Newcastle United - October 2010

Hi and welcome back to my Newcastle blog. I was now in October of my first Premier League season and I was set to face Blackburn in the first game of the month. That would be followed to a midweek game away to Everton followed by a home game against Fulham, a league cup game agaist Liverpool and finally to finish the month off I was set to play Wigan at home.

v Blackburn (a) Barclays Premiership

The first game of the month saw us take a trip to Ewood Park to face Blackburn who were currently 16th in the league and without a win in three. This seemed like a good opportunity to climb up the table. We failed to really get out of the starting blocks agianst Blackburn in the first half with only a few long range efforts that were going close to the goal. A goal finally came in the 52nd minute when Okaka was on the end of a Jnoas cross and he managed just to get his head before Paul Robinson on the near post and we were 1-0 up. Not much really happenend in this game the only real clear cut chance was the goal so not much to talk about but it was three points and thats all that matters. Next up was Everton on my birthday and hopefully a nice Football Manager birthday present with three points.

v Everton (a) Barclays Premiership

After a win against Blackburn in the previous game I was looking for back-to-back wins against Everton at Goodison Park. Everton started off the better and they were putting real preesure on the Newcastle defence but to the defenders credit they were keeping the clear cut chances down and Everton never really threatened and were reduced to long shots. I changed the team philosophy to couter attacking to try and hit them on the break and it nearly worked but Macheda hit the bar just outside the box. Everton did take the lead thought through Tim Cahill and it deservidly won Everton the game. After a Arteta corner was headed out by Coloccini, Cahill smacked a right footed vollley and the ball nearly took the net off when it hit the back of the net. No keeper in the world could have even got close to that it was a brilliant goal. Thats how the game finished and even though we had lost and I was disappointed with the result I knew that the goal deserved to win the game. Next up was Fulham at home.  

v Fulham (h) Barclays Premiership

After the dissapointing result to Everton a few days earlier I had to get back to winning ways and I now had to face Fulham in a mid-table clash. We started off brightly and were ahead in the 16th minute when a chipped though ball from Wayne Routledge played in Macheda we turned his marker and placed his shot out of the reach of Mark Swartzer in the Fulham goal. Despite taking the lead we were determined to double our lead and if it was not for Swartzer we would have gone in 3 or 4 up at half time. We did thought manage to score one goal before half time. When Jonas was played in by Alan Smith there was only one thing on his mind and that was to score. It was 2-0 at half time and I felt like we were comfortable to make a few changes. I brought on Lovenkrands, Vuckic and Pancrate and I took off Macheda, Routledge and Okaka. The substitutes did play well but I had failed in adding to the goal tally but I was particually impressed by Haris Vuckic who is a youth team player in the Newcastle sqaud and one that had an exciting future with the club.

v Liverpool (a) League Cup 4th round

I was ready and rearing to go for this game and I was determined that Liverpool weren't going to knock we out for the third time in a row in domestic cups. I was pleased with the start that we made and we nearly took the lead but for a brilliant double save from Reina denied the first goal going to the home side. The visitor unsuprisingly took the lead in the 22nd minute and again it was Steven Gerrard that was behind it all. They doubled their advantage when Fernando Torres scored a typical poachers goal and Liverpool made the game become beyond reach when Torres scored his scored of the game from just outside the box. The good news was that I managed to pull one goal back and get a consalation goal but I was out of the League Cup and once again Liverpool were the team to knock me out. Next up was Wigan in the league

v Wigan (h) Barclays Premiership

The final game of the month was agian at home and the visitors were strugglers Wigan who were just above the drop zone in 17th. From the first 10 minutes you could tell why they were down their with a few defensive errors it let my forwards in for the chance to score but they couldn't covert the chances to goals. It took we till the second half until I got the first goal and it was Federico Macheda who scored again with a bullet header from a Fabrice Pancrate cross who was making his first start of the season. After that goal Wigan started to get back into the game and nearly levelled the game when fromer Magpie Charles N'Zogbia hit the post from a long range effort. The game was settled in the 77th minute when Pancrate was tripped just inside the box and we ha d a great opportunity to make it safe. Jonas stepped up and cooly chipped the ball into the top right hand corner of the goal. It was another three points at home and it looked as if the home games are whats going to help me push up that table towards the European places.

October Results

I was really pleased with this month and I was proud of my players. A bit dissapointed that I got knocked out by Liverpool again but the league is the main aim this season.

October League Table

With three league wins out of four I had moved myself into the top half of the table but I knew I would to keep going if I was going to continue this good run of form and push for the European places.

Thanks for reading new post will be here soon

Warren