Newcastle win at Old Trafford England Cricket humiliated again December 2013

Having gone to bed at midnight and woken alert and raring to write at 5am I did so for five hours and then returned to bed for another two setting the alarm just before midday, coming down stairs to cook my first plate of battered and bread crumbed sprats since last summer hoping it would be part of a celebratory visit of Newcastle to Old Trafford after their disastrous visit to Swansea on Wednesday when the stayed back and allowed the home side to take control of the game.

Manchester United manager having lost against West Bromwich Albion at home midweek and below Newcastle were under greater pressure especially as Wayne Rooney is suspended and Van Persie playing but in first game from injury far from match fitness. David Moyes with all the riches of players still available has rung the changes match after match to find a team able and willing play his style of football match after match, and this time there were seven changes from the mid week defeat.

Alan Pardew awarded manager of the Month along with Goal keeper Krull as Player of the month decided to stick his team apart from change with one forward Remy and a strong midfield with Tiotte very impressive but all three taking early command. The approach was hold the ball and to contain home side who lacked confidence and everyone in the stadium apart from Newcastle fans who could be heard above the silent tension. There was only an occasion confident urging from the home side fans and it was Newcastle who looked more likely to get the ball into the net. Newcastle had a bit of luck as a defender failed to clear the ball heading it on to a Newcastle player on the wing to regained control and passed to Debuchy who hit a strong ball into one corner and despite a little deflection which only took pace off the ball the keeper was beaten into his right hand corner.

Man U did get the ball into the net but the female linesman was spot on to rule offside and there was an arm away on the goal line which some referees might have given a penalty if they had seen. Pardew instead of being defensive as Man U attempted to come into the game and had several good raids on the goalmouth, brought on Ben Arfa to threaten but also to keep the ball. The most pleasing aspect which he identified t the end of the match is that the plan worked better than anticipated and he now has two potential match wining plans home or away which poses even great problems for the other teams in term of the which side do they bring on to start a game if the squad opposite can play one of two different but equally effective ways.

While as the first game of the weekend the table at the top could change, if Sunderland who play Spurs at home can won or draw Newcastle will stay in 6^th place on 25 points as below them are Southampton losing to Man City 1 but claimed a point and Stoke also came back to beat Chelsea so while Arsenal are striding ahead on their own the gap between Newcastle and other side at the top closes and the gap below them widens. Alas Sunderland lost a good contested game through silly avoidable mistakes

Newcastle play Southampton next Saturday and I have purchased a premium ticket by an aisle close to the centre circle in the main stand at £39 to be there whatever the weather. They are then away to Palace and home to Stoke when i am away and home to Arsenal just before the New Year which should be a cracking game and where I have also purchased the same seat for slightly more money even though the game is on Sky TV. By then I shall know if the good feeling about this season is justified similar to that which quickly developed about Durham where they went on to win th County Champions for the third time in six years against the odds and where all the commentators had declared they were a relegation bet

England had another humiliating bad day not making 200 runs and Australia batted on creating a huge lead with two days to go and the game likely to end tomorrow. Cook England captains has lost his head and clearly has gone to pieces out for 1 starting what looked to be another humiliating collapse. However Root and Pietersen held firm for a time and at close England were 267 for six with one day and 280 runs to avoid defeat. Only persistent rain will save them, and the Ashes, as England has not won at the next Test ground for decades

Sporting reviews early December 2013

As Winter deepens with the promise of severe and prolonged cold with snow I was delighted to receive the County fixtures for 2014 although this only added to my uncertainty about my priorities for next year. I had already decided on a balance between the cricket and wanting to celebrate my 75^th birthday throughout the year rather than have one a big celebration and family get together.

I have already arranged to make my first visit to the Royal Opera House in January, I am not proceedings with the plan to an Oval Test day to mark the occasion in 1948 when an older first cousin took me to watch Don Bradman play his last Test in England, second ball which was a great disappointment for the thousands who had queued from early morning and sat jam packed a dozen deep on the grass to the boundary rope.

As i have also written I have not enjoyed most of my visits to Surrey until last year when Durham won at the Oval for the first time in the County Championship and I came away feeling the County were going to have a good season which quickly became a great one winning the County Championship for the third season in six. With no championship visit to Surrey next season as they have been relegated I applied for Test Tickets and was successful with the offer of up to four which had to be take before Monday and then changed my mind.

I have booked for Durham at Nottingham including accommodation although I shall miss the first day attending the one day International at Emirates Riverside on the Sunday and I left open staying until the 20 20 game on Friday. There are more games 20 20 competition from 10 to 14 games and then the quarter finals and finals day a possible 16 games in the competition, however the new 50 over game appears to have been reduced from 12 games plus semi final and final to 7 single games home or away pus a quarter, semi and final and maximum of 10 instead of 14 making the potential total of cricket days the same as this season.

I will be surprised if Durham fares as well and anticipate that the competition will become greater with uncertainty about who will be relegated continuing until the of the season and with more teams than usual potentially involved. With so many younger players in the squad I also anticipate Durham making a major effort to win a one day competition or at least reach the final so I will make a decision whether to book for the two finals at lords and Edgbaston soon after the New Year commences. I will leave open still a visit to Hove for Cricket although I will go back to South coast during the year possibly Worthing rather than Brighton if I could be assured of the front view. I also leave open the Lords County Championship visit and also wait to see what trips are organised by the Travel Club

I have submitted application for Wimbledon Tickets and this year I will go even if the tickets are for the Men’s Finals day number 1 court as I do not anticipate Andy Murray making the final and I have another cousin who played good level tennis also celebrating her 75^th birthday so I will go.

I would like to make one more visit to Gibraltar and also one visit to th homeland of my father, Malta as long as I can resist the temptation to try and seek out relative descendents.

The sporting highlight for me of the past couple of weeks has not been the continuing success of Newcastle in the premier division but the Froch Groves fight which I listened on the radio in bed and only saw the TV recording at the weekend. According to the radio broadcast Groves started exceptionally well and had Froch on the floor early on who was said to look groggy and this was borne out by the TV as was the Froch boast that he was too strong to be knocked out and indeed he did come back as the fight progressed but both listening and on screen it was evident he was never in control and Groves was a constant threat and appeared to have amassed the points to make it unlikely Froch would win on points and needed a knock out. The controversy was when he appeared to have got his man and the referee stepped in and stopped the fight with Groves groggy but on his feet. Froch argued the referee had made the right decision as he would have had a free and dangerous hit while Groves and the commentators posed the question that the referee should have allowed the fight to continue at least to a knock down if this was to b the situation. On seeing rather than listening I believe the referee the right decision. Groves became overconfident It was a great great and memorable fight if both men want to do it again I for one might pay the premium price to watch live.

I found the time to create my first events dairy for 1022 an concentrated on football as well as the cricket and the live relays notified until next autumn so far. I am staying away from Sunderland although may go to the League Cup quarterfinal if it is not on TV although the weather is likely to be the deciding factor. Membership of Newcastle has been renewed belatedly too late for my first visit this season for the visit of Norwich previously reported and where I had managed to secure the best viewing seat over the past forty years.

Membership costs £30 but includes a savings card Impari would have costs £30 and provides a 25% discount for the Magpie dining room for Sunday lunch where I had partaken, albeit some ten to twenty years distant on several occasions, but it will be good to return at least once more, I watched the latest game against West Brom on Saturday evening on Sky TV at home which they won 2.1 and for a time were a heady 5^th in the table. The game was marked by two great goals the first from the visitors to equalise and the Sissoko‘s sizzler which reminded of his fabulous entrance from France last season. While Remy up front 8 goals, Buffron 5 and Ben Arfa 2 with the latter in bench for the recent games, Shola Ameobi has performed well as the target man and shown some good touches and lay offs.

Even after the rest of the top teams played on Sunday Newcastle are 6^th the best spot since the end of the 2012 season and only a point behind Everton on 24 and 2 being Man City in third.

When I discovered that their game away to Swansea was showing tonight on BT TV and away to Man U on Saturday lunchtime time I booked my subscription and was impressed that I was on line before the Crystal Palace game against West Ham which they won 1.0 before their new manager at Selhurst Park where I first went with the family at Christmas and then on my own as a young man through to my teens and leaving home for good in the early 1960’s. I have back over the years to watch Sunderland and Newcastle with the away supporters taking over most of the ground and witnessed he changes to ground over the decades as well as the club’s Kevin Kegan era under Fedora wearing Malcolm Allinson. I also found that the Sunderland home game on Saturday evening is on SKY and who play Chelsea is also at home tonight and found themselves back at the bottom of the table the Crystal Palace win.

I have nothing about the humiliating defeat of England in the first Test in Aussiland and where the second commences. The new Impari card also includes an offer in relation to Gateshead Thunder the only professional Rugby League club in he North east which has just about recovered from the decision of the former club to merge with the Hull Sharks followed by several attempts to ain he sport at this level floundering because. The first game next season on my birthday. The standard OAP ticket is £5. The Impari card offer £5 off although I assume this is h standard ticket at £10. Now for the game

Alas Newcastle lost 3.0 at Swansea and Sunderland 3. Chelsea 4 in a great game which I listened to on headphone watching the Newcastle game on BT TV in silence.