EPL ~ Shearer's team must use their heads to stop Delap

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Stoke City v Newcastle

Saturday, 11 April 2009

Channel 27: "Live" (12.30) (Sun Morning)

Stoke City are expected to name an unchanged line-up from the team that beat West Bromwich Albion on Saturday.

Their only worry is Danny Higginbotham, who should recover from a back injury in time to face the Magpies.

Newcastle could have Sebastien Bassong back, with the defender returning to training after a groin injury.

Steven Taylor (ankle) and Jose Enrique (knee) are both out, with midfielder Peter Lovenkrands also missing with a chest infection.

Stoke (from): Sorensen, Wilkinson, Shawcross, Abdoulaye Faye, Higginbotham, Lawrence, Delap, Whelan, Etherington, Beattie, Fuller, Simonsen, Pugh, Cresswell, Olofinjana, Kelly, Camara, Sonko, Amdy Faye, Diao, Cort, Tonge, Griffin.

Newcastle (from): Harper, Forster, Krul, Beye, Bassong, Coloccini, Edgar, Cacapa, Butt, Duff, R. Taylor, Gutierrez, Nolan, Guthrie, Geremi, Smith, Martins, Owen, Carroll, Xisco, Ranger.

Newcastle are unbeaten in five league and cup matches against Stoke; won three and drawn two spanning 19 years.

Stoke's most recent league win over the Magpies was 2-1 at the Victoria Ground on Boxing Day 1989, in the old Second Division. Their most recent top-flight victory over them was 0-1 in March 1976 at St James' Park, but they haven't beaten the Magpies in a home top-flight match since a 2-1 triumph on 3 April 1974.

Home and away
League (inc PL): Stoke 20 wins, Newcastle 31, Draws 16
Prem: Stoke 0 wins, Newcastle 0, Draws 1

at Stoke only
League (inc PL): Stoke 17 wins, Newcastle 7, Draws 9
Prem: Stoke 0 wins, Newcastle 0, Draws 0

Newcastle United 2-2 Stoke City
6 December 2008 - Ref: Mike Riley
Newcastle scorers: Owen 8, 24
Stoke scorers: Sidibe 60, Abdoulaye Faye 90

Chris Foy (St Helens, Merseyside)

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Stoke 11/8, Newcastle 2/1, Draw 9/4

Fledgling Newcastle manager Alan Shearer has left his players in little doubt who is in charge. Midfielder Nicky Butt, who played alongside the 38-year-old for England, has been hugely impressed with the way he has assumed the mantle of boss since accepting the task of trying to rescue his hometown club.

Shearer will send out his side at Stoke on Saturday knowing a failure to return to Tyneside with anything to show for their efforts will leave them deep in relegation trouble with only six games to play.

However, they way in which he has set about his task has already had an impact within the dressing room.

Butt said: "He commands respect, especially at this club. "As players, you always look up to players who have been there, seen it and done it, and Alan certainly has done that. "He's made it clear what he expects and what he's trying to do. Everybody's happy with it and we are all delighted. We know he's in charge and we know who the boss is.

"Joe (Kinnear) had his illness and it was difficult for Colin (Calderwood) and Chris (Hughton). Going from coach to being in charge is always difficult. "Now we have somebody in Alan, we know he is in charge. He's the man you go to with a problem and he's the man we all answer to. It's good to have somebody like that."

Shearer, of course, enjoys legendary status in Newcastle after snubbing some of Europe's biggest clubs, including, on more than one occasion, Manchester United to return home and plunder a record 206 goals in the famous black and white shirt.

He freely admits his current challenge is the biggest of them all, and Butt believes the fact he has put his reputation on the line is a measure of the man. He said: "He has come in at a difficult time, put his name on the line and now we have to repay that.

"We have got to feed off that. We have got to do that by performing well and not being afraid to play football." That said, victory at Stoke would be a godsend, however it was secured, with the Magpies currently three points adrift of safety and in grave danger of slipping out of the top flight for the first time since 1993.

Having suffered relegation with Birmingham during his loan spell at St Andrews in 2005-06, Butt knows only too well what is at stake. However, he is focusing purely on what he and his team-mates can affect as the fight for survival gathers pace.

The 34-year-old said: "When you speak with your mates and family, they will tell you who is playing who. "They say other results can help you - but, if we don't help ourselves now, then nobody can help us in the next few weeks. "We need to win the games we are playing and get points. Regardless of other teams, we have to start performing. "We are in the bottom three and we need to use the Stoke game to get out of it."

That is a view shared by Shearer. He said: "You could sit here and talk about, 'This team has a tough run-in', or 'That team has got an easier run-in'. "I don't think you can look at it that way, I really don't.

"You tell me which of our games is going to be easy? None of them are. "They are all going to be different challenges, they are all going to be playing different formations, different tactics.

"Now, are we good enough, are we clever enough and are we brave enough to go and get results in those games? Starting on Saturday."

tarXget SG

who u guess will win tomorrow?

tarXget SG

aston villa vs everton? which team have better chance?

Spikyoyster SG

my guess is that Newcastle will win the game tomorrow.

Scania N113CRB l0v3r SG

Lai

Newcastle win 2-0

Everton win 3-1

dragg SG

aston villa vs everton? which team have better chance?

everton are the in form team.

monoslayer SG

six-pointer game for magpies..

howay the lads!

zocoss SG

Stoke City's Rory Delap

Launch pad: Delap

Wanted: Big men, with brave hearts. For Newcastle at Stoke, this is no time to lose concentration. Watch out, chaps, here comes another long-range, Rory Delap throw-in screaming over at giants’ height.

Okay, let’s take this step by step. You can be paranoid about dealing with long throws. You can be scared and beaten before you start.

I remember playing for Aston Villa, when we had to deal with Tranmere’s Dave Challinor in a League Cup tie. The whole pre-match build-up was about these long, scary throws. Get a head on the ball, get it away from your goal and they are not scary any more.

Stoke have scored nine goals from the unusual throwing style of Delap, when he whips the ball across from his hands, but if you have the players to come out and head the ball or to be ready to deal with the second ball from flick-ons, there are no surprises.

Sometimes the flicks might come off one of your players, but the key is, if you lose the first ball, just be on your toes and ready to react when the flick shoots across into the six-yard box.

Alan Shearer will know what is coming — but does he have the men to stop it? Newcastle are notoriously fragile at the back. He will have worked on organisation and he will demand that his players command the area and limit the throw-in opportunities.

The result could depend on it and I have a feeling Stoke, at home, may have too much for them, even if Newcastle can deal with the throws. Stoke are not one-dimensional and have pace in attack — and especially James Beattie, who has scored six in 10 games since signing from Sheffield United in an inspired bit of transfer window business.

Newcastle United's interim coach Alan Shearer

Organisation: Shearer

limpper SG

this guy take throw in like sot de

Sienx SG

anyone watching ?