There’s no doubt it will be a tough game tonight at Anfield, but with just a little bit of luck Newcastle can take something out of this game.
The news is that Newcastle have not won at Anfield since way back 1994, so it’s time for a win, but a draw would also be good result for Newcastle tonight.
The good news is that Liverpool have hardly been great at home this season, and in their 9 home games in the league they have won three and drawn the rest, and have scored only 11 goals while conceding seven.
Indeed, Liverpool have picked up more points in their nine games on the road this season, winning five and drawing one, for a total of 16 points compared to 15 points at home.
Newcastle have won four and drawn three of their 9 road games so far this season.
If the Newcastle defense is as solid as it looked at Bolton on Monday afternoon, there has to be a decent chance that Newcastle can keep a clean sheet, and if we can do that, there’s every chance Newcastle can take the win with the form our striker Demba Ba is in at the moment.
And it’s almost certain that two players who were at Newcastle last year at this time – Andy Carroll and Jose Enrique – will both start the game and Craig Bellamy, another former Newcastle player, could also start the game tonight.
It was great to get Mike Williamson back on Monday afternoon, and his performance in his first game back for four months, was very good indeed, and he probably didn’t receive the plaudits he deserved after the game.
That could have been because Ben Arfa got most of the headlines for a great first goal, and by turning the game around in favor of Newcastle, when he came on after 61 minutes.
But if we can get another solid performance from Mike and another excellent display from captain Fab Coloccini in central defense, we should do well.
Yohan Cabaye and Cheick Tiote, back again in the center of midfield for the Magpies, looked good on Monday.
And if they can control midfield, who knows, we could even get a win tonight, which will take us above Liverpool and into 6th place in the Premier League, and make Enrique and Carroll wish they were still on Tyneside. 😀
Danny Guthrie is still out injured with his hamstring but Dan Gosling is available again after serving his three match ban for being sent off at Norwich City.
While Alan Pardew could easily start Ben Arfa and the fit again Davide Santon, we have a sneaking suspicion that he will keep the same team, so here is the line-up we expect him to put out tonight.
Krul
Simpson Coloccini (c) Williamson Taylor (R)
Obertan Cabaye Tiote Enrique
Best Ba
Subs: Harper Santon Perch Gosling Ameobi (Sa) Ameobi (Sh) Ben Arfa
The keys to this game are that Newcastle are very solid in defense, and that they can take their chances up front, when they come up.
Newcastle are getting back to the form they showed in the first eleven games of the season, after being decimated by having their three top center-backs out in the one game at Norwich City.
That’s why it is so important to bring in another good center-back next month, in case Colo or Williamson get injured.
Newcastle gave us a good belated Christmas present last Monday at Bolton, and they could send us into the new year on a high, if they can get something out of this game.
It is the only Premier League game being played tonight, and it is being televised live around the world.
A very good time for the lads to put in a tip-top performance for the many fans around the world – and we are hoping they can do exactly that!.
Howay The Lads!!
136 comments so far
ilovetoon8788
Dec 30, 2011 at 3:21 PM
Comment #1Lucas and Suarez out.
And they will test out their new Bellamy Carroll partnership upfront.
With their key players out and most likely i doubt Gerrard will start, we must try to grap the first goal quickly. might make a world of difference.
olivant
Dec 30, 2011 at 3:22 PM
Comment #2Hope we get a win or a draw today at Anfield. Last time I was at Anfield we lost 3-0 Barton got sent of, and the managers name was Shearer. So hopefully we will do better today. HWTL
Rosted Pork
Dec 30, 2011 at 3:26 PM
Comment #3wtf jose replaces jonas 🙂 wen did we sign him back ed
CaptainGeordie
Dec 30, 2011 at 3:35 PM
Comment #4Has anyone noticed that Williamson is great in the air,it seems ever time he goes for the ball, he wins it.I think Kenny will put Carroll on Colo and the Welsh git on Williamson,We’re screwed if we play the highline tonight.
JackButler
Dec 30, 2011 at 3:35 PM
Comment #5Read this morning that Pardew is considering and 8mil bid for James Tomkins of West Ham????
The world has gone mad if this is true
CaptainGeordie
Dec 30, 2011 at 3:40 PM
Comment #6So really we need to have Santon at left back tonight but he seems to be inlove with Ryan Taylor,I believe in every single player within the squad but Ryan Taylor struggles against quick, skillful players.
CaptainGeordie
Dec 30, 2011 at 3:44 PM
Comment #7Jack,Do you rate the lad ?. I have watch him play for West Ham while in the Premier League and the Championship it is easy to say James Tomkins isn’t the player we need.
sox
Dec 30, 2011 at 3:44 PM
Comment #8We have offered a trial to this kid jordan botaka from club brugge, 18yr old holland youth international. He looks immense, his club rejected the trial offer but he’s not proffesionally contracted to any club so he can still accept the trial himself.
http://m.youtube.com/watch?gl=GB&hl=en-GB&client=mv-google&v=4FMFpjIprSI
nightfa11
Dec 30, 2011 at 3:47 PM
Comment #9raylor cant defend against pacey strikers so drop him for this match.. and also…hba for best would be nice
CaptainGeordie
Dec 30, 2011 at 3:50 PM
Comment #10NightFal1 is depends who are Liverpool center halves,if it Carragher playing at the back I would play HBA but if is Agger and Skrtle at the back,I would play Best.
Rotonda heights
Dec 30, 2011 at 3:53 PM
Comment #11Jack Butlelr
couldn’t agree more, Yes Tomkins is way over rated and made Leon Best look like a world beater. Hope it’s just lazy journalisn with pardew being a former west ham manager.
I don’t get Pardew at times. For an hour we played like an Allardyce team against Bolton, then finally, finally changed to a passing game when ben arfa came on and hey presto! I agree with ben arfa coming back gradually but tonight best (not Vuksic) will still be in there despite being dire for 5 games now and we’ll ”hoof” it all over again. We desperately need santon to combat bellamy’s pace too but raylor will be back there too. It’s hardly playing people on merit, it’s playing his favourites. we’ve given up easy points with some bizarre decisions, like Norwich (no 6ft3”Kadar) and bringing on Smith when we were 3-0 up against WBA last season and could have finished 8th. Pardew is obviously doing something right, but with a plan B and a bit of flexibility he could do even better.
nightfa11
Dec 30, 2011 at 3:54 PM
Comment #12CaptainGeordie
its an option..but santon for raylor is a must.. bellamy will destroy raylor.. & i dont wanna see sturridge raylor scenario again.
JackButler
Dec 30, 2011 at 3:56 PM
Comment #13@CaptainGeordie – Tomkins is a good defender but never worth 8mil, for that type of money there are far better defenders out there
JackButler
Dec 30, 2011 at 3:56 PM
Comment #14Bellamy will play on the left, so he’ll be up against Simpson
Graeme
Dec 30, 2011 at 3:57 PM
Comment #15Toon to win 2-1 tonight.
Enrique scores an own goal and gets sent off; Carroll goes off injured after tripping over his own feet and breaking a finger nail. We will be in a local hostelry with a bunch of Blackburn fans and my son, cheering the tooon on to victory lol
CaptainGeordie
Dec 30, 2011 at 4:02 PM
Comment #16Nightfal1-I agree with you.Santon must play tonight or we will be playing 10 men against 11.
JackButler – I agree with you he isn’t worth 8million but I would rather see the like of Kadar getting a game then buying Tomkins.
nightfa11
Dec 30, 2011 at 4:03 PM
Comment #17JackButler
& what if he plays on the right? we might be 3 goals down before hba even gets on the pitch cos of raylor.. dont get me wrong..raylor is a good squad player & he should be obertans back up..but hes not a LB..he looks decent cos he has colo behind him…but he sucks against pacey strikers.
ancientgeordie
Dec 30, 2011 at 4:04 PM
Comment #18Ed think we have a good chance of winning especially as we now have Enrique back in the team!!!(see your line up).
Worried about the game people getting to confident. Think the ex-Toon men may have a word re the result. However am optimistic as always and predict 2-1 to us HWTL
JackButler
Dec 30, 2011 at 4:05 PM
Comment #19The main defenders we’ve been linked with are Douglas, Tomkins, Ridgewell, Jan Vertonghen and Chris Samba.
If we sign Ridgewell or Tomkins they will be squad players only as I don’t believe that they ability to oust Saylor(when fit), Colo or Willo, but signing Jan Vertonghen, Samba or Douglas would put real pressure on the lads we already have, which is what we need, but they are not the cheap option so they wont be coming
CaptainGeordie
Dec 30, 2011 at 4:06 PM
Comment #20Didn’t Bellamy fall out with Sir Bobby because Sir Bobby played him on the right instead of the left ?.
Rotonda heights
Dec 30, 2011 at 4:06 PM
Comment #21Graeme,
Would love that but with over 40 years of watching NUFC my glass is always half empty!
Have this sinking feeling Carroll (or maybe Bellamy) will get a hat tick and Enrique will get some assists.
It’s hide behind the sofa time !!!
cheikmate
Dec 30, 2011 at 4:07 PM
Comment #22The two main battles where it will be won or lost imo:
obertan vs enrique
simspon vs bellamy
CaptainGeordie
Dec 30, 2011 at 4:08 PM
Comment #23I would have Ridgewell and Samba at the club any day of the week,But I would have Ridgewell on loan and Buy Samba the Lion.
JackButler
Dec 30, 2011 at 4:10 PM
Comment #24All the Liverpool games that I’ve seen Bellamy play he’s been on the left, if Santon is fit enough I think he’ll start, my gran would have a good game running at Raylor and she needs a hip replacement 🙁
Whos_SuperMac
Dec 30, 2011 at 4:12 PM
Comment #25I know what you mean Rotonda, i always feel like im waiting for the wheels to fall of.
I’m going for 4-3! But which way I don’t know.
cheikmate
Dec 30, 2011 at 4:12 PM
Comment #26most of our play in their half will be on the counter, can see the plan on the chalkboard now.
long ball up to best
best controls it threads it down the wing for obertan
obertan cuts inside, step over x 4, whips it in (hopefully decent)
finds ba with a simple tap in.
Toon win 1 -0, and i collect my winnings from the bookies. happy days..
ochytoon
Dec 30, 2011 at 4:13 PM
Comment #27Come on guys, lets just be realistic here for a second. Neither Santon or Ben Arfa will start as Pardew seems to have something against players who are you know…. good. I reckon we will play the long ball for 60 minutes and be at least a goal down before Pards decides to make a change in tactics.
CaptainGeordie
Dec 30, 2011 at 4:15 PM
Comment #28If I was Alan Pardew,I would tell Obertan to attack the hell of Jose,to play against Obertan seems to be very awkward in a way.Last timed I remembered Jose didn’t like to defend.
JackButler
Dec 30, 2011 at 4:24 PM
Comment #29TBH with Downing playing on the right side I think Pardew would have an easy time of it, Anfield is quickly becoming a graveyard for young, promising English players.
Also Roy Hodgson had a better points return at this point in the season than King ‘I’ve spent over 100mil’ Kenny has, wonder if the Scouse faithful will hound him out???
Doubt it 😉
angelswithdirtyfaces
Dec 30, 2011 at 4:27 PM
Comment #30sox @ 8
Botaka looks the real deal. Makes sense to bring in/ on kids of his quality to save the FCB from investing real money in a CF.
mattyNUFC
Dec 30, 2011 at 4:28 PM
Comment #31i bit off topic but not too far astray….
in reguards to chelsea supposidly striking a deal with bolton over cahill but that personal terms have yet to be agreed, AVB responded with:
“We’re still miles apart regarding agreement with the player,” he said, warning the Blues had alternative targets. “We’ll continue to monitor this situation as we continue to monitor others.”
the difference between us and top teams is not spending power, as the fee for Cahill is supposedly set at 7mil. It’s about the seriousness of their interest and seeing the necessity of growing squads. How llambias can say not even a month and a half ago “we need bodies, we need that striker in January” and now to drop all pursuit of one because of a defender getting injured is beyond me. i know harping on about it does nothing, but i really hope this is just a ploy and come february 1st we’ll have the quality striker we’ve needed since the championship season. the toss about Maiga’s medical breaking down is just that. i hope i’m proved wrong…
anyway, had box seats to a hockey match here in the states. skipping that so i can watch our boys FINALLY get one over the bindippers. praying pards has got his tactics right this time. our team’s been lifeless these past three games. no more anit-football, alan, please
mattyNUFC
Dec 30, 2011 at 4:31 PM
Comment #32ochytoon,
funny but tragically true i’m afraid
Whos_SuperMac
Dec 30, 2011 at 4:32 PM
Comment #33Santon will be a fixture in the side soon. We didnt spend £5 million on him to just warm the bench. Getting Ashley to spend £5 mill then not playing him would be a sure fire way of getting the sack.
BelfastMagpie87
Dec 30, 2011 at 4:37 PM
Comment #34Dogleash your a c*** Dogleash Dogleash your a c*** !!!
BelfastMagpie87
Dec 30, 2011 at 4:39 PM
Comment #35Haha outburst over!!!
rharrison
Dec 30, 2011 at 4:42 PM
Comment #36Sad Fact… If we had beat West Brom and Swansea we would be 4th above Chelsea. Its a testament to Liverpools mediocrity that we are only 1 point behind them.
Not just because of liverpools recent home results I predict another draw- Our defense in strong with Willo back and HBA hitting form and Bas current form I see us getting a goal. Liverpool do have a great record for us and they have been creating chances so i can also see Carroll getting one.
BelfastMagpie87
Dec 30, 2011 at 4:42 PM
Comment #37Samba only cost blackburn four hundred thousand.
Thats gotta be up there with the best ever deals.
Whos_SuperMac
Dec 30, 2011 at 4:42 PM
Comment #38Out of curiosity what is the most Ashley has spent on a player?
CaptainGeordie
Dec 30, 2011 at 4:44 PM
Comment #3911 million for Colo,I think SuperMac.
mattyNUFC
Dec 30, 2011 at 4:44 PM
Comment #40believe it was colo at 10mil