Newcastle United 1-0 Tottenham Hotspur |
|
Date:
Sunday 13th March 2005
Kick Off: 4.00pm BST
Venue: St. James' Park
Att: 51,307
Ref: Rob Styles (Hampshire)
Comp: FA Cup Quarter-Final |
| Premiership
Match Report In Association With Toon
Ale |
|
We're Ganning To
Cardiff
This game was the exact opposite of our League encounter with Spurs
back in August 2004. It was the side in yellow who rode their luck
that day to come away with a 1-0 win, despite the Toon dominating
the game and peppering their box with crosses, shots and attempts
at goal. Fast forward 8 months however and the boot was on the other
foot this time. Make no mistake about it, we were fortunate to win
this FA Cup Quarter-Final and didn't play well at all in a footballing
sense. We were awful on the ball for large spells. As bad as any performance
this season and there have been some truly awful attempts at playing
the beautiful game from wor lot.
But we did it, and we did it the ugly way. We clinched our 5th Semi-Final
in 7 years against an ever improving, slick and confident Tottenham
side in a manner all to rare in these parts; grinding out a backs-to-the-wall
win with a 'we shall not be beaten' attitude. All to rare until recently
that is, the 1-0 win our second in succession at home.
A win that carries on a bizarre trend. Graeme Souness becomes the
4th successive United manager to lead his men to an FA Cup Semi in
his first season in charge. Impressive, but can he achieve what his
predecessors all failed to do? Can a manager not on anybodies list
to replace Sir Bobby Robson other than Freddy Shepherd's, an bottom
at that, a manager universally disliked (and hated in some quarters
of Glasgow), a manager who just 7 games ago
was being told to "fuck off" by some sections of the crowd no less,
finally end a 36-year barren run?
Dare we believe? Lets not, for the time being anyway, especially given
Monday's predictable lunch-time draw. If there is one thing that this
crazy, unpredictable club that we all love is actually very successful
at, it's quashing the hopes and dreams of those that follow it in
the cruelest possible way.
To the game itself...
I'll be brutally honest, it wasn't a game of football, not from our
lads anyway. It was a 75 minute backs-to-the-wall, defend for your
lives, fully blown scrap to hang onto a 1-0 lead that Patrick Kluivert
gave us after 5 minutes from Alan Shearer's cut-back. The Dutchman's
3rd goal in as many starts.
And after that bright opening where we dominated proceedings, getting
at the visitors and causing havoc down the right with Dyer in particular
impressing once again with a few too hot to handle runs that Timothee
Atouba simply couldn't deal with, it was very much all Spurs.
But for all of their possession, slick passing and easy on the aye
game play, they very rarely troubled us and when they did, Shay Given's
reflexes kept them at bay with two outstanding saves denying Robbie
Keane and then Jermaine Defoe in the second half which brought the
whole of St. James' Park to their feet, clapping and cheering the
Toon 'keeper for his match saving heroics.
While the local and national media seem to think this FA Cup run we
are enjoying is the sole proprietary of our No.9 (thankfully the Skipper
is keen to douse those sentimental flames), if there is anyone in
the Black & White shirt who is equaly as deserving of a Winners medal
for his efforts on Tyneside over the years, it is the amiable Republic
of Ireland man who like Big Al, hasn't quite had the team around him
he should have had. A player who like his big mate, could have walked
into many a better side where trophies are almost guaranteed. And
still could come the Summer!
If only we had more of their kind, maybe then Black & White ribboned
trophies would be almost guaranteed?
Shay's saves aside, magnificent no thrills defending from back to
front from a patched up leg weary side, a work ethic that belies our
3 games in a week schedule and wayward shooting, crossing and hurried
play from the visitors all combined to keep them out.
That and a huge slice of luck. For Spurs had what seemed like a perfectly
legitimate Keane strike ruled out with Rob Styles adjudging Anthony
Gardner to have committed a foul seconds before the Spurs striker
lashed the ball into the net. It certainly didn't look like a foul
and the replays back this up. Replays also showed Kluivert was also
on-side in the first-half when what would have been his second goal
was ruled out so...
Spurs luck didn't stop there either. They also had two reasonable
if somewhat debatable appeals for hand ball turned away, with Lee
Bowyer the man at the centre of both of them. On any other day one
of them could have been given. But this wasn't any other day, it was
a special day at the Old Gallowgate. One that United were never going
to lose, not without a fight. And by hook or crook, thankfully it
was Souness' men who delivered the knock-out blow.
We must now knock-out another side to get to the Final, and maybe
then we can start to believe.
Toon
Player Ratings Vs Spurs
| Newcastle
United |
Tottenham |
Match
Facts & Stats
Half-Time: 1-0
Full-Time: 1-0
Yellow Cards: 9
Red Cards: 0
Goalscorers: Kluivert (5)
Yellow Cards: Robert (68)
Red Cards: Boumsong (24), Ameobi (81), Shearer (90)
Substitutions: 3
Jenas (Bramble 40), Ameobi (Kluivert 68), Milner (Robert
81)
Injuries: Bramble (groin), Kluivert (hernia)
Goalscorers: Atouba (51)
Yellow Cards: Atouba (9), Brown (46), Pamarot (47),
Ziegler (73), Naybet (77), Davies (90)
Red Cards: 0
Substitutions: 3
Keane (Atouba 63), Marney (Pamarot 80), Gardner (Naybet 88)
Injuries: N/A |
| Given |
Robinson |
| Carr |
Pamarot |
| Bramble |
Naybet |
| O'Brien |
King |
| Hughes |
Atouba |
| Dyer |
Davies |
| Bowyer |
Carrick |
| Faye |
Brown |
| Robert |
Ziegler |
| Shearer |
Kanoute |
| Kluivert |
Defoe |
| Substitutes
Bench |
| Harper |
Cerny |
|
Jenas |
Edman |
| Butt |
Gardner |
|
Ameobi |
Marney |
| Milner |
Keane |
Shearer made his 350th Newcastle appearance. The Skipper picked up
his first yellow card of the season as did Boumsong. 7 wins in succession.
It's now just 1 defeat in 15 for United. The 1-0 win put us through
to our 14th FA Cup Semi-Final and give us our 5th win in the Cup against
the London side.
| How The Goals Were
Scored |
Newcastle Goal 5 Minutes: Patrick Kluivert
Dyer took on and bear Atouba down the right and when the ball ended
up at Shearer's feet, he evaded a clumsy challenge from King to pull
the ball back for Kluivert he coolly stroked the ball home on the
angle from 8-yards out. A well worked goal.
| Match Reaction From
Graeme Souness |
Souness said:
 "I
am absolutely delighted to be in the semi-final of the FA Cup.
"Two months ago, we would not have won that game, but there was
a dogged determination about us today individually and collectively
not to be beaten, not to concede anything.
"Shay was outstanding on three or four occasions and we have
to thank him for being in the next round of the FA Cup. "
"It was a fantastic cup-tie. Tottenham are entitled to feel hard
done by. We bossed it for 20 minutes, then I think they had most of
the ball after that.
"We had Jermaine Jenas at left-back and for certainly all of
the second half, we found ourselves on the back foot, other than the
times when we could have sewn it up, three or four occasions when
we broke and got into great positions and our final ball was not accurate
enough.
"I think the game in midweek has taken its toll more than I thought
it would. Maybe the atmosphere we were involved in on Thursday night
was new to some of players and I think emotionally that may have drained
some of them."
Alan Shearer said:
 "We
haven't won anything yet, and people have to remember that.
"We're in the semi-final of the FA Cup and we could reach the quarter-finals
of the UEFA Cup this week, but we haven't achieved anything yet.
"This is where the season starts to get interesting and this is where
our hard work can start to come to fruition.
"It's a time where everyone has to stand up and be counted. I'm sure
we'll all do that and hopefully we can make further progress in both
cups.
"I've got chipped teeth and three staples, but it was worth it.
"There were bound to be some tired legs, but there was a toughness
about us right to the very end.
"The manager has spoken about wanting us to be able to win games 1-0,
but I suspect he'd like them to be a bit less tense!
"The goal gave us something to hang on to. Everyone wanted to get
through to the semi-finals and I think that was evident.
"We'll wait and see who we get in the draw now.
"I said before the competition began that if we're going to win it
then we'd have to play one of the big three in the final and that's
how it could turn out.
"I'd love a Newcastle-Blackburn final, that would be fantastic for
me, but I've no preference in the draw because it will be tough whoever
we get.
"I just hope Cardiff is a luckier ground for us than Wembley was,
but I think the Geordie fans will make it feel like a home match for
us - I imagine most of them have already booked up!"
Shay Given said:
 "When
Robbie hit the first shot, I was happy to keep it out.
"The ball bounced down for Defoe to have another go and I was just
pleased I was able to get back into position in time to get the ball
away a second time.
"People will say that's my job, that's what I am on the pitch for,
and I do my best to keep the ball out of the net.
"Those two are world-class strikers and you've always got to be on
your toes against them.
"But the win was not just about me and the saves I made, it was about
the team showing a lot of spirit and having the will to win.
"It's only natural that a bit of tiredness crept in after the tough
week we'd had, but we stuck together, dug deep into our resources
and ground out a very good win.
"How far can we go in the cup? Who knows? We haven't been to Cardiff
before, but we're hoping it will be kinder to us than Wembley was
in the past.
"I've only seen the stadium on television,.but it looks special and
with thousands of Geordies going down there will be some atmosphere
against whoever we play.
"Your name is not on the cup until you actually lift it. Arsenal and
Manchester United are still in it, and they'll want to win it, but
if we have everyone fit then we've always got a chance of beating
any side on our day."
| Match Reaction From
Martin Jol |
Jol said:
"Of course, we are a bit frustrated and a bit disappointed after
the match, but it is always dangerous to give your opinions straight
after the match."
"But it was all about decision-making today.
"Six bookings, I can appreciate, but it is symbolic for the whole
game. Even the bookings - they had two, I think - and there were two
penalty decisions he had to make and he had to make a big decision
on Anthony Gardner.
"You win some and you lose some - that is a nice phrase, I have
learnt it in England - but we could not win a lot with the referee
today. These decisions did not go our way, and that is a bit disappointing." |
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