2008–09 Newcastle United F.C. season

Newcastle United

2008–09 season
Managing Director	Chris Mort Derek Llambias
Manager	Kevin Keegan Chris Hughton Joe Kinnear Colin Calderwood & Chris Hughton Alan Shearer John Carver
Premier League	18th (relegated)
FA Cup	Third round
League Cup	Third Round
Top goalscorer	League: Michael Owen, Obafemi Martins (8) All: Michael Owen (10)
Highest home attendance	52,114 (vs. Liverpool and Fulham)
Lowest home attendance	20,577 (vs Tottenham Hotspur)
Home colours Away colours Third colours
← 2007–08 2009–10 →

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 in the opening 2009 season, 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 were eliminated from the League Cup by Tottenham Hotspur and lost all their league matches. On 26 September, Hughton was replaced by Joe Kinnear as "interim manager." 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.^[9] 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.^[10] 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."^[10] 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.^[11] 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.^[12]

Compensation to Keegan

On 2 October, a Premier League arbitration panel ruled in favour of Kevin Keegan on his dispute with the club.^[13][14] The club confessed that they had lied to the media, public and staff, and that their correspondence on Keegan's departure was just "PR".^[13] 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.^[15] 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,^[16] although he announced deep sorrow over the situation and felt his career has been left "in tatters".^[17]

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.^[18]

Keegan rejected talk of a third return to the club, feeling the fans had "had enough,"^[19] leaving the role open for Chris Hughton to become full-time manager.

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.^[20]

Managers

• Kevin Keegan (until 4 September 2008; resigned)
• Chris Hughton (6 September 2008 – 26 September 2008; caretaker)
• Joe Kinnear (26 September 2008 – 16 February 2009; due to ill health)
• Colin Calderwood/ Chris Hughton (16 February 2009 – 31 March 2009; caretakers)
• Alan Shearer (31 March 2009 – 24 May 2009)

Chronological list of events

• 6 June 2008: David Rozehnal was sold to Lazio.^[21]

• 17 June 2008: Managing director Chris Mort stepped down as chairman and was replaced, as expected, by Derek Llambias.^[22]

• 24 June 2008: Richard Money was appointed new Academy Director.^[23]

• 30 June 2008: Stephen Carr, Peter Ramage and James Troisi left the club after contract expiry.^[24]

• 2 July 2008: Jonás Gutiérrez was signed from Mallorca.^[25]

• 4 July 2008: Steven Taylor signed a three-year extension.^[26]

• 11 July 2008: Danny Guthrie was signed from Liverpool.^[27]

• 14 July 2008: Sébastien Bassong from Metz was taken on trial for a week.^[28]

• 14 July 2008: Emre Belözoğlu was sold to Fenerbahçe.^[29]

• 16 July 2008: Robbie Elliott returned to the club to work as strength and conditioning coach alongside senior fitness coach, Mark Hulse.^[30]

• 16 July 2008: Alan Thompson joined the coaching staff as new academy coach.^[31]

• 30 July 2008: Sébastien Bassong came one step closer to being a Newcastle player when a fee was agreed between Newcastle United and Metz.^[32]

• 7 August 2008: Arthur Cox resigned as assistant manager and returned to his retirement from football.^[33]

• 15 August 2008: Fabricio Coloccini became a Newcastle United player, signing a five-year contract.^[34]

• 15 August 2008: Abdoulaye Faye was sold to Stoke City.^[35]

• 20 August 2008: Shola Ameobi's proposed move to Ipswich Town failed due to injury problem.^[36]

• 27 August 2008: James Milner handed in a written transfer request.^[37]

• 29 August 2008: James Milner was sold to Aston Villa for a fee of £12 million.^[38]

• 29 August 2008: Kamil Zayatte from Young Boys was training with the first-team squad.^[39]

• 1 September 2008: Nacho González from Valencia was taken on a season-long loan deal.^[40]

• 1 September 2008: Xisco was signed from Deportivo de La Coruña.^[41]

• 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.^[42]

• 4 September 2008: Kevin Keegan resigned as manager after several days of discussions with the board.^[43]

• 5 September 2008: Anil Ambani was again rumored to be interested in a £220 million take over and bring Kevin Keegan back.^[44]

• 6 September 2008: Chris Hughton was named caretaker manager following the departures of Terry McDermott and Adam Sadler.^[45]

• 8 September 2008: Ray Gooding was appointed academy scout joining from Coventry City.^[46]

• 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.^[47]

• 17 September 2008: Mike Ashley was rumored to have snubbed a £200M bid for the club from Dubai-based Zabeel Investments, instead demanding £481M.^[48]

• 22 September 2008: Keith Harris from Seymour Pierce was appointed to act on the potential sale of the club by the board.^[49]

• 23 September 2008: A Nigerian consortium was rumored to line up a £350M. take over bid and bring Kevin Keegan back.^[50][51]

• 26 September 2008: Joe Kinnear named interim manager.^[52]

• 9 October 2008: Tony Jimenez left the club to pursue other interests.^[53]

• 25 October 2008: Newcastle lost away to Sunderland for the first time in 28 years.^[54]

• 28 November 2008: Joe Kinnear announced as manager until the end of the season.^[55]

• 14 December 2008: Newcastle United claimed their first away victory of the season with a 3–0 win over Portsmouth with goals from Michael Owen, Obafemi Martins and Danny Guthrie^[56]

• 28 December 2008: The sale of the club was called off by Mike Ashley.^[57]

• 12 January 2009: Peter Løvenkrands was taken on trial for a week.^[58]

• 23 January 2009: Peter Løvenkrands signed until the end of the season.^[59]

• 26 January 2009: Colin Calderwood joined as a first-team coach until the end of the season.^[60]

• 30 January 2009: Kevin Nolan signed from Bolton Wanderers on a four-and-a-half year deal.^[61]

• 1 February 2009: Shay Given was sold to Manchester City.^[62]

• 2 February 2009: Ryan Taylor signed from Wigan Athletic with Charles N'Zogbia going in the other direction.^[63]

• 13 February 2009: Joe Kinnear underwent a triple heart bypass operation.^[64]

• 27 March 2009: Peter Beardsley returned to Newcastle once again to coach players at the academy.^[65]

• 1 April 2009: Alan Shearer was announced as temporary manager,^[66] 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.^[67]

• 1 April 2009: Iain Dowie was announced as new assistant manager while Colin Calderwood and Chris Hughton would continue in their coaching roles.^[68]

• 3 April 2009: Paul Ferris returned to the club to be part of Shearer's backroom staff working as physio.^[69]

• 24 May 2009: Newcastle United relegated to The Championship after a 1–0 loss away to Aston Villa.^[70]

• 26 May 2009: Alan Shearer was rumoured to be offered a new four-year deal by Newcastle United, becoming permanent manager of the team.^[71]

• 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.^[72]

• 31 May 2009: Mike Ashley reportedly put the club up for sale with a £100M price tag.^[73]

• 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.^[74]

• 8 June 2009: The club is officially put up for sale for £100M confirmed through a club statement.^[75]

• 12 June 2009: Several groups and consortiums are reported in talks with the club regarding a take over, including Singapore-based Profitable Group.^[76]

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	Shay Given	22	0	2	0	2	0	26	0	2	0
2	DF	Fabricio Coloccini	34	0	2	0	2	0	38	0	5	0
3	DF	José Enrique	24+2	0	1	0	1	0	26+2	0	1	0
4	MF	Kevin Nolan	10+1	0	0	0	0	0	10+1	0	2	1
6	DF	Caçapa	4+2	0	0	0	1	0	5+2	0	0	0
7	MF	Joey Barton	6+3	1	0	0	0	0	6+3	1	2	1
8	MF	Danny Guthrie	21+3	2	2	0	1	0	24+3	2	3	1
9	FW	Obafemi Martins	21+3	8	0	0	1	0	22+3	8	1	0
10	FW	Michael Owen (C)	21+7	8	2	0	1+1	2	24+8	10	0	0
11	MF	Damien Duff	28+2	3	2	0	1	0	31+2	3	4	0
12	DF	Sébastien Bassong	26+4	0	2	0	2	0	30+4	0	3	2
13	GK	Steve Harper	16	0	0	0	0	0	16	0	0	0
14	MF	Charles N'Zogbia	14+4	1	2	0	2	0	18+4	1	2	0
15	MF	Nacho González	0+2	0	0	0	0	0	0+2	0	0	0
16	MF	James Milner	2	0	0	0	1	1	3	1	0	0
16	DF	Ryan Taylor	8+2	0	0	0	0	0	8+2	0	4	0
17	FW	Alan Smith	4+2	0	0	0	0	0	4+2	0	2	0
18	MF	Jonás Gutiérrez	23+7	0	1+1	0	1	0	25+8	0	7	0
19	FW	Xisco	3+2	1	1	0	0+1	0	4+3	1	0	0
20	MF	Geremi	11+4	0	0	0	2	0	13+4	0	2	0
21	DF	Habib Beye	22+1	0	0	0	1	0	23+1	0	3	1
22	MF	Nicky Butt	33	0	2	0	2	0	37	0	9	1
23	FW	Shola Ameobi	14+8	4	0	0	0	0	14+8	4	1	0
24	FW	Peter Løvenkrands	8+4	3	0	0	0	0	8+4	3	0	0
27	DF	Steven Taylor	25+2	4	1	0	1	0	27+2	4	6	0
28	DF	Tamás Kádár	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
29	FW	Fabio Zamblera	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
30	DF	David Edgar	7+4	1	1	0	0+1	0	8+5	1	3	1
31	FW	Frank Wiafe Danquah	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
32	FW	Wesley Ngo Baheng	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
33	GK	Ole Söderberg	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
34	GK	Fraser Forster	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
35	DF	Ben Tozer	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
36	FW	Mark Viduka	6+6	0	0	0	0	0	6+6	0	0	0
37	DF	Callum Morris	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
38	MF	Kazenga LuaLua	0+3	0	0+1	0	0	0	0+4	0	0	0
39	FW	Andy Carroll	5+9	3	1+1	0	0	0	6+10	3	2	0
40	GK	Tim Krul	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
41	MF	Mark Doninger	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
42	FW	Ryan Donaldson	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
43	MF	Jonny Godsmark	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
44	MF	James Marwood	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
45	DF	Darren Lough	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
46	FW	Nile Ranger	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
47	MF	Bradden Inman	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	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	Michael Owen	24
22	MF	Nicky Butt	16
13	GK	Steve Harper	1
1	GK	Shay Given	1

Coaching staff

Position	Staff
Manager	Alan Shearer
Assistant Manager	Chris Hughton
First Team coach	Colin Calderwood
Goalkeeping Coach	Paul Barron
Development Coach	Willie Donachie
Reserve Team Coach	Alan Thompson
Chief scout	Arthur Cox

Last updated: 3 May 2011
Source:

Transfers

In

Date	Pos.	Name	From	Fee
2 July 2008	MF	Jonás Gutiérrez	Mallorca	Undisclosed[25] (exp. £2,000,000)[77]
11 July 2008	MF	Danny Guthrie	Liverpool	Undisclosed[27] (exp. £2,500,000)[77]
30 July 2008	DF	Sébastien Bassong	Metz	Undisclosed[32] (exp. £1,800,000)
15 August 2008	DF	Fabricio Coloccini	Deportivo La Coruña	Undisclosed[34] (exp. £10,000,000)[77]
1 September 2008	FW	Xisco	Deportivo La Coruña	Undisclosed[41] (exp. £5,700,000)[77]
23 January 2009	FW	Peter Løvenkrands	Schalke 04	Free[59]
30 January 2009	MF	Kevin Nolan	Bolton Wanderers	£4,000,000[61]
2 February 2009	DF	Ryan Taylor	Wigan Athletic	Part-exchange for Charles N'Zogbia[78]

• Total spending: ~ £26,000,000

Out

Date	Pos.	Name	To	Fee
10 June 2008	DF	David Rozehnal	Lazio	£2,900,000[79]
30 June 2008	DF	Peter Ramage	Queens Park Rangers	Free[80]
30 June 2008	DF	Stephen Carr	Birmingham City	Free[81]
30 June 2008	MF	James Troisi	Gençlerbirliği	Free[82][83]
14 July 2008	MF	Emre Belözoğlu	Fenerbahçe	£3,800,000[29]
15 August 2008	DF	Abdoulaye Faye	Stoke City	£2,250,000[35]
29 August 2008	MF	James Milner	Aston Villa	£12,000,000[38]
1 February 2009	GK	Shay Given	Manchester City	£5,900,000[62]
2 February 2009	MF	Charles N'Zogbia	Wigan Athletic	Undisclosed (exp. £6,000,000) + Ryan Taylor[78]

• Total income: ~ £32,850,000

Loans in

Date	Pos.	Name	From	Expiry
1 September 2008	MF	Nacho González	Valencia	2009-06-30[40]

Loans out

Date	Pos.	Name	To	Expiry
1 October 2008	GK	Fraser Forster	Stockport County	1 November 2008[84]
21 November 2008	GK	Tim Krul	Carlisle United	21 January 2009[85][86]
2 February 2008	FW	Fabio Zamblera	Sampdoria	30 June 2009[87]
26 March 2009	MF	Kazenga LuaLua	Doncaster Rovers	4 May 2009[88]

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

Hartlepool v Newcastle United

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

Doncaster Rovers v Newcastle United

26 July 2008	Doncaster Rovers	1 – 0	Newcastle United	Keepmoat Stadium
15:00 BST	Elliott  87'	(Report)		Attendance: 9,826 Referee: Rob Shoebridge

Hertha BSC v Newcastle United

1 August 2008	Hertha BSC	1 – 0	Newcastle United	ONO Estadi
21:00 BST	Nicu  80'	(Report)		Attendance: ~2,000 Referee: Ivan Gonzalez

Mallorca v Newcastle United

3 August 2008	Mallorca	1 – 0	Newcastle United	ONO Estadi
23:00 BST	Suárez  6'	(Report)		Attendance: ~2,000 Referee: Ángel Rodada Rodríguez

Newcastle United v PSV

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

Newcastle United v Valencia

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

Manchester United v Newcastle United

17 August 2008	Manchester United	1 – 1	Newcastle United	Old Trafford, Manchester
16:00 BST	Fletcher  24' Campbell  78' Brown  81' Rooney  90'	(Report)	Martins  22'	Attendance: 75,512 Referee: Mike Riley

Newcastle United v Bolton Wanderers

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

Arsenal v Newcastle United

30 August 2008	Arsenal	3 – 0	Newcastle United	Emirates Stadium, London
17:30 BST	Van Persie  18' (pen.), 41' Fàbregas  52' Denílson  59' Nasri  90+2'	(Report)	28' Coloccini  52' Given	Attendance: 60,067 Referee: Rob Styles

Newcastle United v Hull City

13 September 2008	Newcastle United	1 – 2	Hull City	St James' Park, Newcastle upon Tyne
15:00 BST	Xisco  82' Guthrie  90+6'	(Report)	King  34' (pen.), 55'	Attendance: 50,242 Referee: Andre Marriner

West Ham United v Newcastle United

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

Newcastle United v Blackburn Rovers

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

Everton v Newcastle United

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

Newcastle United v Manchester City

20 October 2008	Newcastle United	2 – 2	Manchester City	St James' Park, Newcastle upon Tyne
20:00 BST	Beye  12' Ameobi  44' Dunne  63' (o.g.)	(Report)	Robinho  14' (pen.) Ireland  86'	Attendance: 45,908 Referee: Rob Styles

Sunderland v Newcastle United

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

Newcastle United v West Brom

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

Newcastle United v Aston Villa

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

Fulham v Newcastle United

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

Newcastle United v Wigan Athletic

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  54' Bramble  89'	Attendance: 47,657 Referee: Andre Marriner

Chelsea v Newcastle United

22 November 2008	Chelsea	0 – 0	Newcastle United	Stamford Bridge, London
15:00 GMT		(Report)		Attendance: 41,660 Referee: Phil Dowd

Middlesbrough v Newcastle United

29 November 2008	Middlesbrough	0 – 0	Newcastle United	Riverside Stadium, Middlesbrough
15:00 GMT		(Report)		Attendance: 32,160 Referee: Alan Wiley

Newcastle United v Stoke City

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

Portsmouth v Newcastle United

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

Newcastle United v Tottenham Hotspur

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

Wigan Athletic v Newcastle United

26 December 2008	Wigan Athletic	2 – 1	Newcastle United	JJB Stadium, Wigan
15:00 GMT	R. Taylor  29' Zaki  73' (pen.)	(Report)	Bassong  72' Guthrie  88' (pen.)	Attendance: 20.266 Referee: Mike Dean

Newcastle United v Liverpool

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

Newcastle United v West Ham United

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

Blackburn Rovers v Newcastle United

17 January 2009	Blackburn Rovers	3 – 0	Newcastle United	Ewood Park, Blackburn
15:00 GMT	McCarthy  61' (pen.) Roberts  66', 86'	(Report)	Butt  83'	Attendance: 25,583 Referee: Rob Styles

Manchester City v Newcastle United

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

Newcastle United v Sunderland

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

West Brom v Newcastle United

7 February 2009	West Brom	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

Newcastle United v Everton

22 February 2009	Newcastle United	0 – 0	Everton	St James' Park, Newcastle upon Tyne
16:00 GMT	Nolan  44'	(Report)		Attendance: 47,683 Referee: Lee Mason

Bolton Wanderers v Newcastle United

1 March 2009	Bolton Wanderers	1 – 0	Newcastle United	Reebok Stadium, Bolton
13:00 GMT	Gardner  47'	(Report)		Attendance: 20,763 Referee: Alan Wiley

Newcastle United v Manchester United

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

Hull City v Newcastle United

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

Newcastle United v Arsenal

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

Newcastle United v Chelsea

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

Stoke City v Newcastle United

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

Tottenham Hotspur v Newcastle United

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

Newcastle United v Portsmouth

27 April 2009	Newcastle United	0 – 0	Portsmouth	St James' Park, Newcastle upon Tyne
20:00 BST		(Report)		Attendance: 47,481 Referee: Mike Riley

Liverpool v Newcastle United

3 May 2009	Liverpool	3 – 0	Newcastle United	Anfield, Liverpool
13:30 BST	Benayoun  22' Kuyt  28' Lucas  87'	(Report)	Barton  77'	Attendance: 44,121 Referee: Phil Dowd

Newcastle United v Middlesbrough

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

Newcastle United v Fulham

16 May 2009	Newcastle United	0 – 1	Fulham	St James' Park, Newcastle upon Tyne
15:00 BST	Bassong  60'	(Report)	Kamara  41'	Attendance: 52,114 Referee: Howard Webb

Aston Villa v Newcastle United

24 May 2009	Aston Villa	1 – 0	Newcastle United	Villa Park, Birmingham
16:00 BST	Duff  38' (o.g.)	(Report)	Edgar  90+4'	Attendance: 42,585 Referee: Chris Foy

FA Cup

Hull City v Newcastle United

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

Newcastle United v Hull City

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

Coventry City v Newcastle United

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

Newcastle United v Tottenham Hotspur

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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