Cheick Tiote – The unsung hero of Goodison?

Posted on September 20th, 2010 | 301 Comments |

Cheick Tiote - The impressive Ivorian.
Cheick Tiote - The impressive Ivorian.
Whilst the vast majority of the headlines and adulation may have been directed at Hatem Ben Arfa over the weekend, we mustn’t forget the role that some of our other players played in the victory at Goodison Park on Saturday.

It is correct that Ben Arfa should recieve some praise for the way he played during his full debut. His goal was fantastic and some of his play was exceptional, but how did the other debutant of the day get on?

Very well by all accounts, and if I was Alan Smith I would be quite concerned over how I was going to get back in the team after the way that Cheick Tiote performed on Saturday. The Ivory Coast international looked every inch the accomplished Premier League player on his debut and went about his work exceptionally well. I hope that is a flavour of what is to come from Tiote.

Playing as a defensive midfielder is very much a thankless task. More often than not they are left to get along with breaking up play and doing the dirty work in front of the back four. I have to be honest and say that I never really thought about the defensive midfielder position before, until I saw the difference that having an effective one can have on our play on Saturday.

That is not a slight on Alan Smith, not at all. He will still get his chances in the first-team no doubt. He puts his all into his performance every time he plays and few people can argue that Smudge never leaves the field having not put less than 100% effort in. The problem is that he is playing in a position which has been forced on him through injury and his previous reputation of liking a tackle.

To illustrate this I had been trying to compile some stats regarding Cheick Tiote and his performance at the weekend. I was about half way through it when regular ‘blogger ‘~El Toro~’ popped with a link that put my data collection to shame. Taken straight from The Guardian, this their analysis of Tiote’s performance;

“Chris Hughton gave full Premier League debuts to two new midfielders on Saturday – Hatem Ben Arfa and Cheick Tioté. Ben Arfa made the most obvious impact, with a stunning 30-yard drive that turned out to be the game’s only goal, but Tioté also impressed in a more low-key role. Starting in place of Alan Smith, Tioté’s calm, reliable distribution in the centre of the pitch allowed Newcastle to control the midfield. Indeed, they actually out-passed Everton on Saturday, recording 276 passes compared to the home side’s 260. It may be a narrow margin but not many sides will achieve that at Goodison Park this season – not even Manchester United, who lost out 329-298 in that respect. Tioté was the key to this – completing all of his 43 passes. He also made two interceptions, completed all three of his attempted tackles, and his only shot was on target.”

It’s not a bad way to start a career on Tyneside is it? Hopefully this kind of performance will be a regular occurance during Tiote’s time at Newcastle and he can be assured that just because he plays in a position that is deemed as unfashionable by some that his input won’t be lost on the Newcastle faithful.

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

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301 Responses

  3. ‘Unsung’ hero of goodison, along with Barton, Nolan & the back 5(Krul inc.)
    Ok, might as well hoy in the rest of the team.
    Excellent display.
    & a clean sheet away v a top half team.
    Typical Newcastle like, can’t do a job on blacker but come back in style v better opposition.
    Get y’heeds right for stoke lads. BIG game.
    ;)

  4. CLiNT – Aye. Stoke is a massive game. Hopefully the reality check against Blackpool will mean the players are suitably fired up :D

  6. He had a good game, most of the everton supporters I spoke to after the match thought routledge was our best player.

  7. Oh yea,
    forgot to mention.
    Top result against a rough, tough everton on their own patch plus the refs.
    That makes it even better.
    Funny how so far, we’ve had 2 pens against at hyem, but can’t get a ‘nailed on’ one away at goodison.
    I’m expecting a reversal of fortunes from the refs from now on.
    ;)

  8. toonsy,
    aye mate.
    I can almost hear the ‘mantra’ on the training ground from here.
    :)
    ‘Don’t waste this win’

  11. I think Tiote was outstanding, always looking to play the ball quickly and in the right direction, D Batty was good in this position but played backwards alot..

  12. CLINT thing is there is no two refs the same,thats what gets my goat,something rang somewhere,then you get the pundit refs saying something diff,all up there own arses imo

  15. He is the key. I would not give the MoM to Ben Arfa. He is not in the game due to receiving very little supply of the ball. Of course his goal change the game and won it for us.

    I would put Tiote as my choice who really change the momentum of the game. He goes into tackle so fast… and from the stats, he made all 43 passes from 43. 100% rate in passing, tackling and shooting.

    I don’t see him lose the ball and hugely influential in helping the defence to a clean sheet.

    Hope he is playing that way every game.

  16. I thought Tiote was massive on Saturday. He was always in there getting the ball back distributing it tidily and so forth.

    For me, five players from our team stood out as having been the ones that won the game for us; Tiote, Barton, Nolan, Carroll and of course Ben Arfa.

    Carroll, I thought, was having a relatively quiet game, until I realised he was also doing a hell of a job for us defensively and in the midfield. I would have loved another goal from him, but I have to say I was impressed yet again by his work rate all over the pitch.

    Barton looks to be getting himself back on track, looking like one of the best on the field in four of his five matches this season so far. He’s gelled well and very quickly with Tiote and I was surprised by how much work the two of them saved the defence. Tiote also looks shit hot going forward.

    I know he gets a bit of a stick for his lack of pace, but Nolan proved again on Saturday that he will always get into the right positions and he reads the game beautifully. He was denied, what probably would have been our second by a reckless challenge, but at the very least, he was there, ready to take advantage.

    There’s not an awful lot I can say about Ben Arfa that hasn’t been said already. I just hope that he keeps his head down and helps us get results game in game out.

    I’m a little more optimistic at the moment and, whilst I know the table will change and staying up is still our priority, I do feel we’ll fare a little better than just surviving.

  17. acroosthepond,
    Don’t get all paranoid on us man.
    :)
    I come from a very mixed race family, i assure you.
    ;)

  18. I went to school with a massively obese girl whose surname was Little. Some names are unfortunate.

  27. Lace,
    you’re not suggesting bigotry are ya’?
    If there was a place called the Ebony coast & we bought a white player from there, i woulda said ‘he’s pretty light looking for an Ebonian’.
    I shoulda known really.
    NO OFFENCE WAS MEANT.

  32. He had a good debut. Tiote looks neat and tidy and doesn’t look out of place going forward either.

  33. The emergence of Andy Carroll is what freed up the monies to purchase these lads. Otherwise we would have spent the entire budget on a striker. I still think we need another striker at least in the next Summer window, presuming we are still in the top flight.

  34. Stu,
    aye & it’s nice to see someone with a bit pace in DM too.
    CH has built this team from the defense, which is great to see.

    Lace,
    you could be right there mate.

  35. “I have to be honest and say that I never really thought about the defensive midfielder position before, until I saw the difference that having an effective one can have on our play on Saturday.”

    Bang on toons, however I doubt all the doom mongers who were saying “what’s CH doing, we need an attacking midfielder” would come out and say they were quick to judge.

    Simply, he showed what we had been missing, a defensive midfielder with pace and power, who is looking to break up the play and then counter. Oozed class, I see both him and Ben Arfa being key to our success this season along with Carroll, Barton, Collocini and Williamson.

    Incredibly encouraging, now just for some consistency.

  37. Tiote did everything Alan Smith does and about 50% more. Filled the gap when he was winning tackles or breaking things up deep in our half. He has the desire to drive forward with the ball. He’s got natural athleticism and pace. None of which Smudger has despite his professionalism and attitude.

    Barton was man of the match for me on Saturday though.

  41. How Stu,
    how’s the legs, i bet that hurt?

    Aye bbm,
    Barton motm.

    It’s ‘Timmy Time’.
    Those with bairns’ll get that.
    :)

  42. Stu – bit of a dodgy calf actually but nowt major, everything else alright to be honest. With the amount of hills in Durham that we train on and holding back a bit to help Sarah around, I think I conserved a bit. Which I might need to call on by Friday when the TOUR DE THINK starts…

    How about you mate? Enjoy it?

  43. CLiNT FLiCK says:
    September 20, 2010 at 2:15 pm

    Legs are aching slightly, would do it again though. Just a shame it absolutley pissed down while we were waiting around eating and drinking after I’d finished.

    I have one complaint though; After 30 years of the race I still cannot believe they haven’t come up with a better way of getting people back to Newcastle. It took me longer to get back after the race via the Metro than it did to run the blood thing!

  44. bowburnmag says:
    September 20, 2010 at 2:26 pm

    It was a good day. I think something will be lost the next time though, as I think it means a bit more doing it for the first time – On a personal level that is.

    I raised about 700 hundred quid for Arthritis UK so it was a good day all round.

  45. You had to catch the Metro? Nightmare mate. Sarah said she waited over an hour queuing in the high street for?

    Mind you, we paid £3 to get the GNR buses over to Newcastle after dropping the car off in Shields before the race. It’s a total rip-off.

    Gutted about the rain as well. Not the best conditions for a proper ‘cool down’. From hot to frigging freezing in one swift downpour. Glad you enjoyed it buddy. I’ll be there again next year as well.

  46. “I raised about 700 hundred quid for Arthritis UK so it was a good day all round.”

    that’s awesome mate, well done, and well done to everyone who done it.

    my lass walked it last year, literally, she only had 10 minutes of training under her belt hahahaha

  47. I don’t think we can give Tiote 100% compared to Smith. One telling stat is the low number of tackles, and the other is the fact that Everton did get past to the back four a fair few times. And don’t expect him to martial the troops (in matches and training) in the same way Smith can. I’m not saying Tiote was anything less than I’d hoped – just that you have to give Smudge credit on some aspects. We’ve got two good options in DM now, thanks to our utterly wonderful manager.

    Barton was amazing, and unless my dodgy stream feed was even worse quality than I thought, I’m sure I saw Nolan skin their LB a couple of times.

    Enrique was da shiz. Likewise Colo. Just an amazing team performance with several efforts that would have got MOTM on any other day.

    Seriously exciting times…

  48. It made me feel a little better when I saw people walking after about half a mile!

    But whatever anyone says, it really doesn’t matter how long it takes, just as long as you complete it and raise a bit of cash.

    It’s not like a conventional race, it’s just about having fun and raising money.

  49. Stu,
    well done mate, respect.
    Aye y’d think they’d get the transport sorted out like.
    Did you raise any cash for anyone, or were y’just trying to get round?
    It was y’first time, yea?

  50. stu – exactly. I think we’ve raised about £3k for Bowel Cancer UK between the five of us who who ran as a team, so pretty chuffed considering I’ve had to ask people to sponsor me for this and the bike ride.

    The bike ride donations are up to nearly £9k and that’s the kind of thing which keeps you going.

  51. CLiNT FLiCK says:
    September 20, 2010 at 2:35 pm

    Arthritis UK, CLiNT. Reckon I’ll get me money back in a few years like.

    First time yes. Lots of hard work, but worth it when you cross the line.

  52. Stu,
    don’t answer that, i just saw that you did raise cash for arthritis & it WAS y’first one.
    Again, well done bud.
    Top effort.
    ;)

  53. Well done Stu and BBM; really chuffed you did ok yesterday. (Did you notice how Ant & Dec were on a gantry but still only just above everyone else…?)

  54. Different tack, and I know this’ll be the subject of a post in a day or so: Given what happened Saturday, what team goes to Chelski?

  56. BBM – I noticed a few people with pictures of people they’d lost like their husband/wife/Children ect on the back of their top and that keeps you going as much as anything.

  57. Aye Stu,
    give ’em some dosh & they can sort us out in our auld age.
    :)
    It all counts.
    You’ll fly round next time.
    Have a good sit down, you’ve earned it.
    ;)

  58. He will be great for us, just what we need! I think with him in the team at home maybe we could play a real attacking game. 4-1-3-1-2?

    Funny the dream team only gave him 3 points still… they know nothing!

  61. I’m famous! :D

    Whumpie

    Sorry, but can’t agree with you there. There weren’t many tackles simply because we dominated the midfield and forced Everton into long balls once they realised we had the beating of them. They were under immense pressure from both Tiote and Barton and it showed in their poor passing.

    As for Smith marshalling the back four, well I don’t think we need that as our defence seemed pretty well organised at Goodison.

    I think Smith has done well, but Tiote is head and shoulders above him in all the key areas in my opinion.
    Not that Tiote’s performance shocked me one bit. Some may remember I was genuinely over the moon when I heard we would be signing him. He stood out when Twente played Arsenal in the Champions League and I kind of followed his progress since then. What he did on Saturday was what he does on a consistent basis. Quality, quality player.

  62. Our strongest team imo

    ———Krul
    Taylor-Colo-Willo-Enrique
    ———Tiote
    Routledge——HBA
    ———-Nolan
    –Carroll—–Lovenkrands

    All out attack
    Would love to fit barton in there somewhere…

  63. ET,
    how are you famous?

    I agree with you about our defense btw & about Tiote.
    He reminds me of how i felt about Bassong when i first seen him play. He just gives you confidence. & you know he’s a great addition to the team.
    Look forward to seeing him become part of the team mentality too.

  67. It was hard to see who was on the ball watching online. But it was still a cracking couple of hours – this site on one side of the screen, the match on the other. Beer in hand. No substitute for a local pub, but a lot better than avoiding all media until MOTD that evening, only to have 3 disappointing minutes of highlights.

    The streams were way better than before; didn’t even need to install any software. Long may it continue..

  68. Just was after people opinions here – how do you rate our left hand side with Jose/Arfa?

    There was a lot said for the link up play and understanding between Jose and Jonas last season, and although passes were made between them through the game at Everton, it obviously wasn’t the same wavelength performance as we’ve seen with spidey. Of course Arfa scored a cracking goal and opened up play – something we don’t see Jonas do enough of.

    So would you even find a place to put Jonas back in the team? I personally believe that a Jose/Spidey left side with Arfa in the attacking middle (‘the hole’ as they call it) to link up the play would be a dynamite combination – but I wouldn’t sacrifice Arfa’s ability or position to accomodate for Spidey by any means!

  70. Peter L: good question; I suspect it’s kept CH and co thinking for a while too. Jonas and Benny are so different in their approach; Jonas very much part of a group movement; Benny quite capable of creating havoc solo.

    If you put Benny in the middle, is it at the expense of Nolan (who was brilliant on Saturday and has such nouse in the PL) or Barton (who was brilliant too)?

    Personally, I think Jonas may work better on the wing when Carroll’s up front, Benny better with Shola. I know I’ll get stick for that, but I suspect that with both Benny and Shola capable of some good skills they’ll play off each-other well and just confuse the hell out of defences. But I can’t see Benny pinging in many pinpoint crosses to Carroll’s head. I know Jonas ain’t exactly perfect at them either, but at least it’s in his game plan.

  71. Just out of interest, does anyone know how much Tiote is getting p/w? Or how much he got at Twente?

  73. CLiNT
    I said it after the AS game and i’ll say it again, I couldn’t give a toss about the league cup, the league is the priority so let the younguns play, they deserve to after winning the last game. If we loose, boo hoo, who cares, Stoke on Sunday!!!!

  74. I understand what you’re saying Whumpie, but I do fear the confusion Shola unleashes on defences can lead to his own confusion sometimes! haha. Nah seriously though he’s bagged goals in the top flight over years of experience now – if there was ever a season when Ameobi could stake a claim for upfront for us it should be this one – maybe he could surprise a few in that respect.

    And I suppose if you put benny in the middle then Nolan’s got to be incredibly disciplined to stay upfront, which might not compliment his game fully.

    Like you said though it’ll keep Hughton thinking and in honesty i’m incredibly satisfied with the quality of selection choices we have in multiple areas of the pitch. Wings are covered, CB’s are solid, upfront has different outlets, and middle of the park is our strongest IMO – packed with quality – and I love the look of this Tiote. Him and Smith together could be worth a go on our hardest away days?

  75. ET,
    i thought you meant ‘more’ famous than that.
    :)

    Peter L,
    It’s a tough call on Jonas.
    But me & a couple of others called HBA for Jonas before everton.
    & CH has stated recently that players will be rotated & the best players for different situations will be used. So, i reckon Jonas will get games, he could swap with Routledge too on the other wing.
    I don’t see HBA as a winger per se, but i reckon he can cross a ball though.

  77. ILM,
    aye mate, not chowed about the league cup either tbh.
    But, chelsea will have a ‘weakened’ team out, as they don’t have anywhere near 25 man squad, do they?
    So it would constitute a chance to get through & get rid of one of the ‘top 4’ too.
    It would do wonders for out team confidence too, if we could turn chelsea over at their yard.
    But, tough tits if we get beat, no big wow.
    :)

  79. Thinking about shortfalls in the squad (and you have to think hard these days) I do reckon our wingers could all do with some focused practice in the crossing department. Barton, R.Taylor and Guthrie can all put one on Carroll’s head, but alas the players most likely to need to – Benny, Jonas and Routledge – aren’t all that good at it.

    Get Becks in to lead some training sessions; that should do it!

  80. whumpie,
    i tend to agree with you, that Shola could be decent with HBA close by.
    Both got tricks.
    ;)

  81. Ameobi should be kept as far away from the first team as possible!

    It’s no good bamboozling the defence if there’s no end product because you fall over your feet at the vital moment.

  82. Well when I think of Arfa and Jonas playing together I just seem to drift into some fantastical idea that their movement off the ball and cheeky passes could destroy defences – but I realise this may well not be the case!

    I was one who shouted for consistency and thought for fairness Smith and Jonas would have started against Everton, so it looks like i’ve had my mouth firmly shut in that sense ha. I’m glad he made the changes now of course, now we’ve got a bench worthy of keeping us up – something we didn’t on the relegation season.

    I think that a dip into the January market to pick up an agile striker or support striker a Tevez/Arshavin mould as well as enquiring for Van Aanholt would cement a place in safety with the team we already have. By the way for anyone who knows, has Aanholt been playing for chelsea? I thought I might have caught his name in some games but I don’t honestly pay much attention to other teams.

  84. Clint – dead right on the Chelski game. I hope CH puts a strong team out, just in case Chelski have an off day or play the mascots/ball boys, etc.

    Great for us if we win; not a biggie if we don’t.

    Do people expect to see another reserves run out on Wednesday, or will CH indulge a bit now he has more squad depth?

  86. I imagine that Lovenkrands, Ameobi, Smith, R Taylor, Campbell, Guthrie (if fit) and Vuckic will all get a game against Chelsea. It won’t be a bad side, whether it’s strong enough to beat Chelsea’s 2nd string I don’t know, but if we’re going to win a cup we need to beat the best teams. Plus one hell of a lot of luck!

  87. I must have watched that Ben Arfa goal 50+ times now. Can’t focus on work and have kept it open on the side all day. Starting to feel a little bit sad now though, haha!

  88. Aye, aye & aye.
    Get the bench on, a couple of young ‘uns & a couple of regulars.
    Gotta play Tiote & HBA though, just to give ’em game time.
    & Krul should start, to get him accustomed to starting in the big league.
    He did really well coming on cold on satda. He coulda bottled it, but did well & kept the sheets clean.
    :)

  90. ET,
    aye mate,
    it makes you go: ‘Woah’ every time you see it, even if it’s the 50th time. Top class strike.
    :)

  91. I seriously hope Chelsea really field their 2nd string players as what carlos said.

    Cause judging from the reserves match,i got strong confidence we can beat them.

  93. against Chelski i’d like to see:

    —————Krul—————-
    Raylor——Sol—-Kadar—-Enrique
    ———–?DM?—–?CM?———-
    Routledge——Arfa———–Jonas
    —————?ST?—————-

    4-2-3-1 is the way forward.
    DM – either Smith or Tiote
    CM – I’d say Guthrie if he was fit, could stick Nolan/Barton/youngster in there.
    ST – Carroll/Ameobi/Ranger
    Would really love to see Routledge-Arfa-Jonas attacking midfield.
    (or alternatively Jonas-Lovenkrands-Arfa.)

    From my position in my armchair, i can tell you that these tactics would be guaranteed to succeed ;)

  94. Stu – re Shola, I know what you mean, but you can’t argue with his product. His diving annoys the hell out of me – why do it when you fall over so much for real?? But, deliberately or not, he confuses defenders and finds the target. Love to see him, Lover and Benny on at the same time against weakish opposition. Goalfest!

  96. I was on a bus with my headphones in listening to radio 5 live when Benny scored. I was hanging bigtime from the night before and just let out a yelp when they announced the scorer. I had to sink into my seat thinking “shite, that’s slightly embarrassing as the reaction from the woman to my left had me realise it was louder than I first thought.

  97. Anyone think if we can beat Chelsea’s reserves away, we will have a good chance to go all the way in a cup that the top teams seem not bothered about.

  98. I’d like to see this team against Chelsea…

    ——————–Krul——————–

    R Taylor—- Campbell—- Kadar—- Ferguson

    Guthrie—- Smith——— Vuckic—– Jonas

    ———–Ameobi—— Lovenkrands———

    Play R Taylor instead of Guthrie if he isn’t fit and put Taverniers at RB. Play Ranger instead of Ameobi aswell if you like.

    I don’t think many, if any, first-team players will be risked

  99. Peter Loverhands

    Aside from his goal, I wasn’t really that impressed by Vuckic against Chelsea reserves last week, he just looked a bit off the pace. Donaldson was terrific and thats the first time I have been able to say that. Airey is a good player and deserves more of a chance imo.

  100. Krul’s a 1st teamer now toonsy.
    We should play Tiote & HBA for fitness sake.
    Depends who they put out though.
    We did real well v there reserves the other night.
    Krul fluffed his lines slightly like.

  101. toonsy-

    Guthrie at RW 8O

    your joking surely. I could name three players that would do a better job there. Especially an unfit Guthrie! Jonas, R.Taylor, Airey, Adjei, Newton, Sammy Ameobi even would all be better there. Keep Guthrie in the middle where he’s one of our best players. ;)

  102. CLiNT – Aye, but on this occasion I would put Krul in as he needs to get a feel of things in my opinion. Rather him get a go on Wednesday than come in rusty against Stoke.

    HBA and Tiote should be nowhere near that team IMO. If they get injured in a meaningless cup game it will impact our league performances.

  103. DJG – I was thinking more of the fotness angle for Guthrie. As I said, we could play R Taylor there and put Tavernier at RB instead, or play one of your options. I really don’t care about Weds night :D

  104. “bowburnmag says:
    September 20, 2010 at 2:00 pm

    Barton was man of the match for me on Saturday though.”

    Thought Tiote looks a great prospect, but ye completely agree, Barton was the best player on the pitch.

  105. toonsy,
    i know what y’saying about HBA & Tiote,
    But,
    It would be good for them to get some game time with the prem pressure off them.
    & it would eat up another one of HBA’s 25 games.
    :)

    BTW, anyone else been experiencing difficulties getting on the blog through safari & IE for the last 40/50 mins?

  106. Aye but if Krul gets injured Toonsy that could impact our season even more.Krul’s played 0ver 1.5 games in a week so shouldnt be rusty

  107. It’s a trade off.
    Do we go out to put chelsea out, fielding a better ‘weakened’ team than them.
    & risk 1st teamers like Krul etc?
    Or risk losing playing a worse ‘weakened’ team than them?
    & risk no one?
    Rock & a hard place.

  110. CLiNT FLiCK

    I don’t think Benny has to play 25 games before we can sign him. It’s more of a bargaining tool that we can use to send him back if he doesn’t. Dont think he will go back to O’M. I think we will either sign him permanantly or he will go to a superpower at the end of the season.

  113. Batty – I had the same trouble for a while mate. Back on now mind obviously.

    Reet, was just going to crack a ‘blog off but have had the call to go into work early. Apparently there is a “situation that could do with my attention” 8O :(

    Later lads.

  121. I would like to hear confirmation of the deal we set up for Ben Arfa. I get the nasty feeling it is a ‘putting in the shop window’ scenario.

  123. Yeah but I think thats basically so that we can play him until 23-24 games and then stick him on the bench if we couldn’t afford him or didnt want to buy him, similar to Williamson at Portsmouth. They wanted to sell him now and I think we could sign him before that 25 game point if we wanted to. Basically it is just so they can say ‘he has played 25 games for you, now sign him properly like we agreed’.

  124. hmm…. interesting, see if you can spot the bit about monkeyland aswell. ;)

    By Brian Sears

    20 September 2010

    The three teams promoted to the Premier League this season – Newcastle, Blackpool and West Bromwich Albion – have made the most successful start to a top-flight season of any group of newcomers, collectively, since the League’s first season in 1992-93, analysis by sportingintelligence shows.

    That trio have made identical point-scoring starts, each amassing seven points from their opening five games after two wins, a draw and two defeats apiece. Their results have been good enough to see them sitting respectively in sixth, ninth and 10th places in the table today.

    And their collective points tally of 21 is the best haul of points by the promoted clubs combined since the first Premier League season, 18 years ago. Back then, Blackburn (with 11 points), Ipswich (7) and Middlesbrough (5) had a total of 25 points from the first five rounds of matches. No other group of promoted clubs until this season has amassed more than 20 points at the same stage.

    The highest total by a single promoted club after five games was the 13 gained by Nottingham Forest in 1994, while at the other end of the spectrum, Sunderland were pointless after five games five years ago having just come up.

    The highest finish for any promoted club so far is third place, by Newcastle in 1993-94, having managed five points from their first five games, and Forest the next season

  125. For any fans of other clubs reading this – We’re a massive club, with the loyalist and best fans in football.

  127. Isn’t it cool how CH seems to have the ability & respect of players like Barton, Carroll, Ranger & HBA, & no doubt others. He can get them to concentrate & wind their necks in & play football for the team.
    Who woulda thought some of these lads would be rehabilitated?
    He’s virtually saved Barton’s career.
    Gan on Chris.
    :)

  128. Well i posted on here a while back that the toon army would like Tiote and believe me that was no one off game . Sunday’s performance is his level and he will only get better the more games he plays together with Barton . i now understand all the hype around Ben Arfa now as well , never really watched him play before he joined us but i hope the option to buy is used long before the season has ended otherwise i cant see him being here next season .

  129. Axel,
    can’t see why HBA will wanna leave after CH has made him feel ‘wanted’ & got all the team pulling in the right direction.
    I know Newcastle still has pulling power(getting great players here), but CH is fast becoming a manager that lads wanna play for.
    It will only grow.
    Nice to hear that players like Drogba put in a good word for the Toon too (getting Tiote here).

  130. Axel….Tiote was my man of the match not just what he did in winning the ball and on the ball but also his positioning and making himself available when off the ball,absolute class.Even more so with it being his first game for us and in the prem and at Goodison that isn’t an easy place to go for any team(top 4 included).Though I begrudge singling any player out as they all played their part,as did us fans.Fantastic day :-)

  131. Aye richie,
    we just have to take that attitude & form into the next set of games, especially against the ‘lesser’ teams & make it stick.

  132. The only really hard run of results we seem to have is.

    Sun
    28-Nov 1.30pm Chelsea (h)
    04-Dec West Brom (a)
    Sat
    11-Dec Liverpool (h)
    Sat
    18-Dec Birmingham (a)
    Sun
    26-Dec Man City (h)
    Tue
    28-Dec Tottenham (a)

    Hopefully by December we will be clear of the tripe teams and playing a bit of decent footy. Apart from December we don’t really have any hard months so to speak. I know West Brom and Birmingham arn’t top teams but it’s the combination of home and away fixtures im on about.

  133. richietoon i see where your coming from not wanting to pick out one player , i have been well impressed by the team as a whole , they really are working for each other and of course the fans played their part they always do :)

  134. Lacedaemonian says:
    September 20, 2010 at 5:35 pm
    “I would like to hear confirmation of the deal we set up for Ben Arfa. I get the nasty feeling it is a ‘putting in the shop window’ scenario”

    A few people have said this and to be honest i’m not sure the pragmatism is needed. CH has stated a few times the deal is a loan with a view to buy, i.e we have first choice. The price would have already been sorted. Even if he only stays here for a couple of seasons and we make a profit of him, is that so bad? We go back and do exactly the same, a la Bassong -> Williamson.

    We’re a club that has just been promoted to the Premiership which is skint and trying to become self sufficient, if that mean we have to become a selling club for a couple of seasons, then so be it if it guarantees our future stability.

    But remember, for every Cole sold, there is a Shearer and Firdinand waiting round the corner :D

  135. Axel if Benny plays 25 games the deal is already signed by all 3 parties(apparently!) including the fee and all personal terms agreed so no party would be able to back out.(if reported deal is true)

  136. ILM

    I hope and pray thats not the case but a part of me feels it’s inevitable.

    The worst thing is that he’s not even our player to sell to man City or Chelsea for £20M +. A bad decision not to take advantage and sign him properly for £7M?

    The thing that worried me was where Hoots said, ‘Its a wonderful opportunity for him’. In a way that seems resigned to him leaving to a bigger club.

    Having watched him properly he is just too good for the North East. We don’t keep players like that for long up here. If he plays a season like that he will be able to go absolutely anywhere imo, including the superpowers of spain and Italy. :(

  137. DJG.what about our run in?
    Aston Villa (a)
    Sat
    16-Apr Man United (h)
    Sat/Sun
    16/17-Apr
    FA SF ()
    Sat
    23-Apr Blackpool (a)
    Sat
    30-Apr Liverpool (a)
    Sat
    07-May Birmingham (h)
    Sat
    14-May
    KO tbc Chelsea (a)

  138. __________Krul
    R.Taylor_Sol_Willo_Kadar
    __________Tiote
    Routledge_Barton_Jonas
    ______Ranger_Lovenkrands

    Would be my team for Chelsea
    Left out HBA + Carroll as I feel the League is more important this season.

  139. I think the best possible situation, and one that none of us could have hoped, is that we can somehow get into Europe next season or something and bring in another 2-3 players of benny and tiote quality in Jan. I don’t think Benny will stick around for bottom half football. He could play at the highest level somewhere else.

  140. DJG-Through fair play. Then you realise that we have Perch, Barton and (maybe) Tiote in the squad, and that idea becomes a write off :D

  141. DJG,
    if HBA does his job, along with every one else, there’s no reason why we can’t be top half.
    If he gets along with CH, CC, the other players, the Toon fans, why would he wanna leave?
    Aye, it’s romantic, but hey, madder shit has happened.
    He coulda went to teams in germany etc in the CL etc but choose to come here. Maybe he knows where he’s best off being loved & respected.
    The Toon gets into your heart even if you’re not from there, plenty of players feel that love, baby.
    :)

  142. I think Ben Arfa chose Newcastle because he knew he would be the main man, he knew the team would be built around him and he would get regular football and be able to show what he has to offer. At AC or Madrid or a big big side he might not have got the same chance. Though if he has a great season I expect Manchester Utd or Chelsea and the likes to snatch him. I think Europe this season isnt a deluded dream. Maybe just maybe.

  143. The fact is that in a couple of years there won’t be any ‘massive’ signings. All teams have to learn to spend within their means, so that’ll mean a total reworking of the transfer market.
    Prices will go all over the place, but most probably down.
    Then we’ll probably see the end of ‘buying’ players altogether & a more level playing field.
    & then you’ll get players virtually choosing who they play for. It’ll be like choosing a school to send y’bairns to.
    Drawing up a list of 4 or 5 that a player wants to play for & ending up at the one that can afford to have them there, within the wage/spending restraints.
    If it all pans out like fifa want it to.

  144. CLiNT-I was watching goals on sunday or somethin on Sky the other day and they were talking about Benny. Ian Wright was on the panel and he said regardless of where we’ve been or where we’re going, we’re a big club and we can attract players other “mid table” teams can’t. Without even playing for us he said Newcastle is clearly a fantastic place to play your football and that our fans were brilliant.

    ..In saying that, He did question us at the beginning of last season. Said something like “we’ll see how faithful the Toon Army really are now, let’s see if they’re still pulling in 40+k every week down in the CCC”

  145. If the 25 game deal is true and he plays them then we have him for at least this season and next unless WE decide to sell him.No one else can buy him even if they offer twice the fee we have agreed.No one can snatch him,gazump us or anything else.If he plays the 25 he is ours.

  146. Ross,
    he’s right mate.
    & i’m not saying that as a biased Toon fan. It’s just true.
    Players like HBA don’t even consider everton ffs. When asked he was like ‘eh, wha’, oh yea, na!’, not everton.
    :)
    If y’know what i mean?
    Players know of out exploits in the last 10/15 years, it’s their generation. There’s a few big clubs in england & we’re one of them, regardless of what others think.
    ;)

  148. That’s why it’s a master stroke by CH in getting Tiote in too, he can speak french, he’s bought him a marra.
    Shufty move £3.5m top DM & a marra for HBA.
    :)

  149. Clint…….I go to Madrid quite a bit wit wor lass being from there originally and when you go into the sports shops the English shirts you can most often find are Man Ure,Chelski,Liverpool,Arsenal and the Toon……..obviously that may change with the likes of Spuds playin CL football but ya well known abroad mainly via European football and as we were there a few years in a row we are still seen a decent club on the continent……….have ya ever seen a mackem in Milan?

  151. richie,
    the spanish understand passion mate.
    When i’ve been over there & met people, they love y’being from the Toon.
    They love our passionate support.
    & our cavalier attitude towards football.

    Maybe it is prem games, i’m just speculating man.
    :)

  157. Lace …….if the 25 game deal reported was true everything is agreed,thats why he had to come to agree the personal terms which you don’t have to do with just a pure loan deal as the player gets paid the same rates and terms as his contract with his parent club.

  158. The thing that excites me is that if we could attract 4-5 players of this quality at the same time, we really could be a force again, and I don’t mean big crowds, I mean champions league FA Cup, top 6 ect ext. If Everton could manage top 10 with largely that side, bloody hell so should we.

  159. OFF topic,some people live in a diff world ie;ronny o!sullivan at the snooker only had black left on table for a 147,and would not pot it,ref told him to pot it as it was for £4000,he said its not worth it,its ONLY 4 grand,ref still made him pot it,what a dick head

  164. DJG, I think his attitude and wage demands posed a risk for too many. I didn’t hear him linked to a single English club and the deal was in the media for months.

  166. richietoon says:
    September 20, 2010 at 7:33 pm

    “ya well known abroad mainly via European football and as we were there a few years in a row”

    Speaking with people from over over the world, I think that htere is more to it than that:

    1) Most Premier League supporters from overseas tend to be ‘gloryhunters’ who go for the most prominent teams with the biggest players who win alot (eg Man U, Arsneal, Chelsea etc), but we are the “other one” who seems to appeal to the underdog who can identify with us.

    2) We appeal to the lovers of Soap Operas and Westerns as there is hardly ever a dull moment at SJP. All those good vs evil tussles between superheroes with names like “Special K” and “Big Al”, and arch villains with names like “Fat Freddy” and “Big Mike”. Hollywood couldn’t write better scripts for us if they tried.

  168. icedog says:
    September 20, 2010 at 7:48 pm

    “ref told him to pot it as it was for £4000,he said its not worth it,its ONLY 4 grand,ref still made him pot it,what a dick head”

    So why didn’t he just pot the ball and give it to charity then?

  170. DJG,
    i honestly believe we don’t need another 4/5 players like him.
    Another couple with this team mentality will suffice mate.
    Trying to fit 6/7 really top players in, keep ’em fit, keep ’em happy is what’s done us in in the past.
    Our best years were with relative unknowns making good.
    Soon as we tried to start buying our way to the top, we f***ed it up.

  172. My mate in Sheffield made one of those xtranormal animations of Shearer arguing with Mike Ashley. Twas funny. A graphic novel of some of our soap opera moments would be awesome though. Be a canny idea for a sticking filler for Crimbo

  173. CLINT wanting to play for the shirt and something to prove,not the cash is the way to go imo.
    trouble is not a lot of them around noo m8

  175. Aye Worky………I remember in the NAAFI in Germany you could only get Man Utd,Liverpool,Arsenal,Celtic and Rangers shirts until Sky started to love us with the “Entertainers” tag then suddenly there were Toon tops and you had Belgian and Dutch troops buying them……and like you say never a dull moment with the Toon and maybe some curious as to why a team who’s won nowt since 6 years after Ice finished his national service still gets such a large support ;-)

  176. Chelsea away in the cup is a reserved game for me, jonas, raylor, smith, ranger, mclovin, shola etc should play. The league MUST be the priority. We ain’t gona win the damn thing so don’t tempt fate.

    On a diff tack, I asked last night and got a couple of replies but wondering if it’s an xbox or ps3 please guys

  179. ice,
    also, there’s gonna be a few more players floating around looking for work when the 25 man squad & wage/spending constraints really kick in in a few years like.
    Don’t y’think?

  180. Evening all I agree with Toonsy Tiote was a bit of an unsung hero but I said before maybe he likes being a silent assassin :)
    Ice Ronnie oknobheed has allways been the same, are you into snooker ?
    Richie that Avatar is still hard to look at and take you serious at the sametime, but he was good did you ever remember Dick Emery or are you too young

  182. I don’t know what ya mean Ice ;-)
    Aye she enjoyed it mate,taking her to the lakes next month then a long weekend in Germany in November.

  185. BIG DAVE kna m8 not into snooker just saw that bit on net,richietoon told everyone that his avatar is your passport photo,woundnt stand for that m8.

    p.s.nowt in post yet m8

  186. Lacedaemonian says:
    September 20, 2010 at 8:00 pm

    “Lol Worky. Cockney Maffia vs Geordie Messiah!”

    Aye, but as I’ve wrote and said several times before, none of the so called “Cockney Mafia” were ever Cockneys. The only one who can claim to be a “Cockney” is the one who may be our saviour, Chris Hughton from Stratford in East London.

  189. RICHIETOON your just to good to her m8,off to france myself next week for 4/5 days,with the son like looking at houses,big deal :(

  191. Where is Lambias from? He looks like the sort if geezer that would run Scarlet Bar in East Enders

  193. A change is as good as a rest Ice.
    Germany’s costing a bloody fortune.A couple of nights in Hameln where I served twice(ex wife from there too!!) then drive down to Goslar for a night then back to Hameln for a night.

  198. Clint…when I was in the army I had 12 years having to do as I was told without question………….now I can question ;-)

  200. Richie you have too much money mate the lead stripping must be going well for you and Batty but poor Ice had to get a credit union loan to go to france with his son :(

  201. richie,
    how did y’put up with that?
    I woulda been hoofed out after 12 mins.
    Respect mate.
    Bet no one tells y’what to do these days, hey?
    ;)

  202. Richie I allways think of it as yrs of hurry up and wait, twas allways the same shit you had to run around like a headless chicken to just end up waiting endlessly for hrs :(

  203. aye Ice,everythings money mate these days……at least ya’ll be able to drink if ya not driving ………every cloud and all that ;-)

  204. BIG DAVE trouble is BATTY is a bad payer,and richie nicked me last pay off batty nee wonder hes going places with his lass,think if me and you and CLINT ganged up we could mug him

  207. ice,
    but i doubt we’d be able to carry all the dosh together, we’ll have to get a van mate.
    :)

  208. CLINT brittany/normandy son says houses cheaper and friendly people there,still think he will end up in malta like,bloody kids do your heed in

  209. Dave I wish…..I’m still getting paid less now tha I was getting when I left Germany in ‘9………..nae mortgage tho which helps.

    Clint….just wor lass :lol: …….it wasn’t actually that bad,I was in the REME good money for very little work ;-) many more good times than bad,best days of my life and would do it all again tomorrow if I could.
    Aye Dave hurry up and wait….the life of a squaddie :-)

  210. Ice………move to my village……cheap hooses,SOME friendly people and the kids will certainly do ya heed in(for ya wallet) :-)

  211. RICHIETOON my nephew put his papers in last week comes out march,hes a R.S.M. in the R.ENG.two gulf trips,bosnia ect ect,but got sick when there up for 3 trip to afgan shortly

  212. ice,
    kids, what do they know.
    :)
    richie,
    me bro’ in law was in REME, just come out after 22 years, he loved it too. Been every war mind, got a few notches on the old rifle butt.
    Took him a year or 2 to get get into civvy street like.

  214. ice,
    does he speak the lingo, your lad?
    Malta has to be a better option, though more expensive, yea?

  215. RICHIETOON,he wants oot of u.k.m8,this village is really nice,too many snobs like,lived 2half years in spain 7mths in malta,hes just sick 12hr shifts 7 dayswk,wants to chill a bit and work when HE wants to,and watch the woman go by,rented his house last time they wrecked it 3 grand to put it right

  216. Clint some never adapt to civvy street my older Bro is struggling bad he finished 4 yrs ago then went back as a private security guard even though him and his Lass had always talked about and arranged to take over a wee pub up in Bottle Cumbria.

  217. Aye mate,
    me bro has had a bad time adjusting, he’s just starting to get it back together now.
    Forgot how to live with the wife & bairns.
    He’s selling ear defenders to the army now.
    Heavy irony or what?
    At least he’s trying to save a few lads hearing.
    Mad.

  218. Ice I served with Royal Engineers(35 engr) twice in Hameln…my best postings especially the first time.

    It’s a funny un cos you want to do active tours as that’s what you train for….ya just don’t want to be doing them non stop,ya want/need ya family life too

  219. Ice I think having a decent job where you dont have to work all the hours God sends is the key, well for me it is I love my Job and the fact that I pretty much do what I want when I want, I just wish I had of got into it when I was younger but then it maybe wasn’t meant to be.

  220. ‘rented his house last time they wrecked it 3 grand to put it right’.

    Thats not uncommon. I would advise anybody against it actually. I knew a house that basicaly became an extention to the local pubs and was a regular port of call for the police & ambulance. Smashed windows, door kicked in, tin of black paint off the front walls. I would be very careful to vet the potential tenant.

  221. CLINT na m8 speaks spanish and a bit maltees,the cost of living is not bad,better than here or spain if you keep out of tourist places,and they love the english (not many of them places)but house prices are steady not like here,supply/demand its only 9mlsx11mls,all the girls seem to be size 10 with 38 chests,i can spend hours watching them go by lol,oh to be 30yr younger

  222. Clint funny you should say that an old mate of mine send me an email last week about being able to claim of the MOD if ye wern’t made to wear ear deffenders when shooting, but it was binned as soon as I opened it as it was probably some Ambulance Chasing Firm :)

  224. when me and wor lass split up for a few months a couple of year back I was gonna get mesel fit,join the TA and volunteer for a tour and get a bit money saved………we got back together tho so that was that….loads of funny little paths in ya life and tiny little decisions can take ya on completely different routes.If I’d stayed in I’d never have met wor lass………might even have still been with the ex wife……..meks ya shudder :-)

  225. DJG a Tattooist mate, my days of mattress testing are well and truly over :lol: .
    Ice would 50 yrs younger not be better :) i’m only going by what Batty says like ;)

  226. DJG aye your right he will never rent again,plus it took over 3 grand in court fees to get her oot,175 a hour for sol

  227. Dave……..as an armourer I was s’posed to have me lugs testes at least twice a year,It was probably actually done about 6-8 times in 12 yr.

  229. Richie :) thats what I done about a yr after I came out of the regulars, Fuk it was a right laugh mate and real good craic the week ends away were brill but I ended up drinking more than I was earning so it started causing lots of probs with wor lass so I had to jack it in :(

  231. Richie I watched a prog earlier would you believe the MOD were paying over £600 each for the SA80, and they could have got the new yank M16 for £300 :lol:

  232. ice,
    it sounds nice mate especially the girl sizes. :)

    Big D,
    you can’t get y’hearing back like, i’m in music meself & believe me ear plugs are big biz these days, although it takes hearing damage to get through to the young ‘uns like.
    They think it won’t happen to them.

  233. Dave……I did my last 6 months with the TA centre at Walker,the CO wanted me to join when I got oot and do a year at Batus workshops in Canada….I was gonna do it if I couldnt find a job…….which I did….pity,Canada’s great.

  234. Dave….bollox I meant to watch that,was that dispatches? will have to watch it on catch up………nobody gets ripped off like the British Army wi the old boys network.

  235. I cannae stop reading the toffeweb pages.
    jesus them everton fans are doom mongers.
    david moyes oot.
    they’ve punched above their weight for seasons and have never been pretty to watch.

  236. buda………if it was us going on like that,we’d be in all the papers being slagged off to f*** for being fickle,disloyal and deluded etc.

  237. Yeah Richie twas dispatches and yea the old boys network is still running.
    Reet Lads im away to walk the dog might come back up but if I dont be good and catch you’s tomoro ;)

  243. Apparently my mate has just sat down to dinner with Kevin Keegan. I’ve sent her a list of questions to ask as long as my arm.

  245. Alreet lads? In France so missed everton game and highlights. I’m a big critic of Nolan after Blackpool game “lardarse” great result against blue bindippers tiote and Ben”itoldyouso”arfa the pick of the bunch, so I hear!
    Over the moon and I’m pissed :)
    Howay the lads!!!!!!

  247. CLINT,going back to your earlier post re titeo someone had slight dig at you (unjustly)my son applyed for the fire service,past medical,and written exam and phy exam,got letter saying he was in top 3 of 100,but at this time they only want ethnic-min staff,is this not raceist

  250. richietoon says:
    September 20, 2010 at 9:36 pm

    “Dave….bollox I meant to watch that,was that dispatches? will have to watch it on catch up………nobody gets ripped off like the British Army wi the old boys network.”

    Nobody does defence overspending and corrupt contracting like the Yanks, richie.

  251. Ross says:
    September 20, 2010 at 9:57 pm

    “Apparently my mate has just sat down to dinner with Kevin Keegan. I’ve sent her a list of questions to ask as long as my arm.”

    I have a few questions for him as well, Ross.

  253. while people are on aboot us being a sellin club ,if barton carrys on like he is maybe we should get rid in jan eh 10 mill or so and lets get goslin fit and sell him aswell

  254. Been coming to France for years mention ginola or Robert to the football supporting frogs and they will spit in your face “disgrace to France”
    Mentioned Ben arfa twice today in hotel and they more or less kissed my feet!!!
    That will do me kids.

  256. Aye Worky……..mind I suspect armies around the world have the defence spending corruption going on………….money and corruption,it’s what makes the world go around unfortunately :-(

  258. Batty-Not sure yet mate. It will be some charity event somewhere, her dad’s involved in alot. Waiting for a reply though.

  259. workyticket says:
    September 20, 2010 at 10:05 pm
    I have a few questions for him as well, Ross.

    ……………..No he won’t autograph ya chest Worky :lol:

  261. Charity golf tournament at Archerfield is where they are. Surprised Wor Al isn’t in attendance also, he’s up here quite alot.

  262. Shit!
    how many articles are there on given not coming back to the Toon on news now?
    Gotta be a new record.
    :)

  264. Anyone heard any good new songs about any of the players/manager?
    It’s about time CH, AC, HBA, CT, JB etc had a song.
    ;)

  265. CLINT nowt else to write aboot m8.

    did you see report about another player from o.m.the toon are looking at played in w.c. left winger fast,could jonas be on way out,maybe benny has given c.h.the wink

  266. ice aye i think i did, don’t recall his name though.
    Do you?
    I see CH getting a player fan club happening soon.
    & our players doing some scouting for us when they’re away on int. duty or talking to their mates(football).
    ;)

  270. Batty-No mate, just said that he thought Sunderland were “head and shoulders above Newcastle” this season

  271. Batty-Have to also point out that my mate’s Dad is a Geordie, so i’m sure he’ll be firing out questions regarding the club currently/Keegans two stints etc.

  275. Rofl Clint-it really is the dailyfail…
    This is really off topic, but I was wondering, how do the Scum and the Smoggies get on like?

  276. Clint-“That might have been a bit of frustration” and “but I thought he got it right and a booking sufficed” just dont go together.

    For someone from Everton to essentially say “yeah, ok he did it but he was just frustrated, he’s not malicious so a yellow was fair” is almost laughable. Bending the rules because someone is a canny lad most of the time doesn’t cut it.
    I’m sure you catch Wor Joey in a good mood and he’s areet for a chat on Northumberland street. (during the day, sober..), doesn’t mean ref’s are going to start producing yellow’s instead of red’s when he commits blatant acts of violent conduct.

  277. Dirty Hairy isn’t a canny lad tho,he’s always a dirty player every time I see him.It should have been 2 nowt and them doon to 9 men………..aren’t alot of bad tackles and malicious acts caused by frustrated players?……….wasnt Cantona frustrated when he did his kung fu kick?……..I guess we should just turn a blind eye then if it’s just frustration :-)

  278. Richie-Exactly. Players act out of character through frustration but that doesn’t make it any better. I doubt many, if ANY player goes out onto the pitch with the intention of hurting another player/losing his rag. Every rash foul/blatant act of violent conduct is a product of lack of timing/frustration. All should be met with the same punishment.

  279. Ross…….whey maybe Cattermole :-) frustration is the arse kicking I just had on mw2 :lol: ….I wish I cud elbow them in the face :twisted:

  280. Well I am frustrated so think I will go kick some heads in and then I have a cast iron defence?! What a joke.

    On a more positive note, the next few fixtures should give us a great idea on where we are in terms of a league position. I discount tomorrow nights trip to the big smoke as I dont think we can win the game or the cup so shouldnt be bothered about it.

    Stoke (h)
    Man City (a)
    Wigan (h)
    West Ham (a)
    Mackems (h)

    I mean, I think we can say we will be lucky to get anything from the Oil guys, but the other 4 games are ones we should be looking for 9 points minimum I think, maybe even more. I think we could win against Stoke, West Ham and Wigan and maybe a draw with the Mackems wouldnt be so bad, and then we are looking really good in terms of league position and taking points away from rivals. We need to anyway, I think Wigan and West Ham are really going to struggle this year and I tip one of them to take the drop this season.

  281. Aye Raffo I look at that and say 10 points are possible……….but “it’s a funny old game” so ya never know………we might beat Citeh and not win any of the others ;-)

  282. lol thats true enough, but I would expect the derby to be the hardest game. I think Man City will take us lightly but I dont expect anything from that. Can wait to see Tiote smash Cattermole into the hordings!!

  283. yup agree – wigan / west ham will struggle this year and one or both could go down
    If we can get 9 points out of those 5 games I’ll be well happy 16 points after 10 games is a fair return and puts us well on target for a mid table finish

  284. Survival is our only hope this season. We are only a couple of injuries/losses of form away a real struggle.

  285. Lacedaemonian says:
    September 21, 2010 at 8:34 am
    “Survival is our only hope this season. We are only a couple of injuries/losses of form away a real struggle”

    I can pre-empt your response here mate by saying that’s just pessimism, not realism. Cheer up eh.

    However, I would go on to say that survival is our no1, and only, goal right now. Anything more than that is a bonus in my book.

  286. I was just trying to bring a few people back down to earth. The Blackpool game is still too fresh for me. Still beating Villa and Everton with relative ease makes you feel ambitious.

  287. yeah Blackpool game was a bummer,but I still say the only game we deserved to lose was Man Utd….even then I don’t think we were as bad as some people made out and don’t forget we were playing one of the world’s top teams.Wolves we got a good point and could have got the win and Blackpool was just one of those days,again with better finishing or the keeper not playing a blinder we could have got something.
    I think if most had looked at the first few fixtures we would have predicted Manure=loss,Villa=draw,Wolves=draw,Blackpool= win,Everton= loss which would have given us 5 points.
    Even with the loss we have 7,I think we have to be happy with that.
    As ILM says survival first anything else is a bonus………I think we’ll be looking at the bonus scenario tho ;-)

  289. Strange how our only two wins so far were games most of us predicted we’d lose..

    Hey, I’ll take 7 from 15 quite happily – that’s well past survival figures and into ‘comfort’ land.

    Lace – I totally disagree with your assertion that “survival is our only hope”. Our aim, yes – but not our only hope. Your point about injuries is valid, but even there we’re far more resilient there than for years.

    Aim: survive. Hope: a continue our form so far and take some more big scalps in the process. Big hope: stay above Scumberland and thrash them twice in the process.

    I like hope. :)

  290. whumpie :D

    ohh and don’t forget, when talking about suspensions, injuries, dips in form etc, we’re not competing against ourselves in the league, we’re competing against other team who will have to handle the exact same suspensions, injuries dips in form.

    Just hope we catch a few teams when they’re going through them :D

  291. I still worry about the lack of chances we create. Just look at the Everton game. We dominated the midfield, but all things considered, we only created one or two real chances. This is fine away from home when a point is generally enough, but at home it will cost us points as team look to his us on the break.

    I like Carroll, but as Distin showed he struggles against physically strong defenders who can match him for brute force and aggression.

    At home, when we are expect to set the tempo we will need to play two up top and drop Nolan. Lovenkrands for SJP me thinks

  292. whumpie,then by rights everyone should post on here,for us to get battered by stoke.we may as well continue the mantra lol,it seems to work.
    for some strange reason,we seem to up our game against the so called big boys,but can’t get ourselves up for it against the blackpool’s etc,unless blackpool can be added to the list of bogey teams.
    i just hope the blackpool defeat was the kick in the hydraulics we needed,and go into the stoke game with the same enthusiasm,we started with against the bin dippers mark 2.

  294. ~ El Toro ~ says:
    September 21, 2010 at 10:17 am
    I still worry about the lack of chances we create. Just look at the Everton game. We dominated the midfield, but all things considered, we only created one or two real chances. This is fine away from home when a point is generally enough, but at home it will cost us points”

    Aston Villa
    off target = 6
    on target = 13

    Blackpool
    Off Target = 8
    On target = 7

    I don’t think the stats agree with you, as people have said, I would be more worried if we weren’t creating the chances at home, but as the stats show, we are.

    Away from home it’s different, when Jose Mourinho first went to Chelsea they were always winning ugly 1-0, very defensive, then when that was sorted, they became more offensive. It’s the same with us, we’re the most organised and defensive I can remember us being, I lost count of how many time we won away last season 1-0.

    The hardest thing in football is to be organised defensively, we’re addressing this now, and in my opinion, are looking very good at the back.

    The chances, and goals, will come given time.

  296. |El Toro………..only arsenal and Chelsea have had more shots on target than us this season and no other team has a better shots to shots on target ratio than us so I really don’t know where this lack of chances comes from………lack of conversion to goals maybe but not chances :-)

  299. El Toro………but then shots on target don’t win games mate.we had plenty against Blackpool so we obviously need to convert more of them ;-)

  300. still think we need a pacy striker to play along side a.c.in jan,c.h. doesnt seem to fancy loverman to much

  301. Ice.CH just doesn’t fancy 2 strikers fullstop……….I think Benny may end up playing off AC