was a tight, tense affair. But we have Arsenal on Saturday and hopefully we will come away with better points.”
“Shola’s injury has not helped our cause, it’s a blow and we have to make sure we now play a game that suits the strikers we have available.”
“The fans understand there was a blow to us on Monday and we need to rally together and I thank them for their support tonight, they were fantastic.”
Well it’s clear we are in a little spot of bother, as they say, and the players must pull themselves together quickly and be ready to go all out against Arsenal – nothing that happened tonight cannot be put right with a win against Arsenal.
But Alan and the lads will have to work on how we are going to score some goals. Maybe we need to see if any free agents are available – and where has Xisco gone? Oh yes – we let him fo on Monday as well.
Well, here’s another nice mess you’ve gotten me into Ollie! – is a prase that comes to mind at Newcastle this week.
To end on a positive note – again – I’ve got my boots still available – if required. 😀
Comments always welcome.
75 comments so far
macnova
Feb 3, 2011 at 2:01 AM
Comment #41hello lads im new here ….well it makes me sick when i watch us play like we did tonight we were last to the ball, our so-called strikers are non existent and we have no one left to fill those positions. i say get the reserves in for arsenal ….they couldnt do any worse than what we have in the first team, as for the transfer money hahahahahahaha!!!! we will never see a penny of it
stuckdownsouth
Feb 3, 2011 at 2:03 AM
Comment #42For everybody who has a go at Shola at least he can hold the ball up…..sometimes!
I look forward to the Fulham away match because I only live 25 minutes from the Cottage, but the display tonight made it feel every bit as long as my normal 5 hour journey for a home game!
glad to see Pards is thinking about a change of system because Best and Ranger don’t compliment each other at all, and Jose had an unusually dreadful game.
God I hope we get so something out of Saturdays game because the Journey back down for me will be hell surrounded by a load if gloating Gunners!
Sav
Feb 3, 2011 at 2:13 AM
Comment #43How can you call it a blow when we did it to ourselves? A cock-up, a moment of greed over reason, call it what you like, but ‘a blow’ sounds like there was nowt we could do about it.
As for your claim we were beaten by a lower half side, Ed. We ARE a lower half side. We just happen to be temporarily in the wrong place.
Ashley puts the’ F.C’. into Newcastle United F.C.
Sav
Feb 3, 2011 at 2:39 AM
Comment #44Memo to Pards: Sign up Enrique on a long contract today and then give him a right rollicking about giving away that goal.
Daniel Petersen
Feb 3, 2011 at 3:06 AM
Comment #45Have they announced how long Shola is out for?
What formation for the game against the Arsenal?
4-5-1 or 4-4-1-1? I just don’t think we have the forwards for 4-4-2 anymore.
lewman
Feb 3, 2011 at 3:08 AM
Comment #46i would play 4-6 as our strikers are a bit poor at the moment
Daniel Petersen
Feb 3, 2011 at 3:14 AM
Comment #47#45-With Nolan up front?
taker83
Feb 3, 2011 at 3:50 AM
Comment #48Alan Pardew is smart.He tries to win fans heart buy saying they are fantastic etc but in reality u silly bast### YOU MAKE US SUFFER!Mike assley and Derek are your gay partners!How on earth you sold before you found a replacement?Is that an experienced manager?Is that why CH was sacked!
mashearer
Feb 3, 2011 at 4:14 AM
Comment #49simmo-colo-willo-jose
———-tiote—–
——barton—guthrie
jonas——–nolan——–lovo
—————best
terencelim
Feb 3, 2011 at 4:35 AM
Comment #50Stop talking shit and talk like a football pundit. We fans already knew all you mentioned. Your job is to keep quiet and keep yourself calm and stop being a football loser.
Wake up and get your job done sir!
mattoutremont
Feb 3, 2011 at 6:03 AM
Comment #51Hi All,
Been reading this forum for a long time and finally signed up to comment.
I will raise my issues with NUFC
– Willo is not at the level required, for Lennon’s equaliser, he went and stood next to Simpson allowing Lennon to cut inside. Not good enough.
– My concern is with Carroll leaving, the morale in the squad. Our star players Enrique, Tiote and Collo will be getting itchy feet when the club shows this kind of incompetance.
– Letting Routledge go and not replacing him is really incredibly poor management. Routledge had some decent performances, e.g. Chelsea at home and had teams concerned by his pace. He was the only credible performer away to West Brom as well. Shocking.
– Llambias must either be half braindead, or have that much contempt for NUFC fans that he doesn’t care what they think. He single handedly is a disgrace. A teenager would be able to choose better words than him.
– Ashley defenders seem to point to him rescuing the club from the brink etc… and how he has made mistakes but improved overall. His mistakes need to be put in to context, bringing in Kinner and Keegan – awful. Again, a teenager with a football brain could do a better job than this rich ***t.
– Pardew has been absolute class up to this point with the press, but the Carroll incident will be the turning point for him to a one-way ticket if he doesn’t get results soon. He needs to show more guts and he’s naive if he didn’t expect this sort of situation to arise.
– Kadar must be worthy of a place over Willo surely? Willo is a rabbit in the headlights.
Theres more but thoughts welcome..
Partizan
Feb 3, 2011 at 6:04 AM
Comment #52Greetings to all of you,,,nice to be back on this site again.
Well there you go,,,our lovely owners have done it again for i don’t know how many times in a row,i lost count tbh.
And for those of you who believe that 35 mill was worth for the sale of AC and that he also handed transfer request need to think twice cos deep inside you you know its not true…..who is the winner in this whole situation…only fat Mike,and no one else.
Dont even think that,he’ll spend all 35 mill in the Summer,cos no way that will happen in a million years.
We are a selling club and thats a FACT,and no one can change my mind about that,,,,we can never build a proper team to challenge for anything in this league under Ashley cos he’ll even sell his children if the price is right.
I’m only hoping for a takeover and finally bring some ambitions to this club,cos atm we’re just going in circles and relegation fight every season.
Wake up Newcastle fans,before its too late.
Trent Toon
Feb 3, 2011 at 6:04 AM
Comment #53This whole Carroll drama i believe is growing pains for our club. Im sorry for being positive in a highly negative subject, but this season we really have looked quality much more fight and desire than years passed. It really does show that the manager(s) and owners have driven this club forward, agree or disagree our club is in the best shape it has been in about 4 or 5 years. We are in an awkward transitional period that will pass with time. I do believe with the right guidance from the manager, owners, and players from here onwards our club can become great again!!!
Howay the Lads
Zangwill_Ho
Feb 3, 2011 at 6:32 AM
Comment #54I want to see if best, ranger and liven also injure
Newcastle then totally end up thx fat boy
mattoutremont
Feb 3, 2011 at 6:38 AM
Comment #55ed : why has my comment been awaiting moderation for half an hour? that must take so much of your time !
Daniel Petersen
Feb 3, 2011 at 6:49 AM
Comment #56Harper
Simpson-Willo-Collo-Jose
Barton-Tiote-Guthrie-Jonas
Nolan
Best
I think this is our best formation for the Arsenal match.
The whole situation with Andy going to Liverpool has me really depressed, but all we can do as fans is support the players. Let’s do the double over the gunners.
Zangwill_Ho
Feb 3, 2011 at 6:55 AM
Comment #57All bad news always on Newcastle united
carrollsinger
Feb 3, 2011 at 6:57 AM
Comment #58Sats game harper
Simmo colo Campbell bull
Barton Nolan Barton tiote fergie
Ranger
darthkir
Feb 3, 2011 at 7:02 AM
Comment #59Pardew is an agent of Ashley… all of this has been planned all along. The sale of Carroll is pre-arranged.
Daniel Petersen
Feb 3, 2011 at 7:05 AM
Comment #60Sky are saying Shola could be out for four to six weeks.
Toonmania
Feb 3, 2011 at 7:06 AM
Comment #61Hopefully after Nolans comments about Judas on the LFC website he will follow him there in the summer, not even sure why Nolan would still want to play for newcastle he saams to think LFC is a much better club than ours, give Joey Barton the armband at least he seems to be showing some kind of loyalty.
anyone thinks we will get £35 million to spend in the summer is off there head £15 mill maybe
also what happened to the money that Lambaise said Ashley would be investing in the summer if we stayed up??? oh thats right he was always going to try and sell carroll to make the funds available Ashley is a parasite a cancer of NUFC and unfortunately i don’t think there is a quick cure on the horizon and we will end up dying a very slow painful death, we cheated death last year by coming straight back up but how many of you actually think we could do that again the players that stood by us before would walk and ashley would buy an average championship team to replace them with, we will be the new leads utd unless we get rid of this cancer.
why are we all standing by and watching liverpool fans demenstrated until they got what they wanted, we can do the same and don’t back down until we do.
I love my club more than some of our players (ex-players) and i cannot watch the demise much longer, Judus has gone lets get his mentor out too!!!
HWTL
Jarra
Feb 3, 2011 at 7:12 AM
Comment #62Seat belts tightened for the second part of the season, 12 points needed so they tell us for survival?
We all I believe have a fair bit of football knowledge so the obvious is there for all to see, goals win games.
gonna be dull but need to survive, tactics have to be one that we do not concede, two create a goal from set piece.
Therefore with the knowledge we have on the depth of our squad, can only imagine a 4-5-1 formation for the rest of the campaign and we might get to the finish line.
But I have no doubt it’s gonna get scary as we slide down, cause the confidence goes and frustration builds.
Self inflicted tough times makes it worse, but if you get rid of all your tools and do not replace them you no matter what trade your in you can only bodge the job to the best of your ability.
On another front what rewards does Mike Ashley get out of his ownership, does he actually being so hated and gets a perverse happiness.
As for his henchman DL very very sad man.
I pray you do sell the club and I hope we have an honest owner who replaces you even if he has less coin, without honesty and integrity you are nothing.
MykToonFan
Feb 3, 2011 at 7:22 AM
Comment #63Anyone seriously contemplating dropping players like Jonas given the injuries we already have is panicking unnecessarily.
The guy loves the club, and was one of those who stayed when we went down – he didn’t need to. He has experience, and never stops running for the team. We’ll need him against the likes of Walcott on the wing.
If we start throwing youngsters into the mix we’re going to pile too much pressure on them far too early in their career. You can have them on the bench, of course (I’d love to see Vuckic and Ferguson warming up and desperate for a piece of the action) but you’d have to be insane to start them ahead of the likes of Jonas – whether you like him or not.
Daniel Petersen
Feb 3, 2011 at 7:34 AM
Comment #64MykToonFan-I could not agree more. Jonas is key to our survival. He holds up the ball, tracks back and wins free kicks.
max
Feb 3, 2011 at 8:32 AM
Comment #65maybe we should try rangers playing as a right winger. then barton can go back to the middle.
jettson
Feb 3, 2011 at 8:41 AM
Comment #6612 points is a hell of a long way off with no strikers!
Best = statue last night, utterly pathetic!!
Ranger = headless chicken
Lovenkrands = not given long enough
only one place we going in next few weeks and thats down the league!
what brilliant management by the club yet again, utterly inept, corrupt, shambles! Ashley & Llambias call it a business, at least businesses have back up plans / contingencies!! we have Flip all!! who in their rite mind believes Best, Ranger & Lovenkrands will score enough goals to win games????
stuckdownsouth
Feb 3, 2011 at 8:42 AM
Comment #67Slept on it now…..yes we were dreadful and the team looked woefully short of ideas once Shola went off….in the 13th minute.
But this was the same team that beat Wigan, West Ham and took the Scum and Spurs so so close.
This lot of players have been written off before and bounced back, I’m not giving up on them, just as Nolan, Jose, Barton, Colo, Harper, Taylor,didn’t give up when they went down!
Beardsleys Love Child
Feb 3, 2011 at 8:55 AM
Comment #68Move barton into middle move nolan as a second striker with ranger and recall routledge, we cant play long ball to a target man so barton is wasted on the right….could even move jonas right and put lovenkrands left, i should be a manager me
mylestoon
Feb 3, 2011 at 9:06 AM
Comment #69I remember when we played like that against tottenham and we bounced back.
All the strikers need it a goal or 2, especially ranger and they will bang them in.
lesh
Feb 3, 2011 at 9:09 AM
Comment #70Off thread but nevertheless relevant to our plight, now and going forward, but I do have concerns about Ashley’s commitment of spending all of the £35m or so received from Carroll’s sale.
We’ve seen the goalposts move from an ‘assurance’ that the money’d be available for transfers to the qualifed one that it would ‘go to the club’ and used to cover incomers’ transfer fees and wages.
The result of getting Carroll and Xisco off the payroll along with a part of Routledge’s pay will clearly result in a reduction in costs and now MA wants the pay of any incomers to be taken from the Carroll fee…… not the Carroll fee PLUS the above savings in pay.
Fair enough, it’s prudent to get costs down where possible but this appears to severly limit any room for manouvre in next seasons incoming transfer negotiations.
Why do I get the impression that Ashley and Llambias are more concerned with the short term bottom line rather than seeing new players as a long-term investment in, for the sake of a name, Project Europe?
In that situation, any manager’s being forced to operate with his/ her hands tied!!
Or… have I missed something here?
WesJameson
Feb 3, 2011 at 9:16 AM
Comment #71Relegation fight here we come, mark my words!! FFS im gutted at last nights performance 🙁 you can/could see that something wasn’t right with the Lads…mentally….i hate to admit this, but we could be in deep sh!te again this season
Thanks Mike, yet again, well played…firing Chris Houghton, then hiring fekking Alan( I get teams relegated ) Pardew, and now selling Carroll!!!! F@ck this man
IceIceGeordie
Feb 3, 2011 at 9:30 AM
Comment #72Lets be honest now,If we didnt have Tiote on Saturday we would road kill for sure…. Cant wait 😀
Howay the lads !
steburnip
Feb 3, 2011 at 9:49 AM
Comment #73COCKNEY MAFIA OOOOT!!!
WE WILL ONLY GO ONE WAWITH THE COOONTS!!!
DOWNNNN
RichK
Feb 3, 2011 at 9:50 AM
Comment #74I was really disappointed last night, we offered nothing in terms of a goalscoring threat and we didn’t keep the ball well enough!
Jonas has to be switched to the right hand side I’m sick of seeing him not willing to use his left foot when he’s in ideal crossing situations. I think we have to go with the following team on Saturday:
Harper
Simpson Willo Colo Enrique
Jonas Barton Tiote Ferguson
Nolan
Best
And then when all players are fit
Harper
Simpson Taylor Colo Enrique
Tiote
Barton Nolan Ireland
Ben Arfa
Ameobi
That’s a side more than goo enough to stay up even without striking options! We’re going to have a tough month or so but we’ll have enough to stay up I have no doubt. Keep the faith! HWTL’s
hitman
Feb 3, 2011 at 9:52 AM
Comment #75spineless coonts.