Scousers Put Toon To The Sword!
Last updated : 28 December 2008 By Footy Mad - Editor
Twenty minutes gone and the shots total was Newcastle 1, Liverpool 10.
And that didn't tell the full story!
Shay Given was fabulous, but even he couldn't keep the Red Machine at bay for long.
The England midfielder got the ball rolling with a 31st-minute opener and then after Sami Hyypia and Ryan Babel had struck either side of David Edgar's header, he completed the job with a 66th-minute second.
There was still time for substitute Xabi Alonso to convert a 76th-minute penalty after fellow newcomer David Ngog had been tripped by Edgar to complete a miserable afternoon for Joe Kinnear's injury-ravaged side.
It was a humiliation, make no mistake, but where does the fault lie?
Kinnear put out a side that just about picked itself. Injuries and suspensions took its toll and the Toon boss picked the best of what he was left with.
But with the transfer window open next week, this result and performance could not have come at a worse time ... because there were several players out there who walked off the field and must be considering their futures.
Shay Given is not the only one who has expressed his concern that the Toon squad is not big enough, and Spurs are only one of many clubs who could offer him a road out of St James' Park.
Steven Taylor, Damien Duff, Charles N'Zogbia, Shola Ameobi, Oba Martins, Steve Harper, Nicky Butt and of course ... Michael Owen ... have moaned about the lack of strength in depth. And boy were they right today!
Worrying times, indeed, and the news that owner Mike Ashley (who only four weeks ago said he would not put another penny into the club) is here to stay, is frightening the life out of many!
Newcastle: Given, Edgar, Taylor, Coloccini, Jose Enrique, Gutierrez, Guthrie, Butt, N'Zogbia, Duff, Owen. Subs: Harper, Xisco, Geremi, Ameobi, Kadar, LuaLua, Carroll.
Liverpool: Reina, Carragher, Hyypia, Agger, Insua, Benayoun, Mascherano, Leiva Lucas, Babel, Gerrard, Kuyt. Subs: Cavalieri, Keane, Riera, Alonso, Ngog, El Zhar, Skrtel.