Newcastle played the same team as in the last game and actually managed to keep a clean sheet for 75 minutes , against a strong team that could well end up in the champions league next season. Once again though, bad defending from from a corner allowed Hreideson's header to beat Given. Solano was on the line and got a hand on the ball. The result, a sending off for Nobby, A penalty and a goal for Ipswich. Newcastle couldn't get a goal back despite sub Lualua going close. Newcastle have now gone 27 games without a clean sheet, and taken 2 points out of the last seven games. They drop a place to West Ham, who they play on Monday. Ipswich are a good side and a 1 - 0 defeat away from home isn't a disaster. If you think about it, the result has also probably put Sunderland out of Europe. Next weeks opponents could have done with Newcastle beating Ipswich, as long as they could win today to keep their European dream alive. They lost 3 - 2 against Spurs after being 2 - 0 up within 13 minutes. Newcastle now have one tricky away game left at Liverpool which we'll be lucky to win . The only other away game left is at Sunderland next week. That game along with the five other home games should give Newcastle 18 points. That will be enough to get us above the makems and into an Intertoto cup place. So Howay, It's not all doom and gloom, This time next week we'll all be in agreement that the future is bright .... the future is Black and White.

-- Anonymous, April 14, 2001

Answers

Listening to the Metro phone-in has cheered me up slightly. It's full of Mackems whingeing about how they threw the game away and blaming Peytar for not spending any money.

-- Anonymous, April 14, 2001

man.... pass that whateveritisyersmokin' over here!!!!!!

-- Anonymous, April 14, 2001

Great believer in bright side...if, like everyone else, seriously disappointed by this season. 14th place must look like paradise to Bradford, Coventry and Man City. And a strong finish to the season would help boost morale.

The future is - always - black and white. We just have to hope, as ever, for much better next season...including the double over Fulham.

-- Anonymous, April 14, 2001

Nice sentiments Rik. I too see the world through the same rose coloured glasses, except every once in a while I take them off and see what's really going on. True, listening on the radio or the metro Webcast isn't the same as seeing the match, but I get no sense of excitement, no sense of urgency, no innovation, no ideas, no creativity from what we put on the park week in - week out. I could care less if we ever keep a clean sheet, as long as we score regularly at the other end. But we don't. We appear to go into every match looking for a point and end up with none. I honestly can't see us getting six or seven more points this season. Maybe I am just pissed off right now. Lets see if there is any passion next weekend. And don't get me wrong, I am 110% behind the lads, always have been, always will be. Just tired of setting meself up for disappointment week after week.

-- Anonymous, April 14, 2001

TRUST ME! EVERYTHING IS FIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINE!

We are as big as Barcelona (as i keep telling everyone)

-- Anonymous, April 14, 2001

You're right Doug. We are as big as Barcelona. Bothe have 9 letters, and we've got an extra word, so technically, we're bigger.

-- Anonymous, April 14, 2001

Hey Benton, the only way we will do the double over Fulham next season is if both game are played at SJP.......didn't anyone tell you......we don't win in London.

-- Anonymous, April 14, 2001

No kidding around, Charlton, Ipswich and the filthy mackems are all recently promoted sides currently better than us. Next season Fulham and Blackburn will be better than us. That's an extra 2 relegation spots to worry about bearing in mind that 2 long-term drossy sides will already have disappeared by then. I do hope we find a couple of surviving Prem clubs to be a tad less wanky than us next season, but I wouldn't bet on it. I dread to think what sort of cobblers we will sign for 30mil to reinforce the shit currently masquerading as professional footballers. The only crumb of comfort is that we pulled 2 goals back against the worst club in the division. Whoopee-fucking- do. Bastards. I despise them.

-- Anonymous, April 15, 2001

I know we don't win in London...but this is a bright side thread!

-- Anonymous, April 15, 2001

Sorry, but I just don't see ANY bright side to the situation. I generally try to criticise constructively, but at this point I'm just exhausted by this lot.

I don't even know what the excuse is any more - in the last two games we have only been without two senior players - three if you include Dabz, which I don't.

Regarding our by now fully proven inability to defend, I wonder if anyone on the coaching staff actually records just who it is who fails to pick up their man at FK's and corners. I'll just bet that this doesn't comprise a random distribution and that one or two players are largely responsible. At some point you need to conclude that they will never learn, no matter how much you coach, encourage and talk to them. It all boils down to execution and accountability - sooner or later the talking has to stop - if they can't do it on match day, then f***ing well get rid of them.

As PeteiC correctly identifies - "We appear to go into every match looking for one point, and end up with none."

-- Anonymous, April 15, 2001

Two post-match quotes from Bobby:

"We were never in trouble until they scored. I thought we were going to get a battling point, but until every player realises it's red alert at set-pieces, we'll deserve to lose. I'm sick of it."

"I told my players that Hreidarsson was the first Ipswich player to watch at set-pieces," said Robson. "Carl Cort forgot and it's cost us the game."

-- Anonymous, April 15, 2001

Frankly, I think you have to question the wisdom of expecting a young,fairly inexperienced striker to mark their best header of the ball at FK's and corners. The fact that this is made necessary because we have no defenders with any physical presence whatsoever is the next question.

Presumably, CC will be marking Quinny next Saturday? God help us!

-- Anonymous, April 15, 2001

Your spot on with the last comments Clarky, when we signed O'brien from Bradford I said that he wasn't the answer and that we needed a big bastard centre half who could play a bit as well( Molenaar?) surely we can't be the only ones to see that there is no way that Hughes is gonna make it as a top class Centre half, and I think the same about O'brien.If Bobby thinks Dabs is gonna make the difference when he comes back from Injury.......were doomed!

-- Anonymous, April 15, 2001

The bright side of this season will occur at about 6.00pm on the 19th of May when the referee blows the final whistle on the Aston Villa game at SJP and the season is over and done with.

God I wish it would end today......this is hard going. The only slight glimmer is that of the seven remaining games, five of them are at home, so we 'should' get at least another twelve points out of twenty one points, and survive to struggle another day

-- Anonymous, April 15, 2001

That was Bobbys' point in a pre-match interview yesterday, that the results looked "distorted" because of the number of away games we have played recently, but thats not the way I see it, is 3 points from the occaisonal away game and a clean sheet, too much to ask? In the case of NUFC it would appear so. Hell even 3 points at home and a clean sheet would be nice :-(

-- Anonymous, April 15, 2001

Stop moaning marty u havent got a clue. Get off the defences back!!!. Hughes and O'brien are only 21 for christs sake. Did u hear of jaap stam when he was 21? I think not so stop getting on the kids back and get behind them!!!! It's the seniors who should be taking the responsibility!! Bet u werent even there yesterday!!!

-- Anonymous, April 15, 2001

I'll toss my hat in along with clarky, not much to make me believe we can even win another game this season. Listening to the webcast it becomes increasingly difficult to even see a series of passes strung together successfully. We'd best hope to get 8 - 10 points out of our remaining matchs, that may get us in the top ten. You tell me how we achieve that.....reallistically.

Lastly...Rik, mate.... you have been as close to success as your PREDICTIT girls...and seemingly they are the only thing to look forward to week in and week out about now. That makes this whole thread more of a curse than a dream!!!!!

-- Anonymous, April 15, 2001

I'll bet anyone on here , that we won't get beaten tommorow.YOU NAME THE FORFIET , and I'll be happy to oblige. I reckon Robson will make 3 or 4 changes , possibly Dabizas, Griffin, Bassedas and LuaLua comming in. The changes will bring in the spark that we need and I think we'll win by a single goal in a low scoring game or possibly 0 - 0.

-- Anonymous, April 15, 2001

Hey Sparxx , for once the PREDIC TIT GIRL got it right. Just got an Email from the maKem game predic Tit girl and ... you'll have to wait till Tuesday for that one.

-- Anonymous, April 15, 2001

I stand by my comments SMB, everyone is entitled to their own view, and yes I wasn't at Ipswich, but I'll be at St James' tommorrow cheering on the lads as I always do.

-- Anonymous, April 15, 2001

'No kidding around, Charlton, Ipswich and the filthy 'WEAR HILL BILLIES' are all recently promoted sides currently better than us. Next season Fulham and Blackburn will be better than us. That's an extra 2 relegation spots to worry about bearing in mind that 2 long- term drossy sides will already have disappeared by then. I do hope we find a couple of surviving Prem clubs to be a tad less wanky than us next season, but I wouldn't bet on it. I dread to think what sort of cobblers we will sign for 30mil to reinforce the shit currently masquerading as professional footballers.'

Thats exact WHY WE MUST SIGN SOME 'HOME BASED GEORDIE PLAYERS WITH THIS 30million softie. The likes of Lee Clark are a must for insurance sakes.

We cant take the risk of an egotistical injury prone, forign mercenary. -----------------------------------------------------------------

Not only should everyone get off Hughes and O'Briens backs, because of their age, SMB. This back four excuse in my opinion is the easiest to use when your conceding goals.

Your back four players can only watch one player each at a time, so in practise is it a center half's fault if he picks up a striker and the ball then falls to a midfielder moving late off the ball????

Yet in relation why do these so called T.V. pundits tend to use the center half as a scape goat??? which a lot of people do repeat.

SIMPLY, not because it is Mr center half's problem, but because simply it saves air time, by not going into serious detail.

In fact this practice -of always blaming Mr Center Defender- pisses me right off, especially when you hear Sunday League players blaming, copying and internalising that the 'typical Center Half scapegoat media soloution' is the problem.

If you have played or watched Sunday pub league, you will even hear midfield players moaning at center backs -copying and pushing these scapegoat roles that have been set by the media- when in fact the goal conceded was their fault for not reading the situation as a midfielder. Could it be that our goals conceded are in fact partly down to our midfielders and forwards inability to read certain situations? Could it be that some of our midfielders dont follow players moves off the ball down to fitness, attitude, age, back handers etc.?

You cant always blame the back center two.

Remember under Keegan how the presses opinion was that we where weak at the back, but yet had the fourth best defensive record?

***Goals conceded does not always mean the Center half is shite.***

-- Anonymous, April 15, 2001

....and thought this was my thread, being Easter and all that.

-- Anonymous, April 15, 2001

I believe people generally understand and accept the point you're making T. Smith. There has been prior discussion on the need to defend as a team, and our general inability to to do so.
I don't believe anyone is attacking O'Brien and Hughes individually, but believe they are just too similar and lacking in physical presence - not their fault, but a failure of management. Because of this we had to assign a young striker to mark Ipswich's 'best header' at corners and FK's - with the inevitable consequence.
I believe most fans believe we need a commanding centre half to compliment either O'Brien or Hughes - or indeed to play with both of them in a back three.

-- Anonymous, April 16, 2001

It has been suggested before to play Hughes at right back, O'Brien and possibly Dabizas in the centre and Quinn on the left.
On the subject of Quinn, he seems to have settled quite well and is attacking and providing decent crosses. It seems that we are less obvious and do have other attacking options now. Perhaps when we sign that left midfielder in the summer things may start to pick up.

-- Anonymous, April 16, 2001

Kegsy,
I think one problem is that Quinn is really a LWB, and is not very strong defensively. Combine that with Barton's weakness at RB, and the lack of a left sided midfield player which exacerbates Quinn's defensive weakness - as it did Domi's - and our opposition gets too much width and opportunity to get crosses into our box. Add in the lack of a physical presence in the middle, and it's not difficult to see why we are so poor defensively.

Too many square pegs in round holes!

-- Anonymous, April 16, 2001