On Wednesday we head to White Heart Lane to take on Spurs in the quater final of the League Cup. Depending on who you ask, this is either a very, very important game(fans) or it is not that important and we would rather concentrate our efforts on premier league games and survival (club). To me the game on Wednesday is a great chance to push for some silverware and we must go in with the strongest team possible. However one eye must be firmly fixed on this weekend fixture against our most bitter rivals Sunderland.
As much as I would like to progress in the league cup, I want to see a good showing on the weekend and three points put in the bank after a win.
So with this in mind, there really are a few selection issues that need to be taken into account so that we don’t head into Sundays game with a bunch of tired players. From what I can gather at this early stage, we should have all of our regulars (apart from Janmaat – card trouble) available to play but I do not think we should be loading up the team too much for Wednesdays clash.
I think we should rest Sissoko and start Abied. If required we can bring Sissoko on late to add some fresh legs and drive. I would also look to rest Perez and Cisse and give Riviere a run out so he can get some game time under his belt. I would also leave Taylor out and play Williamson so that come Sunday, Taylor will be fit and firing.
It really is a hard one to juggle, how strong of a side will Pardew be prepared to send out? It really is a doubled edged sword, play a weaker team on Wednesday and lose and there will be derision amongst the fans. Play a stronger team and then lose on the weekend due player fatigue and things will get very gloomy indeed.
I hope Pardew can strike a good balance over the two games and we can come away with two victories!
It would be a very good week of football if Pardew and the lads could pull it off!
What are your thoughts?
Mark @ 221 he also reckoned that we had a **** squad
Big Dave(Quote)
another 4-0 drubbing to place in the record books.
We certainly know how to lose in style
Dreading sunday now.
We can’t even string half a dozen passes together
Beardsleys Boots(Quote)
I’m fuging furious after that display.
That was like a EPL team playing a Championship side tbh…
Outmuscled and outhought by a quicker and more skillful side all over the park. Way too little class and little endeavour on the field.
That really was a serious hammering, make no mistake about it.
Munich Mag(Quote)
Mark do not think Keegan would have gone anywhere near Cabella or Gouffron.
I think Ferdinand, Shearer, Speedo, Rob Lee, Given, etc that’s how far back we have gone.
ash1001(Quote)
I can’t see us beating Sunderland after that performance.
Alnwick is a joke of a goalkeeper.
Willo can’t defend so that a big plus for Sunderland
Gouffran is a waste of space
Carbella isnt a threat
Riviere can’t score to save his life.
Pardew’s thinking oh ****, should I pull a sicky and let Carver take the flake. Ashley will hide in his castle for this one.
Terry(Quote)
😆 what a surprise 🙄 BDave sticking up for his boyfriend 😆
as you may have seen, I also said we could win 🙄
mark(Quote)
One day well get that strong and pacey PL bread and butter centre back we’ve been crying out for 5 years, and when we do, we’ll have a solid back line 😆
Newkie(Quote)
If we play with so little will and energy against the makkems we will receive another 4-0 drubbing.
Our centre halves played like they had only just met, a goalie who is clearly not up to the task, and a powder puff midfiled.
The makkems will overpower us with aggressive pressing and speed, our tappy lappy French players really won’t know what hit them..
Pardew really is on a hiding now..
Munich Mag(Quote)
@Ash. Difference is, Keegan was allowed to buy players. Pardew has only been linked with Obertan. the rest are given to him. Hence keegan walking out after he was bought pure *****
mark(Quote)
Mark I really don’t think Troy needs anyone to stick up for him 😉 I was just making the point that a lot of people are saying how **** our squad is but when he said it he got hammered for it by a fair few people on here.
Big Dave(Quote)
Newkie@232… almost all Premier League centre halves go THROUGH the striker trying to hold up the ball. Williamson stands OFF the striker. Fug me they must love it ! When I played centre floorboard you ALWAYS expected the centre half to come through you… but this bloke doesn’t have the confidence to do it…and all at 6 foot 2 ffs ! The bloke is a wimp !
Munich Mag(Quote)
Our squad isnt that ****. On its day, fully fit, we have a decent squad. Take a few out we look ****.
mark(Quote)
Players that could of made a difference tonight.
Raylor, Obertan, Janmaat, Aarons, Cisse, Krul, SDJ, sammy, Abeid, Tiote, Saylor
mark(Quote)
Mark@234 – exactly.
Munich – Yeah, this season he has declined massively as well. I thought he was a capable squad player but because of Ashley’s fannying around and Taylor’s constant injuries Willo has been a first teamer for almost all his time here. That really is telling about our ambition.
Newkie(Quote)
Embarrassing on many counts
Toby le rhone(Quote)
We don’t have a good or decent squad. We have an average squad, we saw that today.
Williamson, Haidara, Gouffron, Cabella, Riviere… all not good enough. And what the hell did we sign the Argentinian striker for, the bloke is nowhere near the club. Does he play in reserve games ? Are we actually paying this bloke money, or is it some kind of tax dodge ? What a waste of a squad number…
Munich Mag(Quote)
Crushed again by a London side. Not an encouraging result. Has Percy said anything yet?
GeordieTwo(Quote)
Lack of talented depth thanks to Scroogely. Pure and simple.
GeordieTwo(Quote)
TLR@240, tell me about it mate.
It’s a real pity to get so far, then to lose so embarassingly like that, without even a whimper. Men against boys…
Munich Mag(Quote)
@MM I reckon Cabella may come good, he’s showing signs (slowly). Just shows how poor the French league is when Falco is given the vote of confidence @Man U and Riviere scored more goals than him last season 🙄
The money we’ve spend on *****, we could of bought Bony and others
mark(Quote)
I’ve been asked on another blog what all the fuzz is about because of that loss? Well I’m flabbergasted. We were gash. I love that saying by the way. What is all the fuzz about? Beautiful.
GeordieTwo(Quote)
Sheffield united next round for Spurs. Avoided Liverpool and Chelsea which is really upsetting.
Terry(Quote)
Mark @ 237 we have a decent 1st 11 but thats not a squad, in general our squad ( team) is poor, well IMO anyway
Big Dave(Quote)
Who wants to volunteer to play goal for us on Sunday? You don’t have to be in good shape. Just put the gloves on and stand somewhere in the middle of the net. With Willo in front of you there won’t be a single shot to save!
GeordieTwo(Quote)
Mark, I would like to share your optimism mate, but I’m not convinced. I just can’t see where he will fit into the toon team, because if we need 2 jack-in-the box players Perez gets my vote every time.. He puts in more effort, and can create chances for his team mates.. Cabella doesn’t have the power and speed of thought at the moment..
Munich Mag(Quote)
MM @ 244 I don’t mind if we get beat but have gave our all and tried, well I do but it makes it easier to accept
Big Dave(Quote)
What a bummer,spurs play S/utd,was a chance to get all the way 😥
icedog(Quote)
Mark – that was my point the other day. Eriksen and Bony or Cabella and Riverie? But no, they involve too much competition ( as good players do) so we’ll go for those who don’t interest anyone else.
Newkie(Quote)
Terry@247, Gauling mate isn’t it 👿
kimtoon(Quote)
Big D@248, spot on there mate…
I hope we have all of our big guns back on Sunday, cos we are going to need them. Get Gouffron out of the team and back on the bench. WEe need a midfield who is willing to spill blood for the cause, and who know what Sunday means.
Fug man, to have missed out on a two legged semi-final against Sheff Utd. What a REAL pity… 👿
Munich Mag(Quote)
As embarrassing the result is, lets not forget the chances we missed and the errors Alnwick had for their goals. **** all the same but we handed it to them for the first two then our heads dropped,
Need a few bodies back for Sunderland 😯
mark(Quote)
Here’s another fine mess you’ve dropped us in Percy (and you too Scrrogely). Please, please don’t start Riviere against the unwashed on Sunday Alan you nitwit.
GeordieTwo(Quote)
we have a decent squad for 10th spot 😉 & thats where we aim to be. Don’t aim too high, we might have to spend to get into the top 6. Scary thought 😆
mark(Quote)
Don’t worry Mark mate. No spending will be done. Mike loves a fat purse. Besides, we have plenty of room to drop right now before we hit the relegation zone. That’s just the way he likes it. 🙄
GeordieTwo(Quote)
the early second goal for Spurs,and Cabaye missing an absolute sitter were the real blows to our performance.. plus Alnwick being a joke of course…
Munich Mag(Quote)
There is no way that a club of Newcastle’s stature should lose a cup quarter final 4-0. No way… embarrasing 👿 👿 👿
Munich Mag(Quote)
aye Newkie, too right. shame we saved all the Cabs money then blew it on Cabella, mbiwa & Rivi 🙄 at least Perez and Colback, for a grand total of a mill have come good.
mark(Quote)
Have had my lie down in a darkened room, and the result is still the same.
We talk about this and that, but we have no idea what the real thinking is in the Corridors of Power, the Chronicle + others are banned from speaking with the club and players so all we get is what the club want to churn out.
Tonight Spurs put out a team with 8 fringe players in it and wiped the floor with us – that says it all, the players are not good enough, the manager is not good enough and the board – well least said the better.
All credit to the supporters who attended, they still clapped the team off at the end, that must have took some doing.
This club of ours will never change until we have someone in charge that is really passionate not only about the football team but is capable of understanding how we feel about our team.
ash1001(Quote)
I reckon Mike will shell out around 20+ mill (loan) this season on his beloved club. Shame its Rangers who will be the Beneficiary
mark(Quote)
Gouffran hasn’t played a good game this season. Willo has been poor, as has Riviere. We’re sitting on quite a few lame ducks in this squad.
GeordieTwo(Quote)
Kim if it was Chelsea or Liverpool I wouldn’t feel so bad but I reckon we would have beaten Sheffield and reached the final. I suppose we should be grateful we reached the QF’s and had a cup run. It just hurts that our best players our injured and the useless ones aren’t. Willo should be dropped and sold and play Streete instead. If Pardew can’t see he was fugging useless against Arsenal and Spurs he needs his brains tested.
Terry(Quote)
G2 don’t worry I’m scouting India for cheaper players. There useless as well but cheaper on the wage bill.
Terry(Quote)
He is an absolute fucking disgrace, I could have lived with losing tonight if we’d had a go with a strong side
I’ve seen us beat Sunderland plenty of times, I’ve never seen us win a cup and to see us throw a quarter final with s league 1 club awaiting us in the semi is depressing
CC(Quote)
Support your local NUFC, it’s just like watching the Generation Game conveyor belt round with positive intentions and a really **** memory. 😎
Rodzilla(Quote)
@Ash, a lot of the fans didnt get seated until the 20th min. 😳
poor buggers
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2878040/Newcastle-fans-subjected-turnstile-chaos-Magpies-loss-Tottenham.html?ITO=1490&ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490
mark(Quote)
Excellent plan Terry mate. Keep in mind our owner is very poor. Threadbare clothes (frequently doesn’t even have a rain coat), has to hold out a tin cup on holidays etc. etc. It’s all very sad. 😥
GeordieTwo(Quote)
G2 his so hard done by it’s unreal mate.
Terry(Quote)
Fatty eats ants and other airborne crustaceans; also harbours a peculiar penchant for trilobites (available in Iceland now) – mud, optional extra, only for a penny.
Rodzilla(Quote)
So nobody is going to volunteer to go in goal for us on Sunday then?
GeordieTwo(Quote)
Fatty is a deviated prevert Rodz mate.
GeordieTwo(Quote)
Mike Ashley would make a good goalkeeper
Terry(Quote)
Well I have to go feed some pictures of Ashley wrapped around food scraps to the honey badgers.
GeordieTwo(Quote)
I eat goals for breakfast. I am fat.
Fat is big.
Me um heap big fat.
Good fat.
Polyunfaturatedfatwat.
Rodzilla(Quote)
I’m surprised Ashley’s so fat considering how poor he is ?
Terry(Quote)
Smoke and mirrors mate. Stuff can be deceptive.
Rodzilla(Quote)
Team for Sunderland
Woodman
Haidara Streete/Saylor Colocini Dummett
Colback Toite Sissoko
Perez Armstrong Vukic
Terry(Quote)
I’d be happy if that was Sunderland’s team.
Rodzilla(Quote)
Looks even better in HD.
BERATE PARDEW!!
👿
Rodzilla(Quote)
…and I REALLY mean it this time. 👿 👿
Rodzilla(Quote)
I predict new mauve to be the breakthrough coloure of 2015. It’s a bit like purple. You heard it hear first. 😉
Rodzilla(Quote)
I may be some time…
Rodzilla(Quote)
So injuries accepted, options limited and first choice players not available – I get that.
But Pardew came out after the Arsenal game and says he made a mistake by playing Gouffran instead of Anita (or words to that affect). So what lesson was learned?, none as he makes the same decision last night!!. I could understand if Goof was bang in form but he hasn’t played will for a while now.
To be honest though, I didn’t really get passed the defence when wondering where Pardews head was at! – Dummett at RB?!. If it was his only option then fair enough, but with Anita, Satka and Streete all on the bench – any would have been a better option, at least they are right footed FFS. The other brain fart – Rivière as a lone striker yet again. That said, the kid just doesn’t look like he’s going to score!. I also suggested that the Spurs fixture could suit Cabella (less physical), but he contributed very little last night I thought.
Basically IMO we lost last night through some stupid player selections from Pardew, and some players still seriously underperforming. That made life very easy for a very average Spurs side.
Sharpy17(Quote)
Has Pardew resigned yet
Toby le Rhone(Quote)
Why oh why does he keep reverting to this hopeless 4-2-3-1 formation ?
Feel sorry for Alnwick a bit, as I have seen all keepers make these kind of mistakes. Sometimes you get away with them, sometimes you don’t. But he alone is not to blame for the hiding we received. He is young and needs more matches under his belt, at a higher level than the reserves ffs. He knows it and even asked for a loan move but was refused by the clown.
How is he expected to improve then ?
Best thing he could do is get out of NUFC permanently, and sign on somewhere else.
Beardsleys Boots(Quote)
I agree it’s all too easy to blame Alnwick for last night. Fact is we had an inexperienced keeper with a defence imitating the keystone cops in front of him poor sod, oh and a midfield out for a sunday stroll 🙄 shocking stuff.
Dreading sunday now, having a terrible week compounded by last night and it better not get worse .
kimtoon(Quote)
Well that was disappointing.
Have to say I thought we were more dangerous than them until Alnwick’s error and that totally changed the game. A shame but it’s big mans game. Was annoyed how we totally capitulated though as after they scored the second it was embarrassing.
Think Pardew needs to go back to the defending deep and counter tactics as we just don’t look creative enough taking the game to teams.
Definitely need a centre half and striker in Jan.
Stuart79(Quote)
Stu – I totally agree. It seems against Arsenal & Spurs Pardew has changed a successful formula/formation. I know we have had injury and suspension to that 3 man midfield, but on both occasions Anita has been available and overlooked.
We won’t win every game. Some teams will be stronger than us and we will have off days, but when Pardew pisses about with the formation then that bothers me a bit. Particularly when he switches from a winning one – not just this season, but the 5th place season too – but to a formation that has never worked under him. Foolish really.
Sharpy17(Quote)
Soon as I saw the team sheet I knew we’d lost. Riv, Willo, Gouffran and Cabella are just not good enough. Nowhere near good enough and Pardew should know this by now. Willo’s been total rubbish for 4 whole years. Picked a team to lose Pardew? I know you can’t say it but you did.
Where were Taylor, Abeid, Sammy, Armstrong? It was a game we could have won or at least narrowly lost. Disgraceful.
Perez and Arma the only positives to take.
georgio(Quote)
Sorry but I really have no idea what Gouffran, Williamson or Riveire give to the team. Did they touch the ball last night?
Stuart79(Quote)
Stuart – they’re better when they don’t touch the ball 😥
georgio(Quote)
Stu – I don’t disagree with you, but I do feel a little sorry for Rivière. He looked decent against Palace in the earlier rounds with Armstrong playing off him. But every other occasion I think he’s been left isolated a bit up there alone. He doesn’t seem to be able to perform that role particularly well at all.
Sharpy17(Quote)
Sharpy – forever the optimist! Riviere is absolutely rubbish and I fail to see how you can think otherwise. Stray dog on the pitch.
georgio(Quote)
Pardew is an arrogant **** when it comes to formation’s. I mean why stick to 4 3 3 when we are winning games out of it ? As fugging usual lets go back to this boring and flukey 4 2 3 1 formation ? His an arrogant ****. Just when you think his turned the corner he still surprises you. Williamson and Colocini looked bloody terrible in defence but I bet none of then get dropped for saturday. Gouffran will probably start up front.
Terry(Quote)
Georgio – not at all mate. He and Cabella haven’t performed since there arrival, and I fully understand the call that they aren’t good enough. But equally, are we playing to their strengths when they are in the team?. I agree that for us they aren’t doing enough, but lets not forget that Cabella is a French international – he can’t be all that bad. Rivière had a very good strike rate with Monaco – I know it’s a different league, but I’m just as quick to right players off so early.
Sharpy17(Quote)
Riviere was well worth 6 million ( NOT) WHY OH WHY DID WE SIGN HIM!! TO DO MONACO A FAVOUR ?? OH HOLD UP MIKE THERE’S ANOTHER **** PLAYER FROM MONTEPELIER CALLED CARBELLA. MONTEPELIER NEED THE MONEY AS WELL. GRAHAM CARR IS FUGGING *****.
Terry(Quote)