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I don't know about you, but I'm still buzzing about yesterday's 2-0 win against Liverpool. Newcastle are now firmly in 6th place, and the FA Cup Semifinal in less than two weeks takes on quite a bit of importance. Now we have the umcomfortable task of supporting the Reds and hoping they find a way to beat Everton. Today's links feature some racial abuse as well as some on-pitch hearsay, lots of attention on Alan Pardew, and news about goat curry. Yeah.
Newcastle defender James Perch racially abused on Twitter after Liverpool clash | The Northern Echo
Perch shouldn't have dived, but this is obviously an inappropriate response. These stories are all too common.
Alan Pardew has reasons to be thankful + VIDEO | JournalLive
If you haven't seen Alan Pardew's post-match comments yet, do yourself a favor and have a look.
Newcastle Alan Pardew urges France Boss Laurent Blanc to Select Hatem Ben Arfa | MirrorFootball.co.uk
Good to see Pardew supporting Ben Arfa like this. There were many Newcastle supporters (including myself) who were imagining some bitter feud between the two when HBA wasn't receiving regular starts, but I doubt there was ever really much there. Ben Arfa is in great form right now, and perhaps it a much-needed lesson in humility that has allowed him to play like he has.
Gutierrez backs Pardew for manager of the season as Newcastle march on | Shields Gazette
Only two non league-winning managers have ever won manager of the season (which makes the award kind of silly, in my opinion), but there's definitely a strong argument for Pardew this year. On a tangential note, Jonas' comments, while generic, make me like him that much more as a loyal player for Newcastle. It wasn't that long ago that #mejoseandjonasnext was a thing, and guess who the last man standing is?
Premier League -- Sizing up the title and relegation races | ESPN
I'm not sure how this is calculated, but apparently Newcastle have a 1.9% chance of reaching the Champions League. How many of you predicted that at the beginning of the year?
Liverpool Andy Carroll aims f-word parting shot at Kenny Dalglish | MirrorFootball.co.uk
This smacks of hearsay, so I won't comment on it, but this story is out there.
Muamba Smile | @fmuamba
This man was clinically dead for 78 minutes. Glad to see him recovering.
The secret of Cisse's success | The Northern Echo
Pre-game meals with this crew have got to be fascinating. There's Ba, sipping his water flavored with strawberry syrup, sitting across from Cisse, who's elbow deep in goat curry, and they're strategizing on how to beat Pepe Reina. I wonder what food Hatem Ben Arfa is into...