FANS WILL LUV IT IF THEY BEAT NEW NEWCASTLE
1 Keegan’s exciting Toon are a distant memory as Saudi-backed version face a toxic reception everywhere they go
Benteke 1
BY
REMEMBER when Kevin Keegan’s ‘Great Entertainers’ made Newcastle everyone’s second favourite team? Those days are history.
From the boos and the Crystal Palace fans’ antiSaudi banner (right) to the grim football on the pitch, Toon in 2021 have become the richest, and most despised club, in the land. Worse even than under Mike Ashley.
When Christian Benteke’s late winner was disallowed after a VAR review, Palace fans chanted at referee Darren England, “How much are they paying you?”
And the toxic atmosphere continued after the final whistle with Newcastle subs getting abused by home fans during their post-match warm-down.
The Saudis have not got much of a return on their £300million of sportswashing in their two matches so far.
On the pitch, even Palace boss Patrick Vieira expressed his surprise at the negative approach of a visiting team which had 25 percent possession and went home happy with a point after a ninth game without a win.
Apart from Callum Wilson’s stunning equaliser, the only entertainment Toon offered was making Benteke look like a world beater until he had to find the net. That is something money simply can’t buy.
But until the petro-dollars come on tap in January – and with European champions Chelsea visiting on Saturday – Newcastle threaten to become the unwatchables in their battle against the drop. It is not going to be pretty. Interim boss
Graeme Jones showed the Magpies were up for the fight in his first match when he pushed Luka Milivojevic during a first-half melee (above right). And Jamaal Lascelles was booked for a rugby tackle on Benteke after the break.
The big Belgian striker finally found the net after 56 minutes but he missed two other clear chances before his 86th-minute header was disallowed for Marc Guehi fouling two Newcastle players.
Jones later sent on Miguel Almiron, Joe Willock and Joelinton but admitted his priority had been to stop the defensive blundering which hurt Steve Bruce.
“You have to respect a point in the Premier League,” he said. “But we needed to start with that base. We needed to have a bit of defensive solidity in order to allow Callum and Allan Saint-Maximin to perform.
“Everyone was together, everybody fought for each other so that was pleasing.”
Vieira insisted the Eagles are still a “stronger” team with Wilf
Zaha, who missed the Arsenal match and only came off the bench here following an illness.
“When he is on the field, the opposition don’t react in the same way as when he is not on the field,” said Vieira. “It is good that without him we have created enough chances to win games. But with Wilfried, obviously we are stronger.”