Newcastle Red Bulls
Down, down, down
Captain, scorer, MOTM
By Leipziger
December 27 2008
Our Falcons put in probably their best performance of the league season today, but missed out on a golden opportunity to pull clear of the relegation zone, and the 16-16 draw with Worcester at Kingston Park means we are just three points ahead of Bristol going into 2009. It's going to be a tough few months.
Most fans wouldn't have been happy first off to learn that Danny Williams was not named in the starting team, but that John Rudd would be starting. Carl Hayman was in the 22 for the first time in two months, and whoever said they'd eat their hat if he played any part is presumably frying their headwear as we surf.
The game drew a large (by our standards) crowd of 7,108 on a chilly afternoon in the North East, and while Eoghan Hickey kicked the first points of the day with a penalty, Rory Clegg soon equalised as the Falcons set out their attacking intent.
Even Rudd was making a few metres, although the normally energetic Tom May was shaky under the high ball and his kicking was ineffective. Clegg also didn't have a great game with the boot, though a notable exception came after a quarter of an hour.
With the Falcons battering Worcester's line, Clegg drew the play left before sending over a massive kick to the right touchline, where Phil Dowson caught the ball and crossed the line. For a moment, the crowd had hearts in mouths as Dowse jumped into a defender, before finally grounding the ball.
Clegg's conversion was followed by a second penalty, and we were 13-3 up in an absolute must-win game.
However, Worcester got back into the game with two penalties and while Hayman came on in the first half and had a good game, it was at this point that Adam Balding was sin-binned.
Clegg and Hickey missed penalties before half time, but we were in the lead and that was all that mattered. Full time now, anyone? Now the stage was set for the biggest 40 minutes of our season so far.
Clegg extended our lead to seven points with another penalty, but dropped a quick throw-in leading to Worcester having a prolonged attack. The Warriors went over but under a pile of bodies referee Sean Davey gave a scrum, and after a few more phases Pat Sanderson drove through a defender and stretched to ground on the line. Dang.
Hickey's conversion flew high, and looked to many in the South Stand as if it went wide. Yet the touch judges raised their flags and things were all square.
The Falcons hammered Worcester for most of the last ten minutes, including probably a good three or more minutes after the zero, but our best chance went in the corner when Worcester apparently went over the top but at any rate we lost the ball. Finally, they won possession and kicked out, and the disappointment was obvious. We had blown a massive chance for a win and lost two priceless points.
Thank heavens for Gloucester winning at Bristol today and denying them a bonus point, although the Tractor Boys are coming north in January and have a good record here. Irish should be one of our more winnable away games – even with their form this season, we just have to win there now.
Yes, we played well today, and there were good shows from Tim Visser, Micky Young, Hayman and Brent Wilson, while Dowse got man of the match and Tane Tu'ipulotu put in for me one of his best games for us. We created a lot of opportunities but in the end we didn't convert them.
Is it better to at least be playing well when we're not winning, as Hull City manager Phil Brown suggested recently? I'm not sure, as if we are playing well and losing that is worrying as we should then be winning. But if we go back to playing badly and losing, as we have for much of this season, how long do we wait for it to click? Until after we've lost to Bristol and they are too far ahead of us to be caught?
If anyone at Kingston Park didn't believe before today that we are in the s**t, they should've been given a big Tom May-boot up the backside. Now we are even deeper in that we have drawn our most winnable game left this season.
The stress this team puts us through is incredible. In the second half I couldn't watch yet couldn't turn away, and my throat is probably just one of the few that will be sore tomorrow, but it's come to little. Sometimes I wish I could just stop caring.
I recently met a girl who has no interest in team sports at all, and can't understand why I keep going around the country to watch a team which keeps losing. The honest answer is I don't know, apart from that I love this club. I told her she was lucky – she'd never know the stressful, tension-filled, elation-one-minute-deflation-the-next, grossly-hypocritical world of supporting a team. What did we all do to deserve this?
On the plus side, thanks to everyone who made a fantastic atmosphere today. There was a lot of noise and without it we may well have lost, so those of you shouting and singing, well done.
Happy new year and see yous at either Irish or the Gloucester match. Onwards and upwards!
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Stumbleupon27/12/2008 20:46
Don't forget yer kilt!
Will decide on the 'kilt' later in the week... maybe we all wear kilts until the team wins another league game?
![[:wor kid:]](/phorum-5.1.15/mods/smileys/images/13.gif "[:wor kid:]")
Anneke...way to see it on the positive!!
Tom May caugh the BOOT bug off CLOGG - trying a DG from 1/2 way, that was charged down anyway???
And then the CLOGG gives a kwik line-out to hissel, but decides to trip up, from which WUSTA get possession, keep possession a bit, and score a try!
Bates must be instilling the law of the boot into these useless gits, so Bates MUST GO!! What does CLOGG do for warm up b4 the game? Plays kicky-patsy with Mark Wilko! Can't they try running with the ball? beating the oppossition with body movement and deception? Fast hands we need, not big boots!!
Hurry back Jonny; come back Blacky! And thank you Bris for losing!!
Clegg had a good game yesterday I thought and got the backs going a few times with good passing or did you just miss those bits?
I suppose Jonny never warms up with his borther either - I must have imagined that in the past.
He was absolutely right to take the throw-in to himself, rather than risk a standard line-out close to our try-line, albeit on our throw. The Worcester forwards were all over us in the line-outs, and would have had a very decent chance of winning the line-out.
Clegg is one of the few players with enough guts to risk taking the initiative, and we need a few more like him in the side. Please give the kid some credit. He's getting hammered (`Calamity Clegg', according to one headline) even though there were several phases of play before the try was scored.
He is a young player who will one day play for England, although the Falcons will probably have dumped him by then, as they have already done with other young stars (notably, Flood and Tait).
Now - where can I get a very very very warm kilt then?
Ok, so no criticism for the decision but surely you should be critical of the execution?
1. We are'nt getting in anymore players in before the end of he season.
2. Johnny is out for the foreseeable future.
3. Like it or lump it we have to play with the cards we are dealt with.
Any chance you could support Leicester next year?
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