Record NUFC Don't Want

This Newcastle team could have the unwanted record of being the first magpies side to lose five in a row if Wigan on Monday night.

Now if you ask me that is a record we really don't want. Having said that I can't get past the feeling that it is likely to happen.

Over the past 3-4 weeks Our performances really haven't filled me with confidence, and now with our squad  so decimated with injuries I fee anyone can turn us over at the minute.

Don't get me wrong I was buoyed by our improved performance against Stoke, but I look at our bench and think nah we ain't good enough. It definitely says something when we have to call on Nile Ranger (AKA Gangster wannabe) to do a job.

Even Pardew has come out and said today we are in relegation battle.

This is what he said when asked if the Toon were in a battle to avoid the drop:

"Well, we are now and no, it's not to early.

"We can not bury our head in the sand. We have to get victories to get out of this.

"I'm so buoyed by our performance at Stoke, though. The things we have changed and the things we've done differently have helped. The team has responded to them. Hopefully we can take that forward."

Hopefully he is right and we will earn our first win since the 2-1 result against West Brom in October.

Fingers crossed we dodge the unwanted record.

We'll Come Good

Well it seems our manager Alan Pardew is convinced his toon side will soon pick up in the Premier League despite a fourth league defeat on the bounce Wednesday losing 2-1 at Stoke City.

Pardew and Newcastle have really struggled to build on last season's impressive finish of 5th place currently sitting in 14th place, two points above the drop zone.

Home defeats this month by West Ham United and Swansea City have been followed up by defeats at Southampton and Stoke, who wiped out a Papiss Cisse goal (his first in ages) with two goals in the last 10 minutes at the Britannia Stadium to leave Pardew cursing his luck.

Below is some of what he said in his post match interview.

"The improvement from Sunday (2-0 defeat by Southampton) was immense and we deserved something. I thought we were the better side," he told reporters.
"I thought we could have had a penalty at 1-0 but two sucker punches have cost us. It's galling because we're on this run and we're having setback after setback and I feel sorry for the players. That team won't go far short if we play like that."

Everyone wondered and questioned whether it was right in September when the big man, obviously aiming for long-term stability, gave Pardew and his staff an eight-year contract, tieing him and them to our beloved club until the end of the 2019-20 season.

side note this also means we're still waiting for our first away league win of the season.

What do you think? Is Pardew right?

Ashley Is At It Again

If this is true I feel sorry for Rangers Football Club I really do.
'
Newcastle owner Mike Ashley is understood to be in negotiations with Rangers for naming rights to the Glasgow club’s iconic Ibrox Stadium.

The proposed deal would lead to one of football’s most famous stadiums, which opened in 1899, being renamed the Sports Direct Arena to promote Ashley’s sports retail empire.

Rangers have been exploring image rights deals since the Charles Green-led consortium took over the troubled club last June, shortly before they were demoted to the Third Division.


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2240043/Newcastle-owner-Mike-Ashley-plans-rename-Ibrox-CHARLES-SALE.html#ixzz2DZ2FpJIU
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Cabaye–Everything Went Well

February Comeback for Yohan? 


Well a bit of good news, after surgery at the beginning of this week, Our Creative force Yohan Cabaye has said that the operation(s) carried out on his groin went well.

The French midfielder’s last match was the home game against West Ham. Don't we know it, to say he has been a miss in the middle of the park would be an understatement. Without him and Hatem Ben Arfa we have really looked one dimensional, with no spark or creativity.

In an interview with French paper L’Equipe, Cabaye has stated he aims to back fit and available by early February and said the following:

“Surgery went smoothly. It was done in two steps as the surgeon told me, on Monday night the right side and on Tuesday the left.
Being back in competition early in February? That is the objective”.

It is fairly obvious he is needed back as soon as possible but at the same time it is vital  that when he  does come back, he is not rushed and there is little chance of him breaking down again. (wouldn't be an issue if we had a bigger squad)

At the same time in saying that lets be fair to Alan Pardew, when it comes to players returning form in jury and others looking to find their feet, such as Davide Santon, the manager has been shown to be more than prepared to look at the longer term and not rush things.

February seems a long way away at the minute I just hope Pardew has a plan while we wait for this guy to come back.

What do you guys think?