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
mctoon
Feb 8, 2025 at 12:42 PM
Comment #521On last nights goal, a clear and totally unacceptable mistake by the linesman.
Maybe he was swayed by the crowd, the size of the club or just didn’t fancy running the line for another half hour.
He’ll probably get sanctioned / demoted by the FA… Clearly shows the merits of VAR.
End of the day though, Man Utd were poor again, I doubt neither they (nor Leicester) will ultimately lift the cup.
mctoon
Feb 8, 2025 at 12:45 PM
Comment #522Birmingham City already look nailed on for promotion, so will be fully focused and up for the tie today.
We’ll need to match that passion with the usual intensity of our own.
With the Carabao cup final already secured it won’t be a disaster whatever the result today, but winning breeds confidence and builds the unerring self-belief that the best teams hold.
With a lot of changes, teams can easily become disjointed, but for sure whatever side is picked will try and do the club proud again… Eddie will demand it.
HWTL
JohnJ
Feb 8, 2025 at 12:46 PM
Comment #523For your interest! How strange – look who has the No 1 ball……
At least we have Number 9!
1. Manchester United
2. Leeds United or Millwall
3. Brighton & Hove Albion or Chelsea
4. Preston North End or Wycombe Wanderers
5. Exeter City or Nottingham Forest
6. Coventry City or Ipswich Town
7. Blackburn Rovers or Wolverhampton Wanderers
8. Wigan Athletic or Fulham
9. Birmingham City or Newcastle United
10. Plymouth Argyle or Liverpool
11. Everton or AFC Bournemouth
12. Aston Villa or Tottenham Hotspur
13. Southampton or Burnley
14. Leyton Orient or Manchester City
15. Doncaster Rovers or Crystal Palace
16. Stoke City or Cardiff City
JohnJ
Feb 8, 2025 at 12:49 PM
Comment #524BTW
How on Earth did the ref give a handball against Leicester?
How on Earth did the Linesman miss that offside last night en?
It Stinks!
Charlie in the Gallowgate
Feb 8, 2025 at 12:58 PM
Comment #525Is Orients manager – Gazzas younger brother!!!??!??
JohnJ
Feb 8, 2025 at 1:01 PM
Comment #526There’s a piece in the Chronicle titled
“ Newcastle United’s ‘revolutionary’ super stadium plans involved shock move away”. (Lord Westwood era)
It shows a great picture of SJP as it was in days gone by with the 4 corner floodlight pylons and an open “Poplar side”. That’s how it was when I first started going c1957
The more mature readers will recall the tremendous squeeze getting out from the “Strawberry Cornet”!
JohnJ
Feb 8, 2025 at 1:02 PM
Comment #527Corner!
Poet Of Prudhoe Park
Feb 8, 2025 at 1:20 PM
Comment #528Tag team wrestling lol
Poet Of Prudhoe Park
Feb 8, 2025 at 1:20 PM
Comment #529Probably dressed as La Parka 😀
Who was your partner, was it Gillberg? 😀
lesh
Feb 8, 2025 at 1:21 PM
Comment #530Bard
Your comparison of the birthday boy’s sanity with that of Tuff is way off the mark. One’s a tad eccentric and Tuff, he’s verging on criminally insanity.
Poet Of Prudhoe Park
Feb 8, 2025 at 1:23 PM
Comment #531https://x.com/luireigns/status/1887549725819498529
There he is 😀
Poet Of Prudhoe Park
Feb 8, 2025 at 1:24 PM
Comment #532Birmingham beat us 1-5 at st james when mcsheffry destroyed us. We need revenge
lesh
Feb 8, 2025 at 1:24 PM
Comment #533John J
I remember as a kid being able to bend my knees, feet off the ground, and be carried along in the crush that was the crowd leaving via that Strawberry corner exit.
Essex Geordie Bill
Feb 8, 2025 at 1:55 PM
Comment #5343 Hours 49 Minutes to KO.
lesh
Feb 8, 2025 at 2:00 PM
Comment #535EGB
Good to see you, The Blog’s official timekeeper, looking in.
Mister Tuff
Feb 8, 2025 at 2:05 PM
Comment #536More goading and bullying -even on a matchday -they never stop. Looney Lesh -Creepy character and bully boy with shit poems – Taco /Bard.
They never stop – they think more about their shit crap and spewing out their toxic bile than behaving themselves on match day. I suppose match day doesn’t mean a lot for them.
Essex Geordie Bill
Feb 8, 2025 at 2:06 PM
Comment #537Lesh
Hi, yeah, it’s nice to be able to to a break from all of the things I have to do now.
Mister Tuff
Feb 8, 2025 at 2:25 PM
Comment #538The Mag article about todays game.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/sport/other/st-andrew-s-awaits-birmingham-v-newcastle-preview/ar-AA1yE8hT?ocid=msedgntp&pc=LCTS&cvid=3d9dfdb61a2d4b3cbb8821b30988ec11&ei=31
lesh
Feb 8, 2025 at 2:33 PM
Comment #539Tuff
To paraphrase you…. Will you ever stop? You appear to think more about your ‘shit crap and spewing out” your “toxic bile than behaving yourself whether match day or not.
Tuff, you appear to use The Blog as a vent for the anger that festers inside of you.
For crying out loud, can’t you find a wall to kick instead!
lesh
Feb 8, 2025 at 2:35 PM
Comment #540Essex
Yup, you’ve got a lot on your plate in an emotion wrenching time but, needs must.
Poet Of Prudhoe Park
Feb 8, 2025 at 2:42 PM
Comment #541https://x.com/Utdjacobi_/status/1887931283386380355
I duno im thinking that willock to isak pass
Mister Tuff
Feb 8, 2025 at 2:58 PM
Comment #542Please stop your mischief and continual disruption on matchday .
Poet Of Prudhoe Park
Feb 8, 2025 at 3:06 PM
Comment #543Apparently new contract for wilson. Id sack eddie for that alone
Poet Of Prudhoe Park
Feb 8, 2025 at 3:21 PM
Comment #544However if he scores winner in final he can have new contract 😀
Essex Geordie Bill
Feb 8, 2025 at 4:09 PM
Comment #5451 Hour 36 Minutes to KO.
JohnJ
Feb 8, 2025 at 4:10 PM
Comment #546I use Duck Duck Go as my browser for the blog so this story seemed appropriate to tell you!
A duck walks into a pub, waddles to the bar and says to the landlord
“Got any grapes?”
“No” says the landlord. “We are a pub. we don’t sell grapes.” The duck turns and waddles out.
The following day, in comes the duck again, Waddles up to the bar and says “Got any grapes?” and is again told no.
This goes on for a week until the landlord gets very much pissed off. Eventually, in comes the duck again. waddles up to the bar and says “Got any grapes?”
“NO!” roars the landlord “We don’t sell grapes and I’m fed up with you coming in every day asking for them. If you come in here once more I’ll nail your beak to the floor! Now get out!” The duck leaves.
Next day, the door opens, in waddles the duck, goes up to the bar and says “Got any nails?”
No says the Landlord!
“Thank god” says the duck “Got any grapes?”
(No ducks were hurt in this story)!
JohnJ
Feb 8, 2025 at 4:11 PM
Comment #547Good to see you back EGB!
JohnJ
Feb 8, 2025 at 4:14 PM
Comment #548lesh
Feb 8, 2025 at 1:24 PM
Comment #533
John J
“I remember as a kid being able to bend my knees, feet off the ground, and be carried along in the crush that was the crowd leaving via that Strawberry corner exit.”
Was it you that nicked my peanuts? Cost a Tannerabag! Only joking!
jimiley
Feb 8, 2025 at 4:18 PM
Comment #549New contract for Wilson has to be wind up.
Why would you give somebody 80k a week to lie on a treatment table the whole season?
Munster Mag
Feb 8, 2025 at 4:20 PM
Comment #550Serious banana skin potential today.
jimiley
Feb 8, 2025 at 4:23 PM
Comment #551Munster
It depends on the team. Too many subs and I agree
IrishRob
Feb 8, 2025 at 4:43 PM
Comment #552I reckon there will be a few changes, we cant put out the same team again we will be far too tired.
I think Trippier willock Longstaff and osula will start minimum
IrishRob
Feb 8, 2025 at 4:45 PM
Comment #553https://x.com/NUFC/status/1888267799664988212
Essex Geordie Bill
Feb 8, 2025 at 4:46 PM
Comment #554Newcastle United: Nick Pope; Tino Livramento, Emil Krafth, Dan Burn, Matt Targett; Sean Longstaff, Lewis Miley, Bruno Guimarães; Will Osula, Callum Wilson, Joe Willock.
Substitutes: Martin Dúbravka, John Ruddy, Kieran Trippier, Fabian Schär, Lewis Hall, Sandro Tonali, Jacob Murphy, Sean Neave, Alexander Isak.
JaveaToon
Feb 8, 2025 at 4:46 PM
Comment #555Any cup games a banana skin tbf, especially for us. Need to be up for it and fully focused cos Brum certainly will be.
IrishRob
Feb 8, 2025 at 4:46 PM
Comment #556Called it, wonder where Osula will play he’s hardly hoing 442. Probably out right wing
Essex Geordie Bill
Feb 8, 2025 at 4:47 PM
Comment #557Sean Neave on the bench, interesting.
JaveaToon
Feb 8, 2025 at 4:50 PM
Comment #558Bugga, 1 out on the bingo. I had Murphy instead of Osula 🙁
Good to see you posting EGB.
Rotonda heights
Feb 8, 2025 at 4:52 PM
Comment #559Wilson a new contract. Ycmiu !!
JaveaToon
Feb 8, 2025 at 5:00 PM
Comment #560RH…is that going off the Chronicle article? I read the article and despite the headline there’s nowt in that article that indicates he’s been or will be offered one. If the fecka could stay fit he’d be worth another year but we all know that ain’t the case.