What the papers say: Newcastle

[Far Canal]

sportinglife.com

Newcastle 3 Reading 2
By Damian Spellman, PA Sport

http://tinyurl.com/y5ngbx

Emre fired Newcastle out of the relegation zone as the Magpies came from behind to snatch a precious
Barclays Premiership victory.

The Turkish international blasted home a superb winner six minutes from time to prevent the Royals from
climbing to the dizzy heights of third place.

As so often with Newcastle, it was an agonising 90 minutes for the home fans among a crowd of 48,182 as
their side squandered the 23rd-minute lead given to them by Antoine Sibierski to trail to James Harper's
quick-fire double.

However, striker Obafemi Martins paid off a sizeable chunk of his £10million transfer fee by converting
a 57th-minute penalty for his first league goal at St James' Park to end the visitors' run of four successive
Premiership victories.

The win eased Glenn Roeder's side out of the bottom three and into 15th place, but came courtesy of a
white-knuckle ride which made for compulsive viewing, if through the fingers.

Reading arrived on Tyneside knowing a point would be enough to elevate them to the unlikely heights of
third in the Premiership table.

Newcastle's needs, however, were far more basic as they attempted to drag themselves out of the mire
once again in the midst of an injury crisis which left Roeder with the minimum of selection decisions to
make.

He restored Martins to the starting line-up and sent his side out under orders not to return without a victory.

And after an ordinary start during which Steve Coppell's side showed exactly why they have managed
to bridge the gap between the Coca-Cola Championship and the top flight with such ease, they looked on
target to do so.

The visitors should have been behind on 16 minutes when Sibierski met an inviting James Milner cross
unopposed, but somehow directed his header straight at keeper Marcus Hahnemann.

But the Frenchman was not so wasteful a second time and when Nolberto Solano ran on to Emre's beautifully
weighted pass seven minutes later, he applied an unstoppable header to the Peruvian's cross to open the
scoring.

Martins fired high over four minutes later after being played in by Sibierski's clever back-heel, but he
was desperately unfortunate not to open his account on Tyneside when he headed against the bar from another
Solano delivery 10 minutes before the break.

Newcastle's failure to to take their chances has proved costly so far this season, and as Reading fought for
a way back into the game, that combined with an alarming return to defensive ineptitude to torpedo
their efforts.

There was an element of misfortune about the way Harper's 37th-minute shot deflected off Solano and
beyond the helpless Shay Given to level the scores.

But the way in which they fell behind three minutes before the break was all their own work.

Celestine Babayaro failed to clear the ball on the edge of the penalty area and although Shay Given managed
to palm away substitute Glen Little's driven cross, Emre missed his tackle on Harper and the midfielder stabbed
a shot into the bottom corner.

There was no let-up from the visitors after the break as Newcastle struggled either to contain them or
make anything of the possession they did manage to earn.

Steve Sidwell even had the confidence to attempt to lob Given from 40 yards after he had cleared the
ball on 53 minutes, the Irishman scurrying back towards his line as the ball dropped wide.

But the Magpies were back in it on 57 minutes after Martins went down under Ibrahima Sonko's challenge
in the box after exchanged passes with Sibierski and referee Rob Styles pointed to the spot.

After what seemed like an eternity, the Nigerian stepped up to slam the spot-kick to Hahnemann's left
before celebrating with a spectacular tumble.

Sibierski thought he had restored his side's lead two minutes later after he ran on to Emre's pass and
rounded Hahnemann before shooting home from a tight angle.

But an offside flag ended his joy, although television replays suggested wrongly.

Reading forced a series of corners which the Magpies just about repelled, but Martins appeared to have
the bit between his teeth and fired just wide on 71 minutes after another excellent exchange of passes
with Sibierski.

Hahnemann blocked a Sibierski shot on the line and it looked as though his side's chances had ebbed away.

But Emre chose the perfect moment to collect his first league goal of the season, surging towards the
Reading box before unleashing an unstoppable shot, to win it.

Teams:

Newcastle Given, Solano, Taylor, Ramage, Babayaro, Milner,Butt, Emre, N'Zogbia, Sibierski, Martins (Rossi 89).

Subs Not Used: Srnicek, Luque, Huntington, Pattison.

Booked: Solano.

Goals: Sibierski 23, Martins 57 pen, Emre 84.

Reading Hahnemann, Murty (Bikey 90), Sonko, Ingimarsson,Shorey, Oster, Sidwell, Harper, Hunt (Little 36),
Doyle (Lita 81), Ki-Hyeon.

Subs Not Used: Federici, Gunnarsson.

Booked: Murty.

Goals: Harper 37, 42.

Att: 48,182

Ref: R Styles (Hampshire).

STAT ATTACK
Newcastle...Reading
8 Shots On Target 5
6 Shots Off Target 9
11 Fouls (Conceded) 13
1 Corners 8
1 Yellow Cards 1
0 Red Cards 0

[Far Canal]

The Times December 07, 2006

Emre strike helps to lift gloom for struggling Newcastle
George Caulkin

Newcastle United 3 Reading 2

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0, ... 55,00.html

There have been few stranger causes of a stoppage in a professional football match than the sight
that greeted St James’ Park last night when a bird landed roughly on the pitch, flapped its wings forlornly
and was removed by a steward, probably en route to ornithological heaven. For once, the unfortunate
creature in question was not a Magpie.
For long stretches of a frenetic match, during which Newcastle United grasped the advantage, lost it in
idiotic circumstances, recovered and finally won it in the closing moments, the decline of a great football club
was evident. Peppering the evening with individual brilliance and crassness in equal measure, they
emerged defiant and kicking, but the margin was desperately narrow. Reading warranted some sympathy.
Anonymous until James Harper claimed the first of his two goals, they were on the cusp of rising to third in
the table — the highest position in their 135-year history — until Emre Belözoglu broke hearts and resistance
seven minutes from the desperate conclusion with a ferocious shot from the fringes of the area.

Instead, it was Newcastle who could celebrate rising out of the relegation zone into fifteenth place — helped by
West Ham United’s defeat at home to Wigan Athletic — although jubilation was mostly far removed from the agenda.
Antoine Sibierski and Obafemi Martins were the other names on the scoresheet and, in fairness to Glenn Roeder,
the manager, the circumstances spoke of an extraordinary injury list.

On his 100th league appearance in English football, Sibierski recorded his sixth strike for the club he joined to
utter bemusement shortly before the closure of the transfer window. It lifted him above Shola Ameobi to
become the team’s leading scorer and vindicated his contention in the match programme that he had
successfully “won the Newcastle fans overâ€