The victory shouldn’t mask what was really an awful performance and also shouldn’t detract from the fact that West Brom did enough to deserve at least a share of the points on offer.
Mind you, I’m not overly fussed about what the opposition deserve or didn’t deserve. At the end of the day we got the three points thanks to a huge slice of fortune, which we haven’t really had this season. However I can still be critical even after victory and there are lots of areas that need improvement after this match. Once again we were poor in most areas of the pitch and something needs to change if we are to go on a run good results and push ourselves up the league.
Newcastle were the first to garner an effort on goal. Shola Ameobi found space on the inside left and fired in a cross for Demba Ba who headed narrowly over. It was a peach of a cross and Ba should have done a bit better with his chance.
Davide Santon was next to go close when he controlled the ball from a cleared corner and struck a low curling effort towards goal from fully 30-yards on to see Ben Foster on hand to palm away his drive for another corner.
However it was far from all Newcastle and West Brom managed to create their own chances. Graham Dorrans broke free from a Newcastle corner and started off a counter-attack. He fed the ball to Romelu Lukaku who forced a fine save from Tim Krul to deny the Belgian international.
Shola Ameobi fired high and wide on 32 minutes after some good work from Hatem Ben Arfa, but just three minutes he had a hand in the opening goal, flicking the ball on from a Tim Krul kick for Demba Ba who volleyed home past Ben Foster. Gareth McAuley probably should have done better but Ba was ideally placed to score his seventh goal in nine league starts.
The Baggies had the final chance of the half though, with Romelu Lukaku once again forcing a fine stop from Tim Krul. Barely deserved, he hosts went in at half-time with a slender advantage, and with signs that West Brom still posed a threat.
Half-time: Newcastle 1-0 West Brom
After a slow start to the second period those signs of life from West Brom came to the fore and they found themselves level. Zoltna Gera found space on the left and crossed for Lukaku who ghosted in between Davide Santon and Fabricio Coloccini to nod the visitors deservedly level.
The visitors continued to press and frustrate Newcastle and could have gone ahead through any one of three chances that fell the way of Markus Rosenborg although the Swede was unable to make the most of them.
Newcastle tried to carve out a winning goal but with so many players putting in lacklustre displays they were unable to find that killer pass or stumble upon that bit of luck that would see them grab a winner.
That was until it all seemed to late of course. With pretty much the final seconds of four minutes of added time being played Sammy Ameobi tried a speculative effort from 25-yards. I have no idea if it was on target or not but to me it didn’t look like it was going to be, until the ball ricocheted off Papiss Cisse into the Gallowgate net leaving Ben Foster with no chance of making the save.
That goal ended a goal drought for Cisse, who had failed to score a Premier League goal since the victory away at Stamford Bridge last season. Perhaps that was the bit of luck that he, and indeed Newcastle, needed?
Full-time: Newcastle 2-1 West Brom
Don’t let the win fool you. Most people won’t of course, but all I’m saying is that we got off lightly today. Yes sometimes you need a bit of luck and today we got that, but it’s the performance that was the most alarming thing about today.
Nothing seemed to work and nobody seemed to play with any urgency. That’s not to take anything away from West Brom who stifled us for the most part, but we really need to improve if we are going to kick on this season.
Howay the lads!
Newcastle: Tim Krul, Danny Simpson, Mike Williamson, Fabricio Coloccini, Davide Santon, Hatem Ben Arfa, Yohan Cabaye, James Perch, Jonas Gutierrez, Demba Ba, Shola Ameobi
Subs: Steve Harper, Steven Taylor, Shane Ferguson, Vurnon Anita, Gabriel Obertan, Sammy Ameobi, Papiss Cisse.
West Brom: Ben Foster, Gabriel Tamas, Gareth McAuley, Jonas Olsson, Liam Ridgewell, Youssouf Mulumbu, James Morrison, Peter Odemwingie, Zoltan Gera, Graham Dorrans, Romelu Lukaku.
Subs: Luke Daniels, Gonzalo Jara Reyes, Goran Popov, Yassine El Ghanassy, Markus Rosenberg, Shane Long, Marc-Antoine Fortune
Attendance: 49,731
That’s why he invented them, to make his life easier…and hence he became known as old father time 😆
richietoon(Quote)
Rich 😆 😆
Aussie Magpie Fan(Quote)
“Newcastle United have beat several Premier League teams to sign Toulouse midfielder Moussa Sissoko.”
This true?
JJ(Quote)
We desperately need a dynamic attacking midfielder in the middle of the park.
Unfortunately Cabaye simply isn’t this type of player. He is a defensive tenacious defensive midfielder who has a good pass. His movement however is very poor.
Jonas is very much the same. Tenacious and hardworking in defense. He brings the ball out well but then once past the halfway line his movement and passing is terrible.
Perch is a good tackler and ball winner, but again once past the halfway line his is terrible.
Tiote is probably the best of the lot as a defensive midfieler but is far too often suspended or sitting on a yellow card.
I’m still not sure what Anita offers yet.
We simply DO NOT have ANY midfielders that show flowing movement, that make space in midfield, support the strikers or try get into the box to help out with goals.
For me Ben Arfa should be performing this role in the middle of the park rather than out wide, but if he is too selfish as he was in the second half on Sunday, then I guess he looks best out wide.
I would be playing Fergie or Sammy on the left, Ben Arfa down the middle and Obertan on the right.
At the moment, we are set up for long ball **** so we may as well not even have a midfield. Our football is aweful to watch at times. Our movement in midfield is close to the worst in the league.
The only man who shows good movement and makes space for us from deep is David Santon. Best player by far this season.
JJ(Quote)
RICHIE @73/76 you jammy git its monday 👿 make hay while the sun shines 😈
icedog(Quote)
any truth in it i wonder 😕
http://www.clubcall.com/newcastle-united/midfielder-set-to-sign-10-1491982.html?
icedog(Quote)
JJ – is that true? … Where have you seen that mate?
Aussie – I agree, this excuse of being tired it far too easy and aload of rubbish. But they have a
week off now so it’s a win or a new excuse.
Also, just watched the highlights of the game again – why the **** was Shola the last man playing Lukaku onside for his goal?!
Sharpy17(Quote)
I thought we were ok yesterday , good in the first half and poor in the second so overal we were ok. Think a bit of credit must be given to west brom , they are a good side this year and Clarke is doing a good job, they arent an easy team to beat.
JJ I saw a tweet for Mark Douglas ( think he writes for the Journal ) sayin he asked Pardew about Sissoko and Pardew said that was news to him. We shall wait and see!
Johno Toon(Quote)
Sissoko is an cracking young player and would be a great signing on a free transfer (or small fee). But reckon that would be the sale of Tiote or Cabaye.
I leaves a question mark over the Anita signing tho. Still not sure what the long term plan there is like?
I still hope that Pardew and Carr are searching Europe for defenders and centre forwards as well though, coz as good a sign as Sissoko would be – it’s defenders and forwards we really need.
Sharpy17(Quote)
It sounds like Santon was the only player that played well ❓ I watched motd lastnight and we looked pretty poor, and I couldn’t believe Cisse’s goal 😆
Big Dave(Quote)
in a bit of bother like 😀
http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/newcastle-united/nufc-news/2012/10/29/ex-magpie-danny-guthrie-in-right-royal-bust-up-72703-32120444/?
icedog(Quote)
Ice, Richie should apologize mate, he was well out of line earlier on today 😉
Aussie Magpie Fan(Quote)
Sharpy @ 82, I mentioned the same thing last night regarding Shola. Playing him out wide on the right would have to one of Pardz’s worst calls… If he was going to play Shola, it should have been in the up front and middle….
Aussie Magpie Fan(Quote)
The mail and the sun are reporting the Sissoko story but they are talking it up like its a done deal not the usual “are interested and could make an offer” bollocks with no guarantees.
Certainly would give us drive and power in the middle, A bit of Yaya Toure and Ramires about him from what ive seen…
CC(Quote)
Dave
Santon by far the best.
Willo was decent as was Ba.
The rest were aweful. Especially in the second half.
JJ(Quote)
JJ cheers it sounds like I didn’t miss too much then.
Aussie Shola out wide ❓ surely that can’t have worked or looked too good 😕 , it seems like everything we do in the attacking side is based round Na playing where he wants and not for the good of the team
Big Dave(Quote)
I think you are on the money there Big Dave..
Aussie Magpie Fan(Quote)
Aussie you know im always on the money lad 😉 .
I have said it before it will do our team untold damage if we are bowing down to one player and what he wants.
IMO it will only end one way, and our players will get fuked off playing 2nd fiddle
Big Dave(Quote)
Aussie – it was a mad decision, Shola just doesn’t have that kind of pace to play in the position. It does suggest it’s an area that needs improving though. At the mo we have Fergie, Sammi, Marv and Jonas for the left wing (tho I wouldn’t play Jonas there anymore). But the right we only seem to have Benny (who is more left footed) and Obertan – who has been hopeless IMO.
We need a young out and out rightsided player similar to Fergie to give us a natural balance in a 4-4-2 formation.
Sharpy17(Quote)
People will defend Shola playing out wide because he put in one decent cross, but in all honestly, overall he was pathetic.
He isn’t a good player at the best of times, but he can be effective at flick-ons and holding the ball up. Beyond that he panic shooting and complete lack of movement make him a liability.
When he dropped back he was too slow to get forward again, and when he got forward he was too slow/lazy to get back quick enough. The former resulted in him playing Lukaku onsides for West Brom’s goal.
Simpson was also poor overall. So to have him and Shola down the right was a disaster. The only contribution Shola made was when he drifted infield for the flick on.
JJ(Quote)
Obertan may have been his usual indecisive self, but my word, at least the lad knows about running off the ball and showing a bit of energy. I’d have him over Shola any day of the week.
I like Sammi or Fergie down the left. But think Ferguson offers a more all round game.
If Anita can’t make the team with Tiote suspended and Cabaye completely out of form, then why did we spend six million on him when we could have got a world class fullback?
JJ(Quote)
________________________Krul__________________________
Simpson_________Taylor__________Colo_____________Santon
________________Cabaye________Jonas_________________
Obertan________________Ben Arfa__________________Fergie
_______________________Ba/Cisse_______________________
Said before we needed an attacking right sided winger/striker. My thoughts havn’t changed on that. At the moment, we don’t have any balance. Our players just look lost and totally out of sinc.
JJ(Quote)
Santon was the best player on the pitch for me yesterday, Full of running and energy all game. As for this tired **** ,sorry don’t buy it .Even if they all played twice in a week it’s no excuse for me ,they should try doing a nurses job for a week or a shift down the mines ,then they can moan about tired 👿 Bloody primadonnas.
KIMTOON(Quote)
Kim
Quite right. If they are too tired, then they arn’t fit enough! But its bullshit.
I watch Barcelona every week. See their players playing twice a week nearly every week with the same core. Messi never misses a game and is the best player in the world, but do you see him get tired? No… he works his backside off to look for the ball, look for a run, offer a pass, or even track back to nick the ball away from the attacking team.
There is no excuse for how poor our team are at the moment. They all look lazy and so uninspired or uninventive.
When Ben Arfa is one of the hardest working players on the team, you know the other plays need to up their workrate.
I’m not talking about in defense, I’m talking about when we are in possession. There is no urgency, no running. Its just a lump up field to allow them to catch their breath from defending.
JJ(Quote)
Tired of watching us being so poor this season. For me Pardew is getting the set up and tactics all wrong. We set up with essentially 3 DMs and they all have a tendency to sit too deep. Apart from at the SOS every team we’ve played has dominated the midfield. When one of the 3 gets the ball there’s no forward running into space, they just sit back and watch and are then reduced to lunging tackles. The result is no fluency at all going forward and an easy job for the opposition to play around us in midfield.
Having said that, their goal was down to Simpson backing off the crosser instead of closing down the cross. Very poor.
georgio(Quote)
I wouldn’t say you were always on the money Big Dave 🙂 🙂
Yep, Shola was **** yesterday, wouldn’t care too much if he didn’t get playing time again tbh. I would rather see Campbell get a go, at least there would be some development gained.. Shola was no orphan tho, he had a few buddies out there as well doing jack all..
Aussie Magpie Fan(Quote)
Georgio,
Agree entirely. I think Pardew has been tactically pathetic this season. The set up is far too defensive. Even at home. He is playing every game to “not lose”.
Very disappointed in him so far this season. Both in terms of his transfer activity and tactics.
The only decent buy so far seems like Bigi and even he isn’t ready for the first team. We essentially signed nobody after qualifiying for Europe and his tactics have got far more defensive.
I said it a while ago and I’ll say it again. We play some of the worst football to watch in the entire league.
JJ(Quote)
It seems to me we are so slow with our passing that befor you know it the player in posession has two or more closing him down and we can’t make an incisive pass at such a slow rate because the opposition have gotten back in numbers , they know what we are intending to do befor we do at times 🙄 . Must quicken our movement on and off the ball and pass it on the floor more or at the very least mix it up a little , you know it was predestrian at times second half yesterday.
KIMTOON(Quote)
Aussie,
Thank goodness the Sunderland game is over so that I can go back to rating Shola as the **** player he is. He shouldn’t get anywhere near the field unless we are up against it and have to resort to lumping it long in search of an equaliser.
JJ(Quote)
After their form this season, I would jump at the chance to sell Cabaye or Tiote for around 15mil and bring in a quality central attacking midfieler.
JJ(Quote)
We need a Fellaini type player who looks for the ball, gets forward and can help in defence. What a fantastic buy that was from Moyes.
JJ(Quote)
Here is a thought… maybe we are over training our players. It can lead to lethargic performances. I have seen it here in the AFL. I can’t see our players as being unfit..
JJ, agree with you regarding Shola…
Aussie Magpie Fan(Quote)
JJ. – Shola is good for the last 20mins of a game at best and has been for the 2 season. I’d rather still have Best in the squad to be honest.
Regarding Oba – running and movement are all well and good without the ball but with it the bloke is hopeless!. He’s not good enough and needs replacing mate. When you look at the likes of Nathan Redmond, Matt Phillips or Tom Ince playing in the Championship they’re all better than Obertan. There will be any amount more on the continent who would cost alot less.
Sharpy17(Quote)
**** me reading this you would think it was the Baggies that won, not us! We usually struggle against them and we did again yesterday, but at the end if the day we created as many opportunities as they did, we had more corners and we scored more goals. A win is a win, give them some credit ffs. they are a bit of a bogey team for us.
Shamrock(Quote)
We can discuss poor performers, can’t we Shamrock?
Aussie Magpie Fan(Quote)
Sharpy,
Agree, Obertan has a better touch than Routeledge but dispite his skill he can’t beat his man and his decision making is worse than Routeledge’s.
My problem is he seems to be all we have!! Unless we play Sammi on the right and Fergie on the left.
JJ(Quote)
Shamrock,
If it were a one off game, fair enough. But we have been playing like **** all season.
JJ(Quote)
Things not working out for Danny boy then, people said we’d miss him yet he can’t even get in a poor Reading side, and now is causing trouble there! My word 😆
Newkie(Quote)
Newkie, we certainly have had a few cases of “be careful what you wish for” with our ex players.. 🙂 🙂
Aussie Magpie Fan(Quote)
Shamrock – nobody’s disputing it was a good result (although alittle fortunate).
But as a performance, it wasn’t great and we haven’t play every well yet this season.
It’s all well and good having more corners, but the delivery into the box was poor. Our passing was poor yesterday.
It’s great to be able to win a game when you’re not playing well. But surely we all want to see the team playing well as well.
Sharpy17(Quote)
Eh, why is everyone having a go at Shola or the decision to play him out there? He delivered the best cross I’ve seen at NUFC since, well, since the days of Solano to be quite honest, right on Ba’s head, how he missed it i’ll never know. I actually think he’s one of the best crossers at the club, it’s between him and fergie anyway. Then he was able to do an angled run in at the defence and get the knock on to Ba for the equaliser.
Yes, he held a defender onside (although he was attempting to cover a player out wide) he isn’t a defender. But if you’re going to blame that goal solely on him then I don’t know what I can say to you, Colo lets Lukaku get away for a free header, Simmo, even with Cabaye and Willo backing up, doesn’t close down his man (And i’m one of, if not the biggest defender of Simmo this blog has had!) 😆
Newkie(Quote)
Aussie-Yeah haha. Still, I’m sure he’ll get more first team matches in their reserves than he would in ours 😀
Newkie(Quote)
Just woken up have we Newkie ? 🙂
Aussie Magpie Fan(Quote)
ugh, starts that should read.
Pft as if Aussie, been up for at least an hour mate 😉
Newkie(Quote)
Guthrie threw a bit of a fit last year when he lost his spot when tiote returned. Never pegged him for a trouble maker but that looks like the case.
As for cabaye, we’re bypassing him in attack, same as Ben arfa. The attack ran through those two late last season when we were at our best. We have the talent but no cohesion at the moment…and that’s on the manager in my opinion
MDS(Quote)
🙂 🙂
Aussie Magpie Fan(Quote)
We were not great. But we were equal to West Brom, a team wecstruggle againt. We still found enough to win the game and claim 3 points. We have been poor this season, but yesterday was our 1st win in 5. It was never going to be pretty.
Shamrock(Quote)
Richietoon@71: I did say that this game seems like one of those that we are not going to win. We were very very lucky the ball hitting cisse in the back in the 90th minute and going in even he did not know anything about it.
Pardew is very illogical in his team selection. Shola out wide and playing long ball to Ba. Neither have the attributes for the roles asked of them. Illogical, illogical illogical.
Pardew also seems opposed to change things. always the same team selection not giving our other players a run in to change things and make us less predictable. Pardew is lucky in that he has the europa league to experiment especially with the points we now have in advance in our group. He cannot play the tired card anymore.
@Aussie magpie fan: 61: I did say these are our bread and butter games particularly at home and are the game we desperately need to earmark as near bankers but if we are going to make it this hard for ourselves we will fail to win a lot of them.
Michael12(Quote)
Our win yesterday is like the drunk ugly lass you pick up at closing time at a nightclub. Sure It feels good but it’s not something you would brag to you mates about 🙂 🙂 🙂
Aussie Magpie Fan(Quote)
Yeah, I did say I wouldn’t complain if we got the 3 points, no matter how we got them. Right now all I care about is winning to be honest, leave the style for a bit later on.
Newkie(Quote)
MDS,
Agree, Pards has been **** this season. Not saying he is ****, just saying this season he hasn’t impressed me at all.
JJ(Quote)
Michael-Yeah, it’s illogical to assume we’d score a long ball goal with Ba and Ameobi starting a…oh wait. 😕 We did..
“always the same team selection”
Ameobi’s second start of the season wasn’t it? 😕 And we started 4-3-3 for the first time bar europe too….
Newkie(Quote)
Check me out in page 3 of the evening chronicle haha its about my wifes granda wor jackie
Army69(Quote)
JJ – that’s the trouble mate, think he’s the only other option to Benny at the mo – who obviously isnt a winger.
Sissoko would be a good acquisition, but he’s another who plays through the middle. I think we really to clear the decks of midfield players on our books at the mo and look to get a RW into the club.
Newkie – Shola wasn’t brilliant mate. It was a good cross – the type that can be the difference of winning a game and not. But that was it mate, there really wasn’t much else.
Sharpy17(Quote)
Sharpy- I didn’t say he was brilliant mate, I just said I didn’t understand the criticism. People are asking why he played out wide. Shola proved he can create via crosses and via his head for Ba-Ba scored from one such opportunity. Cisse doesn’t provide the same kind of service from the wing. I thought it was pretty straightforward myself.
Like when Shola delivered a weighted cross for Cisse last year to put away, Ba rarely crossed with such precision..
No, he didn’t do much else, neither did anyone else on the pitch.
Newkie(Quote)
Michael12….but come on mate, 7 minutes into a game coming out with statements like that, nobody can predict correctly how a game will finish after that amount of time, even you…oh wait you didn’t 😉
Ice… it was all Aussie, you know I hold you in the highest regard 😀
richietoon(Quote)
Army…Nice story mate….nae need to put your ugly mug there like 😉 😆
Here’s the link: http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/north-east-news/evening-chronicle-news/2012/10/29/jackie-milburn-s-granddaughter-tells-of-family-s-pride-72703-32122462/
richietoon(Quote)
@Newkie: 127: Even a broken clock is right twice a day. He does select the same team and by team I am including the bench. Pardew has been selecting the same team as last season mate. Shola is not new to our team come on now….
@Richietoon: I based my statements on our flavour so far this season. It is one of very little confidence of a win even in home games. We won yesterday but we all know that goal was an absolute fluke and if there was to be another goal in that game the pattern of play suggested it was going to be westbrom. We lucked in yesterday and I will take 100 lucky wins but if luck is going to be our tactic this season then there is a lot to be concerned about.
Michael12(Quote)
Michael-Right, so he selects generally the best players from amongst our squad for the starting 11 and the bench, who would you have picked that would be an obvious choice for any non clueless manager?
Newkie(Quote)
I give Pardew credit for:
– the fact he has dropped one of Ba or Cisse because they weren’t working together
– the fact he switched to a 4-3-3 system
However, I blame him for:
– the fact that our players have no fluency because they don’t seem to understand their role
– the fact that he plays three defensive midfielders in a 4-3-3 which puts us under immense pressure
– the fact that there he can’t motivate the players to look anything other than lathergic, and unwilling to run (off the ball), especially when we are on the attack.
JJ(Quote)
I don’t care if Shola has his rare “special moment” during a game. Because his complete lack of mobility and laziness makes him a liability.
I can say the same thing of Cabaye on attack recently and Jonas who should be our creative midfielders in the middle. They try miracle balls, that not even Barca and Man U try. Why don’t they show a bit of mobility. Try play a few one-twos???
Is it laziness or poor coaching??
JJ(Quote)
We’ve only dropped points in one game this season.. the villa game.
I’m optimistic, we’re in a fantastic position considering we’ve already played 4 of last seasons top 6. And this is while playing *****! Just hoping the performances take shape for the good run of games we’ve got coming up
SolanosTrumpet(Quote)
Michael….
Did we play poorly? yes was our winning goal lucky? yes, is giving up on a game 7 minutes in a bid sad? yes and even if we’d lost I’d still say the same. No one knows how a game will pan out after such a short time, and that was my issue with your statement, if I thought I knew how a game was going to pan out after so little playing time I wouldn’t bother with football, where would the enjoyment be if it was that predictable? 😉
richietoon(Quote)
ST….we’ve dropped points in more than 1 game, you really should say what you mean more clearly 😉
richietoon(Quote)
JJ-Fair enough, but when Obertan came on, this lad with bags of pace who should be fighting to get a place- a place which you’d think he’d have nailed down given that Shola isn’t a winger-he was poor. So poor, he was lounging around too, and then blamed Sammeobi for not passing back when he gave him a ***** pass and he was surrounded by three players.
To his credit, he did get past some defenders and just smash it in as I’ve been saying, but Cisse told him to slow them down and the fact is if Obertan crosses slower it’s either poor or the defender will beat Ba or Cisse to it virtually every time.
Our whole side were lazy IMO with Santon being the big exception, others who did their running were Ba, Cisse and Sammeobi. The rest, well under par.
I’m fine with 2 defensive mids as I’m sure that’s what we’re supposed to be playing-it’s cabaye being lazy and not getting up field and supporting the players that annoys the **** out of me.
As for the rhythm and seeming lack of motivation, I’m still not sure where I lie with that, atm i’m blaming the players and pards for that.
Newkie(Quote)
Army – really nice story mate, and a proper bonny bairn. It’s nowt personal, but you aren’t gonna make top 5 page 3 models though buddy 😳 😆
As for yesterday, WBA out played us with simple short triangle passes. Having Jonas and Shola on the wings yesterday made it easy for them as we had no width – or no threat from there anyway. With everything going trough the middle it made it easy for them, as it has been all season and is why we end up hoofing the ball.
Personally I would prefer Pardew to go with Cabaye and Jonas in the centre of midfield while Tiote is suspended, and allow Fregie or Sammi to play out on the left. Perch is a good tackler but so is Jonas, and Jonas is better going forward IMO. That would have given better balance and given Ba and Shola or Cisse far better service.
Sharpy17(Quote)
I think the european games are a big part of the problem with our form and particularly our fluency. It’s not that the first 11 are tired, it’s the lack of time together on the training pitch. Before every euro game Pardew and JC are working with a different set of players. He then only has one day with the first team.
Result – no fluency.
georgio(Quote)
Sharpy-Jonas was in the centre yesterday, for most of the match. We played 4-3-3 predominantly and Jonas was in the middle as a roaming defensive mid. Shola and Benny were on the wings, with both putting dangerous balls in.
We switched to 4-4-2 for a very brief period from what I can tell, with Jonas moved to left back and Santon to right back 10 mins after Cisse was brought on and played alongside Ba-until he was injured, and then we went to 4-3-3 Sammeobi on the left, Obertan on the right (although they switched around) with Ben Arfa roaming.
Newkie(Quote)
Georgio….agree totally.
richietoon(Quote)
Newkie – sorry I meant, I’d have preferred us go:
————- Krul ————
Simmo- Colo – Willo – santon
Benny – Cabaye – Jonas – Fergie
———- Cisse —- Ba ——-
To start with and see how that worked out.
Sharpy17(Quote)
Georgio-Bang on, I said as much last night. And one of the commentators on our match said how we’d used 24 players already this season when in all of last season we only used 23 (think those numbers are right)
Constant changes to line ups means people having to cope with different players and their styles. Our great form of last year was essentially the same team week in week out, same positions, it was only really Tiote who was in and out for Perch…
Newkie(Quote)
Sharpy-Yup, they are the players we should go for if we’re going to play 4-4-2 imo.
Newkie(Quote)
@142- good points. I think pards would love to play 4-4-2 but the problem is the Ba/Cisse combination and the fact Ben Arfa is wasted a bit when played as a true winger.
I’m just thinking that Ba and Cisse may never work together and one will have to move. Then either get a striker who can play off of the one who stays, or add something different and go 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1, etc
MDS(Quote)
MDS… what do ya think of NBC getting the Premier League broadcasting rights in the US, good/bad/indifferent?
richietoon(Quote)
Richie- over the moon about it.
ESPN only shows one match a week now. Fox Soccer Channel shows 4-5 but that is a channel most people, including me, have to pay extra for and they aren’t in HD. NBC is one of the major networks in the country and accessible everywhere without having to pay a monthly add-on. Plus NBC, NBC Sortrs Channel, and Telemundo (Spanish language NBC) are all in HD
NBC is a big money network and is very experienced with American sport/Olympics, etc going back to the invention of television so they will put out a quality product. That means matches will be far more accessible over here which should help to continue to grow the league and the sport. FSC is really just a low budget channel paid for by footy diehards. The presentation is generally poor.
The interesting thing to see will be whether they use their own announcers like ESPN does or if they just use the English feed like FSC does.
MDS(Quote)