Every team in the Championship seems to be able to beat any other team on their day – and in that aspect it’s not unlike the Premier League.
We remember well the game at New York Stadium on Saturday, October 1st when a wonder goal from Cristian Atsu put us 1-0 up after 41 minutes.
But we were hanging on desperately near the end of that game as Rotherham threw everything but the kitchen sink at us – but we just held out for all 3 points.
Rotherham’s Paul Warne – interim manager for rest of the season
It doesn’t matter whether we are playing a Brighton near the top or a Rotherham at the bottom – our lads have to turn up at every single game of the season.
If we can do that we have a good chance of being promoted – but if we cannot we could well be caught.
It’s a good opportunity tomorrow when the Millers visit us to put in a very good performance against a hard-working Rotherham side and hopefully get all 3 points at St. James’ Park.
Here’s hoping.
Comments welcome.
128 comments so far
G
Jan 20, 2017 at 8:21 AM
Comment #1Noticed in the Metro this morning that the tipster is nodding for a Rotherham win. Hopefully now we have Jonjo back we will dish out a decent result, if not a hiding.
ShirebrookToon
Jan 20, 2017 at 8:25 AM
Comment #2Hoping for a win but stranger things have happened. I’ll be there cheering the lads on until my voice box crumbles. Can’t wait!
giimps
Jan 20, 2017 at 8:27 AM
Comment #3Rotheram played well vs norwich, albeit against 10 men for large part of it……still no gimmee……should scrape a win though
DubaiMicky
Jan 20, 2017 at 8:35 AM
Comment #4To be honest, if we can’t beat Rotherham at home what point is there in being promoted, we won’t stand a chance against Chelsea etc.
Jib
Jan 20, 2017 at 8:40 AM
Comment #5DubaiMicky
“Erm”
(looks left – looks right)
whispers out of corner of mouth (not wanting the rest of the blog to overhear and throw Micky out of the room)
“there’s this thing called the Summer transfer window”
one fine day
Jan 20, 2017 at 8:41 AM
Comment #6Giimps
Rotherham gave us a decent game at their place .
No pushovers .
But I have a feeling shelvey will be very up for this .
His 5 matches off could be a blessing in disguise in a 45 game season .he looked fresh as a follicly challenged daisy the other night .
For a few games with gayle up front I have seem some beautiful crosses coming in from all angles and wondered why… Hoping to see the same on Saturday with smurf grinning in the box .
Maybe the gouff in behind him ? But as Perez was pretty much rested on Wednesday I expect him to get the nod .
Jail for Ashley
Jan 20, 2017 at 8:41 AM
Comment #7Dubai Mickey,
We are not Burnley or Hull. Watford, Southampton and Bournemouth did not spend fortunes either and they don’t have UEFA elite managers, wtf is the point of mentioning how we’ll do against Chelsea next season
one fine day
Jan 20, 2017 at 8:44 AM
Comment #8Dubai Micky
Even when we were shit we took the pi@@ out of Chelsea year on year .
Something I reminded my brother in law at Christmas amongst other things 🙂
hibbit
Jan 20, 2017 at 8:49 AM
Comment #9Dudai Mickey
Chelsea @home easy-peasy
expatmag
Jan 20, 2017 at 8:53 AM
Comment #10JIB
You might need to be reminded that the likes of Blackburn (twice) Wolves and Notts Forest have already defeated us this season whilst they were in or close to the bottom 3.
If you watched the Rotherham game away earlier this season, we were extremely fortunate to come away with 3 points which we clearly did not deserve.
To ridicule Dubai Mick on his quite clearly fair observations in your usual.arrogant manner is yet another example of your ignorance of anything to fo with football especially NUFC.
Dont bother replying because we already know you reply will be non sensical
Jib
Jan 20, 2017 at 8:56 AM
Comment #11Lots of massage and ultrasound for Dwight’s hammy
one fine day
Jan 20, 2017 at 8:57 AM
Comment #12Expat ,
Good to see you mate
Have 2017
Shocking / tragic stuff in the CBD today .wifes cousin was in the mall On his lunch break too.
Jail for Ashley
Jan 20, 2017 at 8:57 AM
Comment #13expat,
Put us in the PL with 16 points and 30M to.spend before the end of January and we’d stay up imo.
DubaiMicky
Jan 20, 2017 at 8:58 AM
Comment #14@Jib,
Summer transfer window? Well we need to get promoted before that happens don’t we.
@expatmag,
Thanks for the support.
one fine day
Jan 20, 2017 at 8:58 AM
Comment #15Happy / have. Bloody auto correct is like fighting dyslexia
G
Jan 20, 2017 at 8:58 AM
Comment #16If this was the old Turkish League format, that might have happened Jail. Would be interesting experiment either way.
one fine day
Jan 20, 2017 at 9:04 AM
Comment #17Dubai Micky
It’s not the Chelsea / man utd we need to worry about .
It the west brom , Stoke and Southampton’s where we tend to switch off more
Jib
Jan 20, 2017 at 9:09 AM
Comment #18The Melbourne thing looks to be criminal rather than terrorist related.
Jib
Jan 20, 2017 at 9:11 AM
Comment #19DubaiMicky
Summer transfer window? Well we need to get promoted before that happens don’t we.
How else are going to play Chelsea ?
You think they might get relegated ?
😀
Ha ha ha
Jib
Jan 20, 2017 at 9:12 AM
Comment #20+we
Jail for Ashley
Jan 20, 2017 at 9:13 AM
Comment #21Where is Moanster Mag, Jmiley and Stan Anderson after a win, why does Moanster stop banging his drum for a few days after a decent win, we’d have had a cacophony of drum noise complaining about three kids playing had we have lost.
giimps
Jan 20, 2017 at 9:20 AM
Comment #22Complacency seems to be a big part of this squads downfall, the games where we lose are either because we are complacent or dominate them for large parts of the game and get hit on the break .
If we could score a few more from what we creare it wouldnt matter if we concede a goal but at the minute it seems as if every time the opposithon score they get a lift……it wouldnt be so if we were 4 up by the time they get one.
Next season if we have as i suspect get promoted will be the hardest task imho, not because we are poor but because every decent team in the prem will have loads of ooddles of cash to burn, again imho, the wheat is being separated from the chaff and once the bottom 3 go (probably Hull, Scumberland and either Swans (sorry Welshie) or Palace) there wont be many really poor sides to swap places with after they have recruited in the summer.
The best chance we have is to guarantee promotion well in advance of the end of the season so we can sound out the players and positions we need before the Premiership finishes and the ones who are struggling know which league they are going to be in.
This is all hypothetical as we dont know what is going to happen between now and the end of January never mind the end of the season but one thing is for sure, the sooner we know were up the better.
AncientC
Jan 20, 2017 at 9:22 AM
Comment #23Steak and Kidney Pie:
“Sels has a terrific physique for a keeper, big, strong, lean and agile, and we know he is a top shot stopper.”
Sels, big? he isn’t even 6ft 2inches tall. Whatever Sels has going for him, it isn’t his physique.
Jib
Jan 20, 2017 at 9:29 AM
Comment #24I thought it was interesting in talkradio’s (much better) match commentary on the Birmingham game that Steve Harper several times referred to the home crowd.
In his opinion (much derided by certain bloggers on here) the SJP crowd can be a negative factor in that they make players scared to try stuff and make them play over-cautiously.
He said that’s why Shelvey is so good for the side.
He doesn’t give a toss.
He constantly tries stuff and if it doesn’t come off and the crowd don’t like it – tough.
expatmag
Jan 20, 2017 at 9:39 AM
Comment #25OFD
Absolutely shocking but thankfully doesnt appear to ISIS related…just a fcuking off his head druggy apparently.
Everything rlse is well here though.
AncientC
Jan 20, 2017 at 9:39 AM
Comment #26Jib, I caught that one myself. Harper may have been right. Of course, it is difficult for a player to build any confidence, when he PC brigade are reading to quash a player for expressing any kind of personality.
For example, you making out Mitrovic was a bit of a chav who would be “geet lush” down the bigg market, because he has a tattoo on his neck. We don’t want individuals, we want 11 Gareth Barry’s.
Jib
Jan 20, 2017 at 9:39 AM
Comment #27AncientC
Sels, big? he isn’t even 6ft 2inches tall. Whatever Sels has going for him, it isn’t his physique.
Oxymoron
martoon
Jan 20, 2017 at 9:40 AM
Comment #28Jib @24 – Speaking as one of the crowd it is frustrating when a promising move breaks down with a misplaced pass. I think most of the crowd are sensible enough to realise this will happen sometimes especially for a player like Shelvey who’s game relies on spectacular passes. The real frustration comes when a simple 5 yard pass misses it’s target – only natural to vent your disappointment – part of the game imo and a Pro has to learn to deal with it.
expatmag
Jan 20, 2017 at 9:42 AM
Comment #29DUBAI MICK
See what I mean about being an idiot. He is without doubt, this blogs.
toontaff2
Jan 20, 2017 at 9:46 AM
Comment #30Certainly a few moaning minnies on Wednesday when even the debutants made an error which was daft! Part-time football know nowts, unlike moi!
expatmag
Jan 20, 2017 at 9:49 AM
Comment #31JFA
I take your point but only to a certain degree because;
1….I think the current squad is good enough to get us promoted.
2…I cant see Ashley shelling out inflated amounts for premiership players who are currently unable to guarantee themselves regular starting places with mid to lower level premiership clubs.
3…We aent going to get them on loan either because said clubs will want to sell to replace.
4…The January transfer window is historically not ghe best time to deal in transfers as usyally it is desperate clubs who deal as our recent record in this market shows.
5….I think the £30 millon could be better used in the summer market when I am sure we will have achieved oromotion and eont be held to eansom by over inflared teansfer fees fir better quality players
Jib
Jan 20, 2017 at 9:51 AM
Comment #32Ancient C your bad marks at school for English comprehension have dogged you into adulthood.
On Mitrovic I said his appearance appeals to the Chavs who mistakenly perceive him as one of them.
I have it on good authority that he is a teetotal family lad who dotes on his partner and baby.
AncientC
Jan 20, 2017 at 9:51 AM
Comment #33Jib, 6ft 1, ‘big’ in Goalkeepers terms?
lochinvar
Jan 20, 2017 at 9:54 AM
Comment #34http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-38682911
Have a look – this is how the elite clubs or stadia that join the Chinese backed World Club Franchise will operate in the future.
If Newcastle are to be part of this brave new world then we have a long way to go but at least with SJP and the fan base we have a chance.
The likes of Hull, Palace, Sunderland , Swansea, Villa and others will not be invited to the party, even if they were they wouldn’t know what to do when they got there.
ron burgundy
Jan 20, 2017 at 9:55 AM
Comment #35I thought you got most things on appro.
AncientC
Jan 20, 2017 at 9:55 AM
Comment #36Jib, what does Mitrovic being teetotal have to do with anything.
You were mocking Mitrovic for having a tattoo on his neck, and you were mocking people who frequent the bigg market – “geet lush” having a tattoo on one’s neck, as you described the bigg market people.
AncientC
Jan 20, 2017 at 9:56 AM
Comment #37Jib // Dec 31, 2016 at 12:20 PM
“The hero worship of Mitro by the more thuggish element of toon support has less to do with his footballing prowess and more to do with the fact that he would not look out of place in the Bigg market on a Friday night.
“Hev ya seen that tatt on his neck ? – it’s geet lush – Aam ganna get one wiv me nex giro”
WWSBRD
Jan 20, 2017 at 9:57 AM
Comment #38Did we really struggle against Rotherham last time? We played poorly that game but (I looked at the beeb report) they had 1 shot on target
I cant see anything other than a win tomorrow with 2/3 goals (if Gayle was fit Id be saying 5/6)
WWSBRD
Jan 20, 2017 at 9:59 AM
Comment #39AncientC
PC brigade at St James? Cant say Ive sat near anyone PC when Ive been at St James, plenty of helmets but no one PC
AncientC
Jan 20, 2017 at 10:01 AM
Comment #40WWSBRD, lol. I was being slightly ironic. If Jib is Politically Correct. God help us all.