Back they tumble to the bottom of the league

By: Martini Extra Dry | November 2nd, 2008

The weekend’s games have conspired against Newcastle, sending them bottom of the league after they had finally looked like they were about to turn a corner and get over their awful start. A start which, had it not been for Spurs doing even worse, would’ve been the main topic of conversation all over football websites for the last month or so.

Newcastle had been in the bottom three since halfway through September, before finally getting out in the middle of last week by beating West Brom. During the weekend though all of the teams in the drop-zone secured wins, causing the Geordies to steadily fall to the bottom of the pile as the results came in.

Now they face us, up at their place, in a game that both teams, for their own reasons, are desperate to win. For the Toon, a win will get them outta the zone and for us, a win will send us above Man Utd and Arsenal, to sit proudly in third. The draw will put us fourth and Newcastle will come off the bottom, sending Spurs back there, even after defeating the final unbeaten team of the season yesterday.

Villa are facing the possibility of no Petrov (and obviously we still have Bouma out), but other than that we have a full array of eager beavers ready and willing to strut their stuff around St James’s Park in claret and blue. The starting line-up is a difficult choice for O’Neill to make every time we play now, which can only be a good thing.

Gone are the days of Mike Ashley’s fat belly being filled up with beer in the stands for Newcastle but the fans are still in a state of suspense as the club remains unsold and a permanant manager unnapointed. So with that and our current run of results in mind, we go into the game as firm favourites to win.

My team selection:

Friedel
Young – Cuéllar/Davies – Laursen – Shorey
Milner – Reo-Coker – Barry – Young
Carew – Agbonlahor

(Davies and Cuéllar I still can’t decide between! They’re both quality)