All posts by h79snht.top

It’s that time in the week when the weekend’s Premier League fixtures are on the horizon and fantasy football players are looking to make tweaks to their teams. Before you do, see what the experts have to say about this weekend’s Premiership matches, with one of the most eye-catching matches being Arsenal’s visit to Goodison Park to face Everton on Sunday. The footy journalists are undecided on the outcome of this game, but FootballFanCast.com writer Karl Sears has gone for a home win for the Toffees. You can see the rest of his Premier League predictions here, but if you trust the experts more see their Premiership predictions in full here.

Martin Lipton:

[youtube lNb_A3RV-Cc]

Andy Dunn:

[youtube ovW5DrVvrp4]

Do you agree with the Premier League predictions made this week?

Football Writers’ Association Predictions – Week 14

Overall standings

1. Steve Bates – 61 (4)

2. Martin Lipton – 61 (5)

3. Shaun Custis – 60 (6)

4. Andy Dunn – 60 (6)

5. Danny Fullbrook – 59 (5)

6. Des Kelly – 59 (1)

7. Glenn Moore – 55 (3)

8. Patrick Barclay -50 (3)

November standings:

1. Shaun Custis – 6

2. Andy Dunn – 6

3. Danny Fullbrook – 5

4. Martin Lipton – 5

5. Steve Bates – 4

6. Patrick Barclay – 3

7. Glenn Moore – 3

8. Des Kelly – 1

–

Patrick Barclay (The Times)

Home Team

Away Team

Man City

V

Birmingham

H

Newcastle

V

Fulham

H

Tottenham

V

Blackburn

H

West Ham

V

Blackpool

H

Wigan

V

West Brom

D

Wolves

V

Bolton

D

Stoke

V

Liverpool

D

Everton

V

Arsenal

D

Chelsea

V

Sunderland

H

Notts F

V

QPR

A

Stoke v Liverpool: Point for Pulis, with a little help from the ref?

Des Kelly (Daily Mail)

Home Team

Away Team

Man City

V

Birmingham

H

Newcastle

V

Fulham

D

Tottenham

V

Blackburn

H

West Ham

V

Blackpool

D

Wigan

V

West Brom

D

Wolves

V

Bolton

A

Stoke

V

Liverpool

D

Everton

V

Arsenal

H

Chelsea

V

Sunderland

H

Notts F

V

QPR

A

Newcastle v Fulham: Fulham are the away draw specialists of the Premier League. I’m banking on another.

Shaun Custis (The Sun)

Home Team

Away Team

Man City

V

Birmingham

H

Newcastle

V

Fulham

H

Tottenham

V

Blackburn

H

West Ham

V

Blackpool

H

Wigan

V

West Brom

D

Wolves

V

Bolton

H

Stoke

V

Liverpool

D

Everton

V

Arsenal

A

Chelsea

V

Sunderland

H

Notts F

V

QPR

D

Everton v Arsenal: You just don’t know what Arsenal will come up with at the moment but they have enough quality to win at Goodison.

Head to the next page for more football predictions…

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

Andy Dunn (News of the World)

Home Team

Away Team

Man City

V

Birmingham

H

Newcastle

V

Fulham

D

Tottenham

V

Blackburn

H

West Ham

V

Blackpool

H

Wigan

V

West Brom

A

Wolves

V

Bolton

A

Stoke

V

Liverpool

A

Everton

V

Arsenal

H

Chelsea

V

Sunderland

H

Notts F

V

QPR

A

Man City v Birmingham: If Carlos Tevez fires, it’s tough to see City not getting maximum points from this game – a home banker.

Martin Lipton (The Mirror)

Home Team

Away Team

Man City

V

Birmingham

H

Newcastle

V

Fulham

D

Tottenham

V

Blackburn

D

West Ham

V

Blackpool

H

Wigan

V

West Brom

H

Wolves

V

Bolton

H

Stoke

V

Liverpool

A

Everton

V

Arsenal

A

Chelsea

V

Sunderland

H

Notts F

V

QPR

D

Tottenham v Blackburn: Spurs seem to be suffering from their Euro exertions and Rovers will be looking to turn this into a real physical battle. Sam Allardyce will think he can leave N17 with a crucial point.

Steve Bates (The People)

Home Team

Away Team

Man City

V

Birmingham

H

Newcastle

V

Fulham

D

Tottenham

V

Blackburn

H

West Ham

V

Blackpool

H

Wigan

V

West Brom

D

Wolves

V

Bolton

A

Stoke

V

Liverpool

A

Everton

V

Arsenal

H

Chelsea

V

Sunderland

H

Notts F

V

QPR

A

West Ham v Blackpool: The Hammers’ only chance of survival this season is winning their home games. And if you can’t beat a promoted team like Blackpool on your own patch you don’t deserve to stay up. West Ham to nick it by the odd goal.

Danny Fulbrook (Daily Star)

Home Team

Away Team

Man City

V

Birmingham

H

Newcastle

V

Fulham

A

Tottenham

V

Blackburn

H

West Ham

V

Blackpool

D

Wigan

V

West Brom

A

Wolves

V

Bolton

D

Stoke

V

Liverpool

A

Everton

V

Arsenal

A

Chelsea

V

Sunderland

H

Notts F

V

QPR

D

Chelsea v Sunderland: This should be a walk in the park for the champions

Glenn Moore (The Independent)

Home Team

Away Team

Man City

V

Birmingham

H

Newcastle

V

Fulham

H

Tottenham

V

Blackburn

H

West Ham

V

Blackpool

A

Wigan

V

West Brom

A

Wolves

V

Bolton

D

Stoke

V

Liverpool

D

Everton

V

Arsenal

D

Chelsea

V

Sunderland

H

Notts F

V

QPR

D

Wolves v Bolton: Two improving teams with big wins recently, and who just might cancel each other out.

The terms losing matches, defeat and disarray aren’t those that you would have associated with Chelsea back in September but today is another story. After the departure of Ray Wilkins Chelsea fell apart, it might have had nothing to do with the axe but to the assuming fan it looked that way. After winning just one of their last six games and falling down to fourth in the table who knows what will happen over the festive period.

The sacking of Ray Wilkins and the affect it has had on the team has not been spoken about much by the players but Florent Malouda spoke to Sky Sports about the ‘strange’ decision this week. He said: “Ray was close to the players and in training he was involved in the animation of the sessions. It was a big strain to see him leave like this and we were not prepared for that.

“I first heard what had happened in the afternoon when it was announced. It was a shock. What we need is stability and obviously the players cannot react to this decision. We can’t use it as an excuse and the fans do not want excuses for why we have not been winning but good performances to turn it around.”

Several of Chelsea’s star players have been absent of late, with injuries to John Terry and Frank Lampard and the suspension of Michael Essien, which too could have accounted for Chelsea’s fall in form. Without these players Chelsea seem to have lost their spark and the Premier League title seems to be falling from their grasp. In saying all this they’re all back now. Lampard has been missing since August and his return is bound to boost morale in camp. The midfielder has been speaking to The Daily Telegraph this week, and he believes Chelsea can still win the title.

Lampard said: “Injuries have been tough on us and some months tough on us. But with the spirit and ability we have got in our team if we play like that, I have confidence we can do it. It is very tough. We will have to fight on a few fronts. Man City are there now, Arsenal, Man United, as we know. Teams like Tottenham are pushing from behind. So we have to be at our best, but if we are at our best I think we can win it.”

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

With Chelsea’s slide in performance also comes rumours regarding manager Carlo Ancelotti. Italian newspaper Impero Romanista claimed that Ancelotti has been deemed a possible candidate to takeover as manager of Roma. Questioning Ancelotti’s commitment can only be detrimental to Chelsea’s season so the team need to look past the rumours and the reports and focus on performing on the pitch. With tough games against Manchester United and Arsenal ahead Chelsea will need to step up if they want to be counted in the title race.

It was a case of déjà vu for Newcastle at St James’ Park today as for the second time in a week Alan Pardew’s men were denied all three points by an injury time equaliser. Last week it was Sunderland’s Asamoah Gyan who spoiled the party, and Tottenham’s Aaron Lennon took on that role today as Newcastle drew 1-1 with Spurs.

After a fairly tight first half, Newcastle went ahead just before the hour mark as Fabricio Coloccini chested down a Danny Guthrie cross-field pass and slammed it into the back of the net. Tottenham had a fair amount of possession without creating a great deal, and first Peter Lovenkrands, then Shola Ameobi and finally Nile Ranger had a chance to make it 2-0, before the inevitable happened and Lennon went down the other end in stoppage time to equalise.

So what were the FIVE things we learnt about Newcastle today?

[divider]

Reigning champions Chelsea were forced to an FA Cup fourth-round replay after being held to a 1-1 draw by Everton on Saturday.

At a sunny Goodison Park, a tight first half saw scores remain deadlocked before David Moyes’ side came out firing in the second period.

Former Manchester United striker Louis Saha gave the hosts a deserved lead after 62 minutes and they could have gone two in front moments later, but Michael Essien produced a superb block to keep Everton’s lead at just one goal.

Essien’s intervention proved crucial as Chelsea quickly re-grouped and snared a 75th minute equaliser, with Salomon Kalou coming off the bench to keep his side’s FA Cup hopes alive.

Brazilian midfielder Ramires hit the post with a stunning shot from distance in the dying stages, but Everton clung on for a replay at Stamford Bridge, which will cause further congestion in Chelsea’s fixture as they look to mount a title push.

Crawley Town became the first non-league side to reach the fifth round in 17 years after a 1-0 away win at League Two side Torquay.

After a victory over Championship outfit Derby County in the fourth round, Matthew Tubbs kept Crawley’s fairytale run alive with a 39th minute goal, his eighth strike in just seven games.

When Torquay striker Chris Zebroski was given a second yellow card in as many minutes and sent off, Tubbs had the chance to double Crawley’s lead from the penalty spot.

But the striker, who has scored 23 goals in 22 Conference matches for his club this season, missed his penalty and kept the match alive.

Despite Crawley defender Dean Howell’s 83rd minute sending off, Torquay could not muster a late equaliser as 1200 travelling fans celebrated a famous victory.

In other games, Robert Pires was on the scoresheet as Aston Villa defeated Blackburn Rovers 3-1, while in the day’s other all-Premier League tie Bolton and Wigan played out a goalless draw at the Reebok Stadium.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

Kevin Phillips struck the winner as Birmingham came from two goals down to defeat Coventry City 3-2, while a Chris Eagles double helped Burnley to a 3-1 home win over League Two strugglers Burton Albion.

League One leaders Brighton and Hove Albion surprised Championship high-flyers Watford with a 1-0 away win, while another League One side caused an upset with Leyton Orient toppling Swansea 2-1 thanks to Alan Tate’s 88th minute own goal.

Shane Long scored with just three minutes remaining to give Reading a 2-1 away win at Stevenage and Clinton Morrison scored two second-half penalties in Sheffield Wednesday’s come-from-behind 4-1 win over Hereford United.

Sunderland boss Steve Bruce has ruled out breaking the bank on a big-name replacement for Darren Bent.

Bent, the club’s leading goal-scorer so far this season, left Sunderland for Aston Villa on Tuesday in a record transfer worth an initial 17 million pounds, rising to 24 million with add-ons.

And Bruce has moved quickly to quash expectations that the bulk of the funds will be reinvested in a direct replacement for the former Charlton and Tottenham Hotspur striker.

“I have to tell all the Sunderland fans if they think I am going to go out for a marquee signing and spend 20 million pounds, it’s not going to happen,” Bruce said.

“We have got to look and make sure we are patient and hope. I will try to bring in a couple of bodies that will help us in the short term, and look to go again in the summer.”

“We are looking … but it is like puppies at Christmas – you don’t just go and buy one for the sake of it because they do need nurturing and looking after.”

“We will make sure we try to do our homework. We have got a couple of irons in the fire and we will bring the right people to the club.”

“Of course, people will try to take my pants down and try to give me a smacking, but we will be okay with that.”

“I am sure people will try it on, but I’m a bit long in the tooth for that.”

Bruce has been closely linked with a move for Stoke City forward Ricardo Fuller, who may struggle for first-team opportunities if Villa’s John Carew arrives at the Britannia Stadium.

“To be fair, we are putting the net far and we know there are certain individuals who could be available.”

“Ricardo Fuller could be one of those, but we have got the irons in the fire, four or five as we speak.”

“I like Ricardo Fuller, I think he has been a very good player in the Premier League, and we will see.”

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

“Just watch this space for the next 24, 48 hours.”

Bruce also confirmed that Paris Saint-Germaine forward Stephane Sessegnon could be on his way to the Stadium of Light.

“That is a possibility as we speak – but it has been a possibility for two weeks, so we are hoping.”

“We are trying now to exhaust every avenue and see what is available at this particular time.”

At the turn of the year, Tottenham were being discussed as genuine title contenders. Now, only a month on, the club have a long way to go to achieve Champions League football next season. Any title challenge would appear to have evaporated.

But what are the reasons for this sudden change? The 4-0 humbling at Craven Cottage in the 4th round of the FA Cup continued a worrying goal drought and was the sort of team performance not seen since Juande Ramos was in charge at White Hart Lane.

Have Spurs’ high-flying players begun to listen to the plaudits directed at them in the press? It seems many of the key protagonists over the last few weeks have really struggled to maintain the standards they set themselves during the autumn.

It is a sad reality of the British media, but the acclaim directed at players such as Gareth Bale, Rafael van der Vaart and Luka Modric has been a little far fetched. Bale in particular has seen his stock rise from an unpredictable left-back, a statistical anomaly on the fringes of the Tottenham squad, to a player rated as one of the best in Europe, almost exclusively because he can run fast.

His hat trick against Inter Milan and performance in the return fixture looks likely to win him a nomination for the PFA player of the year award, even though European exploits shouldn’t strictly be included in consideration for the accolade.

As Bale steamed past the Inter right back, Maicon, that night in the San Siro, pundits were quick to pronounce the Tottenham star as having the beating of “the best right back in the world.” Really? The Brazilian looked that night to possess all the pace and desire of a curry filled Kevin Pressman without hamstrings.

This is of course not Bale’s fault, and he has shown enough growth and promise to suggest he can be something very special, but praise of the nature he has received would affect even the most level-headed of players.

Many of Tottenham’s players have failed to quite deliver in the league games that have mattered most. The come-from-behind win at the Emirates was brilliant, but Spurs should have put a shaky Chelsea side away at White Hart Lane before Christmas and have undone much of their early season work by dropping points at St James’ Park and losing away at Everton.

The biggest disappointment was the negative performance against Manchester United, when the league leaders came to town in January. One Peter Crouch effort aside, Spurs looked listless going forward and in the biggest test of the club’s attacking flair, only Luka Modric’s endeavour and industry came out of the fixture with much credit.

The exultant praise is, however, not limited to the players. Harry Redknapp already appears a nailed on certainty to be Fabio Capello’s successor as England manager, the former concerns about the Spurs boss forgotten in a wave of sycophantic euphoria. Many plaudits have also forgotten the quite incredible amount of money Redknapp has been credited with which to build his squad. Imagine if David Moyes, for example, was allowed half those funds to spend at Goodison Park.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

Fans of the club will point to the lack of goals coming from the team’s front men. Each of Jermain Defoe, Peter Crouch and Roman Pavlyuchenko have failed to match the endeavours of the creative players around them and would suggest it is this rather than the squad’s leading lights resting on their laurels that has cost Spurs over the last few weeks.

Whatever the reason for Tottenham’s recent dip in performance, there remains a massive amount for followers of the North London club to be optimistic about. Whilst the January transfer window may have promised much but delivered little, Spurs have a very fine squad with which to tackle the key fixtures at home and abroad during the remainder of the campaign. This is a group of players capable of significant European glory. Harry Redknapp may do well, however, to stop his players reading the papers over the next few weeks in an effort to keep their feet on the ground, at least for now.

If you would like to keep up to date with my latest posts when I am out and about, feel free to follow me on Twitter.

Manchester United have the advantage in their Champions League tie with Marseille despite a goalless draw in the first leg on Wednesday.Alex Ferguson’s side had the better chances to win the game but United will be confident of overcoming their French opponents when the two meet at Old Trafford on March 15 – even without finding a crucial away goal at the Stade Velodrome.The visitors made the brighter start to the game and attacked with purpose, with Nani shooting wide after Dimitar Berbatov’s neat lay-off and Darren Fletcher and Wayne Rooney sending in menacing crosses which United failed to capitalise on.Nani then earned a free-kick after theatrically throwing himself to the turf following Souleymane Diawara’s foul.And while the Portuguese winger sent the ball straight into the wall, Fletcher’s follow-up drive forced Marseille goalkeeper Steve Mandana into a smart save low down to his right.Both sides tried to stamp their authority on the game with extended periods of possession but neither United nor Marseille created much in the way of chances.Gabriel Heinze, who played under Ferguson for three years and left United in 2007, clipped in a cross that Brazilian striker Brandao acrobatically sent towards goals but it proved no trouble for Edwin van der Sar.Striker Andre Ayew then caught van der Sar napping as his corner almost flew directly in at the near post, but the veteran Dutchman recovered to smother the ball as the first half petered out.Marseille began the second 45 minutes with more intent, knowing they had to make the most of their home advantage in front of a vocal crowd inside the Stade Velodrome.Brandao stooped to connect with Lucho Gonzalez’s cross but could only direct his header straight at van der Sar, while moments later the striker was inches away from connecting with Ayew’s powerful low cross.United were on the back-foot and their midfield struggled to contain the lively Gonzalez, who was pulling all the strings for the hosts – but the Argentine just couldn’t find the killer pass.Ayew pulled a left-foot strike across goal in the 62nd minute, but it went well wide of lurking team-mate Brandao at the far post.The injection of veteran Paul Scholes to replace Darron Gibson in midfield with 20 minutes remaining inevitably had little effect on the scoreline.Berbatov tried his luck from distance as the visitors looked to get back into the match, while Frenchman Patrice Evra – booed throughout after his involvement in France’s World Cup fiasco – threatened down the left.But while the Premier League side nor Marseille could break the deadlock, advantage belongs to United for the second leg as their dreams of another treble-winning season continue.

Bobby Zamora came off the bench to hit his first league goal at Craven Cottage in over a year to settle Fulham’s clash with Blackburn 3-2.

Former Blackburn favourite Damien Duff had struck twice for Fulham but Mark Hughes’ side were unable to hold on to their lead in the English Premier League encounter, with Grant Hanley and David Hoilett twice equalising for Rovers.

But Zamora, in his first league appearance since recovering from a broken leg, slid home the winner in the very last minute from the penalty spot.

Before the game, Fulham manager Mark Hughes insisted that his side was looking upwards and not downwards in the Premier League.

Blackburn, who started the day level on points with the West Londoners, will also be highly confident of beating the drop this season.

But safety is still some way from being confirmed for either side, though both teams seemed to be simply going through the motions with precious little goalmouth action in the uninspired opening stages at Craven Cottage.

It was not until the half-hour mark that either could fashion a chance, when Blackburn keeper Paul Robinson stopped smartly from midfielder Dickson Etuhu’s low effort.

It was Etuhu who set up Fulham’s opener seven minutes later when he picked out Damien Duff.

The winger, who spent seven years as a Blackburn player, cut on to his favoured left foot and drilled a fierce strike past Robinson with the aid of a deflection.

The home side’s lead lasted less than eight minutes, however, as Blackburn equalized on the stroke of half-time through Grant Hanley.

The Cottagers failed to clear from a corner, and Hanley’s deflected strike completely wrong-footed Mark Schwarzer and flew into the corner.

But his defensive partner Chris Samba almost handed Fulham the lead within three minutes of the re-start.

Samba got it all wrong when Duff fizzed in a low cross and only managed to slice it towards his own goal.

But with Robinson beaten, the ball bounced off the crossbar and out for a corner.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

Duff put his side back in front in the 59th minute.

Again, Robinson might have done better with the snap shot, which flew inside his near post.

As before, the lead lasted less than 10 minutes as Blackburn drew level through David Hoilett who, teed-up by Jason Roberts, smashed a volley past Schwarzer.

But Fulham finally landed their knockout punch when Bobby Zamora made no mistake from the penalty spot with less than sixty seconds left on the clock.

Recently Norwich City were involved in complicated transfer negotiations with Peterborough United regarding their star striker Craig McKail-Smith. That sentence alone may lead to confusion, because the transfer window closed at the end of January. However, the loan window remained open until as recently as this Thursday. But loan deals should not be complicated and at no point should transfer fees be discussed.

A problem may present itself when the parent club doesn’t really want to loan the player out. When this happens a transfer may effectively be agreed with the player joining initially on loan. Sometimes these types of deals are called loans with a view to a permanent transfer, but more often than not the transfer has already been agreed.

[ad_pod id=’unruly’ align=’right’]

The situation is understandable from the parent club, but why should the club getting the loan player in be committed to signing that player for a set fee in the summer? This appeared to be what Peterborough were attempting to engineer. The fact is they very nearly managed to do it, but they decided to up their demands at the last minute and the deal was off. That level of greed may come back at them, because the player’s contract is up in summer 2012 and they may end up selling for a small fee this summer.

I can’t help thinking that a loan deal should always be a loan deal and nothing more; if deals like this continue to be made then the name may have to be changed from emergency loan window to covert transfer window. It appears though that there can sometimes be a get out clause and an example of that would be Shola Ameobi’s proposed move to Stoke. When Stoke were still a Championship club Shola arrived on loan and the transfer was said to agreed, but in the summer the deal was called off. In many ways this is a concept behind some loan deals and it can be a try before you buy opportunity. There is really no need for commitment beyond the length of the loan.

The fact of the matter is a player should either be available for loan or not and transfers should not be arranged until the summer. There is also the argument that a player should not be allowed to join a club on loan, if they are already due to join that same club when the transfer window opens. Loan deals can be complicated enough with loan fees and portion of wages for transfer agreements to be included as well.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

[ad_pod id=’elbow-2′ align=’center’]

Newcastle and Wolves head into their English Premier League clash at St James’ Park on the back of contrasting runs of form.

For Alan Pardew’s Newcastle, March was a month they would rather forget with two losses from their only two fixtures, including a 4-0 mauling at the hands of Stoke at Britannia Stadium.

More troubling for Pardew is the fact his side have won just once in their past nine league games, and are 11th on the table, just four points clear of the relegation zone.

The relegation zone is where Mick McCarthy’s Wolves side have spent the bulk of the 2010-11 season, but they head into Saturday’s game on the back of their most promising form of the campaign.

Wolves are unbeaten in their past four league games and have claimed 11 out of a possible 18 points since February 5 – the day they memorably snapped Manchester United’s 29-game unbeaten streak with a gritty 2-1 win at Molineux.

For Newcastle, Pardew is sweating on the fitness of left-back Jose Enrique, after the Spaniard limped off during the drubbing at Stoke with a hamstring injury.

Striker Leon Best is a chance to return from an ankle problem, while Argentine winger Jonas Gutierrez is also under a cloud with a thigh strain. Cheik Tiote misses out through suspension.

Wolves, meanwhile, will be without Kevin Doyle after the Irish international injured knee ligaments in his country’s 2-1 win over Macedonia in Euro 2012 qualifying over the weekend.

Irish winger Stephen Hunt is a chance to resume after overcoming a calf strain, and defender Michael Mancienne is making good progress after a knee injury.