Last time Newcastle prepared to welcome Hull City for a Premier League clash, the preparations were under an entire sky of storm clouds.
August ended with the resignation of Kevin Keegan after Dennis Wise's free reign over transfer dealings saw him replace James Milner with Uruguayan midfielder Nacho Gonzalez and Spanish striker Xisco.
The international break allowed feelings of resentment towards Newcastle owner Mike Ashley to stew and build up into a huge crescendo for the first game after the resignation. Protests against Ashley were made before, during and after the game.
Chief among them was a giant "COCKNEY MAFIA OUT" banner directed at the board, which some fans think led to player distraction in the run up to Hull City's second goal.
A dark mood for Toon fans was made worse when a bare bones squad handed Hull their first Premier League away win and midfielder Danny Guthrie ended chances of a comeback by being sent off for a pointless kick on Tiger Craig Fagan.
Hull eventually finished 2008-09 all of a single point above Newcastle, which sent the Toon and their unwanted owner down.
The trajectories of Hull and Newcastle since then have taken differing paths, with Newcastle running away with the 2009-10 Championship while Hull were slinking out of the top flight.
Last season saw Hull just slide under the sliding door Indiana Jones-style into the Premier League, while Newcastle were just about able to evade falling in the other direction.
But despite a surprisingly quiet summer at St James' Park, optimism is higher this time. While Ashley is still around - and still largely loathed - September 2013 feels like a happier place than September 2008.
Chief among this is the fact that the squad appears more solidly assembled this time around.
Alan Pardew came in for heavy criticism for some of his squad and tactical decisions in the 2012-13 campaign. Perhaps guided by injuries and availability, he seems to have stumbled across a new formation to use for this new season.
It is just as well as things didn't have such an optimistic touch at half-time in the clubs 3rd game of the season against Fulham. Although the team had actually began troubling the goalkeeper in the game against the Cottagers, there was little to indicate the team could actually score.
This followed up two dreadful afternoons for the Black and Whites, with all of one shot on target in an opening day mauling by Manchester City followed up by a dour goalless draw with West Ham one week later.
Luckily, tactical modifications allowed the team to play with a hint of attacking freedom against the Cottagers. On another day, the Toon could have put five past Fulham and could well have done had the posts, crossbars, goalkeeper, posts and terrible finishing.
The modifications saw a change in system, with subs Yohan Cabaye, Loic Remy and Yoann Gouffran supporting Hatem Ben Arfa. Before then, Papiss Cisse and Shola Ameobi cut frustrated figures in a system that struggled to provide service.
It had been worse against West Ham in the Toon's first opening encounter, which saw the team manage zero shots on target - although Gouffran somehow managed to miss an open goal - but it took a change to shake the team out of similar problems against them.
The modification eventually yielded reward. But as well as reward it also hinted at a possible future change to the system, with players given markedly different roles to the ones they didn't seem comfortable in last year.
All of this was shown last weekend at Villa Park, where the team put in a more solid performance to neuter a Villa team that showed remarkably little of what handed them plaudits following their opening three.
The team's performance did well, with the centre backs doing well to stop Christian Benteke from being as effective as he has been, and the full backs coping alright with the twin wide threats of Gabby Agbonlahor and Andreas Weimann.
The midfield also looked more solid, which is not a good argument for Cheick Tiote and Jonas Gutierrez's first choice places from last season. Vurnon Anita and Moussa Sissoko did very well to break up Villa's midfield - although they were helped by an off-colour Villa trio - and a foundation for Yohan Cabaye to support the forward three.
It wasn't a perfect performance at Villa. There is still work to be done on Papiss Cisse, who has not scored since April 7th - last minute goal against Fulham at SJP - and has not really looked like scoring in the meantime.
The final third ball was also a little suspect at times, with Newcastle's most productive moves coming from runs by Hatem Ben Arfa. It helped Villa full back Antonio Luna was remarkably unable to cope with the Newcastle number 10, but Ben Arfa was a very potent threat.
Final third balls from other players, however, were not as soildly productive. Cabaye in particular got a couple wrong, although his lack of match fitness in the wake of petty and needless strike action may not have helped.
Nevertheless, the game provided reasons to be cheerful. Chief among them is the fact Pardew has rediscovered tactics that the team do well with, and was also able to calculate when to make the right subs. The arrival of Gouffran will be highlighted as he replaced the tiring Remy to score the winning goal, but well calculated as well were the arrivals of Tiote and Sammy Ameobi.
The former's combative presence was able to help continue the stifling tactic on Newcastle's midfield, while Ameobi's arrival was able to help the team keep the ball in the Villa half when it was needed.
With the team finally seeming promise, today's game with the Tigers could be further springboard.
Steve Bruce's record at St. James' Park is not the best, with just one win as a visiting manager - with Birmingham City in 2003 - and his last appearance in their away dugout saw his Sunderland team handed a 5-1 trouncing in the Tyne-Wear Derby.
Nevertheless, his Tigers team will not be easy opponents. They were close to following Cardiff City to an upset against Manchester City and their promotion to the Premier League in 2012-13 was built on firm defensive foundations.
However, if the trend of improving performances after opening day humiliation in Manchester continues, then it bodes well for this afternoon's outing. It also reinforces the fact that things are steadily improving for the Magpies.
Saturday, 21 September 2013
Tuesday, 10 September 2013
Luxury Footballer
The pressure on anyone in football when they make a huge money deal is clear to see at the best of times.
It's hard not to notice Gareth Bale has been the subject of one of the biggest. Last week - on transfer deadline day, no less - he finally made the jump from Tottenham Hotspur to Real Madrid.
A whopping jump it was too, with the Welsh winger costing the Spaniards an £85.3M transfer fee and about £300,000 in wages for his six year contract.
His former club were certainly unwilling to budge for anything less. Head coach Andre Villas-Boas frequently said the club's star man was not for sale and Spurs chairman Daniel Levy was certainly determined to hold on in the wake of speculation that seemed to be relentless.
The saga only really began any momentum when Bale missed Spurs' first three games with various injuries. They did secure victories in their first two but were surprisingly unconvincing in their North London Derby defeat by Arsenal.
Arsenal then provided another kick in the teeth for their north London neighbours, as it turns out Bale meant Real attacking midfielder Mesut Özil was able to move to the Emirates Stadium. This was surprising given that the Germain international has been one of the club's key players in recent seasons, but Özil made a huge £42.5M move anyway.
Interestingly, support has favoured the departed player. Cristiano Ronaldo was one of the high profile Madrid players to voice his opposition to the sale of Özil, while other European football figures including Barcelona midfielder Cesc Fabregas, German national team manager Joachim Low and Borussia Dortmund manager Jurgen Klopp all voicing their surprise at the deals.
The surprising ease in which Özil was shoved out of the Real Madrid exit door is something. Real players certainly do not think Özil should have gone. But its also arguable Real Madrid didn't need Bale anyway.
As well as Özil, the club had Ronaldo, Angel di Maria, Isco, Kaka and Luka Modric as options. While Kaka left on deadline day to re-turn to AC Milan after an unhappy spell at the club, it is arguable the other options would have been enough for the Spanish giants.
Its arguable Real would have been better looking out for a striker, with Frenchman Karim Benzema and youngster Álvaro Morata their only real choices.
Now they have Bale they need to work out what to do with him. It is highly unlikely Ronaldo will fancy shifting from his preferred wide left position to accommodate Bale, so he'll need to go somewhere else.
Ancelotti's assistant coach has said Bale is not a guaranteed starter. Its likely, however, that the big cash means there could be some push to get him to play, as there famously was when Andriy Shevchenko joined Chelsea for £30M.
The speculation seems to hint Angel di Maria is the one to make way but him and Isco have made good starts so dropping either would be a strange one to justify.
Bale is seen as a possible commercial deal, with the Welsh winger already a cover star on the new FIFA 14 computer game and having had his face plastered all over New York's Times Square as part of NBC's Premier League broadcasting campaign.
With Real reportedly around 600million Euros in debt, this sort of commercial pulling power would come in very handy.
A lot of people seem to think the Bale deal was a statement of intent, with the club having been beaten to Brazil hotshot Neymar by Barcelona.
It is certainly a deal that stands out considering a summer that has seen many Spanish league stars leave for England, Italy and France.
Valencia, Atletico Madrid and Sevilla - three of the next biggest teams in Spain - have sold stars, while Malaga and Real Sociedad have seen their best players picked off by Real Madrid among others.
Spanish football's financial situation is precarious, with most of the league having to sell to by. In all, a record £450M+ in player sales was registered by Spanish clubs in summer 2013, with only Barcelona not seeing at least one big name leave the club.
Departures of Özil and Higuain have certainly not been welcomed, and Madridistas are a little underwhelmed their replacement is a winger who has only won one Carling Cup and has also only played one Champions League campaign.
Admittedly it was a great campaign for him, but it was still only one.
So, if Bale certainly wasn't feeling under pressure, this welcome to Spain is hardly a help. Something to look forward too when he returns from Wales duties and/or injury.
But now he's made it, will he be a success?
Jury's out but there's no reason why he can't make a go of it at least. If he applies himself well enough, maybe he could be the missing link Real wanted for that fabled 10th Champions League title that has eluded them since Zinedine Zidane's famous volley in Glasgow in 2002.
There's still a long way to go though. Six years to justify the extravagance begins now, and all that remains to say is good luck Gareth. He's gonna need it.
It's hard not to notice Gareth Bale has been the subject of one of the biggest. Last week - on transfer deadline day, no less - he finally made the jump from Tottenham Hotspur to Real Madrid.
A whopping jump it was too, with the Welsh winger costing the Spaniards an £85.3M transfer fee and about £300,000 in wages for his six year contract.
His former club were certainly unwilling to budge for anything less. Head coach Andre Villas-Boas frequently said the club's star man was not for sale and Spurs chairman Daniel Levy was certainly determined to hold on in the wake of speculation that seemed to be relentless.
The saga only really began any momentum when Bale missed Spurs' first three games with various injuries. They did secure victories in their first two but were surprisingly unconvincing in their North London Derby defeat by Arsenal.
Arsenal then provided another kick in the teeth for their north London neighbours, as it turns out Bale meant Real attacking midfielder Mesut Özil was able to move to the Emirates Stadium. This was surprising given that the Germain international has been one of the club's key players in recent seasons, but Özil made a huge £42.5M move anyway.
Interestingly, support has favoured the departed player. Cristiano Ronaldo was one of the high profile Madrid players to voice his opposition to the sale of Özil, while other European football figures including Barcelona midfielder Cesc Fabregas, German national team manager Joachim Low and Borussia Dortmund manager Jurgen Klopp all voicing their surprise at the deals.
The surprising ease in which Özil was shoved out of the Real Madrid exit door is something. Real players certainly do not think Özil should have gone. But its also arguable Real Madrid didn't need Bale anyway.
As well as Özil, the club had Ronaldo, Angel di Maria, Isco, Kaka and Luka Modric as options. While Kaka left on deadline day to re-turn to AC Milan after an unhappy spell at the club, it is arguable the other options would have been enough for the Spanish giants.
Its arguable Real would have been better looking out for a striker, with Frenchman Karim Benzema and youngster Álvaro Morata their only real choices.
Now they have Bale they need to work out what to do with him. It is highly unlikely Ronaldo will fancy shifting from his preferred wide left position to accommodate Bale, so he'll need to go somewhere else.
Ancelotti's assistant coach has said Bale is not a guaranteed starter. Its likely, however, that the big cash means there could be some push to get him to play, as there famously was when Andriy Shevchenko joined Chelsea for £30M.
The speculation seems to hint Angel di Maria is the one to make way but him and Isco have made good starts so dropping either would be a strange one to justify.
Bale is seen as a possible commercial deal, with the Welsh winger already a cover star on the new FIFA 14 computer game and having had his face plastered all over New York's Times Square as part of NBC's Premier League broadcasting campaign.
With Real reportedly around 600million Euros in debt, this sort of commercial pulling power would come in very handy.
A lot of people seem to think the Bale deal was a statement of intent, with the club having been beaten to Brazil hotshot Neymar by Barcelona.
It is certainly a deal that stands out considering a summer that has seen many Spanish league stars leave for England, Italy and France.
Valencia, Atletico Madrid and Sevilla - three of the next biggest teams in Spain - have sold stars, while Malaga and Real Sociedad have seen their best players picked off by Real Madrid among others.
Spanish football's financial situation is precarious, with most of the league having to sell to by. In all, a record £450M+ in player sales was registered by Spanish clubs in summer 2013, with only Barcelona not seeing at least one big name leave the club.
Departures of Özil and Higuain have certainly not been welcomed, and Madridistas are a little underwhelmed their replacement is a winger who has only won one Carling Cup and has also only played one Champions League campaign.
Admittedly it was a great campaign for him, but it was still only one.
So, if Bale certainly wasn't feeling under pressure, this welcome to Spain is hardly a help. Something to look forward too when he returns from Wales duties and/or injury.
But now he's made it, will he be a success?
Jury's out but there's no reason why he can't make a go of it at least. If he applies himself well enough, maybe he could be the missing link Real wanted for that fabled 10th Champions League title that has eluded them since Zinedine Zidane's famous volley in Glasgow in 2002.
There's still a long way to go though. Six years to justify the extravagance begins now, and all that remains to say is good luck Gareth. He's gonna need it.
Wednesday, 4 September 2013
Arctic Monkeys - AM: Album Review
Credit where it's due for Arctic Monkeys - they're certainly willing to go beyond simply just rehashing I Bet You Look Good On The Dance Floor 12 times album-in-album-out.
Some people seem to think AM should've stuck with the sound and lyrical style they presented on their first two albums. But they deserve some credit for the bold abandon they embraced the sleazy desert riffery and country-rock love songs that make up their last two records.
Even then, Humbug and Suck It And See still had some moods and scopes reminiscent of albums one and two. By contrast, the teasers for this one indicate the band is moving further into darker, different sonic territory.
The fifth Arctic Monkeys album may have its laziest title - Alex Turner says they ripped it from the Velvet Underground's VU compilation, rather than Beady Eye's recent BE album - but certainly has been previewed with some gems.
The adventures of their new California-based world have been teased by Turner as "a Dr. Dre beat given an Ike Turner bowl cut and sent galloping across the desert on a Stratocaster". Whatever that means.
Question is - are they adventures we want to be taken on?
1. Do I Wanna Know?
Chances are you'll have heard this beast already, not least given it opened AM's recent Glastonbury setlist. It's a slower beast but full of buzzing 12-string guitars, slinky bass and wonderfully crafted lyrical riffs on "how we both know the nights were mainly made for saying things that you can't say tomorrow day". It's a stomping opener.
2. R U Mine?
Given this one came out in February 2012 you'll almost certainly have heard this one too. There is little to say about this song that hasn't been said, other than that it appears to be a little crunchier than the original single and remains a fine tune. Certainly, it's a guaranteed knockout punch for the album and it ensures its got 2/2 killer hooks.
3. One for the Road
Queens of the Stone Age frontman Josh Homme emerges for the first time on the album with a few "whoop whoops". After two big-rockers, this tune introduces more of the hip-hop inspired subtleties, as well as a return to Turner's burgeoning mental thesaurus and some of the shimmery guitar work more present in the latter half of Suck It And See. It is reminiscent of those latter SIAS tunes and is a pleasant listen which improve with further ones, but feels oddly weak in the wake of the huge opening hitters.
4. Arabella
This is probably one of the tunes Turner had in mind with his earlier description. It starts with a teasingly misleading hip-hop subtlety of a girl in "a Barbarella silver swimsuit" before it really finds the high gears with a swinging glam-rock riff that blinks its way in and out of the tune. The outro is particularly good, with the guitar's momentum increasing and sweeping the song over the line.
5. I Want It All
As AM progresses you find a few ticks - a certain chord here, a drum beat there, a falsetto atop it - repeat themselves. They're out in force here, on a tune sounding somewhere between Slade and Scissor Sisters with a foot in each camp. It's a nice fuzzy riff but its a weird sound for AM that takes adjusting too, and one that's harder to like. The delightful B-side Stop The World I Wanna Get Off With You would be better for the album.
6. No. 1 Party Anthem
Time for a sweeping direction change. After 5 tunes trying to marry heavy rock and hip-hop, this song is a wistful ballad. Led by piano, lower chords and subtle percussion, its talk of a dancefloor fling gone awry is rather relatable, with a sound to match the post-euphoric heartbreak it talks about. Its a nice and pleasant ditty and is actually pretty good.
7. Mad Sounds
Played at Glastonbury - for the audience only - was this fairly chill number. Its a sparse and subtle tune and quite a nice vibe too it. Its a pleasant tune alright, and certainly shows off Turner's skills as a vocalist - and probably Matt Helders and Nick O'Malley on the falsetto - but that one-two is certainly a momentum killer.
8. Fireside
After two chill songs the bass guitar riff is certainly something to perk up momentum. It's a slick smooth wiffle underpinning chimy acoustic guitar and keyboard that builds into a big chorus. There's something oddly epic about it, but its also a pretty good tune and certainly more of the dancy feel than the previous pairing.
9. Why'd You Only Call Me When You're High?
It's custom for an Arctic Monkeys album to include at least one long song title that makes you scratch your head in confusion. Just like on their debut album, the longest song title is also the shortest of the whole record. The song is a fairly brisk strut built on a beat supplemented by fiddly guitars and falsetto backing that could be from a Destiny's Child album. Its AM the song. Its also a decent poppy tune about late night antics - again, like the debut in its own way. The video is quite something.
10. Snap Out Of It
A bit of a faster tempo than the vast majority of the record, if not quite the breakneck pace of the old songs. This one shares a few notes and moods with I Want It All, albeit with some added piano, but seems to click a lot easier than the first one did. Its not hard to imagine this one gelling quite well live.
11. Knee Socks
Advance buzz has this one lined up as "the main one with Josh Homme", which Turner described as a "return of a back scratch" after he did a tune with Queens of the Stone Age on Like Clockwork. The song is a more defined version of the album's hip-hop-rock strut until the 2:30 mark, when the falsetto takes on a mind of its own and additional vocal tracks from Homme buzz over, before reverting for the last dash. Its pretty good, albeit not the knockout touted.
12. I Wanna Be Yours
This one is different lyrically as its adapted from a John Cooper Clarke poem. The lyrics to the poem are strange one - attempting to create romance out of things like cars, electric meters, coffee pots and vacuum cleaners, with some success and some... less so. There's musical echoes of 505 from Favourite Worst Nightmare and its certainly a great arrangement that compliments the lyrics well.
There's been a fair old bit of hyperbole surrounding AM, with many fans proclaiming it as the best effort the band have created so far.
Its a pleasant listen and there's a number of songs that stand tall as truly great tunes. But its hard not to feel something's missing.
The weirdest feeling about AM is how slow it feels. Its certainly an intriguing idea to see the same band swapping their headlong punk squawks for a more subtle hip-hop-tinged rock album but it takes a fair bit to make the leap. On some tunes the leap is a success whereas on others, not so much.
Some tunes also lack the sticking power that even album songs on previous disks. Repeat listenings certainly help improve the quality of the songs - except for I Want It All - and a lot of them sound like they could be some good tunes live, but something doesn't click as easily as other albums do.
3.5/5
Some people seem to think AM should've stuck with the sound and lyrical style they presented on their first two albums. But they deserve some credit for the bold abandon they embraced the sleazy desert riffery and country-rock love songs that make up their last two records.
Even then, Humbug and Suck It And See still had some moods and scopes reminiscent of albums one and two. By contrast, the teasers for this one indicate the band is moving further into darker, different sonic territory.
The fifth Arctic Monkeys album may have its laziest title - Alex Turner says they ripped it from the Velvet Underground's VU compilation, rather than Beady Eye's recent BE album - but certainly has been previewed with some gems.
The adventures of their new California-based world have been teased by Turner as "a Dr. Dre beat given an Ike Turner bowl cut and sent galloping across the desert on a Stratocaster". Whatever that means.
Question is - are they adventures we want to be taken on?
1. Do I Wanna Know?
Chances are you'll have heard this beast already, not least given it opened AM's recent Glastonbury setlist. It's a slower beast but full of buzzing 12-string guitars, slinky bass and wonderfully crafted lyrical riffs on "how we both know the nights were mainly made for saying things that you can't say tomorrow day". It's a stomping opener.
2. R U Mine?
Given this one came out in February 2012 you'll almost certainly have heard this one too. There is little to say about this song that hasn't been said, other than that it appears to be a little crunchier than the original single and remains a fine tune. Certainly, it's a guaranteed knockout punch for the album and it ensures its got 2/2 killer hooks.
3. One for the Road
Queens of the Stone Age frontman Josh Homme emerges for the first time on the album with a few "whoop whoops". After two big-rockers, this tune introduces more of the hip-hop inspired subtleties, as well as a return to Turner's burgeoning mental thesaurus and some of the shimmery guitar work more present in the latter half of Suck It And See. It is reminiscent of those latter SIAS tunes and is a pleasant listen which improve with further ones, but feels oddly weak in the wake of the huge opening hitters.
4. Arabella
This is probably one of the tunes Turner had in mind with his earlier description. It starts with a teasingly misleading hip-hop subtlety of a girl in "a Barbarella silver swimsuit" before it really finds the high gears with a swinging glam-rock riff that blinks its way in and out of the tune. The outro is particularly good, with the guitar's momentum increasing and sweeping the song over the line.
5. I Want It All
As AM progresses you find a few ticks - a certain chord here, a drum beat there, a falsetto atop it - repeat themselves. They're out in force here, on a tune sounding somewhere between Slade and Scissor Sisters with a foot in each camp. It's a nice fuzzy riff but its a weird sound for AM that takes adjusting too, and one that's harder to like. The delightful B-side Stop The World I Wanna Get Off With You would be better for the album.
6. No. 1 Party Anthem
Time for a sweeping direction change. After 5 tunes trying to marry heavy rock and hip-hop, this song is a wistful ballad. Led by piano, lower chords and subtle percussion, its talk of a dancefloor fling gone awry is rather relatable, with a sound to match the post-euphoric heartbreak it talks about. Its a nice and pleasant ditty and is actually pretty good.
7. Mad Sounds
Played at Glastonbury - for the audience only - was this fairly chill number. Its a sparse and subtle tune and quite a nice vibe too it. Its a pleasant tune alright, and certainly shows off Turner's skills as a vocalist - and probably Matt Helders and Nick O'Malley on the falsetto - but that one-two is certainly a momentum killer.
8. Fireside
After two chill songs the bass guitar riff is certainly something to perk up momentum. It's a slick smooth wiffle underpinning chimy acoustic guitar and keyboard that builds into a big chorus. There's something oddly epic about it, but its also a pretty good tune and certainly more of the dancy feel than the previous pairing.
9. Why'd You Only Call Me When You're High?
It's custom for an Arctic Monkeys album to include at least one long song title that makes you scratch your head in confusion. Just like on their debut album, the longest song title is also the shortest of the whole record. The song is a fairly brisk strut built on a beat supplemented by fiddly guitars and falsetto backing that could be from a Destiny's Child album. Its AM the song. Its also a decent poppy tune about late night antics - again, like the debut in its own way. The video is quite something.
10. Snap Out Of It
A bit of a faster tempo than the vast majority of the record, if not quite the breakneck pace of the old songs. This one shares a few notes and moods with I Want It All, albeit with some added piano, but seems to click a lot easier than the first one did. Its not hard to imagine this one gelling quite well live.
11. Knee Socks
Advance buzz has this one lined up as "the main one with Josh Homme", which Turner described as a "return of a back scratch" after he did a tune with Queens of the Stone Age on Like Clockwork. The song is a more defined version of the album's hip-hop-rock strut until the 2:30 mark, when the falsetto takes on a mind of its own and additional vocal tracks from Homme buzz over, before reverting for the last dash. Its pretty good, albeit not the knockout touted.
12. I Wanna Be Yours
This one is different lyrically as its adapted from a John Cooper Clarke poem. The lyrics to the poem are strange one - attempting to create romance out of things like cars, electric meters, coffee pots and vacuum cleaners, with some success and some... less so. There's musical echoes of 505 from Favourite Worst Nightmare and its certainly a great arrangement that compliments the lyrics well.
There's been a fair old bit of hyperbole surrounding AM, with many fans proclaiming it as the best effort the band have created so far.
Its a pleasant listen and there's a number of songs that stand tall as truly great tunes. But its hard not to feel something's missing.
The weirdest feeling about AM is how slow it feels. Its certainly an intriguing idea to see the same band swapping their headlong punk squawks for a more subtle hip-hop-tinged rock album but it takes a fair bit to make the leap. On some tunes the leap is a success whereas on others, not so much.
Some tunes also lack the sticking power that even album songs on previous disks. Repeat listenings certainly help improve the quality of the songs - except for I Want It All - and a lot of them sound like they could be some good tunes live, but something doesn't click as easily as other albums do.
3.5/5
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