Looking and feeling a little rusty in the middle?Yesterday’s review of the current squad, took a look at the Newcastle defence, an area that this season we’ve been surprisingly strong in, given our poor reputation in recent years.
Tonight looks at arguably the fulcrum of a successful team, the midfield, the place that could and should control a game and dictate the style of play. That doesn’t bode well for our side at the moment because arguably, we have a midfield full of players who are very similar and lack pace. Therefore, the pace is often pedestrian and the game often goes stale.
Looking at the current crop, it really makes you pine for some of our former midfielders who have graced the hallowed St James’ turf in the last couple of decades. Reminisce about the grace of French wingers David Ginola and Laurent Robert. Recall the guts, determination and drive of Robert Lee and Gary Speed. Consider the guile we had in Emre, albeit fleetingly, and the sheer brilliance of Nobby Solano. Even having pure pace ala James Milner, Keith Gillespie to worry the opposition. You can even look at some of the less popular characters. We would kill for the pace of Kieron Dyer and dare I say, I could forgive Jermaine Jenas. Possibly even Damien Duff is a big miss? Maybe that’s stretching it…..
Anyway, that was the past, what about the present? – (more…)
Crucial goalWell what a miserable bloody night…..stuck in a pub where I could only just about see and hear the game in the first half and where the locals seem to treat the bar as a place to lounge rather than a place to buy a drink. I was already hacked off before the game kicked off. And of course my mood didn’t improve with the events that followed.
The law of averages suggested that our luck was due to run out sooner or later again, and that when playing badly, some team at some point would take advantage. That team was Nottingham Forest. Of course it didn’t help that our, surprisingly, solid defensive start to the season was shattered with the news that both Steven Taylor and Coloccini would be missing. Really, of all the recent admissions I’ve made over things I’ve said which I never thought I’d say, to say that I never thought we’d miss Colo is right up there with the corkers……
But it’s a fact, he’s settled in a unit and has looked half decent at this level so missing both him and the combative Taylor was sure to spell trouble. Particularly when Forest came into this game with some decent form and two strikers proving to be a handful. However that aside, staying with the word ‘average’, does the whole set-up still not smack of something distinctly average? (more…)
Caught in the hailThe only reason I’m posting this article is because I read three articles in succession about somebody ‘hailing’ something at Newcastle United.
What is it with all this hail?
First up there’s the Chronicle’s Marlon Harewood hails buoyant Newcastle. This is basically about how Hitman Harewood’s preconceptions about the Toon were rapidly disproved when he join us on loan.
He can be forgiven for thinking we were a club in disarray given events of the last 12 months but now he says we’re not the ‘crisis club’ he first thought we were. Harewood said:
“I haven’t seen anything bad here, just a really good set of professionals.
“They went down and they were upset about it, but I haven’t seen any evidence of last season.
“They have a job to do now and that is to get back in the Premier League – that’s all I have seen.” (more…)
Sing in the cheap seats!You could be excused for forgetting there was a football match going ahead this afternoon. After the findings of the arbitration yesterday, all the talk has been of last summer and deliberation over whether everyone is happy with the outcome of ‘the affair’. Well I took full advantage of my dodgy knee and got to another game this season.
I’d decided for this game, partly due to circumstance and partly through choice, to get tickets in the Leazes Corner and as we stepped out of Central Station and the sun shone, the wind seemed to help to blow away the cobwebs of the protracted tribunal. My thoughts being that Keegan had been vindicated and with every day that passed and every victory notched we could step closer to a sale and moving on.
A quick one in O’Neills and some banter with Bristol City fans, most of whom declared they’d be happy with a draw, and we were off to Tilleys before picking up the tickets. After another couple in Tilleys, we navigated the pre-paid ticket queues without too much hassle and headed to the turnstile. Two or three hundered steps later we were out amongst the fans. (more…)
Toon v QPR. Kick off 7:45PMNewcastle United have a great opportunity to extend their lead at the top of the table but QPR will make for stiff opposition.
The three teams below us failed to win last night. West Brom suffered a surprise defeat by Barnsley, Preston lost at home to Reading and Middlesbrough lost at home to Leicester. Charmed results as far we’re concerned and if we can capitalise on them and get the win tonight we’ll go 5 points clear at the top of the table.
QPR are sitting in the middle of the table on 13 points but they have two games in hand over most of the teams above them and a win tonight would see them up amongst the play-off positions, so they have everything to play for.
QPR have only lost once in the league this season, which was away to Bristol City. They’ve notched up draws against Blackpool (H), Plymouth (A), Forest (H) and Peterborough (H) and wins against Scunthorpe (A), Cardiff (A) and Barnsley (H). (more…)
