The booking he picked up on Saturday was his 14th of the season, which is a poor disciplinary record in my view. One more caution in these final two games and Cheik will be forced to sit out another three games which can carry over to the start of next season, which leaves us with a bit of a dilemma.
What do you do? Do you rest him so he starts next season with a clean slate? Or do you play him with the hope of finishing higher up the table this season?
I’ve read a few opinions on this to be honest and so far it’s 50/50, which is understandable as even Alan Pardew is unsure whether or not to risk Tiote in the final two games. When asked about leaving Tiote out, Pardew responded with:
“I will have to consider it. He would miss three games at the beginning of next season and he is very important to the team.”
“I have to look at Manchester United and Chelsea and our result at Chelsea could be critical. I have to do what is right for football and play my best team so I have a really tough call. I have a commitment, not just to this club, to field my strongest team so it will me an emotional pull for me and the club. We will have to sit down and talk it through.”
Thing is, Tiote is not a dirty player. The majority of his tackles are well-timed but he seems to carry some aggression which needs tempered. Then again, if you start doing that then you end up changing the game of the player. It’s a tough call.
As I’ve said before though, can you really do without a player for near on 20% of the season? Not just any players, but one of our better players? What Tiote needs to focus on are his silly bookings. If he can cut them out then he’d be fine.
I genuinely don’t know what to suggest here. The cynical side of me is thinking that we should play him against Chelsea and if he gets booked, try and get him to get another booking and the resultant red card which would mean only a one game ban. But that’s cheating so I couldn’t possibly suggest that!
[poll id=”14″]
I’d rest him – job done for this season and a 3 match ban at the start of next season would hinder us getting off to a decent start.
3hourswasted(Quote)
Defiantly rest him, we know he will get booked at least once before the end of the season if he played and we want our strongest XI for the start of next season.
Mainly because that’s only time we get everyone fit 😆
dan4toon(Quote)
For all his strengths, we’d be wise to rest him for the last two games of this season thus ensuring a clean slate for the start of next.
In the meantime, he needs to be worked on to enable him to add some fine tuning to his interventions. There’s no malice in there and he aint a dirty player but his bookings do stack up and as players wise up and start making a meal of his tackles, they’ll make sure he gets more – unless he’s a little less clumsy!
lesh(Quote)
totally agree 3hours , we play chelsea next why dont we start sum of the yungins and kuqi?? airey , richardson , ferguson , kuqi etc shud all have a run out , why not!! we beat them last time with our 2nd team lol
Army69(Quote)
dan where u find that pic of ben arfa mate? hes like the terminator haha
Army69(Quote)
another thing , how the hell do you put a pic up? everytym i try 2 it says failed? have u got 2 make your pic smaller or something?
Army69(Quote)
I voted rest-but I’m tempted to agree with you Toonsy in that we could play him against Chelsea and if he picks up a yellow then try and get him sent off…If we’re losing then its no loss to go to 10 men, if we’re actually holding then we could get him to go hell for leather in the last 10/5min to break up play properly. Thing is I really want him for the start of next season, and I just can;t see him getting through the next two games without picking up at least one yellow. Perhaps we should just rest him, push Barton into the middle with both him and Nolan attempting to be ball winners, and then have Jonas on the right and fergie on the left
NewkieBrown(Quote)
Fergie onthe left wing is worth a shout newkie
AndrewT(Quote)
play him. it wont be our problem anyway – he’s gone in the summer – we’ll settle for a cheaper alternative 🙁
tattyheed(Quote)
Army, a can’t remember now mate, a think a just searched his name into Google and that came up
To add a picture you have to create an account on http://www.gravatar.com/ and then add your email then add the picture you want and crop it to your fit 🙂
dan4toon(Quote)
@Army69 – I’m having the exact same problem! Even signed up to gravatar but it doesn’t seem to be finding the picture from there either! Would love to hear the solution from anyone reading!??
@Toonsy – I agree that we should just play him. Who knows who we will have in the new season and who knows if NUFC intend on keeping him or selling him!
Jamie Vincente(Quote)
Ah – managed it! Schoolboy error of having the wrong email address on Gravatar!
Jamie Vincente(Quote)
Slight flaw in the get him sent off plan….what if he gets a yellow right at the end of the game? 😉
Fergie on the left, Jonas on the right, Barton and Nolan in the centre. Nowt wrong with that MF for me and would be happy going into the last 2 games like that 😀
richietoon(Quote)
Richie, that would be the obvious thing but you know it would be;
R.Taylor Barton Nolan Jonas 😉
dan4toon(Quote)
Rest him, playing him would be foolish – let him have his holidays now and make sure he is ready for pre season and avalible for the first game of next season!
AndrewNUFC(Quote)
Richie-then we get him to plough anyone on the pitch, whether they have the ball or not 😀
Aye, makes sense to give Fergie some full run outs too tbh, with all the Enrique speculation.
NewkieBrown(Quote)
Dan…..that would just be the four if Toonsy was manager 😆
richietoon(Quote)
Newkie….or just get him to give Kuqi a slap 😯 😆
richietoon(Quote)
Taylor has already scored at Chelsea. he should play on sunday 😉 😉
Jobey07(Quote)
Rest Tiote for next season.
We have excellent cover in Smudger or could move Barton inside and play any two from Jonas, Raylor and Fergie.
What are the thoughts of rewarding the young guns who were on the bench on saturday, Donaldson and Tavernier with a start in one of the last two games.
Shoala’s brother Sammy took part in the warm up on Saturday and for those who didn’t see him the great news is he is as good as his brorther.
Toby le Rhone(Quote)
Raylor 👿
toonsy(Quote)
Richie 😆
dan4toon(Quote)
And just where. Tattyhead is he off to in the summer?
If you’ve been reading about Spers interest that’s dead in the water for a number of reasons:
1 – Mr Integrity Rednapp got the small matter of a trial due soon and HMRC are surely determined to ‘ave ‘im banged to rights;
2 – Levy, the Spers chairman’s said that the trial could affect his continued employent at Sperz;
3 – Levy’s said that their squad’s to be trimmed if they dont’t qualify for the champs league;
4 – ‘Arry boy seems to have a different view;
5 – Rednapp’s said that if they sell players without his say so, he’ll walk.
So, Sperz’ wheeler-dealer (that’s being polite) aint really in a position to be doing any business for a little while and may even be planning to manage Ingerland from inside Durham!
😈 😈 😈 ➡
lesh(Quote)
Richie, if Tiote slapped the big man he’d be out for a season, Tiote might be ard, but Shefki has a bodyslam to match Harper’s Elbow drop
NewkieBrown(Quote)
alreet lads
Army69(Quote)
Lesh – he’s mates with big name players at big name clubs (on the continent as well). Once he gets together on international duty or whatever – he’ll get tapped. That’s how it happens. Dont get me wrong – i like the lad – but i just dont get the ‘cult figure’ he seems to have cut. I’d rather have David batty in my dream team – he was a liability as well but more focussed than Tiotte 😈
tattyheed(Quote)
Rest him. And blood some youth for the final games.
Ryan(Quote)
Newkie 😆
richietoon(Quote)
I’d say after the horrendous upbringing Kuqi had to deal with and the fact most of his family was killed in civil wars, he has managed to look after himself.
Kuqi is like the happiest, friendliest man in the world that you know it is a bad idea to mess with.
funkyjesus(Quote)
y
Army69(Quote)
Don’t play him – its not worth risking a three match ban.
seanp(Quote)
It’s really not worth playing him. Cuz even if he’s safe, we could still get a random bogus call from a ref that would give him a yellow. It’s just not worth any of the trouble. Barton and Nolan in the center with fergie on the left and Jonas on the right would be great to see.
Really hope raylor doesn’t start
AndrewT(Quote)
play our 2nd team , dont risk playing our top players 2 b injured or banned
Army69(Quote)
http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11661_6923548,00.html? if he sed this it looks like he could stay 😕
batty(Quote)
Interesting Batty…I don’t mind either way now, so long as he doesn’t attempt to run his contract down.
NewkieBrown(Quote)
I think things have now evolved to the point where Enrique staying may be a bad thing.
He is going to turn into one of those long term “will he leave?” stories that appear every transfer window, like Torres was for Liverpool for about a year.
It’s going to cause disharmony if he stays and the other players think he is only here because he hasn’t had a good enough offer yet. They’ll feel used. It doesn’t help his BBC interview said it was difficult for him to adjust from playing with Mark Viduka and Michael Owen to James Perch and Mike Williamson.
I’d be annoyed if I was Williamson or Perch, it’s disrespectful.
funkyjesus(Quote)
What I would definately do is give Ranger and Ferguson two full games. Airey a run out and no I wouldn’t play Tiote.
However, in the final game of the season I would play our strongest side, because that one is very winnable and it could potentiall get us three places higher on the log.
JJ(Quote)
Interesting batty…
Someone on another site is claiming Bayern are in for the Benfica LB and that Taiwo is rumoured to be going to Milan. Certainbly lessens the suitors for Jose though I still fear Lpool are targeting him.
MDS(Quote)
batty,
I take it your car passed it’s dodgy MOT ❓ 😉
TonyGreenSupreme(Quote)
If Tiote doesn’t play, I ‘d love to see Barton in the DM role. Now that we’re safe, might as well see what Jonas can do on the right.
Ranger-Loven
Fergie-Nolan-Barton-Jonas
Enrique-Taylor-Collo-Simpson
MDS(Quote)
Mds, I agree with that line up. Hell for the Chelsea game why not just start shefki and see what happens lol
I think that we’re all inagreement that tiote should not start against Chelsea.
AndrewT(Quote)
MDS @ 40,
I would go with that, but we all know that AP will play Raylor on the right flank. 😉
TonyGreenSupreme(Quote)
On the Jose front, I couldn’t help but get that boyish sense of optimistic hope as I read the headline about him being happy with the squad.
Who knows? He may end up staying after all.
We could still use appropriate back up for him though
AndrewT(Quote)
toonsy,
Are you sleeping alright mate? Just I’ve noticed that your posting comments regularly at 5am. 😯
TonyGreenSupreme(Quote)
I still think we might go down if we get complacent! 😥
Bobby Shinton number 9(Quote)
TGS – It’s the fallout from being a night worker for years 😉
Nah, I get up early and set the blog up for the day. Schedule articles, write articles if I have none done etc. Then I go to work 🙂
toonsy(Quote)