Game On! West Brom v Newcastle

Game on at The Hawthorns
Game on at The Hawthorns
An away day at West Brom is on the agenda this afternoon as Newcastle United look to banish the memories of their poor showing in the Tyne-Wear derby last weekend.

The Baggies are sitting comfortably in the top half of the table and whilst a stab at qualification for the Europa League may seem a long shot they need to win to keep any outside hopes of clinching a place in continental competition for next season.

Having recently bowed out of the Europa League, United are looking for the points for altogether different reasons. Relegation is the main concern these days and the quicker we can manage to get the points required to stay up the quicker we can turn our attention to perhaps trying to sneak into the top half of the table just in time for the season to end.

Let’s not get too ahead of ourselves though. As things stand our destiny is in our own hands but a helping hand wouldn’t go amiss. This is why the rest of the fixtures today provide an interesting backdrop to our game today. Those fixtures are as follows:

Fulham v Arsenal
Norwich v Reading
QPR v Stoke
Sunderland v Everton
Swansea v Southampton
West Ham v Wigan

All of those fixtures involve at least one team that are in and around us currently. It’s tight, very tight, and looking at the West Ham fixture demonstrates just how tight it could be. A Wigan win would mean we are just one point above them in the table assuming we lose, whilst a Wigan win will see us draw level with West Ham on points should we win. The other team not mentioned in that, Aston Villa, visit Manchester United on Monday evening.

For a bit more background on the match itself including news on the injury front for both sides, a history of the fixture, some facts and stats and a rather depressing ‘final thought’, why not have a look at my match preview if you haven’t already done so? You can view it by clicking here.

The game itself, being a 3pm kick-off, is not being shown live here in the UK although it is scheduled for broadcast on plenty of channels overseas. Only 3,000 (approximately) fans will be able to make it inside the ground today so plenty of people will need access to streams. This is the part where we all help each other out by leaving links to streams in the ‘comments’ section below.

Team news will be added in below by either myself or Big Dave. I’m currently off having a picnic with the wife and boy but I may well be back in time to add the team news in myself. If I’m not then Big Dave will ride to the rescue and fill my boots once more.

That’s about it to be honest. I’m not feeling confident at all, I just hope that the players show more urgency, passion and commitment than they showed last week which in fairness won’t be hard to achieve.

Howay the lads!

West Brom: Ben Foster; Billy Jones, Gareth McAuley, Jonas Olsson, Goran Popov; Graham Dorrans, Claudio Yacob, James Morrison, Chris Brunt; Marc-Antione Fortune, Romelu Lukaku

Subs: Boaz Myhill, Kemar Roofe, Markus Rosenberg, Steven Reid, Shane Long, Liam Ridgewell, Jerome Thomas

Newcastle: Rob Elliot; Mathieu Debuchy, Steven Taylor, Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa, Massadio Haidara; James Perch, Yohan Cabaye; Yoan Gouffran, Moussa Sissoko, Jonas Gutierrez; Papiss Cisse

Subs: Steve Harper, Mike Williamson, Vurnon Anita, Dan Gosling, Hatem Ben Arfa, Adam Campbell, Shola Ameobi

About toonsy

A lifelong Newcastle fan and current webmaster of this very 'blog who has the sole aim of creating a place by Newcastle United fans, for Newcastle United fans.

542 thoughts on “Game On! West Brom v Newcastle

  1. B&B@447…have you been on the gargle big man ? What and who is this pish aimed at , or maybe you are just communicating your point badly. I feel this site is far removed from a “feel good site”… and why does anyone feel the need to “hold other posters to account and pursue them” ? I would also imagine other posters would have something to say about your reference to “inane banter”… 🙄 There again, if you stay awake most nights sticking pins into a Big Dave doll and getting wound up then that is no fun at all for you, not good at all…

    If you are delivering some sort of epitaph then so be it. If you’re not sufficiently laid back enough to enjoy a bit of banter then it’s a pity for you. Maybe you can learn something from what this blog has to offer ? 😉 I’d be sorry to see the communicative B&B who puts forward decent arguments disappear. The other B&B who writes whole page vindictives of proving who said what and why is better off under the High Level Bridge with his Big Dave doll and a Tesco’s bag full of knitting needles 🙁

    “I do feel that you’ve got to bide your time to post anti-pardew comments because this site is, on balance, a feel good site. Trying to hold other posters to account and pursuing them isn’t appreciated. Inane banter is much preferred. Unfortunately, I’m not sufficiently laid back enough to go that way, even though I do, for the most part, appreciate so much of the banter and find it a great laugh. ”

    Chill out big man, and get over it…you have some good points to make.. stick with it 😉

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  2. Munich @ 442 I know. I honestly don’t know how it gets there. Doesn’t everyone else go mad when they’re misrepresented in order to be sent up? I do. Fire in the belly!

    Come the second half, I’d soon given up. It was deja vu! Benny got, what, 15 mins? What’s he expected to do? I said to the bloke next to me that I hadn’t seen him get a touch. How does that happen?

    There is something very badly wrong with that club. What an abysmal away record! Am I right in thinking Sunderland won at Everton?

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  3. mr munick. ..if there an another coach much better mentality and intelligency. ..newcastle win 10x times this games…i agree with you for 1frst half performance and poor **** second…the hba probleme is an enigmatik case. ..the best brilliant player who is fit and extra full fit..just look at in him training seances. is on the bench and banned by mr genius pards…need help for undrstand that…

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  4. Santii
    April 19, 2013 at 20:16

    Dreading tomorrow i hope we set up to take the game to them and not sit back soak up all the pressure. I find it hard to predict a win these days. We can’t seem to score more than 1 a game and always seem to concede. I am going to go for a 1-1

    My Prediction from yesterday 😀 I think i will pat myself on the back for getting that spot on 😀 😀 Shame we should of destroyed them though.

    B&B don’t let the YES men get you down 😀 😀

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  5. Munich @ 451 Don’t get me wrong. This is a very good site where you can say what you want without too much grief.

    It’s like life. I’ve sometimes been accused of being negative. I always see my so called “negativity” as being “positivity”. I identify what’s wrong in the hope of putting it right. In life, lots of people just see it as being negative. It doesn’t help the team. You must be behind the team until the fat lady sings. That was kind of the theme of a recent article. I don’t buy it.

    What was Pardew’s excuse today? Or does he think he doesn’t need one?

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  6. B&B@452, I can understand you going radgie sometimes, this season has been a bad one and we are all suffering because of it. 🙁 Maybe you should just get your guitar out directly after the games so you can channel your frustration elsewhere ?

    Have you ever considered because of the length of your postings and the change of tact which often occurs, then there may be a chance that you could be misunderstood and hence you get the feeling of being misrepresented ? There again, maybe you are being misrepresented…I’m just giving another angle on things… 🙂

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  7. Santii I hope you put a few of your hard earned sheckles on that 1-1 prediction ? 😉

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  8. B&B@457, there is no doubting where you stand regarding Pardew, we all know that. He is not your choice as manager at NUFC and you would like to see the back of him.
    I don’t think that’s being a negger, your just being a realist and that’s just your opinion, and is backed up by a few people on here who have a similar opinion.
    I am also a total negger since the last few months, due to various reasons, basically cos I’m fed up hearing the manager churning out the same old codswallop without standing up and taking responsibilty for his teams performances. Unfortunately that is the fickle nature of fans when it comes to football management. When the team plays badly then the fans have every right to voice their opinions. It doesn’t mean that we don’t love the toon..

    I wonder what will be said if Pardew wins the next 4 games ? 😉

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  9. As for the “inane banter” comment, it usually comes from those who criticise others and have bot all to say themselves, and I mean bot all. They carp about people who have an opinion, and have absolutely nothing of any interest to say. I’m not levelling that at Dave or Stardy who are quite the opposite.

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  10. B&B, by the way, there is another blog not far from here where you would feel right at home with the rest of the Pardew bashers 😉

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  11. Munich,

    If Pardew can win the remaining games – my criticism changes from Pardew isn’t up to it to “why can’t he do this more consistantly?”.

    Seriously – are people still saying Hughton could not have taken us forward? What has Pardew done he couldn’t?

    Maybe I am still sickened by the Hughton sacking and have an unfair gripe on Pardew’s seemingly underhanded job appointment but I honestly do not see any progression or step forward in the 3 years he has been here.

    I don’t get what he brings – I swear the high points are when the players forget his plans and play the way they naturally do. It’s always individual moments of magic, rarely ever any TEAM achievements.

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  12. The more I watch the toons goal today, the more I’m overwhelmed by the movement and beauty of the play building up to the goal. Brilliant movement by Cisse, a peach of a ball threaded through a ruck of players by Cabaye, a splendid whipped in cross from Cisse, and a great glancing header from that short **** Gouffran who toward above that lanky Swedish gadgie with the Björn Borg 70’s head band.

    Wish we could have more of that 🙂

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  13. B+B lets get one thing straight and out of the way, I am not in the huff, sulking, hiding, running scared etc etc I just couldn’t be bothered in getting into all this **** again as it gets real boring for me and I know it gets the same for others having to scroll past it.
    I think that you must think that I am out to try to get you and if you slip up I will hang you out to dry and make a c@nt out of you ? if that is what you think your miles away as I am not into that sort of ****, I have respecct for 90% of people on here and their right to have an opinion even if it’s miles away from what I believe. Yeah I have had plenty of debates on here which I enjoy aslong as they don’t start personal abuse ( name calling etc ) because I expect to be treated the sameway I treat others, But what I like about most on here is that if they do get something wrong they will hold their hands up and admit it and we move on, as I have done myself a couple of times even apologising once or twice.
    You started ranting and raving at me the other day that I always dodge your questions so I asked what they were so you give me a list to which I answered them even numbering them, but you didn’t even acknowledge the answer and just started with more questions ? so I just didn’t bother, then I said to someone about you believing that we would get relegated so next thing your on again ranting and raving saying I was misrepresenting you, so I put a few of your comments on which made me and others believe that that is what you were saying, put as I said when I put them on I knew you would say that that wasn’t what you were trying to say off course then you came back on denying it and saying that I was mis representing you again. so I just declared myself out as I was pissed of with it all.
    I love a bit of banter and craic as I have found some of the ones on this blog to be cracking Lads and yeah I wind up some but I would hope that they all know that there is a line I won’t cross and I will never try to belittle anyone or call their intelligence into question etc>
    I could be wrong but I get the feeling with you that you believe i’m trying to catch you out when I ask you for the name of a manager after you said their would be hundreds that would take the job, I am asking you because I am genuinely interested in the type of manager that you think we could get not to try to mock you ( unless you mention the Special One).
    So please chill out and stop trying to fish for me as I can see a hook from a mile away if you want me call me I don’t bite.
    I just hope this clears a few things up

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  14. Stardy if your about I thing B+B has a soft spot for you,

    MM you seem to be having a bit of a smoothing effect tonight me old bean, have you been to the beer tent ?

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  15. Munich @ 458 “Have you ever considered because of the length of your postings and the change of tact which often occurs, then there may be a chance that you could be misunderstood …”

    My long posts are those that are trying to pin people down. You say because of the change of tack which often occurs. I don’t see any change of tack other than one that is fully explained. For example, I thought in mid January we were in serious danger of getting relegated after the sale of Ba, but after Ashley’s big bail out of Pardew I thought that only an imbecile of a manager could contrive to get us relegated. Is that not straightforward enough? Why does someone say in mid April that I firmly believe Pardew will take us down? The whole thing could be dealt with immediately but it’s like stapling water to a tree. Is that my fault?

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  16. munich465-Aye it was a canny goal, almost Dortmund like you could say..

    Oh wait, is that inane banter? ****.

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  17. Big D, aye I went for a couple of swallies and a missing link before the game to calm my nerves, but it didn’t help much cos I’m still peeved after that second half performance. Still, we’re one point closer to safety, it’s like watching a Rocky film where we’re rolling on the ropes just waiting for the final bell 🙁

    I just wanted to bring B&B back from the edge though, cos he’s a canny lad and the blog would be worse off without him. Though I’m sure Workyticket would welcome him with open arms 🙂

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  18. Ice @ 488 I am 100% sure there is loads of better managers but I really hand on heart dont see Mr Ashley getting rid of Pards or getting a better manager in, maybe i’m just mentally scarred but all I can see is if Pards walks away that we will see JFK back I don’t want to go there, but as I said if we could get a better manager in I would come over to run Pards home and collect the new guy.

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  19. MM @ 471 yeah I thought you might have been on the wine gums. Yeah mate the 2nd half was ***** and I really can’t understand why we had to see Strolla coming on when we needed a goal.
    As for B+B your all heart but your right that he would be welcomed on the darkside, but then he would miss us too much

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  20. Newkie, what do you reckon, cracking goal from the toon eh ?

    Watch out mate, you’ll have the blog polizei on your case, just cut out this inane banter 😉

    btw watched Hannover 1 FC Bayern 6 today, man oh man, now THAT is football. Brilliant, a steamroller of a team, all 22 of them, each player interchangeable… brilliant.

    There….my favourite to replace Pardew….Jupp Heynckes 🙂 aint gonna happen though…

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  21. Big D….get the production of those “B&B is innocent” teeshirts ramped up 🙂

    doh…more inane banter …now I know what he was on about 🙁

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  22. Dave @ 466 Despite what you say that you’re not running scared etc, that is the way it looks to me. At the very point we get to the crucial moment, you’re off. Everything on this blog is written down. There can be no hiding. Instead of admitting that you had misrepresented me, you dug out four quotes the other day to declare my position. Two of them were from a window in mid January after the sale of Ba and before the big bailout, the other two were from March, one was irrelevant and the other actually supported my position. You have ignored all my posts since. You have not commented on my defence that showed my changed position. Most people who wanted Pardew sacked at that time, and I wasn’t one of them, were prepared to take the pressure off. That is when you bowed out.

    As you’re one of the most opinionated on this blog, and that is a good thing, I simply want you to be clear about where you stand because I find your positons to be contradictory. To defend myself, I ask you the simplest of questions such as “So do you want Jabba out?” “You don’t think Pardew’s the right man so who would you replace him with?” but you won’t answer. Of course, if you do, you know you’re laying yourself open to the same mockery that you have used against me relentlessly.

    This really is nothing personal as far as I’m concerned. It’s about mockery and misrepresenttion and trying to set it straight. I don’t mind mockery, I just dont’ like the running away and the misrepresentation. I note you say you’ve answered all my questions, but I either haven’t seen that or I don’t think that your posts have in fact answered them. Just answer the two questions above, why can’t you?

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  23. @MM

    I think i got banned as well i think they were being racist to some one on this blog and a few of us went over to represent and defend our blog compatriot 😀 In fact now i think of it it might have been you they were being asholes too 😀

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  24. “I blame the 20 meters between Anichebe and the nearest Everton player every time Howard, Distin and Johnny H hoofed the ball out of defence “…. it looks like Everton were trying this trick today against the makkems then.? 😆
    At least we know what to expect when that legendary David Moyes arrives at the toon… 🙂

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  25. Santii@481 now that you mention it I remember that too 🙂

    Cannot remember it being a racist thing though because I’m actually from the toon. Maybe they were having a pop at me because of the German thing ?

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  26. Anyway, back to football… what happened second half?

    What were Pards’ excuses for our being weary legged second half? Europa Cup?

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  27. B+B maybe you don’t mean it but it really grates on me when people say I am running away from things as if I am afraid, I have never run away from anything or anyone in my life. and I can assure you I have seen some real **** things in my life that I wouldn’t wish on anyone but I have never run away.
    As for laying myself open to Mockery I spent almost a decade of my life in the army so was well used to that and being an apprentice tattooist there was no other job that I know of that gives you as much mockery or dogs abuse.
    And you say at the crucial moment i’m off ? I can’t spend my life on here some days I work until 9-9.30pm and only get on here for a couple of minutes, then at nights when i’m of i am on here while im drawing designs and sometimes I have spent a couple of hrs drawing before I realise I was in a conversation

    But just to please you 1 last time
    1 do I want Jabba out = if we could get a Bill gates type guy in I would go for that but I really don’t see it happening, So the best I can hope for is that Jabba will continue to learn from he has after he admitted he fuked the summer window up.
    2 who would I replace him with = well thats a harder one because I don’t think there is anyone yet that would take the job, but if I had the choice of anyone in the world I would have KK back in a flash but maybe thats the old romantic in me. or I would even give Martin Jol a go and I know he is not that well thought of but I think he is a decent manager, as I also thought Roy Hodgson was a good club manager.
    So over to you B+B if you don’t like the answers I have give you then there is nowt more I can or will do

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  28. MM-It’s an absolute joke the bayern board basically sacked him for Pep. Kinda want bayern to win the CL just for the hilarity.

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  29. Newkie, agree 100% mate. He is going to win every domestic honour this year, and won’t be too far away from the Champs League either…
    There again, the croutons at FC Bayern sacked Felix Magath after back to back doubles 🙂

    Was watching the FC Bayern game today and the fans were pissing and moaning after a couple of wayward passes. God knows what they would think watching that shower of shoyt that we have turned out this season 🙂

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  30. Santii-Was he? I guess that would make sense then… 😆

    Be interesting to see how Pep does, a lot to live up to certainly..

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  31. MM-Aye, that’s what I meant before. No matter how good a side is, fans will never always be happy because their expectations adjust to that standard.

    Well, we might be able to win them over with the highlights of our season.

    So that’s uh, todays goal….and that wraps it up.

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  32. Feels like it’s takeing forever to reach 39/40 points If we’d won last week we’d be there already (rolls eyes ). Trouble is I really can’t see anymore on the horizon ,Dippers/suarez no ,Hmmers /nolan carroll no,QPR that man Remy poss 1 point but maybe none if confidence fooked by then ,Arsenal nope. Oh dear best rely on everyone else fooking up then.(red face). Bloody emoticons it’s getting silly now.

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  33. Yeah i am pretty positive he is retiring.

    Pep has a lot to prove like. I hope he does well but i like Dortmund better and their coach is pure class so i hope they win the league next year.

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  34. The people haveing the emotes problems what internet browser are you using (IE, Firefox or Chrome)?

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  35. Santi ,I’m getting it on all browsers ,it’s a fairly new PC too ,was ok until a couple of weeks ago. I can sometimes get it to work but when I try to repost it won’t work ,very strange.

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  36. Ice the emotes are picking on you ,me and B&B , it’s us 3 mainly I think can’t get them to work.

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  37. Kim i don’t know then it only seems to be happening to a few people so i thought maybe it was something to do with the browser they were using.

    I’m on Firefox and mine are fine. Ice have you tried them on any other browser?

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  38. Big Dave @ 491 That’s all I’ve been asking. I ask a couple of questions and you have given me the answers. You’ve given me so much more information there than ever you have before.

    It’s not that I don’t like the answers. Rather they tell me such a lot, and I hope you don’t mind if I press you further in the coming days. Not because I want an argument, but because you’re my biggest critic, and a strange fish, because despite expressing yourself frequently, I don’t fully know where you stand. I see contradictions everywhere and I just want to pin you down.

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  39. SANTII ive have used IE as well no diff,ime with KIM they are picking on us,anyway the only one i would be useing would be SAD at the mo

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  40. B&B Fury was getting a hiding before that KO like he is lucky the heavyweight division is so **** these days.

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  41. Funky 😆 get it off your chest lad…

    Would definitely take Kone, strong, pretty quick and good with the ball at his feet, can pick out a pass, would defo compliment Cisse and would be able to lead the line himself in case of injury.

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  42. I see the scum got away without a penalty. Shearer talking ***** saying it wasn’t like…don’t curry favour with the mackems man!

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  43. That was a hard-earned point. I’d have taken a draw before the game, but this one now seems like a loss after wins for Stoke and 5under1and. It looks like we’ll need 40 points after all.

    As for the game, well, the first half was ours because we pressed better than them. Our football wasn’t particularly inspiring, though. In the second half the roles were reversed. Again the football wasn’t much good – from either side.

    Again everything about the Toon was decidedly ordinary (although I think Debuchy stood out). The players seems incapable of passing the ball, finding space, and keeping possession for anything more than a few seconds, and the manager seems incapable of making any significant change to influence the game.

    If we survive this season, it’ll be because other teams are worse than us. There really needs to be some changes implemented before next season. Presuming we stay up and keep most of our ‘stars’ (and I use the term loosely) I think Ashley should consider doing something with the coaching staff – they appar to be a talentless bunch with little vision. We need somebody who is on the cutting edge of football coaching.

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  44. Bris-Agreed, the coaching needs a massive overhaul imo. It’s always nice to have local blokes like Stone but I do wonder…how capable are they..?

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  45. It’s a deeper issue. Our coaches would work well if we still had the likes of Carroll, Nolan, Barton and the British team that got promoted/stayed up. Now we’ve got a European team and the coaches do not work with these players.

    Also – we’ve got about 6 coaches at the entire team, from school team to senior team. It’s farcical. Man Utd have more physios than we have background coaching staff.

    We need more coaches, not necessarily to replace what we have.

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  46. Thank **** the bbc guy at least said the perch tackle was fine, those commentators did my head in

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  47. Newkie aye i know i thought it looked a perfect challenge like. Then i heard them idiots earlier say it was a stonewall pen. I thought these guys must be ex west brom players 😀

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  48. Just I dont understand why journalist never asked Pardew this 2 questions?
    Why use Shola as first sub, when this guy doesnt play football, he just here to fight with the ref
    Why Jonas always here? He was completely **** against Sunderland? **** again today? but plays 2 games completely. Benny at 10% fit is 20 times better than Jonas.
    For the guys like @Solano who say jonas was ok? Just tell me what he brings to the team. We never see him when we create a chances of goal.
    Lot of goals we concede come from our leftside. When he has a good ball to go forward, he just stop and goes backward. He doesnt know how to cross a ball, how to make a dangerous pass, how to beat an opponent.

    Gouffran and i m not a big fan of gouffran but since he is here looks 10 times more dangerous than him.
    Workrate is not enough to play a guy all season all the games, i m sorry. For a winger you need to have some talent. Or we bring some guys from athletism.

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  49. Funky-Aye, true, no need to sack em just get some more in, assuming there is a certainty and a collective aim to our approach-we don’t want different coaches teaching different things about the place. To me its just a bit more of Ashley trimming the expenditure “oh this guy, we can promote him and he’ll take slightly higher wages…promote him again, yep that should work…now leave them to it!”

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  50. Cant believe Pardew said we were brilliant any wonder we are so **** if he thinks that is brilliant…..

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