European Eureka

The answer to my last blog has proved to be 'Second Wind' and I say that with as much pleasure as expectation.

Having done my utmost best to not raise expectations beyond those from the start of the season, Alan Pardew and his underrated squad have left myself and the rest of the Toon Army faithful with no option other than to expect a top 5 finish.

With ability sparsely present in the Newcastle United roster, I anticipated end-of-the-season injuries to be the downfall of the team's respectable league position.

However where there is ability, it is in abundance and where there isn't, there is determination and endeavor - a formula that Pardew has compounded to sustain the hope, dream and possibility of St. James' Park staging  European football next season in the Europa League or dare I say it, the Champions League.

A mention has to lend itself to Hatem Ben Arfa who has been the marquee player and difference maker in securing 3 points as opposed to just 1 or even 0 in the team's current five game win streak. It appears that the Frenchman's bit-part role has now retired whatever the reasons, be it a maturity boost from HBA's part or a man management masterstroke from the Gaffer.

There has been premature likenings to Leo Messi and these come at no surprise in the current climate which frequently sees the term 'Legend' labelled to anything positive that lasts for more than five minutes. HBA is however inundated with attributes of skill and has the 'get off your seat' factor when he receives the ball so as a supporter I'm pleased to see this development.

After digesting comments regarding the current Senegalese front pairing that spearheads the NUFC attack, I would like verify that Demba Ba is still every bit the same player he was before his fellow countryman arrived. I say this because there has been questions marks instigated over Ba's form because the goals have recently belonged to Papiss Cisse and not the club's pre-Christmas goal machine.

As a frontman myself, I can identify, analyse and appreciate the balance that Ba brings to the starting XI, his link-up play and on-the-ball contributions cannot be faltered and while his positional role has changed only slightly his peformances should not be overlooked, especially when a shortage of team goals could not be further away!

Looking ahead, this weekend will see no NUFC fixture take place giving the Magpies the opportunity to reenergise for the upcoming WWE match with Stoke City on 21 April. I will be there to witness the wrestling match between the two sides and I expect it won't be a pretty contest given the Potters' philosophy of how to play football.

That said, I'm confident that the long ball signature move of Tony Pulis' wrestlers will give the Toon Army no problems and that NUFC will move just one game away from equalling the club's current record of 7 consecutive Premier League wins which has stood since 1994.

For The 147th Time...

147 the highest break in snooker, Alfa Romero 147 successfully manufactured since 2000 and 147 the number of contests taken place between Newcastle United and Sunderland.

Today's 12 o'clock kick-off features two clubs who are subsequently succeeding from the poor form and inconsistencies of other teams in the Premier League this term.

The grapevine tells that Toon striker Papiss Cisse is set to play after a week of relaxed training in aid of his recovery from a strained hamstring. He should hopefully be partnered with top scorer and international teammate Demba Ba in leading the striking line.

Three from last week's midfield bank of four should retain their spots in Cheik Tiote, Yohan Cabaye, Jonas Gutierrez with either Danny Guthrie, Gabriel Obertan or Hatem Ben Arfa replacing Ryan Taylor if he hasn't managed shake off his injury woes.

Alan Pardew's side was defensively poor last week but I expect the back line will remain the same and hopefully the Wolves match will prove to be nothing more than an anomaly.

Can we expect a repeat of this fixture from last season - a phenomenal 5-1 win?

I am not interested in head-to-head statistics dating back to 1992 nor am I intrigued by novelty facts because the 22 players on the SJP turf today will more than likely never have shared a pitch before with the exact same faces and even if that was the case, there are too many variables to be swayed.

A player's age, form, manager, tactics, atmosphere, personal life, physical condition and state of mind all affect the outcome of a game and make it impossible to expect a result one way or the other - a debate for another time.

However, the Black Cats are a rejuvenated outfit since the appearance of well respected Martin O'Neill. On his arrival the Irishman managed to steer the Mackems away from a miserable campaign in just a handful of games but their last four encounters breakdown as WLWL.

I for one will be hoping that the Toon Army can find a way to decrypt the emerging pattern above.

Thrown To The Wolves

Yesterday's home tie against Woverhampton Wanderers has been playing over and over in my mind ever since the final whistle.

I cannot make sense of the events that took place during the game.

After 45 minutes of nothing less than total domination from the black and white striped shirts, half time arrived and Alan Pardew delivered his second briefing of the day to a team who were leading 2-0 courtesy of Papiss Cisse and Jonas Gutierrez.

From there on, the only explanation for what happened between the 45 and 75 minute mark is that the two teams swapped shirts (disregarding the possibility that Wolves gaffer Terry Connor's first ever half time team talk was miraculous).

Wanderers' winger Matt Jarvis cut inside from the left flank on 50 minutes before finessing a shot that took a dipping deflection off Toon right back Danny Simpson prior to planting in the back far corner of the net.

It is a pity that Simpson didn't have the bravery to open up his body and block the shot as Fabricio Coloccini or Steven Taylor would have because if he had, the ball would have ricocheted away from danger.

Newcastle's change in fortune cannot tagged as unlucky.

If there's one thing someone in professional football should know then it is to avoid making a substitution just before defending a set-piece.

Thus the fuel to my frustration after witnessing Pardew proceed with the intended double change after conceding a freekick 25 yards out. I still cannot believe that the tactical swap wasn't halted until the danger was neutralised.

I'm not disputing that the Magpies needed to rehash their strategy but Pardew takes all responsibility for the equalising goal which was crossed into the box and knocked down before being poked over the line by Wolves' Kevin Doyle.

It is evidence to all that the introduction of one or more substitutes can provoke an unorganised ethos amongst a set-piece defending team.

Danny Guthrie chasing shadows.

Unfortunately Danny Guthrie's entry to the field on the 65 minute mark saw him perform without the same energy or nature that has been seen in recent weeks and he made a range of wayward passes that became increasingly uncomfortable to watch.

It was positive to see the squad nearly back to full strength, the return of Cheik Tiote, Cisse on the scoresheet and Gutierrez lash in a thunderbolt.

Pardew has proven himself to be an intelligent man and this continued in the post-match interview when putting a clever spin onto the flavour of the questioning by plucking out a positive that was to add to the team's four match winning streak at home, albeit that started nine games ago!

Match of the Day football fans are made only aware of the highlights and passages of play that the BBC Director wishes to broadcast and unfortunately this can be misleading.

The match was not relayed to viewers accurately as to how the goals and game was thrown to the Wolves to feast on taking the bones of a point back to Molineaux with them.

Whitewashed By 'Arry And Co.

This instalment should be kicked off with a critical review of Saturday’s whitewash defeat at the hands of Tottenham Hotspur and that’s exactly what’s going to happen.

After a week of media microscope treatment for Harry Redknapp, the whole nation was tuned in to watch Newcastle United throw away a match in record time and gift title-hunting Spurs a generous three points.

I have a sixth-sense for identifying complacency but to be quite frank it didn’t take that to predict an embarrassment last weekend.

The run of good form Alan Pardew has instilled into the club has been highlighted throughout the season and rightly so but in turn as the good PR heightens so does that imminent fall from the sky. Everybody knows the current NUFC squad is at worst a top half team and no better, something that ‘Arry and co enforced a reminder of.

Hull City manager Nick Barmby was approached by Sky Sports with a proposed weekend feature piece but the crew were turned away in a bid to keep the spotlight off the Tiger's good run of form to prevent the football world from picking up on how well they had been playing, all to avoid that 'fall from the sky'.

All the talk of ‘top four/five/six’ had understandably gotten into the players heads on Saturday and as a result had forgotten the things that originally brought all that talk about. A team cannot cross the white line just expecting to play well by default.

I didn’t manage to cast my eyes over the team's warm-up but I imagine it was lacklustre, light-hearted and lightweight because the troops certainly weren’t rough and ready to battle from the first whistle on Saturday.

Pardew and Steve Stone need to ensure that the pre-match preparation hard work is followed through in the warm-up and consequently not thrown into the gutter on the ten minute mark because a clinical team like Tottenham Hotspur will capitalise on that mistake and... embarrass you.

No FA Cup fixtures remain to bolster the fixture list which is somewhat saddening because with both Manchester City and United out of the fold, it could be anyone’s to lift this year. I can’t help but wonder.

Senegalese duo Papiss Cisse and Demba Ba

However a free-weekend for the squad to do whatever they like to rest up and recharge will do no harm (excluding any Joey Barton/Andy Carroll/Nile Ranger-esque misdemeanors), especially for the returned African trio of Papiss Cisse, Demba Ba and Cheick Tiote.

I for one am becoming ever more impatient by the day to know how the Toon Army's season is to conclude.
Will it be a disappointing finish to an encouraging start or will last weekend prove to be nothing more than a blip with the team defying all odds by pipping Liverpool and Arsenal to the European post?

We can dream.

Strike A Match

Newcastle United, a Premier League club with a history and a reputation for prolific strikers. How can it be that a player of Shola Ameobi’s calibre has remained on Tyneside for 12 years?

It became quite clear by the time Ameobi hit his 24^th birthday that his potential had been overrated and lost in the wash, his legs still remain as gangly as ever. However I must admit he does offer the side an ‘X’ factor in that he may run riot with his physical presence but more often than not, he is a gamble and nothing more than a contingency plan to Demba Ba.

Peter Lovenkrands, Leon Best, Nile Ranger and Xisco were the only remaining forwards on the club’s payroll before yesterday’s signing of Papiss Demba Cisse from Bundesliga outfit Freiburg.

The point being that even a rocket scientist could tell you that excluding our Senegalese front two, the rest are not talented enough to wear the Premier League lion on their sleeve.

Lovenkrands – The Danish hitman was signed on a 6-month deal after a successful trial period back in January 2009, only to find himself surplus to requirements at the end of that contract. However due to a lack of both striking options and time in the following transfer window (no surprise there) the red-faced Toon hierarchy reverted their initial decision and strangely offered him nothing less than a three-year contract.

Best – A surprise signing given that the 25 year-old had never scored more than ten goals per season in the divisions below the Premier League. I assume that he can only have been acquired as nothing more than a stock player but the offering of his long contract may dint my theory.

Ranger – This young man has more notches on his rap sheet than his goal scoring chart. Late cameo roles have shown raw talent and promising physical attributes but likewise to the ongoing revelations that surround Toon target Ravel Morrison, the baggage he carries probably outweighs his talent - probably why is he out on loan and publicly excluded from Pardew’s plans.

Xisco – The Spaniard has spent more time on loan in his home nation than on Tyneside since his arrival and it’s a big surprise to me that more hasn’t been made of his outrageously big transfer fee (£5.7million) which has seen a return of nothing more than nine appearances and one goal since 2008! I do wonder about the scouting mechanisms that club’s employ.

I long to see a clear-out of deadwood in the summer, namely the above and of course Alan ‘Smudger’ Smith who continues to pick up £50,000 per week until at least this summer.

On the up, we have a potential deadly duo in Demba Ba and Papiss Demba Cisse but no doubt the football world will be at the ready to shoot them down but I have faith!