Alan Shearer turns air blue after Howard Webb insult as storm hit Newcastle United ‘scandal’

When people talk about Newcastle United’s relegation in 2009 the mind painfully flickers back to that fateful day at Villa Park. On an afternoon in which the Magpies – led by Alan Shearer – could have scraped to survival with just a point, things could have been very different had things not unfolded in such a controversial manner just seven days earlier at St James’ Park.

As Fulham make the trip to St James’ Park today to take on Eddie Howe’s side for a crunch clash, it stirs memories of when Shearer and Newcastle were completely robbed in their home game against Fulham on the penultimate weekend of the ill-fated 2008/09 season – a game that had so much riding on it. In fact it felt more like a scandal as a perfectly good goal was wiped off the board with Newcastle in dire need of a point. But it was all in keeping with the infamous run-in at St James’ Park after everything that could go wrong, pretty much did go wrong!

By then, we’d had a Kevin Keegan resignation, Mike Ashley putting the club up for sale, Joe Kinnear coming in as boss before suffering health issues, Chris Hughton in caretaker charge and then finally Shearer who attempted to keep United afloat with eight games left.

Newcastle, who’d beaten Middlesbrough 3-1 just days earlier to put their fate in their own hands, had gone into their fixture with the Cottagers knowing that a victory would have kept them up and they would have avoided the nervy trip to the second city on the final day. But Shearer’s side got no luck and after Obafemi Martins had clipped the post the Magpies fell behind to a strike from Diomansy Kamara just before the break.

As Kamara’s goal was lashed home, with a goal that would have been looked at if VAR had existed for a possible offside, Match of the Day commentator Jonathan Pearce said: “Newcastle thought they were safe on Monday night now they are in trouble once more.”

But a bigger controversy was just around the corner. It came as a flag kick was swirled in brilliantly by Danny Guthrie and Mark Viduka flicked at goal perfectly to beat Mark Schwarzer for what looked like a perfectly good equaliser.



Alan Shearer turns air blue after Howard Webb insult as storm hit Newcastle United ‘scandal’
Mark Viduka of Newcastle battles with Aaron Hughes of Fulham

However, referee Howard Webb would chalk the goal off in disputable fashion after deeming that Kevin Nolan had fouled the Aussie keeper. A look at the replay shows that Nolan was simply holding his position and the man at the top of English refereeing these days, would surely have been told by VAR that he’d got it wrong had it been in place back then.

To add serious insult to injury, Webb then sent off Seb Bassong for a foul on Kamara and the Cameroon international was suspended for the last game of the season against Villa.

As the game ticked towards a defeat the May sunshine quickly turned into unseasonal hail storm as a black cloud passed over St James’ Park. It felt like Newcastle were sinking into the abyss as the great Sir Bobby Robson watched on from the stands in what would be his final Premier League visit to St James Park.

A seething Shearer, who met Webb with an icy blast as he left the field, emerged to say: “Howard Webb says it was a push or a block on the goalkeeper. I couldn’t see that, it was the goalkeeper pushing more than anything.

“I thought it was a poor decision. There’s no law that says you can’t stand in front of the keeper.”

As reporters gathered in the mixed zone after the game to try to get a player take on events, Shearer’s tactical notes could be seen torn up and scattered in the technical area. The sun was shining again but Newcastle’s world was in tatters.

And so it was on to Villa Park for that painful final chapter of the season on a day that Newcastle never looked like winning. A Damien Duff own goal won it for Villa and as nearest rivals Hull had picked up a point against Bolton Wanderers the week before, Newcastle went down by virtue of a point.

Had Viduka’s goal stood the Magpies would have staved off relegation by the narrowest margin.

View news Source: https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/alan-shearer-turns-air-blue-30896210

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