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Match Reports

Newcastle v Cardiff Match Report

10 years ago
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Newcastle v Cardiff Match Report

Newcastle United 1 Cardiff City 2    Saturday 4 January 3pm

I was really surprised in the build up to this game at how many fans were giving it a miss.

Countless friends and acquaintances who in the past would never miss a game, had decided enough was enough an voted with their feet/backsides.

While there were twenty thousand empty seats I’ve got to say it is a tribute to the size of our fanbase that there were still thirty one thousand bums on those seats.

A lot of younger fans as usual were taking up the slack thanks to cheap prices and the chance to organise as a singing section, while parents and children were there in force as well.

I do though think that the admission of club directors that the cups weren’t a priority has been the final straw fro many hardcore fans. If they’d watched this rubbish today then they definitely won’t be giving the cups another try!

After no rotation over the Christmas/new year period, Alan Pardew ‘rotated’ seven players/positions – I believe it is called playing your second team. Yes some of the changes were forced but I think most fans accept that the manager would have played a similar team regardless.

It was poor from the start and saying Newcastle just about had the best of a dire first 45 minutes isn’t saying much.

Cardiff were even worse than our lot despite the new manager factor and when Newcastle took the lead on 61 minutes through Papiss Cisse, the visitors hadn’t suggested anything that would potentially get them back into the game.

Substitutes Noone and Campbell won the match though as Newcastle folded late on. I have seen Noon’s goal described as ‘unstoppable’ but if Mapou had stepped up to confront the threat then he would never have got his shot away and Elliot’s offer at saving it was embarrassing.

Worse was to come though as a deep corner saw Mapou ball watching and as he turned around to watch the ball, Campbell simply followed the flight of the ball to nod him unmarked with the Newcastle centre-back facing his own goal – atrocious defending from a standard corner and a worrying sign for a defence without Coloccini in the coming weeks. Elliot was motionless as well for the winner and anybody who thinks he is in any way a good enough substitute fro Krul must think Shola will suddenly start scoring goals…

Speaking of Shola, Remy and he were given the last five minutes to rescue the match but whatever Cisse’s recent form has been – did it make any sense taking him off for that late charge?

Hatem Ben Arfa was at least a threat intermittently and hit the woodwork as Newcastle looked to have control until the late horror show but this was another desperate day in the FA Cup and to have never progressed past the fourth round in either domestic cup competition under Ashley is an absolute disgrace.

Newcastle: Elliot, Santon, Steven Taylor, Mapou, Haidara, Anita, Tiote, Gouffran (Obertan 63), Sissoko (Remy 85), Ben Arfa, Cisse (Shola 85)

Unused Subs: Alnwick, Dummett, Williamson, Sammy Ameobi

Ref: Anthony Taylor

Crowd: 31,166 (400 Away)

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