Welcome to the Newcastle United v Bournemouth preview.
Saturday 18th April with a 3pm kick-off.
The Toon return to St James’ Park this weekend after a four-week absence, looking to banish some of the clouds that have been gathering.
They’ll be facing a Bournemouth team that have already taken a point from NUFC in the league this season.
Though only in January, an entertaining 3-3 draw at Gallowgate saw United then win on penalties in the FA Cup against the Cherries..
Form
Newcastle have won two and lost four of their past six league matches. Well deserved victories have come against Man United and Chelsea, whilst we’ve lost to Man City, Everton, the Mackems and Crystal Palace. We’ve scored nine goals in these matches and conceded ten. The six points gained has us fourteenth in the league with a win potentially seeing us as high as eleventh on goal difference.
Bournemouth are enjoying a twelve game unbeaten run in the Premier League and have won one and drawn five of their past six matches. Last weekend they beat table-topping Arsenal away from home and have drawn with West Ham, the Mackems, Brentford, Burnley and Man United. They scored five goals in these matches and conceded four. The eight points gained has them eleventh in the league and all results going their way could see them in the top seven by the end of the weekend.
Last time out
Newcastle travelled to Selhurst Park last weekend after a three-week break looking to start a push towards European qualification. A turgid first half was brought to life when Will Osula showed great feet to give United the lead just before half-time. Unfortunately, the same player then fluffed a golden chance to give NUFC a two-goal lead at the start of the second half and things went rapidly downhill from there. Both teams looked lifeless and devoid of ideas until Palace made a triple substitution on the hour mark. They finally forced an equaliser on eighty minutes after earlier hitting the bar from a chance that looked easier to score. Worse was to come for the Toon in injury time when Botman was punished for a needless shirt pull in the area and Palace scored the resultant penalty to leave NUFC languishing in fourteenth place having endured back-to-back Premier League defeats.
Bournemouth enjoyed an incredible victory last weekend over top-of-the-league Arsenal. They took an early lead from close-range after just seventeen minutes. Despite being pegged back to level terms before half-time, the Cherries were able to take advantage of a nervy Arsenal performance by scoring a late winner to put the cat amongst the pigeons in the title race.
Stat attack!
– Newcastle have hosted Bournemouth in seven Premier League games, winning two, drawing two and losing three.
-This is only the thirteenth ever time that Bournemouth have visited Gallowgate in all competitions with the first coming in 1973.
-The Toon have found the net twelve times in the past seven home matches against Bournemouth in all competitions.
Memorable match
In 2018, Rafa Benitez and his Toon side were hoping for a win against Bournemouth to achieve back-to-back Premier League victories for the first time all season. Thankfully this was the match that striker Salomon Rondon decided to announce his arrival at St James’ Park with a match-winning display. The game was only seven minutes old when he fired in a loose ball at the back post. Even better was to come near the end of the half when Kenedy swung in a cross from the left and Rondon did his best Sir Les impression to smash a header into the top corner and put the Toon 2-0 up. Bournemouth were able to pull one back due to an assist from future Newcastle player Ryan Fraser but Rondon continued to terrorise the Bournemouth defence, forcing a number of fine saves and being desperately unlucky not to complete a hat-trick in a fine win for the Toon. Newcastle 2-1 Bournemouth.
Played for both
Christian Atsu made his Newcastle United debut in 2016 and was an integral part of the team that won the Championship under Rafa Benitez, who soon made his loan move from Chelsea permanent. He stayed at the Toon for five years, making over one-hundred appearances and scoring eight league goals. Previous to his time at NUFC, he was on loan for a season at Bournemouth but only made two League Cup appearances in a frustrating spell with the Cherries. Sadly, 2023 brought the devastating news that Atsu had passed away in the aftermath of an earthquake in Turkey, leaving behind a wife and three young children. Rest In Peace.
Freddie Woodman played four league games for Steve Bruce at the start of the 21/22 season. Unfortunately this coincided with three defeats and a draw with Woodman heavily criticised for his part in a 4-1 defeat at Old Trafford. He was demoted to the bench and then loaned to Bournemouth where he played just one match for the Cherries.
Matt Ritchie played for Bournemouth between 2012 and 2016 and scored thirty-one goals for the Cherries. In 14/15 he was voted the football league’s player of the season in a poll by ‘Four Four Two’ magazine. He signed for the Toon in 2016 and became an integral part of our midfield as we achieved promotion back to the Premier League under Rafa Benitez. He stayed for eight years and scored twenty-five goals. His last goal for the club came in injury time against Bournemouth as he rescued a 2-2 draw and celebrated in his usual style by booting the corner flag.
Managers
Eddie Howe after a 2-1 defeat away at Crystal Palace:
“I understand there’s anger and frustration. I’m not blind to anything. I always have to look at myself first. I always say that. I’m number one accountable. I don’t pick the team based on transfer fees. I pick the team based on what I see. It’s probably the story of our season: getting into winning positions and not being able to hold on. I can’t really put my finger on it. A couple of games ago we beat Chelsea away and beat Manchester United and you sit here off the back of a disappointing run and the outside noise is to change everything. Sometimes you have got to believe in what you do but, of course, we have to execute it better…We don’t want to go 1-0 up and change to a mentality of defending, but we’ve done it, so I can’t say it hasn’t happened. But then if you are going to defend, we have to defend better than we did and we gave a few chances, but we’re still vulnerable towards the end of the game and that’s hugely disappointing. We were in total control of the game with sixty minutes gone. Then their substitutes made the difference, Mateta in particular. He proved to be a difficult customer for us to deal with. A defeat is really harsh on us because we controlled the first half and phases of the second half.”
Andoni Iraola after a 2-1 win over Arsenal:
“We showed great personality to play in a big game and a big stadium. We’ve been at the level of the game. I’m very happy for the players. Defensively apart from the penalty we defended the set-pieces. We were quite brave. A complete performance. It’s a matter of growing into the game. We had very good spells on the ball. We were finding good gaps in the middle.”
Charity
Newcastle United fans food bank will once again be collecting opposite the Gallowgate end and gratefully receiving food, money and toiletries for those in need. Of particular interest are non-perishable food and drink items (such as noodles, pasta, rice, canned food, soup, cereal, cordial, long life milk etc) as well as toiletries such as shower gel, shampoo, toothpaste and sanitary products. Please give whatever you can, any donation is very much appreciated.
For further info and/or to donate online go to Newcastle Foodbank
Prediction
Pre-derby optimism now seems a lifetime ago as the gloom has been gathering around Tyneside these past few weeks.
Our league position is poor, we’re out of all three cups and there’s constant speculation over Eddie Howe’s future. This appears to be the worst possible time to play a Bournemouth side who have just beaten Arsenal and are enjoying a twelve-match unbeaten run. I’m usually an eternal optimist but unfortunately I can only see more frustration for Eddie and the team as we play out a bore-draw in front of an exasperated home crowd. Newcastle 1-1 Bournemouth.