Pompey Preview

By Matthew Jones
December 10 2004

Looking ahead to the weekends match against Portsmouth. Alan Shearer should return in place of Patrick Kluivert, who is struggling to be fit. Former Toon player Lomana Lua Lua is also in a race to be fit - to line up for Portsmouth - although is expected to play.

Lomana Lua Lua scored a vital goal against the Magpies while on loan at Pompey last season, and then refused to return to St James's Park when Newcastle had injury problems ahead of thier UEFA Cup semi final against Marseille.

Kieron Dyer knows the threat of Lua Lua and said: "In terms of sheer footballing ability, LuaLua is up there with some of the best players I've ever played with. He's got so much ability and does things in training other players would never attempt to do.

"He just isn't advanced as far as his football brain is concerned and that's because he came into the game late and he hasn't benefited from the Academy system most of us have been through. People have got to remember he didn't start playing football until he was 16 and he hasn't had the coaching you'd expect a player to have had at that age. There was a bit of bad blood when he left Newcastle but we keep in touch and he seems to be doing okay down there. He'll be a danger to us this weekend if he's fit."

Pompey coach Joe Jordan said: "We will have to wait and see - at the moment we are just taking it from day to day to make sure he does not aggravate the problem". David Unsworth is still nursing his strain but otherwise Pompey have no new injury worries as they fly to the North East today.

On the game, he added: "It's been proved that if we are focused, and get ourselves right, then we are capable of getting a result away from home. Our last two league games have given us a lot of confidence. We got some breaks against West Brom but we deserved that for the determination we showed in that second half.

"It's not been difficult motivating the players this week despite the circumstances at the club. It's just a question of maintaining the work which we started from pre-season. Our goal is to stay in this league, and we aim to hit that 40-point mark as quickly as possible.

"It will be difficult against Newcastle. It's an intimidating stadium with a lot of passion and noise, but we have plenty of experienced players who can handle that, and hopefully get a result".

Pompey will be without left back David Unsworth who is suffering from a hamstring injury, meaning Dejan Stefanovic should be in the visitors starting XI. Arjan de Zeeuw and Linvoy Primus will play in the centre, with Griffin at right back.

Pomper are also without Nigel Quashie (groin strain) and Gary O'Neil is doubtful (ankle). Jamie Ashdown is likely to remain in goal whilst Shaka Hislop is allegedly in dispute with the Board about a racial incident.

Newcastle United manager Graeme Souness also had alot to say, and is trying to put last week's 4-0 defeat by Chelsea behind him:

"The best way I can describe it is, after 89 minutes I'm sitting with my head in my hands thinking 'How have we lost this 2-0?', and then at 92, 93 minutes, I'm shell-shocked.

"Obviously, I've been shell-shocked before with results, both as a player and as a manager, but that's how I felt.

"You feel as if you've been mugged in a game in which for an hour, there was so much of our play and the things we were doing that was good.

"You sit there and you know without analysing it at the time that you're doing well because you're not agitated, you're not having to say too much.

"I had that feeling for an hour, and then the roof caved in, and that can happen in football at the highest level.

"But that's gone. I'm fed up with talking about how good our football has been and we've done this and done that and come away with nothing or one point as we did against Everton.

"We've got to turn that football, that possession, those chances, into goals, which means victories."

Newcastle United have not won at home since their UEFA Cup game against Dinamo Tbilisi. Souness added:

"We have been playing well in games of late but not getting the points - and we need to change that.

"We played well in the last home game against Everton and I felt we should taken three points from that game, then at Chelsea last week we did well for an hour before we blew it big style in the last half hour. At 89 minutes I was stood there and wondering how we were 2-0 down - then a few minutes later it was 4-0.

"But I'm sure the supporters are tired of hearing me saying that, and I'm tired of saying that. We need to start turning those displays into points.

"Portsmouth will be a tough test for us, but I'm confident we can win the game. We need the points and we need to get back in the routine of winning matches."

Alan Shearer is due to return to the starting line-up, having recovered from injury. Patrick Kluivert is a doubt, so Shearer could go straight into the squad, with Souness not having to worry about how to accomodate three top-class strikres.

Souness said: "Alan is back in the squad on Saturday so that is a boost for us, but there is a slight doubt over Patrick.

"We will have a few tough decsions to make between now and kick off time, but to be honest I'd much rather have those decisions to make rather than have the team pick itself."

LuaLua, Griffin and Hislop all used to play at Newcastle United and no doubt will get very different receptions - LuaLua who may recieve a roasting off the fans.

FANS ON PLAYERS RETURN TO SJP

NEWCASTLE FROM: Ambrose, Ameobi, Bellamy, Bernard, Bramble, Bowyer, Dyer, Elliott, Given, Harper, Hughes, Jenas, Johnsen, Kluivert, Milner, Robert, Shearer

PORTSMOUTH FROM: Ashdown, Hislop, Griffin, Primus, de Zeeuw, Stefanovic, Taylor, Stone, Faye, Hughes, Cisse, Mezague, Berger, Berkovic, Fuller, LuaLua

Last 10 Results

Newcastle United

Portsmouth

Ven		Versus		Pos

A	0 - 4	Chelsea	L	1
H	1 - 1	Everton	D	3
A	2 - 0	Crystal Palace	W	16
H	1 - 3	Man Utd	L	7
H	1 - 4	Fulham	L	15
A	1 - 2	Bolton	L	4
H	4 - 3	Man City	W	10
A	1 - 1	Charlton	D	9
A	2 - 2	Birmingham	D	15
H	3 - 1	West Brom	W	19

Ven		Versus		Pos

H	3 - 2	West Brom	W	20
A	1 - 0	Bolton	W	6
H	1 - 3	Man City	L	12
A	1 - 2	Southampton	L	18
A	0 - 3	Aston Villa	L	10
H	2 - 0	Man Utd	W	5
A	1 - 1	Middlesbrough	D	5
H	1 - 0	Tottenham	W	4
A	2 - 2	Norwich	D	19
H	0 - 1	Everton	L	3

Ven	Home or Away
Pos	Opposition League Position at Kick Off

Leading League Scorers Comparison

Craig Bellamy 10						Yakubu Ayegbeni 20
	7		Goals		6
	16		Games Played		12
	0.44		Goals Per Game Average		0.5
	7		Total Games Scored In		4



	7		Games Scored 1 Goals		3
	0		Games Scored 2 Goals		0
	0		Games Scored 3 Goals		1
	2		Scoring Run (games)		2
	5		Dry Spell (games)		3



	2		Close Range		1
	5		Inside 18 Yard Box		5
	0		Outside 18 Yard Box		0



	3		Shots		3
	2		Headers		1
	2		Volleys		1
	0		Penalties		1
	0		Free Kicks		0

	Importance of Goals taking out top socrers, how results are affected.

	0			W>L			1
	1			W>D			1
	4	D>L		1
	6	Total Points		6

W>L		Number of games which, had the top scorer not scored, would have been lost instead of won.
W>D		Would have been drawn instead of won
D>L		Would have been lost instead of drawn

Previous Meetings between these two clubs


		Summary of Past Meetings

	Pld	Won	Drawn	Lost	For	Against	GD	Pts

St James' Park

Newcastle	2	2	0	0	6	1	5	6
Portsmouth	2	0	0	2	1	6	-5	0

Fratton Park

Portsmouth	2	1	1	0	3	1	2	4
Newcastle	2	0	1	1	1	3	-2	1

Total

Newcastle	4	2	1	1	7	4	3	7
Portsmouth	4	1	1	2	4	7	-3	4


		Home and Away with dates and attendance


29/2/2004	Portsmouth 1	Newcastle 1
20,140	LuaLua	Bellamy
25/10/2003	Newcastle 3	Portsmouth 0
52,161	Speed, Shearer, Ameobi

9/2/1993	Portsmouth 2	Newcastle 0
21,028	Whittingham, Symons
12/9/1992	Newcastle 3	Portsmouth 1
29,885	Quinn (2), Kelly	Whittingham