Match Preview/Stats/Thread: Newcastle Utd v Liverpool
By Tyne-Talk
March 31 2012
Newcastle United host to Liverpool in tomorrow’s 1.30pm kick off with Liverpool going into the game 8 points behind the Magpies. Newcastle have won two, drawn two and lost two of their last six games in all competition, whilst Liverpool travel on the back of two wins and four defeats from their last six.
Newcastle United manager Alan Pardew is without long term absentees, Steven Taylor (Achilles), Sylvain Marveaux (groin), Peter Lovenkrands (thigh), Leon Best (knee) and Sammy Ameobi (knee). The side will also miss captain Fabricio Coloccini who picked up a hamstring injury against West Brom last weekend and is expected to be out for up to three weeks.
However, Cheik Tiote (thigh) and Ryan Taylor (calf) will be welcomed back with open arms and are both expected to slot straight back into the starting eleven.
Former team mates Andy Carroll and Jose Enrique will both feature for Liverpool in their first return to St James’ Park since departing from the north east. Carroll will be under pressure to score, having managed just 8 goals in 47 games for Liverpool since his £35million move.
Kenny Dalglish will be without Charlie Adam (knee) and Craig Bellemy (calf), but is expected to welcome back Glen Johnson (calf), Martin Kelly (ankle), Daniel Agger (ribs) and Maxi Rodriguez (illness).
Alan Pardew said ahead of the game;
"Liverpool brings out no middle ground for me.
I have been beaten by them 9-0; I won a semi-final when they probably had the strongest team they have ever had and we should never have won; I was winning with 90 minutes on the clock in the FA Cup final and I was denied, and we should have won in extra-time, so that was another massive low.
Then obviously, my first game here was a massive win, very, very important for my tenure and everything else that has gone on since.
There is no middle ground, so expect fireworks either really negatively or really positively.”
Fact: Only Wolverhampton Wanderers have picked up fewer points (5) than Liverpool (8) in 2012.
Fact: Liverpool have won 6 or the last 7 meetings between the two sides.
Fact: Liverpool have lost 5 of their last 6 League matches and only won 2 of 11 in 2012.
It drives me nuts that teams don't have a player further back when a corner is played, so that when the ball goes through the players in the box, it can be played straight back in.
Nuts!!!
Carroll, with the lack of support from his own fans will probably be bereft of confidence. I don't know if he's mentally strong enough to be fuelled by the criticism at the moment.
Bellamy however, revels in it. He's who worries me at the moment.
Enrique I don't understand the boos - he gave us good service during his time here and bar the contract debacle, didn't leave under a cloud particularly.
The crowd are booing our former players because they left us for "better things!"
They deserve to be booed.
They didn't have the optimism to stay with us and they left.
We boo them because it's funny how they have taken a step down!
Let this be a lesson to any player that is thinking about leaving, because they will miss the Newcastle revolution.
We're going in the right direction people!
Don't be surprised if we are challenging the top 4 in a couple of seasons because I won't.
Great first half, Ben Arfa needs to see more of the ball, he has finally grasped English football and he is proving to be one of the best play makers around.
As long as we keep the same grit and determination in the second half, I can see us scoring another goal and we will see this game off comfortably NFP.
Seriously. Perch has looked very good. His pace looks useful in the center of defense. Have to say, this has been one of Williamson's best performances in a while too.
Note To Self I'm worried at this rate Ashley will think we don't need another CB!
Credit where it's due - Perch is certainly taking his chance in the first team well.
Couldn't agree more mate.
Williamson has had a good game as well.
Perch might keep coll out of the side at this rate.
Strange game. Feels like the other shoe has dropped. LFC in serious trouble. If Sunlun had held on yesterday and Swansea manages a win today they'd be out of the top 10. Gotta spend wisely, I guess...and not make emotionally-pleasing but otherwise questionable appointments.
Advice from a club that's been there.
If not for the attacking display, my MOM is Perch...but everything considered, Cisse & HBA split it.
Not that surprised, though. As I argued recently elsewhere, our squad is at least as good as theirs and generally younger. They have one serious goal threat and I can't see Gerrard getting back to where he was.
Now we need to finish the job-a big ask without Colo. Getting 64 points is totally doable though and we could top that-I'm assuming draws w/Swansea & EFC and nothing from CFC or City.
Hand-wringing over Simmo's clearance, which definitely was handball, is bothering me. Five minutes before that, HBA had his shirt blatantly pulled by Enrique in the box. That's more of a discussion for me. The Simpson thing happened quickly and the linesman didn't see it. Done and done. It happens. On the other hand, week in-week out we see instances of shirt pulling in the box. Sometimes it's a penalty, sometimes it isn't. Clarification, please?
Class result and Im over the moon. I felt a little for Carroll TBH but you cant have your cake and eat it. You cant leave for 80k a week and not expect a bit booing. I was there and he looked like he dived again in the second half, clutching his knee.
In my eyes, Jose deserved more grief at the way he went on during the end of his career here. Neither wanted the ball at all and were terrible today.
Perch was my MOTM and Williamson was class. Cisse, christ he can finish. How did he get that header in and was cool for the second. Is that 7 in 7. Amazing. Big praise for BA though. He might not have scored as many but he works his socks off and allows so much room for Cisse and HBA.
10 points clear of 7th, 11 from Pool and 12 from the Mackems. Its great.
Dont worry about us not getting a CB due to Perch's form. Hat off to the lad, but we will still get a CB and LB. If we manage Europe, we will need the squad.
WRT enrique and carroll, they are reaping the fruitage of their lack of faith in the club, and it is ironic that they have effectively taken a step down albeit for higher pay.
I still don't see the point of booing them whenever they get on the ball.
Bellamy maybe deserves it but the other 2 don't, they made way for better players and their leaving the club helped us to move forward.
One of the commentators summed up carrolls sale rather concisely I think when he said something like 'its a classic case of a club selling a good player in order to get a better player'
WRT the game, the performance was solid.
Perch was immense all over the park and he's my MOM with Cisse a very close second. It seems I really will have to change my opinion of him, although I still feel sick when I see his name on the starting line-up.
My only criticism of Cisse is that his first goal was arguably his most difficult chance to score.
He gets into so many good positions and I felt he could have had a hatrick or better in both of his last two matches.
Williamson had a pretty good game and while I'm not a fan of his I have to give him credit for that.
Still, it seems he must have at least one moment of complete madness in a game and yesterday was no exception.
He needs to cut that out because a better liverpool could have turned his stupid mistakes into a goal and built on that.
The problem is that we always look solid before we concede. letting a team back into the game at 2-1 would effectively hand them a draw or better, since once we concede its backs to the wall invariably and we cant seem to get back on track.
I've felt on a few occasions this season we've gotten very lucky not to concede in the dying minutes of a game, apart from at Arsenal, and lets not kid ourselves they probably should have scored much earlier.
That goal he gave west brom last time out was ridiculous, incredibly retarded defending.
If morrison hadn't been injured with about 15min to go - knocking them down to 10 men since they'd already made all their subs - they might have got back into that game as WBA are wont to do against us. FFS
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2012:04:02:11:24:37 by piston26.
I've said it many times that i only wanted to see Perchinio playing in the midfield but his performances have been good over the last 2 games but lets home this wasn't a one off and they can form a decent partnership during Colo's abscence!
Plenty of controversy throughout the match but we outplayed them and outclassed them,i never thought i'd watch a Liverpool match and forget that their messiah was playing!
Again HBA was fantastic along with the 2 Demba's and it was good management from AP to bring Cisse off seen as he already had been booked and the way him and Baldy were going at each other he could have easily got a second!
Again the management and players showed great control and maturity once Reina had been sent off, it would have been easy to get carried away and try to test JE in goal and leave massive gaps at the back that may have allowed liverpool back into the match!
I don't understand why Carroll was slated, except that I suppose most geordies at the match have swallowed the laughable narrative of his departure put forth by DL.
When all he had to do was say: "we were offered over 30M, we will always take that, end of story." Nope, couldn't pass on the chance to peddle some rhetoric.
I do enjoy pointing this out to my LFC-supporting coworker:
Andy Carroll = (2 X Papiss Cisse) + (5 X Hatem ben Arfa)
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