United showing the same determination as last weekend and we dominated the attacking possession in the first 20 minutes or so, with Obafemi Martins first to give an early challenge to David James when He robs Pompey’s Bouba Diop on halfway. Oba then tries to catch out James with an ambicious 45-yard effort, the Geordies stands on their feet watching the ball flying into the empty net but James finally can gathers with ease.

The homeside can finally put the ballance into the game in 23 minutes. Sean Davis tries to free the ex-Spurs man Jermain Defoe and goes one on one with goal, but wor Steve Harper races out from his line to snatch the ball right at his feet.

We quickly response the home effort with Michael Owen successively get away from two host challenges inside the area, but failed to get a shot on goal as Hreidarsson slides it for a corner. Geremi takes the delivery and meet Faye heads but his effort was high and wide.

United get a good chance to break the deadlock when Geremi picks Barton in halfway before he immediately springs the ball to awaiting Viduka on the right. Dukes set and looks for his strike partner Martins and feed him with an early pass in-behind the Pompey backline. Too bad the delivery was too much weight and only runs for a throw-in for the home side.

Today, we have shown him how the real Newcastle United is to them as we clearly own the first half and give their defenders couple of real jobs to denied some shoot on goal from our three frontmen. If only Martins can uses more of his pace rather than trying to shoot early, we would have lead by two goals.

After his second try to score from 45 yards, he has the second chance to score when he gets away from the challenge of Davis in midway inside the Pompey half, but instead of running more deep into the penalty arean, he fires a 30-yards effort which clears James’ crossbar.

Keegan’s first half team talk shows the way as we are more patient when making the attacking move. Early in the second half, Geremi has freespace on the right, the Cameroon midfielder crosses the ball with pace but luckily to Pompey as it’s Campbell who gets there first and volley it behind for a corner.

In an hour mark, the home side create their chance to score with Glen Johnson skips the challenge from Barton on the right-hand touchline before he rolls the ball into Kanu. His powerful left-foot strike deflects off his own team-mate Defoe and flies wide of the target.

Soon after that The Magpies have two corners in quick succession. Geremi’s deliveries from the corner are only resulting a break from the hosts. Jermain Defoe continues his works a yard for the shot but denied an opening goal by our stopper who does equally well to get down low to divert the ball around the upright.

Toon skipper denied his fifth goal in as many games after Geremi’s delivery from the corner only half-cleared and the ball was back at his feet and crosses it into the penalty area. This time Distin tries to hack it clear but the ball drops for Owen and his shoot on goal was instinctively saved by James with his head. Great jobs from both stopper today!

And in the dying minutes, Owen is again sees the back of the net from Geremi’s deep set-piece but today the former Toon skipper’s deliveries are not accurate and his try to set Owen free once again slightly too high to a grateful James who is able to save. Obafemi Martins was also have his chances today to make it four wins in a row for United when his late low strike wide of the target from a tight angle.

Not a bad result for us. We are playing quite well today and in terms of creating the chances and ball possessions, we are clearly way ahead of them. It’s just that today our phrone three strikers was unlucky to not having a great services from our midfielders, especially from Geremi who made several inaccurate crosses.

Special notes to both goalkeeper, Steve Harper and David James are both playing very well to denied couple of clear chances from both team. Harper did very well to catch the ball out from Jermain Defoe when he’s clear on goal, while the Three Lions stopper have a magnificent save with his head from Owen’s strike. Bring on makems!!!

TEAMS LINEUP

Portsmouth FC:
David James, Glen Johnson, Herman Hreidarsson, Sol Campbell (c), Sylvain Distin, Papa Bouba Diop, Sean Davis, Sulley Muntari, Niko Kranjcar, Nwanko Kanu, Jermain Defoe
Subs:
Lauren, David Nugent, Richard Hughes, Pedro Mendes, Asmir Begovic

Newcastle United FC:
Steve Harper, Habib Beye, Jose Enrique, Abdoulaye Faye, Steven Taylor, Nicky Butt, Geremi, Joey Barton, Oba Martins, Michael Owen (c), Mark Viduka
Subs:
Fraser Forster, Damien Duff, Alan Smith, David Edgar, Andy Carroll

Referee: Phil Dowd
Attendance: 20, 507

The post Portsmouth vs Newcastle, goalless match report appeared first on Magpieszone.

“I can’t remember being 3-0 up in a game so early,” said Benjani. “Maybe the last time that happened was at school – it was a surprise.”

Oh yeah, very nice said…you are now one of ‘the United Hall of Hate’ members. You are in level terms with Andy Cole and Roy Keane now on the eyes of Toon Army. Congratulations Mr. Benjani, and we will see how far you can go with your ‘Schoolboy Stuff’. I was so surprise too that you could enter the hall of hate so fast, maybe a new Toon World record.

“But to be honest I don’t really care about that as long as the team are winning. We can get into the top six. Maybe not the top four, but certainly we can make Europe.” You said that too, let’s see about it next summer.

Now the good part is Sam Allardyce has backed Claudio Caçapa to emerge stronger from his nightmare experience at St James’s Park on Saturday. He was being substituted after just 17 minutes of the 4-1 defeat to Portsmouth. Sam believe he was the one having been at fault for Portsmouth’s second and third goals, well…I do think the same too.

“Claudio is one of the few you thought wouldn’t make that type of mistake, but he did. We all try to learn from those mistakes and eliminate them as much as we possibly can.” Said Allardyce. Well, this is good. At least Big Sam has speak something nice and not just blame somebody else.

“Claudio will pick himself up,” said the 53-year-old former Bolton central defender. “He was looking a little laboured, that is why I made the early change. He has enough experience to accept he has made some mistakes. When you wake up on Sunday morning you can kid as much as you like to everyone else but when you look in the mirror you can’t kid him, can you? You know if you have done all right or not.”

But, once again we need all truth, nothing but the truth from it. Allardyce have spoken twice about learning from our mistakes. He has two good samples of the away and home mistakes now, and I hope he will have more to offer when we play sunderland this weekend.

The other words of love come from the United midfielder Nicky Butt. He was one of the player who did ‘somehing’ during the last disastrous event at St. James’ Park last Saturday. He said that the Derby Match win can help to heal the wounds. Too bad he will be missing the cure medicine party at stadium of s*ite because of 5 yellow cards he received.

“It’s a derby and all qualities to a point go out of the window,” he argued. “In the first 20 minutes you’ve got to give it your all, get stuck in and fight. The way you’ve played over the last few weeks goes out of the window, it’s just a one-off game, so the bigger the game the better.”

Nicky Butt will not alone to missed the important derby. Shay Given is also expected to be out for another three weeks with a groin strain.

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If it was Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester United or Chelsea who did that to us, the story would be different, but to lose twice in a row with no goals have scored from our players and against a team like Reading and Portsmouth was beyond everyone wildest dream.

I believe that Mike Ashley is very angry now, and if he decided to fired Sam Allardyce today or tomorrow I can understand that perfectly. None will buy any club just to see couple of defeat like that.

Ashley is seem genuine Toon fan, with his reaction from the director box yesterday. Below are some news from the newspapers today writing about the game:

Independent
Newcastle United 1 Portsmouth 4: Pompey joy at shaking off 58-year itch
By Simon Rushworth

What Allardyce is not is meek, feeble, disorganised and a shirker of key responsibilities. Yet his Newcastle team displayed all those traits and more at the outset of a remarkable fixture which was won and lost within 11 minutes. By the time the Portsmouth defender, Sol Campbell, had put through his own net in the 16th minute his team was already three goals to the good. For the first time in 58 years, and at the 24th attempt, Pompey had claimed victory at St James’s Park. Read more

Telegraph
Allardyce bemoans errors against Portsmouth
By Martin Hardy

They were prophetic words. That they were said before kick-off was all the more impressive. Home defeats at St James’ Park are rarely as emphatic and conclusive as the one Portsmouth inflicted on Newcastle yesterday. Statistics abound in such situations; it was Allardyce’s first loss on home soil, Portsmouth are now unbeaten in seven league games, it was their first victory on Tyneside since 1949. More significantly, no one could remember the last time a Newcastle side had been three goals behind by the 11th minute at home. Read more

Chronicle
Newcastle 1, Portsmouth 4
by Lee Ryder, Evening Chronicle

NEWCASTLE United were soundly beaten in their own back yard today by Portsmouth after the south coast side stormed into a 3-0 lead in just 11 minutes. United’s unbeaten home streak came to end in awful fashion as some fans headed for the exits long before the final whistle had sounded. The 4-1 win for Pompey left Big Sam furious and leaves him with serious work to do on the training ground ahead of next week’s derby trip to Sunderland. Read more

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This is for the second time we have game where none of the goals came in from our players.

Both Reading and Portsmouth game was generous enough to give a goal each for us. This is really unacceptable for a team like Newcastle United. Howay maaann, This is NEWCASTLE UNITED!!!

It seems that Big Sam has got no clue to deal with this team or having a back-up plan already when the first plan was not working. I would love to see what Mike Ashley reaction after seeing this kind of performance.

From an eyewitness report, cold eye impression is that our players look confused, frightened and lacking in ideas. We now have contrived to look even more crap than any team served up by Daglish, Gullit, Souness or Roeder. Zog and Milner looked lost in different positions yet our master tactician appeared to be oblivious.

After today, we will have the derby match against the macKems, AWAY…, and then Liverpool home, Blackburn away, and Arsenal at home to come next.

It’s interesting to see what the results are will be, if we don’t see any progress then we will have new boss in January, no doubt about it. Sorry Big Al, we cannot give more time for a crap like this, and I’m sure you wouldn’t want to wait until we are in the relegation battle, which is to believe as the place where we are from today’s performance.

The post Newcastle United vs Portsmouth – Postmortem appeared first on Magpieszone.

Sam Allardyce makes five changes to the side that was beaten at Reading for Saturday’s visit of Portsmouth. Steve Harper coming in for his seventh start to replace the injured again Given (groin).

Interestingly, Big Sam also make a recall to Steven Taylor into the Magpies back-four while Beye are not even made into the bench. In midfield Nicky Butt, Charles N’Zogbia, Joey Barton and James Milner in the starting XI.

Oba Martins give his place Alan Smith for a first start partnering Michael Owen infront. Nicky Butt takes the captain’s armband in the absence of Geremi.

The game was a bit shocking for the homeside as the visitor denies to give up the game easily. They get an attacking ways since the kick-off. And, it cause the worst thing for Newcastle United.

The visitors quickly wrapped up 3 goals in the space of three minutes! Two of them are coming in just a minute interval, very disappointing, very bad defensive work.

Cacapa looses out to Muntari on halfway and the visitors break, Benjani tries a speculative shot from 20 yards out but sees his effort deflect wide for a corner.

Portsmouth make a short corner and eventually do a cross only can half cleared to the edge of the area. Noe Pamarot struck an absolute screamer into Harper’s top left hand corner. And when United are still shell-shocked by the first Pompey’s goal, Boupa Diop punts the ball forward.

Once again Cacapa and Benjani tangle on the edge of the area. This time the Pompey striker gets the better of the Brazilian before curling past Harper to double the lead.

The United defensive sides once again being caught from a long ball forward, something that Big Sam is always trying to applied when Newcastle do the away game un-effectively but proves to be working well for Portsmouth. Utaka added the visitors third goal after (again) win the battle against…Cacapa.

Newcastle United trying all the way to get back into the game. In the 16th minute N’Zogbia shoots from distance only can get parried away by David James into Michael Owen’s feet. Owen tries to squeeze it under the Pompey stopper but the ball deflected Sol Campbell into his own net.

Claudio Cacapa accepted his errors that causing three goals and give away his place for David Rozehnal in 18′ minutes. While United then keep searching for the second goals.

The second-half starts as Newcastle United takes the attacking role, but almost being caught in from a counter attack as Muntari breaks down the left. His cross the ball too much of Benjani who had ghosted into the area.

Meanwhile, the homeside trying everything we can with Barton and Butt combine nicely 20 yards to create space. In the 52′ minutes, Butt was stopped in his tracks by Davis and the referee awarded a free-kick in a dangerous position.

N’Zogbia stand over the ball and takes it, but his left-foot curler sails over the crossbar.

Sam Allardyce later make another changing for the host team. Taking off Jose Enrique in 58′ minutes and bring in Oba Martins who gets a warm reception from the Toon Army. A very brave substitution imho, but it was nothing we can do to chase the ball but to added more ammunition up front.

Oba takes the pitch alongside Owen and Alan Smith gets behind them, the game begins to creating some chances for United with Owen have one shot saved, the first real chance for the second-half. Emre later come in as Newcastle last substitution to replaced James Milner.

The killer ball come in 70 minutes by Niko Kranjcar. The results is something way out of my prediction, evenon my wildest dream we will have to face the hummiliation like this.

I was soon remember what our former manager Joe Harvey said about a Newcastle United team, “We never got started, and I’ll never understand it to this day”.

Now I understand what it means, instead of the quote was coming after a 1974 FA Cup defeat against Liverpool, but it’s clearly mentioned the origine shapes of Newcastle team. Someone will have to give better explanation for today’s result.

Team Line-Up:

Newcastle United FC: Steve Harper, Steven Taylor, Jose Enrique (Oba Martins 58′), Claudio Cacapa (David Rozehnal 18′), Abdoulaye Faye, James Milner (Emre 69′), Charles N’Zogbia, Nicky Butt, Joey Barton, Michael Owen, Alan Smith
Subs: Fraser Forster, Geremi.

Portsmouth FC: David James, Sol Campbell, Sylvain Distin, John Utaka, Niko Kranjcar, Papa Bouba Diop, Glen Johnson, Sulley Muntari, Noe Pamarot, Sean Davis, Benjani (Nwanko Kanu, 79′)
Subs: Jamie Ashdown, Matt Taylor, Lauren, Pedro Mendes

Referee: Chris Foy
Attendance: 51, 490

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