August 2010 Archives

You have to laugh at Mick McCarthy's attitude after United's game with Wolves and the treatment dished out on Joey Barton.

The rules of the world game are designed to be applied in each game as it comes but in the eyes of McCarthy, there appears to be a roll-over system in place.

Joey Barton complained to McCarthy when walking of the field at Molineux that the home side's tactics were over the top on the day.

McCarthy's response was "You're no shrinking violet yourself son."

The Premier League fixture computer certainly has a knack for throwing up the occasional juicy one - and in the shape of Aston Villa at home, Newcastle United certainly have that for their first home encounter.

Villa fans danced on Newcastle's top flight grave in the fateful final Premier League clash of the 2008/09 season which pushed the Mags into the Championship.

They even went to the trouble of unfurling flags such as "Sob On The Tyne" and "Who's your next Messiah, Ant or Dec?", some might say it was part of the jolly old terrace banter that makes the nation great, some might say they went too far.

Newcastle United fans do not need a "who to boo" guide this season but the subject of booing may well be a recurring theme this season.

Michael Owen - even though he didn't play - was first to get some stick at Manchester United as fans made their feelings clear about the former number 10 who was never ever going to stay the second Newcastle went down.

The next player to test out the boo-ometer will be Habib Beye who arrives with Aston Villa this Sunday.

Cilla Black would have struggled at Old Trafford last night when looking for surprises.

In the end it was another flame haired North-West celebrity who served up the punishment for Newcastle United in the shape of Paul Scholes and it wasn't a case of Surprise Surprise.

Newcastle players had spoke positively before the game and for half an hour or so they walked the walk too, then perhaps reality kicked in.

Whether some Toon players got drunk on the relative success they were having in the early stages of the game or Man U just kicked into gear, is no longer relevant.