All Aboard! - The Managerial Rollercoaster

[Werrett]

Barclays Premier League Awards

With the 2015/16 season coming to an end here is a look at the award winners from the past season.

PFA Players' Player of the Year:

Sergio Aguero (Manchester City)

Despite Manchester City's poor season, Argentine striker Sergio Aguero has been in fantastic form all season with the striker picking up 22 goals from his 30 appearances.

A prolific season from the Argentinian forward is sure to attract interest from some of the European giants, especially following Manchester City's poor year.​

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Player of the Year:

Eden Hazard (Chelsea)

A fantastic season from Eden Hazard as he picks up the player of the year award. The Belgian has scored 23 goals as well as setting up 12 to help guide Chelsea to their title win in 2015/16.

Having won Young player of the year two years running, Hazard has now made the step-up to be named overall player of the year.

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PFA Young Player of the Year:

Erik Lamela (Tottenham)

A great season for young Argentine Erik Lamela as he is named Young Player of the Year following an impressive season, the youngster managed 15 goals and 9 assists in his 33 appearance for Spurs.

Following his move from Roma a couple of seasons ago the Argentinian is certainly beginning to settle into English Football.​

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Top Goalscorer:

Danny Welbeck (Arsenal)

A great season for the English striker as he finds the net 23 times in 32 games to claim the Golden Boot for the first time in his career.

Welbeck's career has certainly began to blossom since his move from Old Trafford.

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Golden Glove:

David de Gea (Manchester United)

David de Gea once again claims the Golden Glove following a great season in which the Spaniard kept 24 clean sheets. The United shot-stopper has now won the award in consecutive years.

de Gea (above) has certainly become one of the best keepers in the World in recent years.

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Best Eleven:

No players in the starting XI for us this year but Wilfried Bony was named among the subs following a season in which he scored 17 and set-up 15.

Wilfried Bony has proved to Football fans everywhere that he is not only a goalscorer, but a keen passer of the ball as well.

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Manager of the Year:

Paul Clement (Newcastle United)

I was delighted to claim this award during the award ceremony at the close of the season, it's been a great season where I've seen my club finish in the top 4 for the first time in 13 years, hopefully I can use this as a stepping stone to bigger and better things.

Paul Clement has certainly blossomed into a fantastic manager following his years of working as an under-study to Carlo Ancelotti.
​

 

[Werrett]

Chelsea in FA Cup Glory

Chelsea have today lifted the FA Cup following a 2-1 victory over Manchester United at Wembley in front of 90,000 fans.

View attachment 316383View attachment 316382

A great performance from Chelsea as they clinch the FA Cup for the first time since 2012 following an emphatic victory over Manchester United, who simply didn't start the match quick enough and will surely be disappointed at the nature of the defeat.

Chelsea last won the FA Cup in 2012 following a victory over Liverpool.​

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Liverpool Lift Europa League

Liverpool FC have been named as the winners of the Europa League following a 2-1 victory over Real Madrid in Basel, Switzerland.

Liverpool last won the UEFA Cup in 2001 following an emphatic 5-4 win over Alavés.

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A great performance from the Reds as they took an early lead through Daniel Sturridge before Cristiano Ronaldo replied for the Galacticos. However despite being under pressure Liverpool dug deep and pulled out the winner through young English winger Raheem Sterling.

Here is a look at Real Madrid's and Liverpool's route to the Final from the Quarter-Finals onward.

A delighting European triumph for the Reds who overcame some tough opposition on their way to the Final.​

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Manchester United Lift Champions League

Manchester United have lifted the biggest trophy in European Football for the 4th time following a 4-1 win over Ukrainian Europa League holders Shakhtar Donetsk at the San Siro in Milan, Italy.

The San Siro was rocking as fans from all across Europe came to spectate the Champions League Final with an overall attendance of 80,018.

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Manchester United were too dominant for the Miners in this game as they found themselves 4-0 up with goals coming from Falcao (2), Bradley and Di Maria before Ukrainian Captain Rakitskyi pulled back a late consolation for the Ukrainians.

Radamel Falcao's fantastic performance saw Manchester United lift the 2016 Champions League with Falcao himself bagging a brace.

United last won the Champions League back in 2008 following a dramatic penalty shoot-out win over Chelsea.

Louis van Gaal has now won 4 trophies for Manchester United in 2 seasons.

Here is a look at how Shakhtar Donetsk and Manchester United came to meet each other in the final.

And here is the group that Manchester United qualified from at the start of the Champions League adventure.

View attachment 316377​

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Newcastle United 2015/16 Commercial Summary

As you can see we've generated more revenue than last season through broadcasting and facilities, a great step for the club and hopefully we can generate more thanks to our Champions League qualification.

However, facilities at the club have been downgraded due to the latest advances in technology meaning we will need to look at investing in our facilities in order to move forward as a club.​

 

[Klippybo]

Sunderland down to league 1????

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

 

[Werrett]

For the first time, the European Championship final tournament will be contested by 24 teams, having
been expanded from the 16-team format that had been used since 1996. Under this new format, the
finalists will contest a group stage consisting of six groups of four teams, followed by a knock-out stage including three rounds and the final.

The winners will earn the right to participate in the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup hosted by Russia.
If Germany or Russia win, however, the runner-up will qualify as Germany have already qualified due
to winning the 2014 FIFA World Cup, and Russia have qualified as hosts.

France was chosen as the host on 28 May 2010, after a bidding process in which they beat Italy and
Turkey for the right to host the 2016 finals.The matches will be played in ten stadia in ten cities:
Bordeaux, Lens, Lille, Lyon, Marseille, Nice, Paris, Saint-Denis, St-Etienne, and Toulouse.

It will be the third time that France hosts the tournament, after the inaugural tournament in 1960 and the 1984 finals. The French team have won the European Championship two times: in 1984 and 2000.

(Credit to Brendn) - http://www.fm-base.co.uk/forum/foot...ries/181141-liverpool-f-c-5-year-plan-25.html

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Group Stages

After playing through the three matches in each group stage here's a look at how the tables ended.

Most of the groups were unsurprising, however the fact that France only qualified based on their points tally in third was a bit shocking, other 3rd placed teams to qualify were Austria, Switzerland and Serbia.

In case you're confused, here are the rules for the Euro 2016 group stage.

(France, Serbia, Switzerland and Austria all had 3/4 points, thus the best 3rd placed records)

Here is the draw for the 2nd round of the Tournament:

None of the games strike me as being too exciting, but it'll be interesting to see who progresses, hopefully there'll be a shock or two!

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2nd Round Results

Here are the results for the 2nd Round of the European Championship

Not too many shocks on the cards, perhaps Switzerland beating Belgium could be seen as the biggest one, England only just scraped through against Turkey as well.

Here's a look at the draw for the Quarter Finals

If I was watching this at home then France v Germany would be the game to watch! Hopefully England can progress against Switzerland but we'll have to wait and see.

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Quarter Final Results

Hosts france were knocked out by a late Mueller goal whereas Spain were knocked out by Portugal. Another shock as Italy were beaten by Ukraine, England are in with a shout of winning here!

There were glum looks on the face of France fans as they were knocked out by a strong German side in the Quarter-Finals.

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Semi-Finals

The semi-final draw of Euro 2016 would See:

England v Germany

&

Ukraine v Portugal

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The Semi-Final Results!

England overcame a strong Germany side in an age old rivalry to secure a place in the Final of France 2016 where they will face Portugal, it should be an interesting Final!

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England Triumph in Euro 2016 Final!

England were put to the tes by a tough Portugal squad but eventually edged their opponents to claim their first ever European Championship with a 2-0 victory.

Stade de France was packed with 79,000 Football fans who were eager to see who would triumph in the European Championship Final.

View attachment 316373View attachment 316372

The match was a very tight affair, both teams playing with nerves and feeling the pressure from the crowd. Captain Wayne Rooney found the breakthrough on 72 minutes before Leighton Baines sealed the Championship with a 92nd minute penalty.

This is the first European Championship England have ever won, their first International trophy since the 1966 World Cup triumph.


​

 

[Werrett]

Newcastle Fan Awards - 2015/16

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Coloccini Hangs Up Boots

Argentinian Defender Fabricio Coloccini has today called time on his career at the age of 34, the defender has put lack of playing time down to his decision and has decided to retire while still in his prime.

The Argentinian released a statement earlier today:

F.Coloccini: "It's with great sadness that I today announce my retirement from Football, I would like to thank Newcastle for all that they have done for me during my time at the club. But I'm 34 now and don't see a long future ahead of me and with the reduction in my on-field time I think it's time to call it quits. I wish them all the luck in the future, I'll always be a Geordie through and through."

Coloccini signed for Newcastle in 2008 for £10.3m from A.C. Milan​

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Gerrard Joins Newcastle Backroom

Former Liverpool Captain Steven Gerrard has today taken up a role as U18's Assistant Manager at Newcastle United following Liverpool's decision not to offer the former England international a new contract, Gerrard has since hung up his boots to focus on his new non-playing role.

Like Coloccini, Steven Gerrard has also called time on an illustrious career in which he spent the entirety of his time at Liverpool Football Club. Sadly, the Premier League title evaded Gerrard throughout his career.​

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Pre-Season Schedule

The pre-season schedule this season isn't very exciting, we head off to Switzerland and Denmark to face Zurich and AGF before returning to England to see out the rest of our pre-season campaign.

Hopefully the pre-season will be a good chance to see some of our new players in action while trying to mould the squad together.​

 

[Werrett]

Sunderland down to league 1????

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

I was shocked to see it, last season they were subject to a Tycoon takeover following relegation but they've gone down again! Crazy!

 

[SamPeters]

YES ENGLAND!!!!

and good luck for the season mate!

 

[Werrett]

Hodgson Steps-Down as England Boss

Roy Hodgson has today confirmed his resignation as manager of the England National team, Hodgson himself released a statement earlier today.

R.Hodgson: "I took up this position in 2012 and have since taken part in a World Cup an Two European Championships. It's been a fantastic journey but having won the Euro 2016 tournament I feel it is my time to step down, whether I'll return to club management we'll have to wait and see. I'd like to thank the FA for everything they've done during my time as England Manager."

With England now looking for a new manager it is believed that Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal is the favourite to take up the position.

​

 

[Werrett]

LVG Hired as England Boss

A shock announcement today as Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal was named the new Manager of the England National team, although he was linked with the job many people thought his success at Manchester United would keep him at Old Trafford.

Louis van Gaal was in the spotlight today as he was interviewed by the press before leaving Old Trafford today.

...

Reporter: "Mr. van Gaal, can you give us some insight to your move from Manchester United to England? You were doing very well at Old Trafford so your move is a bit of a shock."

LVG: "Well as you know, I came to England to rebuild Manchester United and restore them to their glory, after two years I've won the Premier League, the Champions League and some other pieces of Silverware, I've already won all their is to win. I wish to thank the club for my time in charge, but it's time to move on."

Reporter: "Did you not consider moving to another club side?"

LVG: "No. I managed Holland in the past and it was very enjoyable for me, and with England just having won the Euro's I believe they have a very competitive squad."

Reporter: "Do you consider winning the World Cup with England your next challenge? It's been 50 years since they won it."

LVG: "Absolutely. I want to bring this Nation the biggest trophy there is and I believe this will be one of my toughest challenges, I look forward to it."

Reporter: "Thank you, Louis."

LVG: "My pleasure."

...

Despite Louis van Gaal's comments in the media there was still a lot of speculation as to whether the £99,000 a week salary is what truly swayed the Dutchman, but England fans will be happy with the new appointment.​

 

[SamPeters]

Interesting with LVG taking the England job!

 

[Werrett]

Interesting with LVG taking the England job!

It is! I was more surprised at Hodgson's resignation, but managers always seem to resign after winning something.

LVG quit United after winning the UCL, as did Wenger at Arsenal. Strange!

 

[Werrett]

Conte Hired as United Boss

Manchester United have today released a statement announcing that former Juventus and Italy manager Antonio Conte will be named as the new Manchester United Manager.

A statement released by the clubs co-chairmen stated:

Glazers: "We are delighted to announce that Antonio Conte will be the new head of the first-team here at Manchester United. Mr. Conte has had great success in his managerial career, especially with Juventus and we fully believe that he is the right man to lead the club forward following the departure of Louis van Gaal."

Club Co-Chairmen Joel and Avram Glazer are excited by the news of Conte's appointment.

Following the Club statement, Antonio Conte replied with his own statement:

A.Conte: "I'm delighted to have been announced as the new manager of Manchester United, which is one of, if not the biggest club in the World. Over the years this club has had great success under Sir Alex Ferguson, and brief success with Louis van Gaal but I am here to build a dynasty. I want to be here for the long term and win many many trophies, not just for the club, but for the fans.

Conte is regarded as one of the best Italian managers following his countless league/cup triumphs with Juventus.

​

 

[Werrett]

Cracking on with the Pre-Season

My first order of business in the pre-season was to find an affiliate club to whom I can send some of my youngsters on loan, ideally a good club with ideal facilities.

The club I selected was GNK Dinamo Zagreb in Croatia, known for producing talent such as Ante Coric and Alen Halilovic I was eager to build a link between ourselves and the Croatian Champions.

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UEFA Champions League Best Placed Play-Off Draw

After finishing 4th we were placed into the draw for the best-placed play-off, a loss in this game would see us end up in the group stage of the Europa League whereas a victory over the two legs would fire us into the Champions' League group stage!

I'm delighted to have drawn Metalist as there were some very big teams in the pot, the likes of Paris-Saint Germain and A.C. Milan, luckily we were able to avoid this and have a good chance of progressing.

Here's a look at the rest of the draw:

As you can see I think we got the best draw overall, having avoided Porto, Valencia, PSG and Milan.

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Krul Signs New Contract

I'm delighted to announce today that Tim Krul will be staying with us for at least the next 5 years, home-grown player status makes Tim Krul a very important player for us as well as his fantastic shot-stopping ability.

Newcastle United fans will be delighted that Krul is set to remain a Magpie for the next half decade.

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Pre-Season Results

Our pre-season tour went alright, with few changes to the squad I feel that the harmony is already there, we have a close knit squad and I believe they're all very happy to be playing alongside one another. We suffered defeats in Switzerland and at home to Lorient but we managed to get some good results in the other matches with some impressive defensive performances.

Overall I think we're ready to kick-off and get a good campaign going.

Our training schedule seems to be going very well and the lads are all nearing full fitness ahead of the new season, I'm sure they'll be raring to go for the season opener at home to WBA.

Heading into the season it looks as though Vurnon Anita will be the only player who will be lacking fitness, having suffered a sprained ankle during our pre-season.

But otherwise we have a clean bill of health, fantastic!​

 

[Werrett]

Transfer Window

Heading into the transfer side of the pre-season I originally had three aims for the window:

1) Sign some home-grown players

2) Reduce the wage bill at the Club

3) Keep the young players at the Club​

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Transfers Out

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Papiss Cisse

£1,000,000

Having only played 30 times in the last two season (23 in the first, 7 in the second) I decided to sell Cisse while I could, he was on a high wage which for a non-starter was far too high so I decided to sell the 31 year old to Lens. £1million isn't a huge deal of cash but it helps free up some finances.

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Paul Dummett

£2,500,000

I was disappointed about losing Dummett, being a Geordie and a home-grown player I wanted to keep hold of him but with interest from Ipswich lurking about he expressed his desire to move clubs, and I'm not going to hold him back from that. He's been good for us over the past two years despite only making 14 appearances, but he needs first-team Football.

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Siem de Jong

£5,000,000

Siem de Jong has never fit into my squad, he was very unimpressive in the first season and quickly found himself down the pecking order behind Cabella and Anita and with the chance to sell him for a good price I quickly accepted the bid.

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Jak Alnwick

£600,000

Alnwick simply isn't good enough to make the first-team, with Darlow and Krul we have two very good Goalkeepers and so I decided to accept £600k for the young goalkeeper, he never made an appearance for us.

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Nicola Leali

£6,500,000

I signed Leali on a free from Juventus last season, but due to the fact that we needed home-grown players I was forced to loan Leali out and register Darlow, but with Leali being a good goalkeeper he deserves more first-team Football, and so when I was offered the chance to make a £6.5m profit after a year I decided to accept the bid.

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Rio Mavuba

£500,000

Mavuba was brought in as an experienced player, but with him now approaching 32 and on a high wage I decided to move him on in a bid to promote some of the younger players, he's been a great player but has started to decline and so I decided to cash in while I could.

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Total Income

£16,000,000​

 

[Werrett]

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Transfers In

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Sam Byram

£4,000,000

With the sale of Paul Dummett I entered the market in search of a home-grown Full-Back who could back-up Janmaat and Santon. Sam Byram seemed like an ideal choice and for a fee of only £4million I decided to sign the young full-back.

Byram is still only 22 years old and with a value of £5.25m he already seems like a money-spinner at the least, hopefully he can develop further here at the Club.

Byram is a very well rounded players but his excellent work rate, stamina and pace will be very important for us when we're chasing the ball, he's also very good on the ball and will surely be an excellent addition to the squad.​

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Gastón Gil Romero

£3,500,000

Having identified the Defensive Midfield position as a weakness in the squad I decided to look for a young, well rounded midfielder. Gaston Gil Romero is known by many but after 2 years I'm surprised I was able to get him for so little, hopefully he can provide a strong defensive mentality in that position in a bid to stop the stronger sides from exploiting gaps in the Midfield.

As you can see Gil Romero is a young player at the age of 23, and with a value of £14m he's already become one of the most valuable players at the club. A great signing!

Gastón has some fantastic stats for a 23 year old, he's strong, has good stamina and has very good defensive stats for someone of his age. I'm very pleased to see him sign for us.​

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Andros Townsend

£5,000,000

I signed Townsend in a bid to strengthen the depth down the right side, our only out and out right winger is Hatem Ben Arfa who can be injury prone at times. And with Townsend being a home-grown player I'm delighted to have signed a good English player for a good price. I'm very happy with the signing.

Townsend is at the point now where he is approaching his prime, he's worth £11m which is £6m more than we paid for him, so if he doesn't perform I can probably sell him on for a profit. But hopefully he'll do well for us!

Townsend is very quick and has great dribbling, he also has better work-rates than Ben Arfa meaning he'll do a better job in the games we need to be defensive in or games where we're chasing the ball. I'm delighted with the signing and look forward to monitoring his development.

​

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Total Spent

£12,500,000​

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Leftover Budget

Despite our spending we still have plenty of budget leftover should we need to re-enter the market for another player, I'm very happy with the signings and sales, along with the handling of finances here at Newcastle.​

 

[Werrett]

Manchester United Retain Community Shield

Antonio Conte guided Manchester United to his first piece of silverware as his side over-powered Chelsea 3-1 to win the Community Shield for the second year in a row.

Manchester United celebrate winning the Community Shield for the third time in 4 years.

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An impressive performance from the Red Devils as they score two goals in 4 minutes to move 3-1 ahead of Chelsea before winning the silverware.

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Liverpool Win UEFA Super Cup

21,166 fans watched on as Europa League Winners Liverpool F.C. beat Champions' League Winners Manchester United to win the European Super Cup in Tromso, Norway.

Lerkendal isn't the biggest stadium in the World but it's a beautiful stadium, a very nice venue for the Super-Cup.

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Second half goals from Mario Balotelli and Davy Klaasen saw Liverpool edge out Manchester United in an evenly matched contest, a great win for the Merseyside Club.

Liverpool last won the Super-Cup in 2005 after beating Russian side CSKA Moscow 3-1 at Stade Louis ll, Monaco.​

 

[Werrett]

2016/17 Premier League Fixtures

August:

September:

October:

November:

December:

January:

February:

March:

April:

May:

 

[Werrett]

The 2016/17 Season Begins!

Here's a look at the fixtures we will be playing during the opening month of August, hopefully we can get off to a good start against West Bromwich Albion.

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Our Season Opener!

Attendance: 50,374

With the match only 30 minutes away from kick-off, the team sheets have been released!

[TABLE="class: cms_table_outer_border, width: 500, align: center"]
[TR]
[TD]Newcastle United[/TD]
[TD]West Bromwich Albion[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Krul (GK)[/TD]
[TD]Foster (GK)[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Janmaat (RB)[/TD]
[TD]Gamboa (RB)[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]van Dijk(CD)[/TD]
[TD]Berra (CD)[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Lascelles (CD)[/TD]
[TD]Moti (CD) (c)[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Santon (LB)[/TD]
[TD]Clichy (LB)[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Tioté (DM) (c)[/TD]
[TD]Fletcher (MC)[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Cabella (MCR)[/TD]
[TD]Mulumbu (MCR)[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Fellaini (MCL)[/TD]
[TD]Yacob (MCL)[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Gouffran (AML)[/TD]
[TD]Brunt (ML)[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Ben Arfa (AMR)[/TD]
[TD]Long (MR)[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Bony (STC)[/TD]
[TD]Berahino (STC)

[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]

Pre-Match Prediction

J.Redknapp: "Well St. James' Park was a fortress last year, I think Newcastle lost what, 2 games here all year? This was the opening match last year for these two teams Newcastle took a 2-0 win then, and since then they've improved as a side, I think they'll win it easily."

G.Neville: "I agree, Newcastle have been a very strong side at home but you just wonder if they have the depth in the squad to survive the full season, but I do fancy them here. Gotta be a home win."

With Champions League returning to St. James' Park and a new and improved squad there's certainly something to cheer about here in Newcastle!...

The referee has a quick glance at his watch and...Phweeep!

Newcastle United's 2015/16 campaign is underway as West Brom get the match started.

...

8th Minute: Newcastle now trying to play out from the back, Lascelles pings the ball to Tioté but the Ivorian can't control it, Fletcher latches onto it and flicks the ball with the top of his boot, van Dijk's position has let him down as the ball goes over his head but there's Berhaino, he gets the better of van Dijk with his pace and hits it!....GOAL!

It's 1-0 to West Bromwich Albion here at St. James', an error from Newcastle led to a turnover in possession, Fletchers chip caused some trouble in the Newcastle back-line but there was English striker Saido Berahino who raced onto the loose ball before sliding it under the oncoming Tim Krul, 1-0 to the Baggies!

Young Striker Saido Berahino celebrates his opener against Newcastle United.

...

18th Minute: Moti clears the danger to cut out the Newcastle attack but it's picked up by Lascelles on the half-way line, the defender gives the ball to Cabella who picks out Fellaini in the middle, the ball eventually reaches Gouffran who slides the ball into the path of the over-lapping Santon, the Italian delivers the ball..Bony beats Moti to the ball!....GOAL!

It's 1-1 here at St. James' Park, some lovely build up play as Newcastle stretch the field before Santon's cross is met by the head of Wilfried Bony, a fine header from the Ivorian as the ball flies past Ben Foster. West Brom's lead didn't last long!

Similar to last year, Bony has opened his account for the season on the opening day.

...

37th Minute: Newcastle now have a corner on the right side following Moti's tackle on Bony. Cabella stands over the set-piece. The Frenchman deivers the ball, it's a deep cross to the back post but there's van Dijk!....GOAL!

It's 2-1 to the Magpies! Cabella's corner is floated over Ben Foster to the back-post to Virgil van Dijk who leaps above Mulumbu before looping the head over Ben Foster, the Dutchman was hungry for that goal!

van Dijk was known for his powerful presence from set-pieces during his days at Celtic.

...

46th Minute: Long brings the ball down the right hand side, the Irishman cuts inside but it's cut out by Santon, but that was a loose challenge and Berahino is in here!...GOAL!

Berahino pounces on Santon's loose challenge to slot the ball past Tim Krul, it's a stalemate again here at St. James', Newcastle won't be happy to concede that goal!

Berahino picks up his 2nd goal of the game to level it up for the Baggies.

45+3 minutes: Phweeep! It's half time here at St. James' Park where the game is tied 2-2....

...

Half-Time Analysis

Presenter: "What did you think of the opening 45 there Jamie, will Newcastle be disappointed?"

J.Redknapp: "You know I'm not sure they can be..Sure they'll be disappointed to concede the equaliser but they've been poor in this match, they haven't kept the ball well at all and overall I don't think a lead would be justified in this game."

Presenter:"And with that being said I think we're ready to get things back underway at Goodison Park."

...

The Referee checks his watch and Phweep! The 2nd half is away!

...



51st Minute: West Brom are passing the ball around nicely here, the ball comes back to Gamboa as he looks to switch it, but it's a poor pass that's picked off by Wilfried Bony, the Ivorian plays it out wide to Hatem Ben Arfa who flicks the ball over Moti to Fellaini, the Belgian checks back and slots through Cabella!...GOAL!

And just like that it's 3-2! Gamboa's poor pass was picked off by Bony who started off a brilliant counter attack, Fellaini threads through Cabella who rifles the ball past Foster. The shot-stopper stood no chance there!

Frenchman Rémy Cabella celebrates putting Newcastle 3-2 up, his first of the season.

...

60th Minute: Mulumbu on the ball now, he plays it to Shane Long out wide who cuts inside onto his right foot, but as he cuts in his foot is taken away by Hatem Ben Arfa..The referee points to the spot, it's a penalty!

Newcastle cannot believe the decision here, that was a soft penalty!

...

Berahino places the ball on the spot..Tim Krul gives him the eyes..Berahino steps up!..GOAL!

Berahino has a hat-trick! The youngster calmly steps up and slots the ball into the bottom right hand corner sending Tim Krul the wrong way, what a performance from the Striker!

Berahino thanks the Heavens after netting his hat-trick goal.

...

90th Minute: Phweep! It's all over here at St. James' Park, an entertaining match here as the game finished Newcastle United 3-3 West Bromwich Albion.

View attachment 316043View attachment 316042

I'm disappointed..We didn't pick up the win but that's not my main concern, my concern is the fact that we didn't dominate the ball. We were poor in possession and poor defensively, there's a lot of work ahead.

...

Here's a look at the result across the Premier League from the opening round of fixtures.

No surprise results here as all of the big teams secure opening day wins.

Shock at Villa Park as Aston Villa beat Manchester City 1-0, a Jovetic own goal..Of all the players!

The opening MNF saw Tottenham beat Norwich 1-0 at Carrow Road, former Evertonian Ross Barkley grabbing the winner.

The fact that the big teams all picked up wins makes our draw even more disappointing.
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[Werrett]

UEFA Champions League Best Placed Play-Off

After being drawn against Ukrainian side Metalist in the Play-off for the Champions League we entered the tie with ambitions of making the group stage, a tough ask but I knew the team was up for it.

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The First-Leg

We traveled to Ukraine expecting a tough game, and that's what we got. Despite dominating Metalist for most of the game we failed to create any opportunities and before we knew it we were 2-0 down. Both of the goals were from corners which was particularly disappointing as I felt we put in a lot of hours on the training ground in preparation for this.

However, after going on the all-out attack Pablo Sarabia bagged an 8th minute goal, a massive goal..

There was hope...​

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The Second-Leg

We've done it! We only did it by a narrow margin but we picked up the 1-0 victory at St. James' Park to fire us through to the group stages on away goals. Ben Arfa scored the only goal of the game when he dribbled 30-35 yards before curling the ball into the top corner, I'm absolutely delighted!

Ben Arfa's winner is going to be worth millions of pounds to Newcastle United.​

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The Champions League Group Stage Draw

The Group Stage draw of the UEFA Champions League takes place today.
32 of Europe's elite teams compete for the worlds most coveted piece of
club silverware.

Clubs spend millions in hopes of getting here, others lose millions by not qualifying.

The Champions League is a delicate balancing act, one clubs must respect!

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1st Seed Teams

2nd Seed Teams

3rd Seed Teams

4th Seed Teams

With us being placed in the 4th seed pot we knew we were going to get a tough group, but we'll relish the challenge, it's fantastic to be part of the draw!

...

Let the draw commence!

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1st Seeds Are Drawn

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2nd Seeds Are Added

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3rd Seeds Are Next

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And Finally..The 4th Seeds

Seeing as the 4th seed teams complete the groups, let's have a look at the groups for the 2016/17 Champions League.

Group A

Group A looks tough, Chelsea and Dortmund will be clear favourites to top the group but it'll be interesting to see who gets that Europa League spot.

Group B

Celtic face a tough task in Group B but they will feel they have an outside chance of qualifying.

Group C

Pretty much the group of death..Poor Dinamo don't look to stand a chance in this one.

Group D

We were drawn in what seems to be one of the most unpredictable groups, it's not easy to guess who will win this group as everyone has a chance of finishing either 1st, or 4th.

I can't wait to play teams like Schalke and Inter away from home, exciting stuff for the fans!

Group E

Barcelona will surely be favourites for Group E, but the 2nd spot is hard to guess!

Group F

Similar to Group E in that Bayern will feel they are the favourites to top this group, but another group that's hard to predict!

Group G

Arsenal stand a good chance of progression but face a tough challenge from Valencia and PSV, Sparta Prague may surprise a few as well!

Group H

If you're a Sporting fan you may want to look away, Group H is certainly among the toughest with former Champions Manchester United, Milan and Monaco. Ouch!​

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Our UCL Fixture Schedule

We start and finish our group at home in what should be a fantastic journey, can't wait to get the ball rolling in this one!
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Capital One Cup 3rd Round Draw

Due to our participation in Europe this year we are drawn into the 3rd round of the League Cup instead of the 2nd, but to go with our tough UCL group we've also been given a tough draw in the cup as we face Europa League Winners Liverpool at St. James' Park, we'll do our best to progress!

If we are knocked out it won't be a huge disappointment due to our busy fixture schedule, more games could cause more problems!​

 

[Average Joe]

I'd say the Milan - Utd etc group could be the hardest there!

Yours is not easy either!