Newcastle v Fulham: Magpies Misery Continues as Cottagers Pick up a Point?
Both sides will see this match as a winnable fixture in the fight for Premier League survival as Kevin Keegan looks to end his 9-match winless run with a victory over his former club, Fulham.
Fulham’s Away Woes
The Cottagers haven’t won away from home for a staggering 19 months, that’s 14 draws and 17 defeats ago. So just where did that last away win take place? You guessed it, against Newcastle at St James’ Park! Fulham won 2-1 on Tyneside back in September 2006 with the American pair Brian McBride and Carlos Bocanegra scoring the goals. This match is also remembered for Cottagers midfielder Jimmy Bullard sustaining an horrific knee injury that kept him out of first team action for a total of 15 months. The long haired former Wigan man is right back in the thick of the action now and will hoping he can inspire Fulham to a historic victory. The Cottagers don’t have much luck on their travels in the Premier League. However, if there’s one ground they’ve done well at in recent years its St James’. They’re unbeaten in their last 3 visits to Tyneside, a run of 2 wins and a draw.
Keegan Rings the Changes
Kevin Keegan rang the changes for the Monday night draw at Birmingham but still hasn’t won a match since his return to the club in January. He decided to drop Charles N’Zogbia, Alan Smith, James Milner and Damien Duff from the starting eleven at St Andrew’s. He also gave three players their first starts under his new regime, Geremi, Mark Viduka and Obafemi Martins. The draw ended a run of 4 defeats but his League record now reads, played 8, won 0, drawn 3 and lost 5. They’ve conceded 18 goals and scored just 4 with Michael Owen grabbing 3 of those. The magpies haven’t won a League match since mid-December and I’m sure you can guess who that was against? Yes it was Fulham. A last minute Joey Barton penalty sealed a fortunate 1-0 win at Craven Cottage. What King Kev would give for the same result again as Newcastle have now gone 6 matches without a home win.
Cottagers Pick Up Points at Relegation Rivals
Roy Hodgson’s side won 1-0 against in form Everton at the weekend which should boost their survival prospects but an away win would give them real hope. They may have an appalling record on their travels but they’ve not been beaten at any of the bottom 7’s grounds this season. They’ve drawn at Wigan, Sunderland, Birmingham and Bolton so should not fear this trip. Therefore a draw is a good option on Premier 10 this week with Newcastle nervy and Fulham buoyed by last weekend’s win.
Pundit’s Pick: Fulham face the drop but pick up a point (draw) Do you agree with this result for your Premier 10 prediction? Play Now>>
Tags: COttagers, Fulham, Magpies, Newcastle, Premier 10, Premier League preview, Toon
