ohhh_yeah

Boo! Hiss! Gasp! Chainsaw to the Tree!

Poor sods...

At A Glance St James’ Park beckons for Aston Villa on Sunday as Steven Gerrard’s side face Newcastle United in the Premier League. The Magpies escaped the relegation zone with a 3-1 victory on home turf against Everton in midweek, but they could find themselves back in the bottom three if results elsewhere go against them ahead of kick-off on Tyneside. Eddie Howe’s team have put together back-to-back top-flight wins for the first time this season, including a 1-0 success away at Leeds before the winter break. Leeds and Villa played out a thrilling 3-3 draw at Villa Park on Wednesday night, with the hosts letting a 3-1 lead slip. Villa’s attacking play was a major positive on the night as Philippe Coutinho scored one and assisted two for Jacob Ramsey, who has netted four times in his last six Premier League games. Eight points separate the two sides ahead of the match as Villa go in search of a fifth top-flight victory this term. Standout Stats Newcastle are unbeaten in their last 12 Premier League home games against Aston Villa (W6 D6) since a 3-0 loss in April 2005. Each of the last three in the competition between the sides at St James’ Park has finished 1-1. Aston Villa are looking to do the double over Newcastle for just the second time in the Premier League, previously doing so in the 2004-05 campaign under David O’Leary. Aston Villa are unbeaten in their last seven Premier League games against Newcastle (W3 D4), having lost five of their seven against them before this (D2). Newcastle have won their last two Premier League games, having won just one of their first 20 this season. The Magpies are looking to secure three consecutive league victories for the first time since November 2018. None of Aston Villa’s last 15 Premier League away games has finished level (W6 L9), with the Villans alternating between victory (3) and defeat (2) in their last five. Their last draw on the road, however, did come at Newcastle in March (1-1). Newcastle have had at least 10 shots in each of their last four Premier League games, averaging 15 shots per game across these matches. The Magpies are also averaging 5.3 shots on target in these games, two more than their average across the season beforehand (3.2). Two of Newcastle’s last four Premier League goals have come from a direct free-kick, with Jonjo Shelvey netting against Leeds and Kieran Trippier doing so against Everton. Just two of their previous 116 league goals had come in this fashion. Only Liverpool have failed to score in fewer Premier League games than Aston Villa (3) this season. The Villans have only failed to score in one of their 11 games under Steven Gerrard so far (0-1 vs Liverpool). Danny Ings and Anwar El Ghazi scored in Aston Villa’s 2-0 win against Newcastle in the reverse fixture – the last player to score home and away league goals against the Magpies for the Villans in the same season was Juan Pablo Angel in 2004-05. Philippe Coutinho has been involved in four goals in three Premier League games since joining Aston Villa (2 goals, 2 assists), with the Brazilian averaging a goal involvement every 44 minutes so far for the Villans. The Last Meeting Danny Ings produced a moment of sheer quality to help Aston Villa beat Newcastle United in August. In first half stoppage time, the striker opened the scoring at Villa Park with a spectacular overhead kick. VAR helped award the hosts a penalty in the second half, with Anwar El Ghazi dispatching the spot kick to seal all three points. Team News Ezri Konsa misses out after being sent-off late on against Leeds United in midweek, while Marvelous Nakamba remains sidelined. Betrand Traore has picked up a hamstring injury and will miss some time, but positive news comes in the form of Leon Bailey’s imminent return. On loan Villa man Matt Targett is ineligible to play on Sunday, while Eddie Howe is also sweating on the fitness of Kieran Trippier after he picked up a knock. Paul Dummett and Federico Fernandez are getting closer to a return for the Magpies, who will be without Isaac Hayden, Matt Ritchie, Callum Wilson and Jamal Lewis. The Boss “They’ve come through a transfer window and made some real good additions to what they already had. They’ve got some dangerous players, Eddie’s got a good style and we go there giving them the utmost respect. Every team and every challenge in the Premier League is tough, difficult and dangerous in different ways, so we have to respect that and prepare in the best possible way.” avfc.co.uk

More Dyche: “Both are very good players but I think Wout is more technically-minded." “He can see pictures with his back to goal whereas Woody was someone who wanted to be in the box and sniff out goals." “Wout is more of an all-rounder. He can offer varying ways of playing probably because of his experience at Wolfsburg and different clubs." “On the business side, regardless of Woody having a clause, you'd still go 'it's actually good business' to get that amount of money for a 30-year-old." “As long as we turn things around for ourselves and Wout continues to play as he is, that's good business as well." “He is a top pro who wants to have an effect." . . . Wood is going to be on the score sheet today.

FORMER Liverpool Head Physio Dave Galley has joined Newcastle United until the end of the season. Galley, who is one of the most experienced physios in English football, fills a gap left by James Haycock. As TGG reported earlier this week, Haycock has exited St James’ Park after seven months to become Head Physio at Crystal Palace. “I have joined Newcastle United as a first-team physio working with a fantastic group of medical staff led by (Head of Medical) Paul Catterson and (Head Physio) Derek Wright,” Galley told TGG. “I have currently joined until the end of the season where i will review the position with the club. It really does feel very exciting to be part of something special.” Galley was Head Physio at Liverpool from 1999 to 2005 and at Sunderland from 2010 to 2013. For the last two years he has been Head Physio at Plymouth Argyle. “I leave Plymouth Argyle with a very heavy heart as it is a fantastic club with amazing people on the staff and players,” he added. “I wish them all the very best for the future.” trainingground.guru/articles 《I can not add links. Something is not working.》

Bruno Guimaraes spoke to Claudio Cacapa before joining Newcastle In his two seasons as a Newcastle United player in the late-2000s, Claudio Cacapa did not exactly set the world alight. A central defender who was also used to fill a gap in defensive midfield, the Brazilian made 25 thoroughly unremarkable league appearances for the Magpies before heading back to his homeland to join Cruzeiro. A decade-and-a-half after first arriving at St James’ Park, however, and Cacapa might just have made his most influential intervention relating to the Magpies. Now a coach at French club Lyon, the former Brazil international was approached by his compatriot, Bruno Guimaraes, last month to discuss the midfielder’s proposed move to Newcastle. Would Cacapa recommend a move to St James’ Park? Or would he suggest remaining in Ligue 1 given Newcastle’s struggles in the table? The fact that Guimaraes is preparing to make his Magpies debut against Everton tomorrow night confirms Cacapa’s response was the former. “I’d like to mention Claudio Cacapa,” said Guimaraes this afternoon, as he conducted his first press conference as a Newcastle player in the media room at St James’ Park with the aid of an interpreter. “He is a coach at Lyon now and I spoke to him a lot about coming here. He’s someone who helped me in my decision, so warmest regards to Claudio.” Thankfully, for Newcastle, Cacapa was able to enthuse about the club’s glorious past rather than its more precarious present. The here and now was left to Amanda Staveley and her fellow directors to discuss, and while Guimaraes was left in no doubt that avoiding relegation is the overriding priority this season, Newcastle’s owners spelled out a bright future vision that persuaded the 24-year-old it was not madness to swap a Lyon side targeting a European place in Ligue 1 for a Magpies line-up currently sitting in 19th position in the Premier League. “They were very up front and honest about it,” said Guimaraes. “They didn’t disguise that the main objective and challenge was remaining in the Premier League this season. "But in the seasons coming, the objective is to be in the Champions League and eventually to win the Champions League. I believe in the project, I believe in everything they spoke to me about, and I am really happy to be a part of this project.” Winning the Champions League? Is that really a realistic proposition? “We are definitely going to be a club that is going to be a big power in world football,” Guimaraes continued. “This is a historic club with a great tradition and a beautiful history, I have no doubts about my decision to come to Newcastle.” The switch to St James’ Park is the latest leg of a footballing odyssey that has taken Guimaraes from the impoverished Rio de Janeiro neighbourhood of Sao Cristovao to the relative bright lights of Brazilian top-flight side Atletico Paranaense, and then on to Lyon, where he made 56 appearances in Ligue 1. His career has seen him involved in transfers worth more than a cumulative £60m, but his life began with a series of sacrifices that saw him leave his family at a young age to pursue his dream of making it as a footballer. “I left home really early, when I was just 15,” he said. “I went to live in another state. I was alone in digs when I was at Audax. I only saw my parents twice a month and I am an only child. “It was really different for me and really difficult for them. It was a difficult time and I really missed them. I missed home. But I would do it all again to get here now.” Guimaraes will wear the number 39 shirt with Newcastle, a nod to his father, Dick, who made a series of sacrifices when he was working as a taxi driver in order to support his son’s footballing ambitions. “My dad was a taxi driver for 20 years and that was his taxi number,” said the midfielder. “Number 39. So, he asked me when I signed for my first professional club, Atletico Paranaense, he asked me to take his number for my shirt. “I didn’t even have to ask for it, they gave it to me. That is the number that has sustained my family when I was growing up. It is also a lucky number in my family because of that. “We won four titles at Paranaense and it has proved to be a lucky number for me on the pitch. I will take it everywhere with me.”

With the Callum news...

Did you miss the January transfer window???

Bruno chucked into the U23s to get up to speed. I know nobody said that but FFS! Start him!!!

Two Rotherham supporters arrested after Accrington Stanley player 'assaulted' during League One game

It is a party in Dakar.

Put him between the sticks and let him ping the ball from inside the 18.

That trophy size is ridiculous. I would be missing penalties also. Fuck, lifting that.