As usual I’m just looking at how many points each player has contributed to, and comparing that to the average.
So far we have used a smallish pool of players. Only 19 players have started games and several have only got a few starts.
In goal Tim Krul has started all bar one game where Rob Elliot stood in. No real surprises there then. Quickly moving on to central defence, both Fabricio Coloccini and Mike Williamson have started 14 games, with Mapou Yanga-M’biwa starting 10, Steven Taylor four and Paul Dummett just one. When Coloccini has started we have gained 23 points with 16 goals conceded, whereas with Williamson it has also been 23 points but with only 14 goal conceded. M’biwa helped us to 14 points from his 10 games with 12 goals conceded. Neither Steven Taylor (three points from four games with nine goals conceded) nor Dummett have really contributed enough to be analysed. Even looking at combinations shows that whichever combination of the three central defender starting has little difference. Each gaining about 1.5 points per game and conceding one goal per game.
Our Fullbacks have been equally consistent. Mathieu Debuchy with 29 points from 19 starts and Davide Santon with 36 points from 21 starts. Neither M’biwa nor Haidara have been as effective or had a large amount of playing time in these positions.
In midfield Yohan Cabaye has been our stand out performer with 31 points accrued from 16 starts and one substitute appearance including six goals. Next up Moussa Sissoko who has started every game and has amassed 36 points from 22 appearances with one goal. Vurnon Anita just edges Cheik Tiote with 19 points from 13 starts against 26 points from 19 starts with neither having had a goal allowed. Other than that Hatem Ben Aarfa has started 10 and gained 11 points. He has also scored three goals – one when coming on a sub which seems to be his main role now. Sylvain Marveaux has started two and Jonas Gutierrez, now with Norwich, just the one.
Up front we have tried two strikers, normally Yoan Gouffran and Loic Remy or three with Shola Ameobi. Strangely, even though he has not found the net, when Shola has started we have gained 14 points from eight games, whilst without him we’ve racked up 22 points from 14 games – ratio of 1.75 points per game with him and 1.57 points per game without. This tends to suggest that we are better playing 4-3-3. If so a goal scoring target man would maybe improve things. Unsurprisingly Remy with 32 points from 19 games and 11 goals is our best striker with Yoan Gouffran (29 points from 19 starts and one sub appearance with six goals scored) is also not to be sneezed at. Papiss Cisse, who is way off form, has only started seven games scoring only twice, one a penalty and the other as a substitute. His points per game is also below par.
So where does that leave us? Well first off it tells us that pretty much all of our core players are all contributing. In theory our best XI would be Krul; Debuchy, Colo, Willo, Santon; Cabaye; Sissoko, Anita; Remy, Shola, Gouffran, playing in a 4-3-3 formation.
How Cheik Tiote fails to get in defeats me, but Anita edges him out. Never mind. M’biwa and Ben Arfa deserve a mention as well.
Outside of those 14 players others have been peripheral to our cause this year and either need replacing or bringing on. Colo is still our best central defender and Cabaye our standout player. Yet both are potentially moving on in the summer. Colo would need replacing although Yanga-M’biwa and Williamson make a decent pairing. Cabaye whilst not irreplaceable is vital to our team. We need cover for right-back, a replacement for Shola and a far stronger bench would not go amiss.
Lets sort it now so that we can get players adapted for next season.
CC
Actually agree that we’ve done better this year than the year we finished fifth. We have actually played better football.
Still a long way to go though before I think Pardew is good enough for Newcastle.
Getting sick of this whole Cabaye thing. It seems like Pardew and Kinnear are TRYING to flog him. Every time they’re interviewed they mention nerves at losing him.
No other manager talks as much about possibly losing players. Why does he never talk about signing any. Its always about who we might lose.
JJ(Quote)
😆 😆
AYE WEY AYE @andyeswecan · 4 hrs
Joe Kinnear stars as ‘The Negotiator’. Described by critics as ‘The Blockbuster where barely anything happens’
#nufc pic.twitter.com/3SNKmt3tNH
KIMTOON(Quote)
try again better link
https://twitter.com/andyeswecan/status/427744880375250944/photo/1
KIMTOON(Quote)
We are always going to be a joke of a mid table club that, despite what us fans think.
Ashley has brought this to us. And the 1 and only top ten finish under him bares that out.
We are no better than Sunderland now and that’s what hurts.
Cabaye, Remy, Colo, Ba will have all come and gone in the space of 18 months soon.
Cant say Ba has been replaced? Will the others?
BIGPAPA(Quote)
Top 4 football will never happen under Ashley. He can’t compete with the money City and Chelsea spend. They have champions league revenue and better sponsorship deals and sale more merchandise than us. Unless we find a richer billionaire with better sponsorship contacts than wonga and is willing to spend enough on players then we might stand a chance.
stem(Quote)
Oh well, the FA Cup draw isn’t doing us a favor.
🙄 🙄
Man City vs Chelsea
Arsenal vs Liverpool
Let’s just hope 1 of them reaches all the way to final.
AngelOfDeath(Quote)
Kim
One of the best ive seen, Brilliant whoevers done that 😆
CC(Quote)
JJ He cant win either way if he talks about transfers. So I wish he would just stfu about them altogether. I suppose the fans would cry about not hearing nothing though. I don’t care really.
Santii(Quote)
Gets better. Seems as though Ashley and Co have been expecting/wanting this to happen. If they had any respect for the club/fans a replacement would be here already as we can all see Cabaye leaving under a regime with zero ambition
BIGPAPA(Quote)
CC, cool isn’t it 😀 made me laugh anyway, I particularly liked the find his keys and passport bit 😉
KIMTOON(Quote)
I don’t want Cabs to go but we all know he will sadly. My only hope is that we get very good money for him so that we can get in a couple of good players, really hope he is replaced and will be hopping mad if not like. If we get £19 or £20m we could get Ince £4m and a couple of others too but will we.
KIMTOON(Quote)
Bigpapa, There was a time when all the talk around Toon was who was coming in when the windows opened, now it’s all about who will leave, sign of the times.
KIMTOON(Quote)
Santii,
I know the press push him. But rather than say:
“No, I’m not confident of keeping him. How can I not be with a club chasing Champions League football”
Say something like: “He is at a magnificent club which has seen him become are regular with the French national side. Several other players will have seen that the grass isn’t always greener on the other side. But if we get an offer we cannot refuse and he goes, he will be replaced.”
All his statement says to me is: If a club with ambition or a chance of winning something comes in for a player, he thinks we’ll lose them. Why can’t we be the club with ambition. If he’s going to lie about anything, lie about that!
JJ(Quote)
French clubs have cottoned on to Ashley now. They know instantly that players worth 3x more than his offering. All I can say is good luck finding a club willing to sale a player for a third of the price.
stem(Quote)
KMI your spot on mate
icedog(Quote)
SSN, INCE to talk with Swansea later today 🙄 ffs
KIMTOON(Quote)
If we don’t get a replacement BEFORE Cabaye leaves, then we’ll only get held to ransom with any player we go in for and we’ll end up buying nobody because we won’t pay over the odds but expect everyone else to for our players.
Sounds to be like we are close to signing De Jong on loan, but it wouldn’t surprise me if that meant Cisse going the opposite direction.
Plus we’d be playing with two loan strikers.
JJ(Quote)
If clubs like Swansea and Southampton can show ambition, then why can’t our lot. Surely we’re a “bigger” club than them two?
JJ(Quote)
Kim that sounds good in theory but can you honestly see Mike offering 4 million for Ince, more like 1 million. Good luck to him if he can save the club a few pennies but most clubs will laugh at him.
stem(Quote)
I’ve been realistically optimisic on here before and been told to stop being daft, it would never happen under Ashley!.
Cabaye moving is inevitable, I think most accepted it would happen in the summer anyway. But if we get an offer of £20m plus – double what Arsenal offered in the summer – then of course Ashley will take it – especially as we are sat with 36 points.
Ice – is the water still warm in the passed giving a **** pool mate?
Sharpy17(Quote)
Stem, No I can’t sadly. I don’t think a cabs replacement will arrive,reckon they will go with Sissoko or Anita .
KIMTOON(Quote)
things seem to be moving quick at toon I hear,don’t know if its ins and outs or just outs,know what I think
icedog(Quote)
Kim still two very good midfielders. I wonder what he would sale Anita and Sissoko for when there contract nears the end ? If there’s a free transfer better than Remy then Mike would sale him for a profit.
stem(Quote)
His a business man first at the end of the day. I miss Freddy and Hall at least they had ambition.
stem(Quote)
SHARPY no mate I could not give a **** one way or the other,what will be will be,one thing for sure if they sell cabaye all that cash wil NOT be put back into team imo
icedog(Quote)
@Stem
How much ambition would we off had, had we kept spending the way we were the debt we have is not Ashley’s fault after all.
Santii(Quote)
Cabaye won’t be replaced this window. He has Ben Arfa or Marveaux who haven’t been getting games.
Tiote and Anita will form a new partnership in front of the back 4 as Anita was always signed as Cabayes replacement.
In front of them will be Sissoko, Ben Arfa or Marveaux and Gouffran with Remy up front.
Sharpy17(Quote)
Kim and BigP – yes, I remember those days. That was when the owners were spending money they didn’t have and driving the club down the tubes.
I may not like much about Ashley and his use of this club but we really can’t compatible about the transfer success since he arrived. When has he ever made a non-sensical sale? This stuff about a “selling club” is *****; history shows the opposite.
BUT (big one)
whumpie(Quote)
Santii, that is a fair point but he should of carried out due diligence ,that way we wouldn’t be in this situation now as he would of walked away from it I would of thought and hopefully some rich arab would of bought us instead of city 😆
KIMTOON(Quote)
I know it’s not all Ashley’s fault but we would never have got relegated under Freddy and Hall. I suppose if he gets his intrest free loan back we might see a little more ambition.
stem(Quote)
I see the gunners have got a 30mil a year deal from puma,and said all the money will be put in transfer fund,I know what jabba would do and its not to put in transfer fund ffs
icedog(Quote)
Whumpie, We shouldn’t have the fear of constantly losing our top players though mate. Look at Everton they are skint so say, yet they have just tied down Baines to a 4 year deal rather than cash in on a Manure big offer. And why and how have they managed that, because they have and show ambition that’s how.
KIMTOON(Quote)
Ice ,Spot on mate@481 ,that’s the difference between us and every other club in the league.
KIMTOON(Quote)
Ice ,I wasn’t confident of us signing anyone but I do think we will see De Jong in and Cabs go like.
KIMTOON(Quote)
Pards on Cabaye
George Caulkin @CaulkinTheTimes · 1 hr
Pardew: “we would need to bring someone in, that’s for sure. You can’t lose someone of his ability and not replace him.” #Nufc
Well we’ll soon see.
KIMTOON(Quote)
I think Cabaye will be sold and though I don’t want him to go it makes financial sense to sell him now. If PSG or any other club stump up North of £20m then that would be too good to turn down. Cabaye can buy out his contract in the summer for £6million so £20m now makes sense. I don’t think anyone expects him to be here after the summer anyway. He wants CL football and wants away.
There is no way he will be allowed to run down his contract and he will not sign an extension so now is the time to get rid. Best we can hope for is a bidding war. I doubt he will be replaced this window but expect there will be a major overhaul of the squad in the summer.
Just saying like
3hourswasted(Quote)
KIM I have accepted while jabba owns the club he will be happy just to stay inPL and said it many times,fans that think we will push to be in the top 4 are living in dream land that’s to much of a risk for him,so I just go with the flow and dream of a new buyer,,please
icedog(Quote)
One club I am a bit worried about is Liverpool. Cabaye actually strikes me as the kind of player they could do with, they need a defensive mid to help cover for Lucas when he’s out, but they also need that complete midfielder to make up for Gerrard. Well, that’s what Cabaye can do, as well as chip in with the goals each season. Would really stick in my throat if they got another one of our players. May as well sign up to be their feeder club 😆
Newkie(Quote)
To be brutally honest, £20million + for a 28 year old midfielder (albeit one with several years left IMO, he doesn’t rely on legs like Jonas etc.) he is at the peak of his ability and will not get a rest this summer either, due to the world cup. It makes financial sense to get the money and get to the summer even to spend it when prices are less inflated. It would have an effect on our results and we will finish a few points lower but the club is just ticking over anyway and it doesn’t seem like they’re bothered. Head says yes, heart says no because it has taken until this season to see Cabaye at his world class best consistently IMO. Whoever comes in to replace may take 2-3 years before we see them get fully to grips with the league.
DJG(Quote)
KIMime not sure of de jong to be honest there has been a lot of bad press of his ability cannot judge as I haven’t seen that much of him, I know MM has seen him play and said he’s **** and not as good as shola so that says summit will not do a lot for me IF it happens
icedog(Quote)
I would rather Cabaye went to PSG than Man U, **** or Liverpool though. That is at least some consolation that he isn’t at a ‘competetor’. If we imagine for a second that we are actually competing with these clubs.
DJG(Quote)
JJ@467-Thing is with transfers now, teams will hold you to ransom if they even suspect you will soon sell for big money, i.e Soldado and Spurs with Bale obviously going. We don’t strictly need a Cabaye “replacement” anyway, we a proper number 10, or a proper winger and a striker. Preferably all three 🙂
Newkie(Quote)
If we win every game from now till the end of the season we might make the top 4 Icedog. Real long shot and the top 4 start losing regularly to the bottom team’s. That would be the greatest season ever in premier league history. Wont ever happen but would love to see a season like that.
stem(Quote)
F.F.P.L Should have just had a salary cap.
stem(Quote)
@premandup
Using data that spans 50 years is the same as using irrelevant data. The world was very different back then.
What actually qualifies Pardew to be manager at the club? His pst achievements? Certainly not!
So yes if your not qualified for the job you should be replaced as Pardew should.
@newkie
I’d rather we kept replacing mediocre manager with mediocre manager. At least that way we’d have some hope of success. Who knows, Mike Ashley might stumble across a good manager.
I’d say that’s a better option than sticking with Pardew until 2020!
Still i’m in the minority because too many fans thought we’d struggle against relegation & we’re not so apparently that’s a good season.
KK(Quote)
Arsene extending with Arsenal…shame that, would have been nice if their fans had kicked him out like they wanted in the summer pre-ozil. We might have made some ground on them then. They still won’t win the league though
And they have 30 million a year kit deal now….maybe they will buy Cabaye 😆
Newkie(Quote)
Cissie out of game with bad back,but will not leave toon this window,so says pardew
icedog(Quote)
To be honest i dont think it will be a disaster if Cabaye leaves for mega money (we have a ready made replacement in Anita) so long as some of the money is spent on at least 1 quality striker . What i am worried about is the effect it will have on Cab’s best mate Debuchy , we really need him to stay . That lad is on top of his game and would be much harder to replace than Cabs but at least it looks like Cabs is moving back too France and not too another EPL club as for the striker how about Hernandez as a straight replacement for Cisse ?that lad is hardly getting a game since Moyes took over from Sir Alex.
AXEL(Quote)
Agree with newkie @492
We need a winger & a striker more than we need a replacement for cabaye.
Marveaux & Ben Arfa can easily do better in the no10 role than cabaye wjo is beter a bit further back (where anita plays imo).
Lets sell cabaye & take our time looking for a replacement.
KK(Quote)
STEM keep dreaming mate,that’s all it will be a dream
icedog(Quote)
Ice,aye I’m not overly excited at the prospect of De Jong, especially after reading MM views on him like. I would be more happy seeing someone like Tom Ince come in tbh, and as Newkie says a decent no 10 a new peter Beardsley type player.
KIMTOON(Quote)
KK- I see, so you want us to hire more of Dalglish, Gullit, Souness, Allardyce Hughton. Great, can’t wait. Most of them need a job or will be out of one shortly-who do you want first 😉 maybe if we switch year on year we’ll hit lucky. Building a team is so passe. 😐
Newkie(Quote)
KK talking out of your **** as usual. He is qualified because he is achieving. Full stop. Sure we have not won the league and he doesn’t play Marveaux but at least he is achieving. Not merely spouting daydreams.
Premandup(Quote)
Debuchy won’t follow cabaye but as with all players, he will want to move to a bigger club if they’re interested.
As it is it’s still his first full season so i doubt we will sell him for anything less than £17m. That’s not bad for a full back.
KK(Quote)
Axel, Agree with all that@498, would defo prefer he goes to PSG than another PL outfit.
KIMTOON(Quote)
I don’t think we’ll see a striker in this window. We’ve got Remy & Shola until the summer with nowt to play for. Gouffran & Cisse also. Definitely will not happen until the summer IMO when we will be forced to.
DJG(Quote)
Axel-don’t think we need to worry too much about Debuchy. He can’t be that chummy with Cabaye surely or he would have made noises about leaving before. Can’t see PSG going for him, maybe Monaco? But that’s hardly close to Paris as it is! Hernandez is a decent player but wouldn’t fancy trying to work him with Cisse. I’d rather try and loan Kagawa and see if we can get him playing well again. He barely plays either and Moyes seems to rate him less than fergie did!
Newkie(Quote)
Well the Scum will be in clover if they see us sell Cabs ahead of the Derby.
KIMTOON(Quote)
its funny this cabaye thing,he was always singing toons praises and sure he helped to get other french players to come to the toon,what’s changed oh I know he was lead up the garden path as to where the club was going as we the fans are,now he’s twigged and he’s off,don’t blame him and good luck to him
icedog(Quote)
Can’t wait for this gem from Pards should the Scum win again, ” it was always going to be difficult just after losing our best player and if I’m honest we really missed him today”. -Watch this space. 😉
KIMTOON(Quote)
@premandup
What is Pardew achieving?
Was he achieving before he was our manager?
Did he get the job because of his achievments?
Pardew is not qualified to be at the club.
Joe Kinnear is not qualified to be at the club.
Anybody who thinks otherwise (like premandup) is talking out of their ****.
Both are at the club because of who they know. It’s not based on their merits.
KK(Quote)
Ice ,Aye,a player of his calibre deserves better than we’re offering , no incentive for him to stay .
KIMTOON(Quote)
@newkie
Yep, i’d go through all of those managers again if it means mike ashley stumbles across somone of SBR’s calibre.
KK(Quote)
KIM you just took the words out of pardews gob,dam he will have to think of another one,don’t worry he has plenty 😀 😀
icedog(Quote)
KK-We didn’t stumble across Bobby Robson though did we…he was a top class manager and, essentially due to his age, had had enough of European management and was probably always aiming to come to us, was just waiting for enough people to get sacked before we asked him. Not going to happen. And you want the board to sack a manager each season, how are we going to tell if someone has calibre after one season (presumably being brought in to work with someone elses squad as they won’t have a transfer window, and even if they do they won’t be backed)
Newkie(Quote)
Ice, Hopefully he won’t need one and we smash em 😉
KIMTOON(Quote)
Tell me KK what qualifications do you want. You sound like a spoilt 4 year old stamping their feet because the world is not giving them what they want.
Premandup(Quote)
If Fellaini is worth a £27.5m transfer fee then Cabs is worth at least £20m imo.
KIMTOON(Quote)
Kim-more like if Fellani is worth 27.5 mil then Cabaye is worth 30 mil!!
Newkie(Quote)
Prem , It’s a difficult thing for the average fan to get their head around in the respect that when you’ve had a manager of the Calibre of Sir Bob, pretty much everyone else is 2nd best like.
KIMTOON(Quote)
Newkie ,aye, I was gonna say that but thought I’d be shot down for being deluded, but I know who I’d prefer in my team.
KIMTOON(Quote)
Kim True. SBR was very special.
Premandup(Quote)
Cabella is a good player, but if the president is going to be a bell end then move on to Grenier or Siem De Jong.
£15m to Lyon for Grenier and Gomis and £5m in Ashleys sky rocket? – everyone’s a winner I reckon.
Sharpy17(Quote)
Best signing a club can make is a top manager.
Sir Bobby didn’t have the best squad in the world. But he got almost instant results.
Newcastle has never achieved success because I’m general, we’ve hired poor managers.
Pardew isn’t better than most that failed. Only difference is he was given time and he has a scout that’s got him some gems.
His only signing was Obertan.
We’ll never be more than mediocre with Pardew in charge.
He isn’t terrible. But he’s plain average in terms of managerial ability. For me. The most important person at the club should be better than plain average…
JJ(Quote)
This supposed £11m bid for Clement Genier that we made which was rebuffed is said to be going to increase to £14m according to L’equipe. So say Cabs replacement, but seems a lot, if indeed true, is he worth that much :?:At 23 he is very young so potential for future profit so could be something in it.
KIMTOON(Quote)