Newcastle United relegation review 2008-09

There's a phrase which tells you that you should never meet your heroes because they will only disappoint you.

Well, I didn't have to meet the bunch of overpaid, over-hyped wasters in which I have invested all my hope to be let down by them.

I just watched them from Level 7 at St James Park all season with an increasingly desperate realisation that they weren't good enough.

After just seven wins (five at home) and 34 points, they were undoubtledly not good enough.

And to think the season started so optimistically after the late-season recovery under Kevin Keegan in 2007-08.

A point at Old Trafford was followed up by a tight home win against Bolton Wanderers and a fine attacking display in beating Coventry City 3-2 in the League Cup.

Little did we think that the 3-0 reverse at the Emirates against Arsenal, the third such defeat in 2008, would be the last match of Keegan's second spell as manager.

Rumours began circulating as early as Tuesday that Keegan had resigned, citing Mike Ashley's ridiculous management structure which placed the odious Dennis Wise and a casino boss Derek Llambias above him in the St James Park pecking order.

It also became apparent that James Milner had been allowed to leave for Aston Villa without his agreement and that many of the signings had been sanctioned by Wise, not Keegan.

On the Thursday of that week, the rumours became fact and Keegan, sticking by his principles, decided he had no choice but to abandon the club again.

A tumultuous day at St James Park included fan protests against the board while on the pitch United lost 2-1 at home to Hull, a result which would end up having far more significance than originally realised.

Further defeats against West Ham United (1-3 away), Spurs (1-2 home in the League Cup) and Blackburn (1-2 home) further eroded confidence before Ashley pulled the next rabbit out his hat by dragging Joe Kinnear in from the wilderness.

Kinnear had last managed four years previously when he was relieved of his position as Nottingham Forest headed down to League One.

But he started with two 2-2 draws, including a fighting display against Manchester City after Habib Beye suffered one of the worst red cards of the season thanks to the incompetence of referee Rob Styles.

This was followed, however, by a 2-1 loss away in Sunderland, the first away defeat in the derby since 1980 and the first in the top flight since 1967.

Kinnear recovered his position as United won two league matches in a row for the first time all season by beating West Brom and Aston Villa at home within a week.

But this was followed by five matches without a win, four of which were draws.

Two of the draws were credible stalemates away at Chelsea and Boro. But both the home draws against Wigan and Stoke involved surrendering leads in the last minute.

United enjoyed some good pre-Christmas form by beating Portsmouth 3-0 away in their longest trip of the season and then scoring in the last minute to beat Spurs 2-1.

It left the Toon in 12th place on Christmas morning but the league remained extremely tight.

And so, the annual Boxing Day loss to Wigan - followed up by the 5-1 home mauling against Liverpool - dragged United back into trouble.

It also signalled the end of Shay Given's Newcastle United career as he handed in a transfer request and moved to Manchester City.

Charles N'Zogbia also moved - to Wigan after a public falling-out with Kinnear with Ryan Taylor coming in the opposite direction.

Kevin Nolan and Peter Lovenkrands were also brought in the club.

The FA Cup brought little joy with defeat in a home replay against Hull City after a 0-0 draw at the KC Stadium.

This was followed by further league defeats at Blackburn Rovers, now managed by Fat Sam Allardyce, and Manchester City.

Then a second embarrassing derby defeat of the season was avoided only when Shola Ameobi converted a controversial penalty to equalise.

A win eventually arrived in the disposing of rock-bottom West Brom 3-2 away on a day when their defence turned out to be even worse than ours.

But the three points came at the cost of Kinnear's health as his well-known heart problem once again reared its ugly head.

Ashley, who had clearly not prepared for such an eventuality, placed Chris Hughton and another former failed Forest boss Colin Calderwood in charge.

But, after taking charge of the win at the Hawthorns, they oversaw just two further points from the next five matches.

Encouraging losses against Manchester United and Arsenal (when United should have been 2-0 ahead before collapsing after 60 minutes) were offset by a meek loss at Bolton (0-1) and more dropped points against Hull City (1-1).

Then, on the eve of April Fools Day, Newcastle United shocked the country once again by appointing Alan Shearer as their fourth manager of the season until the end of the campaign.

Shearer faced a tough first match against Chelsea and the same failings were evident.

Having got in level against top-four opposition for the third match, United went on to lose the second half.

A potentially crushing loss at Stoke City was avoided when Andy Carroll headed home with less than ten minutes to go to give Shearer his first point.

But a 1-0 loss at Spurs was followed by two further matches without a goal - a 0-0 stalemate against Portsmouth and a 3-0 defeat to Liverpool which could have been much worse.

An eight-day break allowed United to build up to their biggest match since 1992 - against Middlesbrough.

For once, the players performed with Mark Viduka in particularly inspired form to help United come from behind to beat Boro 3-1.

But still Newcastle went down. A tame 1-0 home loss against Fulham was followed up by a final-day whimper against Aston Villa by the same score.

Thanks to the constant favours of the other incompetent teams, an equaliser in either match would have kept Newcastle up.

But with a clueless board, an inexperienced manager and a bunch of gutless players, it was never going to happen.

The following players made more than nine appearances for the club during the 2008/09 relegation season:

(1) SHAY GIVEN 4.5/10 -
26 appearances
Unsurprisingly disgruntled with the 5-1 home defeat to Liverpool despite the latest of so many man-of-the-match performances over the years. But could also be seen as abandoning ship prematurely.

(2) FABRICIO COLOCCINI 1/10 -
37 appearances
An absolutely dreadful signing for £10m. Started reasonably in the opening matches but could not cope with the pressure of a relegation battle after his confidence was destroyed by that Liverpool defeat.

(3) JOSE ENRIQUE 4/10 -
27 appearances (including one as sub)
A much improved player this season with more attacking flair and defensive solidity. Still has the irritating tendency to waste some good positions with poor distribution, however.

(4) KEVIN NOLAN 2.5/10 -
10 appearances (including one as sub)
The highly-regarded signing of the ex-Bolton captain failed to improve United's woeful midfield running, except for the match against Boro. Overall, he replicated his performance at St James for Bolton early in the season (when he missed a penalty) over and over again. Ridiculous tackle in getting sent off against Everton.

(7) JOEY BARTON 1/10 -
9 appearances (including three as sub), 1 goal
In hindsight (which is a wonderful thing), should have been ditched after his brutal assault in Liverpool last Christmas. A thug who has been able to show little of his apparent talent since arriving at the club due to injury/suspension/jail terms. Stupidly sent off against Liverpool, denying him a chance to redeem himself in the run-in.

(8) DANNY GUTHRIE 3/10 -
26 appearances (including three as sub), 2 goals
possibly the best crosser of a ball at the club as demonstrated on the opening day for Martins' goal at Old Trafford and again at Boro. He is horribly inconsistent, though, and suffered the same malaise in being unable to pass the ball properly, especially against Portsmouth.

(9) OBAFEMI MARTINS 2/10 -
24 appearances (including three as sub), 8 goals
A terrible finisher as shown with his penalty against Arsenal, and his ballooned shots against Spurs, Portsmouth and Villa on the final day. Unforgivably, he went AWOL against Stoke away.

(10) MICHAEL OWEN 2.5/10 -
31 appearances (including seven as sub), 10 goals
Unlucky with injuries early in his Toon career and the saviour of last season with seven goals in the last nine matches. Also started this season well and ends the campaign as top scorer but he finished with one goal in 17 and, arguably, looked less and less interested as each game passed.

(11) DAMIEN DUFF 2.5/10 -
32 appearances (including two as sub), 3 goals.
Even discounting the own goal which sent us down, Duff has disappointed with his strange inability as a winger to cross and his weak shots. Scored what seemed like useful goals against Everton, Spurs and West Brom. Better than some midfielders on the books but that's not saying much.

(12) SEBASTIEN BASSONG 4.5/10 -
34 appearances (including four as sub)
A second successive relegation for the young Frenchman after going down with Metz last season. But this was barely merited for one of the more consistent performers this season. But he was sent off twice (harshly against Wigan) and seemed to get turned by his marker at times.

(13) STEVE HARPER 3/10 -
15 appearances
Unexpectedly became No1 after the depature of Given in January and did OK. But he has major weaknesses in that he struggles even more than Given to control his box on crosses and his distribution is too slow and frequently inaccurate.

(14) CHARLES N'ZOGBIA 2/10 -
22 appearances (including four as sub), 2 goals
Fell out with Joe Kinnear in dramatic style after being called 'Insomnia' in an interview. His languid style and lack of goals made this an easy accusation but he had regularly been played out of position at left back.

(16) RYAN TAYLOR 1.5/10 -
10 appearances (including two as sub)
Arrived with great expectations on set plays after four goals for Wigan against United. Another player who struggled to feel the pressure/live up to the hype, failing to deliver anything of Premier League standard, except possibly for the West Brom away win.

(18) JONAS GUTTIEREZ 2.5/10 -
33 appearances (including eight as sub)
A major problem when a winger who cannot cross or shoot ends up being a main hope. Provided three assists and no goals all season yet remained a talent simply for the face he was one of the few midfielders willing to run at the opposition.

(20) GEREMI 1/10 -
17 appearances (including four as sub)
An indictment of Sam Allardyce's reign. Big Fat Sam signed him last season and made him captain despite the fact that he can barely run. Incredibly, this season, he became slower. A disgrace to his profession.

(21) HABIB BEYE 4.5/10 -
24 appearances (including one as sub)
A cruel season for Beye - unfairly sent off against Manchester City (later rescinded), horribly injured against Wigan, terribly unlucky to score an own goal against Boro then unfortunate to miss the last day. Still highly regarded widely considered as the best defender at the club since Woodgate.

(22) NICKY BUTT 1/10 -
36 appearances
Quite simply, yesterday's man. He provided some of the worst attempts at long balls the club will have seen in its history. Also, let's not forget, costly at the back - conceded pens against Hull (h) and Everton (a), and that free-kick against the mackems, as well as being sent off against Blackburn.

(23) SHOLA AMEOBI 1.5/10 -
20 appearances (including six as sub), 4 goals
Looked to have recovered his standing yet again having been on loan in the Championship during 07/08 when he played with decent heart in the home wins against West Brom and Villa. Amazingly rewarded with a contract after which he reverted to type, producing a series of lazy performances summed up by his terrible shot against Villa (United's last of the season) and the basic mistake in failing to mark Faye at a corner v Stoke away.

(24) PETER LOVENKRANDS 2.5/10 -
11 appearances (including four as sub), 3 goals
Became somewhat of a cult hero after giving United the lead at home to Man Utd. Also scored some useful goals against West Brom and Middlesbrough. But he was anonymous when he started at Anfield and on the last day against Villa. Also the first to demand a move away from the club (via his agent's statement) after relegation.

(27) STEVEN TAYLOR 4/10 -
28 appearances (including two as sub), 4 goals
Improved his game in the second half of the season, cutting out many of his silly mistakes. Scored four goals (third-top scorer) from the back against Everton, West Brom, Hull and Boro. Produced a fantastic defensive performance against Arsenal before being forced off by injury when it all went wrong.

(36) MARK VIDUKA 2.5/10 -
11 appearances (including six as sub)
Failed to score all season and somehow made 11 appearances despite spending most of his time injured. Proved useful in the home wins against Spurs and Boro but will always be considered as a HUGE waste of space.

(39) ANDY CARROLL 2/10 -
16 appearances (including ten as sub), 3 goals
Often did well when he was called upon, saving draws against West Ham and at Stoke City. But still hard to tell in his overall performance whether he has the quality of a top-level striker.

Note:
Marks are capped at 5/10 as I cannot bear to give any player over half marks after this dreadful campaign.

Ho'way the Heed! Well done Whitley Bay!

It has been an excellent weekend for the North East in non league football as Gateshead won promotion to the Blue Square Premier in their playoff final on Friday night while Whitley Bay won the FA Vase at Wembley on Sunday.

Wayne Phillips' long-range free-kick in the 82nd minute proved to be difference as Gateshead beat AFC Telford 1-0 in front of an impressive crowd of 4,121 at the International Stadium in the Blue Square North playoff final.

Kick-off was delayed by 15 minutes because of the crowd congestion but, once the match started, it was Telford who had the better of the opening 45 minutes.

And the Bucks really should have been ahead at the interval but Danny Carey-Bertram fired wide after being given a second chance following a good save by Heed goalkeeper Paul Musselwhite on his final appearance.

But Gateshead came back strongly in the second half and Phillips, in particular, was a constant thorn in the side for his opposing full-back Lee Vaughan.

Vaughan struggled to cope all night and received his marching orders after 76 minutes for a second booking when he handled another Phillips' cross.

That gave Gateshead the impetus to win the game in the normal time, although the goal itself was a little streaky as Phillips' speculative dead-ball effort bounced past everyone and nestled into the corner of the net.

Perhaps the only thing missing was a goal from Lee Novak on his final appearance for the Tynesiders.

Having scored 28 times in just 38 appearances since his early season move from Newcastle Blue Star, Novak now joins Lee Clark at League One team Huddersfield Town in a £150,000 move.

And the Heed will have to reinvest that money sensibly to survive the big step up to the Blue Square Premier.

It is a much-changed top division of non league football since they last played at that level in 1997-98.

Luton Town, Chester City, York City, Wrexham, Oxford United, AFC Wimbledon and one of Cambridge United or Torquay United will be among the clubs with whom Gateshead will have to compete next season.

But confidence in chairman Graham Wood and manager Ian Bogie is high after a hugely successful last two campaigns.

And it should be appreciated just how far back Gateshead have come since the days of the Unibond First Division in 2003-04 and the depths of 2004-05 and 2005-06, when the Tynesiders recorded consecutive finishes of 17th in the Unibond Premier Division amid financial strife.

In 2007-08, a sprightly and more youthful team won promotion to the Blue Square North, beating Buxton 2-0 in the final.

A season of consolidation was expected and this looked to be the case as Gateshead settled into a midtable spot in the early part of the season.

But from September onwards, fired on by Novak's goals, the Tynesiders remained unbeaten at home and only some late-season away defeats at Stafford Rangers and Kings Lynn prevented a title success.

It meant that the playoffs were required again but Gateshead knew they would have home advantage in any final after finishing as runners-up.

A 1-0 win away at Southport in the semi final first leg was followed by a 1-1 draw at home to set up Friday's thrilling finale in front of the biggest Gateshead crowd at a competitive game for four decades.

***

On Sunday, Whitley Bay became the first Tyneside club to win at Wembley since Whickham in 1981 after beating Glossop North End 2-0 in the FA Vase Final.

Goals from Lee Kerr and Paul Chow in the ten minutes before half time settled the tie in front of 12,212 fans at the newly-constructed stadium.

The margin of victory could have been even greater but Adam Johnson's outstanding effort from inside his own half was pushed onto the bar by the Glossop keeper Matt Cooper.

And the Seahorses missed a whole host of chances early in the second half to put the match beyond any doubt.

Bay had reached the final on the back of a thrilling cup run which included a tense semi final win over Lowestoft Town after the Suffolk club had knocked out at the same stage last season.

The final started just as tentatively and Johnson's shot off the woodwork was matched by Glossop's Nick Bailey.

But the two goals put Bay in complete control. Kerr opened the scoring, beating the Cooper on near-post after cleverly making space for himself.

And Chow doubled the advantage just before half time, applying a cool finish on the break for his 40th goal of the season.

Bay left themselves vulnerable to a dramatic comeback as Chow headed against the bar and Glossop then enjoyed their best spell of the game in the last 15 minutes.

But the Bay rearguard held firm to become only the fifth club to win the trophy twice. They had previously enjoyed success in the competition when they beat Tiptree United 1-0 at Villa Park in 2002.

***

And if Newcastle United show a fraction of the spirit on display by Gateshead and Whitley Bay, they should have no problems making it a Geordie hat-trick, giving Alan Shearer his first win as manager.

Not only that, but victory against Middlesbrough in the Premier League at St James Park tonight will move the Toon outside of the relegation zone for the first time in six matches.

That's because Hull City lost 2-1 at home against Stoke City, a result which mathematically ensures the Potters' survival.

Elsewhere at the bottom, West Bromwich Albion beat Wigan Athletic 3-1 to join the Toon and Boro on 31 points but with a much worse goal difference.

And Sunderland extended their lead over United to five points with a 0-0 draw at Bolton Wanderers.

But the Toon play twice at home - Middlesbrough tonight and Fulham on Saturday - before the Mackems next match away at Portsmouth.

Ho'way the Lads!

Sport Preview, 17-19 April (Part I)

This weekend's sports preview is so busy that it's in three parts. The first part deals with all things football including the FA Cup semi finals.

After last season’s competition, where three of the four FA Cup semi finalists represented the Championship, this time the Cup has gone to form.

Three of the Big Four will contest the semi-finals this weekend with David Moyes’ sixth-placed Everton as the only ‘outsider’.

The Toffees will be hoping to repeat their infamous upset of 1995 when they meet Manchester United at Wembley on Sunday at 4pm.

Paul Rideout scored the only goal of the game as Everton won 1-0 and left United empty-handed for that season while Joe Royle remains the last English manager to win the Cup.

Everton would have fancied their chances even more a couple of weeks ago as United suffered successive league defeats to Liverpool and Fulham.

But Sir Alex Ferguson’s men have since enjoyed wins against Aston Villa and Sunderland. They also made progress to the Champions League semis with an impressive away win at FC Porto in midweek.

The other semi-final is an all-London affair between Chelsea and Arsenal on Saturday at 5.15pm. Both teams, like United, celebrated their qualification for the Champions League semis in midweek.

Arsenal stormed to a 4-1 aggregate success against Villarreal after a welcome return to top form by Theo Walcott.

Chelsea’s European semi-final was far less straight-forward as they knocked out Liverpool 7-5 on aggregate after an amazing 4-4 match.

Arsenal won the Cup three times between 2002 and 2005 but are looking to make their first final in four years. Chelsea won the first new Wembley final against United in 2007.

In the Premier League, the struggle at the bottom continues with north east trio Sunderland, Newcastle United and Middlesbrough looking most at risk.

Middlesbrough (19th, 30 points) beat Hull City 3-1 last weekend at home and can follow up that vital win with another in their home match against Fulham.

The Cottagers, safely in mid-table, have won their last two away matches, having not won any prior to that.

Unlike Boro, Portsmouth (14th, 34 points) did not make the most of their home advantage against West Bromwich Albion last week in a 2-2 draw.

But they get an immediate chance for redemption at Fratton Park against Bolton Wanderers who are 12th on 37 points despite failing to win away since November.

Stoke City (13th, 36 points) also drew at home against fellow-strugglers Newcastle. The Potters face another home relegation clash against Blackburn Rovers (16th, 34 points) this weekend.

And Sunderland (17th, 32 points) will look to ease their relegation worries by ensuring Hull City (15th, 34 points) suffer a second successive loss in the north east.

At the other end of the table, Aston Villa will extend their lead over Everton in fifth to four points by beating seventh-placed West Ham United.

On Sunday, Spurs will take advantage of any Hammers slip-up by moving into seventh if they beat Newcastle (18th, 30 points) for the first time at home in three seasons.

Newcastle have won their last two matches at White Hart Lane 3-2 and 4-1 respectively and must have gained some confidence from Andy Carroll’s late headed equaliser against Stoke.

Mid-table Manchester City’s season effectively ended on Thursday after their loss in the Uefa Cup against Hamburg.

They will entertain West Brom (20th, 25 points) who barely breathed life into their own season in the 2-2 draw at Portsmouth last weekend.

In the Championship, Wolverhampton Wanderers fans will expect to gain at least the point they need for promotion against Queens Park Rangers at home.

At the other end, Charlton Athletic are hanging on by a mathematically miracle and might still go down even if they beat Blackpool at home.

In League One, Leicester City only need one point in their away match at Southend United to gain promotion back to the second tier.

But the struggle to beat the drop for Hereford United and Cheltenham Town might end in failure.

Finally, in the Blue Square Premier, Burton Albion can win the championship and promotion to the league with just a point against Oxford United at home tonight.

All the other football league and Blue Square Premier issues will remain undecided this weekend.

Sport Preview, 11-12 April

This week’s sports preview sees the battle to beat the drop from the Premier League take centre stage once again.

Football
Starting at the Riverside Stadium, freefalling Hull City (15th, 34 points) will go a long way to retaining their Premier League status by beating Middlesbrough (19th, 27 points).

The Tigers have managed only two league wins since October. But they face a Boro team which is already five points from safety having slumped to an alarming 4-1 defeat against Bolton Wanderers last week.

Stoke City (13th, 35 points) can make themselves just about safe by continuing their excellent home form against struggling Newcastle United (18th, 29 points) in Alan Shearer’s first away match as manager.

And Portsmouth (16th, 33 points) will expect to beat lowly West Bromwich Albion (20th, 24 points) at home to move within the finishing line, the Baggies having been cut adrift at the bottom and now eight points from safety.

Sunderland (17th, 32 points) face an altogether tougher home assignment against leaders Manchester United. But they will be heartened by United’s recent record of ten goals conceded in their last four matches.

United’s nearest challengers, Liverpool (one point behind, having played a game more) entertain
Blackburn Rovers (14th, 34 points) on the back of their 3-1 home defeat against Chelsea in the Champions League quarter finals.

Chelsea (a further three points back, having also played a game more than United) play Bolton Wanderers, the Trotters having jumped up to 37 points with that 4-1 success over Middlesbrough.

Leading the chase for the final Europa Cup place, West Ham United in seventh travel to Tottenham Hotspur, unbeaten at home in all competitions since November, in a London derby.

And eight-placed Wigan Athletic, who are three points behind the Hammers, play at home against fourth-placed Arsenal, who are unbeaten in the league since November.

On Sunday, Manchester City will want to bounce back quickly from their disappointing midweek defeat to Hamburg in the Uefa Cup by beating Fulham, with only one away win all season, at home.

And Aston Villa, not so long ago leading Arsenal in the fight for fourth place, now have to protect fifth from Everton who are just one point behind before their visit to Villa Park.


Golf
This weekend will also see the conclusion of the first Major of the year at the Augusta National in the US Masters.

After the first two rounds, leaders Chad Campbell and Kenny Perry are on -9 with Argentina’s Angel Cabrera on -8 as their only immediate challenger.

Campbell has led the competition from its early stages but was joined at the top by his American compatriot Perry after he had shot a five-under-par 67 yesterday.

Another American, Todd Hamilton, is in fourth on -6 with South African Tim Clarke just behind on -5, hoping to emulate his countryman Trevor Immelman’s success last year.

In a remarkable turn of events on day two, American Antony Kim recovered from a 75 on the opening day to hit a course-record 11 birdies in a round of 65 to jump to -4.

The European challenge is being led by a Spaniard and a Swede with Sergio Garcia also on -4 and Henrik Stenson on -3 at the halfway stage.

A whole host of players are at -2 including Ireland’s Padraig Harrington, looking for a third successive Major title after the Open and US Open last year.

Joining Harrington on -2 are England’s Lee Westwood and 1988 champion Sandy Lyle, the Scot making the cut for a third successive Masters after he hit five successive birdies on the back nine yesterday.

Northern Ireland’s young gun Rory McIlroy, also on -2, faced a nervous wait before being confirmed in the third round.

McIlroy endured a frustrating second round, dropping five shots on the last three holes and appearing to kick the sand when trapped in a bunker on the last.

But he was later cleared of infringing the rules after Masters officials ruled that he was not testing the conditions.

Tiger Woods put in another steady round and is another man on -2. Woods will certainly be one to watch out for tomorrow as it is likely to be then when he makes his move, for Woods has never won a Major having been behind after 54 holes.

Of those who did not make the halfway cut, South Africa’s Gary Player and possibly Australian Greg Norman will have made their last appearance at Augusta.


Other sports
In rugby union, the four quarter finals of the Heineken Cup will be played this weekend.

On Saturday, Cardiff Blues face Toulouse at home and in an all-English contest Leicester Tigers face Bath at Welford Road.

On Sunday, Harlequins are at home to Leinster while Ospreys travel to bookmakers' favourites Munster.


In cricket, defending County champions Durham will resume their first innings on 311-4 on the final day of this season’s curtain raiser against the MCC at Lords.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, this being England on a Bank Holiday weekend, rain has washed out any chance of a result in that match.

And they're off - Sports Preview - April 3-5

Horse Racing

The world's most famous steeplechase will be run at Aintree Racecourse for the 162nd time on Saturday.

The talk in the Paddock is whether Comply or Die (16-1) can become the first horse since Red Rum to win two Nationals.

But the favourite over the 33 fences and 4m 4f course is My Will (7-1) as jockey Ruby Walsh seeks his third National success after winning on Papillon (2002) and Hedgehunter (2005).

For most casual punters, like myself, it's the equivalent case of sticking a pin on the page of the newspaper while blindfolded.

But one horse I will have to go for is Fleet Street, even if it is a 66-1 shot and even though there are no newspapers left in that area of London.

The beauty of the National, of course, is that it might be the only one left in the running.

The race starts at 4.15pm, in the middle of the second half of the Saturday 3pm football kick-offs...

Premier League football

Alan Shearer makes his return to Newcastle United as temporary manager with eight games left.

That starts on Saturday against third-placed Chelsea who are four points behind leaders Manchester United having played a match more.

Newcastle start the weekend in a perilous position in 18th on 29 points but Shearer insists his role is only on a temporary basis.

He said: "I'm definitely only here for eight weeks and that's all I'm concentrating on."

In the chase for the title, Liverpool could regain the lead if they succeed at Craven Cottage against Fulham where Manchester United failed.

But United can ensure it is a short stay at the summit by beating rapidly-unravelling Aston Villa at home on Sunday.

And Arsenal can stretch further ahead of Villa in fourth by beating travel-sick Manchester City at home.

Back at the bottom, Hull City (13th, 33 points) face Portsmouth (15th, 32 points) at home with the safety line in sight.

But Hull have the worst home record in the lead and Pompey's Peter Crouch seems to have hit a hot streak at the right time.

Middlesbrough (19th, 27 points) desperately need a win soon, being four points adrift of safety already.

But this weekend, they face a tough test against Bolton Wanderers (12th, 34 points).

West Brom (20th, 24 points) are even further adrift and to give themselves any hope surely must take three points against Stoke City (16th, 32 points) who are still without an away win all season.

Of the other teams in trouble, Sunderland (14th, 32 points) travel to the Boleyn Ground to face West Ham who will be without Carlton Cole after his injury on England duty.

And Blackburn Rovers (17th, 31 points) meet resurgent Tottenham Hotspur in the Saturday lunchtime kick-off.

Sunday's match between sixth-placed Everton and seventh-placed Wigan at Goodison rounds off gameweek 31. The reverse fixture ended up with Wigan winning 1-0.

In local non-league football, Whitley Bay travel to Lowestoft Town for the second leg of their FA Vase semi final, defending a narrow lead (2-1).

Away goals do not count in the competition and the Bay will hope to avenge last season's defeat at the same stage against the same team.

Meanwhile, Gateshead lost the lead at the top of the Blue Square North in midweek when second-placed Tamworth Town beat third-placed Southport in their game in hand.

With the teams around them still having games in hand, all the Heed can really do is win as many points as possible and see where they end up - starting away at Stafford Rangers on Saturday.

Cricket

England have managed to hang onto the coat-tails of the West Indies and have travelled to St Lucia for today's decider in the five-match series in good spirits.

The availability of Andrew Flintoff and Kevin Pietersen has given the squad a timely boost as they seek to secure a first-ever one-day series win in the Caribbean.

Meanwhile, the Windies have potentially been distracted after their players threatened a boycott because of a row with the WICB over payment.

But Gayle calmed fears that the match would not go ahead by confirming there are now talks between the WICB and the Players' Association (WIPA).

He will hope to continue his magnificent form as the Windies aim to win a Test/ODI-series double.

England will hope to emerge from this torrid winter with some credit.

Formula 1

The F1 circus has moved to Sepang in Malaysia for the second race of the new season which is already engulfed in controversy.

In my review of last weekend's sport, I congratulated Lewis Hamilton on his skill in getting his uncompetitive McLaren up to third, although this was only after Jarno Trulli's 25-second penalty.

But this was not the end of the matter and Hamilton was called to the governing body, the FIA, to explain emerging evidence.

The hearing discovered Hamilton, under instructions from team boss Dave Ryan, gave stewards "deliberately misleading" information about team radio instructions which told him to allow Trulli to pass him.

Hamilton has been stripped of his points with Trulli promoted back into third. Ryan has been suspended by McLaren.

"I'm not a liar or a dishonest person," said Hamilton.

But his reputation remains tarnished in the eyes of many F1 fans and it is doubtful if Hamilton will ever radiate the same glow as what followed when he won the world championship in Brazil.

Of course, he could start by racing brilliantly and fairly this weekend. But his chances are likely to be restricted by Brawn GP, Williams and Ferrari after they all impressed in practice.

In first practice, Niko Rosberg led a Williams one-two ahead of Kazuki Nakajima with the Brawns of Button and Barrichello in third and fourth, and the two Ferraris in fifth and sixth.

In the second practice, it was the Ferraris turn to enjoy a one-two with Kimi Raikkkonen faster than Felipe Massa and Sebastien Vettel in Red Bull in third.

Ice Hockey

In ice hockey, it's finals weekend for the Elite League.

Sheffield Steelers facing Cardiff Devils at 1pm and it's Coventry Blaze against Nottingham Panthers at 5pm at the National Ice Arena in Nottingham on Saturday.

The winners of the two semi-finals meet on Sunday.

Sheffield, playoff champions in 07/08, won the regular season by a clear 11 points from Nottingham and Coventry who both finished on 78 suggesting that the evening match-up could be very competitive indeed.

Cardiff are very much the outsiders, hacing finished fifth in the regular season on 63 points before surprisingly beating Belfast over two legs in the quarters.