The Bull: 58% of fans' vote.Newcastle United’s manager, Chris Hughton has been singing the praises of left-back, Jose Enrique, who has been voted as the fan’s “Player of the Month” for the second time in a row.
Agreeing with the judgement of the supporters, Hughton, a full back himself in his playing days, told nufc tv:
“The award is thoroughly deserved and he’s a player in very, very good form at the moment.”
“Defensively he is very strong, but he’s also built up a good relationship with Jonas Gutierrez down that left flank.
“We’re delighted with his performances this season and he has shown what a quality player he is.”
Meanwhile, Jose himself commented on the award: (more…)
The bull wants reinforcements!On another slow Newcastle United news day, Jose Enrique has urged the club to capitalise on the fantastic start to the season by adding the extra players needed to give us the best shot at finishing the promotion job off.
It appears Jose is fearful of the fact that losing too many players could jeopardize the Toon’s lead at the top of the table. The former Spain Under-21 international added:
“We need new players, some have already gone.”
“We’ve got a good squad, but when people go then we need to get replacements.”
I’m sure Enrique would be alluding to the likes of Marlon Harewood and Zhurab Khizanishvilli who have both returned to their original clubs. It does seem though that Jose is remaining generally upbeat about the manager’s chances of bringing in the required players. He added:
“I am sure that Chris has this situation already in hand – if he wants my recommendations I hear that Lionel Messi and Ronaldo would be great signings!”
“It’s a big club with a lot of fans and we’re a good bet for promotion.”(more…)
Thou shalt not pass!Two months (and a bit) on from the last review, with the transfer window looming, I thought it might be worth having another look at how the players are doing. With off-field sagas taking a backseat for now, the focus is thankfully on the pitch and given our recent blip, does it add significance to the opportunity to invest this month?
We’re just about halfway through our first season in The Championship since our untimely relegation, and as we sit proudly at the top of the table, it goes some way to proving the quality and endeavour that we have available in the squad.
There is still that underlying fear that our position owes much to the lack of quality elsewhere in the league, an argument which holds some water. Much of our good start to the season is undoubtedly owed to a tremendous defensive record, which was something surely none of us expected.
For what it’s worth here’s my own term review of the keepers and defenders. I’ve only included the lads who have played at least a couple of games so far and I’ve just added to my initial review from back in October. (more…)
Strong...like bull?Not surprisingly, Jose “The Bull” Enrique, will collect the Newcastle United Player of the Month Award for November, when we face Boro on Sunday. And there’s hardly been a more derserving winner in a long while, despite the efforts of some of our more genuine ‘heroes’ of late.
Undeniably one of our better Spanish imports in recent years when compared to Marcelino and Xisco, Enrique has continued to progress since his arrival and quickly become a firm favourite amongst the fans. Despite some initial concerns about his weight (i.e. he was a little on the heavy side) and what that meant for his movement, and the fact that he has hearts in mouths at times at the back, he’s quickly become one of our most effective players. And this season he has improved ten-fold in terms of fitness and overall influence on games.
That fact is all the more impressive considering he’s doing it from left-back, and he combines defensive duties with the ability to get at the opposition from deep positions brilliantly. In fact, he’s arguably one of our better attackers, as he worries their defence as much as, if not more, than anybody in the team with the ball at his feet. Occasionally, he can try to be too clever in keeping the ball in tight areas, particularly in our third, but normally his ability, strength and pace get him out of trouble. (more…)
Toon didn't need the Hassell!How very dare they! With their short arms and deep pockets, those tight Yorkshire gets refused to give us three points and Barnsley 2 Newcastle United 2, was probably as fair a result as we deserved in the end. Backed by a minibus short of 7,000 fans, it was set up for and Newcastle were probably expecting, a perfect return. As it happens, apart from a spell in the first half, Barnsley were more than good for their point and battered us for spells. And this time we couldn’t sneak a win, though we came very close and it took a last gasp equaliser to spoil all of the black and white fun.
With roughly 7,000 fans spilling down the A1 and from various parts of the country, there was promise of a special day out and as the masses gathered behind the North Stand (and West Stand) in the bright wintery sunshine, the mood was vibrant. Hughton made several changes to the team that played against Coventry, as Ryan Taylor game in for Danny Simpson, while Kevin Nolan and Andy Carroll (a surprise inclusion) replaced Peter Lovenkrands and Shola Amoeobi. The formation began as a 4-5-1 with Nolan playing mostly as a second striker but as the game progressed he dropped deeper. (more…)
