^yeah, same thing :D
Thsi has got to be the upset of the season:
Wolves 1 Man Utd. 0
The bottom team beats the top team. :)
MU lost to Wolves - hahah - i said long before - it has always been a two horse race - MU and Arsenal - Chelsea had a chance but they lost few games down the road - as for us(Newcastle) dammit we just had only one win in December. 
Louis Saha has gone to MU - big clubs always get their men.
- wat were the magpies thinking of when they sold louis saha in the 1st place! :rolleyes: we never played him enough he was gr8 but his services weren’t put 2 use, anyways as for today (19/01/2004) we have beaten fulham @ home by 3 - 1 and included in the goalscoring is the ever present name on the scoresheet this season that’s rite laurent robert, his goal today was amazing, an early contender for the goal of the season!!!
Laurent Robert’s wonder goal capped an impressive Newcastle win over Fulham.
Robert athletically backheeled the ball past Edwin van der Saar to finish off a flowing move the Frenchman had started.
Newcastle were 2-0 up at half-time after Andy O’Brien swivelled to crash the ball into the net and Gary Speed headed home a Nolberto Solano corner.
Robert’s goal of the season contender arrived soon after the interval, while late in the game Sean Davis’ low shot pulled a goal back for Fulham.
On the evidence of Monday’s display Fulham need to quickly find a replacement for Louis Saha.
With the Frenchman poised to complete his move to Manchester United, manager Chris Coleman brought in Barry Hayles.
During this season, Saha has been deployed as a lone-striker by the Fulham manager, but Hayles struggled to adapt to that demanding role.
Just before the interval Hayles did well to work himself a shooting opportunity, only to be denied by Olivier Bernard’s sliding tackle.
** KEY MOMENTS **
04 mins: O’Brien gives Newcastle the lead
41 mins: Another Newcastle corner sees Speed add a second
54 mins: Robert’s wonder goal puts Newcastle in control
74 mins: Davis grabs a goal for Fulham
With Hayles muzzled, Fulham’s primary outlet was Luis Boa Morte on the left wing.
Defensively, Fulham’s Achilles Heel was their inability to deal with Newcastle’s set-pieces.
Both goals came from corners, with Speed’s aerial ability prominent on each occasion.
In the 4th minute Robert’s corner skimmed off Speed’s head, but Jonathan Woodgate managed to turn and cross and after Alan Shearer’s initial effort was blocked, O’Brien forced the ball home.
Five minutes before the interval another Newcastle corner saw Speed make a near-post run and power his header past Van der Saar.
Amid this Newcastle barrage, Fulham’s Dutch goalkeeper did well to save two fierce two fierce Robert shots.
He did even better to save with his feet a Solano shot following a Robert free-kick.
Wounded by those two goals, Fulham were all but finished off by a flowing Newcastle move, started and finished by Robert.
The Frenchman broke infield before feeding Jermaine Jenas, who in turn released Kieron Dyer.
The England international crossed to Robert, who with his back to goal quickly adjusted his feet and then flicked the ball home with the heel of his boot.
On 74 minutes Davis’ shot off the post reduced the deficit, but Newcastle were convincing winners and the win moves Bobby Robson’s side into fifth place in the Premiership, four points behind fourth-placed Charlton.*
:flower1: ** Barclaycard Premiership table {19/01/2004} ** :flower1:](http://www.skysports.com/skysports/tables/0,,31-,00.html)
Pos Team P W D L F A GD Pts
1 Arsenal 22 15 7 0 42 14 28 52
2 Manchester United 22 16 2 4 40 15 25 50
3 Chelsea 22 14 4 4 40 17 23 46
4 Charlton Athletic 22 10 7 5 31 23 8 37
**5 Newcastle United 22 8 9 5 30 23 7 33 **
6 Liverpool 21 9 5 7 31 23 8 32
7 Fulham 22 9 4 9 34 32 2 31
8 Southampton 22 8 6 8 21 18 3 30
9 Birmingham City 21 8 6 7 19 25 -6 30
10 Bolton Wanderers 22 7 8 7 26 33 -7 29
11 Tottenham Hotspur 22 8 3 11 26 31 -5 27
12 Aston Villa 22 7 6 9 21 27 -6 27
13 Middlesbrough 21 6 7 8 20 26 -6 25
14 Everton 22 6 6 10 25 29 -4 24
15 Manchester City 22 5 8 9 31 33 -2 23
16 Blackburn Rovers 22 6 5 11 32 36 -4 23
17 Portsmouth 22 6 4 12 25 33 -8 22
18 r Leicester City 22 4 8 10 31 38 -7 20
19 r Wolverhampton Wanderers 21 4 6 11 19 43 -24 18
20 r Leeds United 22 4 5 13 19 44 -25 17
yeah - Sir Bobby Robson really regret it - tho Saha struggled at St. James Park but our dear manager Ruud Gullit allowed him go - most of the people have said why is there fuss about Saha - i think they are missing out what Soha is capable of - he had 16 goals in 2 seasons - and is very quick with his left-foot - even tho had we had him to play for us - he might not be as delighted as he is now - he also said it’s a dream come true to play for MU.
Saha delight at Man Utd move
Fulham’s Louis Saha admits it is “a dream come true” to finally seal his protracted £10.5m move to Manchester United.
The Frenchman has been United’s number one transfer target and they finally agreed a deal with Fulham on Sunday after weeks of negotatiations.
United’s original bid for the 25-year-old striker was turned down by Fulham boss Chris Coleman, but the deal is expected to be completed this week.
And Saha said: "I am so happy. I never thought this move would happen but I am so pleased it has. I am the happiest man in England.
"Old Trafford is a lucky ground for me. It’s where I started in the Premiership and scored two goals
"Fulham was a fantastic place for me, but I cannot wait for the challenge of proving myself at the biggest club in the world.
"I want to play in the Champions League and I want to start building up a collection of medals. **United was always the choice for me.
“I have been waiting for this move for more than a month. I knew this was my last chance to sign for United. By June United could have signed another striker.” **
Saha says he is not worried about the prospect of fighting for a place in the first team.
“In all the big clubs there is competition, I accept that. I just want to play as many matches as possible and I am looking forward to that,” Saha added.
United’s striking problems were highlighted in Saturday’s 1-0 defeat at Wolves, when Ferguson’s side looked short of attacking options.
And Ferguson wasted no time in stepping up his move for Saha.
“Fulham can confirm that it has reached an agreement in principle with Manchester United for the transfer of Louis Saha, subject to a number of conditions,” said a statement on the Fulham website.
United said they expected to resolve those conditions within the next week.
Saha was quick to praise Coleman despite the war of words between the two and United throughout his protracted move
The French international said of his manager’s reluctance to sell him in the Evening Standard newspaper: "Coleman’s was a sporting opinion and so was mine. I understand absolutely.
“If I was in the same position, I would do the same thing. He has done a great job as manager and maybe I should thank him for everything before.”
If Saha completes his move this week, the Frenchman will be ineligible for United’s FA Cup game next weekend as he played for Fulham in the win over Cheltenham in the third round.
But he will be eligible to play in the Champions League for United.
=============
not a bad deal i guess.
gunners back at one..lets see how long they can hold
** FA BARCLAYCARD PREMIERSHIP **
results 31/01/2004!!!
Portsmouth (0)0 - 0(0) Wolves
** Birmingham (0)1 - 1(1) Newcastle ** gave away 3 points @ the death :nono:
Charlton (1)1 - 2(1) Bolton
Fulham (1)2 - 1(1) Tottenham
Leeds United (0)0 - 3(0) Middlesbrough
Leicester City (0)0 - 5(0) Aston Villa
Liverpool (0)0 - 0(0) Everton
Man Utd (2)3 - 2(1) Southampton
** Barclaycard Premiership table Sat Jan 31 **
Home Away
P W D L F A A W D L F A GD PTS
1 Man Utd 23 9 2 1 27 9 8 0 3 16 8 26 53
2 Arsenal 22 8 2 0 20 7 7 5 0 22 7 28 52
3 Chelsea 22 7 2 2 20 8 7 2 2 20 9 23 46
4 Charlton 23 4 3 4 16 16 6 4 2 16 9 7 37
5 Liverpool 23 5 2 4 16 12 4 5 3 16 12 8 34
**6 Newcastle 23 6 3 3 18 7 2 7 2 13 17 7 34 **
7 Fulham 23 7 2 3 20 13 3 2 6 16 20 3 34
8 Bolton 23 3 6 2 12 9 5 2 5 16 25 -6 32
9 Birmingham 22 4 4 3 11 14 4 3 4 9 12 -6 31
10 Southampton 23 6 2 4 13 8 2 4 5 10 13 2 30
11 Aston Villa 23 6 3 2 15 10 2 3 7 11 17 -1 30
12 Middlesbrough 22 3 4 5 11 15 4 3 3 12 11 -3 28
13 Tottenham 23 6 1 5 20 16 2 2 7 7 17 -6 27
14 Everton 23 5 4 3 16 11 1 3 7 9 18 -4 25
15 Man City 22 2 6 3 17 15 3 2 6 14 18 -2 23
16 Blackburn 22 3 1 6 16 19 3 4 5 16 17 -4 23
17 Portsmouth 23 6 1 4 22 12 0 4 8 3 21 -8 23
18 Leicester City 23 2 5 5 13 22 2 3 6 18 21 -12 20
19 Wolves 23 4 5 2 14 18 0 3 9 6 26 -24 20
20 Leeds United 23 2 4 6 9 19 21 8 10 28 -28 17
it wasn't a Magpies game - Birmingham dominated whole time especially in the 2nd half.
Liverpool draws with Everton - what happened there?
MU and Gunners are fighting for to be on top every week - it's no surprise - Louis Saha scored his first goal for MU - see he has began to proof his worth - MU is on top now but Gunners will win it easily against Manchester City tomorrow.
Brum :):)
Arsenal 2-1 Man City](BBC SPORT | Football | Premiership | Arsenal 2-1 Man City)
Arsenal returned to the top of the Premiership thanks to a wonder strike from Thierry Henry.
Michael Tarnat’s own goal gave Arsenal a half-time lead but the Gunners could only breathe easy thanks to Henry’s stunning strike on 83 minutes.
City pulled a goal back in injury time through Nicolas Anelka, who was sent off for an incident with Arsenal defender Ashley Cole.
Arsenal fans got their first glimpse of £17m record signing Jose Antonio Reyes who came on as a second half substitute.
Henry almost fired Arsenal ahead on nine minutes, but he struck the post from six yards out after slick interplay between Lauren and Freddie Ljungberg opened City up down the left flank.
There was plenty of trademark slick approach play from Arsenal but they lacked a cutting edge.
Henry weighted a perfect ball into the path of Robert Pires, but the Frenchman was unable to provide the finish.
Anelka’s ill-starred spell at Higbury guaranteed plenty of boos but he reminded Arsenal fans of his talents on 21 minutes as he worked a shooting space to test Jens Lehmann.
KEY MOMENTS
9 mins: Henry hits the post
36 mins: Tarnat own goal puts Arsenal ahead
62 mins: Reyes gets his first taste of action
83 mins: Henry stunner puts Arsenal 2-0 up
90 mins: Anelka makes it 2-1, and is sent off in resulting melee
Anelka was involved as Arsenal took the lead on 36 minutes.
Referee Alan Wiley waved away appeals for a foul on the French striker as Arsenal won possession.
The Gunners worked the ball with devastating speed to Henry on the left whose low cross was heading for Ljungberg and as Tarnat snaked out a leg he diverted the ball into his own net.
Torrential rain made conditions difficult and Lehmann took no chances as he punched away a swirling cross from Sun Jihai at the start of the second half.
Lehmann did even better to pounce on Sylvain Distin’s powerful header which picked up pace off the rain-slicked surface.
Reyes was introduced to loud cheers on 69 minutes and showed his class with a drag back which left Dunne floundering.
The £17m man was denied a dream debut goal as England keeper David James spread himself superbly to block.
James kept his side alive with a brave block to deny Pires, but he had no chance as Arsenal doubled their lead on 83 minutes.
Vieira’s absence was felt - our midfield was not effective at all
From Ben Boadu
Have your say on 606
Again there was controversy as referee Wiley waved away City appeals for a foul on substitute Robbie Fowler.
Arsenal worked the ball upfield to Henry who curled a delicious shot around James from 23 yards.
There was still a sting to the game, as City pulled a goal back in injury time through Anelka’s powerful strike.
Anelka’s attempts to retrieve the ball from the back of the net sparked a melee, in which Lehmann and Ashley Cole got involved.
It ended with Anelka shown a red card for raising his hands, and Cole booked for holding on to the ball.
:flower1: **FA Barclaycard Premiership (07/02/2004} ** :flower1: ](http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_prem/results/default.stm)
Wolves 1 - 3 Arsenal
Aston Villa 2 - 0 Leeds United
Bolton 2 - 2 Liverpool
Everton 3 - 4 Man Utd
Middlesbrough 0 - 1 Blackburn
Newcastle 3 - 1 Leicester City :k:
Southampton 0 - 0 Fulham
Tottenham 4 - 3 Portsmouth
COME ON MAGPIES!!!!!!!!!! - YES - this win put us in the 4th place but i don't think we will finish the season on third - Chelsea are waaay ahead of us
yep i agree chelsea r 2 far ahead of us, that magic 4th posititon will have 2 do as this will do our champions league hopes a lot of good.
hopefully this time we won’t fail at the qualfying stage of the champions league 
i think we face tremendous pressure for champions league berth - if you look at the Premiership table - Middlesbrough is only behind 7 points with us - lies at the 13th rank - we should get them this weekend!
** :flower1: FA Barclaycard Premiership {21/02/2004} :flower1: **
TODAY’S RESULTS
Bolton Wanderers 1 - 3 Manchester City
Charlton Athletic ** 3 - 2 ** Blackburn Rovers
Chelsea ** 1- 2 ** Arsenal
Liverpool V Portsmouth {postponed due to FA Cup replay}
Manchester United ** 1 - 1 ** Leeds United
Newcastle United 2 - 1 Middlesbrough :dhimpak:
Southampton 3 - 3 Everton
Wolverhampton Wanderers 2 - 1
** :flower1: FA Barclaycard Premiership {21/02/2004} :flower1: **](Football Tables and Standings - Football - BBC Sport)
well, i think the Championship has been decided today: Chelsea lose and ManU miss out 2 points. Arsenal now have a healthy 7 point lead. I don't see them losing much from this advantage
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by NeSCio: *
well, i think the Championship has been decided today: Chelsea lose and ManU miss out 2 points. Arsenal now have a healthy 7 point lead. I don't see them losing much from this advantage
[/QUOTE]
U might be right, but IMO too early to say.
^^ Exactly.. Last season, Arsenal let go a 6 points lead in last 5-6 games if i remember correctly!!
** :flower1: FA Barclaycard Premiership {22/02/2004} :flower1: **
Tottenham Hotspur 4 - 4 Leicester City :eek: thriller @ white hart lane
Aston Villa 2 - 2 Birmingham {midlands derby ends in stalemate}
** :flower1: FA Barclaycard Premiership Table as @ {22/02/2004} ** :flower1:](http://www.webwarper.net/ww/~GZ/news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_prem/table/default.stm?*)