All,
For those of you unable to attend games at Gallowgate for whatever reason here is the second of my match accounts for this season. Including some personal thoughts of events from a Newcastle supporter’s viewpoint as they unfolded outside and inside St James Park.
One thing very forcefully struck me on my way into The Toon for this game. It is also probably very apparent to any supporter following a Premier League Club these days. Quite simply how rare watching your team kick off on a Saturday at 3pm has become.
As I mentioned in my first report involving The Gooners fixture, which was moved to a 5.30 pm kick off for TV, it just does not make it easy one bit for travelling fans of either team! Then we had the ‘High Noon’ showdown with the unwashed from doon the road last weekend. This time it was thanks to Fulham’s Europa League qualifier away in the Ukraine, we had a Sunday 1pm affair. At times supporters must ask the question why bother? Later on in this missive, you may understand why I mention it here!
At least something about this game did return to normal and that was the choice of watering hole for pre match training.
With a couple of rounds out of the way………….the talk turned as always to the latest instalment of the NUFC soap opera we all follow with a passion. Plenty of chat about the wins against the Scum and Scunny, plus the recent departure of Joey Barton?
Great delight taken from the Makems result with full agreement from all around the table the only thing worth taking (other than another three points) from the SoS is the p**s! Good to see the kids get a run out and ultimately a deserved win against The Iron.
Thanks to some inspired goal keeping from Krul and a great strike from Sammy Ameobi to seal the tie. Moreover, why after seven months have NUFC failed to replace our Centre Forward when a player like Barton manages to leave in two days? Further concerns expressed about both full backs, our central defensive cover following Williamson’s injury and will anyone else be joining or leaving before the window closes on the 31st?
Even after that lot plus more training the general feeling was The Toon should take all three points from the fixture against Fulham to maintain The Mags solid start to this season.
As I walked past Sir Bobby’s memorial on the way up to the ground I wondered if he would be watching today as both Clubs played such a major part in his life and who he would have fancied to win?
Took me a while to get into the ground, which came as a shock. However, when I did get in the game was just about to kick off with Newcastle attacking the Leazes End as I finally took my seat in The East Stand.
The opening exchanges were nothing special so I had time to catch up on the team news………….. Stroller out injured so Best and Lovenkrands up front being the main things of note.
Having witnessed how the two of them plus Ba struggled against The Iron during the Carling Cup game, I thought we could be in for a difficult afternoon on the goals front. Not that Fulham appeared to have much of a threat either with their forward line.
The first half was desperate to watch and it did cross my mind I probably would have been better off seeing it out in the pub with some further training! Fulham played some nice keep ball and knocked it around like a training match, while our midfield and defence chased them, hunting them down in little packs of three……………. The result being The Cottagers managed one shot on target. As an attacking force Newcastle were completely useless and probably summed up by the very telling detail of a Jonas header being the only thing to threaten Mark Schwarzer in goal just before the whistle for half time.
The main talking point during the break with the people I sit with was the huge amount of empty seats in the Leazes End. Okay Fulham do not bring a massive amount of support away with them, but this was more than just because of that. The Fat Controller in his infinite wisdom had already decided to displace a large section of the Mad Lads from the Singing Corner to make more space available to away fans. Yet his reasoning for doing so appears to have backfired big time when you see such an outcome as there was on this occasion. Depriving Toon supporters a means of going to attend a game at SJP in this way is by my reckoning a clear example of more madness from Mikey and Co. Only afterwards did I find out the gate was 42K, down 10K on the maximum ground capacity. He may well try to brush it away as a one off, but I am not so sure and the gate for the next home fixture, which I believe is also a televised game, will be revealing to say the least.
So into the second half with the Toon having made no changes now attacking the Gallowgate End. I hoped APee had really laid into his team during the break for that inept display in the first half. Well whatever he said certainly got a reaction as Cabaye let fly with a shot on goal three minutes after the restart. Whether his shot surprised Schwarzer I am not sure, but the big keeper got down to make the initial save. Although in doing so he managed to stop the original shot by somehow lifting the ball on to the cross bar only for it to rebound out to Best for a tap in. The sense of relief was tangible…………… from both the players and the supporters at this early breakthrough. That said it would just not be The Toon if there were no farce attached as in among the corner flag celebration Lovenkrands managed to get crocked on the head by one of his own players.
That one goal lead may well have gone very quickly if had not been for Tim Krul. Our Dutch stopper really is looking the part and as with his Carling Cup exploits again showed just how much he has developed in the last twelve months. His save from a Steve Sidwell header straight out of the top drawer as Fulham pressed hard and started to come back into the game.
Not sure if it had anything to do with the clash of heads, however Lov was substituted for Ba just after the hour mark.
The match was now becoming a lot better spectacle and Newcastle increased their lead with a flowing move just less than five minutes after Ba’s arrival. The Senegal international controlling Gabriel Obertan's inviting pass before pinging his cross into the area for Best to turn smartly inside the box and past Schwarzer. Two nil to The Toon and now the points were surely safe.
To their credit, Fulham stepped up a gear and again brought out the best of Krul. He pulled off two further top class saves to deny first Baird and then a terrific Murphy header as the Magpies fought stubbornly to protect their clean sheet. By this stage of the game Best had been replaced by Vuckic.
The youngster however was not to last long as in a bizarre incident he damaged his hand. From where I was sitting it was difficult to say how bad it was however, off he went to be replaced surprisingly by Alan Smith. There then followed a quick discussion around me whether or not he would be carded before the game ended and which colour would it be! True to form, he did manage to get a yellow before the final whistle.
That was nothing compared to the display from Danny Simpson. Who as on Thursday played for long periods of this game more like his namesake Homer.
With the game drawing to an end, he conceded a free kick in a bad area. This was just the culmination of a series of free kicks for Fulham as for some reason or other The Toon became very edgy. The outcome being with a few minutes remaining Dempsey headed in from a quickly taken Murphy cross.
What should have been a comfortable running down of the clock to the final whistle became a nervous ending as five minutes of extra time was displayed by the fourth official. Fortunately, as with The Mackems away no further goals were scored meaning The Mags took all three points.
Positives…………. Victory against another side that last season finished above us. Krul, Saylor and Colo, all looking good defensively. Two goals from Best.
Negatives................... Real weakness in both full back positions. Squad lacks depth and quality. Can we get more players signed in time before transfer window slams shut?
Two-week break now due to Internationals before battle resumes against Old Boy, Joey Barton and new his pals at QPR.
CWL
I've seen Newcastle United win silverware!