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Season 2008-09
Wigan Athletic (h) Premier League
 

In association with NUFC.com

Date: Saturday 15th November 2008, kick-off 3pm.

Venue:
 St. James' Park

Conditions: 
unseasonably mild
 

  

 

Newcastle United

Wigan Athletic

2 - 2

Teams

Goals

3 mins Opinions differ on this one - either a fortunate slice from Ryan Taylor that looped over Given or a measured strike that curled spectacularly into the Gallowgate goal from 25 yards out. 

History would suggest the latter, with the same player having netted against us from similar range at the JJB in the last two seasons. Anyway, Wigan jogged forward down the left with Gutierrez content to let Figueroa push on, Beye, Butt and Coloccini all spectators for the goal  0-1

Half time: Newcastle 0 Athletic 1

80 mins
12 minutes after coming on and not long after placing one glorious effort wide from six yards then seeing a goalbound header tipped over, Michael Owen was on hand to tucked home 
the rebound after Kirkland parried Ameobi's long-range effort at the Gallowgate End. Duff had begun the move out on the United right, feeding Ameobi who wasn't closed down 1-1

87 mins N'Zogbia picked up possession and made headway down the left before slipping the ball to Obafemi Martins, who burst into the area to lash an unstoppable left foot shot past Kirkland. 2-1

89 mins
Following a needless conceding of a corner - when Habib Beye headed the ball behind with Shay Given all set to collect it - De Ridder crossed for Titus Bramble to head a dramatic equaliser with Duff trying to block on the line but only succeeding in helping the ball in via his knee. 2-2

Full time: Newcastle 2 Athletic 2

We Said

After the game, JFK (who had been confronted by a home fan who ran down the touchline towards the dugout on 75 minutes) commented:

"It was highs and lows, wasn't it? That's the worst we have started since I have been here, in the first half.
We didn't play a high tempo, we didn't create much. We went for broke with three strikers up and created numerous chances. We should have put the game to bed, really.

“I don’t think we started well and the first goal took the wind out of our sails.

“It bobbled up and Ryan Taylor hit it with the outside of boot. It was the worst possible start. We didn’t really pass the ball too well. We didn’t create that much.

“I said a few harsh words at half-time and kept my head later on.

“I told them they were there for the taking if we played higher up the pitch. We then created chances and Michael Owen had a great one prior to him scoring.

"I didn’t think we had to give the corner away to start with, but we did. When the ball came in he had a free header, which was annoying. Damien Duff had the chance to get it off the line and he hooked it into the other corner of the net.

“I put my arm round Damien and told him not to worry about it. He made the effort that he could. He’s bitterly disappointed, being the really good professional that he is.”

"We have got to sit down and talk to him about a new contract (with Owen), if I am allowed to do that.

"I'd say he
(Owen) is about 80 per cent. He needs to be brought back gently. We know what Michael is capable of. No one asked these questions when we beat Aston Villa.

"Michael Owen is the best player at the football club. I have to make these decisions. Which ever decisions I make are never right.

"I took off Spiderman (to boos from the crowd) and you will have a field day with that. It is a difficult job making decisions isn't it? Whatever decision I make you'll go against it.

JFK later spoke again about the Owen situation:

"People are trying to drive a wedge between us for whatever reason.

"I could have taken the easy option of playing Michael from the start of games but what position would I have been in if he had then broken down? Saturday was the sharpest I've seen Michael since I've been here. Before he was struggling for fitness but he's getting better and better."

They said


Steve Bruce commented:

On Bramble:

"Outstanding"  

Making his own bid to get on the wrong side of the FA with his outburst, he said:


"It was a howler of a decision. Emmerson absolutely got the ball and to send him off was an absolute joke. I know all about the Respect campaign but the ref got it wrong.

"It seems that when you play at the big stadiums in front of big crowds the decisions don't go to the visiting team.

"We were robbed at Anfield a few weeks ago and it's happened again. But there's no point talking to referees afterwards these days. We just fill in 25 forms and that's that.

Calming down slightly the following week, he added:

"The rules are ridiculous. Referees have a really difficult job and it's far too often that we are talking about them after games.

"In the time it took for Boycey to be sent off a fourth official, or someone in the stands, could have watched the replay from different angles and a judgment made from there and relayed to the referee.

"I don't believe this takes any authority away from the referee. On the contrary, it empowers him to be confident that the correct decision has been made.

"Obviously I am only talking about major decisions - penalties, balls crossing the goal-line and players getting sent off. The biggest problem - and what I find the most frustrating - is that we have no right to appeal.

"I would like to thank Mr Marriner for taking the time to look at the decision and I admire him for admitting that he made an error. But what good does it do us?"

Latics owner Dave Whelan commented on the Ashley situation:

"I spoke to him when the row started and I said: 'Mike, just get your money back and step away. Football is a very difficult game. You have gone to Newcastle who are steeped in history and if you 'sack' the golden boy Kevin Keegan you are in serious trouble'.

"I don't know if he listened. I think he did but you never really know with Mike. He enjoyed the little time he had here, he said, but straight away he sacked Kevin Keegan. Then you are down the pan. I told him: 'You have gone'.

"Even the taxi driver who brought me up today was saying, ‘When are we going to get rid of Ashley?’. If Mike Ashley will sell it for the right money, he will sell it next week. Now, is he being greedy? Yes.”

On the chances of his boss making the move to SJP:

“He won’t come here and work with Mike Ashley. Steve wants to work with a chairman who understands the game and does not expect too much, too soon. There is no chance he would go near a football club if it is not run the way he thinks it should be.”
 

Stats


Latics @ SJP:

2008/09
Drew 2-2 Owen, Martins
2007/08
Won 1-0 Owen
2006/07
Won 2-1 Parker, Ameobi
2005/06 Won 3-1 Shearer 2, Bramble
1953/54 Drew 2-2 Broadis, Milburn (FAC)

The Entertainers? this was the ninth successive game that we've either scored or conceded two goals and the 13th consecutive game in which one side has scored at least twice. Those both obviously include the seven games that JFK has been in charge of Newcastle for.

3-2 Coventry (a) CC
0-3 Arsenal (a)
1-2 Hull City (h)
1-3 West Ham (a)
1-2 Spurs (h) CC
1-2 Blackburn (h)
2-2 Everton (a)
2-2 Man City (h)
1-2 mackems (a)
2-1 West Brom (h)
2-0 Aston Villa (h)
1-2 Fulham (a)
2-2 Wigan (h)

Habib Beye made it t
hree yellow cards in as many games and he's now two bookings away from an automatic one match suspension (as is Nicky Butt).

Titus Bramble's goal added another name to the list of old boys who have returned to haunt us - although it's the first defender we can find in our Premier League back pages:

Here's a list of them from Premier League games only:

Ex-Mags who scored against us:

1993/94: Harford (Coventry)
1994/95: Harford (Wimbledon), G.Peacock (Chelsea), 
1995/96: Cole (Man U)
1996/97: Huckerby (Coventry)
1997/98: Cole (Man U), Ferdinand (Spurs), Hendrie (Barnsley), 
1998/99: Cole (Man U), Kitson (West Ham)
1999/00: Cole (Man U), Ferdinand (Spurs)
2000/01: Cole (Man U), Ferdinand (Spurs)
2001/02: Saha (Fulham), Hamann (Liverpool), Cole, Gillespie (both Blackburn), Ferguson (Everton)
2002/03: Huckerby (Man City), Hamann (Liverpool), Clark (Fulham)
2003/04: Ferguson (Everton), Clark, Saha (both Fulham), Ferdinand (Leicester), LuaLua (Pompey)
2004/05: NONE
2005/06:
Cole (Man City)
2006/07:
Bellamy (Liverpool)
2007/08:
Saha (Manchester United)
2008/09:
Bramble (Wigan)

Future Mags who scored against us:

1993/94: Shearer (Blackburn), Ferdinand (QPR)
1994/95: Shearer (Blackburn), Ferdinand (QPR), Rush (Liverpool), Gillespie (Manchester United), 
1995/96: Rush (Liverpool)
1996/97: Speed (Everton), Gallacher (Blackburn)
1997/98: Cort (Wimbledon), Owen (Liverpool)
1998/99: Babayaro (Chelsea), Owen (Liverpool), Bowyer (Leeds)
1999/00: Bowyer (Leeds), Bridges (Leeds), Owen (Liverpool)
2000/01: Johnsen (Man U), Owen (Liverpool)
2001/02: Bowyer (Leeds), Viduka (Leeds), Smith (Leeds),
2002/03: Owen (Liverpool), Viduka (Leeds), Smith (Leeds), Geremi (Middlesbrough)   
2003/04: Viduka (Leeds), Smith (Leeds), Duff (Chelsea), Owen (Liverpool)
2004/05 NONE (yet)
2005/06:
Duff (Chelsea)
2006/07: NONE (yet)
2007/08: NONE (yet)
2008/09: NONE (yet)

(NB: no account made of OGs either way in the above)

PS: Bramble's goal for Wigan wasn't the first time that he'd scored against Newcastle:

Southampton (a) 2004
Titus inadvertently steered the ball past his own 'keeper Shay Given during a 3-3 draw.

Liverpool (a) 2004 Bramble beat Given again as he got his head on a Gerrard corner in front of the Kop. Who laughed. A lot. 

  

Waffle

A game that we looked like losing for most of the afternoon ended up with home fans cursing their side for only taking a share of the points. 

The battle of the sportswear owners ended even, but while Mike Ashley was absent and silent, Dave Whelan had plenty to say; none of it complimentary about his opposite number.

Both have scored own goals on this ground - Ashley metaphorically during this skid pan of a season to date and Whelan putting through his own goal here for Blackburn way back in 1957.

In truth though, neither side was happy with the result; Whelan's bluster and Bruce's hand-wringing disguising the display of a Wigan side shorn of their two main strikers but packed with actors.  

JFK meanwhile maintained his unbeaten record at SJP, but was unable to celebrate a third consecutive home win as his side proved incapable of defending a lead against ten men. 

Instead he was forced to confront both fans and the media over his preference to start with Ameobi and Martins and leave Owen on the bench. The manager rated him at 80% fit, but the player spoke in the match programme about having been fit for "a couple of weeks" after his "small injury".

It was also written in the press that Owen had left SJP after the game looking downcast - you and me both, pal - there's nowt worse than losing and then seeing your own players exchanging high -fives with their pals on the other side or wandering off into the night without a care in the world. Long faces are required. 

The real source of Owen's frustration may well be though that sitting on the bench for three quarters of our last two matches made Fabio Capello's decision not to take him to Berlin a formality. 

By the time England return to action in March the world could be a very different place, but Owen will be no closer to becoming his country's top scorer. 

Whether he, Kinnear or Ashley is still around here by then is a moot point, but most of the fans will stick by whoever is in the side, today's increased attendance coming from an upsurge in sales after the victory over Villa. 

In that respect the one-man protest directed at Kinnear was as needless as it was barmy (although we did wonder momentarily whether that burly bloke booling along the touchline was the returning Mark Viduka)

Now that Owen is fit, he has to start in the side - that's nothing to do with egos or favouritism, it's just plain common sense. Just like not picking Cacapa - at least until the Masters come around....

Owen might keep us up, Ameobi won't.   

We used to joke that Ameobi was Sir Bobby's son, but the two-way love in between fellow Dubliners Duff and Kinnear is getting beyond a joke - with the match sponsors getting in on the act by naming the winger as the top performer of the afternoon. That was before his late goal line hokey-cokey.

However he's in the most consistent fitness and form of his Newcastle career (which doesn't say much, admittedly) and with the loss of Barton it's time for the big players to justify their salaries and reputations in our colours - including Viduka, if we can get him fit and stop those Japanese whalers chasing him....

The same also applies to Gutierrez, who might have nice hair and a nice chant for the singing section to belt out, but needs a tiny bit more end product. Ginola and Robert justified their lack of tracking back when playing here due to some pyrotechnics at the other end of the field - Spiderman needs to do one or the other - or preferably both.

Grumbles, grumbles, grumbles - all caused by a fat-arsed bloke we punted out a few years ago after we grew tired of his antics on and off the field. Would we have still been as narked though had Oba's rocket won it? Once we'd sobered up...probably.

It's as simple as this: Steve Bruce's side are the epitome of ordinariness but can rightly point to a refereeing decision and injuries as valid reasons why they didn't become the latest "average" side to deservedly beat us.

This cat and mouse game at the bottom threatens to persist and we have the worst of both worlds - a team neither set up to consistently grind out results (if we had we'd have taken a point at Fulham and won today) or able to beat honest toilers by skill and talent alone. 

That's not Kinnear's fault, but as the man in charge of the side and apparently the public mouthpiece of Ashley & Co. taking crap from all sides is part of what he's being paid to do - at least until the bloke he works for has the brass knackers to show his face.

Even assuming transfers funds are made available, you'd question the motives and motivation of any player who wanted to move to this club in January - never mind bringing in reinforcements, keeping hold of what we've got could be the number one priority.

Take away our two goals from this game and everything else was unsatisfactory and deeply depressing. Next up? Chelsea away, after which we're led to expect some sort of London pow-pow of those allegedly in charge and maybe a puff of white smoke. I'll believe it when I see it. 

PS: The bad vibes surrounding Joey Barton show no signs of abating, with him picking up an injury to his right knee that is set to sideline him until 2009, just five games into his comeback.

Barton was quick to absolve Lee Cattermole of any blame, but the coming together of the two players seemed to have infected the former smoggie, who within hours was landed with a fixed penalty notice after disorder outside a Yarm nightclub.

Whether good old Titus was inside is unclear, but he was probably celebrating his own personal triumphant return to SJP. For once, you couldn't blame him.

Biffa

 

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Page last updated 15 November, 2019