Match Preview/Stats/Thread: West Brom v Newcastle Utd
By Tyne-Talk December 4 2010
Newcastle United travel down to the midlands where West Bromwich Albion host tomorrow’s lunchtime game, live on Sky Sports. Both teams go into the game on equal points with the same amount of games won, drawn and lost.
Only goal difference and Premier League places separate the two sides and it would seem their levels of performance haven’t changed much since last season, where at this stage both teams were established as first and second at the top of the Championship.
Whilst Newcastle will be happy with their last result, a draw against Chelsea, West Brom were knocked out of the Carling Cup in midweek by Ipswich and have several players struggling with injury ahead of this game.
Chris Brunt (groin), Peter Odemwingie (knee), James Morrison (back), Paul Scharner (knee) and Nicky Shorey (illness) will all be assessed, whilst Jonas Olsson (Achilles) and Youssouf Mulumbu (suspension) are both absent.
Newcastle United manager Chris Hughton will be without Steve Harper (shoulder), Kevin Nolan (ankle), Leon Best (ankle), Ryan Taylor (ankle ligaments), Dan Gosling (knee) and Hatem Ben Arfa (broken leg), whilst Mike Williamson and Fabricio Coloccini are both serving match bans.
Joey Barton returns having completed a 3 match ban and Shola Ameobi looks set to once again start alongside Andy Carroll, who has scored four goals in his last five games for Newcastle.
Fact: Newcastle have won 6 and lost 0 of their 8 Premier League games against West Brom.
Fact: If selected Sol Campbell will make is 500th Premier League appearance. Only David James, Ryan Giggs and Gary Speed have featured in more games.
West Brom
Newcastle United
15
Played
15
19
Points
19
5
Won
5
4
Drawn
4
6
Lost
6
20
Goals Scored
23
26
Goals Conceded
22
Match Preview/Stats/Thread: West Brom v Newcastle Utd
Posted by: TyneTalk (IP Logged)
Date: 04/12/2010 22:09
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Ive got a good feeling about the match. Hope I dont have to eat my words.
Can see Barton come straight back in but unsure who it will be for.
Rout had a great game against Chelsea and Guthrie did well. I doubt it would happen but I would think about dropping Jonas and moving Rout to the left for a kick up the ar5e. Im not normally a big fan of playing players out of their positions but I think it could work espec against a more equal opposition. Rout can use his left as he does cut in when playing on the right. It would also give the option of him cutting in onto his right foot.
It wouldnt be a long term thing but it would it would serve to keep two players in the team who did well against the champions, drop a player who is doing very little this season for us and allow one of the players of the season back into the team where he has supplied Carroll so well.
Biffins Bridge Ive got a good feeling about the match. Hope I dont have to eat my words.
I share that view. I just think we are due a win after not winning our last four games. We'll have to wait and see but a win today would really be great.
No Joey Barton today! Does anybody know the reason for his absence?
Here are the lineups:
WEST BROM v NEWCASTLE
West Brom: Carson, Jara, Scharner, Tamas, Cech, Tchoyi, Morrison, Dorrans, Thomas, Brunt, Odemwingie. Subs: Myhill, Pablo, Barnes, Reid, Shorey, Fortune, Cox.
Newcastle: Krul, Simpson, Steven Taylor, Campbell, Jose Enrique, Routledge, Guthrie, Tiote, Gutierrez, Carroll, Ameobi. Subs: Soderberg, Lovenkrands, Perch, Smith, Best, Kadar, Ranger.
Referee: Mike Dean (Wirral)
I am going for a 3-1 win, fully understand your point about Jonas, he has done well but could do more, I don't think it is the worst thing in the world giving him a kick up the @rse, especially as you can bring him on in the 2nd half
its a good thing West Brom isn't any good, more than half the squad look to be sleep walking, especially Jonas and Shola. We are starting to wake though.
He needs to do something. The way the lads play at the level of our opposition indicates a lack of motivation. We have literally thrown away a couple good results already by quickly succumbing to some unexpected bad results. It can't keep happening-we're all of four points off the relegation zone and WBA, specifically, are not a team we want pulling away from us.
That's the best thing guthrie's done all game, getting himself injured. Total shite. Wasted everything bit of posession he had. Rather have nicky butt in there ffs
well that was a@#$%&result, totally pee'd off with the preformance. I thought carroll, shola, guthrie, jonas all looked well off the pace. I reeally now beleive we MUST sign a striker in January as we cant rely soley on carrolls goal we need some pace.
wba are a poor team and we should be looking to get 3 points against teams lkike that no excuses there just wasnt any effort or creativity we looked seriously lacking.
Well i think i was right to be honest, dont really like to brag, but i said us not bringing a striker in during the Summer transfer window, was a big mistake.
We havent got a clue how to score goals, apart from Carroll, and a tap in from Lovenkrands today.
We really need a goalscorer.
We are now 4 points above the relegation zone, and all of a sudden the club will have to start looking over their shoulder.
As much as I would like a nice pacey striker to come in to play alongside Carroll, I think the problem we have is getting control of the game and having someone in their who is creative and capable of dictating the pace of the game. It's no use saying we need a striker when the likes of Ameobi and Carroll got very really service today. I think a certain Niko Kranjcar should be the player we should go after as he will be available for only 3 million pounds.
perhaps this will kickstart lovenkrands season. a flurry of goals in december, wasnt it about this time 12 months ago that he arrived in the first team?
very dissappointed today overall, but this was the same bunch of players who have done so well lately, in some games. hughton needs to work out how to cut out the off-days, not throw away half the team and buy six new players. we should still pass 20 points before our 20th game, and so can hope to hit 30 ahead of schedule as well.
as mentioned on another thread, we have players due back for later in the season. if barton gosling and ben arfa, as well as our two centre halves and second top scorer kevin nolan were available, we be even further above the bottom three, anyone agree?
nolan colocinni barton williamson ben arfa gosling....get these back we will be laughing
first three are vital and the other two will be like two new signings cant wait to see a striker in jan
what irritates me most though is ameobi's complete disinterest and lack of heart get him out sell for free i dont care how longs it been watching him fail then show after 10 games he can actually play decent then go back to his old ways doesnt deserve to wear the shirt.
Dont have time for a full analysis of the game but on the Shola front then CH has to have a little look at himself. The last two games Shola has started, and not looked a patch on what he had been at Arsenal and the games prior, and both he went off injured early. I dont know but he obviously isnt fit so why even bother. A half fit Shola is not going to cut it and then it will invite more pressure and grief from fans.
here's hoping lovenkrands gets the chance then biff, as i think it would be a backward step to simply pull shola for nolan. nolan should play, but we need to come up with plan which doesnt involve carroll playing as lone striker
I think it would be easy to blame the forwards or call for more to be bought but totally agree with Wasim. As forwards you can live and die on the service and it was terrible today. Both Shola and Carroll looked off the pace but Rout, Jonas and Guthrie had a real shocker. Tiote tried to push us on but when Smith came on when and you need to score at least two goals then you know you're in trouble.
Speaking of Smith he summed up why people want him moved on within a minute of being on the pitch. Going to f00king ground again cleaning that lad out and getting a yellow card for his trouble. If he is on 60k a week then then thats over 3.2m a year! A year left on his contract in the summer! Letting him go on a free in January wouldnt be a bad idea when you take into account his wages and the point that LMK made about bonus payments for completing his contract. Go back to Leeds my friend, thanks for helping to get us promoted.
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