Cheick Tiote - The impressive Ivorian.Whilst the vast majority of the headlines and adulation may have been directed at Hatem Ben Arfa over the weekend, we mustn’t forget the role that some of our other players played in the victory at Goodison Park on Saturday.
It is correct that Ben Arfa should recieve some praise for the way he played during his full debut. His goal was fantastic and some of his play was exceptional, but how did the other debutant of the day get on?
Very well by all accounts, and if I was Alan Smith I would be quite concerned over how I was going to get back in the team after the way that Cheick Tiote performed on Saturday. The Ivory Coast international looked every inch the accomplished Premier League player on his debut and went about his work exceptionally well. I hope that is a flavour of what is to come from Tiote. (more…)
Hatem Ben Arfa - A full debut goal from the Frenchman.Well that was certainly unexpected. Not so much the performance as they have been fine in the main so far this season, but the result most definately had a hint of unexpectancy surrounding it.
The reality is that Newcastle deserved their win despite Everton looking below-par. They deserved to take the three points back to Tyneside this evening and the 2,500 travelling fans deserved to have something to cheer about for their efforts – Once again they were magnificent.
Much debate was had before the match regarding the team selection and whether or not Chris Hughton would ring a few changes. It’s his job to make tough decisions, and that is what he did today by handing both Cheick Tiote and Hatem Ben Arfa their full debuts in the black and white stripes at the expense of Alan Smith and Jonas Gutierrez. It was a decision that ultimately paid dividends. (more…)
