Saturday November 11th 2006
MANCHESTER CITY 0 NEWCASTLE UTD 0
MAN CITY: Weaver, Richards, Distin, Dunne, Thatcher, Trabelsi,Barton, Reyna (Corradi 60), Sinclair, Dickov (Samaras 60),Vassell.
Subs Not Used: Hart, Ireland, Onuoha.
NEWCASTLE UTD: Harper, Carr (Solano 76), Taylor, Moore, Ramage,Milner, Emre, Parker, Duff (N'Zogbia 56), Sibierski,Ameobi (Dyer 56).
Subs Not Used: Srnicek, Butt.
Att: 40,571
Judging from the goal-less scoreline you would imagine this to be a boring match played out between two sides with strikers who couldn't hit a "cow's arse with a banjo". Well ... to be honest ... it was worse!
If ever there was a match between two sets clubs desperate for inspiration and leadership, this was it. Because both City and the Magpies are heading towards "white water" in their little rowing boats looking for devine intervention to save them from drowning.
Graham Poll is always the centre if attention when he referees a match. He's made that way. He's never scored a Premiership goal, nor ran to the crowd swinging his shirt above his head in celebration, but boy does he crave it. When the TV cameras are focused Poll is sure to give you a show. He found himself back in the headlines again this week for reasons not concerning our great club, but by disallowing a Georgios Samaras goal he saved us from defeat and had the blue half of Manchester baying for his blood.
The made who made the biggest referee's gaff in World Cup in history by booking a player three times, cut short City's celebrations when he spotted Bernardo Corradi tugging at Stephen Carr to rule out, what would have been, the only goal of the game.
It was a debatable call and seemed to provoke a touchline battle between the managers, but you cannot have Poll referee a game and expect him to hide in the shadows.
Despite City's problems on the road, they are still unbeaten at home and yet to concede a goal at Eastfields this term. So perhaps we do Glenn Roeder a injustice for coming away with a point. But Newcastle were never at the races, and produced another performance that ended up with fans asking more questions about a team that is not performing in the league.
They only came out of the blocks in the last few minutes when Kieron Dyer and Antoine Sibierski both went close. A fully fit Dyer would have found the legs to gain that extra yard needed to skin the City derfence, but he ran out of puff and lost the chance of a dramatic late winner.
Roeder's boys have now gone eight games without a win and the longer it goes on, the tougher it will get to recover lost ground. Thank God the likes of Watford, Sheffield United and Charlton are worse than us, but saying that, we've played all three in recent weeks and (take away a penalty shoot-out) have failed to beat all three!
The match started badly and hardly got out of first gear for the first 85 minutes. City were easily the better side, but fired blanks. Joey Barton was virtually the only player on the pitch capable of lifting himself above mediocre.
He snubbed out Scott Parker, which is not an easy thing to do, and I'd say Emre was our closest to him. As for the rest, not one other player looked Premiership quality.
This will be a match that had only one winner - Graham Poll as he ruled out Samaras' header. But I had a feeling right from the kick-off there wasn't a player on the field who was going to get anywhere near him in the ego stakes. And for once, we got the rewards.
Wednesday February 1st
MANCHESTER CITY 3 NEWCASTLE UTD 0
MAN CITY: James, Jihai, Dunne, Distin, Jordan, Sinclair,Barton (Richards 78), Musampa, Riera, Cole (Samaras 65),Vassell (Sibierski 69).
Subs Not Used: Ireland, Wright-Phillips.
NEWCASTLE UTD: Given, Ramage, Boumsong, Bramble, Babayaro, Clark,Parker, Emre (O'Brien 81), N'Zogbia (Solano 45), Shearer,Chopra (Luque 45).
Subs Not Used: Harper, Elliott.
Att: 42,413
Joey Barton has his problems at City, but he didn't let the jeers from his own fans get to him. And how Newcastle boss Graeme Souness wished he could say the same. The Newcastle bench looked like a funeral, and in many ways it was because United were dead and buried long before half-time with another display that was nothing short of humiliation.
Pathetic from start to finish, the Mags were comprehensively beaten as Andy Cole and Darius Vassell followed up Riera's opener to extend a miserable run which has seen them pick up just a single point from their last six Premiership game.
Barton's shock transfer request and subsequent attack on City staff with agendas against him brought predictable "greedy" taunts from his own fans and there were still plenty of boos when he left the field 13 minutes from time.
But after an eventful evening which saw him arrive by a service entrance, set up Albert Riera's opener, earn a yellow card and also accidentally barge into referee Chris Foy, there were even louder cheers as he departed, which is more than can be said for Souness.
Pitiful from start to finish, the visitors were comprehensively beaten as Andy Cole and Darius Vassell followed up Riera's opener to extend a miserable run which has seen the Magpies pick up just a single point from their last six Premiership game.
Newcastle have now slipped to sixth from bottom, raising more question marks over the future of a man who was supposed to deliver Champions League combat to St James' Park.
If there was one man who could offer Barton some advice about handling abuse from his own fans it is Souness.
The visiting boss has spent most of the season defending himself from intense flak as Newcastle's campaign lurches from one disaster to another.
It is only nine days ago that Souness was summoned to a meeting with chairman Freddie Shepherd which many thought would result in him getting the sack.
After a quick cup of tea, Souness survived, since when the Magpies have beaten Cheltenham in a tricky FA Cup tie, then been handed a very winnable fifth-round encounter with Southampton.
But any suggestion the Tynesiders' present troubles are over would be a total misjudgement and City took maximum advantage in a one-sided first half which should have taken the game well beyond the visitors.
After a tepid opening, during which the only notable moments came through the noise that rolled round the ground every time Barton touched the ball, City took the lead with Riera's first goal for the club.
It was typical that Barton should be involved, overlapping Trevor Sinclair down the right flank before cutting back a cross Cole missed but Riera did not.
Reviews of the Spaniard's time at City since his arrival on loan from Espanyol have been mixed, but there was nothing wrong with the volley which arrowed in the corner.
Chances came and went for the hosts after that, with a good Shay Given stop denying Darius Vassell, who was also prevented from being set up with a tap-in by Cole when Titus Bramble stretched a leg out.
But Bramble and much-derided defensive partner Boumsong were having one of their regular bad nights, contributing to a constant sense of frailty about the Newcastle defence.
The Magpies rearguard seemed incapable of winning any individual battles and when Celestine Babayaro failure to even jump for Vassell's chipped cross seven minutes before the break, Cole instantly nodded home his 10th goal of the season.
Trevor Sinclair might have added to City's tally before the interval but despite the half-time introductions of Nolberto Solano and Albert Luque, Newcastle remained on the back foot after the re-start too.
In his ill-advised morning-of-the-match address on satellite TV, Barton had hinted he felt he was the best player on the Blues staff.
It was a stunning statement given his lack of medals or international honours. Cole is surely far more deserving of the tag despite his 34 years.
The former Newcastle hero has not just contributed goals to City's cause this season but nous and invention, something his old club need desperately right now.
When a visiting attack broke down close to the City box and Riera ferried the ball into his path, Cole instantly spotted Vassell's run, lifted a pass over Boumsong which allowed his strike partner to beat his opponent for pace and then slip a neat shot under Shay Given.
It marked the end of any Newcastle resistance and also allowed Blues boss Stuart Pearce to take off Cole, and Barton, whose sponsors man-of-the-match award was sympathetic to say the least but recognition for the industry which makes him an important, if not indispensable, member of the current City squad.