I have been away for far too long. I finally got around to upgrading this blog to Squarespace 7. And while I am still ironing out the new template, Newcastle's first victory of the season demands that I write about it.

And of course I missed it. Lady Serling and I were up in Newport, touring The Brakers, eating fried seafood, and doing the cliff walk.

I woke up this morning to jokes about After Eights on Facebook, and it took me a while to figure out what that was about.

I only knew one thing: Newcastle pulled off a must win. Could this be a turning point in their frustrating, under-performing season?

Tim Krul got a much needed clean sheet. Anita got a solid start. Armstrong was left on the bench, where he belongs. And Gabriel Obertan, arguably the hardest worker on the pitch all season, got the goal he deserved.

Suddenly Newcastle are one upset victory away from mid-table. They play Tottenham next in the league, and that would qualify as an upset, if they won.

Again, I did not see this match, but I understand that Alan Pardew continues to push his players into a 4-2-3-1 formation. Vernon Anita started as the center midfielder in place of the struggling Remy Cabella. Moussa Sissoko has not contributed in the midfield at all, but did play the full 90 minutes. And Newcastle had some chances. This could have ended 2-0 or 3-0. Key saves by Krul preserved the shutout. And the back four held together, with Ryan Taylor in place of Mike WIlliamson. 

Next match is Saturday October 25 at White Hart Lane.