What do we think about Jonas?

Posted on October 2nd, 2009 | 13 Comments |

Spiderman 2 - the return of Jonas
Spiderman 2 - the return of Jonas
Jonas Gutierrez joined Newcastle United for £2.5m in the summer of 2008 and he’s contracted to us until 2013. We could well have lost him this summer but Maradona, who says Jonas is the 3rd name he automatically puts on his team sheet, told him that playing in the Championship wouldn’t affect his chances of playing for Argentina.

After the QPR game, Jonas told The Chronicle:

“I know that I must do much better and that is certainly my aim. I want to create more for the team and score some goals – it’s what I’m trying to do every game.”

So what do we think about Jonas?

He came in for some stick last season for two things mainly: failing to deliver a good enough final ball and failing to score himself. Personally I’ve always been a bit sympathetic towards Jonas because I think, even through the nightmare of last season, he was one of the players who put in a bit more effort than most.

This season he seems to have come into his own a bit and I think he’s looked pretty sharp on the left and works well with Enrique. He’s even started having a crack a goal more a bit more too, although I’d suggest we definitely didn’t buy Jonas to score goals. He scored 1 goal in 99 games for Velez Sarsfield, 5 in 95 for Mallorca and 1 in 12 for Argentina, so whatever our scouts said to Wise and Keegan before he came here, it wasn’t that he was a prolific goal-scorer.

In our current circumstances it is easy to suggest that players who looked poor last season are starting to look better this season merely because we’re now in the Championship and playing lesser opposition. Obviously there’s something in that but I think there are other factors too and I’d back Jonas as one of the players who can step up to Premiership Level and still look a good player. I do actually think we’ll finally get to see that Spiderman impersonation this season too.

Anyway, this is the rest of what Jonas said to The Chronicle:

“Last night against QPR was very frustrating for us, but for me it was good to be back out there.

“I want to be on the pitch for every game.

“It was a hard a game – they came here and played well and made it difficult for us.

“But I think in the second half we could have won it.

“QPR showed last night that we will have more tough games to come and we must be on top of our game. If we are, then we have a great chance of beating anybody.

“In the weeks that are going to come I know I have to bring more.

“I know that I have to play better than I already have when I have played this season.

“My injury is OK. I had some pains after the game, which is natural.

“I feel good and I am trying to be 100% to start the next match against Bristol.

“It was important last night to pick something up because we didn’t play at our best.

“You have to work hard at least and hope for a break, and we got it with the equaliser.

“But we have to win the home games.

“But the other teams below us could not win, so we are a little further ahead.”

He needs a haircut though.

NUFCBlog Author: Hugh de Payen I'm a baby-boomer of the punk rock persuasion, currently exiled in Somerset for crimes committed in a previous life where locals keep trying to poison me with something called 'scrumpy'. Hates sprouts, coat-hangers, Cilla Black, ornaments, Steven Seagull movies and 50 Cent (he's not worth 10). Hugh de Payen has written 634 articles on this blog.

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Comment on this post

13 Responses

  1. Need a haircut myself. LOL
    I remember the first match of last season he ran Wes Browne and Man ure ragged but he only seems to get a run of seven or eight games then he gets injured again. He is a good player imo. You are right about last season Hugh, would like to see more shots on goal and better crossing.

  2. I like him and think that he can still improve with good coaching. He needs to do a lot of work on his crossing though. Ryan Taylor could teach him a thing or two. I’ve been surprised at how good Taylor’s deliveries have been this season.

    Jonas as irritating as he does that hardsest bit in getting past his man but then tends so panic when it comes to the final ball or shot. He just needs to stay calm and use his skill.

  5. I’d echo what Mags09 gran used to say.

    Very insightful.

    The biggest compliment I can pay him, is that he brings the best out in Enrique and they combine well but individually there’s a lot of huff and puff without the finishing buff.

    I also hate the way he overplays things, gets tangled up with the opposition and throws himself on the deck. Sometimes winning a free-kick and other times not. Whatever the outcome, for some reason it really irritates me.

  8. Roy Cropper says:
    October 2, 2009 at 8:52 am
    what’s up ? no one slagged KK off for a couple of days.

    Aren’t you bust suckin Hayley’s penis?

  11. I really like Jonas I love the way he stretches defences isn’t scared to run at people. But it does get me that he doesn’t producemore of an end product. He has set up a few this year and set fed some great balls for people to score from last year ( Owen against Stoke and Pompey two that I can recall). And he was also top of the assists in la liga so he does have it. Come on spidey show us what ya can do buddy.

  12. Hire the inestimable Mr Tony Green (one of the finest players I have ever seen in a B&W shirt & now teaching in Lancashire I believe) to give Jonas a couple of days one2one tuition during half term. There are distinct similarities in their play, except Greeny could pass and/or bust the net from 35 yards – as he did when he inspired a bunch of discarded ex-Mags to stuff the then current (and coincidentally just relegated) first team 5-2 (if I remember correctly) in a friendly back in the late 70s.

    For those younger readers, Greeny could have walked around all our current pedestrian midfielders even with his bad knee. (He could probably still – at 62 – walk around most of them, and doubtless waltz around the dismal Butty even with two bad knees and a set of crutches).