Newcastle vs. Fulham, Sunday Apr 7

Over the next six matches it looks like the preview headline for Fulham will either be, “Insert team here can push away from relegation with a victory over Fulham” or “Insert team here can push on toward a top finish with a victory over Fulham”. This next push team up for Fulham is Newcastle looking to distance themselves from the slippery slope to relegation.

As I examine the trends for this match I am suffering from a sense of déjà vu when I write that I expect another team prepared to fight to the final whistle for all three points. Newcastle have been an extremely good side at home this season accumulating twenty-five points from fifteen matches and nine points from their last five home matches. Trying to trend Newcastle over a five match period proved useless because as good as Newcastle have been at home they have been utterly hopeless on the road collecting a measly nine points from sixteen matches. If Fulham fans scratch their heads at the way the White’s perform on the road then Newcastle fans must have sore scalps. With a 19 goal difference only Norwich and West Ham have a worse difference between goal differential at home and on the road. Unfortunately for Fulham the match will be taking place at St. James Park.

However, hope does kindle for Fulham in this road foray. Fulham is the team on a hot streak garnering points from their last five matches. Hopefully following Berbatov’s game plan of stay calm and get him the ball will enable the White’s to overcome their goal scoring deficiencies on the road and keep the point accumulation streak rolling. It will likely have to be the game plan since Berbatov has been Fulham’s only reliable goal scoring threat this season. Amazingly enough, Mladen Petric remains Fulham’s second leading goal scorer in the Prem even though he has made only eighteen total appearances and seems to be no more than a bit piece player in Martin Jol’s pecking order at this point in the season. Looming even larger in Fulham’s corner is Newcastle’s expedition today to visit Benfica where they were tonked 3-1 by the home squad. I am sure Tottenham would confirm that those Thursday-Sunday turnarounds are tough to overcome. Let’s hope the turn-around is double-tough when facing Fulham and Newcastle come out as lethargic as Spurs did.

For me though Newcastle are at sitting at the same point as QPR were last week in that when they look at their remaining matches Fulham should be circled on the calendar as a must win match. The Toon have a chance to put back to back wins together facing both Fulham and Sunderland at home garnering them the chance to put away relegation thoughts. A win against Fulham also puts a little pep in the Newcastle step prior their home leg against Benfica. I want to say Fulham is the hot team to watch in this match but it is hard to do so with Fulham being on the road. Based on that and the fact that Newcastle really needs these three points if I were I a betting man my cash would be on Newcastle. I think the year long home/road trends continue for both teams.

Players to watch
For Fulham it has to be Berbatov but if Duff gets shifted back to the right watch out for his offensive revival this week. For Newcastle I believe it will be Yohan Cabaye and Papiss Demba Cisse to be wary of if they came back from Benfica fit as both went the full 90 today.

 

Great preview Barry! With Sidders out, what does Jol do? My guess is that it will be Frimpong or maybe Richardson. Over the years for some reason the lads have actually played well up there, so hope it continues. Cisse has found his goal scoring form once Ba left, and will guess he provides the difference 1-0 to the Magpies.

I will be re-miss not to mention the infamous SteveM19 Geordie avatar since this is Newcastle week.

 

Tough call. Results wise, our form is strong, however I'm of the opinion it's been more smoke and mirrors than actual strong play. So we have Fulham in form but dealing with an injury & suspension, usually poor on the road, but with a good track record at St James. We have Newcastle with a strong home form, motivated to get clear of the relegation fray, but coming in from a Thursday night Europa road trip. I think we could see a 0-0 or 1-1 draw. I'd add Moussa Sissoko as another player to watch.

Looks like FSC+ have this exciting encounter tape delayed to 5pm on Sunday. Should make for a good crowd in the chatroom.

 

Only saw the highlights of the QPR match, and never a good sign when as a sub you get subbed (was he that bad, or was it more because of the red card and score??), but forgot about Urby starting for Degajah.

 

$#%@$#!#!~$%#*(#&#%$

 

Thought we might luck our way into a nil-nil draw there for a while, but Newcastle got a much deserved win. While the Toon were the team who played a tough match midweek in Portugal, it was Martin Jol's Fulham who looked like they were out for a lovely Sunday afternoon stroll through St James Park. We were once again far too casual for my liking and this time weren't able to get that bit of magic from Berbatov or Ruiz against the run of play.

I'm a bit too disgusted to go into the bad, so I'll stick with the good. We have gotten quite a bit better at keeping teams off the score sheet when we sag back intent on defending. Conceding only 1 goal from some 20 chances isn't bad. Course we could discuss the wisdom of allowing that many chances....but that's Jol football so what would be the point?

 

Was on the golf course, and saw that it was 0-0 in the 90th, and figured a point to the good, kept pace w/Swansea, and closing in on WBA... :doh:
Always a kick to the gut to lose like that, but at least it was a goal that wasn't a cheapie.