Newcastle United(1) 2 Shearer (45 pen), Ferdinand (61) Blackburn Rovers(0) 1 Sutton (85) Att: 36,424 Newcastle: Srnicek, Watson, Peacock, Howey, Beresford, Batty, Lee (Gillespie 81), Beardsley (Clark 81), Shearer, Ferdinand (Asprilla 73), Ginola Subs not used: Hislop, AlbertBlackburn: Flowers, Berg, Hendry, Coleman, Kenna, Bohinen, Sherwood (Fenton 79), Flitcroft (McKinlay 66), Donis (Ripley 66), Gallacher, Sutton Subs Not Used: Pearce, Given
We won, Shearer and Ferdinand scored and the Toon are joint top of the league. All is well with the world ... not quite.
Team selection was another one of Keegan's weird ones. Out of the blue he recalled Beresford and dropped Elliot. Batty also played instead of Clark, this was not a surprise but could have been a mistake.
The first half was pretty devoid of interest. Shearer forced Flowers into making a couple of good saves but we were not piling on the pressure and Blackburn had a lot of the game, without really creating anything.
Flitcroft, who had already been booked took Peter out with a high, two footed tackle. This was a straight red card offense, the ref did not even give a foul! This decision may have been bizarre but it was nothing compared to the penalty. Batty's cushion header into the Blackburn box was flicked on by Ferdinand and the ball hit a combination of Hendry's arm and thigh. The ref gave a penalty and Shearer smashed it in.
The second half continued in a similar vain. Blackburn packed the midfield and forced the game down the centre. Peter and Lee switched positions which meant that Peter became a peripheral figure on the right wing. Lee played a little better but neither team looked like scoring. In matches devoid of inspiration teams that can take set plays effectively get goals. Fortunately we seem to have improved on this score. A corner taken by Ginola was headed down by Shearer and poked into the net by Ferdinand. The ball only just crossed the line.
Both teams had reasonable penalty claims turned down, thankfully the ref did not compensate Blackburn. With five minutes to go Sutton scored for Blackburn with a 25 yard low shot which Pav really should have saved. The last five minutes passed without incident and we kept the ball well.
So that's four wins on the bounce, this one was the least convincing. The forwards and defense looked steady but the midfield is back in the state it was in when we played Sheffield Wednesday. It is unbalanced and uncompetitive. Peter has to play in the middle because that is where the ball is most of the time. We need Lee Clark back to pass the ball more effectively. Lee had one or two good shots but he is a feckless player at the moment. Newcastle need to learn from this as we will have to play better to win anything this season ... maybe we will be good pupils for once.
The atmosphere was strange. Shearer got a decent reception from the Blackburn fans. The Toon gave Fenton a lot of hammer when he came on. This is a bit harsh, last season the lad was doing his job. He was not smug about it and indeed seemed bit apologetic to me. We should save the abuse for `people' (I use the word in it's loosest possible sense) like Cantona and Keane.
Player by Player:
Pav: Had nothing to do. He should have saved the Sutton shot, I think he would have if it had been 1-0 rather than 2-0. He seemed to lose his concentration.
Watson: Is getting skinned too many times at the moment. He is a class player and will sort it out.
Beresford: I have no idea why he was in the team. Still he had a sound game, however he was not put under any pressure.
Howey\Peacock: Both look quite dependable but it was difficult to judge any defender as Blackburn were a poor attacking team.
Batty: His poorest game for Newcastle. Blackburn packed the midfield and Batty competed but could not keep the ball.
Lee: Started on the right of midfield and did nothing. In the second half he switched with Beardsley and was a little more effective. However he is not playing well and Lee Clark must be feeling very aggrieved.
Ginola: Very ineffective.
Beardsley: Slid one or two great balls into the box but must play in the middle of midfield. He looks knackerd at the moment and will enjoy the week off. After the Leeds game I would rest him for the trip to Sweden.
Ferdinand: Won the ball in the air and took his goal well.
Shearer: A difficult day for him. He came through it well, scoring the penalty and setting up the second. However he needs a goal or two from open play. Both forwards need more chances created for them by the midfield.
Subs: were not really in long enough to make judgments.
Ref: Keith Burge: He was a real homer and made the wrong decisions at crucial times.
Blackburn. They are not going to win anything this season but are also in a false position at the bottom. In Flowers and Hendry they have the best players in their respective positions in the country. However, they lack inspiration in midfield and are very unsure of themselves without you know who.