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Tottenham Hotspur 1 - 4 Newcastle - 30/03/08 - post match reaction from page 25


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Football was sublime today. To see  the back four trying to avoid hoofing it at all costs was fantastic. Makes you wonder if we have been spun a yarn by Allardyce, Souness etc about all this tactical c...p. It was also completely different to the same match season which, easy to admit now, we were incredibly lucky to win.

 

If we could play Spurs every week we'd be champions!Roll on the next area we play in that ends in Ham.-Birmingham,Fulham and Tottenham,we're coming West Ham"!!!!

what a spot that is!
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I'd like to know from someone who went to the game, are the fans starting to get behind Owen (i.e. chants etc.)?

 

.co.uk World interview, Hope was saying when Owen got subbed, he got sang off the pitch.

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Thanks to the end of Daylight Saving here in WA, was able to watch the whole game before midnight - and what a pleasure it was.

 

The best display I can remember from a Newcastle side for some years ; every player did his bit(not before time) and Butt was immense - he and Geremi had possibly their best games for the club and whilst these players are not going to be part of the club's long-term future, they have probably helped to ensure Premiership football by their part in last night's performance.

Martins also had an excellent match, using his pace to best effect and the combination with Owen and Viduka up front at last showed signs of working well.

I cannot understand why some on here criticize Enrique so much - until later in the game, he was at least decent at LB, and although some long balls were wasteful, his passing on the ground was generally accurate.This is a young foreign player in his first Prem season in a struggling side, and I think the boy shows every sign of making it.

Likewise, those Owen knockers should surely now be eating humble pie - 3 goals in 3 games, all of them crucial(the third in this game effectively killed Spurs off) have made a critical difference to where NUFC will finish this season.He is NOT the speedy striker he was, but he still has a devastating ability to get into goalscoring positions, and the finish in this game was superb, after a great link between Martins, Viduka(what a great dummy to give Owen the chance),lifted over the keeper brilliantly.

 

Although he is not my favourite player, Barton also was excellent - his most effective game in a Newcastle shirt, and his pass to Martins, after breaking up a Spurs attack, helped to put the Icing on the cake .

 

Spurs looked relatively uninterested, but I don't think they would have wanted to lose so heavily at WHL, so all in all, a great performance.

We need a win over Reading now and the game against the Mackems could become much less fraught.

 

This match was just a significant to the club's future as David Kelly's late late winner against Pompey 16 years ago - a win against Reading will probably be as significant as the last-day win at Leicester was in the same season....

 

Very well done to all concerned, and I am delighted for KK and Ashley ; both have provided great input to this club in their own ways.

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From a Spurs perspective, there's not really much to say.  In the first half we were decent if not great, the second half was probably the worst 45 minutes we've played all season.  Ramos didn't help with a bit of experimenting but experiments should still produce commitment and Dawson and Hutton apart, maybe include O'Hara to a degree, commitment was lacking also.

 

TBH, I didn't think Newcastle were wonderful but were far too good for a woeful Spurs.    I don't think I would want to be one of the players at training this morning.  At least Ramos should be now aware of exactly who has the capability and commitment to take Spurs forward.  As I've said in earlier threads, I think there will be significant changes in the summer.  And on the strength of the second half performance, the summer can't come soon enough.

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http://www.journallive.co.uk/nufc/newcastle-united-news/2008/03/31/weekend-win-justifies-keegans-faith-in-his-players-61634-20695377/

 

Weekend win justifies Keegans faith in his players

 

Mar 31 2008 by Luke Edwards, The Journal

Kevin Keegan

 

KEVIN Keegan believes Newcastle United’s 4-1 demolition of Tottenham Hotspur has justified his faith in his players as he insisted the club did not need to make radical changes in the summer despite this season’s flirt with relegation.

 

Keegan’s stringent backing of his under-performing players had begun to look misplaced as they lurched from one defeat to the next, sliding perilously close to the relegation zone.

 

But the supportive stance of Newcastle’s manager has been fully vindicated as they built on the four points gained against Birmingham and Fulham with arguably their best away performance in years as they totally out-classed their hosts.

 

And having challenged his players at the weekend to end the season with a flourish, Keegan has got his wish in spectacular fashion as he argued he would only need a few quality additions in the summer to be able to compete at the top end of the table again.

 

He said: “You dream about playing like that away from home and winning 4-1, and you dream about being three goals up with 10 minutes to play. But the reality in the Premier League is that it is difficult to get into those situations. But we thoroughly deserved it. We’re looking at a 4-1 win here and it could have been seven or eight. We hit the bar and the post, and Paul Robinson made two terrific saves. It was a really good performance.

 

“We’re a small squad but there’s an awful lot of quality in there. It’s not going to be a case of wholesale changes this summer, we don’t need that. What we need is two or three quality additions – but they have to be quality.

 

“Sometimes the quality gets lost a little bit if you get on a bad run, but I’ve never doubted the ability of the players I have here. Suddenly, when they start to play like that, you think, ‘We don’t need a lot to set us along’. If we could add two or three big signings they would make a difference, but they would have to be very good players to improve what you’ve seen out there.”

 

This was easily the best performance since Keegan returned to the club and it was a result which has given the club the sort of momentum their manager craves.

 

But it was also a result which will have brought the smile back to the

 

face of anyone who has endured Newcastle’s recent trials and tribulations. Owner Mike Ashley looked ecstatic in the away end, chairman Chris Mort looked thrilled in the directors’ box, while directors of football and recruitment Dennis Wise and Tony Jimenez left White Hart Lane with an obvious spring in their steps.

 

As for the supporters, after a dreadful season in which their club has been so widely mocked and regularly ridiculed, this was finally the ammunition they needed to force some silence.

 

Keegan said: “We worked very hard, but we also played with confidence. Confidence comes from results but, to be honest, I think the turning point was the Blackburn defeat. Strangely enough, we played fantastic that day even though we lost 1-0 and the players knew that if we could get anywhere near those standards week in, week out we wouldn’t have a problem in this league. Since then, we’ve looked a pretty decent side. We’ve played some good football.

 

“We really shouldn’t be where we are, but we are. Now the players are doing something about it. We’ve shown that resolve twice now in the last three games because we also went a goal behind against Birmingham but came back to get something.”

 

And Keegan was, as has always been his style, particularly impressed again with his attacking trio of Michael Owen, Obafemi Martins and Mark Viduka. He said: “You only have to look at our defensive record, not just since I’ve been here, to see that it’s no good us playing and trying to hold on to something. That puts pressure on your defenders, because they know they have to try to get a clean sheet just to get anything.

 

“I think our defenders know when I put this team out that maybe they can concede a goal like they did against Spurs and probably still have enough to win a football match. In the past, maybe they conceded a goal and thought that was it.” And although there was a warning that, with six games left to play, Newcastle are still not certain of their Premier League safety, even that small matter of mathematics could not quell his excitement.

 

Keegan added: “We’re definitely not safe yet, but this means we can start looking up not down again. We could catch Spurs up the way things look now, and we could also catch West Ham. Three or four weeks ago, people would have said that was ridiculous. We have three home games left and three away and, playing like this, I think the players will look forward to each and every one of them. The confidence has come back.”

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Everyone is pointing out how shite Spurs were - which they certainly were. The thing is, weve played several teams this season who on the day have been crap and there for the taking, but weve not taken advantage of it. Thankfully whatever KK is doing has got the confidence back and we have taken advantage vs Fulham n Spurs.

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Delighted I'm travelling back up for the Reading game now... first time I've turned up at SJP with a bit of confidence for a while.

 

Well done the lads, and especially KK - just shows that inspiration and a positive attitude can do wonders :thup:

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Butt was fucking class yesterday, always suprises me that he's brilliant in away games yet shocking in home ones.

 

 

 

Eh? He's often been shite in away matches. Same as anyone else, plays much better with confidence.

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Thanks to the end of Daylight Saving here in WA, was able to watch the whole game before midnight - and what a pleasure it was.

 

 

Lucky ba*tard.

 

I'm in SA and the game started at 12.30 - not good if you have to work the next day.

 

I hope your mining boom continues - I might have to move over there.  O0

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From a Spurs perspective, there's not really much to say.  In the first half we were decent if not great, the second half was probably the worst 45 minutes we've played all season.  Ramos didn't help with a bit of experimenting but experiments should still produce commitment and Dawson and Hutton apart, maybe include O'Hara to a degree, commitment was lacking also.

 

TBH, I didn't think Newcastle were wonderful but were far too good for a woeful Spurs.    I don't think I would want to be one of the players at training this morning.  At least Ramos should be now aware of exactly who has the capability and commitment to take Spurs forward.  As I've said in earlier threads, I think there will be significant changes in the summer.  And on the strength of the second half performance, the summer can't come soon enough.

 

Fair play to you for coming on here today.

 

I thought you just about shaded the first half, but it was by no means a travesty it went in all square, I can only remember one save from Harper, and Beye hit the bar.

 

Dawson and O'Hara may have been committed but they were both terrible - Hutton looked good to me though. Your midfield is shocking, completely overrun, and whilst Bent and Keane looked threatening Berbs put in one of his classic 'couldn't give a shit' performances. I'd agree with you that we weren't brilliant, but we were very, very good, and tore you to pieces especially as you pushed on for an equaliser. Geremi's goal showed why Robinson shouldn't be playing for you anymore.

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Guest optimistic nit

got to say although it was apparently a really great performance and brilliant result, we've battered spurs the 4 times we played them before that, some under allardyce, scoring 3 goals all 4 occasions, so i wouldn't get too carried away yet. spurs, make no mistake, are a very average team with a good strikeforce, and while on their day they are very good, they can be very poor as well. it really is a great result, but its not like we've had trouble beating spurs before, and the bianual thumping of the chuckle brothers is to be expected, shit that they are.

 

still FUCKING WOOO. no relegation worries any more.

 

i still think that there are some really good players hiding amoungst the shit here.

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I'd like to know from someone who went to the game, are the fans starting to get behind Owen (i.e. chants etc.)?

 

was thinking about this last night, it'd be nice for us to show our support for him at the minute, especially with him having been dropped to the bench by capello. whatever has happened in the past, right now he's newcastles michael owen and he's proving it on the pitch. we should show him we appreciate it, after all, if he goes to a premiership rival he'll keep scoring and we'll be more than a little disapointed we didnt try to do our bit to keep him here imo

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Has anybody looked at the passes completed stats (see telegraph:  http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/main.jhtml?xml=/sport/2008/03/31/sfgtot131.xml ), Geremi, Barton and our three forwards all got a close 90% completed pass rate!!!

Unreal compared to the 60% jobs a couple of weeks ago!!

 

Well it helps if the manager encourages you to pass rather than lump it high and long like Allard...well...never mind.

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