How do lads(and lasses), Newcastle fan here. Just wondering what your thoughts and predictions were for Sunday, not just the score, but the game as a whole. I'm not going to lie, and I am not being a WUM, but this is certainly a game we should be winning, especially with the amount of injuries, suspensions and players away that you have at the moment. We are obviously missing Demba Ba and Tiote, but proved against Blackburn last week that we still have goal scorers. The Mark Hughes factor is key, and had you had everyone available, I think you would have given us a very good game and knowing us, you would have won. We never seem to comfortably beat the teams that we should be, and we will certainly make hard work of it on Sunday. I am hoping that you have too many players missing in order to get anything and that the Mark Hughes factor comes to nothing. I predict a very close game, either 1-0 to us or 0-0. Positive Mark Hughes will be good for you, all the best after Sunday lads, and safe trip to those who are coming up.
I think you've got it spot on Badger. On paper you should win this, our midfield is decimated, we're nervous about the centre of defence and are finding goals hard to come by. And you seem to be on a good run again. But....... We have been much better away from home than at Loftus Road this year, and we have the Hughes factor. I'm hoping for a spirited performance and a close game but still expect you to win.
Badger, I have the pleasure of working in the North-East from time to time, and it's always good to have a chat about football with the NUFC fans up there. I was there on Monday and Tueday and most of them are predicting a close game with a 1-0 win for the Toon. Personally, I think the 'new manager' syndrome will see us get at least a draw. Cheers.
I can see Sparky setting the R's up with a largely defensive orientation, but with an emphasis on the counter-attack. Not sure that this excites me much and probably not much different to what Warnock would have done. Hughes seems to have focused on improving fitness levels wherever he has been, but I doubt barely a week of training is sufficient to will bear fuit Sunday. Given a defensive setup, and bearing in mind no change in personnel other than those injured/suspended/elsewhere, I can us having to soak up a lot of pressure and we'll inevitably crack at some point. I can see maybe 0-0 up until the last 5-10 mins of the first half, going in 1-0 down at HT, but 3-1 to Toon by the end. Anything else a bonus until we buy.
At last a local QPR premiership game!!! If we can keep Cabaye quiet, then we should win. The last time we played NUFC @ SDA was 1-1 and before the game NUFC hadn't dropped a point at home IRC. On paper you were expected to win that day as well.
Luckily for us the game isn't played on paper. Hughes factor could be significant, the players will be meticulously prepared and we may just have enough about us to repeat the Loftus Road score earlier this season...
Cabaye is quality I must admit, but Hatem Ben Arfa is the one you need to watch. Just look at his goal against Blackburn last week, Messi would be overjoyed. Im getting less and less confident about the game as the hours go by.
We can't defend set pieces and we can't score, our three best midfielders are missing and our new manager has been in the job three days. I expect Hughes will try set the team up to get in their faces, like he did at Blackburn. In fact much the same as Warnock, but without the "this is the premier league, we're just glad to be here getting beat" post defeat platitudes. So I predict the stuffing will be kept to 3-0 to the Toon.
I can't see it being a classic with both teams missing key players. I can't see our defence keeping Ben Arfa out or getting near Cabaye given how depleted we are. Even with the new manager factor I'd be ecstatic with a draw but feel a 1-0 or 2-0 home win is most likely. But you really never know- Whoever is their main centre-forward won't be anything special and we have players that can hurt teams. SWP on his day can be a match winner and Hughes might have instilled a bit of confidence in him. He terrorised Newcastle at home and we really should have won that comfortably.
Can't see us getting anything....Toon should win comfortably!! Shame we didn't get any signings in before this one and, with 4 players missing, I think Toon will win by at least 2 or 3!!
Unfortunately I can see us losing heavily, hopefully things will improve in the coming weeks. Far from convinced with Hughes, hope he proves me wrong.
