EPL: NUFC vs WIFC

• iveco

  14 Apr 06, 23:51

  Date: 15 April 2006
  
  Venue: St James Park
  
  KO Time: 1500 GMT
• iveco

  14 Apr 06, 23:52

  JOHANSSON OUT TO EARN WORLD CUP SPOT
  
  Wigan Athletic midfielder Andreas Johansson knows he has five remaining chances to realise a dream.
  
  With four goals in his last seven Barclays Premiership appearances, Johansson has put himself in the running for a call-up to Sweden's World Cup squad.
  
  Scouts have watched the versatile Johansson - who can also operate up front - in action in recent weeks, fuelling talk in his homeland of being included in coach Lars Lagerback's 23-man party.
  
  If Johansson is to force his way into the picture, he appreciates a few goals in Wigan's closing five games of the season will help his cause, starting at Newcastle United this weekend.
  
  "The last time I was involved in a Swedish squad was 15 months ago," said Johansson.
  
  "Since I've been scoring in the Premier League the papers in Sweden have speculated about me getting a call up, although there has been no indication of that.
  
  "It's not as if it's something that keeps me awake at nights, but I know if I'm doing well then maybe I will get a chance to be in the squad, which would be a dream for me.
  
  "I know these last five games are my final chances to get into the squad. If it comes, it comes. It would be brilliant if I did get called up."
  
  Johansson's chance may have come too late, but he is just happy to have finally broken through into Wigan's first team.
  
  Following a £450,000 move from Djurgaardens in last year's January transfer window, Johansson made one substitute appearance over the remainder of the season as Wigan won promotion to the Barclays Premiership.
  
  Up until recently opportunities have been fleeting, but slowly he has impressed manager Paul Jewell, with the reward being his late goal flurry.
  
  Johansson said: "It was very frustrating not playing, but that's football.
  
  "I knew about the competition when I arrived, but I've never doubted myself because I know what I can do on the pitch.
  
  "I knew if I worked hard in training and did well in the reserves then sooner or later I would be given a chance. Then it would be up to me to take it.
  
  "Now I've been given that chance I feel I'm showing what I can do. I know I'm playing my best football since I joined Wigan.
  
  "In most of the games I've played I have felt good, and I feel my game has improved.
  
  "I've scored seven goals - four in the Premier League and three in the cups - and I'm happy with that."
  
  Jewell will be without Stephane Henchoz and David Connolly for the trip to the north-east due to hamstring injuries.
  
  Jewell has vowed to make changes for the game in an effort to give fringe players a run-out over the final five fixtures of the season.
  
  That could see the likes of Ryan Taylor, Matt Jackson, Damien Francis, Reto Ziegler and David Thompson handed a start.
  
  Glenn Roeder has warned Wigan that his Newcastle side aim to "go for the jugular" at St James' Park.
  
  Newcastle are on a high after successive victories over Tottenham Hotspur and Middlesbrough, and also have MondayÂ’s Wear-Tyne derby with Sunderland to look forward to.
  
  Caretaker manager Roeder said: "We are not even thinking about Sunderland on Monday and we are completely focused on the Wigan game.
  
  "When I sat on the coach coming back from Teesside last Sunday I couldn't help looking at the players and thinking they have got the bit between their teeth.
  
  "And this has been backed up by their training this week which has been very good.
  
  "While we lost in the Premiership at Wigan in October, I can sense the players were very disappointed at what happened down there in the Carling Cup and they want to put that right."
  
  Wigan boss Paul Jewell is one of several Premiership managers looking over his shoulder at United and it will be interesting to see what he comes up with tomorrow.
  
  Roeder added: "I know what I am expecting from our players against Wigan and we have nothing to hide because we have to go for the jugular.
  
  "But what we don't know is what Paul Jewell and Wigan are going to do.
  
  "They might try and play for a point and keep that three-point gap between us. Or he could come and try and win and put six points between them and ourselves.
  
  "I suppose he will look at other teams who have come up against us recently and started off with only one striker up front like Middlesbrough, Bolton Wanderers and Everton and have lost against us.
  
  "Teams have tried to stifle the midfield but it hasn't worked against us and maybe we will see an open game with both teams playing 4-4-2."
  
  Newcastle welcome back Celestine Babayaro, who has been sidelined since he limped off with a thigh injury in the FA Cup defeat at his former club Chelsea on March 22.
  
  But the Easter programme will come too early for Newcastle's other injured players, Michael Owen and Steven Taylor.
  
  Newcastle United (from): Given, Carr, Babayaro, Elliott, Ramage, Moore, Bramble, Solano, Emre, Bowyer, N'Zogbia, Shearer, Ameobi, Harper, Boumsong, Clark, Faye, Chopra, Luque.
  
  Wigan Athletic (from): Filan, Chimbonda, Jackson, Camara, Johansson, McCulloch, Kavanagh, De Zeeuw, Francis, Scharner, Taylor, Teale, Bullard, Ziegler, Baines, Thompson, Roberts, Pollitt.
  
  
• dotaro

  15 Apr 06, 00:18

  Even though as Newcastle Fan, I shld be gunning for a win for the magpies,
  but Wigan is quite a team to admire, a draw would be fair result to both sides.
• iveco

  16 Apr 06, 20:07

  Newcastle United's unlikely late charge for Europe gathered pace as skipper Alan Shearer grabbed a double to kill off Wigan Athletic.
  
  A 27th-minute penalty and a second goal on 67 minutes took the 35-year-oldÂ’s tally for the season to 13 ahead of MondayÂ’s trip to relegated neighbours Sunderland, where he will hope to sign off that particular rivalry in style.
  
  But more importantly, the goals helped to secure a third successive Barclays Premiership victory which took Newcastle level on points with their visitors.
  
  Wigan had gone in front courtesy of Jimmy BullardÂ’s superb fifth-minute free-kick, but they lost captain Arjan De Zeeuw, central defensive partner Matt Jackson and Lee McCulloch to injury before the break, and by that time they were already on the back foot.
  
  ShearerÂ’s spot-kick had levelled the scores, and Titus Bramble headed the home side in front nine minutes before half-time as the Magpies inflicted a first away league defeat in seven on their opponents in front of a crowd of 52,302.
  
  Shearer and Newcastle began the match with revenge in mind.
  
  Wigan inflicted a league defeat on the Magpies at the JJB Stadium in October, when a Shearer header was disallowed, while a Carling Cup defeat by a much-changed Latics side gave former boss Graeme Souness a nudge towards the sack.
  
  But neither game could possibly have been as eventful as what unfolded inside the opening 45 minutes at St. James' Park.
  
  By half-time, five substitutes had been used, none of them by choice, and three goals had been scored, and the Magpies were just about on top.
  
  To put themselves in that position, they had had to stage a fightback following BullardÂ’s superb fifth-minute free-kick which left Shay Given rooted to the spot.
  
  Shola Ameobi should have levelled when presented with an open goal within three minutes, but he headed wide, perhaps in surprise at the ball reaching him as goalkeeper John Filan and defender De Zeeuw both missed out.
  
  The striker was then involved in the incident which was to end his own afternoon and eventually that of Jackson.
  
  Ameobi, Jackson and Filan all collided as the defender headed Nolberto SolanoÂ’s cross just wide of his own goal.
  
  Ameobi departed with a cut mouth before being replaced by Michael Chopra and his marker followed shortly afterwards with a knee problem.
  
  De ZeeuwÂ’s exit with a fractured collar bone following a robust challenge by Stephen Carr compounded WiganÂ’s woes and opened the door for the home side.
  
  Reto ZieglerÂ’s 27th-minute nudge on Chopra prompted referee Uriah Rennie to point to the spot and Shearer duly converted, and Newcastle were in front nine minutes later when the unmarked Bramble powered home a Solano corner.
  
  Bullard and Graham Kavanagh both whistled shots just wide in injury time - and there was plenty of it with Lee Bowyer and McCulloch also having limped off.
  
  Chopra almost made Ziegler pay for allowing himself to be caught in possession within two minutes of the restart, with substitute Leighton Baines gratefully conceding a corner from SolanoÂ’s dangerous cross.
  
  Solano, Kieron Dyer and Charles NÂ’Zogbia, who had caused Wigan serious problems before the break, continued in a similar vein after it, only Paul ScharnerÂ’s desperate lunge and an offside flag denying Shearer his second goal on 54 minutes.
  
  Wigan were struggling to make an impression, and Kavanagh booked after a clumsy challenge on Dyer after 59 minutes.
  
  Substitute Henri Camara kept Given on his toes with a long-range shot, while Filan had to pull off a fine save to deny Solano on 64 minutes, and he was left helpless seconds later.
  
  ChopraÂ’s through-ball was perfectly-timed to allow Shearer to beat the offside trap, and he rounded the goalkeeper to fire home.
  
  The home fans rose in anticipation of a hat-trick six minutes later when Chopra once again fed Shearer, but his low shot flew across goal as the flag went up with the visitors wilting by the second.
  
  Given had to save from Bullard on 77 minutes and David Thompson seven minutes later, but WiganÂ’s brave resistance was to count for nothing.