We knew they would come out inspired at St James’ Park…but 6-0? 6-0?!?!? That’s not a Newcastle game. That’s a Chelsea game. Or an English Ruby Union Test. Or a High Court vote for chrissakes. That’s not the scoreline of a team that only recently returned to the nations Premiership division. One who embarrassed themselves 3-0 last week. Not with a team packed with talent that was too old (Steve Harper), too slow (Kevin Nolan), or too crazy (Joey Barton) to prosper – and yet prosper they did, giving Newcastle fans a game they will remember for a long, long time.
Of course, no significant Newcastle day would be complete without Joey Barton doing what he can to balls it up – this time by stirring up controversy over giving what looked like a Nazi salute in celebration of the Toons impending victory. Nonsense, of course, claims Barton, who was merely “”pointing out that the moustache was going to go after the game,”. He later continued “”I’ll be shaving the moustache off now that we have won. There are a few of the lads desperate to get it off. It is either the end of my moustache or the end of my relationship, so I’m glad it is going.”
In Joey’s defence, the joy of shaving off a ridiculous moustache, and the impending demise of a relationship due to these aforementioned moustaches is something many of us have experienced during the difficult Movember period. On behalf of guys everywhere, I think we can let this one slide.
The real questions then to come from the afternoon don’t relate so much to Joey Barton’s political tendencies or facial hair concerns, as much as they do to Aston Villa improbably dropping of the ball in the second game of the season. The Villans finished in the top 6 last year, and were favoured by the bookies to push the big boys once again this time around. A 6-0 loss to Newcastle following that display is like getting a century at Lloyds against the Aussies and then getting bowled for a duck in the back yard against the kids.
It may not yet be panic time at Villa Park, but that time is coming. For now let’s suffice to say that the search for a new Manager following Martin O’Neill’s shock departure has officially turned serious
