Leicester City 0, Newcastle United 0

Feb 1 2010 by Mark Douglas, The Journal

THERE will be no Moses to lead Newcastle United to the Premier League promised land but, on current form, we can be assured of plenty of toil and hardship before their top flight Exodus is ended.

News of Victor’s St James’ Park snub – or more accurately, United’s reluctance to go to Crystal Palace’s asking price for their outstanding young forward – took some of the wind out of Newcastle’s sales after a week of promise in the transfer market. Their anaemic performance at Leicester just left them winded.

Inferior for long spells, Chris Hughton’s desperately disappointing side failed to grasp the opportunity offered by Richie Wellens’ reckless first half red card on an evening that raised a fresh set of thudding questions about United’s promotion credentials. Nigel Pearson’s Leicester proved inspired opponents and it won’t surprise anyone who worked with him at Newcastle that his team was flawlessly set up to counter United’s challenge, a testament to the studious preparation the Foxes manager invested in a vital game for his out-of-form side.

But teams that fancy themselves as champions should be able to wear down the challenge of ten men eventually, however plucky they are. It was a damning indictment of United’s performance that they never really looked like doing so.

Context is everything, the black and white optimists will counter. Nottingham Forest’s stumble at Derby made this a point gained in the gruelling trek back to the Premier League and on off-colour days like this, you snatch whatever you can get.

But this performance can’t be taken in isolation either. The unbeaten league run rumbles on, but not since December 20 and the ruthless defeat of ailing Middlesbrough, have United delivered a Championship performance of any conviction.