2016-17 Championship: Newcastle United and 23 other teams

Dummy Hoy

Angry Pissbum
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Jul 22, 2006
8,232
Falmouth
My Royals banked three points against a decidedly average and deep lying Preston North End squad at the Mad Stad today. I didn't get to see any of it and only heard a little but this seems to sum it up well "No pressure or worries. Wonderful weather, an encouraging display, some delightful individual skill and, fittingly on the day the club paid their respects to former academy manager Eamonn Dolan, another promising debut from a homegrown player. There will be questions and worries to come, but they can wait for another day."
Beautiful.
 

Dummy Hoy

Angry Pissbum
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Jul 22, 2006
8,232
Falmouth
Wednesday nicked Villa with a late Forestieri goal off a bad clearance. Wednesday was dominant for the first 25 until Fletcher went off with a gash to the head

Wednesday controlled the rest of the half but really missed Fletcher. Villa looked much better in the second half, controlling the middle of the pitch. Very good effort from them, miles better than last season, which has got to be largely because of Di Matteo. I thought they would really struggle, but there's some real quality there and obviously the manager knows what he's doing. I think they're top 6 for sure. OF course then they went and made only two changes for the League cup match and got smashed 3-1 at Luton Town. Welcome to the Championship Aston Villa.

Friday's BeIN game sees Forest travel to Brighton...Forest leaked 3 to new arrival Burton Albion, although they did score 4. Gotta like Brighton, coming off a real solid draw at Derby.

Big clash Saturday (and the BeIN game) is Wednesday at Norwich. Norwich (who I love as an automatic team- returning a bunch of players who know the league, good manager) is fresh off pasting Blackburn, so they're flying high.Wednesday will provide a stiff test, but I will be thrilled with a draw. I think this is probably the toughest road game for Wednesday, and I don't love the matchup anyways. Wednesday's midfield can struggle a bit with a quality ACM, so Hoolahan could have a big day. I am curious to see what tactical changes Carlos makes.
 

Smiling Joe Hesketh

Throw Momma From the Train
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Norwich beat Blackburn 4-1 last Saturday to start the promotion race off right. Jacob Murphy, who we've been hearing about for years, got his first goal for the club.

I think we totaled 4 goals in the last two months in the EPL.
 

Dummy Hoy

Angry Pissbum
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Jul 22, 2006
8,232
Falmouth
Good news @Smiling Joe Hesketh - apparently Forestieri didn't travel to Norwich. Rumors of discord, wage demands, refusal to play, etc. This could be catastrophic long term, and certainly won't help today.

Huddersfield up 1-0 at St. James, Barnsley up 2-0 on Derby, Wigan beating Blackburn 2-0 in the televised game. Villa up 2-0 in their home opener, Leeds and Brum knotted at 1, and Fulham winning again.

This fucking league.
 

Infield Infidel

teaching korea american
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Jul 15, 2005
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So far except for maybe Norwich this league seems bunched. Not good for clubs trying to figure rosters still. Newcastle probably won't be settled until mid-sept and might have a lot of catching up to do by then. 11+ new players will take time to settle in. Also having possibly the best player wanting out and not playing can't help

edit- I do hope that as the schedule gets more congested Newcastle's depth will shine through. They've got a big roster so ideally with short mid-week turnarounds they'll have fresher legs then opponents
 
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Dummy Hoy

Angry Pissbum
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Jul 22, 2006
8,232
Falmouth
Good point for Wednesday, especially with the pre game drama.

Both teams showed their class even though it wasn't the most fluid game.

Edit: and how did 1500 Wednesdayites make more noise than 24500 home fans?:D
 
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CSteinhardt

"Steiny"
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Dec 18, 2003
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This is Huddersfield's best start to a season in my lifetime. We've got a great manager now, turned over much of the team over the past few months, and coming into the season I legitimately thought it was realistic to finish in the top half. Starting to look very plausible, actually. Definitely the better team in the opener, and probably deserved 1 point more than 3 today, but looked really good. I bet by the end of the season, Newcastle will be promoted easily and won't have lost more than 3 at home.
 

thehitcat

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Nov 25, 2003
2,376
Windham, ME
Reading on Tyneside today and I'm thinking Newcastle should pick up their first W of the season. A draw for the Royals would be a fantastic result after they got pummeled at Wolves on Saturday 2-0. A betting guide I ran across today had the following "Reading are seen as rank outsiders." It feels spot on for this match.
 

Smiling Joe Hesketh

Throw Momma From the Train
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Good point for Wednesday, especially with the pre game drama.

Both teams showed their class even though it wasn't the most fluid game.

Edit: and how did 1500 Wednesdayites make more noise than 24500 home fans?:D
Uh, they didn't?

It's always interesting to me to see highlights from the Championship and see so many home grounds not sold out. Norwich started the season at Blackburn and it was friend and family only over there, just no one was in the park. The games at Carrow Road have been sold out.

1-0 over Bristol City yesterday. Could have been more too, Norwich hit three posts. John Ruddy has been dropped for the time being, I think he got injured in the Wednesday game.
 

Dummy Hoy

Angry Pissbum
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Jul 22, 2006
8,232
Falmouth
Uh, they didn't?
Please...watch again. Majority of the game all I could hear was Wednesday songs. Maybe the Sky mics were just next to the away following? :D;)

John Ruddy has been dropped for the time being, I think he got injured in the Wednesday game.
I think he landed strange after a kick, right before HT, they said it was a groin. Olsson pulled up with a hammy too, not sure how bad that turned out. You should have enough depth to overcome and are right where you want to be. Gotta bag those points.


Wednesday lost to Burton Albion 3-1 (just under 5000 fans, including 1500 from Sheffield). Wednesday played like crap and had some injuries expose their CB depth, but credit to Burton- they're going to be a tough out this year. First 10 minutes they were swarming, Wednesday regained control after a dodgy penalty, but Burton dominated the last 5 minutes of the half and buried the GW. 2nd half was nothing to speak of, as Burton was never really challenged and got a late insurance goal after some shitty defending.
Burton was tough- they play a 3-5-2, press you with size and physicality, use speed on the flanks (I heard Dyer and Palmer's names all game long), and quickly regain shape when defending. They had the best defense in L1 last year and have shown no fear going at people.

This fucking League.
 

Blundatola

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Jun 9, 2008
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Chicago
NUFC have conceded in the last minute of the first half in all three matches so far. At least we aren't Blackburn, though. It seems Shane Duffy has scored two OG's in the first half to give Cardiff the 2-0 advantage.
 

Cellar-Door

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Aug 1, 2006
34,457
NUFC have conceded in the last minute of the first half in all three matches so far. At least we aren't Blackburn, though. It seems Shane Duffy has scored two OG's in the first half to give Cardiff the 2-0 advantage.
He also got a red card.
Impressively he had an own goal last game too, so he had 3 OG in 47 minutes of playing time.
 

Dummy Hoy

Angry Pissbum
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Jul 22, 2006
8,232
Falmouth
I saw a bunch of Blackburn fans who are convinced those goals were intentional to force a deal...seems paranoid, but those were awful.


Supposedly Wednesday had scouts at the game who left before HT.

Edit: Current scuttlebutt is that BH&A will snag Duffy for 4m...fabulous deal for someone with his goal scoring form.

All joking aside, that would be a solid signing, although I wonder if it's cover for Dunk getting nabbed in the next two weeks.
 
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Stanley Steamer

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Jan 11, 2012
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What!? Sheffield Wednesday 0:2 Leeds United?
What a glorious day, wouldn't you agree, DH?
It's been a long time since we put one over on your lot, and quite a shock.
Makes me feel relegation is a bit less likely for Leeds, and confirms what a slog it will be for Wednesday to vie for the top.
 

thehitcat

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Nov 25, 2003
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And after getting our clocks cleaned at Newcastle we hold leaders Brighton 2-2 at the Mad Stad. With a man sent off late and an OG against the game had some of everything. I will gladly take the point and hope this is the signal of better to come.
 

Dummy Hoy

Angry Pissbum
SoSH Member
Jul 22, 2006
8,232
Falmouth
What!? Sheffield Wednesday 0:2 Leeds United?
What a glorious day, wouldn't you agree, DH?
It's been a long time since we put one over on your lot, and quite a shock.
Makes me feel relegation is a bit less likely for Leeds, and confirms what a slog it will be for Wednesday to vie for the top.
Hat tip...seems your midfield played well and both strikers scored. Things are messy in the good part of Sheffield so of course many fans are melting down like JulE6. Things need to get sorted soon, but there are 42 games (and two weeks of transfer window) to go. This last week has sucked hard on and off th file though from a Wednesday perspective.

Congrats, we'll get you at Elland Road.
 

Dummy Hoy

Angry Pissbum
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Jul 22, 2006
8,232
Falmouth
Burton Albion beat Derby 1-0 at home today.

I finally watched the game they beat Wednesday, and I'm impressed. They are BIG, can run on the flanks, and are aggressive. I already mentioned their defensive record last year. They're going to be a tough game all season.
 

Blundatola

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Jun 9, 2008
702
Chicago
On the flip side, how bad were Derby? They looked like they had never played together. The contrast between Burton's commitment to the cause and Derby's seeming indifference was stark. Will Hughes did not look good at all, particularly in the first half.
 

Infield Infidel

teaching korea american
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Jul 15, 2005
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Five clubs tied for 3rd on 9 points 3w 0d 2L. From Newcastle's perspective, the two losses are against the top 2 clubs, so doesn't feel so bad that they started 0-2 against Huddersfield and Fulham, neither of whom have lost yet. Huddersfield really are on it.
 

Mayday Malone

New Member
Nov 1, 2003
103
Rhode Island
I think the expectations really played into Newcastle's first two games, and lead them to be tight. Beating Brighton without Mitrovic and Gayle was pretty impressive. I think both teams to be toward the top at the end.
 

Infield Infidel

teaching korea american
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Newcastle up to 2nd on GD. Huddersfield is apparently unbeatable but I'd be fine with 2nd.

Interested in the Villa Forest match tomorrow, if Villa are going to show something this would be a good time to do it.
 

Infield Infidel

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Newcastle and Barnsley did well in the GD department today, and Huddersfield lost.

Whats with QPR, and at home? NUFC had a goal wrongly disallowed and hit the woodwork a few times. Could have been much worse
 

Dummy Hoy

Angry Pissbum
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Jul 22, 2006
8,232
Falmouth
True- it must be awesome rooting for the 09 Yankees.


Good job by Brighton to knock off Huddersfield. I'm hoping Houghton was able to expose something, but it sounds like it was more of a grind it out win.

Wednesday wins their second in a row in a crazy game hosting Bristol City. Down 2-0, Fletcher gets one back, but then they get called for a dodgy penalty and a red. City player hits the post, ball ricochetes out to a Wed player who is tripped from behind drawing a second yellow and a red. 2 reds and a missed penalty in 30 seconds. Wednesday knots it up with15 to go and then Keiran Lee scores in the 94th minute to win.

Even though the play is still erratic and Carvalhal hasn't found his best group, I'm hopeful things are heading in the right direction.
 

Dummy Hoy

Angry Pissbum
SoSH Member
Jul 22, 2006
8,232
Falmouth
Of course you're cool with it. Its still fucking stupid and I reserve the right to mock your team while you piss the league.
 

Infield Infidel

teaching korea american
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Give the lads some credit, it's more like rooting for the 27 Yankees, amirte?

That Wednesday-Bristol game sounds insane. I wish more matches were available; I've just been picking up whatever beinSport match, or sketchily streamed match I can find, there are usually one or two. I start mainly because the announcers usually give updates on simultaneous matches but the few I've seen this season have been at worst interestingly bad and at best real crackers. Brighton, Norwich, Huddersfield, Barnsley, Burton, they are really fun to watch.
 
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Dummy Hoy

Angry Pissbum
SoSH Member
Jul 22, 2006
8,232
Falmouth
Give the lads some credit, it's more like rooting for the 27 Yankees, amirte?
There you go.

That Wednesday-Bristol game sounds insane. I wish more matches were available; I've just been picking up whatever beinSport match, or sketchily streamed match I can find, there are usually one or two. I start mainly because the announcers usually give updates on simultaneous matches but the few I've seen this season have been at worst interestingly bad and at best real crackers. Brighton, Norwich, Huddersfield, Barnsley, Burton, they are really fun to watch.
Here are the short highlights. Extended highlights are available and generally give you a surprisingly comprehensive view of the game.

This league is a blast...I've said for a long time that I don't need Wednesday to be in the premier league for any other reason than to watch games. If all the games were televised, I'd be okay in this division. Right now we've got Wednesday, Leeds, Derby, Brighton, Villa, Newcastle, Norwich, Forest, Ipswich, Birmingham, Wolves, even the shambles of Blackburn. All of those teams could consider themselves 'big' clubs to a certain extent, and you've got Fulham, Reading, Huddersfield, QPR, Wigan and Barnsley, who may make the claim too. They style of football tends to be diverse throughout the league, which is great. Half of the team have stadia with a capacity over 30K.

The officiating is hot garbage, and the tuesday night games can be tough, but the only real issue I have is the lack of a comprehensive TV deal.
 

CSteinhardt

"Steiny"
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QPR offered nothing in the first half today, either. I still think 10th would be a great finish for us and Newcastle will win the league by 15 pts, but this is sure fun.
 

thehitcat

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Nov 25, 2003
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So I've been on a sabbatical of sorts since September 1 living on the Cape rather than at home so I haven't been able to watch much in the way of Reading games, just checking scores and message boards when possible so none of this is first hand, but the Royals have been astonishingly good over the first 8 league games racking up 14 points with a record of 4 wins 2 draws and 2 losses with a neither of those losses coming at home. Saturday they won despite a first half red and then tonight in the cup at Brighton they won again also after picking up a red in the first half to one of only 3 players they kept in the starting 11 from Saturday's win. They haven't dropped a game since the hammering at Newcastle 3 wins and a draw in the league and a penalty win and today's regulation win in the cup. I honestly don't have much to say because this is so completely different from what I was expecting I don't really have words for it. I'm thrilled at them banking these points which put them more than a quarter of the way to the 50 they'll need for safety.

Come on you RRRrrrrrssssss!!!
 

Infield Infidel

teaching korea american
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Newcastle 1-1 Villa. Villa looked like the better team in the 2nd half. They are pointed in the right direction but getting there slowly. Newcastle blew loads of chances in the 1st half

Caught the second half of PNE Wigan. Wigan had all of the possession but looked clueless in the last 3rd. PNE was well organized but even if they weren't Wigan was regularly sending shots into the seats
 

Investor 11

Plobbably the greatest videographer ever
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Jul 23, 2006
3,911
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The Derby County start to the year continues in a downward spiral. Nigel Pearson suspended by the team for today's match against Cardiff City.

Supposedly part of a disciplinary investigation. I imagine we have seen the last of him at Derby. I do wonder if this is maybe related to another undercover investigation in which he was involved.

http://m.bbc.com/sport/football/37489071
 

dirtynine

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Dec 17, 2002
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Brighton go to Hillsborough and take home 3 points. Some small measure of revenge for the playoff loss last year, DH...
 

Dummy Hoy

Angry Pissbum
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Jul 22, 2006
8,232
Falmouth
A very solid road performance...Brighton are so well organized and tough to break down. Wednesday had their chances but BHA shut them all down (or cleared the ball off the line) and held on until Knockaert put in the insurance.

Sounded like Lewis Dunk would have thrown himself in front of a train to prevent a goal.

 

Infield Infidel

teaching korea american
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Sheffield Wednesday knocking of Huddersfield 1-0, nice win for them. I've wondered if Wagner just has Huddersfield in an extended run of playing over their heads, or if they'll hang onto at least a playoff spot all season. Wagner seems like a real get as a manager; he turned down Aston Villa during the int'l break, which was smart since better clubs will offer him jobs after the season.
 

Dummy Hoy

Angry Pissbum
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Jul 22, 2006
8,232
Falmouth
I haven't watched the Wednesday game yet, but I do want to just put this here:


A nice road win and by all accounts a perfect tactical plan against a talented and in form opponent.
 

Stanley Steamer

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Leeds gutting out a shootout victory over Norwich last night to make it to the QF stage of the league cup. Norwich are likely the better team, but LUFC came back with a man down, and did so in front of their fans. The team is at a bit of a crossroads at the moment, getting up within shouting distance of the leaders, but perhaps not being all that strong. I think Leeds fans are/would be a wildcard in this situation. If somehow the squad can recapture the fan base and requisite home dominance, they might be able to seriously vie for promotion.
 

Smiling Joe Hesketh

Throw Momma From the Train
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Not to take anything away from Leeds, but we didn't play most of our starters.

Leeds' issue has always struck me as a lack of ownership stability. If they lose 2 in a row all of a sudden Monk's job is in danger. That's kinda nuts.
 

Stanley Steamer

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Well that's two in a row now, SJH, and though I'd still pick your lot above mine, it's enough to make me stand and notice. It sounds like Leeds were the stronger team most of the game, overcame an own goal and halftime deficit, then struck the winner right after giving up a late equalizer.
It doesn't get any easier, with Newcastle next, but it finally seems like Leeds has a team that can compete. Only time will tell if it's real or a November charade.