Silverware for HBA's sublime goal?

Something to offset HBA's disappointment at our worrying recent slump in form: his phenomenal FA Cup goal against Blackburn in January has been shortlisted for FIFA's Puskas Award for the best goal of 2012. The Frenchman is the only English-based player to receive a nomination, and in truth he could have featured in the shortlist twice, his strike at home to Bolton in the spring equally superb. Meanwhile, poor old Papiss Cisse - struggling in front of goal and barred from playing against Swansea by the spiteful Senegalese FA - receives no international recognition for THAT goal against Chelsea...

So, what are HBA's chances of winning? Well, there are some fabulous goals in there, and he's up against the likes of Lionel Messi and Radamel Falcao, but I'd say he's certainly in with a good shout - plus Neymar's effort should be automatically disallowed on the grounds that he models his haircut on Limahl of Kajagoogoo. Head here before 29th November if you want to show our boy some love.

Naughty naughty

We're used to our players landing themselves in a spot of bother, but today has seen the club have its wrist slapped for two separate alleged misdemeanours.

First, we - like Arsenal - were fined £30,000 for failing to control our players. It's hard to know what exactly the club could have done given it was in the heat of the battle, and, as an anonymous commenter to this post pointed out, ASBO was rightly punished with a booking for his part in the Gervinho fracas while every other player was trying to keep the peace - so on what grounds is the charge justified? That seems to be the view of the hierarchy too, if the club's terse statement on the matter is anything to go by: "Newcastle United has requested written reasons for the decision from the chairman of the regulatory commission and will consider its position once these have been received".

Second, we've been reported to FIFA by French side Sochaux, who are furious at our attempts to tap up Mali striker Modibo Maiga without their consent - and no wonder, with the player's head having been so turned that he's gone on strike. Stories of the big bully boys - Man Utd, Chelsea, Man City etc - misbehaving in this way are ten-a-penny, but this incident, if proven, will mean we can no longer saddle up our high horse. When quizzed about it, Alan Pardew's immediate response was to distance himself from any wrongdoing, or knowledge of wrongdoing: "I can't tell you anything about that. My brief is to highlight players I think would take the club forward, and the club's job is to get it over the line. I am not involved in that". Don't forget, though, Alan - in this respect you're not exactly whiter than white yourself...