Premier League - Newcastle United are relegated

Eurosport - Mon, 25 May 07:53:00 2009

Newcastle United were relegated from the Premier League after a 1-0 defeat to Aston Villa.

Newcastle manager Alan Shearer during his team's season-ending clash against Aston Villa - 0

The crucial goal came after 38 minutes when a corner fell to Gareth Barry whose 25-yard drive was going well wide but took a wicked deflection off Damien Duff and beat a stranded Steve Harper.

With Hull losing at home to Manchester United, a single goal would have been enough to extend the Magpies' 16-year top flight stay but they departed with a whimper, failing to muster a single effort on target in the second-half.

After swapping television punditry for the Newcastle manager's job, Alan Shearer won just one of eight matches and, having won only seven of their 38 league games, the Toon Army will be watching Championship football next season.

Newcastle had won just twice on their travels and started nervously. Gabriel Agbonlahor climbed above Fabricio Coloccini to meet a cross from the left but he saw his header just go over the top.

But Newcastle asked plenty of questions in the opening 15 minutes and had three decent chances.

Duff cut inside and saw his shot pushed around the post by Brad Friedel, who saw the effort very late and just a minute later Steven Taylor's shot on the turn was cleared off the line by Carlos Cuellar.

Obafemi Martins then volleyed over from 16 yards after a great flick by Mark Viduka before at the other end, Craig Gardner's rasping 25-yard drive was tipped over by Harper.

Villa then began to dominate the game and Harper had to come off his line swiftly to prevent Barry reaching a cross from the left.

James Milner's free-kick was then saved at the near post by Harper but the keeper had no chance with the goal as he was completely wrong footed by the deflection.

It was almost two for Villa when John Carew's cross was flicked just inches wide by Agbonlahor but the closest Newcastle came to an equaliser was in first-half injury time when Martins headed narrowly wide.

Villa dominated the second-half and Ashley Young was a whisker away from making it 2-0 when he curled an effort narrowly over the top corner.

A surging run from Milner ended with him dragging his shot wide from 20 yards before a terrible mistake from Nicky Butt almost condemned his side.

He was sloppy in possession 25 yards out and Barry capitalised but after checking back inside the defender, he curled his right-footed effort narrowly past the post.

Twelve minutes from time Carew should have settled the match when he was unmarked seven yards out only for the big Norwegian to make a complete hash of his volley with the goal gaping.

Shearer brought Michael Owen on midway through the second-half but he was a peripheral figure and their first goal attempt of the second period only came with three minutes to go when fellow sub Shola Ameobi's effort from 20 yards was high, wide and not very handsome.

Ameobi then headed over before hooking Martins' cross over the top from eight yards but the Magpies can have no complaints as they go down with just 34 points.

Lee Walker / Eurosport

Comment 577 - 596 of 616

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  1. sheare get down to buffalo joes and get on the old bull

    From wandering hobo, on Mon 25 May 11:56AM
  2. Comment hidden due to its low rating. Show

    No, Leeban... the Soviet Union won the war, all the­ English could manage was 'make-do-and-mend'.

    From Nina G, on Mon 25 May 11:48AM

  3. hi cameron w,can not agree with you more,the @#$% on­ this site is frustration to say the least,prob from­ mankchester muppets

    From joe t, on Mon 25 May 11:41AM
  4. Comment hidden due to its low rating. Show

    I discorvered a hot place
    ------Wealth y F inder C o­ M------ where many sexy singles- who like dating and--­ chatting there. I'm an open- minded girl with­ s---exual a--ttraction and big b---oobs. I-- am ­ Waiting 4 u

    From burningfish257, on Mon 25 May 11:33AM

  5. Its a @#$% state of affairs, not to mention a damning­ indictement of the game today, that almost the first­ after-match sentiments from the sky pundits were to do­ with how much money relegation is going to cost them!­ Tradition? Tradition does'nt matter much in the­ corporate seats.

    From elmo, on Mon 25 May 11:04AM

  6. I refuse to be drawn in by any of this puerile dross on­ here.
    Although, i will answer that turd Colin H's­ question as to where all the loony toons were - they­ were travelling back from Birmingham you clown. By the­ way, do you ever go to a match; are you actually a­ footballer supporter, or are you as i suspect, a nonce?­
    We were relegated because we weren't good enough,­ simple as and absolutely no complaints here - we­ deserved to go down. It's been coming for 4 or 5­ years; however, it's not all doom and gloom as i­ believe this is what was needing to get rid of all the­ dead wood and start from scratch. I am under no­ illusions that it could be a few years til we get back­ to the EPL, but i'd rather be back with a decent­ competitive squad, then just be there struggling year­ after year like some. I certainly won't miss the­ 'fans' of the Premier League clubs; i thought­ the 'fans' at Villa were disgraceful yesterday­ by the way.
    Good luck Barca on Wednesday.

    From cameron w, on Mon 25 May 10:54AM

  7. Tony K(nobhead) cameron w(anker) Bob R(idiculous) and­ all the rest, goodbye you sad Geordie scum!
    FTM

    From downy100, on Mon 25 May 10:43AM

  8. Haha haha haha ha!

    From Darren, on Mon 25 May 10:20AM

  9. i reckon borough will come up quicker than newcastle..­ then again.. both teams are gunna have to rebuild the­ team and get rid of the high earners now.. they both­ just lost bout 100mil thats alot of money to lose. but­ even so ill tip borough to ocme up first but it wont be­ next season.. maybe the season after.. cpl of seassons­ in champs will do them both good..

    From DARREN H, on Mon 25 May 9:53AM

  10. Being impatient with and sacking coaches is often the­ beginning of the slide for most clubs. Even Real Madrid­ has not gone beyond the first knockout stage of the­ Champions League because of this tendency to kick out­ coaches. I feel sorry for Middlesborough but hardly­ Newcastle. Maybe they would learn from the Man Us and­ Arsenals that have kept their coaches for decades,­ supporting them during the disappointing­ 'building' stages.

    From Kaybee, on Mon 25 May 9:38AM

  11. Face reality Heckle and Jeckle(famous cartoon Magpies),­ you got hit with a dose of reality, Get Rid of Joey­ Barton, be prepared to lose those arrogant peacocks who­ only want to play First Division football, and bring­ back the tradition of bringing up local talent, you­ haven't had really good players since A. Shearer,­ and Paul Gascoine, yes he's a drunk, but he played­ with passion when it came to football.

    Live within­ your means, make your club great once again, and stop­ holding on to the glory years of the past.

    That's­ what the great baseball teams did this century. ­ Chicago White Sox won it first championship in over 100­ years, and before that Boston Won it first championship­ in over 110 years. Chicago's other team hasn't­ won in 106 years, Compared to them, your title drought­ isn't much to cry about. I'll let the people at­ Sickipedia crank out the nasty jokes about Newcastle­ Utd.

    From Neo, on Mon 25 May 9:32AM
  12. Comment hidden due to its low rating. Show

    I discorvered a hot place
    ------Wealth y F inder C o­ M------ where many sexy singles- who like dating and--­ chatting there. I'm an open- minded girl with­ s---exual a--ttraction and big b---oobs. I-- am ­ Waiting 4 u

    From sexyfishfghh, on Mon 25 May 8:55AM

  13. Well all i can say is Nwecastle left it to late. They­ doddled around at the beggining of the season thinking­ everything would be alright and now they are paying the­ price. Alan Shearer came too late as well and they have­ no good players left.

    From jjhands, on Mon 25 May 8:25AM

  14. newcastle we will miss then from the prem...... there­ fan's are loyal and are a good laugh I hope to see­ them back
    soon ..........

    From victor, on Mon 25 May 8:09AM

  15. they will come again to the epl

    From SAIF, on Mon 25 May 7:52AM

  16. Farewell Newcastle hope u don't sink deeper in this­ @#$%...

    From First L, on Mon 25 May 7:50AM

  17. Bronwyn Comment 616 - I only disagree to one thing,­ Middlesbrough are not better than Newcastle. Anyway­ both teams are relegated so why would anyone care?­ nobody will care until both of those teams come up.­ Newcastle and Middlesbrough get promoted to the Premier­ League then their back again and is not the same­ without a team to thrash!

    From Nath, on Mon 25 May 7:44AM

  18. Nina G. Newcastle are on Tyneside, Sunderland are on­ the Wesr. But hey why should yolur level of ignorance­ bother you? Are you a wee free too?

    From Edward, on Mon 25 May 7:42AM

  19. Newcastle down ha ha ha,they can stop living the myth­ they are a big club now.the brainwashing stops­ here..they are a championship club watch the crowds­ dilute.

    From andy, on Mon 25 May 7:32AM

  20. Jeremy c_7 -
    Newcastle and Liverpool are at the same­ level? Overdose of PlayStation syndrome I would say.­
    Anyways, my apologies if I have hurt already sore­ feelings of true magpies but I just couldn't stand­ some of them not accepting that their club is not a big­ club in reality.
    Anyways, I guess it all started with­ the sacking of big sam...Lets see how it goes for you­ guys next season....

    From anand d, on Mon 25 May 7:31AM
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