Newcastle just need a draw or a loss by one goal against Arsenal in today’s second leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final at St. James’ Park. The lads take a 2-0 lead from the first leg into tonight’s highly-anticipated match.
This is the team Eddie Howe has named for the cup clash with what looks to be a change of formation to a 5-2-3.
HOWAY THE LADS! ? pic.twitter.com/xW2OJnDbdN
— Newcastle United (@NUFC) February 5, 2025
Arsenal is unchanged from their 5-1 trouncing of Man City on Sunday. This will be a difficult test with Howe seemingly opting to preserve the 2-0 lead. Whether that is wise remains to be seen.
Howay The Lads!
567 comments so far
Not another deJong
Feb 8, 2025 at 6:36 AM
Comment #481Fresh & great memories being made.
https://youtu.be/t8JvYWBkFWc?si=G3k7mB_VE0eUq8EP
Raj of Hailsley
Feb 8, 2025 at 6:40 AM
Comment #482Wor B,
Remember Sheff Wed, if he’d started strong and got a 0-5 lead (because football always works like that) then we could have took our foot off the gas, however if for some inexplicable reason that Bruno et al hadn’t of raced to an unassailable lead and they were knackered for a vital PL game where the CL was up for grabs, the contingent of Howe haranguer’s and Eddie earacher’s would have been up in arms that the big guns weren’t rested. I think a mixture of both as we’ve a full week off before Man City
Raj of Hailsley
Feb 8, 2025 at 6:46 AM
Comment #483Kelly debut hasn’t gone well by all accounts 😕
Not another deJong
Feb 8, 2025 at 7:16 AM
Comment #484True Geordie being humble (not)
https://youtu.be/6DuAOJClj8U?si=IVFO449-9eah7rCQ
Raj of Hailsley
Feb 8, 2025 at 7:30 AM
Comment #485Nadj,
I can’t listen to him anymore after the way he went after the team and manager during our blip.
Not another deJong
Feb 8, 2025 at 8:07 AM
Comment #486Raj
He does acknowledge that, but fair enough.
Not another deJong
Feb 8, 2025 at 8:16 AM
Comment #487Lloyd Kelly a 5/10 – timid impact and clearly poor execution, did not execute with confidence and terrorised by Como winger. Hopefully, first match jitters in a new league for a new team and he will improve, once he settles. Although personally I didn’t think he had the presence to become a regular starter for nufc.
magscar
Feb 8, 2025 at 8:35 AM
Comment #488Matchday
After the Lord Mayor’s show eh??
I hope not….
but there will be necessary changes to starting 11 and as we usually say will the new ones want and take opportunity to make their mark!
I hope so…
but there’s a reason BBC have this one down for live coverage and no it’s not an 8- 0 away win for the PL side!
Eddie will try to get his changes right and gee up the players but too many with possibly ring rusty starters and others with Carabao not FA cup on their minds still could be costly
Even acknowledging this whatever side Eddie picks should be enough to get a result especially if Wilson is truly fit and rarimg to go ( as he surely starts?)
I am a little worried about midfield as Joelinton won’t be available and Bruno and Tonali have done the hard yards just over 48 hours ago
Does he maybe go with Tonali ( better engine) then 2 of Miley Longstaff and Willock or risk just those?
Longstaff and Willock haven’t been themselves in recent subs appearances otherwise I’d be confident that the 3 would have enough
Burn and Kraft at CB or does Schar also stay there ( Eddie likes to keep back 4 as little changed as possible)
Tino returns for Tripps? Hall also stays?
Pope surely returns – for maybe just this game
A tricky Eddie bingo
Eddie always sets up to win but can’t and doesn’t always get it right
He will be serious about progression in this competition and not be at all distracted after Wednesday but another lacklustre performance like away at Fulham or Brentford or any of the 4 home defeats will not go well
Birmingham will put out their best side and with home advantage want to put on a show
Nevertheless at best they are still no better than a Championship side (in waiting) and we ought to be good enough with players with their match heads on to get through a tricky tie
I reckon we will ,,,,, but might not be a good watch ?
HWTL
magscar
Feb 8, 2025 at 8:47 AM
Comment #489NADJ
I was hoping if not expecting that despite his “free buy” status that Kelly would live up to many Bournemouth fans’ rating of a potential England player if he stayed clear of injury
Sadly ( and without maybe a good run) he did little to convince me that was likely to shift Burn or Hall from side – Botman’s successful return from his ACL only added to his likely lack of game time
I do believe he wasn’t bought just as a trading player
However for whatever reason he didn’t seize what few opportunities came his way and the Juventus offer in our PSR predicament meant that inevitably a business decision would override any football one
As you say maybe he doesn’t have the “presence” ?
No axe to grind with him though and I wish him well
Hibbit
Feb 8, 2025 at 8:56 AM
Comment #490Morning all ,
Kelly isn’t our problem anymore, but to be fair to the lad,
new team
new league
new country
and very little game time this season could take him a while to get up to speed,
Raj of Hailsley
Feb 8, 2025 at 9:15 AM
Comment #491I’m not going to repost it but a huge twitter account called Forza Juve retweeted some gawd awful comments about him on his debut.
Raj of Hailsley
Feb 8, 2025 at 9:16 AM
Comment #492Hibbit,
I wouldn’t be so sure, we don’t know what the stipulations are.
Hibbit
Feb 8, 2025 at 9:23 AM
Comment #493Jail did i not read they had committed to buy at the end of the season ?
Raj of Hailsley
Feb 8, 2025 at 9:43 AM
Comment #494Hibbit,
It’s an obligation if certain stipulations are met, listening to PotT yesterday and although they sound like they are heavily on a sale going through it don’t think it’s a complete given. Open for discussion mind so I’d like to hear others knowledge on it.
Legolas
Feb 8, 2025 at 9:44 AM
Comment #495Regarding the Kelly deal to Juventus, I read an article that said the obligation depended on if Juventus qualified for any Europe club competition.
Raj of Hailsley
Feb 8, 2025 at 9:52 AM
Comment #496Legolas,
Even the inter toto cup 😕
Lee Charnley Bunga Party
Feb 8, 2025 at 9:58 AM
Comment #497Watched Craig Hopes video last night and it seems a dead certainty that Wilson is going to start judging by Eddie’s comments
Wilson apparently now feels 100% ready and they don’t feel that 10 mins here and there off the bench is beneficial for him he needs a longer run
So if that is the case I would like to see Osula get a shot as one of the wide forwards he’s got pace , hold up play is amazing and can shoot with both feet so would be a good chance to try him out
Poet Of Prudhoe Park
Feb 8, 2025 at 10:02 AM
Comment #498To be fair juve were absolute shite last night. The player who kelly replaced at half time was having torrid game first half.
lochinvar
Feb 8, 2025 at 10:21 AM
Comment #499Maquire gets Manu’s winner last night while clearly half a metre off side, no sign of a linesman and VAR not allowed to be used so they avoid extra time.
Helps them into the next round, strange that.
Isak’s wonder strike against Arsenal was in those circumstances a brilliant goal as even with VAR it wasn’t offide.
No wonder the FA are seemed as incompetent or worse.
A Geordie Mongrel
Feb 8, 2025 at 11:13 AM
Comment #500Eddie’s Bingo closes at 3:30 this afternoon. https://www.nufcblog.com/2024/05/19/newcastle-finish-7th-with-good-4-2-win-but-now-wait-on-europa-conference-qualification/comment-page-7/#comment-3064880
The Bard of Bensham Bank
Feb 8, 2025 at 11:14 AM
Comment #501A little birdy told me that Smudge’s mate
Had a birthday due on February 8….
.
Happy Birthday Peter old bean
The most eccentric poster we’ve seen
You brought to the blog
A little Pug dog
When apparently high on Codeine
Eccentricity is good, not bad
It can mix up the blog just a tad
So you’ll do for me
And it’s so nice to see
That there’s more than Tuffers who’s mad
And now that you’re 82
I thought I would leave for you
A one verse rhyme
Featuring THAT canine
And most of it is probably true …
.
.
.
There once was a flatulent Pug
Who’d fall fast asleep on the rug
He’d fart and he’d snore
And then fart some more
So they bunged him with Tufty’s butt plug
.
.
Have a good ‘un
😀
Raj of Hailsley
Feb 8, 2025 at 11:28 AM
Comment #502Out of interest seeing as it’s quiet.
If I said to you think of the first thing that comes in to your head and then said Fray Bentos. Would you think of a minging processed meat pie in a tin or a small city in Uruguay?
fray bentos
Feb 8, 2025 at 11:33 AM
Comment #503Definitely a minging processed meat pie
Raj of Hailsley
Feb 8, 2025 at 11:41 AM
Comment #504Or an all day breakfast in a tin as Wor B has just pointed out. So that begs the question of how the flying foo# had you heard of a small city in Uruguay named after a pie 😕
lochinvar
Feb 8, 2025 at 11:41 AM
Comment #505Que chaos !
Appeals, barristers, High Court, years of arguing, no decisions. Counter claims from Everton, Forest etc.
Where as relegation out of the Premiership opens the door to a competitive competition fro this seasons top 5 places – which has financial benefits to those involved.
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola says the club expects to learn the outcome of the hearing into its 115 charges of alleged Premier League financial rule breaches “in one month”.
The hearing took place in front of an independent commission between September and December.
If City – who strongly deny the charges – are found guilty, the commission has unlimited powers, which include a massive points deduction or relegation.
Raj of Hailsley
Feb 8, 2025 at 11:43 AM
Comment #506“Fray Bentos” in Spanish translates to “Friar Benedict,” with “Fray” meaning “Friar” and “Bentos” being a reference to a person named Benedict; it’s the name of a town in Uruguay, famous for its meat processing industry, which is where the “Fray Bentos” brand of processed meat pies originated from”
Despite it being Scottish???
WLtoon
Feb 8, 2025 at 11:57 AM
Comment #507Morning all, a tricky game tonight.
I think it will be a tight one with Toon just edging it 2-1, i think Howe will make at least 5 changes. Willock , Miley Longstaff in midfield, with Wilson and Pope coming in also.
There have been plenty of comments on THAT goal which was allowed to stand last night for Manure, why are folk so surprised, there was no VAR last night so officials can give the blue eyed boys a nice little elbow through into the next round by totally overlooking a blatant offside, more than one player was offside by he way, even a blind man could see that in real time.
Before people lose their shit i will say that VAR is far from perfect but at least last night that goal would of been ruled out and Manure might not have made it through to the next round.
Raj of Hailsley
Feb 8, 2025 at 12:01 PM
Comment #508WLtoon,
Ffs man, there isn’t any VAR in these rounds.
WLtoon
Feb 8, 2025 at 12:01 PM
Comment #509Talking of Fray Bentos pies in a tin, they used to be very good but unfortunately now they are way overpriced and it`s spot the filling.
Total waste of money.
fray bentos
Feb 8, 2025 at 12:01 PM
Comment #510I was just making a joke when I suggested I named myself after the town
Fray Bentos was actually my tag-team wrestling name when I was a kid
Raj of Hailsley
Feb 8, 2025 at 12:03 PM
Comment #511Are people honestly suggesting that they pre planned cancelling VAR for this particular tie to make sure Man U got through. It was a monumental foo# up and there’ll be consequences for both the ref and linesman.
Davas
Feb 8, 2025 at 12:08 PM
Comment #512I’d love to hear the reason for not giving that offside. The linesman was in a perfect position. Can’t remember where the ref was.
Davas
Feb 8, 2025 at 12:09 PM
Comment #513Don’t understand why they don’t use it if it’s available even if it can’t be used fir all ties
WLtoon
Feb 8, 2025 at 12:11 PM
Comment #514Raj,
I know there is no VAR in the rounds, what is your point?
Not another deJong
Feb 8, 2025 at 12:18 PM
Comment #515It is more a curiosity as to why VAR was only introduced in the semi final of the Carabao Cup. Will it be the same in the FA cup semis?
WLtoon
Feb 8, 2025 at 12:20 PM
Comment #516Can you imagine if VAR was scrapped, and it was left to match officials making the decisions, or in last nights case NOT making a decision. when one of the so called big teams are at risk of going out of a competition, like last night.
Ignore a blatant offside goal , job done.
WLtoon
Feb 8, 2025 at 12:24 PM
Comment #517Right, stuff to do, Adios Amigo`s
Raj of Hailsley
Feb 8, 2025 at 12:24 PM
Comment #518WLtoon,
My point is that you’re making it sound like there was no VAR just so Man U could get through. VAR is corrupt, no VAR is corrupt, can’t people just accept that there are foo# ups, when they play each other and there’s a foo# up, which blue eyed boy gets the nod then?
Legolas
Feb 8, 2025 at 12:37 PM
Comment #519Raj,
Re the inter toto cup, you never know they might bring it back next season.
Fray Bentos pies, I haven’t had one in at least 20 years.
Legolas
Feb 8, 2025 at 12:39 PM
Comment #520Wow, Man City are losing to Leyton Orient.