So 6 months after agreeing a fee with with Marseille, Loic Remy has passed his medical and is a Newcastle Utd player...those London passport checks take a hell of a long time. Of course Remy has spent that time either playing for the worst team in the league at the time or sitting in the treatment room, all for the sake of £80k a week. Now he will be at the club he should have always signed for back in January (if he had any sense) and hopefully just walks past the treatment room door without ever walking in.
He is on loan with a fee in the region of £2 million quid going towards his London hijackers. Now seeing as the fee we agreed to pay for him in January was £8 million and given his blatant injury history this deal has turned out for the best for us after all. QPR are in the Championship £6 million (plus big wages) worse off and we are getting him £6 million cheaper. If he is useless, send him back next year. If he is always injured, then leave him for QPR do deal with and keep up his massive earnings.
Hopefully Loic Remy will turn out to be class (plus injury free) and we have ourselves a hitman capable of banging them in for fun to then sign him permanently come next season. A fee of which is supposed to be agreed of around what QPR paid for him in January. This loan deal of 'try before you buy' sits well with me. We have a gut wrenching history of permanently signing overpaid big time charlies and being unable to shift them from our wage bill.
This signing is Joe Kinnear's first and hopefully not the last this summer. It boosts our shockingly light attacking threat and on the face of it gives our forward line a nice balance. If we are to play with a 3 pronged attack, then Remy on the left, Cisse down the middle and Benny on the right is a force to be reckoned with for any Premier League defence. Hopefully we have another option at least in the CF role in the face of Bafetimbi Gomis, or on a lesser note Darren Bent.
Papiss Cisse just isn't reliable enough to hang your hat on as your out and out centre forward for a whole
season. He loves the spectacular but also blatantly standing offside in good positions unnecessarily. Obviously Remy can also play down the middle with Gouffran playing down the left but a new shiny centre forward is still needed in my eyes. Gomis would be perfect. Why we didn't at least try to sign him in January on a pre-contract for free or 'do a Sissoko' and get him on the cheap was beyond me at the time...now we're offering £7-£8 million it's even more beyond my logic.
Nevertheless Loic Remy is 'over the line' and the sooner he is joined by someone else the better. Gossip of some of our bigger players leaving our club have gone stone cold, so if we add one or two more, we have a decent enough team to at least threaten to do something special. A domestic cup challenge would be nice and a run for Europe again is always a good thing...but let's not actually qualify though eh Pardew? It's nothing but a crippling season destroyer!
Our team of French speakers continues to grow. If Gomis does join Remy at Le Toon then it may be worth Joe Kinnear signing an interpreter for Alan Pardew (and one for himself might also be an idea), who knows, he might turn into the next Mourinho...even Sir Bobby's touch can help turn an interpreter into the world's greatest manager. What a legend.
Welcome Mr Remy to the French Revolution. If you get off to a good start and stay away from the treatment table then the fact you turned us down to join up with premier scumbag 'Arry Redknapp, seemingly for the money, then it may be forgotten or just remembered as something to look back on to laugh at. If not, this deal might not be as pretty as it seems right now.
So that's one in...who's next Joe?!
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Erm..........What?!
So we're selling James Perch?!........................................................................................................................................................................................................................
For a mighty£700k?!.........................................................................................................................................................................................................................
And he's going down into the Championship?!..............................................................................................................................................................................................................
For a mighty£700k?!.........................................................................................................................................................................................................................
And he's going down into the Championship?!..............................................................................................................................................................................................................
Eh?!
Idiots Throwing Bottles And Punching Horses Are Not Newcastle Fans.
Anybody who started or got involved in any violent act whether it be throwing glass bottles at police, punching horses in the face or insinuated anything whatsoever just because we got beat by a bunch of mackems which happens once in a very shady blue moon just every now and then...is not a Newcastle United fan. End of story.
Give away your shirt, throw away your scarf and don't go anywhere near our ground ever again you brainless, moronic, embarrassing, complete and utter waste of a human life.
That's it.
Give away your shirt, throw away your scarf and don't go anywhere near our ground ever again you brainless, moronic, embarrassing, complete and utter waste of a human life.
That's it.
Papiss Cisse Has Been Stood Offside ALL Season There Are No Excuses
Sir Alex Ferguson used to say about Filippo Inzaghi that he was 'born offside' well the same can be said about our number 9 Papiss Cisse. He has been unnecessarily caught offside time and time and time again this season and after last night's unbelievably frustrating 0-0 draw with Metalist this totally avoidable part of Cisse's game has finally came back to haunt us.
I should be writing this article talking about how we have the advantage going into the second leg with a lead and a clean sheet to our names sitting in prime position to get into the next round of the Europa League. Instead I am talking about how a linesman may or may not have robbed us of that scenario and how our misfiring striker managed to not get himself on the score sheet at least once.
Let's get something clear straight away, the linesman made a mistake when it came to Cisse's open goal tap in. Ironically it was Sissoko who broke through beating the offside trap with success only to see the linesman wrongly raise his flag as soon as he touched the ball. Maybe Moussa can teach Papiss a thing or two? We were robbed. The second of Cisse's 'goals' was marginal to say the least but it has to be said he was fractionally offside. Which is of no surprise to me whatsoever. Cisse has been offside all season long!
When will this lad learn? I have lost count of the amount of times he has been flagged for offside when we are in a good position. I understand he likes to play on the shoulder of defenders for the through ball but he has to learn how to hold his run. Sometimes he just blatantly runs 2 or 3 yards offside leaving it impossible for anyone to pass to him. What is he playing at? What is the manager and his staff playing at not fixing this? It isn't hard to rectify is it?
What can be easier for a player than to learn and change how and when he makes his runs and where he is stood on a football pitch? You should learn this 'knack' as a teenager. It's a basic part of being a centre forward. Everyone gets caught offside now and then, idiots get caught over and over again. I've liked Papiss ever since he stepped into St James' to smack one past Shay Given on his debut but this being constantly offside is infuriating.
We have somewhat tolerated it up to this point as he has got himself on the score sheet vs Everton and Villa but after this Metalist debacle my patience has ran out. I am going to go on record and say that I think we are out of the Europa League after drawing 0-0. I think all of those missed chances will definitely come back to haunt us next week. Kharkiv looked like a decent team with the ball and in their own stadium they will be certainly a much stronger force to handle.
The clean sheet is the only thing we can hold on to and if we were to score the first goal in the second leg then we would have a decent chance of going through on at least away goals. But seeing how we failed to even turn up at Bordeaux and failed to win at the likes of Bruges and part timers Maritimo, to go to Ukraine and come back with a result is a big ask. We only have one away win in all competitions after all. We had to win last night in my eyes and we failed. You can blame the linesman all day but we created 3 or 4 clear cut chances and failed to score.
Every Cisse chance he missed was easier than the last. One on one with the keeper is never a foregone conclusion but you would expect the striker to put it away and not just hit it straight into the keeper. The cut back from Santon 6 yards out from goal should have seen the back of the net but again Papiss struck it straight into the keeper. The worst one of the lot was in the last minute of injury time. How the hell did that header not find the net?
He was in the perfect position, point blank in front of goal, looking straight at the corner of the net he needed to find. But yet he heads it into the keeper giving him the chance to get his hand on it to keep it out. That was a terrible miss. I would expect any player you can think of to have put that away whether they are a striker or not. Just put it in and we can take some satisfaction of a 1-0 last minute win and (almost) all is forgiven. That failure to score could prove to be fatal.
Derek Llambias said the other day that we have replaced Demba Ba in this January transfer window. Is he having a laugh? I hate to say it but if Demba was in our team last night we would be heading to Metalist with a healthy lead. We definitely need someone to come in who can at least a) score from 6 yards out and b) knows how to stay onside. Cisse is a good striker but he is not a reliable one I am afraid. Gouffran can make the LW position his own but we need more options up front.
All is not lost and I have no doubt my mood will be a lot more optimistic next week before the second leg but my feelings are that we have shot ourselves in the foot a few times too much which will come back to bite us on the arse big time. What a missed opportunity.
Have faith!
Follow this blog on Twitter @ToonBano
I should be writing this article talking about how we have the advantage going into the second leg with a lead and a clean sheet to our names sitting in prime position to get into the next round of the Europa League. Instead I am talking about how a linesman may or may not have robbed us of that scenario and how our misfiring striker managed to not get himself on the score sheet at least once.
Let's get something clear straight away, the linesman made a mistake when it came to Cisse's open goal tap in. Ironically it was Sissoko who broke through beating the offside trap with success only to see the linesman wrongly raise his flag as soon as he touched the ball. Maybe Moussa can teach Papiss a thing or two? We were robbed. The second of Cisse's 'goals' was marginal to say the least but it has to be said he was fractionally offside. Which is of no surprise to me whatsoever. Cisse has been offside all season long!
When will this lad learn? I have lost count of the amount of times he has been flagged for offside when we are in a good position. I understand he likes to play on the shoulder of defenders for the through ball but he has to learn how to hold his run. Sometimes he just blatantly runs 2 or 3 yards offside leaving it impossible for anyone to pass to him. What is he playing at? What is the manager and his staff playing at not fixing this? It isn't hard to rectify is it?
What can be easier for a player than to learn and change how and when he makes his runs and where he is stood on a football pitch? You should learn this 'knack' as a teenager. It's a basic part of being a centre forward. Everyone gets caught offside now and then, idiots get caught over and over again. I've liked Papiss ever since he stepped into St James' to smack one past Shay Given on his debut but this being constantly offside is infuriating.
We have somewhat tolerated it up to this point as he has got himself on the score sheet vs Everton and Villa but after this Metalist debacle my patience has ran out. I am going to go on record and say that I think we are out of the Europa League after drawing 0-0. I think all of those missed chances will definitely come back to haunt us next week. Kharkiv looked like a decent team with the ball and in their own stadium they will be certainly a much stronger force to handle.
The clean sheet is the only thing we can hold on to and if we were to score the first goal in the second leg then we would have a decent chance of going through on at least away goals. But seeing how we failed to even turn up at Bordeaux and failed to win at the likes of Bruges and part timers Maritimo, to go to Ukraine and come back with a result is a big ask. We only have one away win in all competitions after all. We had to win last night in my eyes and we failed. You can blame the linesman all day but we created 3 or 4 clear cut chances and failed to score.
Every Cisse chance he missed was easier than the last. One on one with the keeper is never a foregone conclusion but you would expect the striker to put it away and not just hit it straight into the keeper. The cut back from Santon 6 yards out from goal should have seen the back of the net but again Papiss struck it straight into the keeper. The worst one of the lot was in the last minute of injury time. How the hell did that header not find the net?
He was in the perfect position, point blank in front of goal, looking straight at the corner of the net he needed to find. But yet he heads it into the keeper giving him the chance to get his hand on it to keep it out. That was a terrible miss. I would expect any player you can think of to have put that away whether they are a striker or not. Just put it in and we can take some satisfaction of a 1-0 last minute win and (almost) all is forgiven. That failure to score could prove to be fatal.
Derek Llambias said the other day that we have replaced Demba Ba in this January transfer window. Is he having a laugh? I hate to say it but if Demba was in our team last night we would be heading to Metalist with a healthy lead. We definitely need someone to come in who can at least a) score from 6 yards out and b) knows how to stay onside. Cisse is a good striker but he is not a reliable one I am afraid. Gouffran can make the LW position his own but we need more options up front.
All is not lost and I have no doubt my mood will be a lot more optimistic next week before the second leg but my feelings are that we have shot ourselves in the foot a few times too much which will come back to bite us on the arse big time. What a missed opportunity.
Have faith!
Follow this blog on Twitter @ToonBano
NUFC Team To Beat Metalist Kharkiv Tonight
We're finally back in Europe this evening and all Toon fans can talk about today is what the team might be. Pardew has gone on record saying he will pick a 'strong side' and so he should. In fact he should have gone a step further and said his 'strongest side'. With this in mind, this is the team that I would pick to beat Metalist and take a decent lead into the second leg:
Pardew has gone on record to say that Mbiwa will definitely start so Stevie Taylor will probably get a deserved rest after only recently coming back from injury. With Debuchy not chosen for the Europa squad there is a space to fight for and seeing as Simpson is a) struggling with injury and b) crap then Anita deserves to get back in the team as he has impressed in this position earlier in the season.
The centre of midfield and striker picks itself so the wide areas are up for grabs. I personally don't want to see Jonas Gutierrez anywhere near the first XI and I see no reason why Obertan shouldn't be allowed to continue his impressive European form on that left hand side as a like for like change for the ineligible and injured Gouffran. Marveaux has also impressed in Europe so having him cut inside on that right wing should be a certainty.
The above team is the best we have available and having the likes of Jonas and Perch who are nothing but makeshift players in the team would be totally unnecessary and nothing but a hindrance. A clean sheet is arguably the most important aspect to come out of this game as we have a history of going out on away goals in this competition. Specifically when the away leg is second. 2-0 to the Toon!
Howay The Lads!
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Pardew has gone on record to say that Mbiwa will definitely start so Stevie Taylor will probably get a deserved rest after only recently coming back from injury. With Debuchy not chosen for the Europa squad there is a space to fight for and seeing as Simpson is a) struggling with injury and b) crap then Anita deserves to get back in the team as he has impressed in this position earlier in the season.
The centre of midfield and striker picks itself so the wide areas are up for grabs. I personally don't want to see Jonas Gutierrez anywhere near the first XI and I see no reason why Obertan shouldn't be allowed to continue his impressive European form on that left hand side as a like for like change for the ineligible and injured Gouffran. Marveaux has also impressed in Europe so having him cut inside on that right wing should be a certainty.
The above team is the best we have available and having the likes of Jonas and Perch who are nothing but makeshift players in the team would be totally unnecessary and nothing but a hindrance. A clean sheet is arguably the most important aspect to come out of this game as we have a history of going out on away goals in this competition. Specifically when the away leg is second. 2-0 to the Toon!
Howay The Lads!
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This Year Could Still Be Newcastle's Biggest Landmark Premier League Season Ever
We have had some cracking seasons over the past 20 years in the Premier League from our very first where we tore up the league with Cole & Beardsley to finish 3rd, to the '12 point lead' year where we were an inch away from Premiership glory, to a couple of FA Cup Finals back to back, to Sir Bobby taking us to the Champions League from absolutely no where and of course last seasons unexpected 5th place finish.
This season however has been an absolute stinker, but what seems ridiculous, is that it could still turn out to be the No.1 landmark of a season in our Premier League history. That would be achieved if we finally win that trophy we desire by bringing home the Europa League. How could it not be to finally end that 44 year hoodoo and put to bed the mocking of 'what have you ever won?'
When a Toon fan gets asked this annoying question we instantly lay claim to 6 FA Cups, 4 league titles and that infamous Fairs Cup win in 1969. Unfortunately the follow up question is always 'well what have you won recently?' We then have to go through the heartache of 1996 to explain how close we were and how a couple of last minute goals at Liverpool and Blackburn stole our dream and then go on to casually mention we got to the cup final twice in 1999 and 2000. Which we never even looked like winning if we'e being honest...
Now this year has been a total shambles especially compared to last seasons 5th place finish which will go down as a definite success. But it has to be said if we were to avoid relegation and also get our name inscribed on the Europa League trophy it would turn out to be best of them all. Which seems insane right now but through all our Premier League impressive finishes we are yet to win something. Which is what football is all about at the end of the day.
Simon Bird in the Mirror claims that most Newcastle fans would take relegation if it meant we did win the Europa League which quite frankly is ridiculous. What is he insane? Relegation could be the death of this football club and no trophy is worth going through that. No chance. We have coped with having no trophy to cheer about for a generation now and waiting that bit longer won't exactly hurt us. Going down could kill us. The man's an idiot.
Our aim this season is to stay in the league, that goes without saying, but seeing as we have Metalist back to back with no league fixture in between there is no reason or excuse to not play our best team to hopefully see them off into the next round. Plus our league fixtures afterwards are very kind. We could see ourselves easily safe by the time March comes along and then the Europa League would become our No.1 objective. Do you know where we finished in the league in 1969? Do you care? Of course not.
If I see Pardew not playing his best team on Thursday or the Thursday after and then make excuses that the league is our main objective after limping out without much of a fight, I will never let him live it down. Ever. One thing is for sure we may never see European football for a long time after this year. We definitely wont be playing in it next year. There is only one way we will and that's to win it. Pardew has already thrown away our domestic hopes this year with his team selections, I don't want to see it again.
Our draw in the Europa is kind. We have avoided any of the true heavyweights until at least the semis with Anzhi or Hannover awaiting us in the next round. The only thing we have to deal with is the long trip to first Ukraine next Thursday and then possibly to Russia to play Anzhi. But if Hannover see them off then that wouldn't be an issue. We should be looking at the Europa League as the chance to save our season.
In fact, victory in the Amsterdam Arena on May 15th wouldn't just save this season but become a true landmark to be remembered forever as we finally open up the trophy cabinet to actually put something in it rather than to shine up what's been in there for years. As great and as proud as we are of those achievements...we need another one!
Howay!
Follow this blog on Twitter @ToonBano
This season however has been an absolute stinker, but what seems ridiculous, is that it could still turn out to be the No.1 landmark of a season in our Premier League history. That would be achieved if we finally win that trophy we desire by bringing home the Europa League. How could it not be to finally end that 44 year hoodoo and put to bed the mocking of 'what have you ever won?'
When a Toon fan gets asked this annoying question we instantly lay claim to 6 FA Cups, 4 league titles and that infamous Fairs Cup win in 1969. Unfortunately the follow up question is always 'well what have you won recently?' We then have to go through the heartache of 1996 to explain how close we were and how a couple of last minute goals at Liverpool and Blackburn stole our dream and then go on to casually mention we got to the cup final twice in 1999 and 2000. Which we never even looked like winning if we'e being honest...
Now this year has been a total shambles especially compared to last seasons 5th place finish which will go down as a definite success. But it has to be said if we were to avoid relegation and also get our name inscribed on the Europa League trophy it would turn out to be best of them all. Which seems insane right now but through all our Premier League impressive finishes we are yet to win something. Which is what football is all about at the end of the day.
Simon Bird in the Mirror claims that most Newcastle fans would take relegation if it meant we did win the Europa League which quite frankly is ridiculous. What is he insane? Relegation could be the death of this football club and no trophy is worth going through that. No chance. We have coped with having no trophy to cheer about for a generation now and waiting that bit longer won't exactly hurt us. Going down could kill us. The man's an idiot.
Our aim this season is to stay in the league, that goes without saying, but seeing as we have Metalist back to back with no league fixture in between there is no reason or excuse to not play our best team to hopefully see them off into the next round. Plus our league fixtures afterwards are very kind. We could see ourselves easily safe by the time March comes along and then the Europa League would become our No.1 objective. Do you know where we finished in the league in 1969? Do you care? Of course not.
If I see Pardew not playing his best team on Thursday or the Thursday after and then make excuses that the league is our main objective after limping out without much of a fight, I will never let him live it down. Ever. One thing is for sure we may never see European football for a long time after this year. We definitely wont be playing in it next year. There is only one way we will and that's to win it. Pardew has already thrown away our domestic hopes this year with his team selections, I don't want to see it again.
Our draw in the Europa is kind. We have avoided any of the true heavyweights until at least the semis with Anzhi or Hannover awaiting us in the next round. The only thing we have to deal with is the long trip to first Ukraine next Thursday and then possibly to Russia to play Anzhi. But if Hannover see them off then that wouldn't be an issue. We should be looking at the Europa League as the chance to save our season.
In fact, victory in the Amsterdam Arena on May 15th wouldn't just save this season but become a true landmark to be remembered forever as we finally open up the trophy cabinet to actually put something in it rather than to shine up what's been in there for years. As great and as proud as we are of those achievements...we need another one!
Howay!
Follow this blog on Twitter @ToonBano
Has Alan Pardew Finally Seen The Light To Breed Success And Stability?!
As I get over the shock of actually winning a game from behind for the first time in over two years and trying to get my head around winning back to back victories for the first time this season...something amongst our latest turn in fortune has jumped out at me (apart from the new signings) and that is the system. A formation of 4-2-3-1 has been paramount throughout recent weeks and it's about bloody time. Maybe it's because Demba Ba is no longer in a black 'n' white shirt as he gets his head kicked in by Coloccini but the 'Hoofball 4-4-2' days seem to be over. Are they over for good?
If this is the case and we are no longer subjected to the nonsense of lumping it up to the strikers, even when we are losing, then Pardew deserves some credit for finally seeing the light. After all it's in my opinion that it was this factor of a pre-historic style of football that was holding this club back over anything else. Not the injuries or the Europa league but the totally cowardly non-attempt at even trying to play to our strengths and actually play some football. Our long ball stats are dropping like a stone with every game that goes by. Thank the lord.
You just need to have a look back over some of this blog's articles in the archive to see the absolute slating Pards has received over his total lack of any strategy. Now that he has seemingly sorted this crippling factor out look at the results. They haven't come immediately as we lost at home to Everton and Reading in recent weeks but that was mainly down to individual incompetence and baffling substitutions not because the system or style of football was ineffective. We were 2-1 down to Chelsea but we stuck at the 4-2-3-1 instead of resorting to 4-4-2 hoofball with Shola and turned it around. It works!
We even actually battered Reading in that first half and could/should have been 3 up if Cisse had his finishing boots on but Reading's keeper decided to have a 'worldy' for the first and last time this season to keep his team in the game. Once Pards made his 'mistakes' with substitutions Reading took full advantage. Plus some awful defending to allow Le Fondre to score two avoidable goals. What I will say though about that Reading game is it was a blessing in disguise. Especially as regards to reinforcements required.
I believe that shocking home defeat awoke Mike Ashley from hibernation with a straight kick in the balls and forced him to get his cheque book out as relegation was genuinely staring him in the face. Do you think Ash wants to miss out on this increased TV rights money and everything else the Premier League has to offer? No chance. So he and his sidekick got to work in bringing the players in that we actually needed in the summer. Not that the 4 new signings in as many days were knee-jerk reactions though eh Derek....?
As soon as Sissoko, Gouffran, Mbiwa and Haidara were through the door they rejuvenated our dressing room and club overall with some much needed assertiveness and impetus to take on the league, instead of laying down and dying with excuses spewing out our arses to explain what was going wrong. Excuses solve nothing. We needed action and we got it. Fair play to all for making it happen. Hopefully lesson's have been learned as regards to our transfer policy sluggishness. If you stand still in football you go backwards as the saying goes and it's true. Nobody can disagree after this season.
What Pardew also deserves credit for is who and where he has played our new signings. AP seems to have decided that 4-2-3-1 is the way forward and I am not going to disagree with him. Having Cisse up front on his own suits him down to the ground as he has a freedom he just didn't have playing up front with Demba Ba. Plus having two wide players in advanced areas is a must. It's a shame Jonas has took up one of those spaces but I'm not going to go into that. Benny is back soon so let's just leave Jonas to bask in his goal.
We all expected Sissoko to slot in centre midfield allowing Cabaye or Marveaux to take up the position 'in the hole' but no. Pardew has recognised Sissoko as the man for the job and hasn't it paid off? Finally I can categorically say Pardew has made a decision most people wouldn't necessarily go with that has paid off. Moussa has been a revelation playing off Cisse with Cabaye and Perch protecting him. His power and pace along with his eye for a pass has worked perfectly. His goals against Chelsea are a handsome bonus.
Gouffran on the left has been a welcome addition to our team as this is exactly what we have been crying out for. A natural forward playing from the left in an 'inside forward' role with the instincts to drive at goal. This is what Demba Ba offered during the 4-3-3 days that was under appreciated. Ba may not have scored himself but this position offers balance and a constant threat across the forward line. Having Jonas constantly drop in front of our left back doesn't stretch the opposition's defence. Gouffran now does this and does it well.
Once Ben Arfa is back we will have a completely balanced team and strength in every area to give any team a run for their money. Plus Chieck Tiote is back to make up a midfield trio of Sissoko, Cabaye and Tiote we're all frothing at the mouth at. Name me a stronger midfield than that in the Premier League. Solid doesn't even begin to describe it. I always felt that even with his goals Demba Ba was holding us back as a team and was actually harming it with his selfishness and greed. I said as much here. Now that he is gone, it's there for all to see.
We look like a team again. We actually pass the ball around to each other, we seem to have confidence in each other and our assertiveness to stop the opposition scoring and sticking the ball in the net ourselves is already a lot better. Yohan Cabaye coming back into the team and Coloccini deciding to stay has of course helped us massively but our turn in form is deeper than that. We have team spirit again. We had lost that this season. It is now back and hopefully for good.
Derek Llambias has been doing the rounds lately stating that Pardew is here to stay and that stability is the key for this football club. Well that's all well and good but it is success that breeds stability not just keeping someone employed for the sake of it. Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger have earned their long stays in management with the same club by being successful. If Fergie hadn't won the FA Cup in 1990 he would have been sacked. He was even very lucky to have lasted that long. If Wenger hadn't have been instantly successful he may also have had the chop.
The jury is still out on Pardew as to whether he is the right man to take this football club forward. He did amazingly well last season but you have to say that has been evened out by being pretty much abysmal this season. There is no way this football club should have been subjected to a relegation battle. Not with this squad. Injuries have been unwanted problems with 2/3 players out at any given time but they have not been a 'crisis' with 6/7 first team players out leaving us to the bare bones. Don't believe that nonsense for a second. Have a look over the starting XI for each game this season if you doubt it here
I have been (rightly) calling Pardew up on the decisions he has been making this season and recognising his obvious failings that has contributed to this total mess of a season. But if he is adamant that a new system of 4-2-3-1/4-3-3 with a strategy of passing the ball to each other and using a player in the hole is the way this team is to play it's football then maybe there is hope for us after all. If he also now has a bigger voice over bringing much needed players in then he used to have, then again, maybe Pardew as NUFC manager might just work after all.
Pardew has been nothing but a puppet up to this point of his managerial career at Newcastle Utd, used to spew the propaganda and nonsense Llambias and Ashley want to feed the fans and media alike but don't have the balls to do it themselves. It's no coincidence Llambias has now started doing press interviews again after we have won a couple of games. Where was he when we were dumped out the cup at Brighton? Puppet Pardew was left alone to bear the brunt.
Next season will be massive for Alan Pardew and will go a long way to decide how his career here at Newcastle will go. If we have a good season he will get the time off the fans. If he has one like this year, the fans will rightfully call for his head and give Ashley and Llambias a decision to make. If he actually manages to win something like Alex Ferguson did in his third full season, then he can stay as long as he wants.
Because like I say, it's success that breeds stability. Nothing else.
Onto White Hart Lane we go for three wins on the bounce?.....Howay!!
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You just need to have a look back over some of this blog's articles in the archive to see the absolute slating Pards has received over his total lack of any strategy. Now that he has seemingly sorted this crippling factor out look at the results. They haven't come immediately as we lost at home to Everton and Reading in recent weeks but that was mainly down to individual incompetence and baffling substitutions not because the system or style of football was ineffective. We were 2-1 down to Chelsea but we stuck at the 4-2-3-1 instead of resorting to 4-4-2 hoofball with Shola and turned it around. It works!
We even actually battered Reading in that first half and could/should have been 3 up if Cisse had his finishing boots on but Reading's keeper decided to have a 'worldy' for the first and last time this season to keep his team in the game. Once Pards made his 'mistakes' with substitutions Reading took full advantage. Plus some awful defending to allow Le Fondre to score two avoidable goals. What I will say though about that Reading game is it was a blessing in disguise. Especially as regards to reinforcements required.
I believe that shocking home defeat awoke Mike Ashley from hibernation with a straight kick in the balls and forced him to get his cheque book out as relegation was genuinely staring him in the face. Do you think Ash wants to miss out on this increased TV rights money and everything else the Premier League has to offer? No chance. So he and his sidekick got to work in bringing the players in that we actually needed in the summer. Not that the 4 new signings in as many days were knee-jerk reactions though eh Derek....?
As soon as Sissoko, Gouffran, Mbiwa and Haidara were through the door they rejuvenated our dressing room and club overall with some much needed assertiveness and impetus to take on the league, instead of laying down and dying with excuses spewing out our arses to explain what was going wrong. Excuses solve nothing. We needed action and we got it. Fair play to all for making it happen. Hopefully lesson's have been learned as regards to our transfer policy sluggishness. If you stand still in football you go backwards as the saying goes and it's true. Nobody can disagree after this season.
What Pardew also deserves credit for is who and where he has played our new signings. AP seems to have decided that 4-2-3-1 is the way forward and I am not going to disagree with him. Having Cisse up front on his own suits him down to the ground as he has a freedom he just didn't have playing up front with Demba Ba. Plus having two wide players in advanced areas is a must. It's a shame Jonas has took up one of those spaces but I'm not going to go into that. Benny is back soon so let's just leave Jonas to bask in his goal.
We all expected Sissoko to slot in centre midfield allowing Cabaye or Marveaux to take up the position 'in the hole' but no. Pardew has recognised Sissoko as the man for the job and hasn't it paid off? Finally I can categorically say Pardew has made a decision most people wouldn't necessarily go with that has paid off. Moussa has been a revelation playing off Cisse with Cabaye and Perch protecting him. His power and pace along with his eye for a pass has worked perfectly. His goals against Chelsea are a handsome bonus.
Gouffran on the left has been a welcome addition to our team as this is exactly what we have been crying out for. A natural forward playing from the left in an 'inside forward' role with the instincts to drive at goal. This is what Demba Ba offered during the 4-3-3 days that was under appreciated. Ba may not have scored himself but this position offers balance and a constant threat across the forward line. Having Jonas constantly drop in front of our left back doesn't stretch the opposition's defence. Gouffran now does this and does it well.
Once Ben Arfa is back we will have a completely balanced team and strength in every area to give any team a run for their money. Plus Chieck Tiote is back to make up a midfield trio of Sissoko, Cabaye and Tiote we're all frothing at the mouth at. Name me a stronger midfield than that in the Premier League. Solid doesn't even begin to describe it. I always felt that even with his goals Demba Ba was holding us back as a team and was actually harming it with his selfishness and greed. I said as much here. Now that he is gone, it's there for all to see.
We look like a team again. We actually pass the ball around to each other, we seem to have confidence in each other and our assertiveness to stop the opposition scoring and sticking the ball in the net ourselves is already a lot better. Yohan Cabaye coming back into the team and Coloccini deciding to stay has of course helped us massively but our turn in form is deeper than that. We have team spirit again. We had lost that this season. It is now back and hopefully for good.
Derek Llambias has been doing the rounds lately stating that Pardew is here to stay and that stability is the key for this football club. Well that's all well and good but it is success that breeds stability not just keeping someone employed for the sake of it. Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger have earned their long stays in management with the same club by being successful. If Fergie hadn't won the FA Cup in 1990 he would have been sacked. He was even very lucky to have lasted that long. If Wenger hadn't have been instantly successful he may also have had the chop.
The jury is still out on Pardew as to whether he is the right man to take this football club forward. He did amazingly well last season but you have to say that has been evened out by being pretty much abysmal this season. There is no way this football club should have been subjected to a relegation battle. Not with this squad. Injuries have been unwanted problems with 2/3 players out at any given time but they have not been a 'crisis' with 6/7 first team players out leaving us to the bare bones. Don't believe that nonsense for a second. Have a look over the starting XI for each game this season if you doubt it here
I have been (rightly) calling Pardew up on the decisions he has been making this season and recognising his obvious failings that has contributed to this total mess of a season. But if he is adamant that a new system of 4-2-3-1/4-3-3 with a strategy of passing the ball to each other and using a player in the hole is the way this team is to play it's football then maybe there is hope for us after all. If he also now has a bigger voice over bringing much needed players in then he used to have, then again, maybe Pardew as NUFC manager might just work after all.
Pardew has been nothing but a puppet up to this point of his managerial career at Newcastle Utd, used to spew the propaganda and nonsense Llambias and Ashley want to feed the fans and media alike but don't have the balls to do it themselves. It's no coincidence Llambias has now started doing press interviews again after we have won a couple of games. Where was he when we were dumped out the cup at Brighton? Puppet Pardew was left alone to bear the brunt.
Next season will be massive for Alan Pardew and will go a long way to decide how his career here at Newcastle will go. If we have a good season he will get the time off the fans. If he has one like this year, the fans will rightfully call for his head and give Ashley and Llambias a decision to make. If he actually manages to win something like Alex Ferguson did in his third full season, then he can stay as long as he wants.
Because like I say, it's success that breeds stability. Nothing else.
Onto White Hart Lane we go for three wins on the bounce?.....Howay!!
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Newcastle To Complete French Revolution With Bargain-Priced Lyon Striker Bafetimbi Gomis?
Newcastle's transfer activity over the past week has been remarkable in three ways a) the amount of transfers, b) the price of the transfers and c) the quality of the transfers. My hat has been consistently tipped to Mr Carr, Mr Pardew and especially to Mr Ashley and Mr Llambias. Fair play to everyone involved in our transfer activity this week as it has been exceptional. About bloody time!
Four players in as many days to add to Mat Debuchy's arrival a couple of weeks ago is the injection of depth we were needing to add to our already quality team (it has to be said). We have had more than our fair share of injuries this season but we have still had a team available on most weeks more than capable to not be anywhere near two points off relegation at the end of the transfer window. Our team on the pitch has always had top class internationals more often than not. The difference now is we have the squad.
Albeit that squad is now looking more than a little French, in fact it looks like a new documentary series of 'A La Clairefontaine: Where Are They Now?' (YouTube). Whether this unique policy of only signing players from Ligue 1 (it seems) will turn out to be a success can only be answered in the future and specifically once we stay up. If we were to go down this season how many 'Frenchies' would actually stay? Certainly not 10 that's for sure. I don't have an issue with it all personally. At the end of the day we would not have signed Sissoko or Mbiwa most likely if we didn't have that heavy French influence at the club to attract them. So both factors feed each other.
The only issue I have about our squad at the moment is I am still adamant we need another striker. Gouffran looks a decent player but doesn't suggest to be a prolific goalscorer, and with Cisse's lack of form, one more front man would complete our squad. There are a few names linked to our club like Ricky van Wolfswinkel or Wilfried Bony but one that hasn't been heavily linked too much is that of Lyon front man Bafetimbi Gomis. Which is surprising when you look at his profile.
He is a target man type striker. He is a French international. He is 27. Most significantly of all he has just 6 months left on his contract so is available for peanuts. On the same level of that of Moussa Sissoko who only cost us around £2 million. When you look at Gomis' career up to this point here, his immediate availability, the type of player we need, his interest in joining us seeing as he is French (too much assumption?) and the small cost it would take to bring him in. Then the 'risk vs reward' with this deal seems like a no brainer to me.
I do find it unlikely, probably impossible, that Graham Carr doesn't have some kind of an opinion on Gomis as he has been plying his trade in the Champions League for a few years now, as I am sure most of you will have seen at least now and again, as Lyon impressed in the competition throughout the recent past. So maybe we have already looked at him and crossed him off the list, so to suggest signing him now may be a case of barking up the wrong tree. However, I can't help but look at this possible transfer and justify why we would do such a thing.
Everything about him fits into the type of player we look for and hope to sign. He fits into our age range and his fee will be an absolute bargain with his contract almost expired so any sell-on fee would no doubt be a profit. He has proven quality, he will fit into this French revolution seamlessly and might just be the final piece of the jigsaw to move this club out of relegation trouble to then reach our true potential next season and beyond. When you consider we how much fully fledged international strikers cost these days we would be mad to not take up this opportunity.
As far as where his club Lyon are concerned they are looking to sell him in this window rather than lose him for free in the summer. Lyon's club chairman Jean-Michel Aulas has been quoted in L'Equipe magazine with the following, "Lyon do not want a player of such quality to become a free agent in 6 months. The objective is either to extend his contract or transfer him out." As far as Newcastle Utd are concerned we shouldn't want to miss out on a player of such quality by having him extend that contract by transferring him in right now. Get on the phone Llambias. You're in form.
In other news, it seems Laurent Blanc is set to become the new coach at Roma so my desire to have a top class French manager to go along with our top class French players seems doomed. Alain Pardeiu looks like to be in a job for a very long time which does seriously concern me especially with the influence of foreign players in our dressing room. Pardew has been reminded this week of his quotes in 2006 when he was West Ham manager about Arsene Wenger and his foreign legion at Arsenal by declaring his desire for teams to have mainly English players. AP seems like a classic British manager to me. His 4-4-2 hoofball strategy this season confirms it.
But never mind about that. We have new players. A new outlook. A new team almost. Just one more striker would see our squad have strength in depth with quality in each position across the board. In my eyes Bafetimbi Gomis fits the bill on every level. Will it happen? Who know's. We will all be watching come Deadline Day to hear Jim White (annoyingly) shout out those words 'Attention all Newcastle fans, some news just reaching us' and then David Craig fight off a bunch of mental Geordies behind him at St James' Park as he stares down the camera to inform us of what he has just found out...
Good old Deadline Day. Got to love it really.
Follow this blog on Twitter @ToonBano
Four players in as many days to add to Mat Debuchy's arrival a couple of weeks ago is the injection of depth we were needing to add to our already quality team (it has to be said). We have had more than our fair share of injuries this season but we have still had a team available on most weeks more than capable to not be anywhere near two points off relegation at the end of the transfer window. Our team on the pitch has always had top class internationals more often than not. The difference now is we have the squad.
Albeit that squad is now looking more than a little French, in fact it looks like a new documentary series of 'A La Clairefontaine: Where Are They Now?' (YouTube). Whether this unique policy of only signing players from Ligue 1 (it seems) will turn out to be a success can only be answered in the future and specifically once we stay up. If we were to go down this season how many 'Frenchies' would actually stay? Certainly not 10 that's for sure. I don't have an issue with it all personally. At the end of the day we would not have signed Sissoko or Mbiwa most likely if we didn't have that heavy French influence at the club to attract them. So both factors feed each other.
The only issue I have about our squad at the moment is I am still adamant we need another striker. Gouffran looks a decent player but doesn't suggest to be a prolific goalscorer, and with Cisse's lack of form, one more front man would complete our squad. There are a few names linked to our club like Ricky van Wolfswinkel or Wilfried Bony but one that hasn't been heavily linked too much is that of Lyon front man Bafetimbi Gomis. Which is surprising when you look at his profile.
He is a target man type striker. He is a French international. He is 27. Most significantly of all he has just 6 months left on his contract so is available for peanuts. On the same level of that of Moussa Sissoko who only cost us around £2 million. When you look at Gomis' career up to this point here, his immediate availability, the type of player we need, his interest in joining us seeing as he is French (too much assumption?) and the small cost it would take to bring him in. Then the 'risk vs reward' with this deal seems like a no brainer to me.
I do find it unlikely, probably impossible, that Graham Carr doesn't have some kind of an opinion on Gomis as he has been plying his trade in the Champions League for a few years now, as I am sure most of you will have seen at least now and again, as Lyon impressed in the competition throughout the recent past. So maybe we have already looked at him and crossed him off the list, so to suggest signing him now may be a case of barking up the wrong tree. However, I can't help but look at this possible transfer and justify why we would do such a thing.
Everything about him fits into the type of player we look for and hope to sign. He fits into our age range and his fee will be an absolute bargain with his contract almost expired so any sell-on fee would no doubt be a profit. He has proven quality, he will fit into this French revolution seamlessly and might just be the final piece of the jigsaw to move this club out of relegation trouble to then reach our true potential next season and beyond. When you consider we how much fully fledged international strikers cost these days we would be mad to not take up this opportunity.
As far as where his club Lyon are concerned they are looking to sell him in this window rather than lose him for free in the summer. Lyon's club chairman Jean-Michel Aulas has been quoted in L'Equipe magazine with the following, "Lyon do not want a player of such quality to become a free agent in 6 months. The objective is either to extend his contract or transfer him out." As far as Newcastle Utd are concerned we shouldn't want to miss out on a player of such quality by having him extend that contract by transferring him in right now. Get on the phone Llambias. You're in form.
In other news, it seems Laurent Blanc is set to become the new coach at Roma so my desire to have a top class French manager to go along with our top class French players seems doomed. Alain Pardeiu looks like to be in a job for a very long time which does seriously concern me especially with the influence of foreign players in our dressing room. Pardew has been reminded this week of his quotes in 2006 when he was West Ham manager about Arsene Wenger and his foreign legion at Arsenal by declaring his desire for teams to have mainly English players. AP seems like a classic British manager to me. His 4-4-2 hoofball strategy this season confirms it.
But never mind about that. We have new players. A new outlook. A new team almost. Just one more striker would see our squad have strength in depth with quality in each position across the board. In my eyes Bafetimbi Gomis fits the bill on every level. Will it happen? Who know's. We will all be watching come Deadline Day to hear Jim White (annoyingly) shout out those words 'Attention all Newcastle fans, some news just reaching us' and then David Craig fight off a bunch of mental Geordies behind him at St James' Park as he stares down the camera to inform us of what he has just found out...
Good old Deadline Day. Got to love it really.
Follow this blog on Twitter @ToonBano
Newcastle Need Organisation In Defence & Ambition In Attack Principally Than Signings
Whenever you hear Alan Pardew talk to the press he either blames the amount of injuries we have or claims that new signings will turn our season around. All of the while he completely masks over or is totally oblivious to what the actual problem is and how he is going to fix it. The problem we have is not the fact we have a lack of players, or even a lack of quality, its the fact the team on the pitch are void of any organisation in defence and have a disgusting lack of ambition in attack. It's not good enough.
If you look at Reading's first choice XI not one of their players would have made it into our team on Saturday. Not one. So any excuses about players being missing or needing new signings to win games like this are complete nonsense and basically a kop out. All of which the press whole heartedly swallow up without hesitation avoiding any hint of a question about his team and his own obvious failings. I find it staggering.
The fact a lot of fans soak up this nonsense as well and then tell anyone who criticises Pardew or the team all about how we are where we are because of injuries is beyond annoying now. It's insufferable. Do us a favour please, if you are a sheep that excuses the club in whatever it says or does no matter how ridiculous or blatantly wrong than that is fine, but then don't try and tell the rest of us why we are wrong. Just keep singing. We need you to make noise in the stadium while others sit, watch and analyse what is actually going on with our team. All fans are different and we all play our roles.
What is blatantly obvious to anyone wishing to take the time or just use their eyes to see what might be possibly going wrong at Newcastle is the total lack of organisation at times at the back. The amount of times the opposition get in behind us via the full back areas is staggering. The then lack of positioning from certain centre backs once the cross comes in is just laughable to be honest. Amongst other shambolic failings. We cant even defend a long ball for crying out loud.
Davide Santon is a class footballer but he is no defender. That much is clear watching him this season. His lack of positioning at times is frightening. I reckon we have conceded more goals via our left hand side than any other. He just isn't a natural defender. We should be making moves to switch him into midfield and take over the role from the abysmal Jonas Gutierrez as the athletic work horse. All he wants to do his run with the ball so why fight it? Seeing as we are set to sign France U-21 left back Massaido Haidara the option is now finally open to us. Try it Pardew.
The other blatant problem lies in that useless, lanky, weak, slow, pathetic excuse of a defender in Mike Williamson. Where to begin with him? His talent is limited to say the least but that isn't the true problem. He is still the same player who helped the club achieve 12 clean sheets in the league last year. So what has happened? Last season we had a strong and organised back line which Willo sat in the middle of avoiding being exposed. When he was exposed at times then the Spurs, Fulham and Wigan debacles occurred. He needs protecting that much is obvious.
In fact the whole back line needs re-assessing. Where is the solidity from last season? Things like that can't just disappear. What does Alan Pardew do on the training ground now that was so different from our impressive season last time out? It's completely baffling. The first step of any team turning around poor form, or just in general, is to have a strong organised defence. Ours is yet to improve at any stage this year. In fact, it is getting worse!
Those goals conceded against Reading were abysmal. They summed up our defensive weakness this season so far. Their first goal came via Santon being out of position and no where near their right winger who easily ghosted past him and delivered an average ball into the box. Once he did it was down to a straight fight between Williamson and Le Fondre. Unbelievably Willo won! He nudged Le Fondre down to the floor and got in front of him to get to the ball first. The problem is he then missed it completely allowing Le Fondre to bundle the ball into the net (hint of handball). Just embarrassing.
The second goal was a catalogue of errors. We failed to block the cross in the right back area, we then failed to win the header in the left back area, we then weren't close enough to the oppositions players once the ball landed at their feet in the box, we then completely failed to close the ball down once it was mis-kicked and then offered no block of the shot that left Tim Krul helpless. Totally avoidable and amateur goal to concede. Simply not good enough at any level.
Our other major problem, specifically in home games, is an inexcusable lack of ambition going forward. First half against Reading was encouraging as we tested their keeper two or three times. Cisse should have at least put one of his opportunities away. However, after the half time break we did what we have consistently done this season and voided any ambition to go and seal the game by instead trying to suffocate the game and hang on. Now this comes from the manager. He has always had this type of mentality which he got away with for most of last season.
It was his decision to bring off an attacking player in Marveaux to bring on a defender come holding midfielder in James Perch with half an hour left to play. It was his decision to replace the injured Cabaye with another defensive midfielder in Gael Bigirimana even though the game was at 1-1 at that point. He had the option of bringing on Gab Obertan or even Sammy Ameobi for either player but chose not to. His confession of 'I made a mistake bringing off Marveaux' is not the issue. It's the fact he replaced him with a defender was the turning point of the game. Again, which seems completely missed by the press. What questions do they ask?!
We were in a position 2-1 down at home to Reading with not one creative player on the pitch. How is that possible? Where is the ambition to get another goal to kill the game off? Why was Obertan not brought on until the 80th minute? Why was Sammy not brought on at all? I wont even go into how Jonas Gutierrez got another 90 minutes under his belt even though he offers nothing in an attacking sense. Jonas is not a left winger any more. Wake the hell up Pardew.
Our biggest problem going forward is we don't get in behind teams enough with our wide players. Basically we don't do what the opposition do to us on a consistent basis which is attack the full back areas. We hardly created anything at Norwich and second half vs Reading we resorted to typically lumping the ball up to Shola. It's not good enough and it isn't exactly like we are incapable. We went to Old Trafford and The Emirates and scored 6 goals. Most of which were because we showed ambition in getting in behind them to provide a cross to be converted.
The Jonny Evans own goal and Cisse's left foot strike all came from crosses as well as Demba Ba's volley at The Emirates. But the most impressive goal for me was Marveaux's tap in at Arsenal as it showed what we are capable of if we have the balls to go and do it. It was so simple but effective as Obertan got in behind their right back and delivered a dangerous ball across the 6 yard box for the arriving Marv to tap in an open goal. Why cant we show this kind of ambition against teams like Norwich or Reading? This is why we aren't winning. Not because Ben Arfa is in the treatment room.
The reason we aren't doing it is because of the managers mentality in my eyes. He is so afraid of losing to teams like Norwich and Reading that he suffocates our players from playing their natural game. He insists on trying not to lose so much that he totally avoids the fact that we need to win. But when we go to Old Trafford and The Emirates he decides well we will probably lose anyway so lets just go for it. He needs to sort himself out and say to his players to go for it against the lower teams. If he did then we would win more than we lost.
The man's negative attitude has been slowly eating away at our football club ever since this season started. If it isn't moaning at the odd player being injured, it's the constant whining about the Europa League or it's the non stop message he tells everyone that our squad isn't good enough and we need more players. Just shut your face and get on with your job. This is the best squad he has ever had in his managerial career and ever will have once he is moved on. He should be grateful and ecstatic to work with such players not complaining.
Signing new players is a must for this football club to progress and match its full potential but in order to even get close to this than the basics need to be achieved first. An organised defence and ambition in attack is point one of any successful team. It really is that simple. The fact not many people seem to recognise it, which includes our highly paid manager, absolutely astounds me. You just need to look at the stats and our lack of impressive performances this year to see it. Can you name one impressive performance this season? Just one. With our squad? It's incredible.
Pardew's claims of 'we need new signings to inject some impetus' is just an example of how incapable at his job he really is. Did Chris Hughton need new signings to turn their season around? Did Nigel Adkins need new signings to reach the form they have shown before being sacked? Has Brian McDermott at Reading needed new signings to knock up the amount of points they have recently? No. None of them have. What they have done is worked effectively with the players they have (which are a lot less talented than ours) and got the best out of them on the training ground and out on the pitch where it counts. Basically they have done their job. Alan Pardew has done nothing of the kind.
All he does is moan about not having the players. All he does is claim we need new signings to turn things around. All he does is make excuses as to why our season has been an abomination while ignoring the actual truth. He has totally failed on every level as a manager this season. His lack of ability to turn things around is truly frightening. Just look at the fact that we are yet to turn around any deficit during a Premier League game into a win throughout his two years as manager if you doubt his non-existent 'bounce back ability'.
He couldn't turn around West Ham and got the sack for it. He couldn't turn around Charlton, got relegated, then got sacked for it. He is showing no signs of turning our season around as it gets more and more worse by the week. If we go 1-0 down in a game then we all KNOW we aren't going to win which is one of the most pathetic and depressing things I have ever known as a Newcastle fan in my life. Reading turned around a 2-0 scoreline in the final 10 minutes the other week. Why don't we have that kind of fight in us? Are our players not as talented as theirs?
Alan Pardew can bleat to the press all he likes but he needs to get on the training ground, with new signings or not, and get the team organised. Get the team confident in their own abilities. Get them brave enough to be ambitious in attack by getting men forward and testing the oppositions defence as much as we can. That is the only way we will get out of this pending relegation. If we don't then I can not see how we can possibly get out of it even with these new signings as great as it is to get them in. Adding new players to a flawed strategy won't have the impact we all want them to have.
Conceding soft goals and not being able to score enough is a recipe for inevitable failure. To not even have the strength of character to organise yourselves or the courage to go after a game and win it is completely unacceptable no matter what level you play at. If the level is Premier League with tens of millions of pounds at stake then you deserve to be shot...never mind sacked. Grow some balls and at least try and be a football team capable of winning a football game.
These new signings are welcomed with open arms and will no doubt strengthen our squad, but as a team on the pitch thus far, it's the other aspects you need other than talent that have been the main reason why we are in this plight. There is no shame in going out on the pitch fighting and going down, but there's no honour in not fighting at all. We did that in 2009 and I don't intend on witnessing such an abomination again.
Mr Pardew - You've got your new signings so now at least give us a fighting chance by getting the team organised to not lose games and show ambition to go out and win them. Merci.
Vive Le Toon!
Follow this blog on Twitter @ToonBano
If you look at Reading's first choice XI not one of their players would have made it into our team on Saturday. Not one. So any excuses about players being missing or needing new signings to win games like this are complete nonsense and basically a kop out. All of which the press whole heartedly swallow up without hesitation avoiding any hint of a question about his team and his own obvious failings. I find it staggering.
The fact a lot of fans soak up this nonsense as well and then tell anyone who criticises Pardew or the team all about how we are where we are because of injuries is beyond annoying now. It's insufferable. Do us a favour please, if you are a sheep that excuses the club in whatever it says or does no matter how ridiculous or blatantly wrong than that is fine, but then don't try and tell the rest of us why we are wrong. Just keep singing. We need you to make noise in the stadium while others sit, watch and analyse what is actually going on with our team. All fans are different and we all play our roles.
What is blatantly obvious to anyone wishing to take the time or just use their eyes to see what might be possibly going wrong at Newcastle is the total lack of organisation at times at the back. The amount of times the opposition get in behind us via the full back areas is staggering. The then lack of positioning from certain centre backs once the cross comes in is just laughable to be honest. Amongst other shambolic failings. We cant even defend a long ball for crying out loud.
Davide Santon is a class footballer but he is no defender. That much is clear watching him this season. His lack of positioning at times is frightening. I reckon we have conceded more goals via our left hand side than any other. He just isn't a natural defender. We should be making moves to switch him into midfield and take over the role from the abysmal Jonas Gutierrez as the athletic work horse. All he wants to do his run with the ball so why fight it? Seeing as we are set to sign France U-21 left back Massaido Haidara the option is now finally open to us. Try it Pardew.
The other blatant problem lies in that useless, lanky, weak, slow, pathetic excuse of a defender in Mike Williamson. Where to begin with him? His talent is limited to say the least but that isn't the true problem. He is still the same player who helped the club achieve 12 clean sheets in the league last year. So what has happened? Last season we had a strong and organised back line which Willo sat in the middle of avoiding being exposed. When he was exposed at times then the Spurs, Fulham and Wigan debacles occurred. He needs protecting that much is obvious.
In fact the whole back line needs re-assessing. Where is the solidity from last season? Things like that can't just disappear. What does Alan Pardew do on the training ground now that was so different from our impressive season last time out? It's completely baffling. The first step of any team turning around poor form, or just in general, is to have a strong organised defence. Ours is yet to improve at any stage this year. In fact, it is getting worse!
Those goals conceded against Reading were abysmal. They summed up our defensive weakness this season so far. Their first goal came via Santon being out of position and no where near their right winger who easily ghosted past him and delivered an average ball into the box. Once he did it was down to a straight fight between Williamson and Le Fondre. Unbelievably Willo won! He nudged Le Fondre down to the floor and got in front of him to get to the ball first. The problem is he then missed it completely allowing Le Fondre to bundle the ball into the net (hint of handball). Just embarrassing.
The second goal was a catalogue of errors. We failed to block the cross in the right back area, we then failed to win the header in the left back area, we then weren't close enough to the oppositions players once the ball landed at their feet in the box, we then completely failed to close the ball down once it was mis-kicked and then offered no block of the shot that left Tim Krul helpless. Totally avoidable and amateur goal to concede. Simply not good enough at any level.
Our other major problem, specifically in home games, is an inexcusable lack of ambition going forward. First half against Reading was encouraging as we tested their keeper two or three times. Cisse should have at least put one of his opportunities away. However, after the half time break we did what we have consistently done this season and voided any ambition to go and seal the game by instead trying to suffocate the game and hang on. Now this comes from the manager. He has always had this type of mentality which he got away with for most of last season.
It was his decision to bring off an attacking player in Marveaux to bring on a defender come holding midfielder in James Perch with half an hour left to play. It was his decision to replace the injured Cabaye with another defensive midfielder in Gael Bigirimana even though the game was at 1-1 at that point. He had the option of bringing on Gab Obertan or even Sammy Ameobi for either player but chose not to. His confession of 'I made a mistake bringing off Marveaux' is not the issue. It's the fact he replaced him with a defender was the turning point of the game. Again, which seems completely missed by the press. What questions do they ask?!
We were in a position 2-1 down at home to Reading with not one creative player on the pitch. How is that possible? Where is the ambition to get another goal to kill the game off? Why was Obertan not brought on until the 80th minute? Why was Sammy not brought on at all? I wont even go into how Jonas Gutierrez got another 90 minutes under his belt even though he offers nothing in an attacking sense. Jonas is not a left winger any more. Wake the hell up Pardew.
Our biggest problem going forward is we don't get in behind teams enough with our wide players. Basically we don't do what the opposition do to us on a consistent basis which is attack the full back areas. We hardly created anything at Norwich and second half vs Reading we resorted to typically lumping the ball up to Shola. It's not good enough and it isn't exactly like we are incapable. We went to Old Trafford and The Emirates and scored 6 goals. Most of which were because we showed ambition in getting in behind them to provide a cross to be converted.
The Jonny Evans own goal and Cisse's left foot strike all came from crosses as well as Demba Ba's volley at The Emirates. But the most impressive goal for me was Marveaux's tap in at Arsenal as it showed what we are capable of if we have the balls to go and do it. It was so simple but effective as Obertan got in behind their right back and delivered a dangerous ball across the 6 yard box for the arriving Marv to tap in an open goal. Why cant we show this kind of ambition against teams like Norwich or Reading? This is why we aren't winning. Not because Ben Arfa is in the treatment room.
The reason we aren't doing it is because of the managers mentality in my eyes. He is so afraid of losing to teams like Norwich and Reading that he suffocates our players from playing their natural game. He insists on trying not to lose so much that he totally avoids the fact that we need to win. But when we go to Old Trafford and The Emirates he decides well we will probably lose anyway so lets just go for it. He needs to sort himself out and say to his players to go for it against the lower teams. If he did then we would win more than we lost.
The man's negative attitude has been slowly eating away at our football club ever since this season started. If it isn't moaning at the odd player being injured, it's the constant whining about the Europa League or it's the non stop message he tells everyone that our squad isn't good enough and we need more players. Just shut your face and get on with your job. This is the best squad he has ever had in his managerial career and ever will have once he is moved on. He should be grateful and ecstatic to work with such players not complaining.
Signing new players is a must for this football club to progress and match its full potential but in order to even get close to this than the basics need to be achieved first. An organised defence and ambition in attack is point one of any successful team. It really is that simple. The fact not many people seem to recognise it, which includes our highly paid manager, absolutely astounds me. You just need to look at the stats and our lack of impressive performances this year to see it. Can you name one impressive performance this season? Just one. With our squad? It's incredible.
Pardew's claims of 'we need new signings to inject some impetus' is just an example of how incapable at his job he really is. Did Chris Hughton need new signings to turn their season around? Did Nigel Adkins need new signings to reach the form they have shown before being sacked? Has Brian McDermott at Reading needed new signings to knock up the amount of points they have recently? No. None of them have. What they have done is worked effectively with the players they have (which are a lot less talented than ours) and got the best out of them on the training ground and out on the pitch where it counts. Basically they have done their job. Alan Pardew has done nothing of the kind.
All he does is moan about not having the players. All he does is claim we need new signings to turn things around. All he does is make excuses as to why our season has been an abomination while ignoring the actual truth. He has totally failed on every level as a manager this season. His lack of ability to turn things around is truly frightening. Just look at the fact that we are yet to turn around any deficit during a Premier League game into a win throughout his two years as manager if you doubt his non-existent 'bounce back ability'.
He couldn't turn around West Ham and got the sack for it. He couldn't turn around Charlton, got relegated, then got sacked for it. He is showing no signs of turning our season around as it gets more and more worse by the week. If we go 1-0 down in a game then we all KNOW we aren't going to win which is one of the most pathetic and depressing things I have ever known as a Newcastle fan in my life. Reading turned around a 2-0 scoreline in the final 10 minutes the other week. Why don't we have that kind of fight in us? Are our players not as talented as theirs?
Alan Pardew can bleat to the press all he likes but he needs to get on the training ground, with new signings or not, and get the team organised. Get the team confident in their own abilities. Get them brave enough to be ambitious in attack by getting men forward and testing the oppositions defence as much as we can. That is the only way we will get out of this pending relegation. If we don't then I can not see how we can possibly get out of it even with these new signings as great as it is to get them in. Adding new players to a flawed strategy won't have the impact we all want them to have.
Conceding soft goals and not being able to score enough is a recipe for inevitable failure. To not even have the strength of character to organise yourselves or the courage to go after a game and win it is completely unacceptable no matter what level you play at. If the level is Premier League with tens of millions of pounds at stake then you deserve to be shot...never mind sacked. Grow some balls and at least try and be a football team capable of winning a football game.
These new signings are welcomed with open arms and will no doubt strengthen our squad, but as a team on the pitch thus far, it's the other aspects you need other than talent that have been the main reason why we are in this plight. There is no shame in going out on the pitch fighting and going down, but there's no honour in not fighting at all. We did that in 2009 and I don't intend on witnessing such an abomination again.
Mr Pardew - You've got your new signings so now at least give us a fighting chance by getting the team organised to not lose games and show ambition to go out and win them. Merci.
Vive Le Toon!
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