NEWCASTLE UTD 0 SUNDERLAND 1
NEWCASTLE
31. Jak Alnwick
22. Daryl Janmaat
27. Steven Taylor
2. Fabricio Coloccini
36. Paul Dummett
24. Cheick Tiote 75'
14. Jack Colback
11. Yoan Gouffran 59'
7. Moussa Sissoko
28. Sammy Ameobi 89'
17. Ayoze Perez
Subs
6. Mike Williamson
9. Papiss Cisse 75'
19. Massadio Haidara
20. Remy Cabella 89'
29. Emmanuel Riviere
32. Adam Armstrong 59'
41. Freddie Woodman
SUNDERLAND
1. Costel Pantilimon
27. Santiago Vergini
22. Sebastian Coates
5. Wes Brown
16. John O'Shea
6. Lee Cattermole 70'
11. Adam Johnson
7. Sebastian Larsson 90+4'
14. Jordi Gomez
10. Connor Wickham 81'
9. Steven Fletcher
Subs
4. Liam Bridcutt 70'
8. Jack Rodwell 90+4'
17. Jozy Altidore
20. Ricardo Alvarez
25. Vito Mannone
30. Will Buckley 81'
He said "Don't blame my players", when I think everybody who walked out of St James' Park knows where to point the blame.
He made changes and threw on striker after striker in a bold but foolhardy attempt to win the game.
It was like the charge of the Light Brigade, and we all know what happened to them!
And how he could choose youngster Adam Armstrong over Papiss Cisse when making the first substitution says everything about the manager and the reason why Cisse wants to get away!
Armstrong came on after 59 minutes and took up the central striker position next to John O'Shea, and it was men against boys. He hardly came up to O'Shea's chest!
Campbell the dwarf was the "great Geordie striker hope" two seasons ago; Armstrong the mini-dwarf is the latest.
Both will be playing in the lower Divisions in two years. Campbell couldn't even get a game for Carlisle United last season.
Nobody can blame the manager for trying to win the game, but all tactics went out of the window and his team fell apart, as the Mackems seized their chance and picked them off.
Whatever your feelings are on the 90 minutes of football on show there was only one statistic which will resonate in the days, weeks and seasons to come. Pardew made the Toon turkeys this Christmas.
Pardew has a HORROR record against the Mackems, as United have now failed to beat their rivals at the sixth time of asking, and he has won ONE of EIGHT he has been in charge of.
After losing 3-0 in February the last time the two clubs met, again at St James’ Park, Pardew spoke of the need to change the club’s style.
Mike Ashley showed his support to his under-pressure boss by bankrolling a summer overhaul and on Sunday, just four players from February’s starting line-up were in the Toon side facing their bitter rivals.
Only Steven Taylor, Moussa Sissoko, Sammy Ameobi and Cheick Tiote remain from last season’s losing side and so perhaps now more than ever the finger should be pointed at Pardew.
Kevin Keegan’s Toon sides were nicknamed ‘the entertainers’, Pardew’s should be called ‘the pretenders’.
Yes, you could argue it was a close match; that the Magpies had more shots on target; or they were pipped at the post as the game was petering out for a draw.
There’s also an argument that the quality just wasn’t there for the Toon.
United, who had the lion’s share of possession and many more chances on target, failed to beat the impressive Costel Pantilimon in the opposition’s goal time and time again.
Spanish striker Ayoze Perez, young Adam Armstrong and Sissoko tested the opposition stopper and created the better chances but were made to pay for their profligacy.
It’s been a torrid week on Tyneside after losing 4-0 in the Toon’s Capital One Cup quarter-final against Tottenham and days later making three consecutive defeats losing to Sunderland.
It was a season defining week for United who now have to look to the FA Cup for success ... and we all know Pardew will play the reserves ... so we can rule THAT out!