Could Woodman stake his claim at Bournemouth?

All or nothing for Woodman
All or nothing for Woodman
It’s a simple question really. Should Freddie Woodman be put in goal for the game at Dean Court next next weekend?

Injuries to Rob Elliot, Karl Darlow and a season-ending injury to Tim Krul have brought about this question, which is staggering considering that Woodman is effectively our fourth choice goalkeeping option.

But there is an alternative in the form of an emergency loan which is a rare but not completely unheard of deal. The normal reaction when thinking of an emergency loan is to look at transfer dealings and point the finger at them. While that may be true in a number of positions at United, it would normally be enough to have three goalkeepers with first-team experience on the books. Only at Newcastle do you find those three players injured all at the same time.

I honestly can’t see us delving into the loan market for this one no matter how dire it may look. There has been no update on Elliot yet as the injury is still being assessed and Karl Darlow isn’t far away from returning. With an international break coming up after the Bournemouth match and a two week gap before our next game, it’s likely we’ll have one, if not two, goalkeepers back for the visit of Leicester.

Which I guess makes my title question redundant as it’s now pretty much nailed on that Woodman will be put in goal at Bournemouth.

So then do you alter our game to protect the young goalkeeper as much as possible? If you were the opposition manager you’d want to test an 18-year-old as much as possible so do we shift focus towards protecting him at the expense perhaps of craving out scoring opportunities, which we’re actually quite good at. Not so good at scoring them though…

There’s lots of questions regarding this and I’m sure a lot of it will become clearer as time goes on. Could it be a case of getting through this game and assessing things again in the international break? Could Woodman replicate what our very own Tim Krul did in Palermo all those years ago?

Time will tell…

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.

185 thoughts on “Could Woodman stake his claim at Bournemouth?

  1. Troy If Eric made Mike Ashley leave the club I bet you be waiting on the new owner to be even worse so you can blame Eric 🙂

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  2. You wait until Pardew gets Palace into Europe and then there be in the relegation places like us. He over achieved the season we finished 5th but the fan’s want that every year. Same with Robson after getting us in the champions league.

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  3. From The Chronicle:

    “And explaining the extent of Elliot’s injury, Simpson said: “He had a slight thigh strain, it was assessed as a grade one, not something really serious. He’s had the same injury previously.

    “We will look at him in training on Wednesday then go from there.”

    He was out for Fkin 8 months last time he had the same injury!!!! He was taken off at half time in the Chelsea game when he had the same injury. Then Alnwick played **** for about 8 games when he had the same injury.

    I hope they know what they are doing. They better have one of the full backs take the goal kicks if Elliot plays.

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  4. Wahey! Toonsy writing again. Good stuff. One of these days I might read the comments.

    So, to add a contribution for the last few threads.

    Yes, I think the football is better. It couldn’t really get worse could it? Shame about the results, but if you play better than the opposition surely the results will come. Let’s just hope it happens starting this weekend.

    The goalkeeper stuff is frustrating. Injuries in general with NUFC are frustrating. Every season we seem to have a crisis. And didn’t we have goalkeeper issues last season – or was it the one before that?

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  5. Leaders thrashed and the pelaton closes in.

    1 Alestars 25
    2 Born Winner FC 24
    3 Newbriscastle Roar 22
    4 Balotellitubbies 21
    5 Puff Puff Pass 21
    6 Dubai Toon United 21
    7 Joshua 21
    8 Macas Pony and Trap 20

    At the bottom, Aussie Mags pips Inter Yasista in the last minute. CCFC cut adrift, but at least they are trying (sort of). Dem Warriors look to be the latest team to give up, the manager poking out his tongue, stamping his feet, spitting his dummy and saying **** you, guys, If I’m not winning I’m not playing. Boo hoo. And these people think they are adults (reminds of the crackpots who think they are realists)

    17 Inter Yasista 10
    18 Shteves Shcitty 9
    19 Aussie Mags 9
    20 CC FC 3

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  6. Actually, NUFC have shocked me and given an update on Aarons. Paul Simpson said:

    “It was a really innocuous challenge on Rolando Aarons on Friday morning. He tried to go past somebody in training and he just got caught and Rolando picked up this ankle injury. We didn’t think it was a bad one, we thought just a case of get him off and let it settle down.

    “But after a scan it is showing that he has some quite serious damage in the ankle, so we are going to miss him for a period of time. Not going to speculate how long but certainly more than a couple of weeks.”

    The bad news is that it sounds like he is f@cked and can join his Pal Sreven Taylor on the treatment table again. They should be becoming really good friends in the physio room.

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  7. Stem
    I expect Palace will drop to their rightful place within a season or so which is hovering in or about the relegation zone. I’m sure he’ll do a decent job though given the resources he’s got. He did at the toon.
    I expect us to have changed our manager again well before Pardew leaves Palace.

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  8. We’ve already had 2 managers since Pards left us in 7th place.
    It will be 3 very soon by the way we are playing. That’s because the club has the wrong policies, still.

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  9. Keep blaming the managers boys. One day you’ll see its Ashley. The fact he appointed Pardew, allowed Carver to temp for so long, then McClaren, in the first place tells you his lack of ambition.
    The fact he puts his trust to run the club with casino managers, quack ex football managers, and now an ex club secretary who has worked his way up from being tea boy.
    He can throw £50m at these people and they will continue to make the wrong choices.
    I’ve been saying it since 2010.
    Most are now catching on but ultimately most continue to lump the blame at the managers door and avoiding the real issue.
    Change Pardew you all cried. Change Carver you all cried. Soon it will be change McClaren you’ll all cry.
    You should change your cries and focus on Ashley. Cos til he changes the situation won’t.

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  10. Stuart
    I know you are now going to the games but I’m lost why. I foolishly went the first game of the season because I thought Ashley might have seen the light spending £50m.
    I quickly got my senses together and realised nothing has changed at all. He is going to waste his cash with the likes of Charnley managing his money.

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  11. Stoke was my first game of the season and Bournemouth is more of a weekend away with the football just happening to be there.

    There’s not a particular interest in attending games to be honest which is disappointing but looking at attendances it appears many more have lost interest too.

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  12. makes me laugh when i see people say that they thought ashley had changed because he spent 50 mill,have they forgot he spent close to that the season before.

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  13. Hitman:
    Just beat me to it.
    Hope he stays there for the whole season, but would like to see him given a chance next year. Looks a real talent.

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  14. What a tw#t jabba is he’s now trying to get King the Rangers boss jailed for letting his little secrets out about his contracts he has with Rangers,now selling beanie hats with his name on it (King) in not nice terms,what a ****

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  15. Hitman/Yewyew – I’d have him back now never mind Jan. The kid’s a clinical striker. For those that say leave him on loan there’s plenty of players on loan learning nothing. Harry Kane went on loan several times and did nothing like Arma’s 12 in 14 games. If he wasn’t ours we’d bid for him in Jan!

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  16. Troy – you’re right it’s down to Ashley, but he openly admitted that he stepped back and allowed the running of the club to be carried out by the board. I’m not shifting the blame from Ashley, but Charnley & Carr should get a mention too. I fancy it was their decision to install Carver & wait for McClaren, and Carver has said that the summer signings were already sorted before Mc came in.

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  17. Georgio:
    The fact he’s doing so well is the very reason I’d personally choose to leave him there for the season.
    Don’t get me wrong, I fully understand your view point too, and can’t say I’d be disappointed to see him the stripes this year, but the longer term benefits of him continuing this development tangent outweigh that desire for me.
    If we’re still in the bottom 3 and struggling to convert chances come end of Jan I’d likely alter my stance, but for some reason I still feel we’ll pull ourselves away a little by then.

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  18. Regarding Armaz, I think we should let him continue his development. I’d be happier if he was banging the goals in in the championship instead.
    Where he’s at at the moment is a big difference to the PL. I’m encouraged by the fact he scores goals for whoever he’s playing for – ie our reserves, England U19 and now Coventry. But Chopra was a goalscorer too until he got to the PL.
    We are already pinning our goal scoring hopes on 2 young forwards in Mitrovic & Perez – I’d sooner we went and got a Charlie Austin in Jan rather than bring Armaz back.

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  19. That’sthe key point, Sharpy – missing out on Austin might save a couple of million on the asking price, but had we got him in we would most likely be sevral points better off – it wuld have made up for the loss of Mitro to suspension, for a start. I’d go so far as to say the decision to walk away from the Austin deal has already cost us 6-8 points (with a decent forward, we’d have beaten Watford, with better conversion, we’d have beaten Stoke and the mackems. We’re not good – and Troy is right to say too open – but we’re also 2-3 players away from being safely mid-table, and a CF like Austin is one of those players.

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  20. Fair point about Chopra but I still think Arma’s a class above that. His finishing is unbelievably good. Pardew said a year ago he was the best finisher at the club. He got one thing right there.
    There’s no blasting the ball with Arma. Everything is low and placed in the corner.
    He’s viewed all over as the best young english striker coming through.
    ~With 12 goals in 14 games what else has he got to prove or learn at Coventry?

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  21. GTE – we should have got Austin instead of Thauvin IMO. I take on board what Eric says about Thauvin and that he hasn’t had much time to prove himself yet. But is he really any better than Cabella?
    For me the Thauvin swap with Cabella was down to Carr. Carr has been a fan of Thauvins for some time now, and I don’t believe Mc had enough time to judge Cabella and say wanted that swap. Actually what I’ve heard is that Mc wanted Austin and Carr forced the Thauvin deal instead.
    I think Austin alongside Mitrovic would have been a much better partnership and took some of the pressure off the lad. Perez could played with a bit of freedom behind them with Colback/Gini and Sissoko making up a 3 man midfield behind him.

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  22. Georgio – I’m not writing Armaz off by any means mate, I’m just saying we shouldn’t rush him. I think he’s far better than Chopra & Adam Campbell who was the last big prospect coming through.
    I just think we need someone proven to help us out in Jan, then bring back Armaz in the summer and look at him again. It could be we loan him out the start of next season to a Championship side. If he’s still banging them in, then bring him back next Jan and use the 2nd half of next season introducing him to PL first team footy.

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  23. Yes there are improvements in the style of play compared to messrs Pardew and Carver.
    My concern was there is no point getting the pitchforks out yet until giving it a few weeks to see if results improve.
    That being said it wouldn’t surprise me if Bournemouth take us to the cleaners
    as bad as they are come 12.45 pm Saturday.

    What you have to ask yourself is all the stats like how much possession we have had, Shots on goal etc over the last few weeks typical Ashley Propaganda ?
    We all know it is a results business and we do not have them to back up our point of view.
    It’s all well and good having 70% possession but what good is it if you do not win the game ?

    Sunderland’s fans have been laughing their stones off over our latest comments over this very thing so do they have a point ?
    Are we again buying into Mike Ashley’s “Mug’s Paradise” of how he wants fans to see things.
    I mean Newcastle United now seem to play everywhere apart from the pitch with a spreadsheet being their real success story.
    It should be the mantra of the club : “We’re Newcastle United, We might be rubbish on the pitch but we will murder you in terms of bank balance.”
    One of the recent protests being an open top bus parade around the city displaying the champions of the balance sheet !

    Is this latest point of view further manipulation into getting the fans to now think that just because we might improve or get a result that is now an even lower expectation.
    Lee Ryder and their hacks at The Chronic are beating this drum for all it is worth but in reality what is it really worth ?
    Has it got so desperate under Ashley that now the expectation is we might win a match sometime ?

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  24. No positive learning curve with Ashley. He just plods along with the same plan. Anyway I’m interested to see how we’ll play away vs. Bournemouth. If they are patient and defend well they will eventually catch us on the break. Our job will be to get Mitro loose in their defense. I don’t think they can stand up to him.

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  25. Sharpy
    If you read my posts I blamed Ashley for appointing the promoted tea boy to run the club. Ashley really is clueless. The tea boy will waste his money.

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  26. GTE
    @173
    You say we are 2 or 3 players away from a mid table side. That’s about £20m.
    So are all the club’s around us and all have the same resources.

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  27. We will need to defend well away from home. I hope Steve is working on that. It’s time to get the points we need to get out of the bottom 3. Sunderland and Villa should both lose against Southampton and Man City.

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  28. Once again our transfer strategy lies in tatters. Short term thinking at its best courtesy of Mr Ashley and Charnley.

    Come May, how many places will not signing an additional striker have cost us? At £1m a place I reckon it’s a fair bet to say that it will be a negative figure.

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  29. Troy, for sure. The major problem with the whole Ashley ‘business model’ is that many more clubs can offer big fees and wages, and most clubs will offer bigger fees and wages than we will. As the new TV money keeps omn kicking in, our transfer model will keep on getting left further behind. My point re 2-3 players was to counter the idea that we are dreadful throughout the squad and are doomed. Many clubs have spent and wasted a load of money, and there are signs that SMc and the coaches are getting through to the players to develop a different style, which can be more effective. It’s the penny-rich, pound-poor thing that gets on my tits, as even with the limitations of the current squad, getting Austin in would most likely have seen us (low) mid-table already. For the record, so that ypu and others can shout me down, I belive that we will gradually climb to the heady heights of 13th or 14th.

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  30. Troy – yeah I was agreeing with and expanding on your point mate. I thought Carr warranted a mention too though.
    I don’t think anyone can figure Ashley out, and I’d imagine we would all have questions for him. But my main one to a billionaire business man who be why on earth would you leave one of your biggest assests in the hands of anyone other than the best possible person for the job?! – a job that wasn’t even advertised!.

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  31. Sharpy – Ashley puts loyalty above all else. He promotes from within in most of his businesses. It’s cheap and also they know the business. He doesn’t do ‘best people for the job’ He has a ‘pound for pound’ mantra that has seen him do very well. The only surprise is that for a brilliant businessman he hasn’t realised that it doesn’t work in football. Or maybe it does for him as he sees PL as a success, whether finishing 5th or 16th.

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