If we win our last two games we will finish in the top four. All in our hands now. Simpson a doubt, apparently Tiote isn't a doubt even though he had a head gash. Just a flesh wound!
Howay the lads, welcome to all those red Mancs who are supporting us today. It feels so wrong trying to do Man Yoo a favour. It'll be tough but only West Brom and Chelsea have beaten us at St James's Park.
Open first half, everything but goals. City really should be ahead but Santon channels his inner Simpson and clears off the line. We also had a pretty good chance stopped (not as good as that one though). Pretty tepid from us for the first half-hour or so but we really came into it the last segment of that half. Encouraging.
Ridiculously harsh yellow on Perch. I can't stand Howard Webb. We played some good football in the first 45. Their chance was a scramble but not really that great if you ask me. Hitting a roller at an area with the Keeper and a defender on the line isn't a very good decision. Our passing in the counter has been pretty good but we need to get a little more of the ball. We have defended well against counters but when we stand off at the 25 yard area it gets a little nervy. Come on you Magpies!
Well that seals it. Still a good showing by our guys. The gap between the top two and the next four is on display. Let's get our points on Everton and show that the gap between the "next four" and "the rest" is as well.
The result tag doesn't work, so sorry, but 10-man Tottenham have equalized. Barring something miraculous in the last fixture this kills the CL dream.
We played well. Could have finished a few chances and got a different result but all credit to Toure and City. Pardew has been great all year but I can't get behind the Ameobi for Ben Arfa against a team like City. HBA helps us to keep the ball and once he was gone we had more issues than answers. Oh well. The issue now is if we don't get CL will Europa be enough to keep Tiote, Cisse, etc.? I hope so. So sick of the City's, Chelsea's and ManU's dominating via money. Never allowing other clubs to build up over a couple of seasons. Boring.
I don't think it will take something miraculous, Spurs have Fulham at home next week and are only a point ahead, if we win they have to win. Arsenal are away at WBA too. Of course we have to win at Everton.
Where we don't typically play well. That was the "miraculous" part. Hyperbole and all! I can't see WBA beating Arsenal. Drawing maybe, but that doesn't do us anything unless we drop 30 on Everton. Fulhamerica it is. And then Bayern after that.
We won at Everton last season, HBA's introduction and all that, you'd like to think we'll have more motivation since Everton aren't really playing for anything. I think Fulham can get a draw at WHL, just like I fancied Villa for a point today.
If not for the Hatem bomb, would have been a bore draw. Hopefully we turn up, because we should win if we do.
It's a shame that knocking players off the ball isn't a foul. It encourages the kind of physical play we saw today, and when the smaller players get it wrong, out come the cards.
Newcastle didn't get to grips with Mancini's very cunning substitution, of bringing deJong on and releasing Toure to get forward into the areas where he could hurt Newcastle. At first, it looked like a defensive substitution but that was what made it so cunning. Yaya Toure has always been Mancini's preferred "Ace in the hole" and Pards just didn't see it. Just for the record, although I understand that deJong isn't everybody's cup of tea, and he has a history where Newcastle (and Ben Arfur) are concerned, booing the bloke isn't going to put him off... it's only going to motivate him even more, and as he was instrumental in both City's goals, who do you think is laughing now..? Cut the booing, guys... it doesn't intimidate quality players and it only makes you look stoopid. Watching the whole game, it swayed from scrappy to nervous and although Newcastle had their moments, I always thought City would nick it. It looks as though Mags may miss out on a CL place next season and personally, I'm disappointed by that. I'd rather your guys get it than Flash 'arry's Spurs or Whinger's Arsenal. Don't forget.... Alan Pardew is a former Charlton player and manager. I thought we sacked him too soon when he was in charge at the Valley, so I am glad to see him doing well and getting the recognition he deserves. He should be Manager of the Season, although in all probability, Mancini will get it. Good luck for your last game and I hope results go your way but please fellas.... do yourselves a favour.... quit the booing. It doesn't work and it makes you look like twats. .
So is that the secret to winning League One? Awesome advice... I'll make sure to pass that along as our next 52,000+ supporters meeting where we all meet to plan our tactics before the Everton match. If only we had known to sit and be silent, we would've been able to beat a squad worth over £400 million.
Do yourself a favor......stick to talking sense like the 1st and 5th paragraph and you won't look like such a pompous twat.
It was more to remind everyone watching that there was a thug on the field. It also showed solidarity with Ben Arfa. I can't imagine you think any group of supporters wouldn't have done the same. He didn't break any legs this time out, so I don't accept he didn't play a little different with so much focus on him. Completely independent of the eventual score, but not stupid at all.
I think there are far worse examples of fans booing players this season, Liverpool fans booing Evra, and Chelsea fans booing Anton Ferdinand spring to mind. Far worse than booing someone who broke a leg... where it's completely justified and will happen again next season. It's not that Pardew didn't see that De Jong coming on would push Yaya Toure further up field, its that its very hard to negate that tactically with what Pardiola has available. The first goal was a great strike and other than Tiote getting out to close him down sooner there's not a great deal we could do. The second was on the break as we were chasing an equaliser, shit happens. City can bring on world class players that cost what our squad did combined, Pardew has to bring on Ryan Taylor and Shola. We were beaten by a better squad that cost a lot more... its not that we got the tactics wrong.
Actually, you didn't beat a squad worth over £400 million, so you've defeated your own point. What I was trying to convey, was that the booing, which was clearly intended to create a hostile atmosphere towards Manchester City in general and Nigel deJong in particular, failed to intimidate them one little bit. However, a lot of those people watching the game on TV will have gained the impression that Newcastle supporters are boorish, thick headed clods who prefer dumb attempts at bullying rather than expending their efforts on giving positive support to their own team. You see..... when you indulge in such activity and it works, you might reasonably be able to point to it as contributory to the team's success. When it doesn't, you simply lose face. It's just a piece of well intentioned advice from a silly old bugger who made his first visit to St James' Park way back in the 1970's and remembers when Newcastle had the best fans in the country.
I wonder if Artem Ben Arfa is the kind of person who would endorse that kind of behaviour. You guys tell me..... would he have thought, as Nigel deJong came on "I hope the fans really give him a load of abuse". I doubt it. Frankly, if he's any sort of civilised human being he would have been quite embarrassed by it. On the other hand, if he ever had a problem with Nigel deJong, don't you think he's big enough and grown up enough to have sorted out any bad blood between them in private..? I doubt very much he needs you to fight his battles for him. I guess you must have a pretty low opinion of Artem Ben Arfa if you think he's "One of you". .
Way back in the 1970's? Well let me stop to bow and kiss your feet... oh wait, your opinion still doesn't matter. I thought about replying to your other idiotic comment but decided it wasn't worth guessing whether or not the fictional "Artem Ben Arfa" likes our supporters.