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Ba Talks Talk But Surely Only One Way To Prove Commitment?

After some worrying stories at the beginning of the January with regards to Demba Ba's future at the club due to an apparent release clause thankfully the transfer window passed with no bid probably one positive result of his absence at the African Nations Cup.

Following his goalscoring return from Africa there is some more positive news with quotes from him saying how happy he is here and a move never crossed his mind.

Now that is all well and good but it is obviously very easy to talk the talk and say what people want to hear. I have followed football and Newcastle in particular long enough to take everything anyone says with a pinch of salt.

if Demba really is commited to staying here for the forseeable future then surely that release clause whatever it is has to be removed from his contract as soon as possible?

Of course that requires the club to make moves to renegotiate his deal and offer him some kind of incentive to agree to getting rid of that clause but after 16 goals so far this season I can't see the club having any issues with offering him some kind of pay rise in reward for his form.

If the club do make those moves then it will be very interesting to see how commited Ba actually is and whether he is commited enough to allow that clause to be removed.

You would like to think that some kind of deal could be struck that was in the interests of both parties. I think Demba probably deserves some kind of payrise for his form this season but at the same time we did take a gamble on him with his much publicised injury worries and it would be nice to think that if he is settled then he would agree to the removal of that clause maybe in return for some kind of gentlemans agreement that we will let him speak to any of the big clubs should they make an offer that meets our valuation of him rather than being dictated by this clause.

At the moment I think realistically we are still susceptible to losing players to big bids but at least if we get big money in like we did for Carroll then we can reinvest it on a number of other players.

Apart from the fact the rumoured amount it takes to trigger the clause is probably below his current market value that clause staying in there is just going to hang over us and cause uncertainly all through the summer if we don't make moves to do something about it.

Whilst things like sorting Coloccini's contract may be seen as a priority I think getting this sorted should also be well up there so we don't have to endure a summer of rumours from Harry Redknapp (assuming he doesn't go to prison, fingers crossed!) and co with regards to taking Demba for a pretty cheap fee because at the end of the day no matter what he is saying now, should a bid come in from a team above us then I can certainly see his head being turned. We might not be able to stop that but at least getting rid of that clause would allow us to demand top dollar for him rather than lose him for peanuts.

Wrong Greedy Bar-Steward?

Have to say I found the reception for a couple of our old boys who left the club at the same time a little baffling on Sunday with Charles N'Zogbia getting a pretty hostile reception whilst Shay Given was given something of a heroes welcome.

Everytime N'Zogbia touched the ball there were chants of "One greedy bar-steward" but when you think about it does anyone really think that when he left us for Wigan Athletic it was about money? Did he really get much of a payrise if any going there?

On the other hand I don't think its unreasonable to think that money certainly played a part in Shay Given's move to Arab rich Man City back in 2009.

Don't get me wrong I appreciate everything Shay Given did for this club in his 11 or so years here and he is a top keeper but I still think the way he left this club at a time when it needed him most sours a lot of those good times and it surprises me a lot more fans don't feel the same way.

People always talk about how much he gave to the club etc but lets not forget the club also gave a lot back to Shay. We took him from not getting a game at Blackburn to giving him first team football week in week out which obviously surely played a massive part in his International career.

Lets not also forget that he was on pretty good contracts here over that 11 years, he certainly wasn't playing for the club for free and out of the kindness of his heart.

Yes the club was in turmoil when he left in 2009 but for me a player, that on many occasions claimed to love the club etc, could surely have stuck things out for another 4 months and tried to keep us in the Premier League?

Come that summer no matter what had happened I would have then wished him all the best if he had wanted to progress his career elsewhere as there was no doubt that talent wise he should have been playing for one of the top clubs and not fighting relegation.

We got relegated that season by a single point and for me there will always be the feeling that Shay Given could have earned us that point somewhere along the line but he decided to jump the sinking ship probably partly to avoid having a relegation on his CV ("they were in the Premier League when I left guv...") and partly to line his pockets. On top of that he hardly went about his transfer request in the right way either pretty much forcing through the move meaning we probably didn't even get what he was worth.

For those reasons I think the abuse on Sunday was definitely aimed in the wrong direction.

I am no massive fan of N'Zogbia either as he was a bit of a sulky disruptive influence in his time here but like I say out of those 2 for me there is only 1 greedy bar-steward and it certainly isn't Charles N'Zogbia.

Double Dembas See Off Villa

A goal apiece from Newcastle's two Senegalese strikers on their return from the African Nations Cup yesterday guided Newcastle to another win and pushed us back up to 5th position in the league and only a point behind Chelsea in 4th after they drew with Manchester United.

New boy Cisse started on the bench but was soon called into action as Leon Best went off with a knee injury after only 14 minutes but it was his partner Ba who put Newcastle in front on the half hour turning in from close range after a Ryan Taylor cross/shot fell to him.

Unfortunately Taylor was also injured in that incident and was replaced by Obertan although thankfully early worries it was a broken leg were premature and it is just apparently bad bruising.

Newcastle were further punished as Aston Villa equalised in the 6 minutes of injury time that was added on for Taylor's treatment. Gutierrez gave the ball away on the halfway line and with Simpson out of position as usual N'Zogbia put in a cross which Robbie Keane tapped in from a couple of yards out.

To be fair it was probably what Villa deserved as they gave a good account of themselves in the first half with Tim Krul once again enhancing his reputation with a couple of good stops from ex Mackem Darren Bent.

Thankfully Cisse was eager to show us early on what we have paid for and on 70 minutes he picked up a Gutierrez cross just inside the area and struck an unstoppable left foot half volley into the top left corner of the Gallowgate net leaving Given with no chance.

It took some backs to the wall defending at times to see out the victory with Krul, Coloccini and Williamson once again impressive and also Guthrie and Perch in front of them putting in a good display as they filled in for the missing duo of Tiote and Cabaye.

I think in the end our extra bit of quality just told and the return of Ba and the debut of Cisse just gave everyone a bit of a lift and helped us grab a great 3 points on the back of Wednesday's victory and ahead of a tough game next week at Spurs.

Was also nice to see Villa boss Alex Mcleish give praise to the workrate of the Newcastle players in his post match interview, singling out Jonas Gutierrez in particular. I agree and though he was once again fantastic yesterday. He gets some unfair stick sometimes as admittedly his final product isn't always great but he absolutely runs himself into the ground every week for the team and is always a threat winning corners and free kicks etc even if he isn't directly scoring or setting up goals.

After a few shakey results its great to see us grinding out a couple of results especially with the players we have missing. The likes of Guthrie and Perch also deserve a mention as they have come in from the fringes and deputised admirably when people have been missing.

One ominous thing for other teams is that apart from the likes of Tiote and Cabaye still to return I think there will be more to come from Ba and Cisse as they form a partnership and obviously as Cisse settles in and gets to know his new team mates.

Once again not pretty at times but effective and its the results that count.

Aston Villa Home 11/12 Preview

Whilst a Sunday lunchtime home game against Aston Villa might not get a lot of people excited this game on Sunday is another pivotel game in our season in my book. It's one of those opportunities having got 3 points at Ewood Park last night where to really make that count as a good result we have to follow that up with another 3 points at home against a team we should be beating if we are to have any aspirations of being where we are in the league come the end of the season.

As ever that is not me getting cocky and carried away but at the end of the day if you are a side in the top half of the table you should surely be looking to home games against teams below you as 3 points there for the taking?

That of course doesn't mean it will be a walkover and a lot will depend on which Aston Villa turn up after a very inconsistent season from them so far but on the back of last nights win and with the added boost of hopefully being able to call on Ba and Cisse then anything less than a win would be very disappointing.

It will be interesting to see what the manager does if as expected the two Senegalese strikers are deemed fit to play after their trip back from the African Cup of Nations. I would expect to see Cisse on the bench having only just arrived but with 15 goals to his name and the team looking a bit shot shy in his absence then I would expect Ba to be straight back in.

Yohan Cabaye will of course still be missing as he serves the second of his 3 game ban but as far as I am aware there were no injuries picked up last night so the manager definitely has some decisions to make.

The defence of course pretty much picks itself at the minute but its in midfield and up front where we have options and even more so now with the 2 Dembas back.

Opinion seems to be split on Ben Arfa at the moment, he was substituted off at half time yesterday but I have to say I think rather than being a direct reflection on him from what I saw it was more a tactical ploy as we were getting over run in midfield which was to be expected a little without the likes of Cabaye and Tiote in there.

There is no doubting he is a bit of an enigma who will at times frustrate and give the ball away but for me I would still have him in the team at the moment. I think the more games he continues to get the more we will see from him and I also think he will flourish more the more better players that are around him so I think we will see a better Ben Arfa when the likes of Ba, Tiote, Cabaye and even Cisse are back in the team. No disrespect but I don't think the likes of Guthrie, Ryan Taylor and James Perch are going to get the best out of him.

Obertan showed us a glimpse last night of what we want to see from him on a more regular basis - direct play actually using his pace to attack and worry people but that still isn't enough to warrant a start for me.

If I was picking the team on Sunday I would go: Krul, Simpson, Coloccini, Williamson, Santon, Ben Arfa, Gosling, Guthrie, Jonas, Best, Ba.

Whatever team plays I just hope they go in with the right attitude - this Villa team beat Chelsea convincingly on their own patch not long ago and also have a few players we know well that can cause us problems in the likes of Given, N'Zogbia and Ireland as well as ex Mackem Darren Bent who is always a good shout for a goal given a chance.

If we have serious European ambitions then 3 points from this one is a must.

Ewood Smash And Grab Takes The Points

It may not have been pretty at times and we may have had to withstand a lot of pressure but the important thing was that Newcastle came away from Ewood Park tonight with all 3 points to push us onto 39 points and leave us sitting nicely in 5th place in the league.

It took some gutsy defending, a penalty save from Tim Krul and a bit of luck with a defelction for the first goal but to be honest the way some decisions have gone against us recently I think we deserved the rub of the green tonight.

Once again Phil Dowd did his best to stop us taking the points - the award of the penalty was very soft for me and he missed an absolute blatent dive by Junior Hoilett and then booked Ryan Taylor for his reaction as the scouser went across to give Junior a piece of his mind and a helping hand up.

The dive was absolutely embarassing as Coloccini clearly pulled out of the challenge before Hoilett tumbled and it will be interesting to see if the FA are quick to take the retrospective action that they should on his antics but I think we all know that nothing will happen as per usual.

It wasn't all one way traffic as we had a few good chances too but it took a lot of last ditch defending and luck to get us to injury time when substitutes Lovenkrands and Obertan combined for the Frenchman to race through and slot home on a classic counter attack and settle the nerves.

Hopefully that will be a confidence booster for the Frenchman who has found himself on the bench in recent games - the direct run and finish, using his pace to good effect, is exactly what we want to see him doing more consistently but for some reason he normally refuses to do that.

So it wasn't pretty but full marks to the manager and the players. I wasn't expecting much from this game tonight but when you consider who we had missing tonight then this was a fantastic 3 points and more importantly a much needed 3 points after recent results.

Blackburn Away 11/12 Preview

Newcastle travel to Ewood Park looking to get back to winning ways after a couple of poor recent results and also looking for a bit of revenge after Blackburn put them out of the Carling Cup here earlier in the season.

Yohan Cabaye's suspension means a change in personel and surprisingly for me it is Ryan Taylor that has come in ahead of more natural central midfielders like Gosling or Abeid.

Thankfully Coloccini is fit again and comes in for Perch which is a massive boost.

The 11 Pardew has gone with is Krul, Simpson, Coloccini, Williamson, Santon, Ben Arfa, R Taylor, Guthrie, Jonas, Best and Shola.

Unfortunately I can't see us getting anything in this one especially with such a weak central midfield but we shall see. An improved performance and effort from the last couple of games would at least be a start.

Cabaye Appeal Fails

As ever Newcastle have got absolutely jot from the Football Association as it was confirmed today that Yohan Cabaye's appeal has failed and he will start a 3 game ban with tonight's game at Blackburn and then also missing Sunday's game with Villa and our trip to Spurs next week.

I have gone on record as saying I have little sympathy with Cabaye in that I thought what he did was intentional and deserved the ban but I still just find it very disappointing how the FA pick and choose which incidents they review again with us seemingly on the wrong end of it quite a lot of the time where as the likes of Robin Van Persie can blatently elbow somebody in the face and get away with it.

It's a big blow especially with Tiote away but I suppose it's an opportunity for the likes of Gosling, Vuckic and Abeid to maybe come in and stake a claim for a regular place.

One things for sure he will definitely be a big miss. I hope Pardew's defence of him was for show and to maybe try help get him off because I think behind the scenes the club need to be warning him about this petulance that seems to have suddenly crept into his game over the last few weeks.

Celtic Bid For Best Rebuffed

The only news of any note from the close of the transfer window involving us was that Celtic apparently made a late attempt to try and take Leon Best on loan. It's not entirely clear at what point it was rejected but the indication was that it was the player who decided he wanted to stay and fight for his place for the rest of the season.

That's good news for me as I can't see any benefit to us loaning him out really. I think everyone seems to be assuming that Cisse is going to just walk straight into the team alongside Ba but the guy hasn't even trained with his team mates yet so I can't see him just being pitched straight in.

Best has done well for me so far this season when paired together with Ba and has done a lot of the dirty work alongside him that has helped Ba bag his 15 goals which has kind of overshadowed Best's contribution.

He hasn't done great in the last couple of games but has been asked to play out wide in our new formation we have tried in a few games in the absence of Ba. I just don't think he links up very well with Shola Ameobi full stop.

With Cisse still to play, the constant question marks over Ba's long term fitness and Ameobi's inability to string 2 decent performances in a row together then I think keeping hold of Best is a smart move. Obviously things can be reassessed in the summer but for me he is currently the second choice striker behind Ba and a important member of the squad so I am glad nothing came of that.

The only other deal involving the club that went through was James Tavernier following Alan Smith to MK Dons in a loan deal that should see the promising youngster gain some more valuable experience on top of what he has gained so far this season in similar spells at Carlisle and Shefield Wednesday.

Uninspiring NUFC Transfer Window Part 75!

Whilst I am sure the manager and the club will try and put a positive spin on things it was yet another transfer window that ended in disappointment for Newcastle United in terms of not getting in what we actually needed and have known we have needed for a while.

Yes of course the fact we have not lost any big players is a massive bonus and the signing of Cisse also looks on the face of it a great bit of business but that shouldn't paper over the disappointment of not getting a player in in the 1 position we quite clearly needed one.

Going into the second half of the season hoping that Coloccini and Williamson don't pick up any injuries or suspensions is a massive massive risk and I think it will possibly cost us the chance of a really good league finish.

Yes Perch did ok on Saturday but firstly that was against lower league opposition and at the end of the day we lost the game and what if both Coloccini and Williamson miss games together which isn't inconceivable - we end up playing Danny Simpson, a guy that can't even play his natural position in there with Perch which we unfortunately got to witness in the Norwich game before Christmas and we all know how that ended up.

I just can't believe we couldn't get somebody in especially when you look at the fact that former target Liam Ridgewell went to West Brom for 2 million and Wolves got Bassong on loan from Spurs - in an ideal world I wouldn't have wanted Bassong back here but I would have begrudgingly taken him as a last resort when it was clear that the Mariappa deal wasn't going to happen which lets be honest was clear at about 7:45 when he was named on Watford's team sheet for their game tonight.

I maybe wouldn't be so bothered if I thought Tamas Kadar may get a chance because of this but it seems clear that he has done something to upset the management not getting a look in even when we were desperate before Christmas.

Yes there have been much worse transfer windows and maybe I am being slightly harsh on the club here but I just think we have missed a trick here in not getting somebody in even if it was only a stop gap until the end of the season - the extra million or so it would probably have taken to get Mariappa or whoever we could conceivably lose in prize money at the end of the season if this risk backfires.

Only time will tell I suppose...

All Quiet On The Transfer Front

On one of the craziest days of the year in the football calendar where rumours go through the roof and Sky Sports News wet their pants over any possible sighting or bit of transfer business it has all been pretty quiet in terms of Newcastle.

Quotes from the manager that they had made a very final take it or leave it offer to Watford for Adrian Mariappa were subsequently followed by news that Wigan had apparently had a bid accepted although nothing has been confirmed on that.

Worryingly that suggests to me that if we are not willing to outbid Wigan for him then we can't rate him that highly and I think we will make the big mistake of risking it and going with what we have in the summer.

Whilst I don't want to see us waste money we have been crying out for some central defensive cover since Steven Taylor was ruled out for the season before Christmas so once again for about the 6th transfer window in a row to not get in what we actually need would be absolutely criminal.

I get the impression that Perch's decent performance against Brighton may be behind this thinking but that was one game against lower league opposition - he has shown time and time again that whilst he is a willing worker who puts the effort in he just isn't good enough to come up against Premier League standard strikers.

We have a really good opportunity to push for a European place in the second half of the season and I think not getting any defensive cover in could seriously scupper that chance. Yes we brought Cisse in which was great but defensive cover is what everyone knows we have been crying out for - it just beggars belief we can't organise a deal given over 2 months since Taylor got injured to do so.

Of course I could be forced to eat my words come 11pm - the transfer window always sees a flurry of late activity and is always a bit of a case of smoke and shadows so maybe we do have someone lined up and the Mariappa link is a bit of a cover story - very possible but I won't hold my breath.

Saying all of that, were it to get to 11pm and nobody has come in but at the same time nobody of note has left then I would have to say I would be fairly happy with that and would take that now were it offered to me.

Newcastle Victimised By FA Once Again

So the idiots at the FA are up to their old tricks again picking and choosing which of the weekends incidents they want to go back and retrospectively punish and unsurprisingly it seems Newcastle are on the wrong end of it as usual as Yohan Cabaye faces a 3 match ban for his "tangle" with Brighton's Adam El-Abd.

Now before anyone thinks I am being biased here I actually think the charge is correct - for me there was intent there and he should have been sent up but that isn't my gripe.

My gripe is the way the FA pick and choose which incidents to look at and take action on - incidently today as they hit Cabaye with this charge they also announced that no further action was to be taken against Robin Van Persie for his blatent elbow in the face of Aston Villa's Carlos Cuellar in their game yesterday.

It just reeks of double standards from the FA yet again and yet again it seems to be the big clubs getting away with murder whilst the smaller teams suffer.

What also frustrates me is the fact that the incident only occured because the referee Lee Probert failed to give a free kick for what was a blatent foul on Cabaye. Of course that doesn't justify what he did but it stemmed from frustration. Will yet another poor decision by a referee get flagged up by anyone, no of course it won't as referees are totally unaccountable for their actions and face no consequences for their actions.

I also don't think it is coincidental that it is the same referee that failed to spot and punish properly Cabaye's horrible challenge on Jay Spearing at Liverpool - maybe a case of the referee trying to make up for that error here.

Once again it is just a lack of consistency that is the frustrating thing here - some things get punished yet other similar or worse incidents don't - I'm still waiting to hear what Glen Johnson's punishment is for his horror 2 footed tackle against Man City is - oh wait the FA have also swept that one under the carpet too.

The game is slowly being ruined by the idiots in charge on the pitch and the idiots that govern them from their plush offices at the FA. For me the FA and referees don't sit far behind agents on the list of the biggest diseases in football.

As for Cabaye I think he needs to grow up a bit, thats not the first act of petulance in recent weeks and it is now going to cost us especially with Tiote away for the next few weeks. He seems happy to dish out challenges but reluctant to take any stick back which I always think is a pretty poor attitude. He needs to get back to doing his talking with his feet.

Smith Departs For MK Dons

Whilst most eyes are focussed on who Newcastle bring in over the next couple of days as the January transfer window winds down there was a departure today as it was confirmed that Alan Smith is to join League 1 MK Dons on loan for the rest of the season.

I'm guessing there won't be many tears shed over this one, Smith is one of the remaining reminders of times gone by where money was squandered on bad deals with the club never really getting much return for their 21 million pound outlay if you total up the 6 million we paid Man United for him and the 60k a week we have paid him for the 5 years on his contract.

To be fair to Smith I don't necessarily have an issue with him. Sam Allardyce decided he was worth the money and the board allowed the deal to go through on those terms. He has always given 100 percent in the black and white shirt but unfortunately he has never been the same player he was prior to the serious injuries he sustained at Man United - I think we took a gamble that he could get back to that and it has failed.

I wish him the best of luck as he seems a fairly genuine guy who is just desperate to play football and I think the fact he is willing to drop down to League 1 shows that.

That said I'm not convinced it's a worthwhile deal for us. Rumour has it the Dons are contributing about 2500k per week to his wages for the loan so not like we are saving much between now and his contract expiring in the summer. I personally would have just kept him here just in case of any major injury crisis if that is the best wage contribution we can drum up.

Not one of our better bits of business and it will be a big bonus to have him totally off the wage bill in the summer but like I say good luck to the guy and whilst he never scored a goal here and most people will look at his contribution in a negative light he did play a fairly decent part in getting us back into the Premier League after many other big name players were quick to jump ship and in his time here he has never caused any issues or problems.

Hopefully we have now learned our lesson and never see any more ridiculous transfer deals like that with average players stuck on big wages.

Players Heads Still In Tenerife Sun As Toon Crash Out

As if the team jetting off to the Tenerife sun after last weekends horror show at Fulham wasn't galling enough, the performance the team served up tonight was nothing short of a disgrace as they were dumped out of the FA Cup by a distinctly average Brighton side that never had to really break a sweat.

Alan Pardew played a full strength team from what was available but once again went with the strange 4-2-3-1 formation which whilst I like, I don't think it suits the players that were out there today - if Best and Ameobi are to play together then it has to be in a 4-4-2.

With Coloccini failing a fitness test James Perch came into the back 4 and the fact I would say he was probably our man of the match pretty much says all you need to know.

We just didn't threaten Brighton at all and just looked devoid of ideas and lacking in any passion to go and win the game. I have seen comments from the manager and some of the players after the game talking about how we controlled the game - having a decent amount of possession is pointless if you are not doing anything with it.

Too many players just looked like their heads were still in the Spanish sun - tonight was probably the worst game I have seen Jonas have in a long time, the likes of Cabaye and Ben Arfa just didn't get on the ball in the right areas enough, Guthrie was his usual sloppy self and Shola was about as useful as a dustbin lumbering around up front.

Brighton were not much better quality wise to be honest but clearly just wanted it more and this was rewarded in the 76th minute when Will Buckley took advantage of the usual poor defending down the right we have come to expect from Danny Simpson to drive into the box and to sum things up his poor shot was deflected into the net off the unlucky Mike Williamson.

The day was just summed up nicely by a bafflingly pointless triple substitution by the manager with about 9 minutes left taking off Ben Arfa who whilst as bad as anyone else today is surely someone who when you are 1-0 down with 9 minutes left and not creating much a decent person to have on the pitch to create something out of nothing? Instead we bring on Gosling, Ferguson and Ryan Taylor to try swing things in our favour!

Just really frustrated how once again we have gone out of a winnable cup competition with an absolute whimper. I am sure the manager and players will bleat on about how well we are doing in the league - yes thats great and the fans appreciate that but it can't be used as an excuse everytime we put in a horror performance like this, tonight was simply not good enough and I feel for the fans who travelled all that way to watch that as I was annoyed that I made the effort to walk 5 minutes up the road to the pub to watch it!

Have Lessons Been Learned, Is There A Plan B?

With Newcastle apparently submitting a 3rd improved bid for Watford's Adrian Mariappa it seems they have decided he is the man they want to come in and offer defensive cover but what worries me is whether we have learnt from mistakes in previous windows and have a plan B and even C or D lined up.

You get the impression that Watford are not going to let him go without a fight and with Swansea now also apparently interested we could see a bidding war start something that Newcastle in recent years have been keen to avoid when it comes to transfers.

Whilst the signing of Papsiss Cisse was a massive boost to everyone I think everyone can see that a new central defender is the priority and has been ever since Steven Taylor got injured before Christmas.

The fact Coloccini is doubtful for tomorrows game after picking up a knock further highlights this and I would go as far to say as whether we get a defender in before the window shuts will have a massive bearing on how the rest of our season goes.

If Mariappa is the man we want then I have no problem with persisting to a point and I also don't have a problem with us haggling to get the best price but there has to be a point before the deadline where we are willing to walk away and look at another target - we can't afford risking taking this one to the wire and ending up with nothing when the window closes.

I would even take a loan signing if that is what we need to do obviously as long as it is someone that is better than what we have. I just pray we have learnt from past mistakes for once and don't put all our eggs in one basket and assume Watford cave in and Mariappa will definitely end up arriving.

FA Cup Round 4 Preview - Brighton Away

Saturday tea time sees Newcastle come up against an old foe as Alan Pardew takes his side south to face Gus Poyet's Brighton side in the FA Cup 4th round with Newcastle looking to put last weeks Fulham horror show behind them and keep this seasons silverware dreams alive.

This will be a tough game with Brighton having acquitted themselves well in the Championship since gaining promotion convincingly last year and Poyet has them playing some good football too.

After starting this season well their form tailed off a touch but they still find themselves nicely placed just outside the playoffs.

A big blow could be the fact that Coloccini is doubful having picked up some kind of knock in training - a centre half pairing of Williamson and Perch doesn't fill me with confidence further emphasising the need for some defensive reinforcement this trasnfer window.

Again I would personally give Tamas Kadar a go in there ahead of Perch but for whatever reason he seems to be well and truely out of favour with Pardew.

Saying that we still should be able to go there and get a result. Other than possibly Coloccini the only other main absentees are going to be the African players so if we play a strong side then we should have too much for them.

We will however need to tighten up defensively after last week as they have some good attacking players like Craig Mackail-Smith who could cause us problems and they will go into this with no fear having dispatched Premier League opposition in the form of the Mackems out of the Carling Cup earlier in the season.

As I say I would like to see us take this as seriously as possible and I think we will. I woudl go with the following 11: Krul, Simpson, Coloccini/Perch, Williamson, Santon, Cabaye, Guthrie, Jonas, Ben Arfa, Best and Ameobi.

The players certainly owe us a performance after the capitulation in the 2nd half last week and with this being out last chance of silverware especially when you consider who is left in and the number of all Premier League ties this weekend then I will be disappointed if we don't see a reaction.

After a break in the Tenerife sun earlier in the week when hopefully the Fulham match will have been reviewed and worked on then this is the perfect opportunity to give a response in front of the TV cameras and make sure it isn't another long wasted trip for our dedicated fans that make the trip.