2008–09 Newcastle United F.C. season

Newcastle United
2008–09 season
Managing DirectorChris Mort
Derek Llambias
ManagerKevin Keegan
(Until 4 September 2008)
Chris Hughton
(From 4 September 2008 – 26 September 2008)
Joe Kinnear
(From 26 September 2008 – 7 February 2009)
Chris Hughton
(From 7 February 2009 – 1 April 2009)
Alan Shearer
(From 1 April 2009 – 24 May 2009)
Chris Hughton
(From 1 June 2009)
Premier League18th (relegated)
FA CupThird round
League CupThird round
Top goalscorerLeague:
Michael Owen
Obafemi Martins
(8 each)
All:
Michael Owen (10)
Highest home attendance52,114 (vs. Liverpool and Fulham)
Lowest home attendance20,577 (vs Tottenham Hotspur)

The 2008–09 season was Newcastle United's 16th consecutive season in the top division of English football. This season saw the club relegated from the Premier League to the Championship, the first time the club had been relegated since 1989.

Things had looked reasonable for Newcastle at the start of the new season, but a major falling out between Kevin Keegan and the board saw Keegan resign as manager. This led to an awful run of form under caretaker manager Chris Hughton and the surprise appointment of Joe Kinnear was made to try to help the team out. A health scare saw Kinnear have to leave his office as manager in February. Under Hughton and Colin Calderwood, the club went on another horrible run of form as they were sucked deeper into the relegation battle. Ex-player Alan Shearer was appointed as a temporary manager for the last eight matches of the season but he was only able to win one of these games and Newcastle were relegated.

Season summary

Keegan resigns

Kevin Keegan

In the summer transfer window, Newcastle United signed Jonás Gutiérrez, Danny Guthrie, Sébastien Bassong and Fabricio Coloccini. There were also a number of departures from the first team, most notably that of James Milner to Aston Villa, whose departure was rumoured to have sparked disagreements between Keegan and the board, with Keegan claiming he was not consulted about his contract renewal.[1] Shortly after the Arsenal game on 30 August, Spanish under-21 international Xisco was unveiled at St James' Park by Director of Football Dennis Wise.[2]

On 1 September, there were widespread media reports that Keegan had either resigned or been sacked. While these reports were revealed to be premature, Keegan did tender his resignation on 4 September, citing fury over a lack of control over transfers and interference from the board, reflecting upon the sale of James Milner and the arrival of Xisco, a player he claimed to have known nothing about.[3] Many Newcastle fans were furious with the perceived mistreatment of Keegan;[4] public anger was directed at owner Mike Ashley, Executive Director Dennis Wise, Vice-Chairman Tony Jimenez and Chairman Derek Llambias, who were perceived to have forced Keegan out of the club.

Shortly after Keegan's departure, the League Managers Association warned Newcastle United to develop a structure which would satisfy the next manager to avoid a similar situation occurring again.[5] They also reported that Keegan would consider a return to the club should they develop a structure he would be happy with.[6] The club hit back at the allegations, claiming Keegan was aware of the structure when he joined. In December, however, following reports that Ashley was set to end his bid to sell United, it was reported that a legal battle was commencing between Ashley and Keegan,[7] with Ashley rumoured to be claiming damage to his public image and Keegan claiming for breach of contract, following backing from the League Managers Association.[8]

Joe Kinnear

Joe Kinnear in January 2009

Assistant manager Chris Hughton took over as caretaker manager for several weeks, during which Newcastle remained winless in all three of their matches. On 26 September, Hughton was replaced by Joe Kinnear as "interim manager."[9] Kinnear's appointment proved completely unimpressive with the fans and resulted in Kinnear profusely verbally abusing and swearing at the media upon his first media interview.[10] He then announced he would not speak to any national press again and would only speak with the local media. In his first two matches in charge, Newcastle managed 2–2 draws with Everton and Manchester City, coming from behind both times (the latter with ten men).

In the last week of January, key players Shay Given and Charles N'Zogbia left, causing an already thin squad to lose more talent. Amongst ongoing criticism of the club board following Keegan's departure, Joe Kinnear managed five wins, ten draws, and 11 losses, and talks opened between Joe Kinnear and the board as to whether he would consider a full-time position the following season. On 7 February, however, the club's torrid season took another major blow when Kinnear was admitted to hospital following heart problems, and Chris Hughton once again took charge of the team, this time with the help of Colin Calderwood. By the end of March, the club was struggling to find form and keep pace with the opposition. With scarce wins over the course of the season, the team now faced a relegation battle.

Alan Shearer

Alan Shearer

Keeping to his decision not to rush Kinnear back into his role too shortly after his surgery, Mike Ashley brought in club icon Alan Shearer to take over from Kinnear as the club's interim manager on 1 April. As Shearer's appointment was announced, Dennis Wise resigned as director of football and the club announced there were no plans to replace him in the role. Shearer hired Iain Dowie as his assistant coach and began his reign as caretaker manager, losing 0–2 to Chelsea at St James' Park and drawing 1–1 away at Stoke City. After losing 1–0 to Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane and drawing 0–0 at home with Portsmouth, the club was plunged even deeper into the tight relegation fight. The ignominious 3–0 loss to title-chasing Liverpool at Anfield on 3 May, with Joey Barton being sent off on 77 minutes for a dangerous tackle, left the club in 18th place. Shearer recorded his first victory as manager on 11 May, defeating fellow strugglers Middlesbrough 3–1, lifting the club out of the relegation zone to 17th place on goal difference.

The feel-good factor did not last, however, as the following week, Newcastle slumped to a 0–1 home defeat to Fulham to fall back in the relegation zone with only the away game to Aston Villa left to play. This left the club needing to better the results of Hull City and Sunderland to avoid relegation. Despite Sunderland, Hull and Middlesbrough all losing their matches, Newcastle United were relegated to the Championship for the first time since 1993 after a 1–0 defeat to Aston Villa.

The club was then placed for sale by Ashley, who noted the club's terrible season following bad decisions on his part, which he believed led the club into major financial loss and constant criticism following relegation.[11] Ashley said, "It has been catastrophic for everybody. I've lost my money and I've made terrible decisions. Now I want to sell it as soon as I can."[11] Newcastle released an official statement on the club's sale, including a press phone number and email address which was quickly made further public by the national press, although the address provided was merely for general enquiries. This resulted in a large number of hoax bids being sent, most of which were made by rival Sunderland supporters.[12] More controversy was once again caused by Dennis Wise, who claimed the club were still paying him £80,000 a month despite his departure in April, and claimed it was a factor in why Ashley was struggling to sell the club.[13]

Compensation to Keegan

On 2 October, a Premier League arbitration panel ruled in favour of Kevin Keegan on his dispute with the club.[14][15] The club confessed that they had lied to the media, public and staff, and that their correspondence on Keegan's departure was just "PR".[14] Keegan confirmed his delight at the outcome, stating he felt the £2 million pay-out + interest fully justified his departure and mistreatment by the club.[16] Dennis Wise announced to the press that he did not feel solely responsible for the situation that developed at the club, but yet did not wish to contradict or debate Keegan's accusations,[17] although he announced deep sorrow over the situation and felt his career has been left "in tatters".[18]

The panel ruled in Keegan's favour, citing that player Nacho González was signed by Dennis Wise against Keegan's wishes, but also against the principles of the generally understood role of a Premier League manager, which usually states the manager has the final decision on player signings. The panel revealed that Wise asked Keegan to review González from YouTube, no more than 24 hours before the closing of the summer transfer window, from which Keegan refuted the player. The club revealed to the panel that Keegan had never been informed his word was not final and that they were not in a position to sack him should he not have agreed to their demands.[19]

Keegan rejected talk of a third return to the club, feeling the fans had "had enough,"[20] leaving the role open for Chris Hughton to become full-time manager.

Final league table

Main article: 2008–09 Premier League
Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation
16 Sunderland 38 9 9 20 34 54 −20 36
17 Hull City 38 8 11 19 39 64 −25 35
18 Newcastle United (R) 38 7 13 18 40 59 −19 34 Relegation to Football League Championship
19 Middlesbrough (R) 38 7 11 20 28 57 −29 32
20 West Bromwich Albion (R) 38 8 8 22 36 67 −31 32
Source: Premier League
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(R) Relegated

Team kit

The team kit for the 2008–09 season was produced by Adidas and Northern Rock remained as the main sponsor. The home kit remained the same for the season while the new away kit was revealed to the public on 20 June 2008.[21]

Managers

Players

First-team

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
2 DF Argentina ARG Fabricio Coloccini
3 DF Spain ESP José Enrique
4 MF England ENG Kevin Nolan
6 DF Brazil BRA Caçapa
7 MF England ENG Joey Barton
8 MF England ENG Danny Guthrie
9 FW Nigeria NGA Obafemi Martins
10 FW England ENG Michael Owen
11 MF Republic of Ireland IRL Damien Duff
12 DF Cameroon CMR Sébastien Bassong
13 GK England ENG Steve Harper
15 MF Uruguay URU Nacho Gonzalez (on loan from Valencia)
16 DF England ENG Ryan Taylor
No. Pos. Nation Player
17 FW England ENG Alan Smith
18 MF Argentina ARG Jonás Gutiérrez
19 FW Spain ESP Xisco
20 MF Cameroon CMR Geremi Njitap
21 DF Senegal SEN Habib Beye
22 MF England ENG Nicky Butt
23 FW England ENG Shola Ameobi
24 FW Denmark DEN Peter Løvenkrands
27 DF England ENG Steven Taylor
30 DF Canada CAN David Edgar
36 FW Australia AUS Mark Viduka
38 MF Democratic Republic of the Congo COD Kazenga LuaLua
39 FW England ENG Andy Carroll

Left club during season

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK Republic of Ireland IRL Shay Given (to Manchester City)
14 MF France FRA Charles N'Zogbia (to Wigan Athletic)
No. Pos. Nation Player
16 MF England ENG James Milner (to Aston Villa)
29 MF Italy ITA Fabio Zamblera (on loan to Sampdoria)

Reserve squad

The following players made most of their appearances for the reserve team this season, and did not appear for the first team, but may have been named as a substitute.

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
28 DF Hungary HUN Tamás Kádár
31 FW Netherlands NED Frank Wiafe Danquah
32 FW France FRA Wesley Ngo Baheng
34 GK England ENG Fraser Forster
35 DF England ENG Ben Tozer
37 DF Republic of Ireland IRL Callum Morris
40 GK Netherlands NED Tim Krul
No. Pos. Nation Player
41 MF England ENG Mark Doninger
42 FW England ENG Ryan Donaldson
43 MF England ENG Jonny Godsmark
44 MF England ENG James Marwood
45 DF England ENG Darren Lough
46 FW England ENG Nile Ranger

Under-18 squad

The following players made most of their appearances for the under-18 team this season, but may have also appeared for the reserves.

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
33 GK Sweden SWE Ole Söderberg
47 MF Australia AUS Bradden Inman
— GK England ENG Jak Alnwick
— GK England ENG Andreas Arestidou
— GK England ENG Max Johnson
— GK England ENG Ben Robinson
— DF England ENG Paul Dummett
— DF England ENG Matthew Grieve
— DF England ENG Jeff Henderson
— DF England ENG Daniel Leadbitter
— DF England ENG James Tavernier
— DF England ENG James Taylor
— DF Northern Ireland NIR Shane Ferguson
— DF Republic of Ireland IRL Stephen Folan
— DF Democratic Republic of the Congo COD Patrick Nzuzi
— MF England ENG Sammy Ameobi
— MF England ENG Greg McDermott
No. Pos. Nation Player
— MF England ENG Ryan McGorrigan
— MF England ENG Conor Newton
— MF England ENG Ryan Page
— MF England ENG Daniel Williams
— MF England ENG Kieran Wrightson
— MF Northern Ireland NIR Paddy McLaughlin
— MF Slovenia SVN Haris Vučkić
— MF Democratic Republic of the Congo COD Andy Mogwo
— FW England ENG Phil Airey
— FW England ENG Campbell Bell
— FW England ENG Dan Neary
— FW England ENG Aaron Spear
— FW Northern Ireland NIR Michael McCrudden
— FW Sweden SWE Samuel Adjei
— England ENG Stewart Bath
— DF England ENG Richard Archer
— England ENG Stephen Foster

Trialists

The following players came to Newcastle as trialists this season.[22]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
— Bulgaria BUL Ivan Stoyanov (on trial from Levski Sofia)
— DF Bulgaria BUL Ivan Goranov (on trial from Levski Sofia)
— DF Bulgaria BUL Georgi Terziev (on trial from Naftex)
— DF Poland POL Lukasz Kominiak (on trial from Wisła Kraków)
— DF Norway NOR Aleksander Solli (on trial from Løv-Ham)
— DF Guinea GUI Kamil Zayatte (on trial from Young Boys)
No. Pos. Nation Player
— FW Denmark DEN Kevin Mensah (on trial from Viborg FF)
— MF Hungary HUN András Gosztonyi (on trial from MTK)
— DF Finland FIN Jukka Raitala (on trial from HJK Helsinki)
— DF Algeria ALG Ahmed-Reda Madouni
— DF Slovakia SVK Ľubomír Korijkov (on trial from MFK Košice)
— DF Brazil BRA Dionatan Teixeira (on trial from MFK Košice)

Chronological list of events

  • 16 July 2008: Robbie Elliott returned to the club to work as strength and conditioning coach alongside senior fitness coach, Mark Hulse.[32]
  • 30 July 2008: Sébastien Bassong came one step closer to being a Newcastle player when a fee was agreed between Newcastle United and Metz.[34]
  • 7 August 2008: Arthur Cox resigned as assistant manager and returned to his retirement from football.[35]
  • 2 September 2008: Kevin Keegan was rumoured to have resigned or been sacked as manager but official statements from the club later denied those speculations.[44]
  • 4 September 2008: Kevin Keegan resigned as manager after several days of discussions with the board.[45]
  • 14 September 2008: Mike Ashley announced his intention to sell club following a series of protests by Newcastle supporters angry at Kevin Keegan's departure.[49]
  • 25 October 2008: Newcastle lost away to Sunderland for the first time in 28 years.[56]
  • 28 November 2008: Joe Kinnear announced as manager until the end of the season.[57]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Hull City v Newcastle United, 3 Jan 2009.
  • 27 March 2009: Peter Beardsley returned to Newcastle once again to coach players at the academy.[67]
  • 1 April 2009: Alan Shearer was announced as temporary manager,[68] to fill in for Kinnear until the end of the 2008–09 season.
  • 1 April 2009: Dennis Wise resigned from his post as Executive Director (Football) following Alan Shearer's appointment as temporary manager.[69]
  • 3 April 2009: Paul Ferris returned to the club to be part of Shearer's backroom staff working as physio.[71]
  • 26 May 2009: Alan Shearer was rumoured to be offered a new four-year deal by Newcastle United, becoming permanent manager of the team.[73]
  • 30 May 2009: Around 150 full and part-time employees of the club were expected to be laid off due to the relegation, including coach Colin Calderwood and Executive Director of Operations David Williamson.[74]
  • 31 May 2009: Mike Ashley reportedly put the club up for sale with a £100M price tag.[75]
  • 1 June 2009: A foreign-based group is believed to have talks regarding a £80M takeover. Another group is also interested. Former chairman Freddy Shepherd is not involved with any of the groups so far.[76]
  • 8 June 2009: The club is officially put up for sale for £100M confirmed through a club statement.[77]
  • 12 June 2009: Several groups and consortiums are reported in talks with the club regarding a take over, including Singapore-based Profitable Group.[78]

Statistics

Appearances, goals and cards

(Substitute appearances in brackets)
No. Pos. Name League FA Cup League Cup Total Discipline
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
1 GK Republic of Ireland Shay Given 22 0 2 0 2 0 26 0 2 0
2 DF Argentina Fabricio Coloccini 34 0 2 0 2 0 38 0 5 0
3 DF Spain José Enrique 24+2 0 1 0 1 0 26+2 0 1 0
4 MF England Kevin Nolan 10+1 0 0 0 0 0 10+1 0 2 1
6 DF Brazil Caçapa 4+2 0 0 0 1 0 5+2 0 0 0
7 MF England Joey Barton 6+3 1 0 0 0 0 6+3 1 2 1
8 MF England Danny Guthrie 21+3 2 2 0 1 0 24+3 2 3 1
9 FW Nigeria Obafemi Martins 21+3 8 0 0 1 0 22+3 8 1 0
10 FW England Michael Owen (C) 21+7 8 2 0 1+1 2 24+8 10 0 0
11 MF Republic of Ireland Damien Duff 28+2 3 2 0 1 0 31+2 3 4 0
12 DF France Sébastien Bassong 26+4 0 2 0 2 0 30+4 0 3 2
13 GK England Steve Harper 16 0 0 0 0 0 16 0 0 0
14 MF France Charles N'Zogbia 14+4 1 2 0 2 0 18+4 1 2 0
15 MF Uruguay Nacho González 0+2 0 0 0 0 0 0+2 0 0 0
16 MF England James Milner 2 0 0 0 1 1 3 1 0 0
16 DF England Ryan Taylor 8+2 0 0 0 0 0 8+2 0 4 0
17 FW England Alan Smith 4+2 0 0 0 0 0 4+2 0 2 0
18 MF Argentina Jonás Gutiérrez 23+7 0 1+1 0 1 0 25+8 0 7 0
19 FW Spain Xisco 3+2 1 1 0 0+1 0 4+3 1 0 0
20 MF Cameroon Geremi 11+4 0 0 0 2 0 13+4 0 2 0
21 DF Senegal Habib Beye 22+1 0 0 0 1 0 23+1 0 3 1
22 MF England Nicky Butt 33 0 2 0 2 0 37 0 9 1
23 FW Nigeria Shola Ameobi 14+8 4 0 0 0 0 14+8 4 1 0
24 FW Denmark Peter Løvenkrands 8+4 3 0 0 0 0 8+4 3 0 0
27 DF England Steven Taylor 25+2 4 1 0 1 0 27+2 4 6 0
30 DF Canada David Edgar 7+4 1 1 0 0+1 0 8+5 1 3 1
36 FW Australia Mark Viduka 6+6 0 0 0 0 0 6+6 0 0 0
38 MF Democratic Republic of the Congo Kazenga LuaLua 0+3 0 0+1 0 0 0 0+4 0 0 0
39 FW England Andy Carroll 5+9 3 1+1 0 0 0 6+10 3 2 0

Starting formations

Formation League FA Cup League Cup Total
4–4–2 34 2 1 37
4–3–3 3 0 1 4
4–4–1–1 1 0 0 1

Captains

No. Pos. Name Starts
10 FW England Michael Owen 24
22 MF England Nicky Butt 16
13 GK England Steve Harper 1
1 GK Republic of Ireland Shay Given 1

Coaching staff

Position Staff
Manager England Alan Shearer
Assistant Manager Northern Ireland Iain Dowie
Assistant Manager Republic of Ireland Chris Hughton
First Team coach Scotland Colin Calderwood
Goalkeeping Coach England Paul Barron
Development Coach Scotland Willie Donachie
Reserve Team Coach England Alan Thompson
Chief scout England Arthur Cox

Last updated: 3 May 2011
Source: [1]

Transfers

In

Date Pos. Name From Fee
2 July 2008 MF Argentina Jonás Gutiérrez Spain Mallorca Undisclosed[27] (exp. EUR 2,600,000)[79]
11 July 2008 MF England Danny Guthrie England Liverpool Undisclosed[29] (exp. £2,500,000)[80]
30 July 2008 DF Cameroon Sébastien Bassong France Metz Undisclosed[34] (exp. £1,800,000)
15 August 2008 DF Argentina Fabricio Coloccini Spain Deportivo La Coruña Undisclosed[36] (exp. £10,000,000)[81]
1 September 2008 FW Spain Xisco Spain Deportivo La Coruña Undisclosed[43] (exp. £5,700,000)[82]
23 January 2009 FW Denmark Peter Løvenkrands Germany Schalke 04 Free[61]
30 January 2009 MF England Kevin Nolan England Bolton Wanderers £4,000,000[63]
2 February 2009 DF England Ryan Taylor England Wigan Athletic Part-exchange for Charles N'Zogbia[83]
  • Total spending: Decrease ~ £26,000,000

Out

Date Pos. Name To Fee
10 June 2008 DF Czech Republic David Rozehnal Italy Lazio £2,900,000[84]
30 June 2008 DF England Peter Ramage England Queens Park Rangers Free[85]
30 June 2008 DF Republic of Ireland Stephen Carr England Birmingham City Free[86]
30 June 2008 MF Australia James Troisi Turkey Gençlerbirliği Free[87][88]
14 July 2008 MF Turkey Emre Belözoğlu Turkey Fenerbahçe £3,800,000[31]
15 August 2008 DF Senegal Abdoulaye Faye England Stoke City £2,250,000[37]
29 August 2008 MF England James Milner England Aston Villa £12,000,000[40]
1 February 2009 GK Republic of Ireland Shay Given England Manchester City £5,900,000[64]
2 February 2009 MF France Charles N'Zogbia England Wigan Athletic Undisclosed (exp. £6,000,000) + Ryan Taylor[83]
  • Total income: Increase ~ £32,850,000

Loans in

Date Pos. Name From Expiry
1 September 2008 MF Uruguay Nacho González Spain Valencia 30 June 2009[42]

Loans out

Date Pos. Name To Expiry
1 October 2008 GK England Fraser Forster England Stockport County 1 November 2008[89]
21 November 2008 GK Netherlands Tim Krul England Carlisle United 21 January 2009[90][91]
2 February 2008 FW Italy Fabio Zamblera Italy Sampdoria 30 June 2009[92]
26 March 2009 MF Democratic Republic of the Congo Kazenga LuaLua England Doncaster Rovers 4 May 2009[93]

Competitions

  Win   Draw   Loss

Pre-season

Match 1 2 3 4 5 6
Result 4–1 0–1 0–1 0–1 2–2 2–1

League

Round 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19
Result 1–1 1–0 0–3 1–2 1–3 0–2 2–2 2–2 1–2 2–1 2–0 1–2 2–2 0–0 0–0 2–2 3–0 2–1 1–2
Position 11th 4th 9th 15th 19th 19th 18th 19th 19th 19th 14th 18th 17th 18th 17th 17th 14th 12th 12th
Round 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38
Result 1–5 2–2 0–3 1–2 1–1 3–2 0–0 0–1 1–2 1–1 1–3 0–2 1–1 0–1 0–0 0–3 3–1 0–1 0–1
Position 14th 11th 14th 16th 15th 13th 14th 15th 16th 16th 18th 18th 18th 19th 18th 18th 17th 18th 18th

FA Cup

Match 1 2
Result 0–0 0–1

League Cup

Match 1 2
Result 3–2 1–2

Matches

Pre-season

19 July 2008 Hartlepool 1–4 Newcastle United Victoria Park
15:00 BST Robson 16' (Report) Duff 40, 52, 87'
Guthrie 53'		 Attendance: 4,249
Referee: Graham Laws
26 July 2008 Doncaster Rovers 1–0 Newcastle United Keepmoat Stadium
15:00 BST Elliott 87' (Report) Attendance: 9,826
Referee: Rob Shoebridge
1 August 2008 Hertha BSC 1–0 Newcastle United ONO Estadi
21:00 BST Nicu 80' (Report) Attendance: ~2,000
Referee: Ivan Gonzalez
3 August 2008 Mallorca 1–0 Newcastle United ONO Estadi
23:00 BST Suárez 6' (Report) Attendance: ~2,000
Referee: Ángel Rodada Rodríguez
6 August 2008 Newcastle United 2–2 PSV St James' Park, Newcastle upon Tyne
19:45 BST Taylor 3'
Guthrie 8'		 (Report) Afellay 32'
Amrabat 71'		 Attendance: 13,477
Referee: Chris Foy
9 August 2008 Newcastle United 2–1 Valencia St James' Park, Newcastle upon Tyne
17:00 BST Duff 77'
Milner 90+1'		 (Report) Joaquín 38' Attendance: 31,494
Referee: Uriah Rennie

Premier League

17 August 2008 Manchester United 1–1 Newcastle United Old Trafford, Manchester
16:00 BST Fletcher 24'
Campbell Yellow card 78'
Brown Yellow card 81'
Rooney Yellow card 90'		 (Report) Martins 22' Attendance: 75,512
Referee: Mike Riley
23 August 2008 Newcastle United 1–0 Bolton Wanderers St James' Park, Newcastle upon Tyne
15:00 BST Owen 71' (Report) Attendance: 47,711
Referee: Steve Bennett
30 August 2008 Arsenal 3–0 Newcastle United Emirates Stadium, London
17:30 BST Van Persie 18' (pen.), 41'
Fàbregas Yellow card 52'
Denílson 59'
Nasri Yellow card 90+2'		 (Report) Yellow card 28' Coloccini
Yellow card 52' Given		 Attendance: 60,067
Referee: Rob Styles
13 September 2008 Newcastle United 1–2 Hull City St James' Park, Newcastle upon Tyne
15:00 BST Xisco 82'
Guthrie Red card 90+6'		 (Report) King 34' (pen.), 55' Attendance: 50,242
Referee: Andre Marriner
20 September 2008 West Ham United 3–1 Newcastle United Boleyn Ground, London
15:00 BST Di Michele 8', 37'
Etherington 53'		 (Report) Owen 67' Attendance: 34,743
Referee: Phil Dowd
27 September 2008 Newcastle United 1–2 Blackburn Rovers St James' Park, Newcastle upon Tyne
15:00 BST Owen 51' (pen.) (Report) Samba 31'
Santa Cruz 41'		 Attendance: 44,937
Referee: Steve Tanner
5 October 2008 Everton 2–2 Newcastle United Goodison Park, Liverpool
16:00 BST Arteta 17' (pen.)
Fellaini 35'		 (Report) S. Taylor 45'
Duff 47'		 Attendance: 33,805
Referee: Howard Webb
20 October 2008 Newcastle United 2–2 Manchester City St James' Park, Newcastle upon Tyne
20:00 BST Beye Red card 12'
Ameobi 44'
Dunne 63' (o.g.)		 (Report) Robinho 14' (pen.)
Ireland 86'		 Attendance: 45,908
Referee: Rob Styles
25 October 2008 Sunderland 2–1 Newcastle United Stadium of Light, Sunderland
13:00 BST Cissé 20'
Richardson 78'		 (Report) Ameobi 30' Attendance: 47,936
Referee: Mike Riley
28 October 2008 Newcastle United 2–1 West Brom St James' Park, Newcastle upon Tyne
19:45 GMT Barton 9' (pen.)
Martins 42'		 (Report) Miller 65' Attendance: 45,801
Referee: Mike Dean
3 November 2008 Newcastle United 2–0 Aston Villa St James' Park, Newcastle upon Tyne
20:00 GMT Martins 60', 83' (Report) Attendance: 44,567
Referee: Steve Bennett
9 November 2008 Fulham 2–1 Newcastle United Craven Cottage, London
16:00 GMT Johnson 23'
Murphy 66' (pen.)		 (Report) Ameobi 57' Attendance: 24,740
Referee: Martin Atkinson
15 November 2008 Newcastle United 2–2 Wigan Athletic St James' Park, Newcastle upon Tyne
15:00 GMT Owen 80'
Martins 87'		 (Report) R. Taylor 3'
Boyce Red card 54'
Bramble 89'		 Attendance: 47,657
Referee: Andre Marriner
22 November 2008 Chelsea 0–0 Newcastle United Stamford Bridge, London
15:00 GMT (Report) Attendance: 41,660
Referee: Phil Dowd
29 November 2008 Middlesbrough 0–0 Newcastle United Riverside Stadium, Middlesbrough
15:00 GMT (Report) Attendance: 32,160
Referee: Alan Wiley
6 December 2008 Newcastle United 2–2 Stoke City St James' Park, Newcastle upon Tyne
15:00 GMT Owen 8', 24' (Report) Sidibe 60'
Faye 90+1'		 Attendance: 47,422
Referee: Mike Riley
14 December 2008 Portsmouth 0–3 Newcastle United Fratton Park, Portsmouth
13:30 GMT (Report) Owen 52'
Martins 77'
Guthrie 89'		 Attendance: 19,416
Referee: Chris Foy
21 December 2008 Newcastle United 2–1 Tottenham Hotspur St James' Park, Newcastle upon Tyne
15:00 GMT N'Zogbia 12'
Duff 90'		 (Report) Modrić 28' Attendance: 47,982
Referee: Andre Marriner
26 December 2008 Wigan Athletic 2–1 Newcastle United JJB Stadium, Wigan
15:00 GMT R. Taylor 29'
Zaki 73' (pen.)		 (Report) Bassong Red card 72'
Guthrie 88' (pen.)		 Attendance: 20.266
Referee: Mike Dean
28 December 2008 Newcastle United 1–5 Liverpool St James' Park, Newcastle upon Tyne
12:00 GMT Edgar 45+2' (Report) Gerrard 31', 66'
Hyypiä 36'
Babel 50'
Alonso 77' (pen.)		 Attendance: 52,114
Referee: Mark Halsey
10 January 2009 Newcastle United 2–2 West Ham United St James' Park, Newcastle upon Tyne
15:00 GMT Owen 19'
Carroll 78'		 (Report) Bellamy 29'
Cole 55'		 Attendance: 47,571
Referee: Alan Wiley
17 January 2009 Blackburn Rovers 3–0 Newcastle United Ewood Park, Blackburn
15:00 GMT McCarthy 61' (pen.)
Roberts 66', 86'		 (Report) Butt Red card 83' Attendance: 25,583
Referee: Rob Styles
28 January 2009 Manchester City 2–1 Newcastle United City of Manchester Stadium, Manchester
19:45 GMT Wright-Phillips 17'
Bellamy 77'		 (Report) Carroll 81' Attendance: 42,280
Referee: Michael Jones
1 February 2009 Newcastle United 1–1 Sunderland St James' Park, Newcastle upon Tyne
13:30 GMT Ameobi 68' (pen.) (Report) Cissé 32' Attendance: 52,084
Referee: Howard Webb
7 February 2009 West Bromwich Albion 2–3 Newcastle United The Hawthorns, West Bromwich
15:00 GMT Fortuné 4', 73' (Report) Duff 2'
Løvenkrands 9'
S. Taylor 41'		 Attendance: 25,817
Referee: Chris Foy
22 February 2009 Newcastle United 0–0 Everton St James' Park, Newcastle upon Tyne
16:00 GMT Nolan Red card 44' (Report) Attendance: 47,683
Referee: Lee Mason
1 March 2009 Bolton Wanderers 1–0 Newcastle United Reebok Stadium, Bolton
13:00 GMT Gardner 47' (Report) Attendance: 20,763
Referee: Alan Wiley
4 March 2009 Newcastle United 1–2 Manchester United St James' Park, Newcastle upon Tyne
19:45 GMT Løvenkrands 9' (Report) Rooney 20'
Berbatov 56'		 Attendance: 51,636
Referee: Steve Bennett
14 March 2009 Hull City 1–1 Newcastle United KC Stadium, Kingston upon Hull
15:00 GMT Geovanni 9' (Report) S. Taylor 38' Attendance: 24,915
Referee: Howard Webb
21 March 2009 Newcastle United 1–3 Arsenal St James' Park, Newcastle upon Tyne
17:30 GMT Martins 58' (Report) Bendtner 57'
Diaby 64'
Nasri 67'		 Attendance: 49,972
Referee: Mark Halsey
4 April 2009 Newcastle United 0–2 Chelsea St James' Park, Newcastle upon Tyne
15:00 BST (Report) Lampard 56'
Malouda 65'		 Attendance: 52,112
Referee: Rob Styles
11 April 2009 Stoke City 1–1 Newcastle United Britannia Stadium, Stoke-on-Trent
17:30 BST Faye 33' (Report) Carroll 81' Attendance: 27,382
Referee: Chris Foy
19 April 2009 Tottenham Hotspur 1–0 Newcastle United White Hart Lane, London
13:30 BST Bent 24' (Report) Attendance: 35,850
Referee: Mark Halsey
27 April 2009 Newcastle United 0–0 Portsmouth St James' Park, Newcastle upon Tyne
20:00 BST (Report) Attendance: 47,481
Referee: Mike Riley
3 May 2009 Liverpool 3–0 Newcastle United Anfield, Liverpool
13:30 BST Benayoun 22'
Kuyt 28'
Lucas 87'		 (Report) Barton Red card 77' Attendance: 44,121
Referee: Phil Dowd
11 May 2009 Newcastle United 3–1 Middlesbrough St James' Park, Newcastle upon Tyne
20:00 BST S. Taylor 9'
Martins 71'
Løvenkrands 86'		 (Report) Beye 3' (o.g.) Attendance: 51,252
Referee: Mike Dean
16 May 2009 Newcastle United 0–1 Fulham St James' Park, Newcastle upon Tyne
15:00 BST Bassong Red card 60' (Report) Kamara 41' Attendance: 52,114
Referee: Howard Webb
24 May 2009 Aston Villa 1–0 Newcastle United Villa Park, Birmingham
16:00 BST Duff 38' (o.g.) (Report) Edgar Red card 90+4' Attendance: 42,585
Referee: Chris Foy

FA Cup

3 January 2009 Round 3 Hull City 0–0 Newcastle United KC Stadium, Kingston upon Hull
15:00 GMT (Report) Attendance: 20,557
Referee: Chris Foy
14 January 2009 Round 3r Newcastle United 0–1 Hull City St James' Park, Newcastle upon Tyne
19:45 GMT (Report) Cousin 81' Attendance: 31,380
Referee: Phil Dowd

League Cup

26 August 2008 Round 2 Coventry City 2 – 3 (a.e.t.) Newcastle United Ricoh Arena, Coventry
19:45 BST Morrison 45+1'
Dann 90+4'		 (Report) Dann 21' (o.g.)
Milner 38'
Owen 97'		 Attendance: 19,249
Referee: Anthony Bates
24 September 2008 Round 3 Newcastle United 1–2 Tottenham Hotspur St James' Park, Newcastle upon Tyne
19:45 BST Owen 90' (Report) Pavlyuchenko 62'
O'Hara 66'		 Attendance: 20,577
Referee: Chris Foy

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