Biggav
Inactive User
Old years' sh*te
Spurs 2 Newcastle 0
Strikes from Tainio and Mido saw Spurs pick up a deserve three points against a passionless Newcastle to bring the year to a sombre close.
However the scoreline and the manner of our defeat was overshadowed by the loss of Michael Owen with a broken metatarsal in his right foot.
The England forward came into contact with Spurs 'keeper Robinson and defender Gardner seconds before the half time break and failed to reappear after the interval.
First indications are that he will miss the bulk of our remaining games this season, with estimates of anything between two and four months on the sidelines.
And on a day when nothing went right for us, Ramage and Given were also added to the injury list, while unforced errors from Bramble and Babayaro handed Spurs their goals.
We even spurned the chance of a late consolation when Ameobi unbelievably spooned over the crossbar from point-blank range.
To rub things in still further, former Magpie Jermaine Jenas (who was booed by the travelling contingent) had a decent game and played his part in securing the victory for Martin Jol's side.
Quite simply we rolled over yet again and were a beaten side from the moment that Given conceded the first goal.
And so our last act in a miserable 2005 was send weary Toon fans home empty-handed once again. This time the long journey back was from London, but the feelings were the same as those on the return from Lisbon and Cardiff.
The away fans today could barely even raise themselves to provide decent backing to the team - sitting instead in a depressed silence, pummeled into submission by the sheer awfulness of the tripe we dare to call football.
There's just nothing there - nothing to feed off, no hope that things will improve, nothing.
It's no longer enough to simply blame the on-field demise of this club on the injury situation. There are more fundamental issues to be addressed in the areas of team selection, scouting, transfer policy and tactics.
At present we give the impression of not being up to scratch in any of those departments, with the consequence that we are regularly out-thought, out-fought and outplayed by mediocre opposition.
And now that the £16m get out of gaol card cannot be played, there's no hiding place for Graeme Souness and his staff.
We hope for better in 2006 - but fear worse to follow. In a word, shameful.
NUFC: Given, Ramage (Luque 46 mins), Boumsong, Bramble, Elliott, Parker, Faye, Solano (N'Zogbia 79mins), Shearer, Owen (Babayaro 46mins), Ameobi.
Subs n/u: Harper, Clark.
Ref: Howard Webb
THFC: Robinson, Stalteri, Dawson, Gardner, Lee, Jenas, Carrick, Davids, Tainio (Brown 68mins), Keane (Defoe 79mins), Mido.
Subs n/u: Cerny, Pamarot, Lennon.
Goals: Tainio 43, Mido 66.
Crowd: 36,246
Booked: Ramage
From the unofficial website NUFC.com
Spurs 2 Newcastle 0
Strikes from Tainio and Mido saw Spurs pick up a deserve three points against a passionless Newcastle to bring the year to a sombre close.
However the scoreline and the manner of our defeat was overshadowed by the loss of Michael Owen with a broken metatarsal in his right foot.
The England forward came into contact with Spurs 'keeper Robinson and defender Gardner seconds before the half time break and failed to reappear after the interval.
First indications are that he will miss the bulk of our remaining games this season, with estimates of anything between two and four months on the sidelines.
And on a day when nothing went right for us, Ramage and Given were also added to the injury list, while unforced errors from Bramble and Babayaro handed Spurs their goals.
We even spurned the chance of a late consolation when Ameobi unbelievably spooned over the crossbar from point-blank range.
To rub things in still further, former Magpie Jermaine Jenas (who was booed by the travelling contingent) had a decent game and played his part in securing the victory for Martin Jol's side.
Quite simply we rolled over yet again and were a beaten side from the moment that Given conceded the first goal.
And so our last act in a miserable 2005 was send weary Toon fans home empty-handed once again. This time the long journey back was from London, but the feelings were the same as those on the return from Lisbon and Cardiff.
The away fans today could barely even raise themselves to provide decent backing to the team - sitting instead in a depressed silence, pummeled into submission by the sheer awfulness of the tripe we dare to call football.
There's just nothing there - nothing to feed off, no hope that things will improve, nothing.
It's no longer enough to simply blame the on-field demise of this club on the injury situation. There are more fundamental issues to be addressed in the areas of team selection, scouting, transfer policy and tactics.
At present we give the impression of not being up to scratch in any of those departments, with the consequence that we are regularly out-thought, out-fought and outplayed by mediocre opposition.
And now that the £16m get out of gaol card cannot be played, there's no hiding place for Graeme Souness and his staff.
We hope for better in 2006 - but fear worse to follow. In a word, shameful.
NUFC: Given, Ramage (Luque 46 mins), Boumsong, Bramble, Elliott, Parker, Faye, Solano (N'Zogbia 79mins), Shearer, Owen (Babayaro 46mins), Ameobi.
Subs n/u: Harper, Clark.
Ref: Howard Webb
THFC: Robinson, Stalteri, Dawson, Gardner, Lee, Jenas, Carrick, Davids, Tainio (Brown 68mins), Keane (Defoe 79mins), Mido.
Subs n/u: Cerny, Pamarot, Lennon.
Goals: Tainio 43, Mido 66.
Crowd: 36,246
Booked: Ramage
From the unofficial website NUFC.com
