Newcastle United vs Blackburn Rovers: Player ratings and extended highlights.

Posted on September 26th, 2011 | 28 Comments |

Demba Ba: Hat-trick hero and M.O.T.M performance.
Demba Ba: Hat-trick hero and M.O.T.M performance.
Right, let’s have some ratings for the Blackburn win!

It was pretty much good stuff all round with a decent showing from a team that’s starting to gel. Very few black marks, the odd smudge, but nothing we couldn’t surmount.

Here goes!

Tim Krul 7.5:

Tim is fast becoming yet another top Toon ‘keeper and Toon legend at a young age. He did most things well, well, he didn’t have too much to do! Maybe needs to bark at his retreating defenders a bit to get them into position when facing an attack, as it was a case of players stood waiting for the shot that got Blackburn back into the game with a goal. Not wholly his problem though.

Danny Simpson 7:

Getting better with every game. His only smudge was backing off a bit when Olsson put the cross in for Hoilett to score. Got up the field to support (even in the dying minutes), but got back to defend. Good fitness too.

Fabricio Coloccini 8:

Captain Colo put in yet another imperious display, marshalling the defence, bringing the ball out, keeping it on the ground, picking his passes and keeping a cool head throughout. Top work!

Steven Taylor 8:

Great stuff from Saylor boy, got his head on the ball to assist Ba’s second goal and did his work at the back. He’s really starting to play controlled football under the the wing of Colo. about time!

Ryan Taylor 7:

Doing a great job in an unfamiliar LB slot. Not really being a weak link even though teams have tried. He was guilty of the initial loss of the ball for their goal at about the half way line though, but put in another good shift and deserves some credit. Also, All the best with the birth of your son mate.

Cheik Tiote 8:

Yes! Cheik seems to be back on song after a couple of early bad games. Rarely lost the ball, if he did I didn’t notice it. A top flighted cross for Demba’s third, great to see some deft crosses recently from him. He showed he’s more than just a DM destroyer. Oh! and no yellow, not even close to one. Good lad!

Yohan Cabaye 8:

I love this guy! How many years (games) has he played in the Premier league? Was man-marked, but it still didn’t stop him having an influence on this game. Some sweet passing on show, he really can nail a pass. Just makes the game look easy, hates losing the ball, keeps it simple what more can you say about him so far. Time for a goal, maybe?

Gabriel Obertan 7.5:

Great energy from the lad, it’s not gonna be long before he finds the net. Always gave us an out ball that put the opposition under pressure. Full of running all game. Can’t wait ’til he’s right in the groove, he’s getting there. just needs to hold on and pick the killer ball sometimes. He has skill as well as speed too.

Jonas Gutierrez 7.5:

Had a better second half than fisrt, but like Obertan, gives us an out, wins free kicks cos he’s tricky, helps out defending left with Raylor and always contributed.

Leon Best 8:

Some great CF work by Leon. Holds up play well, has skill and power, bullied defenders. Top strikers cross for Ba’s first, early with pace. On another day would have had a couple himself, maybe snapped at his chances a little. Cementing his place though.

Demba Ba 9.5:

What can you say? A home turf hat-trick! I’m saving half a point back for…a 4 goal game? Showed pace, skill, determination, got on the end of things, upset their defence. Great to see him bed-in and get his goals to games average looking good. He really clicked with Best and looked up for it a got his just desserts. Made up for the lad and his family that flew in from Paris to see him claim his first Premier league triple and signed match ball. Excellent! Man of the match.

Hatem Ben Arfa 7.5:

Didn’t have too much time on the pitch for his home come-back game, but he did a lot with it. Some proper neat skill with vision. Might have scored, but unselfishly tried to set up a team mate late on. Drool!

Sylvain Marveaux 7:

I can’t wait to see this lad get more game time. Pops up all over the pitch, keeps it simple and always carries a threat, Your time will come Sylvain!

Right!

That concludes the ratings for Newcastle v Blackburn.

I feel there’s still plenty to come with this set of players. Everyone of them put in a great shift and didn’t let anyone down. It was a resounding win against a team that’s held a bit of an Indian sign
over us in recent seasons, so it was good to get things turned around. You may think i’ve marked a little on the high side, but i feel that the overall performance was a worthy 8.

What did you think?

How would you rate them?

match report and post match interviews, match facts / stats etc

Howay the Lads!

Newcastle United vs Blackburn Rovers extended highlights


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Comment on this post

28 Responses

  1. Yes, a fantastic peformance all round!
    Raylor & Simpson the weak links on 7! Bloody heck, that’s setting a hight standard!

    HWTL

  3. I was wondering after suggesting we go again for Pieters – havn’t we got a young squad! maybe it’s just a little bit too young, perhaps we should break our rules and get in a steading older Head.
    Some of you might remember the effect Dave McKay had on Derby when Cloughy we getting them going – difficult to find I agree, but Chelski for instance need to off load and Lampard was very upset at being dropped!
    Just a thought.

    HWTL

  4. supermac says:
    September 26, 2011 at 6:08 pm

    “Yes, a fantastic peformance all round!
    Raylor & Simpson the weak links on 7!”

    He only gave Marveaux 7 as well supermac.

    Critical bastad! :-)

  5. Ta lads,
    aye i reckon everyone deserved at least a 7.
    Raylor & Simpson woulda got higher if they hadn’t contributed to their goal cos they were pretty strong other than that.
    It was Simpson that lobbed it in to Saylor’s head for goal 2 as well.

  6. Well according to the experts on the MOTD teams we were playing a very poor Blackburn team, so perhaps the marks should be stepped down several points, say 2 or 3 per player. They really do know what they are talking about, I don’t suppose anyone would disagree with that.

  7. This club just needs cover and maybe some seniority with the back four. Still could use a striker as I have concerns for Ba’s knees. The only class among the others has been relegated to the margins since NUFC seem to have no clue as to how to pull him out of whatever mire he is up to his armpits in.

  8. Grumpy,
    aye, it’s funny that isn’t it?
    When we beat someone, they’re poor (very) if it’s the usual suspects, they were ‘brellyent’ as hansen might say.
    :)
    It could be that a team playing well make the defeated look poor.
    But it’s always a case of not so much a great goal, more, bad defence.
    Can’t have it both ways, Ohwait! They think they can.
    Pundits…shit ’em!

    :lol:

  9. Thanks Clint! I agree that there is still a lot more to come from this team/squad, though I also agree that bringing in Pieters in January is more urgent than a striker. With that having been said, I see no harm in suggesting we need another striker just to keep Best, Ba and co. really hungry for the job. HWTL. And credit, also, to Mr. Pardew. I think he has a big hand in this current success and the general positivity all round.

  10. CLiNT, your’e correct, thats exactly what I was thinking as I was making that tongue in cheek comment. I’m looking forward to Mr Shearer eating his words when (not if) we stay in the top 4 for the rest of the season and us not being a midtable team, patronising git. Sorry if that comment upsets some people.

    I think the team can only get better and we are not in a false position, just hope I havn’t put a jinx on us. ;)

  11. And, I’m waiting to see if Ba’s first goal makes the goal of the month list. It should, but!!!

  12. Paul,
    on the AP comment.
    I reckon he’s got a team that feels like HIS now!
    That’s very important for a manager.
    & the team.

  13. Grumpy,
    that’s an interesting point mate, about the Ba ‘goal of the month’.
    It’s real funny watching a few back track about their predictions, whether it lasts or not.
    :)

  14. If ‘whomever’, fill in the blank, had made that amazing cross that Obertan made with the outside of his boot from the ‘wrong’ side v NForest for Colo to head home…
    Eh?

    ;)

  15. Grumpy Old-Toon says:
    September 26, 2011 at 7:42 pm

    “I’m looking forward to Mr Shearer eating his words when (not if) we stay in the top 4 for the rest of the season and us not being a midtable team, patronising git. Sorry if that comment upsets some people.”

    The Geordie fundamentalist “Al Sheera martyrs brigade” isn’t what it used to be Grumpy.

  16. Worky, don’t get me wrong, I think he was a great player for us and I do appreciate his contribution to the cause. I just think he has got into dodgy company and the smugitis virus has effected him. There is also a hint of talking out one’s *rse syndrome creeping in.

  17. Grumpy Old-Toon says:
    September 26, 2011 at 8:27 pm

    “Worky, don’t get me wrong, I think he was a great player for us and I do appreciate his contribution to the cause.”

    Grumpy, sounds just like me before I start gannin’ on about the other one; the poodle permed one. ;-)

  18. I say complete B@LL S#¥$ to anyone who says we. Have had an easy start to the season… Which teams make the standard for a ”tough start”?? Man u, Man c, Chel. . . 6 out of 38 fixtures are the only tough ones in the premier league??? Bring on Liverfool, Spurs, etc. We were the ONLY premier league team to play a full strength Arsenal side and we still walkd away with a draw. Lost our so. Called most ”important” players and yet after 6 games we still sit in 4th and we still in the cup run… The lads have played brilliantly, as in any game some luck can change everything, we shouldve had 2 more points frm Villa and maybe 1 less from Qpr… Fair trade in myy book!!! But thats how the game goes, always has and always will… So can everyone just stop whining about our ”lucky” and ”easy” starts to the season!!!

  19. Rob,
    indeed mate.
    They don’t like their little predictions biting them on the ass, do they?

    :lol:

  23. Clint @ 12 – Agreed. I think it’s important for both the manager AND the team/squad. The more we see and learn about the current set-up, the more it appears that 12 months ago the club was in the hands of a clique mentality that got us promoted but could never be the recipe for long-term success and progress. Pardew is turning out to be exactly the right man for the job, in my view.

  24. Fookin hell Clint, bit generous with some of these ratings mate, though we did play really well. Not a fan of this .5 thing either, it’s either a 7 or a 8… There is no middle ground :-)

    I think I read Obertan have a 6 in one paper, some of the scores these rags dish out are farcical. I thought Obertan was the best player on the pitch, first-half for sure.

  25. jimbob,
    the .5’s make it outta 20 really, don’t they?
    They also add a little differentiation too.
    Aye, Obertan ran his socks off & was good value for his 7.5, not 7, not 8, 7.bloody 5, right?
    :lol:

    Paul,
    I think you’ve seen inside my head there mate, on the clique thing!
    ;)

  26. Jimbob says:
    September 26, 2011 at 10:33 pm

    “I thought Obertan was the best player on the pitch, first-half for sure.”

    Aye, he was one of the best players Jimbob, but you can’t argue with a hat-trick very often.

  27. Paul,
    on clique’s in the locker room.
    AP has made it clear that he doesn’t want french clique’s developing & that leads one to believe that he wasn’t too enamoured with the old guard english ones that already existed when he arrived.
    Therefore ‘No cliques’ round here, the manager is boss, the players answer to the manager.