Magpies Gunned Down

Newcastle Utd suffered a defeat at Arsenal and suggesting new recruits are badly needed at St. James Park.

After the transfer of James Milner the other day, Newcastle has lost a bit of bite on midfield.

2 goals from Robin Van Persie and another coming from Denielson made a misery of a warm afternoon for the traveling supporters, which owner Mike Ashley amongst the crowd.

Joey Barton was introduced on the pitch in the second half but the scoreline remains till the end.

Kevin Keegan has already announced about 3 ~ 4 players coming in by the transfer dateline and we'll see who comes through the doors.

Emirates Game Preview

Newcastle United travel to the capital for an intense game against Arsene Wenger's youth camp in today's pulsating encounter at the Emirates stadium.

Fit again Micheal Owen will be leading the Magpies to the frontline as they prepared themselves against one of the big four in the Premiership.


Steven Taylor has recovered from injury which means he is likely to start after being rested against midweek Carling Cup opposition, Coventry City at the Ricoh Arena.

Damien Duff, Obafemi Martins, Mark Viduka, Shola Ameobi are all nursing injuries. Surprise recall also to midfielder Joey Barton to side but he's more likely to be on the bench.

Hope it will be 3rd time lucky for King Kev this time around.

James Milner Is The New Villain

James Milner has completed his transfer to Aston Villa for a fee of £9 million.

The former Leeds winger had handed a transfer request last Wednesday is said to be unsettled following the board's refusal on renewing his current contract which has 3 years left to go.

James did enjoy a good loan spell at Aston Villa during the time Greame Souness was in-charge.

Although King Kev did his best to keep the player, it is beyond his reach to grab hold of the wantaway winger.

With barebones now, King Kev will now have to look forward to Saturday for the game against Arsenal at the Emirates hoping to be 3rd time lucky.

With all the gloom, it's time to move on .....

Maybe there's a silver lining to all this catastrophes ......

Transfer Goings Still Too Slow

With all the fuss about James Milner leaving, something that is common in every newspaper, there's not ongoing on who is coming in to Newcastle.

This is something which pisses a lot of the Tyneside faithful who at the moment doesn't have a clue on what is going on in the club.

The club's PR is terrible indeed, with the executive board and the owner did little to clarify their statement on the club situation.

As fans and customers of the club, the board should immediately made known to fans with precise statements and clarification on the current agendas, at least, not making the fans confused with so much speculation from the press.

Unlike Chris Mort who previously held the ranks, did justice by informing the public and clarifying the situation on the on-goings of the club.

Although reports kept flying in like Florent Malouda, Karim Zayette, Marouane Felliani and others who might or might not joined the club.

King Kev should be in the most terrible position in the world right now as he is unable to bring in the numbers for his paper thin squad.

As far as the "WOW" signing is concern, the only i think we will get is there is air in Tyneside and King Kev walked out (which is the most terrible thing I can think of the moment) :P .

The club need to sort their PR status and if Mike Ashley thinks that making Newcastle a really private affair(remember Newcastle moved from PLC to private after Mike Ashley's acquisition), then, as fans, we would rather have someone else that can really put passion to the footballing business than the current.

Milner Wanted Out !

One of our rising stars in the Magpies nest, James Milner, wanted out of Tyneside.

Newcastle's official site release a press statement on Wednesday stating the desire of the player who wanted his future lies away from St. James Park.

A big blow to King Kev, even more to the fans, having seen the player put a string of excellent performance recently which includes his man of the match performance at the Ricoh Arena against Coventry City.

However it is much speculated since last summer that the player has been trying to get higher wage for his contributions and the club has been constantly been quiet about that.

Aston Villa and Liverpool has been hugely interested in the former Leeds winger and if any type of transfer dealings were to be done, we'll knew in the matter of days.

A huge disappointment but if we were to get
£10 million or more on the player, I say it's best to find someone who have his heart and pride playing for the team and the fans.

Should we let James Milner leave? Love to hear your comments ..........

Carling Cup Win For The Toon (3 - 2)

Newcastle Utd has to scrapped through an injury time winner in the Carling Cup encounter at the Ricoh Arena.

The match was a pulsating one nonetheless with the Magpies making 2 changes from the game against Bolton Wanderers last Saturday.

Jose Enrique and Sebestien Bassong both recalled to the starting line up with strikers Obafemi Martins and Damien Duff forced to be dropped due to injuries.

Newcastle had the better start of the game and were leading 2-0 after 38 minutes through a goal by Charles N Zogbia (21st minute) and a wonder goal by James Milner (38 minute). However the shar grid of the homeside pulled one back before half time through Clinton Morrison.

The second half was just as thrilling and Scott Dane forced the Magpies to extra time with a goal on the 90th minute.

Skipper Micheal Owen was introduced on 71st minute and what an impact he made scoring the winner on extra time at the 97th minute mark. Surely now, Newcastle must sort out the skipper's future with him scoring the winner for the Magpies twice in a row!

Coventry nearly drew level again but the effort by Elliot Ward hit the frame of the bar.

A pulsating night and all I could say is HOWAY THE LADS !!!!!!!

Newcastle's Injury Update

Newcastle will be thin come Tuesday night as they face Championship side Coventry in the Carling Cup second round.

Obafemi Martins and Damien Duff were injured in the match against Bolton Wanderers last Saturday which give Kevin Keegan a big selection headache.

Martins injured his hamstring which means he could be out for 3 weeks, while Duff limped off with a knee problem still remains a doubt.

With skipper Micheal Owen recovering to full fitness and Mark Viduka sideline for an Achilles, the striking department looks to barebones at the moment.

Alan Smith is the most likely one to start with Shola Ameobi still nursing his hamstring he'd picked up during pre-season.

Can King Kev put up a winning side against Coventry?

Drop me a comment.

Newcastle Vs Bolton (Match Highlights)

As I 've watched the matches of both Newcastle's EPL matches, it has been headers by the 2 goals they've scored so far .......

Check out the match highlights below .

Owen Sparks As Trotters Went Down

Micheal Owen sent a warning to the Premiership by the winner for the Magpies in the 1-0 win against Gary Megson's Bolton Wanderers.

Owen who came on as a substitute in the 53rd minute for the injured Obafemi Martins scored within 19 minutes on the pitch to send a packed St.James Park crowd in ecstasy.

Newcastle Utd has been in terrific form lately with Shay Given saving a Kevin Nolan's penalty earlier on.

The victory will also be a strong signal to the owner, Mike Ashley, on get Owen's contract terms sorted out as soon as possible.

The Magpies have now 4 points out of a possible 6; a great start to their Premiership campaign.

St. James Park Ready To Roar (Match Preview)

The Magpies will be welcoming Bolton Wanderers to St. James Park for the first ever home match in the new season.

The Magpies started the campaign brightly last weekend with a great display against holders Man. Utd will be up to the task against a resilient Trotters side managed by Gery Megson.

It will a great contest as our travelers too started off their new Premiership campaign brightly with a win against newly promoted Stoke City by 3 goals to 1.

We've expected the Magpies to come in with a win today, nothing less than that.

Expect another explosive performance from our new recruits Coloccini, Guthrie and Gutierrez although I believe Bassong will be introduced in the match at some point of time.

Howay the lads ..... I expect the Toon will be winning this one comfortably by a margin of 3 goals.

Our skipper, Micheal Owen, will be on the bench after passing a fitness test earlier in the week.

Saviola Is KK Transfer Target

Eversince Mike Ashley revealed that that there will be a "WOW" signing to corpearate guests recently, there are a lot of speculation that Argentine international Javier Saviola good be destined a season loan move to the Magpies camp.

Reports kept coming in from newpapers (the press always fond of stories) these few days especially after the excellent match against Man Utd last Sunday.

Gaffer Kevin Keegan was quoted, " That would be nice" after questions poured to him on Saviola who had played a mere 9 apperances for Spanish giants Real Madrid and scoring 3 goals.

The Magpies has already had 2 excellent Argentine signings in Gutierezz and Collocini and it is very much speculated that another Argentine target set to be Magpies bound.

We had missed signing playmaker Pablo Aimar, and I think if Saviola is indeed a KK's target, then it will pure class and quality the Magpies cheif will get in Javier Saviola.

Shola Transfer K.O.

Shola Ameobi transfer to Portman Road suffered a big disruption as he failed a medical due to a hamstring injury which has kept him out since the Mallorca Cup.

A big blow for the Player who has seem to have limited oppurtunities in Tyneside and look set to resurrect his first team football at the Championship club.

Ipswich Town boss, Jim Magilton, quoted that he feared signing a player that carries an injury during his medical. As most of the east anglian fans remember, their summer signing last season, Shefki Kuqi, had injured in his first match for the club after one match due to the same injury.

With this injury, it looks like the surplus striker is set to stay on the Magpies camp till January or even next summer when his contract expires.

MIke Ashley Promises WOW Signing

Owner Mike Ashley is definitely putting the club in right direction by informing corporate guest that there will signing a "WOW" signing before the window closes on August 31.

This is definitely good news to the Toon faithful after weeks of intense speculation and slow activities in the transfer front.

With a great display by the current squad, we would definitely need at least 2 or 3 new players coming in ( looking at how thin our first team squad is).

With the owner backing the manager, good times will be foreseen in the near future but who exactly is this WOW signing?

I think the answer lies in the hands of Dennis Wise, Tony Jimenez and Jeff Vetere.

Now let's slay off Bolton!

Newcastle Show Great Display At Old Trafford

Obafemi Martins was the Geordies hero in the 1-1 draw at Old Trafford where the team in black and white show great composure and tenacity throughout the game.

The fitness level was far much superior with Newcastle fighting for every ball in the park.

New signings Jonas Gutierrez, Danny Gutrie and Fabricio Coloccini played exceptly well in the premiership debut match.

Newcastle went ahead in the 25th minute through a stunning header from Obafemi Martins but the joy was shortlived as Darren Fletcher cancelled out Martins opener a minute later on.

But it was the Geordies ressiliency that shows that Newcastle are the team to watch out this season.

Overall it is great play from the Newcastle Utd side which show great promise in the upcoming season.

Magpies vs Man Utd Preview

Newcastle travel to Old Trafford against a weaken Man Utd side missing the likes of Ronaldo, Anderson, Park Ji Sung, Owen Hargreves and Wayne Rooney.

However Newcastle Utd has some injury headaches of its own.

The likes of skipper Micheal Owen, Mark Viduka, Kazenga Lua Lua, Wesley Ngo Baheng, Ian Caroll are all missing through injury.

With departures to 2 players Shola Ameobi and Abdoulaye Faye looks almost ceratin, the Magpies look stretch to their resources in their trip to the theatre of dreams.

I think it will be an evenly contested match. What do you think?

Newcastle's Pre-Season Transfers In Summary

The summer transfer has not been as fascinating and anticipated as every Toon fan would like.

However there is a lot of activity behind the scenes, with the management directors comprising of Dennis Wise, Tony Jimenez and Jeff Vetere working extremely hard to get new blood in the squad.

So far, the new ones in are, as expected, quality in its finest.

Let's re-cap the ins and outs this summer.

Ins

Jonas Gutierrez

The former Real Mallorca winger bought out of his contract in order to join the Magpies. A versatile winger who can play left or right, Gutirrez is an Argentine international who has 3 caps to his profile and with his agility he will provide the sting from the wings.



Danny Guthrie

The former Liverpool youth player spent a year long loan at Bolton Wanderers last season before signing for the Magpies this summer. The central midfielder was compared to the likes of Rob Lee by manager Kevin Keegan will be the balance figure of the Magpies midfield this season.








Sabestien Bassong

Bassong came in to Newcastle on trial from French club Metz. The 22 year old central defender impressed Kevin Keegan with his no-nonsense approach and signed for the Magpies on a 3 year deal.




Fabriccio Coloccini

The Argentine international had a long wait befor becoming a Newcastle player. The central defender became the club's record breaking transfer for a defender after his £10 million move from Deportivo La Coruna. The experience defender has been in the speculating books for quite a while and finally had the deal done last week and now bursting for action for the Magpies.


Outs

The ones that went out are expected to be fringe players from my point of view and they are as follows:-

1. Peter Ramage (free)
2. Stephen Carr (free)
3. Lamine Diatta (free)
4. James Troisi (free)
5. David Rozenhal (£2.8 million to Lazio)
6. Emre (£ 4 million to Fernebache)
7. Abdoulaye Faye (£2.25 million to Stoke City)
8. Shola Ameobi (£2.5 million to Ipswich Town)

We are still expecting 2 more players coming in, cause if you look by the numbers it is such a small squad. Hopefully there will be more new and quality players coming to Tyneside befor the window closes in Aug 31. But for now it is indeed quality in the camp and the new era of Keegan's men will start to stomp with Man Utd their first opponents in the Premier League curtain raiser.

Newcastle's Pre-Season Matches In Summary

With very few events happening during the pre-season, the Magpies will be gearing up against a good opposition today in Man Utd.

Anyway let's re-cap what have actually happen during the off pre season that has been happening on Tyneside.

Let's start off with the pre-season matches.

Newcastle went off to a bright start against a common pre-season fixture in Hartepool.
The Magpies went to triump 4-1 with a hat-trick of goals coming in from Damien Duff and a debut goal for new signing Danny Gutrie.

Next off is Doncaster Rovers.
The newly promoted Championship side showed great determination and persistent and manage to get an upset by beating the Black and Whites 1-0.
As this was only a pre-season friendly, Kevin mentioned it's a great workout for the lads.

The Mallorca tournament has always been proven a nightmare for Toon fans and Newcastle head there with 2 straight defeats, losing 1 goal to nill to both Herta Berlin (German Bundesliga) and host and tournament winners Real Mallorca.
But the good side of things is that the lads are getting more fitter than their previous pre-season preperations!

Two home games kicked in later with PSV Eindhoven and Valencia the next oppositions.

The PSV game was a gruelling encounter with the Magpies managing a 2-2 draw with the mighty Dutch club.

Goals from centre-back Steven Taylor and a home debut goal from Danny Gutrie ended the night with the Magpies showing flashes of the team back in the 90's when Alan Shearer was in the side.

Next is Valencia, with Euro 2008 golden boot winner David Villa on their side. The game got off to a big bang and the resillence of the Magpies and the fighting spirit in terms of commitment and play was simply astounding!

The Magpies won on the night 2-1 with goals coming in from Damien Duff and James Milner to cap a wonderful performance.

In all, what I've witness ...... there hadn't be a more committed and fitter team than the one Kevin Keegan assembled this time around.

The future looks bright....