Greenlizard0 Weekend Football Thread ** spoilers ** [29th October - 2nd November 2011]

[HangTime]

I'm a bit surprised that everyone still assumes we are going to falter when it comes to playing the other big 4

Thing is Newcastle have had a relatively easy start to the season fixtures wise; the only 2 games they've played against the 'big 6' were at home and they failed to win both of them. MU, MC, Chelsea and Liverpool will all be strong favourites to beat Newcastle. I think come 3rd of December the picture will be clearer having played back-to-back games against MC(A), MU(A), Chelsea(H). If they get through those games without defeat then people will sit up and take notice.

 

[No1newts]

Thing is Newcastle have had a relatively easy start to the season fixtures wise; the only 2 games they've played against the 'big 6' were at home and they failed to win both of them. MU, MC, Chelsea and Liverpool will all be strong favourites to beat Newcastle. I think come 3rd of December the picture will be clearer having played back-to-back games against MC(A), MU(A), Chelsea(H). If they get through those games without defeat then people will sit up and take notice.

If we manage them 3 without defeat I will bare my bum in Fenwicks window.

 

[Bigpig]

Scouting who exactly? Tiote, Cabaye, Ba?

Having a look at who the club has bought since Feb 2010, its a very small list, and unknowns, James perch is about the only one. Arfa, the three listed above, who else exactly, most/all of them were well known, Tiote had just won a league with Twente(maybe the year after), Cabaye just won the french league, Ba was very good with West Ham, Arfa was very well known.

As far as I can tell the list is, since he arrived, Perch, Arfa, Tiote, cabaye, Ba, Obertan, Santon and Marveaux, surely all of them but Perch were very well known, most being chased by many clubs.

You could say that about any player playing in the top 5 leagues.

Tiote could not really get into the Twente Enschede league winning side most of his app where from sub. He was highly recomended by Carr

Cabaye only other offer was from villa lol

 

[Adrianr]

Live again on Saturday

To be fair I said 4points from Wigan/Stoke/Everton so I would happily take a point against Everton at St James before we play city, utd and Chelski which will be painful

Fair assessment by Neville about prospects. Top 6 will be tough but achievable IF everyone stays fit (which won't happen )

I don't think its going to be as painful as you think ykno.. If your team can put in a shift like tonight defensively you've won half the battle already. You may create less from open play against those teams, but it only takes a good set piece or penalty combined with defending like that and you could be on course to even pick up 3 points. You certainly gave us a good run for our money last season. Great result tonight anyhow

 

[Visionary]

You gotta remember as well, for us Newcastle fans, signing the likes of Cabaye, Tiote, Ba etc. is a world away from the likes of Luque whether they are known or not.

The amount of money we've wasted in the past makes you want to cry sometimes.

 

[Andybtsn]

Luque What a player he was..!

 

[dokko]

Would love a win against everton, can't see it though, feel a draw at best for us, everton are a tricky team when you least expect it. If we get a win then I'm really not fussed about the visit to Manchester and what little points that will bring home.

Feel we have a good chance of beating Chelsea, more so than everton had we be playing them in the next two games, hopefully they are still patchy by then.

 

[mmj_uk]

Love how Newcastle players are asking for the towels to dry the ball before a throw in. Bet that's ******* Stoke off no end

Yep ingenious time wasting ploy to use at Stoke.

 

[nemtizz]

I'm not buying the whole 'easy run of games'. What happened to no easy game in the Premier League? And sure, no Newcastle fan is expecting to go to City and United and get 6 points. Hell I'd be happy with a 1-0 loss, but 22 points from 10 games is no fluke.

I don't expect to be where we are come 2012 though.

Great game and support tonight, once again. I'm a happy man.

 

[johnno93]

I don't buy this easy run thing either, not after they have now played half the league and not been beat.

 

[Billythekid]

Newcastle's next 4 fixtures will determine whether or not Newcastle are a top eight team, lets get realistic, there not going to finish top six.

Everton
City
Man United
Chelsea

i think this is when the geordies will come crashing down, ba is a good striker but not a world beater and will run out of steam soon, ameobi is terrible.

however, credit where credit is due Newcastle deserve to be where they are but it will be interesting to see there next game against everton, that will give me personally a much clearer idea of how good they really are.

 

[nemtizz]

 

[Bigpig]

Gah this easy game of runs thing is ****ing me off. We played spurs the best in form team and could have won the game. They won 7 of the last 8 games?

People acting as if our world is going to come crashing down after city,manu,Chelsea. Ffs they are the best in league now for a few years and 9 times out of 10 would beat anyone.

Top 8 is really possible with this team. Don't forget we missed out on top 10 last season on the last day trowing away a 3 goal lead.... and we had a crap loads of problems then and fighting inside the club.

The premiership outside the top 6 really is a load of gash.

I watched every Newcastle premiership game this season be it only on sky or crappy live steams on the net. The effort last night was no suprise to me. Newcastle have put that in every single game they have played. when things not going our way we have grinded out the results. Said it three times now Newcastle hardest working team in the league on and off the pitch.

I love the way cabaye and Ba have handled them selfs off the pitch. Modren day pro's.

Love it love it.

Many so called football experts had us going down this season am just enjoying them eat their words. I remeber 2-3 games in the season them going to Alan McInally on Soccer Saturday asking him will Newcastle get relagated. He said "not a chance with this defence"

"cheap french players" hah get more in I say

To top it all off think we are set to break even this season after off loading overpaid players (without transfers being counted). Which gives us a really good platform to build on for the comming years to start finishing top 10 every year

 

[Robert1986]

All goes down hill from here for Newcastle.

Next 4 games.

Everton
Man Utd
Man City
Chelsea

 

[CliffyBiro]

OT but where the hell has Skippi gone ? he used to post in here all the time

Hi ho.

Started at Uni and been busy. Generally at the weekends, I just about have the willpower to stay awake to watch the games, then fall asleep right after.

 

[Irish_Tom]

We don't have the best of luck against Everton but they haven't had the greatest start to the season.

I think Saturday's match could go either way, we'll either have a blinder like tonight or we'll lose out through a silly mistake or contentious decision.

I don't expect it to be a showcase of amazing football from either side to be honest.

If we can get another three points on Saturday I will be thrilled. I think it was said after the Spurs game that if we can get nine points from Wigan, Stoke and Everton then it will more than make up for the lack of points we will get from Man City, Man U and Chelsea.

If we get even one point from those three fixtures I'll be happy. Anything else is a bonus.

 

[MooMoo444]

If the geordies can steal just a couple of draws from the games against the big three, they might actually be in for a shout of a top 6 finish.

What a surprise package this year.

 

[[DOD]Asprilla]

All goes down hill from here for Newcastle.

Next 4 games.

Everton
Man Utd
Man City
Chelsea

I don't expect to get anything out of City, it will be more a case of trying to keep the score down. I feel that if we park a bus in front of the goal we have a small chance of a point out of MU.

Don't see why we can't do over Everton. It's at our gaff and they are struggling at the moment. Yes, the played well against MU, but they still lost.

Chelsea lost to QPR the other day and Arsenal at the weekend. Chelsea are far from their imperious form of the last few years.

Of course I've jinxed it now and we are going to get stuffed in all of them.

I'd be happy if we can make it to Jan in the top six and then we can bring in a striker, a CB and a full back. Apparently the deals for Erik Pieters and Mobido Maiga have been done already and are subject to medicals on the 2nd of Jan.

 

[drunkenmaster]

If the geordies can steal just a couple of draws from the games against the big three, they might actually be in for a shout of a top 6 finish.

What a surprise package this year.

They finished 12 points off 5th last year, without a striker for the majority of the year. They had a MUCH better goal difference than the 3 teams who finished above them. Another year, more consistency from a more established team gelling together better and they replaced the trouble makers with better players + added a genuinely quality striker to the team.

Not sure why its such a surprised, also the next 4 games don't mean much of anything, I'd put them as favourites to beat Everton, and most teams lose to the top 4 teams. Losing points, dropping down several places then winning a few more games and moving back up. The biggest thing isn't actually losing to top 4 teams, but how quickly they can pick up form afterwards, assuming they lose most of those games.


At the moment, the only two games I expect them to lose are City and Utd, Chelsea at home, totally unknown, one game to the next Chelsea are crap then brilliant.

It's irrelevant, you can lose all 8 games to the top 4, and come 1st, or 5th, or 20th. There are only two games against each team, you can "only" drop 24 points against the top 4.

It would be entirely different if this were 4 games from the end of the season, it was 3 top teams and to hang on to a top 6 spot they'd really need results out of those teams. But, they are doing very well, they've got more points than most while not playing the best teams, they lose a few points against the best teams, then they get more against other teams, that's how it goes.

Not saying they will hang on to 3rd, I can see a team like Newcastle tiring this year as they are generally playing the same squad every single game, and that's not been bad so far, infact helped them, but come freezing February's, after a long time playing almost every game, they'll be more tired and likely less able to give quite as much effort as they put in last night. Top 6 from the way they've played so far is very realistic, they've got a balanced team unlike a LOT of other teams in the league, a fairly potent offence AND a solid defence. A lot of other teams, take Arsenal, if we aren't awesome upfront, we lose because our defence is so poor, other teams offence's are pretty awful and they rely on low scoring games and a great defence. Newcastle so far aren't nearly as reliant on one part of their team.

 

[jakeke]

In my opinion, it should be illegal for Stoke to charge fans to go and watch their football games. I think it's wholly unfair and massively immoral.