Newcastle United v Braga - Official Build Up / Matchday Thread

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Good pre season workout for me with plenty of positive signs. Trying to play passing possession football, a good performance overall with plenty getting a run out. Benni is a concern, he needs to sort himself out. If he is doing the pre season everyone else is I can only assume he's not putting the work in or is eating like a rugby player away from the ground. Disappointing he can't be a bit more professional. Otherwise the lads look in good shape physically, if a little leggy as you'd expect when they are in pre season.

Some good pressing from the front which was sadly lacking last year. A good shape to the team in defensive situations and when Braga broke. Most pleasing was our passing and ability to retain under pressure. We looked afraid to play last year, this seems to have gone.

Glad pre season is now done and we can get down to business in games that actually count! We look good to go and as always we'll now find out where we are at once the real stuff starts.

 

I think I can see Bigfoot in your blurry-ass conspiracy theory photos

 

Was the goal offside ??

couldn't see from the other side
Lee Mason was his usual ****eness today even though it was only a friendly

 

Never offside!

 

Colo indicated to HBA where he wanted the ball and HBA put it on the spot and Colo duly put it away. It was a great goal and should have stood. Mason should be stood down for his howler. He had another another all round stinker apart from the goal.

 

so what was the final score

 

Should have been 2-1 to us, but Mason must have had a large wad on a 1-1 draw and disallowed a perfectly good goal.

 

I'm in that pic....far goal to the left. Sitting against the wall between the blue O and R!

 

if you were there then you would of heard me call the referee, a useless twat
I was sitting about 35 seats to your left as you look onto the pitch

 

Haha I called him a useless prick a few times.

 

You and quite a few others!

He's always useless against us, I think he's got some kind of grudge against us.

 

I think you're right AB, he just can't wait to give a free kick against us
yet the same situation does not get the same decision from him

the shoulder to shoulder from Ben Arfa was a good challenge, I thought, but it's a foul
yet in the second half Sammy gets the same and it's ok by him,
totally baffling, but frightening, if this is what we are to expect from him, when it matters

 

I think he failed t take into consideration the extra weight. Its not HBA's fault the lad was 2 stone wet through. Fair enough it is his fault he is the weight of Susan Boyle, but still.

 

What would he have given for a good old fashioned Billy Whitehurst shoulder barge?

 

And what about the goal that wasn't? Perfectly good goal in my opinion. Colo gestures to HBA where to put it and HBA gets it spot on and Colo duly dispatches the ball into the net. Why the hell did that not stand?

Mason had his palm crossed with Spanish gold?

 

Dare I say our set pieces looked quite good..................

 

Welcome back again Obi.

 

I thought we looked quite good in all departments. We actually played like a team whereas last season we hardly ever looked like a team at all.

 

maybe Portuguese gold, did the trick