Atoksyah's Weblog

Legenda Toon mengaku bahawa bekas kelabnya telah beraksi lebih baik daripada apa yang disangkakan oleh semua orang, dan kini semua mahu melihat bagaimana bayaran perpindahan Andy Carroll akan dibelanjakan.

Magpies ketika ini menduduki tempat ke-11 dalam EPL, tetapi hanya 2mata dari kedudukan ke8 dengan baki 2 permainan. Semua ini hadir pada musim pertama NU dinaikkan kembali ke English Premier League setelah 1 musim beraksi di Liga Championship Coca-Cola (musim 2009-2010).

Tetapi penjaring-gol terbanyak setiap-masa NUFC itu berpendapat kelab itu akan mendapati susah untuk mengekalkan tahap tersebut jika mereka gagal untuk melabur.

“Sejujurnya, mereka telah beraksi lebih baik daripada apa yang dijangka. Kamu perlu memuji mereka, mereka telah beraksi sangat baik. Mereka menjauhi daripada 6 kedudukan terbawah untuk sebahgian besar musim ini. Tidak pernah ada masa cemas seperti musim2 sebelum ini. Kami berharap ia sama pada musim depan, tetapi itu bergantung kepada apa yang bakal diberikan kepada pengurus untuk dibelanjakan.” kata Shearer.

“Kamu belanjakan £10juta untuk kekal, itu hakikatnya. Semua bergantung kepada apa yang akan berlaku – hanya seorang sahaja yang boleh menjawabnya (Mike Ashley).”

“Harap2 Ashley akan menyediakan dana kepada Pardew dan mereka akan terus meningkat-naik.”

“Sasaran Newcastle pada awal musim ini hanyalah kelangsungan, dan mereka mencapainya dengan mudah.”

Walaupun peminat berbelah bahagi dengan perlantikannya, Alan Pardew telah mendapatkan keputusan yang baik di tempat sendiri dan tempat lawan, dan Shearer memuji kerjanya.

Shearer menunggu dengan penuh minat untuk melihat aktiviti perpindahan yang akan berlangsung pada musim panas nanti berikutan penjualan £35juta penyerang-bintang NUFC, Andy Carroll ke Liverpool. Dia berharap seorang atau dua penyerang dibawa masuk.

Related articles

• Shearer hails Carroll for staying ‘mentally strong’ (independent.co.uk)
• Carroll becomes new number 9 (skysports.com)
• Why Andy Carroll is more than up to the task (footballfancast.com)
• Newcastle United Number 9: Andy Carroll (howaythetoon.co.uk)
• Andy Carroll given Newcastle’s No9 shirt for coming season (guardian.co.uk)
• Llambias hits back at Carroll abuse (mirror.co.uk)
• Phil Airey – Newcastle’s new No.9 in the making? (footballfancast.com)
• Carroll proud to be number nine (news.bbc.co.uk)
• Newcastle United: Pardew lines up £6m swoop (clubcall.com)
• From the TV sofa to the dugout: Alan Shearer plots grand return (guardian.co.uk)

Andy Carroll plundered a hat-trick as Newcastle demolished Aston Villa with a stunning 6-0 victory.

Six days after the Magpies’ return to Barclays Premier League began in sobering fashion with a 3-0 defeat at Manchester United, they hit hapless Villa for six without reply.

John Carew let the home side off the hook when he skied a 10th-minute penalty high over the bar, but Newcastle were far more clinical when they got the opportunity.

Carroll, watched by Alan Shearer, the man who wore the number nine shirt he has now inherited, stole the show with a fine treble after Joey Barton had opened the scoring with a 12th-minute piledriver and Kevin Nolan had made it 2-0 with 32 minutes gone.

Nolan struck again at the death before Carroll claimed the match ball in injury time to round off an impressive display in front of a delighted crowd of 43,546.

The Magpies were handed a further boost at half-time when they announced the signing, subject to a work permit, of Ivory Coast international Cheick Tiote from Dutch club FC Twente.

But for managerless Villa, who ultimately sent the Magpies down in May last year, their trip to the north-east was little short of disastrous.

Newcastle boss Chris Hughton spent much of the summer acknowledging that this season would present far tougher challenges than last season’s Coca-Cola Championship romp, and his caveats were echoed by managing director Derek Llambias in his programme notes for the game.

Hughton, perhaps wary of the pace within the Villa ranks, once again fielded 21-year-old Carroll as a lone striker and charged skipper Nolan with the task of getting forward to support him.

With Stephen Ireland among their ranks for the first time on his 24th birthday, the visitors arrived having been installed once again as one of the candidates to push the big boys all the way, and their afternoon might have turned out differently had they taken the glorious opportunity which came their way with just 10 minutes gone.

Keeper Steve Harper was stunned to see referee Martin Atkinson pointing to the spot after Ashley Young had gone down as he attempted to round him.

Few inside St James’ Park expected anything other than Carew to ram the resulting spot-kick into the back of the net, but the striker blasted his effort high over the bar.

Just how costly the miss would prove became abundantly clear before half-time as the Magpies made the most of their great escape.

There were just two more minutes on the clock when Barton picked up the ball 30 yards out, made a little ground and steadied himself before smashing a dipping right-foot shot over Brad Friedel’s despairing dive.

The noise inside the stadium rekindled memories of loftier days on Tyneside, and there was even better to come.

Jose Enrique, who has spent the early part of the game trying to keep flying winger Marc Albrighton at bay and largely succeeding, got forward down the left and delivered an inviting cross to the back post for Carroll to head back towards Nolan.

The midfielder’s initial effort was parried by Friedel, but Nolan responded swiftly to head the rebound home from four yards.

Carroll did not have to wait long for his chance and when it arrived two minutes later, he was not found wanting.

Richard Dunne failed to clear Mike Williamson’s header back across goal from a Barton corner and the ball dropped perfectly for the striker to thump a left-foot drive home.

Villa left the field reflecting on a half during which they had enjoyed plenty of possession, but done too little with it, and on a defensive display which verged on the criminally negligent.

Newcastle returned in confident mood, but all the while aware that the visitors still represented a threat, although there was little evidence of that as the game approached the hour mark, prompting Emile Heskey’s arrival in place of Albrighton.

Indeed, the Magpies would have been further ahead with 62 minutes gone had Friedel not made a vital save from Wayne Routledge after Carroll and Nolan had combined superbly on halfway to play him in.

The respite was only temporary, however, and when Williamson helped the ball over the top into the penalty area five minutes later, Carroll lashed his second home from close range.

The whistle could not come soon enough for the visitors, but it did so only after Nolan had toe-poked home a fifth and Carroll had completed his hat-trick from substitute Xisco’s pass on a remarkable afternoon on Tyneside.

AN emotional Alan Shearer was left to reflect on the “worst moment of his career” as Newcastle United were relegated from the Premier League following Sunday’s 1-0 defeat at Aston Villa.

A draw would have been good enough to see the Magpies escape the drop with relegation rivals Hull City beaten at home by Manchester United.

But United failed to find that elusive leveller as they slipped into the second tier of English football for the first time in 16 years.

Afterwards, gaffer Shearer said: “This is the worst feeling of my career.

“It’s painful and it hurts.

“But I can’t say we were unlucky.

“We went down because we were not good enough over 38 games.

“I have got no complaints.

“We had a chance to save ourselves here because I always thought a win and probably even a point would keep us up.

“But we didn’t create enough in the second-half after the first-half when we had a couple of good chances.

“The goal (deflected in off Damien Duff from Gareth Barry’s shot) was cruel and it’s went in off Damien Duff through no fault of his own.

“But there were no excuses.

“We feel for the fans and they deserve better.”

By Craig Hope

ALAN Shearer will ask Newcastle United’s players and fans to once again give it their all when Fulham come to St.James’ Park this weekend.

The Magpies, buoyed by the raucous backing of the Geordie faithful, swept past Middlesbrough on Monday night as a 3-1 victory saw them scramble clear of the relegation mire.

But, while Shearer admits that his squad and the supporters must enjoy that success, he maintains that there is still a lot of hard work to be done – starting with the visit of the Cottagers.

“Monday was a great night and we all enjoyed it,” said Big Al.

“I couldn’t have asked for any more from players or the fans – they were magnificent.

“But, I don’t want to sound pessimistic, but we’ve only won one, now we’ve got to win another two.

“The first of those is Fulham on Saturday when I’ll ask the players and the fans to give it their all once again.

“And let’s hope that we’re stood here on Saturday tea-time talking about another great day.”

http://www.nufc.premiumtv.co.uk/

After the match Shearer ordered his players to enjoy their victory in the biggest match of his career – but not for too long.

He said: “I have just said to them, ‘Enjoy this tonight, enjoy that winning feeling. You have worked your socks off to get it, now it’s in our hands’.

“I said to them before, ‘It’s been a good weekend, let’s go and make it a great one tonight with the right result’.

“It’s been a great weekend for us – but there are another two weekends to come.

“It’s the first game of three. We asked them to go out and get three points, they have done that.

“They were magnificent under difficult circumstances. They have got now to go and do that again on Saturday, enjoy that winning feeling and hopefully, there’s another one there on Saturday.

“But it will be just as tough because Fulham are flying themselves.”

Shearer added: “I have just said, ‘Enjoy it, enjoy it lads because we have been in that bottom three for a long time. Enjoy being out of it and let’s make sure we are not back in there again’.

“I really believe we will [stay up], but we have won one game.

“Let’s enjoy this tonight, but we are back in tomorrow and preparing for Saturday.

“There is still a long way to go. I don’t want to sound negative, but it’s one win. We have got to get another two and make sure we are safe.”

Boro manager Gareth Southgate, who lost record signing Afonso Alves to a suspected broken bone in his foot, was left to reflect on key decisions which went against his side in the run-up to Martins’ strike.

He said: “For them to lose in manner we did having gone ahead is very difficult for all of us to take. It’s a tough evening for everyone associated with our football club.

“The players gave everything, but unfortunately, key events on the night went against us.

“The second goal, looking at the television pictures, I thought at the time it was a foul on [Robert] Huth by Viduka, but it was also offside.

“It then dropped straight to their guy – they are key things and unfortunately, they didn’t go for us.”

Alan Shearer will hit bad-boy Joey Barton with a club fine after the midfielder’s season was ended by his red card at Anfield today.

Barton will now be suspended for three matches, and clearly miss the final three games of Newcastle’s increasingly desperate fight to beat the drop after the 3-0 mauling by Liverpool.

Afterwards temporary boss Shearer admitted that Barton deserved to be sent-off and that ”we will do what we have to do” with regards a club fine, which will be the maximum two weeks wages.

Shearer said of Barton: ”He deserved to be sent off, he has let himself and the club down.

”He was not unlucky, the referee was spot-on. There was no need for him to do that in such a position.”

And Shearer pulled no punches with his assessment of Newcastle’s performance.

He said: ”We were lucky to keep it down to three, how many times did they hit the bar?

”I was disappointed with the manner of the goals. The first was offside and the second and third were from set-pieces. If you give players things to do at set-pieces and they do not pick up their man, it is very disappointing.”

Shearer was goaded by the Kop with ”You should have stayed on the telly” chants, and the former England captain took it on the chin by strolling to the touch-line with a smile on his face.

He said: ”I wondered if I should have laughed or cried, so I decided to laugh.

”But our fate was not going to be decided here. This is a very difficult place to get anything. Our fate will be decided by our two home games with the next one against Middlesbrough probably the biggest game this club has had for a very long time.”

While Newcastle are plunging towards the drop, Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez still believes that leaders Manchester United will make ”the two big mistakes” that can still see his team win the title.

Liverpool cut United’s lead at the top to three points with this win, the goals came from Yossi Benayoun and Dirk Kuyt in the first-half and substitute Lucas with a late header.

But with Alonso hitting the bar twice and Steven Gerrard once, it could have been an even greater humiliation for Alan Shearer’s men, who are still marooned in the drop zone with just three games left.

Benitez said: ”There were a lot of positives from that victory. We could have scored more and we are closer again at the top and still pushing.

”Manchester United are a good team with good players, and they will need to make two big mistakes to let us in. But I still believe they can be caught and they will make mistakes.

”All we can do is to continue to win our matches and see how they handle pressure. We must win all our games to see how that effects them at the top.”

Alonso has heavy bruising on his leg, while Javier Mascherano has turned an ankle. But Benitez believes both will be fit for Liverpool’s next game at West Ham.

He also expects Fernando Torres to play against the Hammers. He said: ”Fernando has suffered a slight hamstring problem. He was nearly ready for this one but certainly would not have started.

”That would have been too big a risk. And then to put him on the bench and maybe have him not warmed up enough to come on would also have been a risk.”

Newcastle manager Alan Shearer leapt to Michael Owen’s defence after seeing the striker pass up a glorious opportunity to snatch a survival lifeline.

Asked if that would further fuel the arguments of Owen’s critics, Shearer said: ”I would say everyone’s entitled to their opinion but we have got to continue to create chances for him.

”He had one tonight that he would expect himself to put away – so would Oba, so would big Mark – but, if we continue to create, one of them will go in.

”We know, if we keep on, he will get one. Obviously, we would have loved it tonight. It didn’t come, so we will look to the next game.”
It might have been so different had Owen been at his lethal best in front goal when he was played in by Viduka with 63 minutes gone.
But, as a crowd of 47,481 at St James’ Park waited for the net to bulge, James won their duel on a night when victory would have meant so much to the Magpies.

But Shearer, who had set his players the task of winning their three remaining home games to stay up, remained defiant after two vital points went begging.

He said: ”I don’t know if that’s going to be a good point or a bad point. What I can guarantee is that there will be more twists and turns.
”Four games in football is a hell of a long time. Yes, I am disappointed we haven’t won the game, and the players are. But we created enough to have won it. If one of the chances had gone in, it would have been a different story.

”But I don’t know what’s going to (be enough to) stay up. I don’t know the points total – no-one does, particularly with the way results are going this season. But we have got to stick in there, we have got to keep on fighting and we will.”

Pompey boss Paul Hart, who felt his side should have had a penalty for Fabricio Coloccini’s second-half challenge on Peter Crouch, was happy enough with a point, but refused to concede their total of 38 is enough to stay up.

Striker Peter Crouch went down under a challenge by defender Fabricio Coloccini, and Hart was certain it was a foul.
He said: “Having looked at it, I thought it was a penalty when I saw it. And it is a penalty now. Definitely. Peter Crouch doesn’t dive.”
He added: ”Do I think we are safe? If we had won tonight, I may have been persuaded to say it, but I am not going to say it just at the moment.

”We have got a bit of work to do. I am very satisfied with a clean sheet and a point but there’s a tinge of disappointment that we didn’t get all three.”

Meanwhile, Newcastle tonight confirmed they have reached an out-of-court settlement with Real Mallorca and Velez Sarsfield, who jointly owned Jonas Gutierrez’s registration, for his transfer to St James’ last summer.

Michael Owen passed up the chance to fire Newcastle to a potentially life-saving victory as Alan Shearer was left staring down the barrel of a gun after a 0-0 draw with Portsmouth.

The 29-year-old striker was denied by veteran goalkeeper David James’ legs after he was played in by Mark Viduka 63 minutes into a pulsating encounter, which both sides had chances to win.

James had earlier saved from Damien Duff, and Viduka and Obafemi Martins both went close on a night when the Magpies needed all three points to rekindle their hopes of Barclays Premier League survival.

However, it might have been even worse for Shearer’s men with Peter Crouch firing straight at Steve Harper with 11 minutes remaining and Richard Hughes heading against the foot of the post three minutes later.

Shearer had set his side the task of winning their remaining three home games to drag themselves out of relegation trouble but, having fallen at the first hurdle, they now face the daunting prospect of having to get something at Liverpool on Sunday.

The 38-year-old made a series of statements ahead of kick-off when he named all three of his big-name strikers – Owen, Viduka and Martins – in his starting line-up and left Kevin Nolan and Ryan Taylor, two of the three men signed during yet another disastrous January transfer window, out of the 18.

He had appealed in advance for passionate support from the stands and he got just that, with the help of a rousing rendition of Blaydon Races from opera star Graeme Danby moments before kick-off.

But what he needed most was a response from his players and he got that too.

Newcastle took the game to Pompey from the off and, what they lacked in guile and craft in the middle of the park, they made up for in effort and commitment.

That they went in at half-time with nothing to show for their efforts was down to a combination of poor finishing, good defending and one excellent save from Shearer’s former England team-mate James.

However, the applause they received as they left the pitch could only serve to increase their determination not to be denied once they returned.

With Pompey fielding Crouch as a lone striker and, at times, getting all 11 men behind the ball, the Magpies had to remain patient.

Alan Smith, still waiting for his first goal in a black and white shirt, had optimistic appeals for a penalty waved away by referee Mike Riley when his driven 30th-minute shot was blocked by Hermann Hreidarsson’s arm, and the former Manchester United midfielder fired just over five minutes later.

In the meantime, Viduka only just failed to turn a low drive from substitute Danny Guthrie, on for injured full-back Jose Enrique, past James.

But Newcastle’s best two chances of the half came inside the final seven minutes, James making a fine save to push Duff’s goal-bound effort around the post, while Martins saw a close-range shot deflected over the bar with seconds remaining.

Pompey created little as they attempted to hit their hosts on the counter-attack, although Harper had to tip a 33rd-minute curler from Sean Davis over the bar.

Viduka was presented with a glorious chance to open the scoring within seconds of the restart after Owen cleverly back-heeled Martins’ pass into his path.

However, the Australian could only stab his effort straight at James as the blue shirts closed on him.

Fabricio Coloccini endured a heart-stopping moment when Crouch went to ground inside the box under his 50th-minute challenge but, again, Riley was in no mood to award a spot-kick.

James was alert enough to prevent Martins from reaching a long ball four minutes later, if only just, but, as the game became increasingly stretched, play switched rapidly from end to end.

The Pompey keeper almost handed Newcastle a glorious chance on a plate when he dropped Duff’s cross with Viduka and Owen close at hand, although he redeemed himself with 63 minutes gone.

Viduka managed to squeeze the ball through the Portsmouth defence, despite having been wrestled to the ground, to leave Owen with just the keeper to beat, but James blocked with his legs to leave Shearer with his head in his hands.

The manager introduced Andy Carroll and Jonas Gutierrez for Viduka and Nicky Butt in a desperate attempt to find a winner but it was Nadir Belhadj who forced a fine fingertip save from Harper after a lightning 73rd-minute break.

Carroll looped a 77th-minute header high over but it was Pompey who staged the grandstand finish that might have resulted in victory had Crouch been able to beat Harper or had Hughes’ header landed six inches to the right.

Newcastle full-back Jose Enrique could return for Monday night’s Barclays Premier League clash with Portsmouth.

The Spaniard, the club’s only senior specialist left-back, has missed the last two games with a knee injury but was due to resume full training over the weekend and could figure.

Strikers Obafemi Martins (groin) and Mark Viduka (Achilles) have suffered no reaction to their returns to action at Tottenham last Sunday, but Steven Taylor (ankle) and Joey Barton (fractured metatarsal) remain doubts.

Portsmouth are waiting on forward David Nugent and defender Younes Kaboul with the pair suffering thigh injuries.

Nugent failed to come out for the second half against Manchester United on Wednesday after a challenge by Nemanja Vidic while Kaboul missed the game following a knock in the win over Bolton five days earlier.

However, both are expected to benefit from the few extra days rest.

Kaboul’s return would enable Glen Johnson to revert to midfield at the expense of Jermaine Pennant

Midfielder Niko Kranjcar, however, is unlikely to feature although medical reports on his damaged ankle – also sustained against Bolton – suggest he will return before the end of the season.

Pompey boss Paul Hart believes the Alan Shearer factor will have little bearing on Newcastle’s bid for survival unless the former England captain’s players share the responsibility with their new boss.

Hart was already more than six weeks into his own rescue job at Fratton Park by the time Shearer decided to leave the comfort of the pundit’s sofa and return to St James’ Park.

While Hart has won three and drawn four of his first nine matches, taking Pompey to the relative respectability of 14th place in the table, Shearer has managed just one point from his first three games in charge.

But Hart, whose side are seven points clear of their hosts with just five games to go, insists his own players have rebuilt such belief in themselves over the past two months that it will take a special performance to beat them.

“I said when Shearer took the job at Newcastle, and I’ve said it many times, was that Alan Shearer was a great player and I’m sure he’s going to become a great manager if he wants to be.

“But it is just the same at Newcastle as it is here. It is players who make teams play.”

Shearer said: “Without doubt, they will be a tough nut to crack. Paul Hart has gone in there and done a really good job.

“They will certainly be a threat from set-pieces, but I believe if we look at ourselves and do it right ourselves, then we will have a big chance.”

Newcastle United manager Alan Shearer is hoping forgotten man Joey Barton can revitalise his midfield just when he needs it most.

The 26-year-old former Manchester City player is expected to return to full training later this week after recovering from a fractured metatarsal and would then be in contention for the make-or-break Premier League clash with Portsmouth next Monday evening.

The Magpies midfield has lacked penetration in recent months, leaving the club’s strikers starved of meaningful possession, so the return of a man who is yet to even start paying off his £5.8m transfer fee cannot come soon enough.

At his peak with City, Barton both scored and created goals, and Shearer is desperate for him to do just that as his side prepare for their final five games of the campaign, with three of them must-win affairs at St James’ Park.

The manager said: “Joey has had treatment all over the weekend and if everything goes well with him over the next few days, we might have him in full training on Thursday or Friday.

“He can also run on and get past the forwards, which, with all due respect, Nicky Butt, who is 34, can’t do.

“He does well in other jobs that he does, but he can’t get past the forwards, and if Joey is there to do that, then it would free up some other players.”

Barton was signed by former boss Sam Allardyce in July 2007, but has managed only 31 appearances since as a result of injuries and his spell in prison.

Just five of his 25 starts have come this season with knee and foot problems having severely restricted his attempts to belatedly prove his worth on Tyneside.

“With all problems created by him, I don’t wish he’ll be in the NU’s 1st eleven… But what can we hope for? We dont hv enough character in our squad… – atoksyah “