Our defence were superb. Despite Middlesborough’s possession in the last 3rd/ crosses into our box we limited them to very few chances thanks to the back 4. Enrique was the only exception in that his distribution was awful.

However he defended well and I feel he’s being forced to play it long due to the lack of a creative outlet in centre midfield.

N’zogbia continues to depress me. With every chance he wastes, the case for arguing it’s the ‘management’ of him that is at fault as opposed to his own attitude is getting weaker and weaker. Downing had a very good game today but N’zogbia made him look world class.

Overall we have to be pleased with 2 draws away from home against Boro and Chelsea. The fact that we have 2 clean sheets is great for confidence too. The defence is really improving. We’ve got 2 hard games out of the way now. Sunderland play Man UTD next week whereas we have a winnable game at home to Stoke.

Taking Martins off was a strange decision. Having said that, in the 2nd half Boro looked more likely to win it. Martins is always liable to lose the ball unlike Owen who is at his worst consistently tidy in posession. So perhaps it wasn’t a bad call. On one occassion Owen and Viduka linked up well and went very close to winning it.

We still need to address the lack of a threat going forward but with Butt and Guthrie in the middle we’re never going to create chance after chance. We could desperately do with getting Barton back on the pitch.

Kinnear’s Newcastle United fail to lose again! I think we’ve only lost 2 under him altogether. To continue with Clarky’s analogy, we’re continuing to build brick by brick and rather refreshingly for once it looks as though we’re building from the back.

Verdicts from those underneath the smog who weren’t contesting with dodgy webcasts are welcome! And if you wondering why they’ve called Smoggies, check out these pictures below! (Ed.)

But after reading the whole sentences, I understand the point of Keegan said Mark can be our Fernando Torres.

“If he’d been fit and available, Mark is the kind of player you want on your teamsheet every week,” Keegan said. “You always want your best players available, but forwards who can score you goals and win you matches and who have experience, you need them especially. If we can have a fit Mark Viduka for the last nine games, that’ll be a huge bonus for us.”

Have been lacked in fitness issues since joining Newcastle last summer, Mark Viduka only appearing once as substitute for Keegan this year. Keegan said more, quoted from the Times:

“He’s got this fantastic ability to score goals in tight situations and to score goals at important times. That’s what wins you football matches. You saw Fernando Torres the other night score a goal [for Liverpool] when a lot of players would have taken another touch, and Mark comes into that category, too. He doesn’t need a lot of space, he can do the unexpected.”

Kevin Keegan confirmed that Viduka got a slight calf strain so he’s not quite ready but hopefully he’ll be featured for the home game with Middlesbrough.

With Viduka’s missing, Joey Barton is set for his return to Newcastle substitutes bench. Barton is currently awaiting his trial over an alleged incident last month, but a change in the player’s bail conditions makes him able to play at the Emirates.

“We are very low on numbers at the minute and we might need Joey and I’d have no problems with bringing him on.” Keegan explained, “He has worked really hard in training and I do believe that we will make a plus out of a minus.”

Keegan says despite the Gunners 3-0 victors in the FA Cup fourth round, United still has an excellent chance to get away with a result from the Emirates today. King Kev challenge them to show the same quality like their FA Cup first-half courage through the full 90 minutes tonight.

“If we play like that against most teams in the Premier League then we’ll have more to cheer about than we will to cry about,” he told Newcastle World TV. “We’ve had a really good go and I was delighted with that. The lads showed courage and we should’ve gone in ahead at half-time.”

Meanwhile, Wenger warned his Arsenal players of Michael Owen threat at the Emirates Stadium and believes that given Owen half a chance he will punish the North Londoners.

“His match sharpness will come back with more games,” Wenger said, “You still feel that if you make a mistake, he will be there to take advantage of it as his runs are very intelligent.”

“You see that the quality is there, but Owen is not yet 100 per cent.”

Newcastle United starts with the 4-4-2 attacking formation in which have been demanded by the die hard Geordies. Big Sam trying to give a game to pleased 50,956 crowds, but clearly only some part of them are having a good time and it’s from the away ends.

Everything that needs to be said about this team has already been said, and can be summarised in one phrase – they are nowhere near good enough.

Frankly, Citeh beat us without breaking into a sweat, and to be honest they aren’t that good. We went through the motions, had a few half chances that as usual were wasted: we were ineffectual in midfield, once again allowing the opposition too much space and time, and once again failed to keep a clean sheet.

N’Zogbia had a canny game, as did Beye, who barely gave Martin Petrov a kick. Duff was as busy as Viduka and Martins were hopeless. Michael Owen at least looked like a professional footballer when he came on – ie. capable of moving into space, and controlling and passing the ball 10 yards to a colleague – but his body language said more than a thousand words.

Another loss at home with barely a whimper. The club’s demise continues, with performances every bit as bad as anything we have seen over the last 20 years, and not even a faint glimmer of improvement with which to hang your hat on.

Despite this, the club’s new owner appears to believe everything is hunky-dory. I happen to believe it’s time he started to take his ownership of NUFC seriously, and started to take the decisions needed to reverse its decline, preferably before it’s too late.

UNITED:
Given, Beye, Taylor, Cacapa, N’Zogbia, Butt, Faye (Emre 73), Duff (Enrique 64), Milner, Viduka, Martins (Owen 46)
Subs: Harper, Rozehnal

CITY:
Hart, Richards, Ball, Onuoha, Ireland (Fernandes 76), Elano (Etuhu 71), Vassell (Bianchi 88), Petrov, Corluka, Hamann, Dunne.
Subs: Isaksson, Garrido.

Ref: Martin Atkinson
Att.: 50,956

“I love playing football and I want to do well for the club and win back my place in the team,” Viduka told the club’s official website.

Having declared he wants to concentrate with United team by ignoring Pim Verbeek’s call for the Socceroos World Cup qualification round, Big Vid now ready for Wigan and will look to added more goals under his name at JJB Stadium. Now it’s just the choice of who will partnering Mark as I believe he will make his start today at Wigan.

Personally I would love to see Big Vid and Smudge in front, but if this is Big Sam plan today I also don’t want to see Martins playing wide again. With Damien available again to make his start, ideally we will go with Duff, Emre, Barton and Milner in midfield, to give more attacking Newcastle United side.

In this case, Big Sam will have to sacrifice United’s skipper Geremi sit on the bench again. If he decide to do defensive style (again) then I can see Geremi return in midfield, with Milner set to left while Duff and Martins waiting on the bench.

In defence, Sam Allardyce will have Abdoulaye Faye fit again, Carr is also can make a comeback but I would leave him to rest for a little more time, at least until next year. Steven Taylor I predict will make a start with Cacapa in center, while Zog and Beye on left and right full-back.

Goalkeeper, to be honest I’d like to see Steve Harper make his 100th career league appearance. Shay looks little bit out performed recently.