JOHNGIBSON
GOAL AGAINST ROCHDALE NEEDS TO BE THE FIRST OF MANY FOR BIG BRAZILIAN
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OH the sheer relief, the unbridled on-field joy, the SIMILARITIES.
As we simmer down and head into Premier League resumption against Chelsea at the cathedral on the hill we can still recall the ‘I was there’ moment. Joelinton scored!
Mind you, I’ve seen it all before. Nothing in this goldfish-bowl world of ours is new.
The FA Cup dismissal of Rochdale was duly completed without too much sweat and, glory be, the No.9 actually notched – fine, it was United’s fourth but he was still emotional enough to run excitedly towards Steve Bruce with his ramrod straight arm raised in salute.
It reminded me of when Frank Clark scored Newcastle’s fifth in a League Cup tie here that was already dead and Doncaster Rovers wondered what all the fuss was about.
The comparisons are striking – Joelinton the last of four against minnow opposition and Clark the second last of six against similarly low-level rivals.
Equally the all-round reaction was replicated 46 years after Clarkie’s 1974 escapade. He was engulfed by chortling colleagues, fans went crackers in wonderment, and one of United’s directors took a bottle of champagne into the dressing room to celebrate our local lad’s heroics.
Now I’m not suggesting that a watching Mike Ashley got out the bubbly and hot-footed it downstairs believing that his £40m outlay was at last bearing fruit but Bruce cuddled Joelinton as though he had just won the FA Cup, his coaches queued up likewise dutifully waiting their turn to smother the big Brazilian, and players with grins as wide as the Tyne Bridge duly patted United’s goalscorer on the head.
Both goals were as rare as a dodo spotted strutting along the highway but if Joelinton getting a goal at St James’ Park was not quite as long a wait as Frank put us through, we must remember one was a left-back and the other is a centre-forward!
Clark went on to achieve the ultimate winning the league and European Cup with Brian Clough’s Nottingham
Forest. It will be interesting to see what gongs Joelinton ends up with by the time his race is run.
What is now required is for Joelinton to do what Miggy Almiron did after a seemingly never-ending dry spell. Hit the Premier League goal trail with a vengeance and there would be no better time to start than against Chelsea who are a slightly different proposition to Rochdale. Tomorrow’s visitors are in a Champions League place – fourth in the Premier League – while Rochdale are battling to stay in League One.
United of 74 followed up Clark’s night of fame by beating Manchester City up here 1-0 four days later. Can the modern Mags do that to London’s Pensioners?
Newcastle’s certainly is a topsyturvy world. They lost three on the belt over a disastrous festive period and all was gloom. Now they are unbeaten in the last three and...
But, woah, steady on. Two of the three were against League One Rochdale so we cannot claim that the pendulum has swung totally t’other way.
Facts being facts however we have to be aware of impending danger.
Chelsea have won more away than at home (seven against five), lost less (three against four), and scored more (25 against 14).
Their set of figures are more telling than ours and they have forwards who score.
Tammy Abraham, a kid once coveted by Rafa Benitez on behalf of Newcastle, has 13 Premier League goals which is a darned sight better than Joelinton’s one or United’s top scorer, who has five – though in fairness, Jonjo Shelvey is a midfielder which for him is a fair return.
It’s been all fall down as far as injuries are concerned. Ridiculous really – 13 sidelined at one time.
However, get ‘em all as fit as a fiddle but don’t sign a finisher this transfer window and the run-in to the season will be perilous.
SuperMac always said having a striker like him or Alan Shearer or Jackie Milburn guaranteed there would be no relegation. Not having a consistent top-flight goalscorer who can at least reach double figures means breathing is never easy.
Are we going to rely on Joelinton spectacularly shooting United into mid-table security on the back of a late goal against a beaten Rochdale? Is Ashley, who made a rare visit, suddenly believing his record investment is coming good and consequently will throw a deaf ‘un to his head coach’s forward requests?
Talking of an injury pile-up, if anything happened to Martin Dubravka or Almiron, United would be in trouble. They are stand-out stars.
It’s Chelsea at home and Everton away before more third-tier FA Cup action when Newcastle rather than Oxford ought to graduate.
Cup joy, yes please, but not at the expense of the league or Ashley will believe he was right all along. United have to prove the two can live in harmony as indeed they can.
Amongst the welter of facts and figures going into the Chelsea match is one which tells us Newcastle have taken only a single point from their last four Premier League appearances. One out of 12. That needs instant attention but the opposition threaten to be a mighty obstacle.
In Jose Mourinho’s days, Chelsea found it hard to cash in on our patch but this is Frank Lampard and a different crew.