Match Preview/Stats/Thread: Newcastle Utd v Blackpool
By Tyne-Talk
September 10 2010
Newcastle United host Blackpool in tomorrow afternoons 3pm kickoff, refreshed from the International break and welcoming two new players who are expected to make their club debut. Both teams play on the back of draws in their last Premier League games, both teams go into the game having won one, drawn one and lost one in their first 3 Premier League games of the season.
Newcastle are without long term absentees, Steven Taylor (shoulder), Dan Gosling (knee), Leon Best (ankle), Danny Simpson (ankle) and Danny Guthrie (knee), whilst Sol Campbell may feature, having played in 2 reserve games. Andy Carroll is expected to have recovered from a minor ankle problem.
New signings Cheick Tiote and Hatem Ben Arfa are both available and expected to make their debuts, whilst striker Xisco begins a 3 match ban after being sent off during a reserve game.
For Blackpool Marlon Harewood faces his former team-mates having reached full fitness, whilst DJ Campbell and Matt Phillips are also available. Keith Southern is a doubt to start but may play a part after recovering from a knee injury, whilst Alex Baptiste (hand), Louis Almond (shoulder), Billy Clarke (knee) and Paul Rachubka (knee) are all out injured.
With both teams having just been promoted and making identical starts to the season (excluding goal difference) it will be a battle for the points but could be a close game.
Fact: Newcastle go into the game with the highest percentage of shots on target in the Premier League so far this season, 65%. They have also allowed just 5 shots on target against them, the best record in the league so far this season.
Fact: Blackpool were one of only 4 teams to beat Newcastle in the league last season, a victory they released on DVD.
Fact: This is the 60th meeting between the two sides. Newcastle have won 26, Blackpool have won 25 - there have been 8 draws.
I'll say it again.
Typical @#$%& Newcastle.
Pardon my french, but i @#$%& knew we would lose today.
Newcastle have to be the most frustrating team to support in the history of the game.
If we can't beat Blackpool at home then it isn't going to be a good season for us.
Don't know about you guys, but my alarm bells are ringing that's for sure.
Everton away next week?
Can't see us winning that one either.
alarm bells are ringing but not too loudly just yet. these days happen in football, sadly too often. sounds like we murdered them in the second half and on another day we score 3.
its a harsh lesson for the gaffa though, too defensive to start and then made all three subs too late. He should have gone to 442 at HT and then got Ben Arfa on much earlier than the 73 minute. this really shows his inexperience i think.
Our performance against Wolves deserved a win, and we should be beating Blackpool, no disrespect to them, they are (on paper) by far the worst team in the league, but the performance just wasn't good enough.
We should have 6 points, we have 1. If you take away the Villa result, it'd be a very worrying situation indeed.
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We need more options up front, we were crying out for another striker in the transfer window, but we didnt bring on in which means we wil be relying on Carroll too much, that decision needs to be corrected in January.
Terrible result at the end of the day. If we're in the relegation battle at all, this is a 6-pointer.
To be fair, it sounds like their keeper had a blinder.
It also doesn't sound like the forwards were the problem, as Carroll had chances and Nolan is described as lively-all for naught against a keeper who was very much on his game.
That we surrendered a penalty on what I'm reading described as a foolish, unnecessary and late challenge by Smith is irritating. I've said it before: Alan will bleed for us, but he is not up to it in this league as a CDM. I really hope Tiote can offer some more pace and better tackling.
Beyond that, meh-we hit a post before they opened and their second goal was at the end when we were throwing everything forward. If you guys thought this season would be a walk-even to survival-you're going to be proven wrong.
Tunyc I think your the only one who has it pretty much there or thereabouts.
Just got in so a bit juiced. I was well p155ed off but these things happen in football. Just because we beat Villa 6-0 people think we are going to p155 things. Yes we should be beating them but thats football and thats the premier. Everton tortured Villa last week but the Brums went on to nick it.
I was there and we really had the chances to bury Blackpool but their keeper made 2-3 great saves and we didnt take our chances. We were slow in the middle and our wing play produced nish apart from a lot of running. Ben Arfa really is a player and showed it with only 20 mins on the pitch.
People are getting carried away and some of the @#$%& at the match want to remember where we were last season. Blackpool beat us at their place and gave us a good game, despite the score, at St James. They have bought a good few players and even though we have bought a few its arrogant to think we should just be p155ing on them.
The ref was terrible even though from where I was sitting, Colo would have been sent off by most of the premier refs.
My biggest gripe has to be with the f00k1ng @#$%& toon fans who booed Harewood. Why?. the lad came here on loan. Scored a good few goals which helped us get promoted. He didnt do enough to warrant us signing him so we tried to get Beckford. That didnt happen so we would have took him for another 4-5 months if it hadnt been for his injury. He wanted to come but it didnt happen. We just look like cnuts by booing somebody who actually helped us get back into the premier.
The fans who booed at the end can f00k right off as well. Most of those were probably the 5-6 thousand who decided to turn up today but not for the Villa match.
I've seen the highlights. Their keeper had the game of his life. The saves on Barton and Carroll were ridiculous. The pen Smith gave away should see him dropped next week. He just can't do that. It's largely down to him that we dropped at least one very valuable point.
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