Sunday 28th October
We beat Liverpool with 10 men last week, muahahaha! We're now clearing ahead of Manchester United in 3rd and 4th respectivley but unfortunatley Chelsea are right up our rear end. Didn't really help that they won during mid week but it adds more pressure to us, and I love pressure! We had Bolton at home in the Premiership today and then on Wednesday we have Manchester City at home in the Carling Cup 4th Round. A few players may be getting a well earned break today methinks.
Arriving at St.James Park, which must I say is the third largest club ground in England, but it felt like home after last weeks away match. We saw the Bolton bus driver away so we knew they were here. Nicolas Anelka was their dangerman up front and knew keeping him quiet would be extrememly hard. Once inside the changing rooms I called over Mirel Radoi and Steven Taylor, our consistent center backs. I told them that one of them must mark him at all times and not give hime room to breathe. They seemed to agree and I knew they wouldn't let me down. They were only mid table though so I told the team not to feel intimidated, as we had 40-50 thousand fans coming to watch us. After all the fun and games had been played ant the team talk had been said, it was time to walk down the tunnel and to start the game, which if we didn't lose, would mark our 11th unbeaten record in the League this season!
Bolton started the game strong in all aspects, especially the tackling side off things. They had a close cut chance after 6 minutes had passed as Kevin Nolan had a sneaky pot at a shot from 30 yards which Given had to tip over. 4 minutes later and we took the lead. Toon to be(Excuse the pun
) Legend Obafemi Martins with the goal with Milner supplying the cross after taking on Jlloyd Samuel and whipping a ball to the front post for Martins to volley home. We start dominating possession as we get plenty of chances such as Emre's one-on-one but he failed to convert the chance. Anelka then has a beautiful oppurtunity but lucky for us he decides to put his shot into the atmosphere and not into the net. Another goal came, and for us it was yet again. This time Mirel Radoi with a monster header over all the dfenders at the half way line for Martins to run on to, in which he blast it over the head of Jaaskelainen and into the net. That marks his 20th goal of the season! 2 good chances follow with the first going our way as Barton hits the bar with a beautifully created move and then Bolton star Ricardo Vaz Te hits his shot straight at Shay Given. Another goal! It's ours again as Martins completes his hat-trick and caps our 3rd goal of the day. A scrappy goal but he was in the right place at the right time to fire it home from 3 yards. Martins comes close yet again just before the break as he rattles the cross bar with a thunderbolt but the half ends with the score being 3-0.
An amazing first half at St.James you must say! Martins is having an amzing game as is everyone. The football was great and there were only a few scares down at our end. All I really did was leave them to their own apart from Mirel and Steven, in which I told them to just keep doing what they were doing and to get a clean sheet at all costs. "Good luck lads! And may this rosey form continue."
Second half started with a bang! A goal infact and by god was I happy to ee it fly in. A corner took by Milner was headered out but it went straight to Emre who was standing just inside the box and he lashed it straight into the corner. 4-0 and cruising! 9 minutes after the restart and Anelka had banged one in at the post aswell, today's game seemed like a strikers game! Anelka came close AGAIN on the 65th minute mark where he got through the defence to have a one-on-one with Shay Given only to be denied by Givens left hand. Great save! 78 minutes gone and Milner is obstructed in the penalty area! Penalty given! Bogdan Stancu is the man to step up and... Burries it into the bottom right hand corner! 5-0 now! Geremi and Vaz Te both had the last two chances with both missing when in reality they should of both burried their chances but it wasn't to be for them. Some how the final whistle came and the final score, remarkably, was 5-0 to the might Toon Army. Get in!
Martins got his second hat-trick off the season! He was estatic after the game and pundits everywhere were now taking notice off his impecable quality. The lads were overjoyed from the result in this match and yo ucould see that team spirit was high. Radoi and Taylor both had solid games and did pretty much a perfect job apart from a few times where Anelka slipped through but that is bound to happen. All in all a great game played by the lads, and boy did I let them know it.
Martins now had 18 goals in 11 league games at an average rating of 8.45! He was on fire. Following todays and mid-weeks results we were top by 4 points and we had +8 goal difference on our nearest Rivals Chelsea. Somehow Portsmouth held Man Utd at Fratton Park and Sunderland also got an away point. Although luckily enough Sunderland still remain 19th in the table with 8 points.
Newcastle 5 - 0 Bolton
Martins 10,26,36
Emre 48
Stancu 78(pen)
Given -
8
Beye - 7
Enrique -
8
Taylor -
8
Radoi -
8
Milner -
8
N'Zogbia -
8
Barton -
8 (Sub 72)
Emre -
8 (Sub 72)
Stancu -
8
Martins -
9 (Sub 78)
Harper - Unused Sub
Owen - 6 (On 78)
Torje - Unused Sub
Geremi - 7 (On 72)
Smith - 6 (On 72)
Round The Grounds
Blacburn 1 - 3 Arsenal
Everton 4 - 1 Reading
Newcastle 5 - 0 Bolton
Portsmouth 0 - 0 Man Utd
Wigan 0 - 0 Sunderland