Tiote: “I think I’ve improved as a player this season”
Posted on May 7th, 2011 | 19 Comments |
Cheik Tiote has had a good season in black and white and seems like the bargain of the century given that we paid FC Twente a mere £3.5m for him.
Tiote would certainly be a contender for my player of the season, although I’d find that a tough call to make this season with Enrique, Colocinni, Barton and Gutierrez also in contention.
To be fair, bearing in mind we have Ben Arfa and Dan Gosling to come back from injury, I don’t think we have too bad a team. There is an obvious weakness up front at the moment, which needs to be addressed urgently in the summer, and we certainly need more depth and cover – particularly if we continue with our dreadful record of training injuries – but I think the basis of decent team is there.
Anyway, Tiote has been reflecting on this season and is looking forward to next season but first he had a special thank you to make to Kevin Nolan:
“Kevin Nolan’s my man in midfield! He’s helped me, and done everything for me.
“I want to say thanks to him for that.”
Clearly Nolan’s influence stretches beyond his 12 goals for the club this season and it’s important that a team has those sorts of leaders.
Tiote is pleased with the way he’s progressed this season and plans further improvement next season:
“I think I’ve improved as a player this season.
“If you are a new player, you have to show the players at the club you have the quality to improve in this team. I think I have done that this season.
“I hope I do well next season as well – I think I can improve.”
A few less yellow cards might help!
“I think this season, my first in England, has been good,” Tiote continued.
“It’s been very hard, but the team has helped me. I’m happy for that.
“We have to stay together to finish the last games.
“It’s different to last season in Holland, as I wasn’t playing too many games.
“Now I have adapted to English football, and I’m happy with how I have done this season.
“The key is now to build on this and carry it through to next season where we hope to have an even better year.”
Well if Pardew, Carr, Ashley et al can wheel and deal in the transfer market and bring in more players of Tiote’s calibre at the same sort of value then there’s every chance we will indeed have a better year.
How we fare in the transfer market does of course remain to be seen.
NUFCBlog Author: Hugh de Payen
I'm a baby-boomer of the punk rock persuasion, currently exiled in Somerset for crimes committed in a previous life where locals keep trying to poison me with something called 'scrumpy'. Hates sprouts, coat-hangers, Cilla Black, ornaments, Steven Seagull movies and 50 Cent (he's not worth 10).
Hugh de Payen has written 634 articles on this blog.
Call me a negative nellie. But I think, even if we keep our best players next season, we are going to struggle. Season two is always a tricky one. Don’t know why, do the players start to relax a little bit too much? Is the fighting spirit lost as a result of more technical, less heart players? Is the advantage of surprise lost on competitors? Whatever it is, we need our best players to continue to perform and that has to include Tiote who has been a revelation. More power up front….no brainer!