An inauspicious start to the evening - it took us an hour and 45 minutes to get the 40 miles from wor hoose to Villa Park. Why don't they just make the M6 a car park and have done with it.

The Toon started much better, however, and were a goal up inside a couple of minutes. Robert was allowed to run unchallenged and let fly from about 20 yards. The ball hit Rudolph's left hand post and rebounded for Shearer, the only bloke moving in the penalty area, to slot home. For the next 20 minutes or so Newcastle were the better side and could have extended their lead when Dyer got on the end of a long through ball but lobbed it just over the bar.

Villa got back in the game courtesy of their recently acquired lamp post who got on the end of a cross (Dabs let him in I'm afraid) and headed powerfully past Shay. Villa suddenly started to think they could win and we had Shay to thank for keeping us in it up to half time. He made two splendid saves and Angel fired a shot about half an inch wide of his far post.

Dyer had looked very good in the first half. On a number of occasions he made great runs from the midfield but ended up either being caught offside or not receiving the ball. Indeed, the final pass let us down a far bit tonight. In the second half he wasn't so prominent until Cort went off and he was pushed up front for the last 10 minutes. Bernard made a great break down the left and YKD was hairing down the middle to get on the end of his cross only to see the final pass let us down again.

On the balance of play a draw was the least Villa deserved - shay was definitely the busier keeper. Rudolph had to make one grate save from Nobby late on when Staunton played a mad backpass and put Nobby in - he tried a lob and Rudolph just got to it. He's a big bugger to lob!

Shay was MOTM for me tonight. Aaron Hughes did OK and had one great run towards the end of the first half when he went straight up the right touch line with Nobby in the centre in oceans of room - guess where the ball went! JJ and Dyer were very good. Robert had moments of magic mixed with moments of sheer ineptitude! All took his goal well but Carl Cort was poor. He seemed off the pace to me.

One thing was annoying me increasingly as the match went on. There was a bloke in front of us who kept yelling at the linesman as a result of a total misunderstanding of the offide rule. In the end I said "for God's sake man, you CAN'T

-- Anonymous, April 02, 2002

Answers

[don't know how that happened] be offide from a goal kick". He argued that you could. A bloke next to Mr Jacko said "Yes you can, and I play every week". I told him it was about time he read the rules then. Bloody thick Brummies!

-- Anonymous, April 02, 2002

You can't what? :)

-- Anonymous, April 02, 2002

Oh right, that reply wasn't there when I replied :)

Cheers for the report.

-- Anonymous, April 02, 2002

"Yes you can, and I play every week"

What the feck has the bloke playing every week got to do with it? Was he nine years old by any chance, bragging that he plays football every week? What a tosspot

-- Anonymous, April 02, 2002

Thanks for the report. We sounded poor on the radio. Shame Cort couldn't build on his game against Everton. I take the defence was shaky again. Was Bobby playing the same formation as Friday and do you think Bellamy might have won it for us?

There - end of questions!

-- Anonymous, April 02, 2002

Thanks for the report Jacko. You'll have to take the rule book with you in future to settle these disputes - you could have make a few quid in wagers on that issue I expect. :-)

-- Anonymous, April 03, 2002

I got a phone call at 6.15 last night telling me the match was on the dodgy German telly in the boozer. I got there at 7.30 thinking Howay the lads. To my horror and the horror of the 50 or so other law breakers the fecking Germans decided to show this unbelievably bad film with Sly Stalone and Dolly Parton playing kissing Country and Western singers.
At one point Sly got up on stage and started to sing. It was so bad my face turn bright red with embarrassment. Still I think Dolly would be fantastic in the twin strikers’ role.
I had to listen to Metro radio instead. A point away and win our home games should be enough.

-- Anonymous, April 03, 2002

Thanks Jacko. Chelsea have to play Villa too, albeit at Stamford Bridge, so not too disheartened with a draw against an improved Villa.

-- Anonymous, April 03, 2002

Agree on most points Jacko (but I'm not getting drawn into the offside debate!), I thought Cort was woeful last night, but then I'm biased - I always think he's a liabilty - not sure what Lua x 2 has to do to get himself 45 minutes. I also thought JJ was poor, needs a goal methinks.

Crouch looks a decent player, can't understand why Monkeyheed didn't sign him as Quinn's replacement.

Shay M.O.M. Dyer a close second. Nice Balti Pie, very happy with a point.

-- Anonymous, April 03, 2002

Jacko - even worse than your story, some geezer in the Prawn Sarnie End at SJP, where Wor Lass and me watched the Everton game, reckoned Shearer was "bloody miles offside" when he collected Laurent Robert's throw-in and go on to score.

I managed to contain mesell, and said nowt. Tosser!

-- Anonymous, April 03, 2002

I feel the Department of Education and the government in general are showing amarked lack of awareness here. I mean just WHY does an understanding of the offside rule appear NOWHERE in the National Curriculum? It is of far more relevance in modern day society than the causes of the bleedin' Industrial Revolution.

-- Anonymous, April 03, 2002

I agree Jacko. Along with LBW and wides in one-day cricket :-)

-- Anonymous, April 03, 2002

It's funny how everyone claims to understand offside but when you put them on the spot and say 'Go on then, define it' there is a chorus of 'errr, well, you just know when someone is, don't you' etc. etc.

Especially lasses, no offence. Dougal, Steph and all others here excluded obvously. They all know more than me, that's for sure...

-- Anonymous, April 03, 2002

So that's why these Brummie boneheads didn't believe - it was because I'm a lass. Thanks Steve - that's cleared it all up now!

-- Anonymous, April 03, 2002