Newcastle host QPR tonight and it is probably fair to say that, after defeat to Oxford at the weekend, and a failure to make a transfer during the whole of the January window, anything less than a comfortable home win could well be a huge cause for concern.
However, Newcastle netted six last time the teams met, in the reverse fixture at Loftus Road and Daryl Murphy, Jonjo Shelvey, Matt Ritchie, and a few others should be back in the team tonight.
The bench should look a lot stronger too, with Mo Diame and Chancel Mbemba back from the African Cup of Nations.
So, while nothing less than a win will do, any other result at this stage, looks highly unlikely.
With most of the absentees from the weekend set to be recalled, what could the team be tonight?
After a terrible performance at the weekend, I think that everyone would like to see wholesale changes. Personally, I would like to see the team look like this:
GK: Karl Darlow
RB: DeAndre Yedlin
RCB: Jamaal Lascelles (c)
LCB: Ciaran Clark
LB: Paul Dummett
CM: Chancel Mbemba
CM: Jonjo Shelvey
RW: Matt Ritchie
CAM: Mo Diame
LW: Yoan Gouffran
ST: Daryl Murphy
If we do fail to go up it is a massive error. 5 LIVE said 2 games back that no team with ours and Brightons points at the start of January had failed to go up. I reckon Jabba heard that and thought job done. 🙄
kimtoon(Quote)
if we play like last night v Derby we will get beat. QPR were poor but we invite trouble with sloppy play / missed chances.
Anita is much better than yedlin. Yedlin is good getting forward, fast and direct but a bit careless with his passing..a bit weak as a defender..
Could be 2 defeats in 2 from our next games.
we looked so disjointed yesterday..
Totally agree with bring Arma back, Murphy was poor last night. Perez needs to find his form, 2 golden chances fluffed
Gashley(Quote)
what winds me up about the transfer window is the lack of loan players.
Fair enough, keep your powder dry instead of blowing it on Cleverly etc but surely a couple of loan players would of made a difference.
There must be a few fringe players at some decent clubs we could of shown interest in?
Gashley(Quote)
Mark Douglas @MsiDouglas · 10h
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Here’s the problem for #nufc ATM. The four teams around them are all in better form. Need to send a statement on Saturday…
Form table
1st Brighton
2nd Leeds
3rdHuddersfield
4th Cardiff
5th Reading
6th QPR
7th Newcastle
8th Norwich
9th Fulham
10th Wolves
Based on last 6 games
kimtoon(Quote)
to me it shows how badly Rafa wanted two players when he has to bring on a player like sammy,Rafa now saying hes really upset in not getting any players in,imo this lot not good enough to get the job done,fans at the game saying Perez should never play again for the toon he was that bad
icedog(Quote)
Yet again another clear example of Ashley not having the faintest clue about the dynamics of a football club. The window has deflated the whole club. We need a win on Saturday or it’s definitely squeaky bun time…
Stuart79(Quote)
its that time already i reckon, are you watching the match Sat?
Gashley(Quote)
No, I’m on a stag do. Don’t reckon I missed much last night to be honest either.
Stuart79(Quote)
QPR were quicker and more determined than us all over the field. In the first half the number of times Lascelles(Mbemba should play), Hayden (Mbemba should play), Gouffran lost possession was embarrasing. Clark should have been taken off. Very disappointing.
georgio(Quote)
Perez, Lascelles,Yedlin really poor last night and too many missed chances to go ahead again. Having said that their keeper made 3 or 4 class saves and on another night we’d of won 3 or 4.1
All the same we need to drastically up our efforts, too many going through the motions last night.
Need Anita back at RB asap imo and drop Lascelles for mbemba too.
Site playing up taking ages to type this .
Andy, I am getting security alerts pop up when I’m on here asking if I want to proceed or not. Says it cannot verify integrity of the site ! Any idea what that’s all about and is anyone else getting security alerts ?
kimtoon(Quote)
Miles Starforth @milesstarforth · 2h2 hours ago
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Rafa Benitez ‘doesn’t know’ what happened at Newcastle on deadline day.
Why on earth not ? worrying if true.
kimtoon(Quote)
Not me Kim, this time anyway.
See the local media building up the Rafa/Ashley/Carr situation again. Rafa is understandably disappointed with the window but it appears loans were all we were after. Palace and Everton were not interested.
Another banana on the way on Saturday? The team that finished looked our best to me, without Gayle, but I really don’t understand the Mbemba thing.
georgio(Quote)
ive had it a few times,normally when i comment
icedog(Quote)
Ice, yes and when I refresh sometimes too mate.
kimtoon(Quote)
That last post took a while to load too.
Going back to Rafa and deadline day again. I was just thinking about the post that Keith Downie at sky posted . He said he was all ready to announce the deal was reached when told the goalpost had suddenly been moved. That was at 4pm. Maybe this was Fat Sam deciding he wanted to keep Andros after all. He was getting players in before a deal was reached so no longer needed to sell him. Just a thought like, plus maybe he just enjoyed pissing us about. There’s no love lost between fat sam and toon or Rafa for that matter.
kimtoon(Quote)
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35% of the league goals we’ve conceded this season have come in the last 5 minutes of either half. #NUFC
kimtoon(Quote)
new thread up
https://www.nufcblog.co.uk/2017/02/02/rafa-seems-very-unhappy-have-our-worst-fears-been-realised/
kimtoon(Quote)