:: Newcastle, back to the glory days?

[theDUCK07]

Mike Ashley gambles on Civelli!
Newcastle chairman stunned fans and pundits alike when he presented Newcastle's new coach, Kyle Civelli. Civelli who had no experience whatsoever in the coaching scene was delighted that a deal was struck. The board presented Civelli with a task - getting Newcastle back to were they belong!

Civelli stated that he was going to dip his fingers in the market and try and sign some youngsters on loan. Having no money available as part of the transfer budget, this was his only hope. Also Civelli tabled an offer for Ebi Smolarek who is a free agent.

Will Newcastle be back to where they belong? Shall The Magpies have another stint at European Glory? It's all in the hands of one man, Civelli.


4-2-2-2ing it!
After having a look at the players available Civelli established a 4-2-2-2 formation with two central midfielders and two attacking wingers. Civelli also established a set of targets in the likes of N' Gog, van der Meyde, Macheda, Giovani dos Santos, Chris Smalling and a set of players whom he could all get on loan. Civelli tabled offers for the players named above and had to head for the match against the Reserves.

A mere 3-1 win against their Reserves didn't go down well with Civelli, as he was sure that the squad needed some work to do if they were to compete for the top spot in the Coca-Cola Championship. Also Civelli was furious for the lack of discipline shown by Alan Smith who got sent off with a straight red following a bust up with Reserves' striker Baheng.

Civelli identified Coloccini, Lovenkrads and Shola Ameobi to be vital for the squad if they were to aim at winning the Coca-Cola Championship, whilst leaving the friendlies for his Assistant Manager, he was more focused on the market and trying to snap up decent players to strengthen his squad depth.

Arsenal coach Arsene Wenger tabled an offer for Vukcic, Newcastle's little starlet. However Civelli stated that the youngster was a huge prospect for the future and a bid of €5 million plus would be needed in order for the kid to leave the Magpies!

 

[flamindamon]

Nice i also just started a newcastle save yesterday just started the league.
Good luck!

 

[kjg1995]

Good Luck! I'll be following.

 

[Ultimate FM Fan]

good luck mate it wont be hard

 

[Redders]

Good luck, back to the glory days though?.....you mean the 50's?

 

[Chris]

OK Redders. You have your point. Good luck and a nice layout too. (K)

 

[charby19]

Good luck mate

 

[theDUCK07]

good luck mate it wont be hard

I hope so
I already had a Nottm Forest save and got them to Premier, back couldn't handle the big clubs and was always a relegation contender..


- thanks guys
Will update as soon as I finish pre-season..

---------- Post added at 05:37 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:36 PM ----------

Money, money.. where are you?
All in all it was a dull July for Civelli's Newcastle. With only a few signings captured during this month, Civelli is still on the market in order to try and close in some deals.So far the only three men added to the Newcastle clan where Polish striker Ebi Smolarek, Arsenal's Nacir Barazite on loan and Fulham's Chris Smalling on loan as well.

Also the friendly resutls weren't all rainbows and butterflies as Genk put 5 past Harper in a totally one-sided encounter at the St. James Park. Although Civelli's assistant manager handles the squad during friendlies, still Civelli needs some extra men in order to spice up his squad and win the Coca-Cola Championship. The last days of July saw Civelli table bids for Javier Garrido and Thomas Kristensen, left back and central midfielder respectively.

Unfortunately for Civelli, both signed for other clubs and the manager was left with more thinking to do.

West Brom fast approaching..
Civelli's official debut with The Magpies is fast approaching and immediately it's an important encounter with a side who will fight for promotion. Civelli will have all his men at his disposition. The fans are a bit disappointed with how things are going in the transfer market, but will the results make up for the unsatisfactory transfer market? Stay tuned..

---------- Post added at 06:51 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:37 PM ----------

Newcastle hold on for a draw.
A bore draw really. Neither side was actually incisive in their attacks and although West Brom hit the post they never really looked likely to win the match. A balanced match which could have gone either way, with no squad being dominant over the other. Good defensive display, need to sharpen up when it comes to up front! Not a bad start though, considering I played away.

West Brom 0
Newcastle United 0

Seip :: A Magpie!
Plymouth central defender Seip, joined Newcastle United immediately after the West Brom game. The 27 year old expressed his delight at being able to play with the Magpies and promised he'd do his better to make sure they get promotion.

Leyton Orient it is..
Newcastle will host Leyton Orient in the 2nd round of the League Cup. On paper it looks like the Magpies can progress easily to the next round!

Smolarek-Amoebi, strike in amazing comeback!
Kick-off.. three minutes in the match and Reading score. The Newcastle fans clearly weren't happy and already people where questioning Civelli's ability and the team's posture. In the 2nd half Civelli made some changes and Smolarek and Amoebi teamed up to create havoc in the Reading defence.

Newcastle United 3 (Smolarek '69 '80, Ameobi '74)
Reading 1

---------- Post added at 07:33 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:51 PM ----------

Smolarek strike sinks Sheffield.
Civelli's men underestimated Sheffield Wednesday and Civelli fielded 16 year old Vukcic, with things not looking so good at half-time he put in Ameobi instead of the starlet. A goalkeeper's assist to Smolarek was the trick as he round the goalie and tapped the ball in. Good consistency from the striker. Jose Enrique was sent off after he picked up a second yellow card but Newcastle managed to hold on to their lead and got home the three points.

Newcastle United 1 (Smolarek '68)
Sheffield Wednesday 0

Ashley to step aside?
Newcastle Chairman Mike Ashley is willing to step aside from his role in the Newcastle board. Mike Ashley didn't deny the rumours and takeovers talks are being held. Is Newcastle's financial crisis finally over? Will they be able to overcome the debts and win promotion?

No chance for Crystal Palace.
In a one-sided away fixture Smolarek and Ameobi put the game beyond doubt. Late in the game Coloccini was sent off for a vicious foul.

Crystal Palace 0
Newcastle United 2 (Smolarek '16, Ameobi '69)

 

[ianhall65]

good read mate

 

[theDUCK07]

Leyton Orient nearly cause upset!
Newcastle went off to a flyer as they scored twice in the opening 35 minutes. A goal just before half-time brought the game back in contest. In the latter stages of the 2nd half, Orient hit back to make the score 2-2. Two minutes later troublemaker, Joey Barton got sent off for a vicious foul. Luckily for Newcastle, an own goal by Chorley in the dying minutes of the came settled the score and Newcastle advanced to the Third Round. Smolarek produced the only dull appearance of the season so far.

Newcastle United 3 (Jonas '13, Smith '34, own goal '91)
Leyton Orient 2

Unlucky draw for Newcastle..
After advancing to the Third Round, Newcastle United drew Tottenham. The only glimmer of hope is that the match will be played at the St. James' Park. Civelli's men must produce a solid match if they are to come out victorious over the likes of Modric, Defoe and company. Civelli will be taking this very seriously and will issue his best possible formation against Tottenham in the September fixture!

Leicester battle out for draw..
In a thrilling encounter between Newcastle United and Leicester City at the St. James' Park both sides shared the spoils in a balanced encounter. Newcastle went 1-0 up, with Leicester drawing level from a Gallagher strike which rattled against the crossbar before going in. Smith put the Magpies in front but Dyer level matters in the dying stages of the game. Civelli wasn't at all happy with a home draw to Leicester and blamed the boys for not being able to close the match. Mainly Smolarek who was rather wasteful today.

Newcastle United 2 (Seip '45+3, Smith '54)
Leicster City 2

Wasteful Newcastle draw at Cardiff.
All in all it was quite a balanced first half with Cardiff going close to ****** the lead just before the break. Smolarek and Ameobi weren't playing up to standard in the opening 45 minutes. Civelli decided to push for the win, and took a rather offensive approach to the 2nd half. Instead, it was McCormack with the lead for Cardiff as they hit on the counter attack. Immediately Alan Smith struck back with his third goal of the campaign. With twenty five minutes left, Coloccini was sent off for a brutal challenge. The 2nd sending off of the season for the Argentinian! None of the teams could find the winner though, so it was another draw for Newcastle which meant another two points lost in the battle for the title. A positive factor is that the side has been unbeaten for 6 games running. Another important game away at Blackpool was coming up as the opponents were in 4th spot.

Cardiff 1
Newcastle United 1 (Smith '63)

Another match,, another draw..
After two consecutive draws, Newcastle were hoping for a win. Immediately things started out well as Smolarek slotted home from a pinpoint pass by Jose Enrique. Geremi gave away a penalty and Blackpool level matters. Shola Ameobi responded with a good finish to make the score 2-1 for Newcastle. Both Smolarek and Ameobi returned to scoring goals after a small drought. Blackpool never gave up and re-established matters just before the break. It was an eventful second half with Ryan Taylor being sent off in the latter stages. Another match, another draw.. let's see if we can beat Plymouth at St. James' Park!

Blackpool 2
Newcastle 2 (Smolarek '11, Ameobi '25)

 

[Man v.1]

Nice story mate! (H)
Maybe you would like to add some pics as well?

 

[theDUCK07]

Nice story mate! (H)
Maybe you would like to add some pics as well?

Will do mate, I'll update first since the site has been down though

---------- Post added at 12:20 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:18 AM ----------

Change in formation?
The 4-2-2-2 wasn't working out well for Civelli's men as they were drawing with nearly everyone and they needed to start winning in order to win the Coca-Cola Championship. Therefore Civelli will be experimenting with tactics an for the outing at Plymouth he will play with a 4-1-3-2 formation, which is ultra offensive!

Humiliation at the St James Park!
Life didn't seem rainbows and butterflies at the St. James Park, as Plymouth went ahead after a few minutes. Smalling didn't enjoy his debut as he gave away a penalty in the 2nd half to further add insult to injury. **** completed the disaster earning a red card and an early bath with 30 minutes left. Things weren't looking good for Newcastle as they lost 2-0 at home, with Tottenham being their next outing in the League Cup!

Newcastle United 0
Plymouth 2

A few sleepless nights..
Just before the Tottenham game, Civelli was really agitated and tense. This could mark the biggest game of the season, although Newcastle weren't expected to keep on going in the League Cup he still felt that this could make a huge impact on the team's morale and could get that big boost of backing from his supporters after a few disappointing draws and a loss at home to Plymouth. The St. James' Park will be packed up and Civelli was left to think out the formation to face the Spurs!

Spurred Out!
A 4-1-2-12 formation it was for the Magpies, hoping to counter the Tottenham attacks and create havoc in their defence. Andy Carroll was preferred over Shola Ameobi who's goalscoring form wasn't as pleasant as expected. Tottenham went on the offence right from the start, but it was a lucky Robbie Keane goal which gave them the lead as the Irish-man nodded the ball to Defoe only to surprise the goalkeeper and hit the back of the net from a Luka Modric cross. Jenas doubled the score off a rebound from a free-kick and things weren't looking at all good for Newcastle. Unfortunately for Newcastle, even the linesman wasn't on their side as he disallowed an Ebi Smolarek goal for an offside position which clearly was inexistent. A decent 2nd half for Newcastle but it was still 2-0 at the end of the 90 minutes which meant that Newcastle are out of the League Cup.

Newcastle United 0
Tottenham Hotspurs 2

Back on track!
It was an away game at Ipswich which saw Newcastle United bounce back from 1-0 down to finally getting the three points which they needed after a series of draws. Polish striker Ebi Smolarek grabbed a brace today and Arsenal's starlet Barazite added an other late in the game. Just after the equaliser Ipswich had a man sent off after he was shown the second yellow card of the night.

Ipswich 1
Newcastle United 3 (Smolarek '62 '69, Barazite '90+1)

Wasteful Magpies, punished!
Next it was another home clash against Queens Park Rangers. Q.P.R. were lying in 16th place and with a win Newcastle could grab top spot again, even though a series of draws sees them in 8th spot right now. After Newcastle's last outing, Civelli kept the same formation as he was satisfied of the last convicing performance. However goalkeeper Cerny was in top form and he kept Newcastle at bay in the first half. Just as the 2nd half started a super strike Balanta gave the Rangerrs the lead. Vine doubled the score for Queens Park, and things weren't looking good at all for the Magpies! The match finished 2-0 for QPR with Smolarek wasting a couple more chances.

Newcastle United 0
Queens Park Rangers 2

Smolarek adds to his tally!
Newcastle now hosted Bristol City and Civelli was hoping they'd bounce back from defeat at the hands of QPR! With Coloccini, **** and Jose Enrique all sidelined due to major injuries the Newcastle boss presented his latest formation 3-2-2-1-2 or rather a 5-3-2 formation with the Jonas and Taylor filling the wing back positions. The new formation clearly worked out as Newcastle were dominant and Smolarek was on fine form today hitting both of Newcastle's goals, giving the fans something to shout about.

Newcastle United 2 (Smolarek '5 '62)
Bristol City 0

New director to sack Civelli?
Rumours have it that if new directors take over the club, they are going to bring their own man instead of Civelli. Also the current Chairman said that if a negative result was obtained against Nottingham Forest than this would seal Civelli's fate as the club was clearly underachieving. Therefore pressure was piling over the Maltese boss!

McGoldrick condemns Civelli?
Things didn't turn out the way Civelli wanted them to be a McGoldrick gave Nottm Forest the lead after a few minutes. Alan Smith revitalized his manager's hopes with an equaliser right after. Even though Newcastle United equalised, Nottingham Forest were dominating but in the end the score ended level and it meant that Newcastle had another draw to their tally.

Nottingham Forest 1
Newcastle United 1 (Smith '19)

---------- Post added at 06:21 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:20 AM ----------

Will update soon in an hour or two with images as requested!

---------- Post added at 08:56 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:21 PM ----------

Takeover finally ready :: Finances become healthy!
Finally the Newcastle takeover has been ready and a group of stockbrokers have bought the club from drunkyard Mike Ashley. The new board and director stated that they will invest in the club in order to get back to where they belong, hence the Premier. The board is going to issue transfer funds for the January transfer market and therefore Newcastle could finally strengthen their squad without being forced to sell. Amongst the targets are West Ham's Kieron Dyer who is reportedly unhappy the way things are going since West Ham are bottom of the Premiership.

Scunthorpe hold on for draw!
It was Newcastle with the bigger number of chances but unfortunately their strikers were wasteful. It took a wonder strike from youngster Nacer Barazite to give Newcastle another point in their bid to win the Coca-Cola Championship.

..another draw? Yes it is!
This time it was Doncaster who lost Newcastle another 2 points. Disappointed.

The cherry on the cake?
After a series of draws Newcastle lost to Sheffield United in order to further devastate their fans, things need to change quickly.



Coloccini header enough to beat Peterborough.
Peterborough were our next opponents, knowing our recent form I wasn't expecting anything but a draw or a close win. After a good twenty minutes Peterborough went in front and I was really furious with my back three, then all of a sudden Smith produced a thunder strike in off the bar to settle the score once again. Coloccini doubled just before the break, from a Barazite corner and we all went in happy. This was Barazite's 5th assist of the season, not bad for the youngster who was one of the only decent players so far in the season. After a balanced 2nd half the game ended in a 2-1 win for Newcastle. Finally, the Magpies are enjoying some good football after the takeover issue was finalised.




Eighth? Yes, eighth.
Not the best of positions from Newcastle United in the table but with a game in hand and a couple of signings in January things could finally change for the better for the men in black and white. Civelli hasn't been really disappointing overall, but the board and fans still expect better and he also thinks that he has much more to prove if he wants to compete in the EPL in the future..



*note :: I will be updating my story monthly in order not make long posts. Cheers, hope you like the new format since people suggested I add pictures

 

[Deleted member 79730]

not great so far no offense, you should be well up the top, long way to go though, nice layout so ill follow

 

[theDUCK07]

not great so far no offense, you should be well up the top, long way to go though, nice layout so ill follow

Yes mate I know, my strikers have been pretty wasteful all season.
Despite Smolarek scoring 10 goals in 18 matches he still could do better.
I'm looking to sign Bent maybe he could add up something to my attack

Going through November now.. will update at the end of December though because most of November it was international duty.

Cheers for following though mate, I appreciate

---------- Post added at 11:38 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:09 PM ----------

Inconsistency strikes again!
John Parkin put Preston North End in front with a find header off a rebound which rattled the crossbar. On the 27th minute Newcastle were unlucky not to equalise as Ebi Smolarek hit the crossbar. Some good goalkeeping by Henderson just before the break gave Smith only the image of running towards his fans celebrating. With 15 minutes left Jonas hit a screamer from far away only to see the ball hit bar once again. Luck wasn't on Newcastle's side as well today. A penalty in the dying minutes of the match gave Preston the three points they were desperately looking for!



Carroll-Smolarek brush Swansea aside
Swansea were confident ahead of the meeting at the St. James' Park as Newcastle's morale was rock bottom. Surprisingly Newcastle were truly dominant in the first half, although Andy Carroll managed to miss some good chances and therefore the score remained 0-0. In the second 45 minutes though, Jonas' first time cross was met by a fantastic volley from Carroll, which marked his first goal of the season. Funnily enough, he's a striker. Two minutes later, Carroll struck again with a good header to make it 2-0. A swift counter attack a few minutes later made the score 3-0 when Carroll served Smolarek who anticipated de Vries and slotted home. The matched finished three-nil for the Magpies in probably, Newcastle's most convincing match so far.



Six goals in two matches :: an improvement!
It seems that Newcastle United finally found the winning formula. Carroll-Smolarek was a good partnership, at least that was the latest outcome in the Swansea match. As a matter of fact, Carroll's super assist freed Smolarek and Newcastle were 1-0 up against Watford! An error from Ryan Taylor helped Watford equalise a few minutes later. A good Ryan Taylor cross found Jonas who volleyed home to make it 2-1. Later on Smolarek seized on Watford's goalkeeper's mistake to hit his brace and make the score 3-1.



Coventry hold on for draw as Magpies aimed for comeback.
It was a difficult journey away at Coventry next, but morale was high at the Newcastle camp with boss Kyle Civelli finally getting hold of the squad, from what we saw from recent fixtures. After just fifteen minutes Newcastle lost Alan Smith through injury. A sweet strike for Eastwood just before the break gave Coventry the lead, which all in all wasn't fair on Newcastle. Civelli needed to win this one because Coventry were just under Newcastle in the table. Civelli fielded a more offensive side in the 2nd half and he immediately got what he wanted as Barazite's cross met the head of Carroll who didn't miss. Newcastle kept pushing for the winner but Coventry manage to defend wisely and all in all it was a good draw for Newcastle.



57 seconds, give Barnsley precious points.
Struggling Barnsley were next who were last in the Championship, but still Civelli warned his side not to underestimate them. He didn't make any substitutions in the last three matches but was forced to substitute Alan Smith with Joey Barton as Smith was out for 4 weeks, which was a blow for the Magpies! Andy Carroll gave Newcastle the lead just after a few minutes. A Bogdanovic effort was disallowed for offside just after the break. Right after though an error from Coloccini saw Hume equalise. A freekick 57 seconds past time, gave Barnsley three points at the expense off a furious Civelli who really was infuriated by the additional time given as Barnsley didn't deserve it.



- This puts us 6th in the table, 9 points off the top spot which is occupied by Sheffield United who can seem to drop any points. Our next home fixture is against M' Boro who are 2nd and therefore this is a must win because if we drop points we'll drop out of the Playoff spot and M' Boro will gain a further three points off us! The only bad news is that goalkeeper Harper is out for two months and the January market is still two weeks away therefore I'm going to field our 2nd goalkeeper who isn't class.



---------- Post added at 12:20 PM ---------- Previous post was yesterday at 11:38 PM ----------

Important win keeps title chase alive!
The most important match of the season was here, Newcastle United vs. Middlesborough. Goalkeeper Steve Harper was out for two months and had to be substituted by the Under 19's goalkeeper. Things started off well for Newcastle as Ebi Smolarek went past two the defenders and dribbled past the goalkeeper to score a magnifect solo run. A dubious penalty decision helped Smolarek score his 2nd goal of the night and things were looking good for Newcastle! Jonas made it 3-0 to further sink Middlesborough. Walker pulled one back just a few minutes later and there was some hope for 'Boro but it was ruled out immediately. The game finished 3-0 and to the awe of the home fans, young goalkeeper Krul kept a clean sheet and was one of the better performers at the back.



Good comeback from Sheffield Wednesday, dissapoints Newcastle.
On paper it seemed to be an easy victory for Newcastle United but in fact it was Sheffield who ran away with the three points. Fabricio Coloccini gave Newcastle United the deal after a few minutes. But from then onwards it was all Sheffield Wednesday. Sheffield equalised and from their on Civelli could just hope his side matched Sheffield but on the other hand Sheffield scored again. Civelli went all out looking for the equaliser only to conceded another goal which left Newcastle United red-faced.



Lovenkrads and Smolarek make life easy for the Magpies!
Newcastle needed a win in order to keep up the pace with leaders Sheffield United and they duly delivered. It was Smolarek with the opener and winger Lovenkrads with the 2nd goal to keep Derby at bay and award the important three points to the Magpies who now were looking really active in the January market!



Experienced Bent, a Magpie!
Civelli presented his new signing Marcus Bent later today after unsettled Bent requested to be transfer listed. Bent's morale was rock bottom but he promised he would revitalize his career at Newcastle. Bent was presented to the fans with the number 10 shirt, hoping that his experience would help Newcastle in their bid for promotion.

Civelli gambles on Muniain..
Civelli's 2nd signing of the season was Iker Muniain a youngster from Athetlic Club de Bilbao. Muniain who was a 17-year-old, signed for €1.2 million and the fans were really delighted at his prospect.

Guthrie wonder goal, puts Watford out!
Civelli decided to field both of his new strikers in the FA Cup match against Watford. Unfortunately for Civelli, Watford immediately took the lead and things weren't looking good, but he had faith in his new signings. 17-year old Muniain repayed Civelli's faith by scoring the equaliser just before the break and the lad was delighted. Civelli kept things the same as the first half and this repayed as well. Experienced striker Marcus Bent won Newcastle a freekick some way out, Guthrie said "I'll bend it in, no worries". The man lived up to his word as he struck one **** of a beauty in the top corner. Watford were astonished and the goal really had a heavy effect on their play. Newcastle ran out winners in the end, going through to the next round.