Villa sign a younger replacement for Shay Given?Venue: St James’ Park, Newcastle. Date: Sunday 2nd September,2012. Kick-Off: 4:00pm. Referee: Lee Probert. UK TV: None.
Sunday brings Premier League football back to St James’ Park as Aston Villa provide the opponents for a 4pm kick-off. There will be no UK TV broadcast of the fixture so it will be time to scour the internet for links if you’re not attending the match.
Newcastle will look to bounce back from last weeks defeat at Chelsea. While Villa have lost both their Premier League fixtures to date, a 0-1 loss to West Ham, and a 3-1 defeat to Everton last week at Villa Park. Historically Villa have struggled at St James Park, with only one win in the last twelve years. So the omens do look good if you believe records mean something.
Newcastle United Vs Aston Villa History
The way in which the Villans goaded the Magpies back in 2009 when Newcastle were relegated still strikes a nerve with many Toon followers. On Newcastle’s return to the Premier League in 2010 / 2011, Villa provided our first opponents at home, so a chance for some kind of retribution presented itself. Joey Barton, a Kevin Nolan double and an Andy Carroll hat trick helped to inflict a 6-0 mauling for the Magpies. Last season, Papiss Cissé introduced himself in style, controlling Jonas‘ left wing cross and lashing a volley past ex-Magpie Shay Given to secure a 2-1 victory. The last time we lost to Villa at St James’ Park was during the 2004 / 2005 season, where we witnessed Lee Bowyer and KieronDyer fall out very publically and get themselves sent off for fighting after Bowyer felt that Dyer was refusing to pass the ball to him in the game. (more…)
The Boys Are Back on Toon!Venue: St James’Park, NE1 Date: 5th February 2012 Kick Off: 1.30pm Referee: Mark Halsey
I never used to bother much about Aston Villa. They were just one of those “middle of the road” clubs who chug along season after season with reasonable-sized crowds but nothing particular to shout about. I got a bit annoyed at them when they kept trying to pinch James Milner a few years ago, but I suppose the point at which my attitude towards them changed significantly was in May of 2009.
It was during the game we lost at Villa Park which sealed our relegation from the Premier League. Being relegated was a massive blow to United, the club, the management, the fans – but the puerile chanting and infantile banners on display that day by a section of the Villa support were a disgrace to their club and will live long in the memory. These days I therefore have them in the same list as the likes of Tottenham and Man Utd – teams I just love to see us beat – for various reasons I won’t go into here, but which I’m sure some of you share.
With this in mind, Villa could hardly be arriving at St James’ Park at a better time. United are back in town after three away games on the trot culminating in the win at Blackburn Rovers. Demba Ba is also back from his exploits with Senegal and is raring to get amongst the goals once again. He’s certain to start. This time of course, we also have his Senegalese strike partner Papiss Demba Cisse in the squad, wearing the famous Newcastle United number nine shirt. We don’t know at this stage whether Cisse will start the game. Manager Alan Pardew has been hinting at allowing him to soak up the atmosphere from the bench first, before unleashing him to what would be a certain gladitorial entrance, the likes of which only a Newcastle crowd can conjure up. It’s a judgement call. Personally, the way the weather is in the North East at the moment, especially the temperature, I’d let him on from the start so he can run around and keep warm! (more…)
Villa Park awaits the high flying Magpies.Venue: Villa Park, Birmingham Kick off: Saturday, 17th Sept, 3pm Referee: Neil Swarbrick
Well if stats are anything to go by, our forthcoming away clash with the Villans, the result could well be another 0-0 like the QPR match. Of course though, there’s been many a time in the past when people like myself written stuff like that and the games have ended up as 4-3 scorchers so here’s hoping!
While both Newcastle United and Villa have made fairly promising starts to the season, the best in fifteen years for Newcastle no less, this has been more on the back of solid defences rather than exciting, entertaining Cavalier style attacking play. Both teams are yet to lose, with Aston being the draw specialists on the Premiership so far with three of their first four games ending up deadlocked. Incidentally, whilst I’m wheeling out the stats, Villa are also the all time draw specialist in Premier League history with no less than 226 altogether in the nineteen and a bit years of the competition so far, which is around twelve draws a season. While the Magpies have one more victory than the Villans, and are four places ahead in fourth, we have scored but three goals in our opening four games, whereas Villa have scored five.
Potential Toon target?Newcastle United titbits: Ireland crocked, Barton of interest to Liverpool and a striker from South Korea.
No doubt you’ve all heard that Stephen Ireland is crocked for the rest of the season with an ankle injury. That, and the fact that he’s only made two substitute appearances for Newcastle, might mean he’s crocked as far as his future at our club is concerned too.
Alternatively, if Pardew is still keen on Ireland and thinks his spate of injuries is only temporary, it might allow the club to offer a fee somewhat under the player’s market value to take him off Villa’s hands.
In my post yesterday I said that I expected Joey Barton to sign a new contract for Newcastle this summer. However, since then – and in a move simply designed to make me look daft – Kenny Dalglish is apparently mulling over the idea of making a £5m bid for Barton. So now I’m not so sure about Barton’s Toon future. I’d like to think he’d sign for us out of some sense of loyalty, but Liverpool might be a tempting proposition for the player. (more…)
The gifi of the gab goes a long wayStephen Ireland’s first appearance in the famous black and white stripes may be in doubt after his girlfriend, Jessica Lawlor, suffered a broken ankle and internal bleeding after a car accident last weekend. She had been travelling home from a night out with a friend when the car veered off road and into an unsuspecting tree.
The tree is said to be fine, albeit a little shaken up.
She was released a mere two days after the crash and was taken back to the family home in Cheshire, but on Wednesday her condition worsened and was rushed back into hospital. The spokesperson for the couple said:
“It was a pretty bad smash and Jessica has got a lot of internal swelling and a cracked ankle.
“She has had a series of scans to check for internal bleeding and possible organ damage. Stephen is devastated but, at the same time, grateful it wasn’t worse.” (more…)
