Post by QPR Report on Feb 5, 2010 22:54:58 GMT
Wayne "He's Not That Good" Routledge playing
newsvote.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/eng_div_1/8495606.stm
Updated Table news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/eng_div_1/table/default.stm
Guardian - Louise Taylor at St James' Park
Cardiff crumble against Newcastle and a rampant Wayne Routledge
Newcastle United 5 Carroll 3, Gyepes (og) 6, Carroll 15, Lovenkrands 69, Lovenkrands 82
Cardiff City 1 Wildig 89
Perhaps Cardiff City were simply dazzled into submission by his lime green boots but Wayne Routledge's fancy footwork proved far too clever for the Championship's fourth placed side on Friday.
With Dave Jones's team quickly crumbling in the face of the winger's advances, Newcastle United extended their unbeaten league run to 15 games while opening up a six-point gap over second-place West Brom at the top of the table.
Routledge's arrival from QPR last month has imbued Newcastle with some much-needed pace, and the winger proved a big reason why his new team cantered to victory. After initially unnerving Cardiff by racing onto an Andy Carroll through-pass and only finding himself denied by Gabor Gyepes's last-ditch intervention, Routledge provided plenty of penalty-area nuisance value at the resulting corner.
Suitably distracted, Cardiff's defence permitted first Fitz Hall and then Kevin Nolan to flick on Danny Guthrie's corner before Andy Caroll applied the close-range, scoring touch. Next Routledge picked out Carroll and when the striker's shot struck a post, the rebound was diverted into his own net by Gyepes. Poor Gyepes was destined to endure something of a nightmare evening in an alarmingly unsteady Welsh back four.
Although Cardiff rallied sufficiently for Ross McCormack to strike the crossbar with a volley from the edge of the area, Carroll soon scored his second, from Danny Simpson's fine right-wing cross.
Presumably less than overjoyed with his team's efforts, Jones sent Cardiff's players out a good five minutes early for the second half. They were left standing around shivering in the bitter Tyneside chill until Newcastle joined them.
Michael Chopra responded to the indignity by very nearly scoring his first senior goal at the club for whom he once played, only for Steve Harper to acrobatically tip his heavily-deflected shot over the bar.
Routledge finally stamped out any thoughts of a Welsh renaissance, his incisive pass sending the substitute Peter Lovenkrands accelerating in on goal before scoring Newcastle's fourth. Suitably inspired, the gifted Lovenkrands went on to jink his way through Cardiff's defence, extend his left foot and dispatch goal number five via the inside of a post.
The only blot on the Geordie lanscape was Aaron Wildig's 89th-minute consolation for Cardiff, not that Jones looked particularly soothed.
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www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/feb/05/newcastle-united-cardiff-city-championship
newsvote.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/eng_div_1/8495606.stm
Updated Table news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/eng_div_1/table/default.stm
Guardian - Louise Taylor at St James' Park
Cardiff crumble against Newcastle and a rampant Wayne Routledge
Newcastle United 5 Carroll 3, Gyepes (og) 6, Carroll 15, Lovenkrands 69, Lovenkrands 82
Cardiff City 1 Wildig 89
Perhaps Cardiff City were simply dazzled into submission by his lime green boots but Wayne Routledge's fancy footwork proved far too clever for the Championship's fourth placed side on Friday.
With Dave Jones's team quickly crumbling in the face of the winger's advances, Newcastle United extended their unbeaten league run to 15 games while opening up a six-point gap over second-place West Brom at the top of the table.
Routledge's arrival from QPR last month has imbued Newcastle with some much-needed pace, and the winger proved a big reason why his new team cantered to victory. After initially unnerving Cardiff by racing onto an Andy Carroll through-pass and only finding himself denied by Gabor Gyepes's last-ditch intervention, Routledge provided plenty of penalty-area nuisance value at the resulting corner.
Suitably distracted, Cardiff's defence permitted first Fitz Hall and then Kevin Nolan to flick on Danny Guthrie's corner before Andy Caroll applied the close-range, scoring touch. Next Routledge picked out Carroll and when the striker's shot struck a post, the rebound was diverted into his own net by Gyepes. Poor Gyepes was destined to endure something of a nightmare evening in an alarmingly unsteady Welsh back four.
Although Cardiff rallied sufficiently for Ross McCormack to strike the crossbar with a volley from the edge of the area, Carroll soon scored his second, from Danny Simpson's fine right-wing cross.
Presumably less than overjoyed with his team's efforts, Jones sent Cardiff's players out a good five minutes early for the second half. They were left standing around shivering in the bitter Tyneside chill until Newcastle joined them.
Michael Chopra responded to the indignity by very nearly scoring his first senior goal at the club for whom he once played, only for Steve Harper to acrobatically tip his heavily-deflected shot over the bar.
Routledge finally stamped out any thoughts of a Welsh renaissance, his incisive pass sending the substitute Peter Lovenkrands accelerating in on goal before scoring Newcastle's fourth. Suitably inspired, the gifted Lovenkrands went on to jink his way through Cardiff's defence, extend his left foot and dispatch goal number five via the inside of a post.
The only blot on the Geordie lanscape was Aaron Wildig's 89th-minute consolation for Cardiff, not that Jones looked particularly soothed.
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www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/feb/05/newcastle-united-cardiff-city-championship
