Now is the time for Hughton to prove his credentials.

Posted on September 13th, 2010 | 191 Comments |

Hughton needs to show some balls!
Hughton needs to show some balls!
Whilst some fans may still be reeling from the weekend loss at home to Blackpool, the reality is that it has now gone and there is absolutely zip that can be done about it.

Another reality is that as much as the stats suggest that we pretty much dominated the game and were unlucky to not get something, they don’t change the fact that we didn’t get anything out of a home game against a relegation rival.

That last part is the cause of most of the depressed feeling that is hanging around at the moment, in my opinion anyway. The loss on Saturday ruined my prediction coupon. I, and many others probably, had it down as a home win, but I always had the feeling that it would be a lot closer than a fair few were predicting. That loss now means we have to pick up some extra points on the road if we are to avoide getting sucked into the early season depression cycle of being near the bottom of the league.

For us to pick up points on the road then changes will need to be made, and this is what Chris Hughton is paid to do. There is a feeling that Hughton wil stick with his senior players, which to a point is fair enough, but when those players just aren’t cutting the mustard they need to be replaced. There is no place for loyalty in the Premier League, especially if we have a player/s that are technically better sitting on the bench.

The theory was that signing all of these midfielders, and we do have a lot of them, would increase competition for places. This is generally used as a cliche to inform us that the current crop of player, the ‘old guard’ if you like, will up their game to stop these new faces from taking their place in the team. Sound thinking really, but Kevin Nolan, Joey Barton and Alan Smith all failed to heed the warning of competition, and for that they should pay the price.

The introduction of Hatem Ben Arfa made Nolan look silly. Ben Arfa may have only played a cameo role on Saturday, but he is clearly a player who is as capable as all of those YouTube clips showed him to be. Part of the problem for me is that while Andy Carroll does his job and wins a hell of a lot of headers as he chugs along up front on his own, there is nobody with the pace to get alongside him and get onto those knock-downs. This where I believe that Ben Arfa could be key.

Then there is Joey Barton, who appeares to have forgotten how to pass a football. All the good work and plaudits that he has attracted in the past few weeks will soon be forgotten if he continues in this vein. At the end of the day, everyone has a bad day at the office. Hopefully this was JB’s as there is no doubt that he has the quality needed for us to make a fist of it in the Premier League this season. He just needs to show it on a more consistent basis, but I am willing to see if this poor performance was a one off or whether he was playing above himself in the previous two games.

I can’t say the same for Alan Smith though. I have never been his biggest fan but I will always, always back him on the field. Don’t get me wrong, he hasn’t done bad at times this season, but there is always the possibility that he could make one of those ‘all guns blazing’ rash challenges in a dangerous area, much like he did when he conceded the penalty on Saturday.

I just don’t think Smith brings enough to the team warrant either the wages he is on or his place in the side at the moment. Apparently he is a player that is good for the morale? £60,000-a-week seems an awful lot for a glorified cheerleader! The problem with Smith is how to replace him. Cheick Tiote is very much an unknown quantity to a lot of fans, but there is a feeling that he could be an Alan Smith who can tackle, run and play a bit of football at the same time. If that is the case then it has to be bye-bye Smudge.

Of course it easy for me to sit here and write this, and if I was manager then I would look to be changing things for the next game. We are away at Everton next weekend, which is never an easy place to go to, so I don’t expect that we will change the way the team is setup. I still think it willl be the 4-5-1 formation that we are getting used to seeing that will be used, which is fair enough, but I do think that the personnel within that formation will be changed.

That is what Hughton is paid to do.

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

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191 Responses

  1. There in lie the problem – We have been beaten by a team who we will be competing with and it’s at home too.

    I only hope that this is a blip and we bounce back, unfortunately we’re playing Everton who haven’t been beaten since Nov 2009 at home!

    Would still like to see us play two upfront against lower teams at home.

  2. agreed Stuart. I don’t want to see wholesale changes though – it goes against the principle of consistency that has worked well for us up to now. To panic and hange everything too soon would be unwise I think.

    Get benny Campbell and tiote in there for at least part of the next match but make the message clear: Blackpool was the exception not the norm. Keep calm and carry on!

  3. ch 2 make a big call..drop nolan for ben arfa and tiote in for smith..we need pace in that area..with ben arfa playing off carrol so like u said can get on to knock downs from carrol..dont take 2 long to think about ch..or then we could be then playing under pressure 2 get back points we have lost..we will never get points back like we lost on saturday that would have given us a bit of breathing space we needed with results like saturday..so we are now playing catch up football with are next game against everton.

  4. Wouldn’t alter the CB’s personally, Sol can get a game v chelsea for me.
    Drop Smith for Tiote, obviously.
    Get HBA in there. Not sure about dropping Nolan, especially v everton, as he’s well combative & everton are well rough.
    Still rather have PL on the pitch, he has some speed & work rate that Carroll lacks.
    Some tough decisions to be made like.

  5. Change the upfront to Peter and Shola for everton Match.

    Carroll on bench,65thmins then come on

    if still using 4-5-1,then Shola lone striker.

    Arfa starts,with Wayne or Jonas on bench.

    Tiote starts,Smith on bench 65th mins then comes on.

    Ryan taylor starts,Perch on bench(**giving excuse he is 1 card away from suspension**)

    Yup,that’s all. Not wholesale change. :lol: :lol:

  6. I’ve only seen the MOTD highlights, but I think CH’s summary was pretty good. It wasn’t a disastrous performance (as some daft pundits have suggested, the predictable gits), it was just slightly off all over the pitch, and was combined with a sublime performance from their goalie.

    Our chances were well set up and well taken. Barton’s shot, for instance, looked to be pretty much exactly where he should have put it. But somehow there was a hand there. Same with so many other chances.

    We had similar games last year – including one against Blackpool – and we’ll get lots this year. The key is to keep our heads and avoid the temptation to scrap everything. If the same happens 2 or three matches in a row, that’s different.

    Everton away, though. That’s a toughie!

  7. Why drop Carroll? The guy has to chase his own sodding flick ons for feck sake! I say keep Carroll and play HBA where Nolan plays. That way Carroll may not end up so bloody isolated!

  8. Every one.
    Carroll has a great head for heights, but he’s not what you’d call quick, is he?
    Not brilliant at hold up play either. & sometimes takes too long to decide what he’s gonna do, & then it’s too late, like when he tried to ’round the ‘keeper on satda.
    He knows where the goal is, has a powerful shot & is great with his head.
    By no does he offer us everything a CF could though, does he?

  9. people are fools against everton u need your best header of a ball..lol u would get beat with that team..when thet have corners who would mark cahil loven or who ever plays..carrol is are best player until he gets injured no chance ..nolan is complete waste of time if he isnt scoring.

  10. & with him as a lone striker we tend to go towards hoofing it to him.
    Then if there’s no one nippy around him, what’s the point?

  11. asim,
    Carroll is not our best player, he’s our best scorer, so far, but not our best player.
    He’s just a bit pointless stood on his own.

  12. Clint – can’t go with you on Carroll; he’s not as quick as Lover, but his workrate is fantastic.

    I’d like to see Benny on for Jonas, and at a less tricky, narly match than away to Everton, Benny in for Nolan; see what happens.

    At the end of the day, only CH has any clue as to which formations could work; he’s been working with them all day in, day out, for weeks now.

    Remember: nobody seemed to have a stinker on Saturday; it was just everyone seemed to be just slightly off. The opposite of the Villa game where there wasn’t one person (even Carroll, who came close) who made it all happen; just 14 who were slightly better than usual. That will happen again. :)

  13. the reason why i choose to drop carroll ish simply because of two reasons.

    1) tactical surprise. Carroll might be a super sub,if he does come on too.Also if we keep playing carroll..all the team can even start to name our starting 11 already. ;)

    2) What i afraid is he might gone Missing,and goal drought soon which may affect His confidence. A fresh upfront is needed,to sort of temp cool down carroll…

    You all know what i meant right?

  14. hold up play is shit..yes u must no not much about football..best striker in england at this moment..if he was slow he wouldnt get on2 his own knockdowns.people are fools like u..he is top scorer in the league and u would drop him for players who couldnt score with rooneys hookers..

  15. CLiNT FLiCK says:
    September 13, 2010 at 10:23 am

    Are you seriously advocating dropping Carroll? I cannot really believe that, if you are!

    Carroll’s our best scorer as you say and it’s them kind of players that win you games and keep you up.

    I think he just needed some support on Saturday, that’s not his fault.

  16. Having watched Saturday`s match I feel that the first mistake by Hoots was playing Nolan up front alongside the Bigger lad. When Lover came on he added pace and purpose. Perch was caught out time and time again, he has no positional sense and was a weakness throughout. Smith I`m afraid just does not cut the mustard at this level. Finally with us chasing an equaliser we were caught on the break. Barton had put in a good shift and Hoots should have taken him or Nolan off and brought on fresh legs with Tiote to counter their breaks.
    The lads were unlucky and at times played some reasonable stuff and did create a lot of chances so I`m not been negative. All I`m pointing out is I hope Hoots learns from this not just the players because whilst I think he is a good coach I`m not convinced that he is tactically aware enough for this league. Come January put in a bid for Charlie Adam he has sweet left foot and ran the midfield for them.

  17. Fair enough whumpie,
    i just see him stopping chasing down lost causes, doesn’t really pressure the goalie/defender after he’s lost the ball. He just stops & walks.
    I wanna see CF’s chase everything, defend from the front. A bit like blackpool did to us, that’s why they deserved something out of the game.
    It’s all a bit rose tinted when it comes to Carroll.
    He’s canny, but he’s no Shearer yet, is he?
    Don’t see him getting his head on every oppo corner like Shearer did, either.
    He’s got a long way to go still.

  18. To add on,i know many ppl slag off shola,but i feel he ish still capable of scoring for us.

    If CH changes to two upfront,he and peter can do the job same as carroll as lone striker.

    I don’t wish to see Carroll becoming rooney or torres form that early in the PL season.

  19. fresh what..the rest ant good enough to play that way..what teams would fear him or the others..they would grow if he wasnt playing..teams are thinking of carrol and how to stop him..so we have had a lot of chances for that reason..sorry is it clowns day today..becasue some on here are talking shit..

  20. He’s still got a long way to go, yes. But he’s still our most dangerous forward and best bet of getting goals.

    Don’t forget he had one cleared off the line on Saturday, which is unlucky and they go and score.

    He cannot score every game..

  21. Someone above made a good point about needing an older, tougher head like Nolan’s on against Everton, and I think it’s correct. OTherwise Benny on for him would make sense. I’d prefer putting Benny on for one of the wingers for now and change it later on if that’s not working or if Nolan runs out of puff. Carroll or Shola up front; either could work as long as there’s someone quick who can get in with them.

    As for Tiote; I’ve no clue. CH will know when to bring him into things. What I don’t believe is that you drop Smith because he had one (slightly) off day like everyone else. He was the engine in the middle of the Villa game and we’ll need him against Everton. Sure, sub him for Tiote later, but a game like this is no time for newbies (especially foreign ones new to the PL) in the middle of the park.

  22. CLiNT – You are being dead funny today man. Carroll is always back at corners, on the front post like Shearer used to.

    As you say, he is no Shearer, but even he didn’t chase everything all of the time.

  23. asim,
    where did i say i would drop him or that his hold up play was shit?
    imitebeafoolbuticanatleastpukchuhateundspillabite.

  24. If you’re getting booked every single game does that say something about the player? Not quick enough, not a good enough tackler or just not good enough?

  25. toonsy,
    Shearer didn’t chase everything at the end of his career, but at Carroll’s age, different story.
    Carroll does not get his head on every oppo corner, howay.
    Shearer did.
    Soz angel of death, i never said drop him mate.
    I’m more saying he can’t do it on his own, unless we’re gonna rely on goals from set plays, all very dull to watch, effective, but dull.

  26. at the end of the day,Carroll in reality will not be drop by CH,till he injured himself.

    Why i feel carroll should not start for everton match,the reasons are in No.15.

    And that i fear a long period of goal drought is coming for Him soon. Which it will definitely bring down his confidence some how.And with His Court Case coming. Oh gosh. 8O

  27. Asim: calm, down man – no need to get insulting; this is just good banter, fella and nobody’s being stupid. (yet – give it time :) )
    Clint @19 – you’re dead right about Carroll stopping and walking when things break down. Really annoying. But Stu’s right too – he, like many, had shots stopped which would go on on most days. No, he’s not Shearer. Oh, dear, so at 21 he hasn’t matched the best England has every produced. Doesn’t mean you drop him.

    Isn’t it nice to have options? And with plenty of injuries too. Remember a couple of years ago, how we had nowhere to go if a couple of key players were out? How good has CH been in building this squad??

  28. I’ve got obstructed view at everton, Carroll might be the only player big enough for me to see, don’t drop him :)

  29. shearer didnt get his head on every corner..nobody has ever dun..u must be taking the piss..carrol wins more headers then any play that has played in this league..stop talking crap on shearer..

  30. Toonsy: the most easiest to compare ish….

    Do you want a player like torres,who keep on starting yet trying very hard but still can’t find the net for every match.

    OR

    you want a rooney who was drop to bench or not in 18man squad,but scores the next few games???

  31. Don’t drop him.
    But,
    make him defend from the front, get his heed on every oppo corner, cos he could if he wanted/knew to.
    Teach him to hold the ball better & bring others into the play & make better decisions.
    All of that needs working on.
    Some he’ll probably never get, but if he gets most of it together he’ll be great.

  32. Like i say,carroll can be a super sub on everton match,if Peter and SHola didn’t manage score,or in bad form.

  33. asim,
    i normally agree with a lot of your craic.
    But you are wrong kidda, are you honestly saying Shearer couldn’t head a ball?
    What shite.
    :)

  34. Carroll’s got four goals in four games and people want him dropped? Please give me a break. For Shola????? hahahahaha, get a clue!
    Ben Arfa for Jonas in the second half. Or Nolan in the final half hour.
    And Tiote for Smith from the start. Lovenkrans for Carroll last 20 minutes or with Carroll if we pushing for a goal.

  35. thats what he has been doing for the past year or havnt u been watching carrol comimg back and heading the bal away..he hold up play is good getting better..he is learning fast what do u wont..he is are best goal scoring player..the other dont cut the mustard..ranger holds the ball up so he should play then..he is far better then the rest at doing that.

  36. If u guys rmb,Owen was our best striker in our time in PL before.

    Yet whenever he comes off bench,he scores…

    Same with carroll.

    I would want a carroll who score off bench,then a lethargic carroll who plays the whole 90thmins,and can’t score.

  37. AOD – Rooney being left out was nothing to do with tactics or him not scoring, well on the piytch anyway :)

    I can guarantee that Rooney would have played if it hadn’t been for his transgressions. Simply, you don’t leave the best players out of the team. That is why Torres is playing aswell!

  38. I knew ppl keeps on slagging shola,but like some one said before,he always scores from unlikely/difficult position.

    Which is also good in a way.

    And with him and peter upfront….IT ISH POSSIBLE TO SCORE.

    I am not advocating carroll to be drop for every match,just for everton match.

  39. @toonsy: didn’t owen(Our best player that time) drop to bench,when CH was caretaker for us? :lol: ;)

    The stats doesn’t lie. Owen has been our top striker no matter how long he stays in treatment room.

    And pls don’t say i am encouraging him to come back. Just a figure of speech.

  40. last point 2 u losers on carrol..owen and shearer lovers did we win anything with them..so we had owen who didnt score in are last 13 games to keep us up and got droped and still didnt save us off the bench he was the reason we got in this mess in the first place..as for shearer he was finshed when he got that bad injury against everton..at 30 he should have left us he kept us moving forward it all started from their..

  41. asim says:
    September 13, 2010 at 11:14 am
    last point 2 u losers on carrol..owen and shearer lovers did we win anything with them..so we had owen who didnt score in are last 13 games to keep us up and got droped and still didnt save us off the bench he was the reason we got in this mess in the first place..as for shearer he was finshed when he got that bad injury against everton..at 30 he should have left us he kept us moving forward it all started from their..<<<< hahaha finished at 30 u dick

  42. I’ve got a few comments to be make regarding the Everton game:

    Firstly, dropping Carroll is not an option. He is our best goal scorer, while he is also good in the air, so he’ll do a good job on defensive corners as well as in their box. Ameobi and Lovenkrands are decent players to bring on but I wouldn’t start them against Everton. Let’s also not be too expectant with Carroll and expect him to score in every game. The best in the game don’t get a goal a game and yet his got four in four games, so those calling for him to be dropped are just being ridiculous for he is still learning as his only 21 lets not forget.

    Secondly, there is no need for whole sale changes. Smith should start, as well as Perch. Campbell was brought in as back up so there’s no need to bring him in with Colo and Williamson having done well thus far. Ryan Taylor will get his chance when Perch gets another yellow but I’ll still rather start with Perch away from home. I’d like to see Ben Arfa come in though perhaps for Routledge, in a similar role to that which Adam Johnson plays at City, cutting in from the right. He could be dangerous. Hence my team will look like this:

    Harper
    Perch Williamson Coloccini Enrique
    Ben Arfa Smith Barton Jonas
    Nolan
    Carroll

    Lastly, Everton have not WON a game this season so there will be pressure on them too. Hence I say let’s do what Blackpool did to us, and end their UNBEATEN Home Form.

  43. Oh gosh, since when i am a fan of owen?? -.-

    If at that time,u saying his is not our best player then who was?? I question.

    I am saying,Best Player does get drop after all. And that there are reasons with it of course. Be it form tactical,bad form of the player,or simply to prevent that particular player to go from bad to worst…..

    I am very confident that Most of you all here,will start slagging carroll,if he always start matches,but keeps on not scoring,or does alot of misses.

  44. @Ahmed4nufc: i don’t wish to see Perch starts,after all he is going to be suspended soon anyway.

    As for Smith,he is too getting suspended soon IIRC. Guthrie is still not fit though..Hmmm….

  45. asim – FYI both Shearer and Sir Les were MUCH better headers of the ball than Carroll currently is.

  46. I was actually very happy with our performance against Blackpool. Everything might have been different had the williamson effort gone in. I have one major concern though – Steve Harper. Yes he made that fantastic double save. But he never looks confident. And the stats don’t help him either. 90 percent shots on target have been let in by Harper in this season.. I hope they get Krul in full time somewhere down the season.

  47. I bought mine in the membership period and was told only restricted view was left, think they’ve had me in the bag :(

  48. carrol is 21 just starting..and people are talking about him..the best header of the ball bar non..u lot are talking crap..the difference u are only as good as who plays in front..they had wingers and great players playing with them..who has carrol got..so how many headed goals he would have if he played in that team and he is just starting but they came to us at the peak of their powers.. were they better headers of the ball at 21.

  49. batty,
    i reckon i could beat Carroll over 60 yards,
    i’m still pretty quick for a gadj like.
    :)
    I’m still 5′ 8″ & less than 10 stone.
    Have been all my life. :)

  50. asim – Les and Alan would have both scored that header against Man U.

    Carroll is good and will no doubt get better, but I think your letting your little bromance with him cloud your judgment.

  51. TC,
    i was ower 9LBs when i was born.
    Me mam didn’t thank us for that like.
    1/4lb less than me ‘little’ bro’, who is 6’2″ & built like a brick shithouse, go figure.
    :)

  52. Mine was £29, would have paid £35 for a better seat though, my ticket for citeh was £36 and got my ticket for home match against Wigan yesterday, leazes corner :)

  53. Aye TC,
    Wor Al & Sir Les would bury most free headers.
    At any age.
    ;)
    As would Quinn, SuperMac et al.

  54. Toon Chicken says:
    September 13, 2010 at 11:54 am

    So what we saying hear, Shearer and Ferdinand never missed any chances in all their career?

  55. 442 is not something we should be playing. First of all its outdated and secondly we don’t have the players. Big Andy up front with someone playing off him, preferable for someone quick, is the way to go.
    Asim your comments today are great. I haven’t seen a wind up on here for ages! Keeps things spicy when people bite.

  56. Haha – you after a fight, Stu? ;)

    I watched ‘Shearer Legend’ on the plane back from Madrid on Saturday and I would put my mortgage on him scoring from the chance Carroll had against Man U – same for Sir Les.

    Not saying neither of them missed any chances tho.

  57. Just to be clear – I’m in no way, shape or forming knocking Carroll. He’s been superb so far this season and as Stu rightly says, every striker will miss chances from time to time.

    However, I am pretty sure that “the best header the Premier League has even seen” would have scored from the position he found himself in against Man U.

  58. forming = form

    not sure why i typed that and I know Stu hates to see poor smelling and an improper use of grandma ;)

  59. Whats with the bad vibes man, chill out, think you need to watch your banter like asim, just because someone has a different view to you doesn’t not make them stupid, and in fact, isn’t presupposing people you’ve never met as stupid a bit bit in the first place? you come across as having little man syndrome, chill out man eh.

    And amongst all the bickering about who can head the ball the best (why? who really cares?) i’ve saw two people say something sensible, that there probably wont be any changes for the Liverpool game. Tiote for Smith is the farthest I would go.

    Stu
    I agree with what you said about the impact that loosing to Blackpool may do in the long run, about them being down there at the end of the season, imagine that result was in May? This is what I wrote the other day.

    I Love Mike says:
    September 10, 2010 at 2:06 pm
    imagine this:
    We draw or loose,
    We are relegated

    We will look back at the season and say “we could, and should, have of got all three points against Blackpool at home”

    This game IS a 6 pointer, a one which we need to not loose

  60. Toon Chicken says:
    September 13, 2010 at 12:13 pm

    I’m much more concerned about improper use of ‘grandma’ than grammar!

    But it’s your life, you do what you want in private.

  61. ILM – i’m not bickering, mate – just putting my opinion across without using foul or abusive language.

    Sorry – I thought that’s what blogs were for??? :(

  62. Carroll’s pretty good. So’s Lover. And Shola. Comparing them with what some ex-player did (even if it is Big Al) with some aspect of his game is just a bit… daft, really. (Still, it is Monday)

    Bottom line: CH has to rotate players to accommodate the Chelski trip, so it’s down to him and his strategies regarding club priorities (no doubt partly a Board decision) as to what he does. Carroll won’t play both; neither will Smith or Tiote (and so on – you get the message.)

    If he decides the League Cup is a lost cause, he’ll play strong at Everton and send kids to the slaughter on Wednesday. Otherwise, he may use Wednesday to try out Tiote and co and stick to Plan A for Everton.

    Unlike us lot, he has to think a few games ahead. Contrary to to the pic caption above, I don’t think CH needs to show some balls at all; he just needs to be his usual calm, reassuring self.

  63. The new lads should get in the team to play chelsea.
    It’ll be interesting to see if CH tries anything new with regard to forms.

  64. CLINT,do you not think we lost a bit of the old ethic on sat,defend from the front to back,attack from back to the front,just the simple things seemed to go missing on sat imo

  65. asim says:
    September 13, 2010 at 11:14 am
    last point 2 u losers on carrol..owen and shearer lovers did we win anything with them..so we had owen who didnt score in are last 13 games to keep us up and got droped and still didnt save us off the bench he was the reason we got in this mess in the first place..as for shearer he was finshed when he got that bad injury against everton..at 30 he should have left us he kept us moving forward it all started from their..<<<<< 121 goals in the 5 years after you sed he was finished isnt bad you knob head

  66. asim dipshit if it wasent for shearers goals alone we would have got relegated years ago ,now go stick ur head back in that bucket of shite shit for brains

  67. I would batty, really, honest mate. Some say he’s faster than usain bolt….and that he’s often spotted fishing in seaton sluice….all you know is, he’s a Ginger stig ;)

  68. ice,
    totally & utterly mate.
    That’s what blackpool did & we didn’t.
    I hate seeing players stop when the play breaks down, especially attackers.
    They should always pressure the ‘keeper too, it makes them rush the clearance & causes problems.

  69. One simple rule for me – play your strongest team. End of.

    Smith should be replaced with Tiote, easiest decision he will ever make.

    Ban Arfa should be included if possible to try and get some creativity in there. I would like to see us try and play 2 CDM and then have Arfa, Carrol, Jonas and AN other floating around.

    I think Barton could well do a good job alongside Tiote and I guess Nolan will get in there, but thats what I would do

  70. ice,
    at that point, someone shoulda took one for the team.
    Kill the play.
    But there’s no way we shoulda been giving them the respect of playing one up top.
    They were playing a 433 at SJP FFS.
    I’m pissed about it tbh.
    What a wasted chance.
    Nice to see that wolves thug actually managed to bust someone’s leg this week. NOT!
    That’s what happens when a ref let’s someone get away with the crap Barton had to put up with right there.
    Notice the glib ‘pundits’ on motd2 with their hand wringing, after laughing at Barton/us the other week.
    Nice to see tw@amole getting found out too.

  71. CLINT spot on m8,at times i think ive lost the plot,basic footy.

    that catt is just an animal s.bruce type of player which he has shown in the past when under pressure,might try to sign henry in jan lol

  72. CLiNT FLiCK says:
    September 13, 2010 at 1:32 pm

    “They were playing a 433 at SJP FFS.”

    From what I’ve seen of ’em, they play 4-3-3 most of the time, which is quite remarkable really.

  73. ice,
    if he keeps doing what he’s doing(henry), he’ll be still banned in jan.
    :)
    Y’right mate, forgot the basic rules of football.
    451 v 433 at hyem.
    Who’d a thunk it?

  74. dog ive got a couple on the go at the mo ,now i know who bigdave is he has stopped stalking ,no 1 would ever guess his other nick :)

  75. BATTY big dave is sound as a pound m8 imo mind there is one or two i wouldnt trust,could be toonsy like ever thought about that nee trace if you get my drift ;)

  76. Lace,
    aye canny headererer’s ( :) )that have played for the Toon.
    Wor Jackie
    Wor Al
    Sir Les
    SuperMac
    The mighty Quinn
    Gowling
    Carroll
    Who’ve i missed?

  77. lol aye ICE tis true, seems to be alot quieter on here anyway, I have been reading just not posting. Not much going on and not as many articles. Toonsy must have a load on like.

  78. Krul
    Raylor/Sol/Willo/Kadar
    Routledge/Tiote/Guthrie/
    Nolan/Lovenkrands/HBA

    Harper/Jose/Barton/Carroll/Colo/Perch/Ameobi
    v chelsea.

    Harper
    Perch/Colo/Willo/Jose
    Routledge/Barton/Tiote/HBA
    Lovenkrands/Carroll
    v everton
    ?

  79. CLINT guthrie not fit m8.nee jonas eh.
    was thinking maybe they should rest him, just doent seem right to me like

  80. Is Guthrie still not fit?
    Thought he was close.
    Aye, swap Guthrie for Jonas then.
    & stick Vuckic on the bench.
    ;)

  81. CLINT,only saw vic play twice i was just a wee kid,just thats what my da used to say.
    len white was my all time great before A.S.

    only about 5ft 8in/9 boy could he jump,best forward line ever eastham/white/alchurch.

    still got nee time for spurs becauce of d.mackie done him,old mem stick sometimes

  82. Just to say remember a tad of Wyn Davies & Tony Green,
    then SuperMac, Tudor, Barrowclough, Clarke, Craig, Hibbit etc. Just a bairn like.
    :)

  83. CLINT he did m8,was the first player to go on strike at the toon,took them to court and won over freedom of contract,which then when on to bosman at later date,so in a way you can blame toon for that

  84. The tw@ went to derby with Cloughie didn’t he?
    Proper dorty back then, & that was just the pitch’s.
    :)

  85. Didn’t we get the offside rule changed too.
    Do y’know what they were up to?
    I was thinking it was jumping off the pitch at the right time to cause an offside.
    Any clue?

  86. ice,
    it’s gannen back a fair bit like, but i’m pretty sure they changed the offside rule cos of some ‘tactic’ we were employing.
    Any clue anyone?
    worky?

  87. Imre was the man when I started going to the live games.
    My uncle spends the winter in Portugal and a couple of years ago when he went to watch the local team play he had his Toon top on and a certain Mr Varadi came over to him and had a bit craic wi him.

  88. richie,
    aye mate, he was about all we had to hang on to back then.
    Loved him, is he a portugeezer?
    Well do you know his brother in show biz then, or what?
    :)

  89. CLINT all i can think was len was only player who could bend/ curl and make the ball spin backwards (proper ball) dad used to say if he didnt like you he would make you look a c@@t on the pitch

  90. Clint…..no ya’ve got me mate.

    I think me uncle had said there was some kids footy tournament on and he was there for that.

    Think he had Hungarian family background

  91. Ice – you’re dead right, Allchurch, Eastham, White best set of attackers we’ve ever had! And Clint – Milburn was a really poor header of the ball.. That goal he scored in the 55 final was a total one off.

  92. CLINT – I think it was the Toon’s Bill McCracken and his tactics that got the offside rule changed but as it was about 100 years ago I’m not too sure.

  93. richie,
    aye, he’s hungarian, thought not portuguese.
    Anyway, his brother in show biz was…
    Wait for it…

    Olly Varadi.

    :)
    Sorry mate.
    :)
    Ok Georgio, i’m too young to have seen like. Ta mate.

  94. georgio,
    that sounds about right mate.
    Heard something about it yonks back, but don’t remember what they were doing.
    If anyone knows, gerriz telt.
    ;)

  95. I am back~~~

    Hope i am still welcomed here though. :(

    Anyway,24more matches to make ben arfa permt NUFC player. Horray~~ :lol:

  96. CLINT na didnt matter he went over,he was just a showman played when HE wanted,never a team player.

    went to the gunners as well did nowt till toon went he beat them on his own and got 3 that day

  97. 1925-26: This was an important phase in the history and development of the off-side Law. The “three-opponent” rule had remained basically unchanged until now. Following a proposal by the Scottish FA, the International Board, meeting in Paris on 13 June 1925, decided that the simple answer to the problem, was to reduce from three to two the number of defenders who could place an attacker off-side. The law was promptly altered for season 1925-1926 so that a player could not be off-side if two (instead of three) opponents were nearer to their own goal line when the ball was played. The 1925 rule remained in force until after World Cup, Italy in 1990. Under the old rule that had been in force since 1867, defending players would play further up the field. By keeping in a diagonal line, the defenders easily caught attacking players off-side as they advanced past the foremost defender. And should an attacking player run through after a long ball, he still had the other defending player to beat and the goalkeeper.

    Defending players had this law worked to such a fine art, that in the early 1920’s the full-backs had developed an almost fool-proof tactic to catch attacking players off-side. They would position themselves almost up to the halfway line, one staggered slightly behind the other, enabling them to catch attacking players off-side with such success, that the game had so many stoppages for off-side offences, it became monotonous. Credit for exposing and exploiting the old rule is usually given to a full-back who played for Newcastle, Billy McCracken, who with this full-back partner would advance to as near the halfway line as possible (a player cannot be off-side in his own half), moving up quickly and timing their runs, so as they would often catch two or three forwards off-side. Opponents could find no way to master this tactic, which very quickly caught on with other teams.

    The alteration from three to two dramatically decreased the off-side offences. In the season 1925-26, goals scored in the Football League were a third up at 6,373 compared to the old off-side law era 1924-25 season’s tally of 4,700. Although crowds relished the glut of goals, perceptive observers saw a sudden decline in the quality of the game. The law change also meant that the defending players were forced to play squarer to each other and much nearer to their goal – but not too near as to allow the attacker to shoot without first beating them to the ball. Attacking players began to use the long ball played between the two defenders, and made more use of their wingers who (with only 2 full-backs being employed) had ample space to ply their trade

    Ah ha!
    I knew it was out there somewhere.
    :)
    You were right georgio, it was Bill McKracken.
    ;)

  98. georgio,aye great forwards m8,m/u had charlton/violet,cannot think of third one at sjp,getting beat 3-0 half time most went home,toon won 4-3

  99. richie
    i won’t mate. :)
    It was joke of the decade back then.
    I did say sorry though.
    :)

    AoD,
    course y’welcome mate.

  100. CC aye m8 richietoon was ganning with MISS DIANE,and benny stole her away from him,said he was more matcho

  101. On the up-side.. what really matters… the thing that we all need to really recognise here before we get carried away…

    Exeter Chiefs played brilliantly on Saturday. :)

    (Hey – I’ll take my sporting good news from anywhere I can, ok?)

  102. There was a footballer called Carroll
    Who had Villans over a barrel
    But at home two weeks on
    He wasn’t on song
    And his team-mates were all just a wee bit shit too, which was a shame, eh.

  103. I always thought David Kelly was a fair header of the ball despite not being that tall.

    Wyn Davies in the matches ive seen him in (Not many like) looks like the most obvious player to compare Carroll too, Unplayable in the air and the lynchpin of that side as everything was based around getting the ball wide and putting crosses in for him to score and knock the ball down for others.

    Whereas Shearer and McDonald, Who Carroll is compared to a lot were more complete footballers IMO

  104. Icedog

    Aye a european trophy, I think it is a mark of truly great English clubs when they have won European silverware: Man Utd, Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea, Leeds, Everton, Villa, Man City, Spurs, Forest, Ipswich, West Ham and Newcastle United

    Nee teams who play in red and white stripes just the way we like it… :twisted:

    P.S. How long did they last in the cup winners cup after Leeds forfeit in 73??

  105. Answered me own question, They beat those legendary european heavyweights Vasas SC in the first round and got knocked out in the second :lol:

  106. Aye Micky. Owen got slagged to feck by them when he played for us. He was shyte, past it, and they were probably right.

    No doubt he will be the missing piece of the jigsaw when they sign him though.

    Little cherubs :lol:

  107. Evening all Toonsy good article mate and was nice to see ye wern’t taking sides :lol: I really liked this bit > “The introduction of Hatem Ben Arfa made Nolan look silly” do ye mean he didn’t allready look silly :)

  108. Dave – In this game he did. I judge things on a game by game basis, not on some dislike of a player. If they do the iz on the pitch then fair enough. If they don’t they can expect shyte, and that goes for everyone, they all get treat the same. No bias from me ;)

  109. Big Dunc was canny in the air too. I remember his goal at Villa Park well as it would have put me in hospital had there not been nets on the goals. He could get some power in headers.

  110. Every time I see pictures of Ben Arfa I can’t help but recall the poster of Mirandinha that my brother had on his bedroom wall. Twas one of those free ones from the Pink. The Greenalls period depresses me for some reason.