A 0-0 result on the night means that Alan Pardew must take his side to Ukraine knowing that anything less that a score draw will mean elimination from the competition.
It could and perhaps should have been a different scenario had it not been for the intervention of the offside flag with Papiss Cisse being denied twice by one harsh and one just plain wrong offside call. With the benefit of those decisions we’d be heading to one of the more hostile grounds in Europe with a two goal advantage although missed chances on the night also prevented us from taking an advantage to Kharkiv next Thursday.
Three changes were made from the side that lost to Tottenham last weekend as Gabriel Obertan replaced the injured and cup-tied Yoan Gouffran, Cheik Tiote replaced James Perch and Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa made his full debut for the club replacing a cup-tied Mathieu Debuchy.
However despite the strong side it took until the 17th minute for United to register their first real effort at goal. Moussa Sissoko rolled the ball to Gabriel Obertan who shot wide of the Leazes End goal.
The visitors weren’t just playing for a draw though and caught United napping when Marlos threaded the ball through for Sosa only for Xavier to get in his way just as he was about to strike the ball leaving Tim Krul with perhaps an easier save than he might have had otherwise.
Moments later came contentious decision number one as Moussa Sissoko was flagged offside before squaring to ball for Papiss Cisse to scramble home even though subsequent replays show the former Toulouse man was played onside by a number of yards by the Metalist left-back.
But again Metalist showed their threat as Xavier got on the end of a cross forcing a fine save from Tim Krul with his headed effort.
Just after the half-hour mark Cisse was again denied, this time by Horyainov in the Metalist goal after Yohan Cabaye played the ball through to the Senegal striker first time leaving Cisse free of the defence. Sissoko then found the Ukrainian ‘keeper equal to his effort after bursting into the box from the left as the first-half drew to a close.
Half-time: Newcastle 0-0 Metalist Kharkiv
Papiss Cisse fired wide after a good first touch early in the second period, while a long-range effort from Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa flew harmlessly over the Gallowgate End goal.
With 20 minutes left Santon crossed for Cisse who again found Horyainov in the Ukraine goal equal to his effort before Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa crossed for Cisse to prod home the ball via the inside of the post only to see that effort denied by the offside flag.
Contentious issue number two but with the benefit of still shots and TV replays Cisse was marginally offside, although how it could have been called in real time with any real degree of accuracy is beyond me. And where is the benefit to the attacker as mentioned in the rulebook? We’re talking a matter of inches here.
Shola Ameobi replaced Cheik Tiote and his knockdown very nearly found the boot of Moussa Sissoko before more frustration for the home side in stoppage time as Horyainov denied Papiss Cisse’s point-blank range diving header after a cross from Davide Santon.
Full-time: Newcastle 0-0 Metalist Kharkiv
I hate blaming officials for results but you can’t get away from the clangers they dropped in this one. If you feel hard done by with the second decision then the first one must leave you searching for words to describe such an error.
It wasn’t just about the offside calls though. Newcastle picked up yellow cards for things which Metalist were getting away with, and whilst I have no qualms about Cheik Tiote’s or Yohan Cabaye’s bookings I feel Moussa Sissoko was hard done by.
Having said that we’re also guilty of missing some glorious chances and should be taking a lead to Ukraine. Unfortunately that isn’t the case and now we have to name a stronger squad than we perhaps would have liked if we are to progress to the Round of 16, which could cause issues for our next “six-pointer” against Southampton just three days later.
On a positive note I’d like to give honourable mentions to Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa and Papiss Cisse. Yanga-Mbiwa played well at right-back and looked both powerful and composed on the ball. He could be a real defensive asset for us although it’s early days as yet. As for Cisse, he was unlucky not to score and did all the right things pretty much but that degree of luck just deserted him when he needed it most. However it was his hold up play and link up play which impressed me the most. A vast improvement from the Senegal hitman.
I noticed some people last night bemoaning tactics and saying that we played poorly. For me that wasn’t the case. We had the bulk of the ball, the bulk of the chances and but for some dire luck we would be taking a lead to Ukraine. We did everything right last night, apart from avoiding some dodgy decisions and encountering a 37-year-old goalkeeper, who was only playing due to injury, in top form.
Howay the lads!
Newcastle: Tim Krul; Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa, Steven Taylor, Fabricio Coloccini, Davide Santon; Cheik Tiote, Yohan Cabaye; Gabriel Obertan, Moussa Sissoko, Jonas Gutierrez; Papiss Cisse
Subs: Rob Elliot, Danny Simpson, Massadio Haidara, Vurnon Anita, James Perch, Sylvain Marveaux, Shola Ameobi
Metalist Kharkiv: Oleksandr Horyainov; Cristian Villagra, Papa Gueye, Marco Torsiglieri, Fininho; Edmar Halovskyi, Juan Manuel Torres; Marlos, Cleiton Xavier, Jose Ernesto Sosa; Jonathan Cristaldo
Subs: Vladimir Disljenkovic, Andriy Berezovchuk, Oleh Shelayev, Sebastian Blanco, Jaja Coelho, Oleh Krasnopyorov, Willian Gomes
Attendance: 30,157
Fifa should investigate this game for potential match fixing 😈 Fifa is a fine upstanding organization and without a shadow of doubt they would come down hard on those responsible for bringing the fine game of football into disrepute. 😆 😆 😆 😆
Aussie Magpie Fan(Quote)
My comments on tactics related only to the introduction of Shola which tends to introduce hoofball.
Groucho(Quote)
I thought we played reasonably well against a team that walked through their group – unlucky with decisions but we could have still won but for a mixture of poor finishing / decent goalkeeping
Sadly if we want to progress we’ll have to play a strong team over in Ukraine, however both Gouffran and Ben Arfa will be back and they could be the game changers we need
stevep(Quote)
Stevep – Gouffran is cup tied and I’ll be amazed if he risks Ben Arfa before Southampton. Maybe of the bench?
seanp(Quote)
Twas a funny old game I don’t think they were as easy as a lot of people were saying they were going to be.
Yes we didn’t play brilliant footie but I think we done enough to win the game, and the bad thing is we will have to send a strong team over next week if we want to get to the last 16, but will we do that or will we sent a weakened side ?
Big Dave(Quote)
v Metalist.
………………………………….. Harper……………………………..
Simpson…………Taylor……….Williamson…………Hardiara
………………………….. Perch…………..Anita………….
Obertan…………………….. Jonas……………………..Marveaux..
……………………………………Shola……………………………………..
v Southampton
………………………………….. Krul……………………………..
Debuchy…………Mbawia………..Collocini…………Santon
………………………….. Titote…………Cabaye………….
Ben Afra…………………..Sissoko…………………Gouffran
…………………………………..Cisse……………………………………..
bit harsh on Saylor, but basic facts, Mbawia looks a better player, and the EL side isn’t a pushover side.
but we need 3 points against Southampton, no ifs/buts. No “they were tired after a long trip to the Ukraine”.
I would also make sure Ranger went out there to the Ukraine too, but ensured his wasn’t a return ticket.
kev(Quote)
pardew says they cannot send the same team as he wont play the PL game with the same playerers he sends out there,wonder how much the linesman got payed for that one 👿
icedog(Quote)
Kev – To be fair Saylor has done nothing to deserve being dropped for a player whose only 90 minutes was at right back for us.
Dont get me wrong, as I said in the article, Mbiwa impressed me but I think it’s premature to pick him over Taylor who is more accustomed to the Premier League.
I can see both Taylor and Colo being rested next Thursday with Mbiwa and Williamson replacing them. Wouldn’t surprise me to see Haidara come in for Santon either.
End of the day if we were going to be going through to the next round it needed sewing up last night. The game against Southampton comes first and rightly so. It’s all well and good people saying that we have the squad to tackle both but that won’t matter next season if we’re in the Championship
toonsy(Quote)
I though Mbiwa looked ok for his first full 90 minutes. Think he’ll be a good signing.
But I didn’t see him have the game that have some people raving about.
He gave the ball away and got caught in possession a few times.
He got muscles off the ball once or twice. He is going to take time to adapt to the Premier League which is a much tougher challenge than Metalist.
JJ(Quote)
Thought Sissoko, Colo and Cabaye were our best players last night.
No surprises there.
JJ(Quote)
Having watched the highlights again, I think the first offside call is disgraceful and the linesman should be banned for life!!. The second one (IMO) IS fractionally offside which really sticks in my throat to say it. But if the decision as the other way round and it was a Metalist forward, I’d be annoyed if it had have stood. At the point when the ball is passed to him the majority of Cisses body is in an offside position.
However for me that is just part of the reason why we are not taking a lead over to Ukraine. The other reason is lack of goal scorers within the squad. I read last night and a couple already this morning, comments questioning why Pardew puts Shola on. Having watched last night and other games recently, it’s abundantly clear that players like Shola, Obertan, Marveaux and Sammi aren’t players who are going to contribute with goals. That for me is so frustrating, coz when you are sat watching the game and Cisse is misfiring or being marked out the game and we have nothing on the bench to make a difference, that’s really starting to do my heed in.
I know Pardew has recruitment of forwards in mind for the summer and that really can’t come quick enough for me like because in my opinion Shola, Ranger, Jonas, Obertan, Marveaux, Sammi and one or two other attacking midfielders and forwards within the ranks at the moment just aren’t good enough.
Sharpy17(Quote)
The attendance last night was very low as well. I wouldn’t have expected a sell out with it being a televised game, but I think around 20k fans missing may also suggest that Europa isn’t the priority to a lot of the fans either – or maybe I’m just reading too much into that.
Sharpy17(Quote)
Sharpy – I thought that prior to the game and im surprised we got 30k but I do wonder if it would have been higher if level 7 was open? Most of the lower part was full
toonsy(Quote)
I know Cisse had a decent game last night but he missed 3 glorious chances. Again. That’s probably about 9-10 in the last few games. If we’re playing with one striker we simply cannot afford that anymore. People say form is temporary etc but they said that about Torres for 3 years and now Carrol for 2. It could get us relegated. I’d drop him for the saints and play Gouffran through the middle.
georgio(Quote)
Didnt see the game or highlights so just going on what I read. Feel bad for Cisse , I think he needs a couple of goals to help re build his confidence and was clearly robbed of one clear goal and unlucky on another. Will fans turn on Cisse for a lack of goals in a few matches?
Johno Toon(Quote)
am i right in thinking the same guys are in charge of the return leg,im not sure on this one but i think its so 😕
icedog(Quote)
Johno – it’s not a matter of turning on him. I really like him and his game is improving but we just can’t afford his misses any more.
georgio(Quote)
i think cisse all round game has improved,the goals will come for him just give the kid time,the team has changed from a few weeks ago so seems to be learning all over again to call for him to be dropped is just silly imo goofy is a good foil for him with his pace and movement his head must drop when he sees shola coming on and whos wouldnt to be honest,we need another striker in the summer
icedog(Quote)
Georgio maybe turning on him his too strong a term but if his two goals stood last night ( which he could of easily had ) then we wouldnt have this discusion about him. Goals win games and he is our main striker so he is going to be expected to get the lion share of goals. Im just saying if he had a bit more luck last night and in a couple of other games he prob would of scored more this season
Johno Toon(Quote)
Yup, got no problem with sending a second string side out, don’t really care and I feel with that level of bad luck/pure bullshit by the officials that some chinese kingpin has a lot of money on Metalist to go through 😉
Too frustrated with it now-besides, other players need to actually play in case they are called on in future-Marv, Anita Mbiwa at CB are obvious, Simmo, Tav, Haidara candidates for full back. Shola or Campbell to lead the line?… 😕 I’d probably take Krul over though..
Newkie(Quote)
Toonsy – aye maybe, but I wonder if level 7 was closed coz there wasn’t the demand there to open it. Was strange like, coz I would have thought maybe 5-10k not too bothered but 20k seems a lot to me.
Georgio – That’s the point I’m trying to make mate. It’s so frustrating that we are depending so heavily on a striker who’s struggling to find the back of the net and all Pardew has behind him is Shola and Ranger. I know we have signed Gouffran but for me we need at least 2 out and out strikers in the summer.
Sharpy17(Quote)
Sharpy
For me Campbell needs to play next Thursday if he’s ever to progress to the first team squad. The club declined loan deals for him which is ridiculous.
Andymag(Quote)
ANDY i was hoping campbell would be on the bench last night,but pardew is in love with ****-heed 👿
icedog(Quote)
I thought Cisse should have done better with the Cabaye through ball that put him 1v1 and his header at the end, where it looked like he could have gone for the volley. That being said he scored two legit goals and they were ruled out, it’s not like every shot is going wide. For me you’ve got to give the second, firstly because of the attacking advantage and there was no way he could be sure, secondly because of the monumental **** up the first time around which he must have realised.
You always know officials try and even it up after they make a ridiculous decision…”two wrongs don’t make a right, blah blah” well that’s what should have happened
Newkie(Quote)
some fans think there striker should score every game,never going to happen for any striker at any club,some should wise up, just bloody daft
icedog(Quote)
Ice-said that a lot, I think we as a club defo put too much pressure our strikers for goals when others should contribute-this is why our set pieces are a joke. If they were good I’ve no doubt we could be in the top half with some more defenders chipping in..
Don’t get it, people want us to have 5 out and out strikers-and play 4-3-3 with one up front and then what, rotate every striker every two weeks because he hasn’t scored enough?
Newkie(Quote)
NEWKIE many times i dont comment as i cant understand some fans views got to be arm-chair fans and never been to a game,i know they still have there views and only right to have one,but dont understand there point at times,or maybe its just me 😕
icedog(Quote)
I was brought up to not give or believe in excuses or explanations. Ifs buts and maybes I don’t care about anymore. ref decisions have been and will always be the bane of footballs fans
HOWEVER
we had enough chances to score 2 or 3 last night; in the final third we lacked, and that was our problem and has been all season (especially now ba has gone)
cant blame referees for where we are in the table or why we couldn’t score last night 🙄
DOITFORSIRBOBBY(Quote)
mbiwa impressed me. was at game last night and we were saying we couldn’t see Simpson playing another game for us.
just need cisse to start firing
DOITFORSIRBOBBY(Quote)
The thing that really annoys me about the offside calls is that the press don’t really give a ****. If it’d been Manure/Arses/Scouse ****** they’d have called for the officials to be hung, drawn and quartered and for a an enquiry into match fixing.
Andymag(Quote)
Doitforsirbobby
I reckon Simpson will play next Thursday at RB, Willo and Mbiwa will play CB and either Fergie or more likely Haidara will play LB. Elliot in Goal with Bigi, Anita and Perch in CM with Obertan and Marveaux in AM/Wing roles with Shola upfront to be replaced by Campbell/Ranger 70min in.
Andymag(Quote)
ANDYMAG 🙂
i dont see the cb’s being rested next week. if you look at the history of our line ups this season you will see colo has played nearly every game when fit in the europa. CB is a position you do not rotate in an important game.
colo and taylor will start with mbiwa at rb and santon at lb. the defence will not change.
its midfield and up front there may be a change or two BUT there will not be and there SHOULDN’T be a wholesale change in the team next week.
i see 3 changes MAX next thursday to the team that played last night
DOITFORSIRBOBBY(Quote)
Andy/Ice – I agree, Campbell has to feature in the next leg and get a few run outs between now and the end of the season or what the point in not loaning him.
I’m not expecting Cisse to score every game or even for us to have like an Adam Le Fondre type player who comes on with 20 mins left and wins a game. But I NEVER think that Shola is going to come on and score us a winning goal, and the same goes when Oba or Marv is brought on. Dare I say it but it would be nice to have a Leon Best or Cameron Jerome type forward who would give their defence something to think about and there’s an outside chance they’ll grab us a goal or at least play a part in one.
When the report came out about us looking to get 7-8 in in the summer I thought that was too many, but now I’m sure we need to be looking at that many, a keeper, a full back, a centre back then the rest attacking midfield and forwards.
Sharpy17(Quote)
Sharpy
I believe that Campbell could solve your second point, granted he’s young and inexperienced but if he’s brought on with twenty minutes to go he can use his pace against tired defenders and potentially nick a goal.
Andymag(Quote)
That’s how shearer, Owen and Rooney developed into such great players and if we don’t start he will be a wasted talent.
Andymag(Quote)
Andy – yeah I agree mate. I think Campbell could well have a similar impact for us that Rooney had for Everton. He’s also a very energetic young player who would track back and help the midfield and defence out if needed. Shola can do a job, but a lot of the time when he’s being sent on, he’s being asked to do a job he’s not capable of..
Sharpy17(Quote)
The officials were poor last night but so were our two wide men, think its time to give Jonas a long rest as he has lost his form altogether and its painful watching him struggle, also his compatriot Collocini is looking very vulnerable at the moment, he has lost a yard of pace, rarely competes in the air for crosses and is generally all over the shop.
But I thought our two new men were excellent and with one or two tweaks we are not far from having a very good team, whether Pardew has the guts to replace his old favourites with the new blood is another thing, I hope he just comes to terms with the fact that certain players have had more than their fair share of chances and dont deserve a starting place.
Robert(Quote)
Donachie on Mbau
He said: “Kevin is a very good prospect. He’s still just 17 and has a lot to do. If he keeps working hard he could have a great future in the game.”
When have we heard that before? Oh yeah every couple of months on various youngsters, 12-18 months on we’ve released them.
Andymag(Quote)
Still seething over last nights decisions ,we was robbed .Poor Cisse must be wondering what he’s done to upset Allah 🙄 . Had his two legit goals been allowed I reckon he would of gotten a hat trick in the end as they would of been chasing the game by then .As it is he nearly had a third but for a great block by they’re keeper at the death. We wern’t in top form but played ok and certainly good enough for a result. Why did the linos not swap over either ,I always thought they were supposed to 😕 . UEFA simply have to look at last nights officiating ,it was incompetent and downright dodgy .We were getting yellows left right and centre for stuff Metalist were getting away with ,one tackle on Sissoko was bad yet never warranted a card 😯 . No there was something very amiss last night and I would like to see it looked into . Late on the ref booked two of they’re players almost to try and even it out I thought. The only positive is the clean sheet as if we can get 1 or 2 at they’re place they then need 2 or 4 so our clean sheet could be massive for us . Don’t think Pards will alter the defence but might start Anita and Marv in the return leg.
KIMTOON(Quote)
Robert
Don’t know what game you were watching but Jonas played really well, good attacking runs, great hold up play and one us at least a dozen freekicks. Granted his crossing was poor but I’m seeing signs of improvement after playing on the right. Colocinni played really well last night too, we kept a clean sheet without much trouble at our goal so how you can complain is beyond me.
Andymag(Quote)
Andy, I say what I see, Taylor for me is holding the centre of defence together and I would like to see Mbwia alongside him, he looks a class act and unlike Collocini, he has a future at the club.
As for Jonas, he is giving the ball away far too often, gets caught in possession with pathetic attempts to buy free kicks and his delivery is non existent, no doubt you will see some good in his play but I dont.
Bet you like Simpson too?
Robert(Quote)
Ice@25 – normally I agree with most of what you have to say. I’m not expecting Cisse to score in every game but if it hadn’t been for his goals last season he’d have been dropped long ago. Far too many misses and points dropped. How many goals this season? 6 in the PL?
I really like the guy and want him to do well but a goal every five games is Shola level.
georgio(Quote)
Robert
Taylor puts his body on the line and I’m a big fan of his but to say he controlled the defence is stupid, Collo was the engineer of a solid defensive display and deserves the credit for it. Jonas’ distribution was poor but he didn’t lose the ball as often as you imply, quite the opposite, he won the ball and kept it, forcing fouls to be made. Whichever way you look at it he played well and shouldn’t be dropped on that performance. Oh and by the way Simpson isn’t top quality but he by no means deserves a lot of the flack people give him.
Andymag(Quote)
In other news
http://www.themag.co.uk/the-mag-articles/sissoko-a-star-on-and-off-the-pitch/
Just like Cabaye, seems like a real professional, going the extra mile, Ranger could learn a thing or two 😕 . Probably wants to be able to do interviews in English for his MOTM awards as soon as possible.
Andymag(Quote)
Well I thought our entire team were better than Metal Crappy and I hope we stuff em in the return ,hopefully the ref won’t be a bent knob .
KIMTOON(Quote)
GEORGIO can you show me the fig where shola has scored 1 in 5 would love to see them 😉
icedog(Quote)
Who are are we going to replace Cisse with? Shola??? hahaha.
Goufran is unjured and he would start out wide anyway.
JJ(Quote)
It’s all very well saying Cisse has only bagged 5 PL goals but he has been stuck out on the right for most of it. He’s got two in the last 6 since Ba went 5 games of which he’s played up front and was directly involved in sissokos goal V Chelsea ,infact his all round game has improved no end. Fact is he’ll never be good enough in the eyes of some folk .
KIMTOON(Quote)
Not worried about Cisse, Hes getting lots of chances which suggests he is getting in the right areas one day soon he will bag 3 0r 4 in a game 🙂
Alex(Quote)
Time to start giving young Campbell some sub appearences instead of Shola or we’ll have another wasted talent on our hands .If you’re good enough you’re old enough and if he has top players around him it will help bring him on.
KIMTOON(Quote)
Georgio I don’t think you need to worry about Cisse getting to the same level as Strolla 😆 Cisse has scored 49 goals in the last 2 +1/2 seasons 😉 Strolla has scored 50 goals in his whole career = 12 + 1/2 season
Big Dave(Quote)
You can’t say Cisse is 1 in 5 yet completely ignore the fact that the bulk of the season he has been shoved out on the wing.
toonsy(Quote)
Alex – And if he does people will just complain about something else. Theyll be the wrong type of goals or something daft like that 🙄
toonsy(Quote)
All I know about Cisse’s recent form because I have seen it with my own eyes is he missed five gilt edge chances against Reading, missed two golden chances against Chelsea and whether he was offside or not at Spuds put a header wide from 8 yards under no pressure from any defenders, failed to convert a one on one with the keeper last night and had a header saved from 10 yards. The common denominator in all this is he is missing chances.
Toby le Rhone(Quote)
If we were to buy another striker, what type of player would it be. The more I see of Cisse I see him being a difficult player to partner. Last season and this season with Ba it didn’t work. Only one of them could find the net not scoring as a partnership. Cisse and Shola doesn’t work.
Toby le Rhone(Quote)
The weirdest decision last night was the booking for Sissoko. The Kharkiv defender lunged at him and the big man didn’t flinch an inch so the defender started rolling around and won a free kick and Sissoko got booked. Very poor refereeing
Toby le Rhone(Quote)
I feel we are missing HarisV as super sub at euro’s that kid just needs to play 20-30min game to be injury free.. but has potential to score goals from nothing. hope Campbell can grab his chances soon and be a local hero in the future.
Max-T-Million(Quote)
Never seen a striker that didn’t miss chances.
premandup(Quote)
TLR @ 55 should we not give Goofy a chance ❓
Big Dave(Quote)
Max – Vuckic is a great shout mate. From what I’ve seen of him when he has been fit, he definately has that goal threat. But as you rightly say, the lad just can’t seem to stay fit, and they’re never short term injuries either. If it came down to it I’d keep him over Gosling tho.
Sharpy17(Quote)
BD
Good shout but i was trying to say we are short of options at the point of our attack. Benny and Goofy either side of a back to form Cisse sounds good but when we get an injury, suspension or loss of form to these three the back up at present in the striking department is putting more pressure on Cabaye and Sissoko to get goals from midfield
Toby le Rhone(Quote)
TLR for me the big problem is getting a good striker that is prepared to be 2nd choice 😕 I have heard people say that we should give Campbell a go , as much as I would love to see him becoming our own no9 I just don’t think he’s anywhere near ready yet, and IMO should be sent out on loan next season, Strolla for me isn’t the answer never has been and never will be, same goes to his bro I can never see him make it as a prem striker, I even doubt he would make it in the championship.
I do know what you are getting at, I just don’t know what we should do about it but I do agree we need someone better to back them up 😕
Big Dave(Quote)
I was more encouraged about Cisse after seeing him last night. He was getting into good positions to score from and can’t be blamed for a poor linesman. A cynical man would say that match was fixed. We do need more striker options though. I just can’t see Shola as even a number 3 striker next season. Time to move on there. If Campbell is not given opportunities he needs to be loaned out and another quality striker brought in. And please not Carroll. It’s the wrong way for the club to go. We need a player with pace to combine with what we already have.
GeordieTwo(Quote)
TLR
An Injury to one of three wouldn’t be a big problem, as long as its not a lengthy lay off then we have cover. If Cissé gets injured Gouffran goes up top with Marv coming in to fill Yoan’s place, the same with other two. Jonas, Obertan and even Sissoko can also play on the wing so it’s not a big deal anymore.
Andymag(Quote)
Andymag with all due respect Obertan is hopeless mate. He can’t cross, he can’t shoot effectively. He gets lost in the corner after lung busing runs. I really hope not to see him again this season. Jonas has been slightly better recently and appears to be getting back in shape but not a great offensive player. I would still agree with TLR, we need another quality forward. If Vuckic can ever stay fit he deserves a chance but will he? One more major injury and he will probably be gone. Gosling appears finished to me. Sammy has been a huge disappointment this season. We still lack depth up front.
GeordieTwo(Quote)
For me Gouffran isn’t a replacement for Ba. He is our first decent winger in ages. Ba hasn’t been replaced and needs to be. Not a player of his type but a quick player who can pass and play with either foot ideally. If we get that to complement Cisse and play with our other great technical attackers we will be much better next season.
GeordieTwo(Quote)
GeordieTwo
…and just where does this new striker play? 433 only has room for one forward
The Kid(Quote)
G2 – I agree about Carroll, I just think he’d be a really expensive one trick pony. He’s really good at what he does but he needs to be at Stoke or stay at WHU coz their style suits him.
Personally I’d like us to sign PEA as the purple forward and someone like Charlie Austin as well. I wish we had signed Jordan Rhodes when we had the chance as I think he’d be great for us right now. I wish we had signed Chris Wood from WBA would went to Leicester for around £1.5-2m and is a little goal machine and only 21.
Sharpy17(Quote)
Kid we don’t have to play 4-3-3. I’m not advocating 4-4-2, we need to be more creative than that. I would like to see 4-2-3-1 for example, especially away from home. Rotate Cisse and the new striker in the man forward position and play the other striker in behind. Use Gouffran and Ben Arfa on the wings. Midfield is Cabaye and Sissoko in a 4-2-3-1 formation. It would work away from home especially with another fast forward. Sharpy, aye mate Carroll just doesn’t offer enough and wouldn’t fit in with what we have now. Plus he’s been spoiled with the huge wage packet.
GeordieTwo(Quote)
The Kid – to be honest, I don’t think that we should only recruit with 4-3-3 in mind. Why not recruit for a 4-3-1-2 formation or a 4-2-3-1 with a striker to play instead of Cisse incase he’s injured or likely off to the ACoN – which will happen. I think we need various coz at the moment we have a predictability about our play.
Sharpy17(Quote)
Lol. Wrong type of goals!!!!!!
Roflcopter!
Maybe if he changes his name to Demba Ba the numpties will be satisfied!!!
He scored twice yesterday. Anybody watching the second goal in real time who can say they could tell he was definitely offside is a liar. If you can’t tell for sure benefit of the doubt goes to the attacker. Simples.
He was a kneecap off side. Not half a yard!!
Pootle(Quote)
Who are all these strikers who score every shot they take?
Sign them up immediately.
Pootle(Quote)
Incidentally if our midfield had been a bit better at crossing and linking upwith Sissoko and Cisse he might have scored a lot more than the two he did score.
Pootle(Quote)
Pootle – whilst I’m happy to agree that the team haven’t created enough, I think it’s letting Cisse off the hook abit. The lad has still had a lot of shots on and off target this season and had been caught offside far too many times for my liking.
I’m not bashing the kid but I’m sure even Cisse would acknowledge that he could have and should have scored more goals this season.
Sharpy17(Quote)
I’m sorry but I find the continued defense of Cisse embarrassing.
Since Ba has gone and Cisse has got the main striker role like everyone has been saying he deserves, he has continued to waste chance after chance.
Why does he constantly shoot at the keeper.
The 2nd goal was offside, like it or lump it.
For the first goal it was Sissoko offside, once he touched the ball. Thats the rules. The linesman was right to call that one too.
Cisse’s scoring record this season is worse than hopeless. He has shown he can do better, so why isn’t he sorting himself out ?
Agree that the supply from the wings isn’t good enough, but he needs to make more of the chances he gets, count.
We aren’t safe in the PL by a long way yet. If he doesn’t start scoring soon, we will be back in Relegation mix.
If we are going with one striker up front, then he has to be ON FORM.
No more excuses please.
Beardsleys Boots(Quote)