Four games played in November yielded four wins for the Magpies leaving us in an ideal place to have a bash at the top of the table for the moment.
Standing in the way of us extending that run are Swansea City who are having a mixed season so far by all accounts. Their participation in the Europe League is not doing them any favours and even though they are pretty much nailed on to qualify for the knockout phases their results following on from games in Europe haven’t exactly been great. Add to that some injuries to key players and you get the same kind of feeling of deja vu we had last season.
Newcastle:
There are no fresh injury concerns for Alan Pardew ahead of the game. Ryan Taylor is the only casualty at the moment although Yohan Cabaye and Moussa Sissoko need to be careful as both are one yellow card away from sitting out the trip to Manchester United at the weekend.
Swansea City:
Michael Laudrup will be without the services of Wilfried Bony, Michu and Angel Rangel for the visit of Newcastle although Michael Vorm could be fit enough to replace Gerhard Tremmel between the sticks for the Swans.
Previously…
Swansea managed to “do the double” last season recording wins both home and away against us for the first time since 1980.
However historically we’ve been the better side. Of 33 contests between the two sides United have come out on top on 19 occasions compared to just 10 victories for Swansea. At Swansea we’ve recorded nine victories compared to six for the Swans although if we look at recent encounters in the Premier League then Swansea come out on top having win two of the four fixtures with United winning just one.
Match stats and facts…
Sunday’s defeat by Manchester City was the sixth time in eight that Swansea have failed to win on the back of European competition in midweek.
Only Fulham and Crystal Palace have picked up fewer home points than Swansea this season.
Swansea have not lost this season when scoring first – picking up four wins and a draw. However they have failed to win any of the seven matches in which they conceded the opening goal.
Newcastle have taken the lead in nine of their 13 Premier League games this season, going on to win seven of them.
Final thought…
They talk about momentum and confidence accounting for a lot in football and Newcastle should have a load of both after a stunning and unexpected November. However Swansea are dangerous and whilst I can’t quite see the same sun shining out of Michael Laudrup’s **** that others can the fact is that they are still a decent side who should be higher that they are right now, Europa League or not.
I can’t call this one. In fact I stopped calling matches a long time ago. But what I will say is that I always fancy us to score a goal and if we can strike first we then give Swansea something to think about. This is one of those 100% matches where nothing else will do. If we can put in that effort then the result will probably follow providing Howard Webb refrains from being a pecker…
Howay the lads!
Date: Wednesday, 4th December, 2013
Time: 7:45pm
Venue: The Liberty Stadium
Imho I would drop cabaye & sissoko as we do not need any suspension before man u!! Let’s give Anita and Benny a chance 😉
Scott(Quote)
Completely off topic but everytime you see one of Fat Sam’s side play you are glad he got chased oot of toon.So far up his own **** it’s unbelievable
Toby le Rhone(Quote)
I would say make one change Colo out Mapou in and go for broke ,i bet they are more scared of us at the minute than our lads are of them . If Pards sticks too the winning formula he has found then i reckon we will win 3-0 or 3-1 if Mapou plays it will be the nil ,Colo plays we will concede .
Axel(Quote)
Never change a winning team. 😉
Troy Stavers(Quote)
Yeah same as Troy for me. People saying about bookings and missing Cabaye or Sissoko fair enough, but I’d rather we go for three points tomorrow with our best team out then see what we have for Saturday after it…
toonsy(Quote)
Troy – totally agree. Why mess with a winning team, especially when it’s a very winnable game.
BT Sport showing the toon game tomorrow. Then Gateshead cup game Thursday. Then toon game Saturday. Then Gateshead cup game Monday (if they get thru on Thurs). Loving that tho.
Will we be in our Brazil kit the mora neet then?
Sharpy17(Quote)
Palace 1-0 up against WH so Scum could be bottom again tonight
WH play some really ugly football as well!
Sharpy17(Quote)
Same eleven tomorrow night but feel the bench could be our advantage. Benny needs a good thirty minutes.
Toby le Rhone(Quote)
I am not getting all this hype about Ravel Morrison. English football must be in a mess if he is the future
Toby le Rhone(Quote)
Hey lads, not been on for a while (the toon seemed to have done well in my absence 😆 ), I think it’s important to play our strongest team tomorrow as the mentality after winning/losing can be far more influential than fitness. Losing to Swansea because we put out a weakened team could make our momentum come to a grinding halt, whereas if we beat Swansea with our full strength team then regardless of how tired they are they will be pumped to play United. So even if we lose on Saturday it won’t be as bad as on Wednesday.
Andymag(Quote)
Looking at the Premier League table after 1/3 of the 13/14 season we can deduce that-
~Man City have the most potent firepower and Sunderland have conceded the most goals alongside Fulham, who I tipped to struggle at the start of the season.
~The order at the top has been shaken up by a number of factors including; the slow start of Man U after Moyes took charge, Rodgers finally getting Liverpool back into the top 4 and the partnership of Suarez and Sturridge, Arsenal playing the best football of anyone and going from perennial 4th chasers to 1st, Chelsea and City chugging away with inconsistent form.
~Newcastle have come from nowhere to be in the top 6 and finishing in the top 10 should be achievable rather than hopeful.
If you look down to 9th, I would say they are all top 10 teams and the table is already sorted into the top half and the bottom half. We could slip behind any of these teams but to drop below Hull in 10th would be disappointing from the position we now find ourselves. Some people say you can’t tell anything from the table until after the new year but I think we can already see who is going to be fighting for where in the table.
DJG(Quote)
I will be happy with a point, but I dont think we should change the team, as they have deserved their places.
We will have to change sooner or later due to injuries or cards so that will be soon enough to change.
Big Dave(Quote)
I also think how high we finish will come down to how hungry some of our players are for a world cup place, Remy, Sissoko, Cabaye and Dubuchy will be desperate to show consistent form and even Ben Arfa, M’biwa and Gouffran will want to get in the managers plans in case of injuries to others. It’s a good position for us to to be in as a club. It’s like at Everton/Chelsea were they usually have 3-4 England internationals. The rest of the squad is picked up and carried along in the momentum.
DJG(Quote)
It’s ok sticking with the same team each weekend but when you start having midweek games it’s too important not to rotate.
Rotating players is not a bad thing if done correctly. Benitez did it very well at Chelsea (although they do have two teams!).
I would not expect the following to be 100% for the game tomorrow:
Ameobi
Cabaye
Gouffran
So if Pardew was to stick with the same 442 formation, the following players would come in:
Cisse
Anita
Ben Arfa
————————–Krul——————–
Debuchy—Williamson—Colo—Santon
Sissoko———Anita—–Tiote–Ben Arfa
——————–Cisse—-Remy————
KK(Quote)
With the exception of Cabaye & Williamson, most people would have thought that the team above was our ‘best’ team.
Should we come away with the win? Yes, without a doubt.
Our first 11 (& squad) is a lot better than their squad.
Laudrup isn’t much better (if at all) than Pardew
We have fewer injuries, better momentum & have played less minutes than them.
The only thing going against us is that it is away but i would still be disappointed if we didn’t beat them.
KK(Quote)
The question is: will an unchanged side be our ‘strongest’ side? What if a couple of players are a bit fatigued? Should they be in our ‘strongest’ side? We won’t have much of the ball tomorrow and that means a lot of chasing. We have had the same team now for 4 games on the bounce, so I believe there will be fatigue with some players.
This might be controversial but I would replace Shola with HBA and Cabaye with Anita. The reasons for this are as follows:
Shola clearly cannot play all these games and certainly cannot play two games in a week – Pardew has said as much. So I would play HBA. He can drop into midfield and give us the extra man we could do with. I noticed that Swansea also play with a high line and I believe he could take advantage of this running into space behind and also playing canny little balls behind for Remy.
Cabaye has looked tired in the last couple of games and I think Anita will have more energy, get round the pitch and also he can pass the ball well. I would much rather have Cabaye fit and raring to go for the game against Man Ure.
Stuart79(Quote)
@stuart79
Gouffran looks like he does the most running in our games. Do you think he should be dropped or should he start & then be subbed?.
KK(Quote)
If we start with a really high tempo, we might get the first goal. Swansea will be tired & if they’re rushed they will make mistakes.
After we get the first goal we can just counter.
Swansea keep the ball well but they seems to stuggle sometimes to break a team down.
If they score first, they have it in them to strangle the the game & see it out.
I imagine it will be a boring cagey game, ending up with a draw – unless ben arfa plays!
KK(Quote)
All having different opinions….
I would rather keep ben arfa for man utd game. 😐
As whether should we play cabaye against swansea, if cabaye does get yellow card in Swansea game, i trust in anita capability against Man Utd.
Anyone thinks that Shola should pair up with Cisse against Swansea?
AngelOfDeath(Quote)
‘Leon Britton will hope to overcome a toe injury to play but Angel Rangel and Wilfried Bony are definitely out after their lay-offs with calf and hamstring problems were confirmed by scans on Monday .Michel Vorm could replace Gerhard Tremmel if his niggling knee injury has calmed down while the availability of Michu will be discussed after returning to light training following knee and ankle issues.’
They’ve got key players injured and will be tired after Sundays trip to Man City. We should smell blood here even with a few changes to our side. Bring it on!
DJG(Quote)
‘Newcastle have now won four league games on the trot which is a fantastic run, especially when you consider that a few weeks ago their manager Alan Pardew was supposed to be the next Premier League manager to lose his job.
The Magpies are up to sixth at the moment, which is great for them but I would hesitate to say they will keep this form up. Their first XI is a good side, but they do not have a strong enough squad to deal with a few injuries’
Yeah right Lawro. Blah blah blah, predicted we would get a draw in the last game as well, ‘don’t have a strong enough squad to deal with a few injuries’, what about Ben Arfa, Cisse, Anita, Steven Taylor, Haidara, M’biwa, Sammy Ameobi who can not get a game? Why not just say you think we will get beat you little *****, man up and predict we will get beaten. 😈
DJG(Quote)
@21
I wonder if Lawro thinks his beloved Liverpool have a strong enough squad to deal with a few injuries!
http://www.footballfancast.com/premiership/liverpool/are-liverpool-too-small-to-challenge/
Somebody should point out to him that Newcastle actually have one of the largest (and strongest) squads in the Premiership and Liverpool have the smallest.
These were the numbers of players named by each club in their 25 man squads at the beginning of the season:
25 A Villa, Cardiff, C Palace, Hull, Man Utd, West Brom
24 Fulham, Man City, Newcastle, Spurs
23 Norwich, Southampton, Stoke, Sunderland, West Ham
22 Chelsea, Swansea
21 Arsenal
20 Everton
19 Liverpool
CHRIS G(Quote)
Swansea 0 Toon 2
TOONARMYELITE(Quote)
I agree with Stuart, while I don’t think you should change a winning team I do think Shola in particular will struggle. Benny or Anita need to be brought in for him, but the rest I would keep unchanged. But I would sub Anita on earlier for cabs. I suppose we could keep Cabaye on the bench and do the reverse but I think we should play Cabaye, he will more than likely pick up a yellow if he plays til 60mins but we can then rest him against Man U which is a less winnable fixture.
Newkie(Quote)
Newkie I’m going to be confident and say will end or 43 years with out a win on saturday. Yes, it’s going to be difficult but hopefully everything goes wide or over the bar on saturday for Manu. It’s wishful thinking but if Krul makes some excellent saves and we take our chances when we get them. It’s been a long wait but M’biwa should be in defence for that game and Williamson. If Cabaye scores there then we might get a big offer in january from Manu ?
stem(Quote)
I have no problem with suggesting change, but I don’t get this Shola for Benny thing. Benny isn’t a CF and hasn’t done great when played as that fake no. 9 or whatever you want to call it.
To play Remy, Goof and Benny would leave no physicality up there and I think it would be a pretty toothless line.
Remy players better with Shola or Cisse, so if we are resting Shola it should be for Cisse.
If we are resting Goof then play Benny.
If we are resting Cabaye then play Anita.
We could change the players but this set up seems to be work at the moment so any change should be like for like I think.
My only issue playing Benny against Swansea is that they move the ball round quickly so we need 11 players putting a shift in.
It may be better to keep him hungry for Man Utd at Old Trafford. A stage I’d think he’d much prefer.
Sharpy17(Quote)
Stem-that is confident mate! To be fair, last year when we were pants we played an excellent 4-3 game and if it weren’t for shoddy defending could have snatched all three points, and the year before didn’t we get ourselves a 1-1 draw? We have been closer than we have been in a while, but I just feel they are getting a head of steam now and Rooney has been poor against us the last few years but will look to set that right by scoring a screamer or two 😐
Sharpy-my thinking? Extra man in midfield. We want to play a pressure and counter attacking game, Benny should be fired up enough to chase down from the front-if he isn’t then he can go back to the bench on Sat and big Shola will take over again 😉 Benny won’t be playing no.9 he will be slotting in behind Remy. It’s been tried much less than Cisse/Remy which has looked good because of Remy’s brilliant goals-but I think everyone sees now he works better with Shola who can provide decent physicality and threaded through balls for him. Benny and Cisse can both open up space for Remy, but Benny can actually pass forwards imo.
There is less pressure on us against ManU-Cisse will need low pressure games and is more likely to get a screamer or two, I feel, and would also see more of the ball than he would v Swans.
Newkie(Quote)
But I also think Anita could play in an advanced midfield role, as I explained in my excellent analysis to Aussie yesterday. I just feel either one of them would be much better to start, and that way we bring on Cisse for Remy and give Remy some rest for ManU where he will be needed, and we won’t need to bring Shola on for goal threat 😉
Newkie(Quote)
It was an excellent analysis Newkie, based on the fact that I proposed the idea to you and gave the reasons why 🙄 😛
and I thought Troy was the only one that stole my material on here! FTSOTB 😆
Aussie Magpie Fan(Quote)
Newkie – I keep thinking:
—————— Krul —————-
Debuchy – Colo – Willo – Santon
—————— Tiote —————-
—— Sissoko ——— Anita ——-
—————– Benny —————
———- Cisse ——— Remy —–
But my worry with that would be that Swanseas full backs love to get forward so I’m not sure if that would leave us too narrow
Sharpy17(Quote)
Morning all, My gut feeling is stick with a winning team. At the end of the day we can write off the Manure game as we are unlikely to win there especially with Rooney in form and he loves playing us cause he usually scores 🙄 . So on that basis put out our best 11 tonight and go for it, what’s the point in dropping points at both games. Hopefully I get to watch the game as the lad is still really rough like, waiting for the new Antibiotics to kick in which is difficult given he keeps throwing up when he coughs 🙁 Poor thing is really going through it at the mo and I’m a bag of nerves.
KIMTOON(Quote)
Aussie-you **** liar I have been saying Anita could play there for yonks!!
Just as I have been saying Pardew isn’t that bad for yonks but roundly got slaughtered, and now apparently it was only Troy who saw that persevering with him wouldn’t end badly 😯
Sharpy-that would be fun to try but I just feel that would leave us very light on graft and very narrow as you say. Cisse or Benny can get themselves fired up for short periods but once frustrated their energy levels drop. When we rest Cabs and Goof that would be a nice formation but I just wouldn’t want that many changes. 1 or 2 at best for me and even though I would like Mbiwa in there I feel Colo needs to stay now he’s been brought in.
One change up top. I feel Williams would have provided a tough challenge for Shola even if Shola was at 100%, but he is a bit of a reckless tackler (should have been sent off vs Stoke) and he can be clumsy-with clever players. That’s why I’d prefer Benny/Marv/Anita, any of that mould to help our midfield get possession and provide more trickery up top. Cisse will just get smashed out of the air by him if we try and play with him in the Shola role.
Newkie(Quote)
————————–Krul——————–
Debuchy—Williamson—Colo—Santon
Sissoko———Caybeye—–Tiote–Goofy
——————–Cisse—-Remy————
TOONARMYELITE(Quote)
Newkie – I’ve weighed it up mate and I’m gone stick. Nee changes for me tonight, keep them for Man U. Keep the winning formula for tonight please Al.
Sharpy17(Quote)
Sharpy-ideally yes but I just can’t see Bambi having the lungs or legs for it. If he’s picked hopefully he proves us all wrong! Can’t wait for the game now, love the extra matches in December 🙂
Newkie(Quote)
Kim hope the Lad gets well soon, I can only imagine how much stress you are under.
So a win tonight might make you feel a bit better 😉 but tbh I think a draw would be a good result.
Sharpy I agree with you the only replacement for Strolla has to be Cisse.
Big Dave(Quote)
@ 32 – oooooooooooooooooooooooh touchy, touchy! 😆 😆 😆
Aussie Magpie Fan(Quote)
The team & formation sharpy17 has suggested could work well.
When we’re defending sissoko should support debuchy if swansea attack down that side.
If they attack the other side, anita (who has fantastic positioning) should support santon.
We would struggle for possession in the middle but we would also be setup for a very fast counter attack.
Remy, ben arfa & cisse running at goal is risky for any team
KK(Quote)
Make the changes needed and give some players a rest, it is a long season and injuries occur when players are fatigued… you’ll come to realize I am right about this in due time 😉
Aussie Magpie Fan(Quote)
KIM I really hope the lad picks up quick for you mate as you say its a worry,I know how you feel as my sister-in-law was going through the same thing with her day.
I think there will be a change as pardew says shola cannot play two games in a week
icedog(Quote)
DAUGHTER
icedog(Quote)
Newkie – Shola has had a 13yr rest prior to this little run of games so hopefully he has the lungs and legs for it 😆
Dave – I’ve always respected your thoughts mate 😉
http://mobile.newsnow.co.uk/A/683165669?-11058
Check this out for support 😯 you wouldn’t want to meet the ****** in a darkened alley though would ya 😈 😆
Sharpy17(Quote)
Kim, my thoughts are with you and you and Lew! I hope he gets well soon..
Aussie Magpie Fan(Quote)
my power pack is on the way out on my laptop I think so have to use this dam tablet
icedog(Quote)
I don’t think we should just expect 1 point from swansea or 0 points from man utd.
Swansea are far from their best. Now is a good time to be playing them. If we’re anywhere near at the top of our game we should win comfortably.
Man utd have no midfield. Midfield is probably the strongest part of our team in terms of quality & depth.
We will be the underdogs but not by much. A win by a margin of 1 or 2 goals would not be a shock to anyone.
Man utd are also the weakest they’ve been for quite sometime
KK(Quote)
Munich – any thoughts on this link then mate?. I’ve heard of him but don’t know much about him and haven’t seen him play much
http://mobile.newsnow.co.uk/A/683079332?-11058:809:t
Sharpy17(Quote)
Swansea our a good team but hopefully there a bit tired from the europa league game and there last league game. If they have injury’s as well then we have to take advantage.
stem(Quote)
thanks lads,it’s a waiting game for meds to work now.
Think if we could get the win tonight the feelgood factor could carry us through to Saturday then who knows what could happen.
KIMTOON(Quote)
Newkie & aussie you thieves! 👿
I was the first to say anita could play much further up the pitch. As i’ve said many times before, anita is our best team player.
Nobody else links up as well as he does. The only thing he is lacking is cabaye’s vision but that will come with more experience.
Anita passes the ball so quick some of our own players are suprised & struggle to control it or pass it on – it’s not anita’s fault but it does mean we lose possesion.
@newkie – still deluded about pardew lol. It’s true, he is one of the better english managers but that’s notsomething to be proud of anymore is it?
KK(Quote)
Aussie-someone has to call you out on the crook you are fella 😉
Sharpy-cheeky sod! 😆 He played against Barca and a good 10 games against the mackems since, how dare you insult him so 🙂
KK-How long have you even been posting on this site!? 🙂
Newkie(Quote)
KK – I wouldn’t be so quick to claim the credit mate. The theory is ridiculous! 😛
He is clearly most effective playing deeper and pulling the strings between defence and advancing midfield players.
Sharpy17(Quote)
Sharpy-he is most effective there because that his position, I don’t think many will argue with that. My point though is that it also happens to also be best position for Tiote and Cabaye, to sit deep. Some people seem to think Cabaye is some awesome attacking midfielder-he isn’t-he can get in the box and fire from long distance but he should not be playing behind the striker. Even in our 4-3-3 from two years back he was only marginally ahead of Jonas/Tiote for a lot of the time.
Basically we need to buy an attacking midfielder to actually balance out our midfield, but failing that I think Anita or Benny can do a job there.
Newkie(Quote)
Originally when we brought in Anita I thought it would be
—-Cabs—-
Tiote-Anita
But now it could easily be
—Anita—
Tiote-Cab
or
—-Anita–Cab
——Tiote—-
Anita just has better attributes than to fill in for Tiote or Cabs when they sit back. Sissoko has been tried there but seems more comfortable playing deeper as well, or even on the wing. So give the little guy a chance.
Newkie(Quote)
Five in a row has a nice ring about it! Normally I’m pessimistic about away games but this team seems to have thrown complacency out the window and I’m actually expecting to win.
I’d rest Shola and put Remy up top (he can play there) with Benny and Gouffy either side. Sub on Anita for Cabaye at half time.
georgio(Quote)
Come on KK, Newkie is only one allowed to make wild claims on here 😆 😆 😛
Aussie Magpie Fan(Quote)
Newkie @52 don’t you think Sissoko can be that attacking midfielder?
georgio(Quote)
Aussie-The only one allowed to make wild claims and not get called out on it, that’s the key here 😉
Georgio-Well that’s where Pardew seems to see him as up til the last three games or so and a few matches on the wing last year that’s where he has played. I’m not so sure though. Do we want to waste his engine and speed by keeping him up top? Ideally he would be right in the centre and be a true box to box player but that area is too competitive at the moment. He’s never really been prolific though and his passing isn’t the best, he relies on his physicality to break through the midfield/defence and that’s not what I’d want playing behind Remy or Cisse. Someone with more guile who carries a more consistent goal threat.
Newkie(Quote)
Lets be real now guys.
Shola has been playing well for two games in a row which is astounding, but even in those games, I wouldn’t say he was a goal threat 😆
JJ(Quote)
Newkie you are just lucky that I am too lazy to check back thro all the old posts to prove you wrong 😉
Aussie Magpie Fan(Quote)
JJ-Agreed, one or two decent shots but he is generally just better at making a nuisance of himself. That’s why I’d rest Shola completely but sub Cisse on for Remy after about 60 (hopefully we’d be in the lead at that point…) give Cisse some game time and not under pressure to score…but guess we’ll see what happens.
Aussie- I imagine there are a few like that on here… 🙄 Fortunately for you I am just as lazy 😀
Newkie(Quote)
Interesting that some people keep thinking our best formation is 4-3-3
In the formations we’ve played this season…
Formation Win Draw Loss
4-4-2 5 1 0
4-2-3-1 1 1 1
4-3-3 0 0 3
4-1-4-1 1 0 0
Think we’ll stick with 4-4-2 tonight and hopefully rack up our 6th win in that formation
stevep(Quote)
Newcastle United Characteristics
+ Strengths
Counter attacks ——————————– Very Strong
Creating long shot opportunities ———–Strong
Creating scoring chances———————Strong
Aerial duels—————————————-Strong
– Weaknesses
Avoiding fouling in dangerous areas——-Weak
Defending against through ball attacks—-Weak
Defending set pieces—————————Weak
Protecting the lead——————————-Very Weak
Newcastle United Style
Take a lot of shots
Take long shots
Attempt through balls often
Attack through the middle
Attacking down the left
Consistent first eleven
Playing in their own half
Aggressive
stevep(Quote)
Swansea Characteristics
+ Strengths
Creating chances through individual skill——–Strong
Creating long shot opportunities——————-Strong
Protecting the lead————————————-Strong
– Weaknesses
Aerial duels———————————————-Weak
Avoiding individual errors—————————-Weak
Avoiding fouling in dangerous areas————-Weak
Stopping opponents from creating chances—Weak
Defending against through ball attacks———-Weak
Defending against skillful players——————Very Weak
Swansea Style
Attack through the middle
Possession football
Short passes
Opponents play aggressively against them
Play the offside trap
Rotate their first eleven
stevep(Quote)
So we play Shola for an hour along with Williamson then bring on HBA for last 30 mins….. almost a guaranteed win if the stats are to be believed
stevep(Quote)
Never change a winning team is the way I usually go but with Man U on Saturday (i know, know – one game at a time!) I’d drop either Sissoko or Gouffran (I know I know – they’re playing well!) for Ben Arfa and one of the full backs for M’biwa (i prefer him in a full back position than a CH).
I’d possibly look at dropping Cabaye for Anita as well. (Nobby you crazy fool!!) 😯
Nobby(Quote)
I think Shola is a must drop. A tired Ameobi will be no use to us on the field, and he would probably be of more use against Man Utd anyway.
I do wonder whether Pardew has in his mind who he will play (injuries permitting) in each game. If he was to rest Cabaye this game then he definitely should have encouraged him to get a tactical yellow last game 😈
SolanosTrumpet(Quote)
I wouldn’t give Cisse a game. Play Obertan Sammy and Campbell every time ahead of him 🙂
toby le rhone(Quote)
What century are you guys playing football in? Dont change a winning team 😯 of course you change winning teams if it means protecting players from burning out. All the top managers do it on a regular basis. The changes we could make are for good players so what is the big deal..
There are a heap of games coming up and we need to rotate the squad.. I am not talking about whole sale changes, just rotating a few of players in and out to keep them fresh..
Aussie Magpie Fan(Quote)
I wouldnt change for tonight, I would change on saturday as i think 4-4-2 at old trafford even in their current state is nigh on suicidal.
1-1 Tonight Baldy kernt Shelvey for them and Remy for us…
CC(Quote)
“. All the top managers do it on a regular basis”
Maybe this is the point aus. If we keep the squad the same and lose, Pardew has been found out by the managerial wondermind Laudrupp and if we change then Pardew has broken up a winning team and lost the initiative? I simply can not see Shola starting, but he is the only change I would make from the starting 11. Then it comes to subs.
Newkie(Quote)
I would rest Shola, Cabaye, Collo and maybe give half a game to Gouff.
Bring in Mbiwa, Cisse, Anita and bring in Marv or Sammi for Gouff.
We have been playing high energy football so it makes sense to rest players when we can.. there is every chance we will come out flat because of the short turn around times between games,..
Aussie Magpie Fan(Quote)
Or Benny for Gouff…
Aussie Magpie Fan(Quote)
burnt out – jeez why can’t they manage two games a week
they live, travel and work in the lap of luxury with the best trainers, nutritionists and facilities known to man – given that the average prem player only runs 7 miles per game it’s hardly a big ask
stevep(Quote)
Aussie-does Colo really need a rest? He’s played like two matches lately. Perhaps willo could be dropped as Mbiwa would be better suited to Swansea’s game, but if not I would have no problems, I would leave the back 4 well enough alone. It was key to our great start two years ago and it’s been key in this little run. Keep the defence settled.
Newkie(Quote)
Aussie, are you suggesting Cisse from the start 😯 blimey you know how to start an argument don’t you 😆
KIMTOON(Quote)