Aston Villa 4-2 Newcastle United |
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Date:
Saturday 28th August 2004
Kick Off: 3.00pm UK
Venue: Villa Park
Att: 36,305
Ref: Mike Riley
Comp: Premiership |
| Premiership
Match Report In Association With Toon
Ale |
|
The End Of An Era
Newcastle once again let slip a winning position at Villa Park this
afternoon as United lost 4-2 in another eventful day for Sir Bobby
and the lads. The game started in controversy with Patrick
Kluivert making his full Toon debut in place of the dropped
Alan Shearer who had to settle for a place on the
bench and there was no place for Kieron Dire either,
who didn't even make the 16-man squad despite traveling to the Midlands.
Prompting rumours of an impending transfer out of St. James' with
this mornings papers claiming Villa were prepared to pay £6m
for the Number 8.
Fit again Jermaine Jenas took Dire's place in the
starting lineup and one other change from the side that drew 2-2 with
Norwich saw Lee Bowyer make a return for James Milner
on the right flank.
Newcastle got off the the worst possible start after only 3 minutes
when Olof Mellberg headed in former Magpie
Nobby Solano's corner to open the scoring for Villa.
From then on in it was all one way traffic but United started getting
back into the game and Kluivert leveled the scores
on 27 minutes, turning his marker to fire home.
9 minutes later Newcastle took the lead when Andy O'Brien,
making his 100th Toon appearance, avenged last Season's red card dismissal
by glancing in a header from Bellamy's cross and that's how it stayed
going into the break with United with the upper hand.
Into the second half however, Aston Villa leveled the scores when
Carlton Cole stabbed home J Lloyd Sammuel's cross
on 53 minutes.
Moments later Thomas Sorenson should have been sent
off when he handled outside the box with Bellamy, the last man, bearing
down on him. Instead referee Mike Riley awarded a
yellow card and from the free kick Sorenson pushed Robert's shot away
or a corner.
And then the game changed. On 70 minutes Gareth Barry
rose above Stephen Carr who was made Captain for
the day in Shearer's absence, to head home another Solano header to
make it 3-2 to Villa.
4 minutes later Robbie Elliott come on for the injured
Olivier Bernard as United went in search of an equaliser.
With that search in mind Bobby decided to bring on Shearer
and Shola Ameobi in place of Bowyer
and Kluivert who had picked up a knock with 14 minutes
remaining.
7 minutes later it was Villa who scored when Juan Pablo Angel,
on as a sub, brushed off O'Brien's challenge before shooting home
with the ball taking a deflection off the Irishman along the way to
make it 4-2.
And that's how it stayed as our bad start just get's worse. Now only
2 points from a possible 12 with 9 goals conceded and no clean sheet.
What next?
Toon
Player Ratings Vs Aston Villa
Next up: NUFC
Vs Blackburn Rovers (Saturday September 11th 2004 Premiership 3.00pm
K.O)
| Aston
Villa |
Newcastle |
Match
Facts & Stats
Half-Time: 1-2
Full-Time: 4-2
Yellow Cards: 4
Red Cards: 0
Goalscorers: Mellberg
(4), Cole (53), Barry (71), Angel (82)
Yellow Cards: Samuel (52), Sorensen (56), Hendrie (90)
Red Cards: 0
Substitutions: 3
Hendrie (for Hitzlsperger 60), Angel (for Cole 70),
Moore (for Vassell 86)
Injuries: N/A
Goalscorers: Kluivert
(28), O'Brien (36)
Yellow Cards: Given (90)
Red Cards: 0
Substitutions: 3
Elliott (for Bernard 73), Shearer (for Kluivert 77), Ameobi
(for Bowyer 77)
Injuries: Bothe Bernard & Kluivert limped off with
knocks. |
| Sorensen |
Given |
| Delaney |
Carr
(C) |
| Mellberg |
Hughes |
| Samuel |
O'Brien |
| De La Cruz |
Bernard |
| Solano |
Bowyer |
| McCann |
Jenas |
| Hitzlsperger |
Butt |
| Barry |
Robert |
| Vassell |
Kluivert |
| Cole |
Bellamy |
| Substitutes
Bench |
| Postma |
Harper |
|
Moore |
Elliott |
| Whittingham |
Milner |
|
Hendrie |
Ameobi |
| Angel |
Shearer |
| Fouls, Possession, Shots,
Corners & Saves |
| Aston Villa |
The
Game |
Newcastle |
| 23 |
Fouls |
11 |
| 48% |
Possession |
52% |
| 13 |
Shots
(on target) |
10 |
| 3 |
Shots (off target) |
2 |
| 9 |
Corners |
4 |
| 6 |
Saves |
4 |
Sir Bobby's final game in charge as Newcastle United manager. Patrick
Kluivert's full debut for the Toon and his first goal in Black &
White. Andy O'Brien's first goal of the Season.
| How The Goals Were
Scored |
Villa Goal 4 Minutes: Olof Mellberg
The unmarked Swede climbed highest to head home Solano's corner. Aaron
Hughes should have been marking him.
NUFC Goal 28 Minutes: Patrick Kluivert
With his back to goal, the Dutchman received Butt's little lobbed
pass and rolled Delaney before striking the ball home while falling,
for a sweet finish.
NUFC Goal 36 Minutes: Andy O'Brien
Robert's corner come back out to Bellamy who lofted the ball back
into the box for Andy O'Brien to flick a header into the back of the
net.
Villa Goal 53 Minutes: Carlton Cole
Bowyer miscontrolled in midfield - giving up possession to Samuel
who sent in a cross for Barry who's shot was parried out by Given
to the path of Cole who chested the ball into the net.
Villa Goal 71 Minutes: Gareth Barry
With Kluivert and Bernard both down injured McCann played the ball
to Solano who whipped in an excellent cross that Barry dived to head
home just inside the box.
Villa Goal 82 Minutes: Juan Pablo Angel
Angel picked up the ball and ran at O'Brien who won the ball then
lost it, allowing the Columbian to rattle in a strike from just outside
the box, taking a deflection of the Irishman prior to hitting the
back of the net.
| Match Reaction From
Sir Bobby |
Sir Bobby said:
"We got off to a poor start but recovered well and I think most
people would agree that at half time we were worthy of the lead.
"I was pleased with our performance and it was good that Patrick
Kluivert got a goal on his first start for the club.
"But after all that we ended up in a bizarre situation. I have
been in the game a long time and the rules are constantly changing
but referee Mike Riley has told me that Craig (Bellamy) was not denied
a goalscoring opportunity as there were two defenders covering
back. When a goal keeper deliberately handles the ball outside the
area, he should be dismissed.
"After that he (Sorenson) goes and makes the save of the game
from Robert's free kick when he shouldn't have even been on the pitch.
Anyone who did not see the game will think we were battered this afternoon
but that was not the case.
"Granted, it was a mistake that led to their second, but their
third was when we were down to nine men with Bernard on the touchline
and Kluivert lying prone and the fourth was a fluke."
Bobby on his decision to drop Shearer:
"I had to pick a team. Alan Shearer played on Wednesday for the
full 90 minutes and last Saturday for the full 90 minutes.
''It's three matches in eight days. We needed to have a look at Patrick
Kluivert, he's now just about ready to play.
"Alan's done very, very well for us. He looked a bit tired in
my opinion on Wednesday as the game ended.
''Three days later I've decided to put him on the bench, if we need
him for the last 20 minutes which as it happened we did, then I would
use him.
"It seems to me that other managers can rest centre forwards
but if I rest Alan Shearer it's all wrong. I have that fight on my
hands, and I'll keep fighting."
| Match Reaction From
David O'Leary |
O'Leary said:
"It was always going to be a good game. Both teams want to play
attacking football and both managers believe in that.
"They're one of the big five, with a big squad and it's nice
to take them on. We started well and then we conceded two stupid goals.
We were Newcastle's best player, as we were against Charlton.
"We didn't eradicate those silly mistakes but we kept the attacking
flair and we got our just rewards."
| Your Shout: Toon
Army Match Reaction |
Yitw@ve wrote:
Ridiculous defending. Why the hell are we willing to shell out 23m
+ for a striker, when we can obviously score goals, I mean we score
goals every game, and that we have 4 strikers. We really need 2 top
quality central defenders. I'd wish that we'd shell out 20m for 2
top quality defenders...and we'd be set. Use that 4 million + dyer
for some good right winger so we don't need to put Bowyer there too.
Oh and also sack Bobby!
Toon4Life wrote:
Right...our next game is in a fortnight, on the 11th of September,
and it's at home to Blackburn Rovers. 5 days before our first tie
in this year's UEFA Cup adventure. By that time, this should have
happened (for me), - Sir Bobby Robson resigns from his post (either
moves upstairs, or leaves the club completely). A new manager is brought
in. Martin O'Neill being my choice at the moment, with what could
be available and realistic. 2 Centre-backs brought in with the Woodgate
money. Don't care who they are right now, as long as they are proven.
Secure the signing of Wayne Rooney by Tuesday. Begin preparations
for the Blackburn game, and make sure we knack them at St. James'.
We need this break in matches for now. Bramble, Taylor, and Ambrose
will be back by then...with that giving us a full squad for the new
manager to have a look at, as well as whoever new comes in (defenders
+ Rooney hopefully). The media circus will have died down...and we
should then begin what will hopefully be a colossal run of 20 games
or so unbeaten. Anything less, and i will hang myself.
Skirge wrote:
Oh well, bad start, bad finish, good middle. Robert and Bowyer both
want rockets up their arse, Milner should have been on the right not
Jenas. But apart from that none of this is down to SBR, again a shocking
decision against us, the keeper should have been off. I can not figure
where, in the rules, it would say a booking is all he should be given,
they would not have piled forward like that if they had been down
to 10 men. We would have got the win (2-1 or even higher) but it's
the Toon story of our lives. And the most important thing in any game
is LUCK and well, at the moment we ain't got any. They nick a goal
with Bernard off getting treatment and Paddy on his arse injured.
And that good old thing that always always happens to us an old player
comes back to haunt us. Good old Nobby took us apart. I ain't that
worried not really not yet, stick with SBR though, at least he had
the balls to drop Big Al to the bench and not even include Dyer, end
of the day he can't kick the ball for them - they have to do that. |
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