Will the real Newcastle United please stand up?
WILL the real Newcastle United please stand up?
For the side that comfortably beat Coventry City at St James's Park last night bore no relation to that which struggled on its travels at Pride Park and the Liberty Stadium.
In fact, the team was totally unrecognisable, not in personnel, but performance.
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Those two games bore just one point, and that was scarcely deserved, Andy Carroll salvaging a draw from Swansea City three minutes from time.
Yet for the second successive home game, Chris Hughton's side blew away their visitors, this 4-1 win over Coventry following the 5-1 trouncing of Cardiff City.
Hughton, of course, adopts differing approaches home and away, and his preference for being hard to beat on this season's marathon slog around some of the country's less-fashionable footballing outposts is understandable.
After all, it has seen them lead the Championship for most of the campaign, and while it isn't always easy on the eye, it's got the job done most of the time.
Hughton's latest teamsheet, however, still raised eyebrows, with captain Alan Smith – who has made a huge contribution home and away – dropping down to the bench to accommodate Danny Guthrie in his preferred central midfield role.
That decision proved a masterstroke, as Guthrie was at the heart of everything good about United as they returned to the top of the Championship, with the lethargy which had gripped Smith and Kevin Nolan – who inherited the skipper's armband for the night – against Swansea City gone.
While Wayne Routledge grabbed the headlines with his first goal for the club – a screamer from outside the box – it was Guthrie who was the heartbeat of the side.
Chances in his favoured role have been few and far between this season, so maybe it was no surprise that the former Liverpool man seized this one with both hands.
Yet United still had to do it the hard way after City's Clint Morrison opened the scoring in the 35th minute.
Coventry's lead, however, lasted just two minutes, Routledge smashing a first-time shot past Kieren Westwood after a corner was only half-cleared by the visiting defence.
And Newcastle's second owed everything to a Guthrie ball threaded through for Nolan, whose cross was headed home in the 53rd minute by in-form Andy Carroll for his 10th goal of the season.
It was essentially game over when Peter Lovenkrands converted a penalty conceded by Leon Barnett, who had pulled down Routledge in the box.
Barnett – who had earlier fouled Carroll – was shown a second yellow card, and the defender – who had a nightmare against United in the colours of West Bromwich Albion last season – must dread lining up against the club.
Ryan Taylor wrapped up a good night's work with a goal in injury time, the midfielder combining with fellow substitute Fabrice Pancrate.
The challenge for United, having raised the bar back to where it was a couple of weeks ago, is to do it all again on Saturday.
NEWCASTLE UNITED: Harper; Simpson, Coloccini, Williamson, van Aanholt; Routledge (Pancrate, 83), Guthrie, Nolan, Gutierrez (R Taylor, 83); Carroll, Lovenkrands (Best, 72). Subs not used: Krul, Hall, Smith, Ranger.
COVENTRY CITY: Westwood; Wright, Crainie, Barnett, Wood; Baker, Clingan, Deegan (Gunnarson, 65), McIndoe; Morrison (Sears, 61), Eastwood (Stead, 56). Subs not used: Konstantopoulos; Turner, Hussey, Grandison.
Goals: Morrison 35, Routledge 37, Carroll 53, Lovenkrands 70 (pen), R Taylor 90
Bookings: Deegan 22, Wright 29, Barnett 47, Gunnarson 77
Sent off: Barnett 69
Referee: Steve Tanner (Somerset)
Attendance: 39,334
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Weather for South Shields
Saturday 11 February 2012
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