ImpoToon – Rangers 2-1 Newcastle.

Posted on August 7th, 2010 | 217 Comments |

Miller scores against The Mags... Again!
Miller scores against The Mags... Again!
After being enthused with Tuesday nights performance, I think it is fair to say I am rather unenthused after this performance.

Newcastle tasted defeat in their final warm up game for the new season, and if we play like that we will be tasting it a lot more in the coming season.

The away side looked neat and tidy on the ball, but the lack of any real quality showed up again as they were unable to convert that possesion into any real meaningful chances. Jonas Gutierrez looked rusty whilst James Perch showed some pace, which countered some of his awful positioning. Shola Ameobi looked static, Danny Guthrie became Danny ‘hit one and miss three’ and Wayne Routledge appeared to look like he had forgotten how to cross a ball.

It may sound scathing, but that is how I saw it. I was looking forward to the opening game against Manchester United, but if we play like that again then we will be heading home from Old Trafford with our tails between our legs.

Part of the problem, for me, is the formation. Playing a less than mobile Andy Carroll up front with a less than mobile Kevin Nolan doesn’t bode well for our fortunes. If that is to be our formation away from home this season then we will need to win most of our home games if we are to survive. Playing tight is all well and good, but it gives us no options when we go a goal behind. Quality is needed in the team, and I hope this is the wake up call that is needed to see that.

The half-time stats showed that Newcastle had nearly 60% of the ball, yet they only mustered an Andy Carroll header from a corner on target, and even that was blocked by Kevin Nolan. Rangers used their possesion more effectively though and took the lead on 23 minutes. Steven Whittaker delivered a teasing ball in from the left wing that split James Perch and Wayne Routledge allowing Kenny Miller to steal in front of the Newcastle defence and head the ball beyond Harper. 1-0 Rangers.

Newcastle continued to do not a lot and Rangers made it 2-0 on 65 minutes as Steven Davis slipped a ball behind the Newcastle defence which Steven Naismith smashed home. Newcastle made it 2-1 just five minutes later through Peter Lovenkrands, who got on the end of a spilled shot from Kevin Nolan and blasted the ball into the end of the net.

That was how the game ended, and despite all the possesion we had I can’t help but feel a little disappointed with the performance. Having lots of possesion doesn’t matter, it’s what is done with it that counts, as Rangers demonstrated.

As I said, I may have been a bit harsh at points, and I probably should have waited a while before I wrote this and given myself a chance to calm down. That was not good enough, and it was our last rehearsal before the main event. It may have only been a friendly to some, but it mattered a lot to me.

Howay the lads! To the long road ahead!

Rangers – Allan McGregor, Kirk Broadfoot, Madjid Bougherra, David Weir, Sasa Papac, Steven Davis, Mo Edu, Lee McCulloch, Steven Whittaker, Gary Naismith, Kenny Miller.

Subs – Neil Alexander, Kyle Lafferty, Andrius Velicka, Jordan McMillan, Andrew Little, Andrew Shinnie, Gregg Wylde, Kyle Hutton, Archie Campbell

Newcastle – Steve Harper, Jose Enrique, Fabricio Coloccini, Mike Willaimson, James Perch, Jonas Gutierrez, Joey Barton, Danny Guthrie, Wayne Routledge, Kevin Nolan, Andy Carroll.

Subs – Tim Krul, Peter Lovenkrands, Ryan Taylor, Xisco, Shola Ameobi, James Taverner, Shane Ferguson.

NUFCBlog Author: toonsy toonsy has written 643 articles on this blog.

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217 Responses

  2. @ i know shameful, sounds like he should have played on the left maybe wouldnt have wandered off, jonas frustrates me so much the last 2 years.

  4. Hitman – God knows. I couldn’t blame any of the kids for wanting to get out and go somewhere where they will get some games to be honest.

  5. this is the problem with hughton,he will stick with the older players just to keep them happy and this worries me,smith should of been put up for sale with a few others…

  6. Come on! It’s not the end of the world. good for us to defeat this game because it showed we have plenty of room to improve and we should train more on the final third. we just don’t know how to pass in box. it’s all about mental and position setting.

    Long road to go this season so looking forward for Old Trafford ! howay the lads !

  7. based on pre season performances and the squad we have at the moment.

    id like you all to stick your neck out and give you honest final place finish?

    14th for me.

  9. dom you think im being too optomistic then? or are you being pessemistic toonsy lad?

  11. I got a dream yesterday night we will win Man Utd 3-2.

    1penalty,Lover boy scores.

    1header,Carroll scores.

    1 screamer,Jonas score.

    As for Man Utd,Carrick and Valencia scores.

  12. The Carroll/Nolan thing didn’t work for me- not enough pace. Disappointed with no Vuckic. Ir seems that he may be able to provide that final 3rd quality we’ve been lacking. Maybe he can’t but only once way to find out.

    Despite the problems mentioned, thought Perch showed potential coming forward. Defense didn’t give up much other than maybe 3 good chances. I thought Barton was immense. Routledge cause them all kinds of problems but had too many poor final touches.

    To me they looked prety good all in all. We still need something front and would lose alot with any injury to Jonas or Wayne

  13. I don’t know lads…it was a frustrating game but overall i think we played decent. Defense, in the first half, was good…Barton and Guthrie were good as a unit, wing play was good but frustrating…

    Looking at pre-season games and other EPL teams i’m pretty confident we’ll finish somewhere midtable, to answser the challenge i’ll say 11th.

  14. hitman spot on! saying this 1 year ago. we need the 2 kids more then ever.harris and ranger score goals.stop this crap ch we need players off the bench who will do something pals act stops or u will be out of a job quick.sorry to say that about ch.then playing kids at full backs.why dont u ever play your pals out of postion instead of other players..r.talyor is never going to do anything apart from pass the ball right back against united we will get beat heavily.nolan just does the same as r.talyor his goals covered his genral play last year.jonas should be given his role becasue he is mobile if ben arfa ever gets here.

  15. Ranger has more skill and pace than Carroll and should be persevered with. His vision is good too. Disappointed he wasn’t given a run today.

  16. it would have been a great game to test vuckic even though i understand chris playing the midfield that he did one week before the season!

    unfortunately i missed the game so how did baton & guthrie get on together? sounds like perch made a few porkies?

    it seems the need for ben afra has become more urgent!!

  17. Nasher – Neither. We all have differing opinions don’t we? Just beciase one person sees seomthing differently it doesn’t make any more or less wrong, if that makes sense? lol

  18. oh and Vuckic is in the first team…he was just left home to play with the reserves because they have/had a few important games in the last few days. There was some news about this before the Depor game…

  20. ToonKing – Ben Arfa is too much of a risk apparently, according to some :roll:

    We should just plod on with what we hav adding waifs and strays to the team as we go, never really improving as we go :lol:

  21. Fink ppl over reactin abit we were the better team by a mile the problem isn’t the strikers the problem s the suply to the strikers it ain’t good enough, b better off wit two out n out strikers if nolan is gonna play so far forward, n vukic n ranger been playin for reserves better for them to get 90mins there then 20min or less in first team

  23. toonking! then nolan cant play.thats not going to happen.or jonas left out for him.we cant play passenger football in this league.the problem we got nolan is going to play.i bet he wont even get subbed in any off the games. what is going to happen when gosling gets fit.ch has got to sort his pals out first or we could be in for a rocky ride.what do think about this high line we play.with are centre backs not being that quick.i was impressed with the team overall looked solid and played rangers off the park without end product.

  24. Davy- I think the 5 man MF has its benefits but I would only play it when we have a lead. We bossed the MF in that formation but I don’t think Carroll is at his best when alone upfront. I think I’d given Carroll/Loven a go next week.

  25. asim says:
    August 7, 2010 at 4:19 pm

    i was impressed with the team overall looked solid and played rangers off the park without end product.
    ——————
    That’s how I saw it…

  26. 19/20

    Nolan is too slow, no doubt. His is an occasional anchor role this season, like Smith last year, so he cannot start auctomatically. Both Smith and Nols them were too slow for the Fizzy at times ffs. Perhaps McLovens should have been on from the start as with 4-4-1-1 as we clearly need a very nippy link man behind the striker to create chances on the counter with this formation, whereas Nolan just gets dragged back into the middle?

    Perhaps Arfa IS the man (at the RIGHT price, Toonsy, at the right price – that’s my quibble) perhaps Best is that link player, perhaps Vukic is? Whoever he is, he needs to be a lot quicker, and CH needs to take note of how often we are done for pace in both directions – but that happened last season as well. More worryingly when was the last time Harper played a blinder?

  27. how did perch play

    how was barton and guthrie like in the middle…much creativity?

    its no secret that goals is what you need in this league and at the moment we have no proven goalscorer in the premier league …slightly worrying

  28. Fostino – Perch = Don’t ask!

    Barton and Guthrie = Pretty passing but no creativity

  29. Toonsy what has caused the change in your thoughts im not being a smart-ass I am just interested to know.
    Asim last year I thought you were a complete WUM but imo you are making some real good points, but I dont think the old pals act will stop I think the younger ones will allways be making way for the seniors as I have been saying from last year I feel Nolan has far to much power so will never be dropped unless he drops himself and im still 99% sure he has nominated himself as captain, but we will find out next week. I have started to think the reason Fat Mike isn’t spending money is that he is not 100% certain of CH hence why he is still on the contract that ends at the end of this season. I am totally gratful for what CH has done for us and I really do hope he can go unwards and upwards from here but I just find his tactics etc strange and the fact that MA wants to go for up and coming younguns but CH will never trust them.
    Rant over

  30. I didn’t manage to catch the game but if you are right, we have possession, then I’m more than happy even when we lost the game.

    We build from solid foundation and possession play is the key to move forward. If you want effectiveness, then we have Bolton and Stoke style. I don’t want to see us playing that style, not sure about you guys.

    Once we play our own game, results will come. It’s only preseason now, and we just started to play some possession football.

  31. spotlight kid he is going to be are captain!no chance.. u are spot on couldnt have put it any better.he is ch first pick.

  32. @ 26 spotlight kid, honestly mate? your the first person ive spoke to reckons we will go down man, i hope your wrong ;)

  33. The tactics we used away from home last year with the 4-5-1 and Nolan behind Carroll just won’t work in the premiership imo. I watched the second half. And it looked quite flat indeed until we really went attacking with 4-3-3. I hope this will give CH some pointers and remind him that we still need some creativity ie Ben Afra. Our squad at the moment is not ready.

    What if Jonas gets injured? We have no-one else.

    For me this match showed that

    1. We can’t go away this season and hope to grind down the opposition and beat them 1-0 using 5-4-1.

    2. We need creativity and I think Ben Afra would be ideal.

    3. We lack strength in depth.

    Al before my Birthday on 16th August

  34. Big Dave – Just getting my thoughts off my chest. Can anyone say that the players I have criticised today have had a good game? I’m just not impressed Dave, not with Ashley, not with Hughton, not with anything at the minute

  35. big dave! we got a good break with butt getting injuried in pre season he would have played.first pick ch.smith might be going on loan or injuried not seen him in training.smith we need to get off are wages which would free up the money we need for ben arfa.as for nolan backup player to come on late on for goals nothing else.he is the only1 left in are side for us to moveforward as a mobile team.the rest looks solid.perch looks better at centre back.why not play him in midfield becasue he is mobile.

  36. Toonsy I dont think your being unfair to any players, its just it seems as if you have stood back from your blind loyalty and realised that we shouldn’t be ashamed to ask for and expect a bit more

  37. toonsy,there is definatley cause for concern,this squad basically has not changed at all in the last couple of year,take out owen,duff,viduka,bassong,and your still left with the core of the side that was relegated.
    my problem is that we are just going to the same level of performance that we’ve had over the last couple of years,which i think may not be good enough in the prem.
    if we dont strengthen with some quality, we will probably just stagnate and go backwards.

  38. Nasher@32, I don’t think we will go down – and I can’t see where I suggested that – but we will struggle. I simply think we need to win games as draws are useless commodities. To win games we need to score and unless 4-4-1-1 can prove more effective we are going to be scraping useless draws – which did for us last time we were in the Prem.

    I’d rather lose 2 and win 1 than draw 3, better still I’d rather win 2 and lose 1 – but unless we stop leaking goals (Bristol City etc.) through stupid errors (including Harps) we ain’t going to be picking up three points as we are forever destined to be coming from behind.

    Which leads us to scoring. Nolan is not going to reach double figures in the Prem, he might well do a Smith and give up scoring altogether, so where are the midfield goals coming from? Ameobi was never any use in the Prem & Carroll needs the service or we might as well play 4-6-0 and cross our fingers for an occasional free kick that Taylor or Barton can have a crack at. Not good, I suggest!

    We need some serious thinking and HARD decisions, and I really can see where Big Dave is coming from on this @ 29. CH has to shift his allegiances, and quickly. Last season is over, this is a whole new ball game.

  39. Its tru bt wont happen,nolan shd b droppd,dnt want hm disrupting barton/guthrie pairing and he’s 2 slow 2 play off main striker. Ths game shwd hw muc we nid ben arfa roaming close bhnd carroll

  40. spotlight kid,we could stay up but,we could just as easily go down that’s how thin i think the margin is.

  41. Asim I sometimes think that Arfa with all his unknown baggage mightn’t be what we need, as what we need we might allready have in young Vuckic but we might never find out. I have allways thought that the likes of Ranger Vuckic could be real young stars along the lines of Rooney, Owen, Beckham etc the only difference is that the later all got their chances dispite their young age

  42. will chris hughton be single minded and ruthless enough to realise,that things need change,or is he too loyal to players like nolan?.

  43. Trojan@40

    I can’t disagree – but things can change in a couple of weeks if the right (hard) decisions are made before we splutter to the gutter of p6 w0 d1 l5 – ’cause there’s no getting back from that.

    Drop & Sell Ameobi / Smith / Nolan and bring in Ranger / Vukic / AN Other. Drop Harps to the bench as well. Of course it won’t happen, and this (alas) will be CH’s downfall as he should have read ‘The Prince’ by Machiavelli after he did his FIFA license – it’s far more useful. If we get off to a poor start, be sure that Fat Mike has read it cover to cover and expect heads to roll by the end of September!

  44. Dave – I said all along that I will give it this tranfer window to wait and see, and it looks like we are being sold short to me. Still time, but I’m at a point know where I can’t see anything significant coming in.

    Shame really, £20 million would have pretty much nailed us safetly IMO.

  45. big dave i keep saying this.why does he put youngsters in at the back.but saying ranger and harris will be around the first team.so i find it strange that we need goals.they both score first pre season game and we havnt see them since,.but brings young defenders with the first team and plays them or brings them on.he doesnt wont to rock the boat harris scores he needs that in midfield apart from slug nolan no1 can score.rangers i dont care if people say he should go on loan.what for this kid is ready becasue the rest of the strikers are not good enough he will only improve becasue he can hold the ball up better then all are strikers.. plus has got more pace.carrol first himsecound. the others forget about .we dont wont to stand still the other strikers wont improve us.thats what it is all about.

  46. Toonsy I agree mate and as you say there is still time but I cant see anything happening either, which makes me believe that MA isn’t 100% certain on CH. IMO There is noway MA would risk losing more money by risking getting relegated again as I think if that happened there is noway back for him, hence the reason he is waiting before buying as if come Jan we are at the bottom he can say bye bye to CH bring someone else in and give them a few quid to buy players. But I really hope that doesn’t happen not just for our sakes but for CH aswell as he is a real good Bloke but I said from the start and I got shoot down by a few on here by saying that CH doesn’t have the steel needed to make hard decisions :(

  47. Quite a good overall peformance lacking desperately in the final third. A little worried by the performance of Nolan and Carroll, Shola actually looked pretty ok when he came on, had much more of an impact than either Carroll or Nolan. Disappointed to see no Vuckic or Ranger. Strange to see no Best, something must be up for Smith not even to make the bench.

  49. We were better with Shola on the pitch, but maybe that’s down to having Loverman buzzing around him and Nolan dropped back to the hole behind the strikers.

    Can we function with a 4-3-1-2?

    Barton-Guthrie-Routledge

    Nolan

    Carroll-Loverman?

  51. we need at least 3 players of decent quality in NOW,NO IFS OR BUTS, NOW! Oh!, will people type in the word “our” not are,what school did some of you go to??

  53. magpiemarky one of the good things on here is it doesn’t matter what school if any you go to as long as we know what bloggers are talking about ;)

  54. my problem with ashley is he wants the club moulded in his image,what’s happening off the field is fine,it’s when he’s trying to dictate what’s happening on it,when the problems start.it seems that since he bought newcastle it’s all about his dream and what he wants.
    if you own a football club you employ a manager who you think is good enough,you sign the cheques then you let him get on shaping the team to his own plan.
    every manager we had had since ashley took over has had to dance to his tune,age limit,price limit etc,call me old fashioned but you cannot hope to build a successful football club under those conditions,ashley might as well appoint himself manager and run the whole show,because he simply will not leave anyone alone to get on with the job,and keeps poking his nose in which has led to disagreements ill will etc.
    we cannot move forward with this tyrannical nutter ashley.

  56. Some good points made from all sides of the arguement but as I said pre season games mean nowt show nowt prove nowt.If they do then Man Ure,Citeh and Chelsea are gonna be right down there with us.I know it wasn’t great but there was also some better football played than we did v Deportivo yet many were “enthused”.
    We got murdered 6-1 off a lower league team last year,meant nowt other than getting rid of some of our deadwood.There’s still time in the window for players to come in which we undoubtedly need,we all know that but we know it because of a knowledge of our squad and not because of seeing any of our pre-season games.
    Hughton and the players have it all to prove,he needs to make some tough decisions but for now we have to trust him.He said Haris will get more games this season so again we have to trust that is true.He and his staff see the players in training,maybe they don’t think they’re good enough yet.

  57. As far as friendlies go this one was pretty good, and what you must remember is that this Rangers team are very well organised.
    A couple of weeks ago Walter smith said he would use the friendlies to practice our tactics for the champions league, and it was clear that was the case today with Rangers playing on the counter.
    I’m glad we played Newcastle today as it was a good test for the start of the season.
    Final thought: Dont be too hard on your team, as you wont come up against too many teams this season as well organised and hard to break down as Rangers.
    And as long as Newcastle keep passing the ball so well you should end up about 14-15th in the league.

  58. Trojan……..he can’t want it moulding in his image,you need to spend to get fat and we’re definately on a crash diet :lol:

  60. why is it so hard to bring in cover at L.B., for years we havent had any but yet still no one is signed??

  61. Eye think hour final theard was week today. Hour management ore looking to sign a knew foreword.

  63. Really don’t get the “drop Carroll and play Ranger” bit. Whilst I like the look of Ranger, the few appearances he had in the Championship didn’t make me think that he’s ready to set the PL on fire. Just because he and Vuckic look good for the future doesn’t mean we should play them in our starting 11. And yes we do need to strengthen the squad and get a bit of guile and pace in.

  64. can anyone imagine cloughie working for ashley?the damned utd mark two,he would have only lasted seven days never mind 40 odd.imagine cloughie spending ashley’s money without running it past him,light the touch paper and stand back.

  66. Trojan……..would be good to watch,just got a book of my brother yesterday about Clough will read it after I finish the current one.

  67. i wonder what it was like for ashley’s kids growing up trying to get their pocket money?
    dad can i have 50 pence,
    ashley=40 pence,why do you want thirty pence for?20 pence did you say,there’s 10 pence.

  68. I would like to ask those who say the team needs pace.

    But where???

    IMO,we already have enough pace with the wingers. is the FINAL BALL that is the main problem.

    I don’t think Barton or Guthrie are that slow.~~

  70. anyone saw ameobi being given a shoulder charge by bougherra….he flew off into outer space…..why has god given him a body like that when he can t use it properly

  72. really didnt fink we played bad today we jus lack that bit of creativity, n we cud do wit a proper defensive midfielder to protect the bak four away from home, arfa/creativity, arevalo/protect back four, n someone else for creativity, i fink ch will use kadar as cover for jose which is fine wit me, but someone like jllyod samuel wit all is years of prem experience cud b vital, n i know he gets slagged at every chance but for me best has been are best striker in pre season n he really looked sharp

  73. saroof,he’s supposed to be a christian also amoebi,wasn’t very christian not to shake bougherra’s hand lol.

  74. AOD-agree its not pace we lack its creativity that killer pass, if that was improved r strikers will get the goals

  77. Richie @ 56 I agree with you about it just being a preseason friendly and it wasn’t the worst in the world, But all the stuff I have been talking about isn’t because I was all doom and gloom with todays result because I wasn’t. I was more expressing my long held negative thoughts in general, actually I dont think we need much in the player side of things its more the tactics and formations etc and the fact that we have players that I think could do a job but will never get the chance they deserve to proof they can or cant ;)

  78. The game was good passing in our half but no pentration…..what i thought was we need a viduka type player to hold the ball off…..i just don t see carroll doin that…he doesn t have the quality for it….barton was the only player who looked good……nolan and carroll wont work coz nolan ain t a mobile striker……perch showed that he had pace but positioning was bad….routledge started of well ….but some good balls in but after sometime he got frustrated and started trying too much…joans was abesnt this game looked rusty…..guthrie was pretty ok…barton as usual sparaying passess looked good coloccini and williamson caught out a few times….the second goal came nolan loosing the ball and that guy giving a throughball ….enrique good as usual….ameobi….did better than carroll…lovenkrands first touch goal……did well……ferguson and tavernier did well ……nolan looked very bad……and when was the last time harper looked good??that is worrying me a lot…….krul should start…..what i can t understand is y doesn t ch give vuckic games if he can give the likes of ferguson playtime……i m worried……

  80. i really fink bests all round game is very good he holds the ball really well better than carroll if can continue to add goals he wud b one of my two strikers if we dont bring another one in

  81. I think the main concern is that this WAS the last game, and there are no signs of us improving/being improved.

    Pretty passes are all well and good, but they don’t win games. We are lacking bits and bobs, not a lot mind, and I don’t think the formation helped to be honest.

  83. ranger is so under rated by alot of fans n ch if had of got the game time carroll got last season he wud of scored 20 goals easy

  84. @toonsy: Comparing to Arsenal match,and ours….i am glad we are way way way better. ;)

  85. And 4-1-2-1-2(Diamond) would be the solution,if our wingers still can’t cross well,This formation would be great.

    By using this formation,we would generally exploit through middle,instead of the flanks.

  87. i can understand why ch plays 451 away from home wit carroll n nolan but wen nolan plays like its 442 it dosent work n we cud do better wit two out n out strikers, if ben arfa happens away from home id play
    harper
    perch campbell colo jose
    routledge barton guthrie jonas
    arfa
    carroll

  88. kadar aint great at l.b., if you look at any good team out there, they have good attacking wing backs to provide width and an extra attacking threat, jose very good at it but kadar is not!!

  89. Dave – I’m passing the reigns over to you in a bit. Mrs Toonsy is getting treat to meal, so teabags are in cuboard, telly should be working, don’t worry about washing up and I’ll be back around nine :lol:

  92. Getting worried for man u game.
    Got beat off 2 championship standard teams in rangers and Norwich.
    If Ben arfa in marseille team tonight can’t see him coming.
    Not the target we are working on btw heard a striker on the cards.

  93. Dave – If you can take the hassle you can have her mate :lol:

    Was it you who said she was good looking? I won’t tell her, she’ll expect me to say the same kind of things, and that aint happening :lol:

  94. yeah I know Dave,that’s the bit where I said CH has some tough decisions to make.Although as I said he sees alot more of the players than we do and despite what people think he did give a few youngsters a chance last year.Carroll certainly got games,Ranger had a few and I think he’ll be a good player but last year he wasn’t great and also maybe he isn’t getting a game now because of his alledged discipline problems.Kadar also got a few games as well as one or 2 others getting the odd game.Haris will get games I think but he was injured long term and maybe Ch feels its better for him to play a few games in the reserves first.I remember alot of people saying CH didnt have the bottle last year to drop the likes of Smith.I agree with Asim when he says we need players on the bench who can change games but are unproven kids those players? We need to add 2 or 3 more players like you say Dave,whether we will tho is the big question unfortunately.

  97. Both ranger & vuckic played @ luton so didn’t need a game as much as some of the others & can you honestly see either of them starting against man u? The quality in the final 3rd was very poor (which chris admitted afterwords). Our selection was geared towards the man u game when it will probably be man u who have 60% possesion & we will pack the midfield & try to be hard to beat.

    At least when shola came on we tryed to play the ball on the deck & actually scored. As usual tho shola, nolan etc get the stick & there is no mention of jose or spiderman doing feck-all.

  100. Toonsy yeah she is fit mate and you should tell her before I do :lol:
    Richie if I can remember right the only games Ranger got last year was upfront on his own because of injuries which I dont think was a good way to introduce him to 1st team footie. IMO he needs to be played along with an older or experienced head, I understand that C see’s more of the players than we do but I still say he is a manager that doesn’t like to try younguns. But I think younguns can do it aslong as they know their boss has faith in them.
    I have worked under many types of leaders as im sure you have, and imo a few have been like CH which are easy to work for but I have had a few hard c*nts that would comedown on ye like a tonne of bricks when you stepped out of line but if you done what was expected they would let you know that you done well they were normally the ones that got the most out of me

  101. We should’ve signed Whittaker (rather than Perch) when we were in the market for a versatile defender. Anyway im kinda glad we were bet today, if we had’ve won it would just paper over the cracks, at laest this way CH knows he needs to make another signing or 2 before old trafford.

  103. Am I the only one who thought we were by far the best team today then?

    Must have been watching a different game to you lot cos I thought the positives far outweighed the negatives.

    Just thought we lacked a bit of a cutting edge until Lovenkrands came on.

  105. thing is Dave the majority of managers only give young ones a chance when there are injuries.Ranger made 25 apps last season,some due to injuries some not.The thing is play him then you drop Carroll which would get people up in arms.Don’t get me wrong I like Ranger but at the moment he isn’t better than Carroll,Shola or Lovenkrands.
    ……..and yep some right hard cnuts,but these days footballers are pampered and the hard cnut approach isn’t accepted on whole

  108. Nice1 Dave. If we play like that and get beat on Monday I won’t complain. Not even the big boys expect to get more than a point at OT so no shame in getting beat there. Lovenkrands will be the key for me this season.

  109. lot of people on here are talking as if ranger or harris wont start against united..we no that they wont be starting..we are not saying that on the bench they should be.so they can give us that spark off the bench if they are needed.the others dont offer us anything apart from the same we already got.they are different in that they are not the same as the others at laest they offer us more hope.if they are not up to it..at the moment so be it.but they should have been playing in pre season what is the point in having them then.we cant just throu them in.so ch why say they would be given chances when u cant even give them games in pre season rant over.

  110. Good evening guys
    Just in the door after being at the match.
    Why don’t the players so as much passion as the fans.

    Today reasserted all the things we knew before the game
    1. Hughton is no tactician
    2. Hughton has no trust in youth
    3. Hughton will always find a place for Nolan
    4. Nolan is not a good option up front.
    5. Guthrie doesn’t play the ball quick enough
    6. The delivery from wide is poor
    7. Williamson is gonna get roasted this season at times

    Maybe over reacting a little cause we dominated posession but the play in the final third was poor. First goal came against the run of play and from my seat ten yards away Colo Williamson and Harper were all ball watching and slow to react allowing Miller to nip between them. Nolan and Carroll never linked.
    Spidey may as well played in shades and trunks cause he had no appetite for the game. No energy and pulling out of challenges. Routledge beat his man every time first half but his delivery was dreadful

  111. Asim the problem for Ranger is that CH puts Carroll,Lovenkrands,Shola and Best ahead of him so there is absolutely zero chance of him getting on the bench,hopefully that won’t be the case for Vukic tho.

  112. what top wage earners are still left at the club…i reckon : smith, barton (big sams buys) colo (10m signing), and probably harper, nolan and sol campbell now

    compared to last time we were in premier league, this is good!

  113. TC @ 103 – agree with you, not happy with getting beaten or our lack of quality in and around the box but there were certainly positives. My biggest gripe is that if spiderman & routledge don’t perform we have nothing else, hooters was obviously not happy & mentioned the lack of quality up-front & the poor final pass….so he’s not avoiding the issue & with any luck will be able to do something about it.

    Regards Nolan, he maybe slow but he did have two of our few shots on target today & we scored from one of them.

    Interesting that there was no smith or best today.

  114. Toon Chicken tbh I am really hoping for a draw as there shouldn’t be any pressure on us as no one will expect us to get owt, and manure have been known to be slow of the mark.
    Richie out of them 25 apps a lot must have been the last 10 min cameo roles when we were under attack but mine is not to reason why

  115. My team for the blog fantasy football;

    Schwarzer
    Vermaelen Terry Dawson Sagna
    J.Cole N’Zogbia Bale Lampard
    Defoe Chamakh

    Subs:
    Carson
    Routledge
    Carroll
    Foley

  116. If you could sign 3 players,who would you get??

    I’d go for Van Aanholt,Ben Arfa and Bellers !!

  117. Hughton still seems determined to play that 4-5-1 system away from home!! we may have scraped a few ugly wins from it last year but I don’t see it working too well this year. it seems, the formation lacks pace up front. however with pace on the wings and wing backs, and the graft of barton in the middle, it could still work

    for united, it may be wise to play smith in front of the back four and drop guthrie…it seems nolan as we saw last year is immune to being dropped…could the same be said for harper

  120. oh yeah I don’t doubt it Dave.Like I said tho he’s got zero chance of playing at the moment and think a loan deal would be best for him imo.Preferably somewhere with no nightlife :-)

  121. NU fans dont be to hard on your team you have to remember that this rangers team have been together with no new players for nearly 3 seasons they know each others game inside out walter smith was wise to play on the counter today as to play NU at there own game with pressing and passing rangers would be opened up very easy which may be the very best way for NU to play this season to make sure they stay in the division and build on again for next season just wished rangers had the tv money you guys get so we could compete on the same level
    again.

    Anyway best of luck for the season ahead.

    Loyal Rangers Fan.

  123. Tam good luck to you’s as I said to another Gers fan earlier I cant believe you’s have no money to spend with the loyal support you’s get and merchandise etc

  125. just back missed the lot so know nowt
    RICHIETOON my 3 would be
    afra/whittinngham he can cover at l/b as well
    rios d/m spoiler smith is finished
    bellers if his knees can stand up
    to me carroll needs someone to work off,dont know if loverman has the heed for this level

  126. Richie Bellers I would take back in a heartbeat, Ireland I think would be a handy player but I still think we have the players we need in MF its just the set up and players picked is the problem, and I have to think of a good LB for the 3rd

  127. Contradictory to my comment before.
    It is the first ever time I have seen the mascot get a game.
    With ten minutes to go Newcastle brought on a fourteen year old laddie

  128. As a Newcastle and Celtic fan, I can’t say I was overjoyed by Rangers getting the win today, especially with us dominating the play.

    However, as a Scottish fan, I am glad that a Premiership team lost to an SPL team – again. It happens a lot more regularly than English fans realise or care to admit.

    Maybe less of the cocky attitude, next time.

  129. sorry guys, why should we expect to go to Ibrox and beat Rangers ? They are a top team with a super manager, are at home, have played together for years, and are a tough nut to cack. Of course that shouldn’t cover over the cracks which may have been shown today…posession does not win games, goals do, apparently guile was missing in the final third today, can Ben Arfa or Barton provide this ? imo Collo has always been slow to react and has a tendency to ball watch, we’ve got to live with that I think… Fingers crossed for a better performance on Monday against Manure..i

  131. www ……..it was a pre season mate means nowt proves nowt……….remember Leyton Orient,so to try and use it as an EPL v SPL arguement is a bit pathetic.

  135. It’s strange how according to the pundits there is’nt a standout team in the championship this seaon that will defo get promoted…. the same twats that said we would struggle & might get relegated to league 1 now seem to reckon that they really knew we were just too good for the fizzy. Basically all you need to be a pundit is a selective memory & a bit of hindsight.

  136. watch mark hughes at fulham try sign bellamy and ireland before window closes, both are terrific players and would make a huge difference at newcastle but i dont believe bellamy deserves a second chance with the toon

  137. BIG DAVE i hope your right,but i have a little doubt if he can just do it at this level on a wk by wk basis

  138. Big Dave if NU play the way I think they should play this season just the same way rangers did today on the counter and with lovens it will work with his pace up front when he came on NU started to play better so playing on the counter ok its not the pretty football everyone wants to see but it will show results on the park and thats more important.

  139. My problem is you could have the best midfield ever but with Nolan and Carroll up front it wouldn’t make the slightest difference. The delivery for those two has to come from wide.

  141. Right now, no further transfers in or out, we will finish 15th.

    Only time will prove me wrong.

  142. DAVE thats the thing,i am all for c.h.getting his chance,but can he make the “big”decisions,mmmmm,ime hopeing not but can he cut it on tactics ep is a hard nut,we will see

  147. Ice @ 142 I am starting to think that Fat Mike thinks the same and thats why he hasn’t extended his contract or give him money, I think he will wait till Jan then see what is needed :(

  149. Richie its from an interview >
    Interviewed on Canal +, the president of Olympique Marseille Jean-Claude Dassier has confirmed that the former Lyon is involved with Newcastle by Tuesday or Wednesday. His priority was to play in England, so he refused offers of Hoffenheim or Benfica.

  150. DAVE i dont think ashley knows what he wants

    i know what he wants but cannot say on here lol

  151. The French are saying that the president of his club said it on French TV this morning. The French press is far more reliable than ours.

  156. Richie but Fat Boy likes a gamble there is no point him spending money if he doesn’t need to :(
    Ice I know what you want to give him ;) then you could feed him to the dogs

  158. If this news about Arfa is true then thats fantastic news. I am sure if he plays with heart here with us, then we fans will get lot of moments on field to get excited about. Hopefully it will be sorted in coming week and he can play in MAN U game.

  160. and doing it well m8,get richietoon to give you a hand with the washing up,but dont let him stir your tea he stirs enough on here,it will give toonsy a break

  163. fostino I can tell you who wont get dropped if thats any good I would say Guthrie will be the one to make way.
    Ice your right there about Richie stiring he was doing abit earlier when you wern’t there to put him in his place, see kid when the Dogs away the Pups will play ;)

  166. I’ve posted here before, but watched this board and others all close-season and refrained from commenting because of the general blind belief in every ‘official statement’ which has come from St. James (no capital investment etc.) and also the general air of despondancy which seems to have overcome last seasons Championships champions (everyone played better football than us, we only got promoted because we scored more goals than them).

    I don’t claim that we’re entirely ready for the season ahead, nor do I claim we are guarenteed relegation fodder. I think we have a very good chance of staying in the premiership just as we are.

    I really think are one of many very average teams. The sooner we realise this, and start concentrating on the competition around us the better.

    This year we need to stay in the premier league and progess over the coming years. It’s no good finishing 4th this year and getting relegated the next year.

    What we need from his point onwards is slow but sure progession. That won’t come quick enough for some, but please, please take it from one old fellah who really has seen it all before, nothing is sorted is a few short months of close season transfers, look long term. Success takes time to build.

    Ben Arfa is a prime example of this. Is he really a player who will genuinely benefit Newcastle over the years to come, or will he be a flash in the pan who simply uses us to further his career, or even worse will he be a disaster? To me it is nothing more than the Owen situation all over again.

    We have no idea if he could turn out to be our greatest player ever. Rumours suggest that the only reason he is interested in us is because we are ‘Premier League’. What if we are in the championship this time next year, lumbered with a want-away player and salary we cannot afford?

    Ashley has already demonstrated that he won’t blindly throw money at us. That is his prerogative, whether you think that is right or wrong is besides the point, unless you are in a position to buy him out! In which case, why haven’t you!!

    My message is simple, … The friendlies are over, win or lose, it is difficult to gather a huge amount from such games, The new season starts now, in a very difficult away game at Manchester United. From this point in time, we should all be concentracting on what is and not on what might be.

    In my opinion, last year the players put the supporters to shame, by showing us what a Newcastle UNITED team was capable of.

    It’s time now for the supporters to get behind the team who led by example last season, and pull together in the right direction.

    It may well prove to be a folly, but better to do it as one than as many!

  171. Starkadder I agree with most of what you say and you make a few good points except > In my opinion, last year the players put the supporters to shame, by showing us what a Newcastle UNITED team was capable of

    I dont think the players have ever put the supporters to shame I think it is the other way round IMO. we won the CCC which was pretty lack lustre with a Prem team doing what they should do nothing more

  172. DAVE just shows the class of the man;)looks like you will have to show him how to go on like

  173. starkadder………some good points,tho I think Ben Arfa would be good for us espicially if we can get him on loan imo.

  174. Cheeky feckers :lol:

    Prawn Cocktail

    All you can eat cavery

    Banana split

    Thank you very much :)

  177. Ice I think we played well overall it was just the final 3rd we were poor in.
    Richie you are prob right mate they are more than likely bagging up there rubbish to put in the bin on the way out. Like the new avatar ;)

  180. Prawn Cocktail
    All you can eat cavery
    Banana split

    Wow, little chefs gone up in the world ;)

  183. starkadder

    at least relegation has rid the team of the over paid deadwood players that dominated the team and left behind the players with the right attitude. i think everyone does realise that this is a rebuilding process and no one is being too un realistic about the expectations for the season. i think the signings chris has made hve been good business, its just a shame we didnt get moses!! in terms of ben afra, nothing has been confirmed but what the team needs is creativity and in order to do well in this league, we need more than the graft of barton, the presence of carroll or the hard work from smith, we need the creativity and spark from guterriz, routledge and players like ben afra. it is a bit unfair to be attack ben afra over his possible motives to join the toon..afterall most people start working from the bottom and use each job as a stepping stone to bigger and better things. if ben afra does a few years of magic at the toon and earns himself a contract at a top top club, well then thats fair enough for me. also ben afra is by no means a big name like owen or kluivert etc when they signed, he still has a lot to prove and hopefully he can do it at the toon!!

  185. Big Dave @ 171,

    That’s exactly what I mean.

    You are no different to me. We all want to win. we all want Newcastle to win. But on the pitch it’s not so simple.

    We were a huge scalp last year, you must agree with that, and to only get taken on the few occaisions that happened is an achievement. regardless on the league positions, there is a competativeness that cannot be overlooked.

    From everything I saw, we went to places where we were viewed very much as the underdogs, un-experienced at this level and there to be taught a lesson! We were the soft premeiership rejects who hadn’t played a proper game of foootball against a real football team since 1992.

    As for the team being bigger that some of the supporters, I stand by that. It’s my opinion, and I may well be in the minority, but if you support a club, it’s through thick and thin, good or bad, shatty owner or foreign billionaire. I understand that others, including people of this board will not agree with me.

    Big whoop! What ya’ gonna do about it. As the saying goes.

    We are all (supposedly) Newcastle UNITED, even though me may forget it at times.

  186. RICHIETOON,i think i kept my cool on that post@166,it really boils my p—,when people have a go at the fans,have been going since i was 4yr old,thew over heads to get to front,i know the passion of the fans,only gave season ticket up this year because i expect to be going over to malta a lot this year,owt else thrown i dont mind people have there views

  187. fostino > if ben afra does a few years of magic at the toon and earns himself a contract at a top top club

    If he does that and gives 100% we might be a top club again and the love he would feel from the loyal supporters he mightn’t want to go anywhere else ;)

  189. Aye Ice,I’m impressed it’s the new calmer you ;-)
    I know what you mean,I think the first time I lost it with Chuckle was when he said we weren’t proper fans.

  190. Fostino @ 183.

    But this is exctly what I mean. All through last season people on this board and others were saying we don’t need ‘hollywood’ signings.

    Suddenly Ben Arfa’s name crops up and we have people creeming themselves over the chance of signing a french 23-year old who alledgedly has a bad attaidue and has never played in the premiership.

    I don’t see that as a guarenteed progression.

    I would love for us to un-earth the next Kaka or who ever, but it’s one thing paying Marsaille 5M and another raiding Wallsend Boys Club for a packet of tudor ready salted. Which is the greater risk?

  191. Rich – The same Chuck who had to ask what the result was sometime last season as he forgot there was a Newastle match on? :lol:

  192. Starkadder > we went to places where we were viewed very much as the underdogs, un-experienced at this level and there to be taught a lesson
    Underdogs ? I thought we we’re looked on as the Man u of the CCC the team eveyone wanted to beat, I respect your opinion but I dont agree with certain parts especially about the fans thats why even after all Fat Mikes antics we still had the highest attendance in the CCC ever and if im right the 5th or 6th including the prem, that tells me all I need to know about the Fans

  193. Picked a bad time to come back to the boards, Dtunk after the Rangers game and feeling a bit beligerent. Sorry to all I may (might) offend.

  194. starkadder……..there’s no such thing as guaranteed progression,he’s not a Hollywood signing either(so don’t see what point you’re trying to make there) and it looks like we’re getting him on loan if reports are to be believed.

  196. Starkadder……….it’s your opinion mate,ya entitled to put it just as people are entitled to disagree.

  197. RICHIETOON,know what mean with C i dont go on eds blog but sometimes read comments,have to smirk tends to cause a bit bother on there,strange like ;)

  198. Starkadder @ 193 you dont need to be sorry for haveing an opinion, it just annoys me that the Fans are allways the ones that get blamed

  199. Ice….the worst thing was he could actually make some good points,but he also used to go out of his way to insult people.

  203. Starkadder is fine. He is a good lad that makes lots of good points, it’s what this place is here for! Not everyone agrees with everything, I have the bruises to prove it :lol:

    I actually wondered where he had got to :)

  204. DAVE dont need m.o.thats your job now while toonsy sleeps it off.

    been waiting all night for your thoughts on j.b.today,or are you loseing your faith ;)

  205. Toonsy I can remember him too I just hope he doesn’t think he is being abused as that wasn’t my intention :)
    Richie :lol:

  206. Richoetoon: Until it all goes through, and the deal is confirmed, I cannot possibly comment. But that is not thart last in the long line of rumours I heard!

    Big Dave @ 195: When we are led to believe that £1m+ is heavy investement for us, then yes I do see £6m as ‘Hollywood’. Don’t get me wrong, if he was proven premiership material, say 200+ games, I would bas my assessment differently. Right now he’s just a name to anyone who doesent follow french football or play Chamionship Manager! Unless of course we are all going by YouTube clips!

  208. true Stark………I’ve said before tho that its either comment on rumour/speculation on here or talk to wor lass…….got anymore rumours? ;-)

  209. Ice I think he had a real good game mate and I still have 100% faith in him and think he will be one of the shinning lights this year ;) although I did tell him that he looks like a German porn star with that Tash but its good for Morale :)

  213. Starkadder tbh I said earlier that I dont even think we need him I believe we allready have a youngun with as much if not more potental in Vuckic ;)

  216. Big Dave @ 213: Yes. Spot on. Give Vuckic a chance. If it all goes breasts up by Xmas then go back to Marseilles.

    Depending upon the rumour you read, they want to keep Arfa Daily so he won’t have left.

    It’s not as though we are fighting off Barca, Man U. or one of the Milans is it. (is it just me or is that a bad thing)

  217. Not neccesarily a bad thing,Milan were sniffing around but players good enough for those teams wouldnt be coming to us or maybe the position he plays isnt where those teams want to strengthen.I agree about Vuckic,really hope he gets some decent playing time.