The nearly men

Newcastle Utd 0 - 2 Man City (aet)

Newcastle nearly got through to the quarter finals of the League Cup on Wednesday night with a spirited performance against a significantly better resourced Man City side.

The Silver Fox opted to make a handful of changes to the side which lost the derby on Sunday, with Big Lad, Vurnon Anita, MYM and Papiss Cisse all handed starting berths in a 4-4-2 formation. For the visitors, Manuel Pellegrini chose to utilise his squad of expensively assembled regular substitutes to see whether any were worthy of more regular game time.

While the visitors looked quite rusty, it was Newcastle who started the brighter and were on the offensive from the off. With Anita and wannabe Belgian Mr T establishing a stranglehold in midfield, we started to create chances, with Cisse spurning a couple of good opportunities in the first half.

Frustratingly, we weren't able to take the lead and the second half saw very little in terms of chances for either side. Curiously, with the game poised at 0-0, the Silver Fox withdrew Big Lad and brought on Dreamboat, possibly in a bid to give our midfield greater poise. However, the reality was that he withdrew the wrong striker, with Cisse continuing to carry the look of a man who carries the weight of the world on his shoulders and for whom the goal looks the size of a microwave.

Goalless at full time, and with our bench emptied thanks to the arrival (and departure) of Paul Dummett, with the defender replaced by HBA which forced a reshuffle that saw Anita moved to left back, we continued to press forward.

However, it was City, perhaps due to their fresher legs, who got the breakthrough when Alvaro Negredo connected with Edin Dzeko's pass to shoot past Krul, before Dzeko added a second a few minutes later, taking with it half of our chances to win a cup this season.

While undoubtedly an improvement on Sunday's performance, the defeat still sees the vultures circling over the Silver Fox's head, with Saturday's visit of Chelski a increasingly pressurised game.

Other reports: BBC, Guardian

Drought over

Newcastle Utd 2 - 0 Leeds Utd

A long-awaited goal from Papiss Cisse and first home goal for Goofy were enough to see off a solid, if unspectacular, Leeds team.

A decade ago, this fixture would have been a big challenge, and had Ross McCormack's early chip gone in rather than rebound off the Gallowgate crossbar, it might yet have been. Thankfully, though, a team boasting a significant cadre of players with top-flight experience had the skill and composure to win without ever looking troubled.

After some initial frustrating forays went astray, with Cisse guilty of snatching at chances that an in-form striker would have slotted home, we finally got our nose in front when Paul Dummett sent the ball down the line for Little Big Lad. His first-time left-footed cross curled brilliantly round the first centre back and straight on to the forehead of the onrushing Cisse, who didn't even need to break stride to nod the ball home from six yards and end his goalless run which had extended to over 1000 minutes of football.

Little Big Lad again played the role of provider in the second half, when he drove in from the left, before laying a short pass into the feet of Goofy, who took one touch to get the ball out, before swivelling and smashing the ball inside the far post from the edge of the penalty area.

With Loic Remy enjoying a good start to his Toon career, the game gave both Little Big Lad and Goofy the opportunity to keep themselves in the Silver Fox's thoughts, and they both seized the opportunity with strong performances. Also performing well on the night was Paul Dummett, who continues to keep the pressure on both Davide Santon and Mathieu Debuchy.

With the draw pairing us with Man City in the next round, and the club stating that cup competitions aren't a priority, it remains to be seen how much further we go in this competition, but if we keep up the good work of the last few games (blip against Hull notwithstanding) then we may yet manage to keep the cup run going a little while longer.

Other reports: BBC, Guardian

Brothers pair decider

Morecambe 0 - 2 Newcastle Utd

Well, we're through. It was hardly the morale-boosting romp we needed, and at times in the opening half-hour we looked in mortal danger of keeping Sky happy and coming a cropper in a banana skin of a tie. Thankfully, though, a late salvo saved the day and we can look forward to the prospect of the next round with relief.

The Silver Fox's teamsheet will have been the subject of much debate. Only three players from Saturday's draw with West Ham took to the field - French trio Mathieu Debuchy, Sylvain Marveaux and MYM - while Curtis Good and Master T, both last spotted by me a fortnight ago in the U21s' defeat at Reading, joined them. Rob Elliot, Paul Dummett, Dan Gosling, Goofy, Haris Vuckic and Little Big Lad made up the numbers. OK, so it might be considered wise not to have risked injuries to first-teamers - but a handsome win could have worked wonders for the likes of Cisse and Moussa Sissoko, and when the major domestic trophies can be claimed by clubs like Swansea and Wigan, there's certainly an argument for opting for a significantly stronger side than the one the Silver Fox chose to field.

One of his changes, Little Big Lad, was to make his mark before the night was out, but it was Gosling who came to the rescue in a frantic opening period. Twice he cleared Morecambe efforts off the line, the first time with his feet and the second with a combination of chest and post (and possibly forearm). Hearts were in mouths on the second occasion but referee Mark Haywood was unmoved by claims the ball had crossed the line - rightly so in my view, as replays were inconclusive.

Striker Padraig Amond was causing us particular problems, with Elliot called upon to bail us out on a couple of other occasions. You might have expected Good and Dummett, both making their full debuts, to be jittery but actually it was captain-for-the-day MYM who looked most flustered. Jim Bentley's side had set about making the most of both their physicality and height advantage, Debuchy in particular on the receiving end of some unsettling whacks early on and our tallest players Dummett and Little Big Lad out on the left rather than in central areas.

As the half wore on, we gradually got to grips with the game and started having efforts on goal ourselves, Master T stinging Barry Roche's palms with a Ronaldo-style up-and-down free kick. But too many of our forward players were either wasteful and ineffectual in possession (Marveaux, Little Big Lad) or utterly anonymous (Goofy, Vuckic).

It was the Slovenian international who paid the price at the break, the Silver Fox turning to a well-stocked bench that represented a wise insurance policy. On came Big Lad, assuming the captain's armband and Goofy's previous position, with the Frenchman dropping deeper. It wasn't pretty, but suddenly we had a physical presence of our own and could start to dominate proceedings for the first time.

Even then, it was hardly exhibition stuff, with most of our efforts failing to trouble Roche. Big Lad wasted the best one, blazing over when played in, but Marveaux and Dummett also tried their luck without success. It's testament to the Shrimps' tenacity that the Silver Fox had to resort to playing his trump card, HBA entering the fray with 20 minutes of normal time left in place of Goofy.

The substitute made an immediate impact, drifting away past tackles as if they weren't there, and it was no surprise that he had a hand in the goal that belatedly set us on the path to victory. HBA's precision pass was smartly controlled by Big Lad, who took a couple of touches before firing a heavily deflected shot past Roche in front of the visiting supporters in what was a record Globe Arena crowd.

Morecambe attempted to rally, Kevin Ellison acting the wind-up merchant and Roche, up for a corner, giving Elliot work to do, but our passage into the next round and a home tie against Leeds was sealed with a breakaway goal. HBA picked out Little Big Lad galloping forwards in stoppage time and he teased his way past two men before neatly slotting home right-footed.

That euphoria shouldn't detract from the fact that there were too many lifeless, listless, error-strewn performances from players who (in their own minds, at least) have claims on a first-team place, or from the fact that the victory came very late and was over the side third favourites for relegation out of the Football League. Contrary to the Silver Fox's post-match comments, it'll take more than that to get our season properly up and running. But I suppose it's a start.

Other reports: BBC, Guardian

Globe Arena trotting

Our opponents in the Second Round of this season's League Cup will be Morecambe - a first-ever meeting between the two clubs. Last year we were predictably knocked out by Man Utd, so this time around we face a different sort of challenge. As if it didn't look like a big enough banana skin already, the tie is the Shrimps' reward for sending Wolves crashing out in midweek. With a bit of professionalism and application, we'll win - but with Newcastle you can never be sure of that.

No fairytale

While his parent club may have enjoyed their Sunday afternoon (Paul's match report to follow), the same cannot be said of Curtis Good, whose League Cup final dream turned out to be a bit of a nightmare. Despite impressive vocal backing from 32,000 supporters at Wembley, Bradford were ruthlessly destroyed 5-0 by a Swansea side who showed no concern for sentiment. Our man, playing at left-back, was withdrawn at the interval with the score at 2-0.

The Bantams' season is far from over, though, with the play-offs still a possibility. Squeezing in depends on how quickly they can put yesterday's thrashing and all of the media kerfuffle behind them. After the caviar of Wembley, it's back to the bread and low-fat margarine of League Two on Wednesday, when Dagenham & Redbridge are the visitors.

A missed opportunity

Man Utd 2 - 1 Newcastle Utd

So that's that for another year. A disappointing night - and not because we got the customary battering at Old Trafford. On the contrary, in fact - it was a narrow defeat, the disappointment centring on the fact that our hosts were there for the taking and yet we didn't seem to believe in ourselves enough to do the job.

As anticipated, the Silver Fox drafted in a raft of fringe first-teamers, with only Mike Williamson and Perchinho remaining from Sunday's starting XI against Norwich. That meant starts for Rob Elliot, James Tavernier (in the unfamiliar position of left-back), Dan Gosling, Obertan Kenobi, Sylvain Marveaux, Haris Vuckic and Big Lad - though there was also the welcome sight of both Sideshow Bob and Mr T back from injury to give us some steel through the centre.

Meanwhile, Taggart fielded his own fit-again star, Shrek taking up his place in an ominous-looking Man Utd attack alongside Danny Welbeck and Javier Hernandez. Darren Fletcher was also included as captain, but it was a back four with just one full senior appearance and one senior sub appearance between them - and the presence of flappy-handed David de Gea between the sticks - that should have given us real encouragement of a victory.

Not that you'd have guessed it from our first-half performance. Vuckic and Big Lad failed to form a functional partnership, and our best opportunity of scoring seemed to come from dead balls delivered by Marveaux's left boot. Gosling horribly fluffed a volley from a Big Lad flick-on, while the striker should have done better than planting a header straight at de Gea and Tavernier concluded an adventurous foray forwards by firing a skimming shot wide.

At the other end, Hernandez made a mess of a near-post header from debutant right-back Marnick Vermijl's cross while Elliot, carrying on where he left off in Portugal last Thursday, pulled off a superb reaction stop to deny Anderson before pushing away a fierce Welbeck drive. Tom Cleverley came even closer, firing into the side netting when a goal looked certain, but sadly we weren't destined to make it to the break on level terms. A quick scurrying burst from Anderson was enough to create some space and, holding off a tame challenge from Gosling, the Brazilian bent his shot in off the inside of Elliot's right-hand post.

The Silver Fox's half-time team talk no doubt drew renewed attention to Man Utd's potential defensive frailty, and when we emerged from the tunnel for the second period it seemed to be with rediscovered vigour and vim. Forcing our opponents onto the back foot, we fashioned a handful of half-chances before tricksy footwork from Vuckic ended with the Slovenian curling inches past the base of the far post. But the difficulty of the task at hand doubled shortly afterwards, Cleverley afforded just too much room to place a shot clinically beyond Elliot from the edge of the area.

2-0 down at Old Trafford usually translates as game over, but within four minutes we'd reduced the deficit - and all the plaudits have to go to the Silver Fox. He threw on Shane Ferguson and Papiss Cisse for Sideshow Bob and Vuckic, and the former's deliciously whipped left-wing cross was headed in at point-blank range by our previously goalshy Senegalese striker - just the sort of chance-on-a-plate he needed (particularly after Sunday's excruciatingly bad spot-kick miss).

From that point on, we bossed possession and took the game to our hosts, asking plenty of searching questions of de Gea and his inexperienced defence with a succession of angled crosses and aerial balls. The closest we came to an equaliser was when Cisse - that familiar spring suddenly back in his step - smashed the crossbar with an audacious overhead kick, while Gosling curled one long-ranger just high and wide before prodding another presentable opportunity from a Big Lad knock-down straight to de Gea.

That's not to say, though, that we weren't slightly fortunate not to concede a third, Hernandez testing the durability of the Old Trafford woodwork himself and Shrek looking increasingly menacing before being mercifully withdrawn with a quarter of an hour remaining.

When tallying up the evening's cons, next to the result and the consequent cup exit you could list Vuckic's inability to show anything more than flashes of quality and our French wingers' failure to roast their rookie full-backs. None of them did much to advance their claims for a regular place in the first team. However, the performance of James Tavernier was a major plus, suggesting we have a pacy, assured player who can operate on both flanks, as were the incident-free returns of Sideshow Bob and Mr T (the latter in particular superb in the tackle). Perhaps most crucially, though, it was a relief just to see Cisse back on the scoresheet - hopefully a hot streak will follow.

Another silver lining? Man Utd's victory earned them a nasty trip to Stamford Bridge in the next round - something we could have done without...

A Man Utd fan's perspective: Red Rants

Other reports: BBC, Guardian

The (bad) luck of the draw

So that's the League Cup dream over for another season, then - we've only gone and been handed a trip to Old Trafford in the Third Round draw. Still, I suppose they might stuff the side with fringe players and unblooded youngsters, so there's a sniff of a chance - though with tonight's victory over Atromitos meaning we have ongoing European commitments, we're likely to do likewise.

Paul's report on tonight's game, and details of who we'll face in the group stage, to follow.

Gael force knocks the wind out of our sails

Blackburn 4 - 3 Newcastle Utd (aet)

Well, we all knew the unbeaten run had to be ended by someone - but did it really have to be Blackburn, the Premier League's basement club (and not without good reason)? An extraordinary match culminated in our first defeat of the season, which saw us exit the League Cup just as things start to get interesting (though, in truth, the presence of Man Utd, Arsenal, Chelsea, Man City and Liverpool in the quarter-final draw suggests our name probably wasn't destined to be on the trophy for the first time this year anyway).

Alan Pardew's team selection was a pre-match talking point, the Silver Fox opting to retain several first-teamers. Mr T and Saylor both missed out with knee-knack and nose-knack respectively, while Obertan Kenobi, Leon O'Best and Raylor were rested. In came French pair HBA and Sylvain Marveaux, Danny Guthrie, James Perch (could Sideshow Bob make him look decent?) and Davide Santon, the latter for his full debut. The bench was a strikingly defender-free zone, featuring Mehdi Abeid, Dan Gosling, Little Big Lad, Peter Lovenkrands and the Lone Ranger (back in the fold) alongside Obertan Kenobi.

For his part, under-fire Rovers manager Steve Kean picked an equally attack-minded side featuring Yakubu and David Goodwillie up front with Morten Gamst Pedersen and Toon target Junior Hoilett on the wings and forward-thinking midfielder Ruben Rochina in the middle. The Spaniard it was who gave the home side an early lead, lashing into the top corner unmarked after full-back Martin Olsson's unchallenged run and pull-back. We might have been wearing orange, but the defence was stood around like lemons.

We almost hit back immediately, Demba Ba belting a shot off the post, and the Senegalese striker later came agonisingly close to touching in Danny Guthrie's low cross-shot at the far post. In sharp contrast to the league game at St James' in which he bagged a hat-trick, nothing was quite going for him.

The balance of play, though, was with Blackburn, who were regularly keeping Tim Krul's gloves warm (if not genuinely extending him). Pedersen, as is his wont, seemed to have raised his game just for our visit.

That pattern continued after the break, until what looked like being the critical passage of play shortly after the hour mark. No sooner had it been confirmed that Ba's luck really was out, Christopher Samba having dragged him to the deck in the penalty area without punishment, than Rovers broke down the other end of the pitch and Krul clipped Rochina just as he'd touched the ball on. The Dutchman was yellow-carded (Rochina having been just about headed away from goal) and then beaten from the spot by ex-Smog Yakubu.

The Silver Fox's go-for-broke introduction of Little Big Lad for Danny Simpson initially promised to reap reward, Obertan Kenobi and Lovenkrands also joining the action soon after. But, as the game drifted into injury time, we still hadn't mustered a single effort on target. That all changed in the 92nd minute, though, Guthrie given time and space to arrow a daisy-cutter inside Mark Bunn's right-hand post from distance.

Merely a consolation goal? With our current doggedness and team spirit, not a bit of it. Our second effort on target came three minutes later, Dreamboat following up Saturday's first goal for the club with an even better dead-ball strike into the top corner that had the Darwen End discoing like mad. A phenomenal comeback by any standards.

And yet half-way through the first period of extra time we found ourselves behind again, Pedersen's long-range free-kick taking a wicked deflection and flying past Krul. But still we refused to be beaten. Obertan Kenobi did what he's done too rarely of late, beating his full-back to drill in a low cross which caused panic in the six-yard area. Referee Robert Madley spotted Rovers substitute Grant Hanley's manhandling of Lovenkrands and the Dane tucked away the resultant penalty.

Lest we heap too much praise on our ex-Man Utd winger, though, he was shockingly culpable for the goal which finally killed us off. A shoot-out was a matter of seconds away when that man Pedersen's free-kick was nodded back across goal by Samba for Gael Givet - supposed to have been tracked by our substitute - to glance the ball over the line. The pulsating contest was brought to a close shortly afterwards, with us finishing on the wrong end of a 4-3 scoreline having been on the right end of one in the previous round.

Alan Pardew insisted we deserved to win the game, and in the circumstances defeat was certainly cruel - but, to be blunt, you can't defend like that or take 92 minutes to muster a shot on target and expect to triumph. A strong team struggled to cope with Blackburn's supposedly modest threat and the lack of defensive cover on the bench is worrying. We missed Saylor's commitment in the centre of defence and, even more crucially, Mr T's minesweeping act in front of the back four. With much sterner tests to come, starting at Stoke on Monday, is our season about to come spectacularly off the rails?

Other reports: BBC, Guardian

Colo the conqueror

Nottingham Forest 3 - 4 Newcastle Utd (aet)
(2-2 at 90 minutes)

A last-gasp header from Sideshow Bob ensured our place in the next round of the League Cup after Forest had repeatedly thwarted our attempt to take a decisive lead in the tie.

With Alan Pardew electing to change nine of the starting eleven from the side who picked up a point on Saturday, it was very much a patchwork team which took to the field against a Forest side keen to make amends for their woeful defeat to near-neighbours Derby County. For Newcastle it was a chance to welcome Hatem Ben Arfa back into the first team, while also giving debuts to Mehdi Abeid and Rob Elliott.

Ahead at half-time thanks to a fine Peter Lovenkrands header from a Sylvain Marveaux cross, Newcastle allowed Forest too much space and Robbie Findley was able to crack a raking twenty-five-yarder past the helpless Elliott.

Back came Newcastle with Marveaux once again involved as his fine control and burst of speed saw him hauled down in the box, with ref Lee Mason pointing to the spot. Up stepped Lovenkrands to score his second of the match.

However, Forest were far from down and Matt Derbyshire scored to once again level the scores and take the match to extra time.

By that stage, Hatem Ben Arfa's legs had gone, although our returning number 10 enjoyed a solid game and will certainly be pushing for some more pitch time against a newly resurgent Blackburn at the weekend.

The start of extra time saw us once again take the lead, with Danny Simpson's cross looping over keeper Lee Camp and inside the far post to make it 3-2. However, Shteve McLaren's boys weren't finished yet and when Ishmael Miller ran clear of Simpson, he was able to pick out Marcus Tudgay to bundle home Forest's third equaliser.

Thankfully though, as penalties loomed, substitute Obertan Kenobe was on hand to knock over a cross which Sideshow Bob headed home to keep alive our cup ambitions for a little longer.

Other reports: BBC (including highlights - UK only I think)

Sammy stunner sinks Scunny

Scunthorpe Utd 1 - 2 Newcastle Utd (aet)
(1-1 at 90 minutes)

Two moments of quality were enough to ensure Newcastle got past a spirited Scunthorpe Utd side last night to book their place in the next round of the League Cup, but only after extra time.

Starting sluggishly, Newcastle were instantly on the back foot as the home team sought to take the game to us, and after 15 minutes duly had their reward when Chris Dagnall scored when we failed to correctly re-organise our defence after a corner was cleared. Frustratingly, when the ball came back in, it was Demba Ba playing everyone onside and the unmarked Dagnall slotted home past Tim Krul. To be frank, if you are ever in a situation where your striker is the last man, you know something has gone wrong somewhere, and our sloppiness was deservedly punished by a smart finish.

With Krul called upon to make a number of good saves, Newcastle looked to be hanging on a bit as half-time approached. At that point, Mike Williamson was forced off after a crunching tackle and Steven Taylor replaced him, meaning that we had our first-choice back four on the pitch.

Half-time clearly brought a rocket from Alan Pardew, because it was Newcastle who were out of their blocks the faster after the interval. With several good chances coming our way, Leon Best was unlucky to have a goal chalked off for a marginal off-side. However, it wasn't until ten minutes from full-time that we finally got back on level terms, with Ryan Taylor firing home a free-kick from just outside the Scunthorpe box to make it two goals in two games for him.

There was even time for a penalty shout when the goalscorer was bundled over in the box, the referee presumably concluding that our left-back had gone to ground a little too easily (albeit the push seemed clear to me).

Honours even at full-time then, and with Haris Vuckic and Little Big Lad on for the ineffective Ba and similarly underwhelming Dan Gosling, Newcastle started to assert themselves more and more, with the two youngsters increasingly to the fore. It was Little Big Lad who finally settled the tie with an excellent run and shot with his weaker right foot with eight minutes of the match remaining. Having previously fluffed an easier chance by trying to take it on his left, it was a surprise to see him hit one with his right, but it flew into the net.

Thankfully, from there Newcastle were able to see out the match without too many worries.

On the positive side, the performances of Krul, Sideshow Bob, Vuckic and Little Big Lad all stood out for praise. However, Ba looked off the pace, and neither Best nor Lovenkrands did anything to press their claims for a start against Fulham on Sunday. Similarly Sylvain Marveaux showed some early spark, but at times was crowded out too easily for my liking, and if anything Little Big Lad might be the one closer to the first team.

Surprisingly, Pardew opted against given Alan Smith or Steve Harper a run, and while both continue to add depth to the squad, the ongoing likelihood of much involvement beyond reserve team level looks slim.

Other reports: BBC, Guardian

Kids fly the nest

Jose Enrique's defection to Liverpool has overshadowed the departures of two other Toon players, though both are rather lower-profile and both remain in our employ, having been farmed out on loan. James Tavernier was a regular during our first-team pre-season fixtures so may feel a little aggrieved at being sent along the A69 to Carlisle. Striker Phil Airey, meanwhile, has been borrowed by Hibs, whose manager Colin Calderwood knows about the youngster from his time as part of the management team at St James' Park. An interesting move given that Alan Pardew had said in respect of Fraser Forster's time at Celtic that he didn't feel the standard of Scottish football was high enough for loan spells north of the border to be worthwhile...

In other news, ASBO continues to be linked with a move away, most recently to Stoke, whose current central midfield I noted is weak, or to Zenit St Petersburg, who might be able to offer him the wage packet he's demanding. He might yet be gone by the time we play our League Cup second round tie against Scunthorpe - not a fixture we'll be looking forward to with too much relish, given that we came horribly unstuck on our last visit to Glanford Park.