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Barclays Premiership Match 14 |
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Season 2007-2008 |
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BLACKBURN ROVERS |
3 v 1 |
NEWCASTLE UNITED |
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David Bentley 54
David Bentley 67
Tugay 90 |
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Obafemi Martins 47 |
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Date: |
Saturday 1st December 2007 |
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Venue: |
Ewood Park |
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Kick Off: |
3:00pm (BST) |
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Australian
Live TV:
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Foxsports 3 |
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Attendance: |
27,477
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Referee: |
Martin Atkinson
(Leeds, Yorkshire) |
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Match Preview |
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Blackburn:
Friedel, Emerton, Ooijer, Samba, Warnock, Bentley, Tugay,
Mokoena (Reid 66), Dunn (Pedersen 58), Santa Cruz, McCarthy (Roberts 61)
Subs Not Used: Brown, Savage
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Booked:
Bentley,
Tugay |
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Newcastle:
Given, Beye,
Rozehnal, Faye (Carr 24 [Viduka 72]), N'Zogbia, Geremi, Butt, Barton,
Martins, Smith, Milner
Subs Not Used: Harper, Jose Enrique, Emre |
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Booked:
Butt,
Barton, Milner |
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Post
Match Comment:
Sam Allardyce said:
"I have to say thanks to all those fans who made the journey. It is
really difficult to take after the support we had, that we got nothing
from the game. The fans were magnificent today and if they get behind us
again against Arsenal on then I'm sure we'll stand a great chance of
getting a result.
It was a terrific effort
and we had lots of opportunities to win but this is the Premier League
and it is a cruel place. We were in control of game for long periods but
unfortunately we fell foul of being caught on the break. That is the
disappointing thing for me. When we got in front, instead of going 2-0
up we went 1-1. At that particular time Charles N'Zogbia had a chance to
make it 2-0 but was wrongly ruled offside. They go up the other and
score. While I am bitterly upset at the result, the performance was
excellent.
We have got to play like we did at Blackburn when we are
next at home. Then you will get support from 52,000 fans. They do not
want to see players playing poorly. We had a good performance from 11
individuals against Blackburn and did not deserve to lose. It keeps the
bad run going and can eat away at your confidence. But my job is to make
sure we maintain this kind of spirit and commitment, combined with our
ability. That's what is needed if we are going to turn things around and
get some points on the board.
Joey Barton is a strong man with a strong opinion. He
likes to say what he thinks - but some of the interview he did was
shredded and taken out of context. Joey's commitment to Newcastle was
there for the fans to see today. You could also see their commitment to
him and the rest of the team."
Blackburn boss Mark Hughes:
"We had to dig in and compete. We saw our way through it and scored some
great goals as well. It was an outstanding strike from David and an
important moment for us as it was the equaliser. David also got a good
second goal, although his luck was in with the ball hitting the post." |
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Match Report: |
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Two David Bentley
strikes and a late Tugay goal, saw Blackburn come from behind to beat us
3-1. Despite the best efforts of the mass ranks of "Big Sam's Black and
White Army!" we couldn't take advantage of Obafemi Martins putting us
0-1 up just after half-time. That makes it 4 defeats out of 5 for Sam
Allardyce's men, as the pressure builds on
the manager.
Allardyce choose to setup
the team in a formation that changed from a 4-5-1 to a 4-3-3 at various
points during the game. Mark Viduka was dropped and Alan Smith was moved
up front, with Obefemi Martins and James Milner playing the in the wide
forward roles. Joey Barton came in for Emre to add more steal to the
midfield. A.Faye returned from injury, meaning Habib Beye returned to
his natural right back role and Charles N’Zogbia replaced Jose Enrique
at left back. |
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The first half in
stark contrast to the second was a cagey affair with both teams
basically cancelling each other out. Blackburn had the first chance of
the game when Santa Cruz ran easily through the defence but luckily his
finish was poor and didn’t trouble Shay Given.
Our forward play seemed restricted to long balls up to Alan Smith, which
Blackburn centre-half’s Ooijer and Samba didn’t have much trouble
dealing with. We did seem to get more joy when the long balls were
played down the flanks for the speedy Martins and Milner to chase after.
We didn’t create too many decent chances however but we certainly were a
lot more committed than last week. |
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The 7,000 strong Toon Army in the Darwin End were
in magnificent voice from kick off. The loud backing of the team
was encouraging to say the least and the several lengthy chants
of "Big Sam's Black and White Army!" will have warmed the heart
of the Newcastle manager. If the 50,000 home supporters could
show half that amount of support and noise, St James’ Park
wouldn’t be such an easy place for opposition teams to play at.
Is it to much to ask to expect home supporters to support these
days? |
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Injuries again struck
down
Allardyce’s team.
Half way though the
first half,
A.Faye
seemed to injury himself as he landed and was forced to leave the field,
to be replaced by Stephen Carr. Carr thankfully moved to right-back this
week and Habib Beye was again forced to play as a make shift
centre-half.
0-0 at half time and Big Sam would have been encouraged by the response
from his players. The commitment and effort was back to a minimum and we
sort of looked like a football team again.
The second half started off in spectacular fashion. On 47 minutes Geremi
wiped in a left wing free-kick which found Martins unmarked in the box
and he flicked on the ball with his head past
Brad Friedel.
Within seven minutes Blackburn posted their riposte and they were back
in the match. Charles N'Zogbia conceded a foul on the edge of the area
and up stepped David Bentley to curl in a 22-yard effort over the wall
which left Given stranded.
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Not long after that there were two moments that
could have changed the game for us. Joey Barton should have put
us back into the lead but his shot was smothered during a mad
scramble in the six-yard area. Obefemi Martins then missed an
even easier chance from four yards when he headed the ball over
from a James Milner flick-on. How Martins didn’t hit the target
was a mystery to everyone including himself no doubt.
On 67 minutes Blackburn took the lead and again it was Bentley
who was our tormentor. He seized on a loose ball just outside
the area from Stephen Carr's tackle on Santa Cruz and struck a
25-yard shot which flew past Given outstretched hand and in off
the post. |
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Five minutes later
Allardyce throw on Mark Viduka for Carr (who
apparently had picked up another injury) making our defence very make
shift. With two midfielders as fullbacks and a right back at centre
half, Blackburn we looking like they would score on the break as
we chased the game.
Further chances happened at both ends in a desperate and frantic final
15 minutes. James Milner had a shot blocked from 8 yards out and we had
a penalty appeal turned down when the ball struck Brett Emerton’s arm.
Blackburn themselves had there own mad scramble in the penalty box, with
both Geremi and Given making vital blocks as Blackburn looked certain to
finish the game off.
For us sadly finish the game off they did in the end. In injury time
another Blackburn counter attack saw Jason Roberts lay the ball into the
path of Tugay, who in turn poked the ball past Given from just inside
the area.
A vast improvement from last week then but still no end reward. The
defending is still a massive worry and the long ball tactics are not
pleasant but for once at least the players almost matched the effort and
commitment of the travelling fans. If we can get that amount of effort
on the pitch every week, we’ll be moving in the right direction. |
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AUSSIE MAGS |
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