FLIP FLOPS OR TURNING POINT ?

flipflops
After the shambolic display at Everton there needed to be a vast improvement against Arsenal. Newcastle were rightly slated by fans and pundits alike, given Evertons form of late and mid week outing in Europe it wasn’t out the way to have expected a point or 3 from that game. Newcastle being Newcastle don’t do things the easy way though and simply didn’t show up on the day with Gary Lineker suggesting they already had their flip flops on for the summer.
It’s pretty safe to assume the majority of us were expecting a proper mauling at the hands of an in form Arsenal and some fans even said they wouldn’t watch such was the worry it could be a very embarrassing scoreline. Well what a pleasant surprise we got, ok we lost and we did fall apart for the two goals in that crazy 5 minute spell but second half we were outstanding and truth be told no one could of complained if we’d gotten a point from the game.
I’m still baffled how we can go from being utterly useless as a unit to completely united in one game but this isn’t the only time this has happened, we also saw it under Pardew. The funny thing is that under Pardew we would be great first half and awful the second, leading many to wonder what got said at halftime!
John Carver came out after the match to say how proud of the players he was and rightly so. What ever he said at half time, and he alluded to comments about pride in the shirt, it certainly worked. The difference was simply amazing, especially considering this was a patched up team.
So is this a turning point, do we actually have a team capable of attacking and creating chances and goals that get bums off seats? Or was this just a flash in the pan performance bought about by the fear of yet more ridicule from the fans and pundits? Is there actually some pride and sense of something to play for or are we deluding ourselves?
St James Park was rocking second half on saturday and I for one haven’t heard such noise for a long time. This cannot of gone unnoticed by our owner who was watching in the stands. I wonder how much he wants that atmosphere every home game? Just a couple of astute transfers of real quality in the summer and no more daft loans and sales and we could yet have a team to get back that wonderful atmosphere on a regular basis and maybe even turn St James Park back into a fortress again.

By KIMTOON

287 thoughts on “FLIP FLOPS OR TURNING POINT ?

  1. Spot on icedog and Big Dave. Colo needs to go after this season. He’s getting past it and doesn’t want to be here. He knows an owner without ambition when he sees one as well. We need 2 good CB’s, 2 strikers and 2 wingers in the summer. Get rid of Colo, Willo, Saylor, Obertan, Gouffran, Riviere, and Ferreyra. They just can’t cut it and are holding us back. A proper cleanout. Bring in a proper manager and coaching staff as well. Do you have the plums for it Ashley? I doubt it Mr. MicroNuts.

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  2. Small *******
    He’s the man, the man with the tiny plums
    And a weasel’s touch
    Such a small *******
    Beckons you to enter his web of sin
    But don’t go in

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  3. I hope Mike takes this as a sign of disrespect. It’s obvious enough even for him isn’t it? I worry sometimes that I’m being too subtle. 😯

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  4. Big finish now mates. Sing it loud and proud.
    Small *******
    He loves only gold
    Only gold
    He loves gold
    He loves only gold
    Only gold
    He loves gold

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  5. Golden words he will pour in your ear
    But his lies can’t disguise what you fear
    For a club knows when he’s destroyed them
    It’s the kiss of death from
    Small *******
    Stay tuned for the next exciting Small ******* feature The Man Who Loved His Own Knob. Coming in summer 2015.

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  6. Dave/ice – my thinking with Colo is that he’s the best of our current bad bunch. If the newbies don’t hit the ground running then Colo could help bed them in and be phased out – maybe cleared out in the Jan. I would have Saylor do that ideally, but his injuries would make that hugely difficult.

    Sykes – excellent mate, should be cracking 5wks trip that. Should be a great holiday for you and the girls 😉

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  7. DAVE by the way mate about time we had a update and photo of Buster on f/b,get your finger out don’t leave everything to Dede lol

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  8. Will we enjoy a 40 point season by the end of the last match? What will Ashley do if we finish on 40 points? Anything at all? Play some more mind games in the summer? Pretend to show some ambition? Bring in a couple of young players and sell Sissoko? Lay low and let Carver and Charnley take the heat? Any or all of the above? They all sound pretty likely to me.

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  9. G2 it will be shock if we get 40points it will be a bigger shock if jabba spends the money we really need it would go against his grain

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  10. The real problem is that due to years or squad mis-management and neglect we have such a pathetic squad it won’t be fixed in one summer. I genuinely am not sure most of the squad are good enough to finish anywhere but mid table at the very, very best. Adding a proven striker, a midfielder and a centre half might not improve us greatly as the players underneath just aren’t good enough.

    Williamson
    Gouffran
    Anita
    Riviere
    Vuckic
    Streete

    Non of the above are good enough and this list are just bang average:

    Abeid
    Sameobi
    Taylor
    Colo
    Bigi

    Not a good pair of lists and that’s not to mention the players who are likley to leave like Tiote and Sissoko. I also wouldn’t be too surprised to see Janmaat sold if someone shows a bit of interest.

    All in all a huge job and I’m not sure they’re capable of achieving what’s required with the squad rebuild.

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  11. Kimtoon@23, Beck is an excellent right back mate, and would be an immense signing for 1,5 million. Get the bloke in I say.

    Thomas Tuchel to Hamburg ? So what, we have no interest in the bloke anyway… the papers just hoying a bunch of fluff out there to distract the punters from the real issue…the job is John Carver’s….

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  12. Stuart79@86, I’m quite shocked at how poor Anita has been. Whoever lined him up wants a good talking too…

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  13. Ice @83 😆 will do mate 😉 .
    Sharpy I cant get over that some are even calling for him ( Colo ) to be moved to DM just to keep him 😯 for his wage I would be expecting a quality DM, not just an over the hill CB with no heart or desire that cant cut it at CB
    MM for me Anita might be decent back in his home league, but for me he is well below standard for the prem

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  14. We don’t want to end up going down the same road with Colo that we did with Shops,spend the cash and buy a good c/h along with a few others,I wouldn’t say no to Sh across like

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  15. Dave – yeah no way would I play him DM. If we kept him it would be to allow the new ones to settle, but yeah I forgot about his wages like. I wouldn’t mind if he was an inspirational member of the squad, but he’s not.

    Dave – regarding Anita, I agree that he’s better suited to the Dutch league. His smaller build just doesn’t cut it in the PL.
    I would offer him to FC Twente as part of a deal to bring Luc Castaignos.

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  16. Big D: Coloccini’s contract ends June 2016 so we couldn’t get rid of him even if we wanted to. We all know he will be back to Argentina to be ***** whipped as soon as he can. However, in the meantime, we either get a speedy and tall partner for him or find another position to play him as his pace decreases from tortoise to snail to slug. Tall and speedy centre backs are hard to find as well so I doubt the fat man will pay up for that.

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  17. Eric – I reckon Colo would cut & run now if he got his return to Argie.
    Steven Caulker was once highly rated, but has had another poor season with QPR.
    Winston Reid would have been a good signing on a free, but I reckon he would have wanted massive wages.

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  18. Stuart79 it frightens me to think of another season with Williamson in defence. You just know no other club wants to buy him and we won’t get a replacement until Ashley gets him off the wage bill. Its the same as buying a **** player and getting stuck with them and persevering with them because there’s no-one better.

    Eric I wanted Pardew sacked when that season we were in the EL. If Pardew win’s manager of the year with Crystal Palace will never hear the end of it.

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  19. Stem: that lanky piece of ***** better be out of here. 4 years is enough and as I said to Kimtoon he ruined my 2015 NUFC calandar. He is on the front and fucking March. And what does that tattoo say down the back of his neck?

    On the other hand, he has not been our worst player recently 🙂 That “accolade” would have to go to Anita and Riviere.

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  20. Eric I the only reason I can think of in the top of my mind why manager’s persevere with Williamson is that his excellent on the training pitch or his won the respect of the manager and his fellow team mates. We have loads of **** players these days and there all as bad as each other. This is all Ashley’s doing but I can’t see all that much changing in the summer. I would like to be wrong.

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  21. Not sure I could stomach another season of Collo-Willo in central defense. Id rather see Lascelles and Dummett

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  22. MDS &Kim sorry but I think we’ll still have both as I can’t see any team coming in to buy them. So I can’t see Jabba being prepared to pay their wages if they are not playing.
    Actually hold on that, unless Willo’s contract is up

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  23. So the club are due to let 6-8 fringe players leave this summer. What are the odds on us having an even smaller squad than we have currently?

    We will hear the normal bull **** about giving the young players a chance to step up Bla bla bla…

    Another summer of complete bollocks lies ahead

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  24. Stu – for a number of seasons now we have needed to clear out some of the deadwood. 6-8? 😯 there’s 5 at Rangers already that I’d want shot of mate!!.
    I have no issue with our squad getting a bit smaller, if we bring in some quality. Swansea and Everton don’t have the largest squad in the league, but they generally do ok – Everton have struggled this season with Europa, but they won’t get relegated.
    The difference is they manage injuries better than we do.

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  25. Actually looking at Evertons squad, of 24 players they have 10 that are 30 plus – so looks like they have as much work to do as us.

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  26. Sharpy – If our squad gets any smaller (with players who can actually play) we will be applying to play in the local 5 a side league

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  27. Sure we can afford to let several players go and not be any worse off. Would we really lose anything at all, from the first team, when Ferguson, Bigi, Marveaux, Alnwick, Vuckic,Campbell and Streete all go? That’s already 7.

    Of genuine first team squad members, we are obviously going to lost Elliot (replaced by Darlow) and Tiote, who needs replacing.

    We’ve already lost Mbiwa, Alnwick and Santon. Mbiwa and Santon need replacing.

    We also need a proper striker.

    Quaklity not quantity – if we showed the door to all 12 players named above and only got in three proper first eleven players, I’d still suggest that we were in a better place. After all, of those 12 only Tiota has played any sort of role in the first team this season – indictment

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  28. GTE – And look where we are this season… We would be serious relegation candidates in a normal PL season.

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  29. But that’s about quality, not quantity, Stu – we haven’t even had a first eleven of top-half quality.

    IMO we have 18 players who can carry a place in a top-half squad, and few unproven, but we have to be hopeful.

    Only 8 of first choice quality – Krul, Janmaat, Saylor when fit, Dummett, Colback, Cabella, Sissoko, Cisse

    5 of squad quality – Haidara, Willo, Abeid, Sammy, Perez

    Another 6 effectively unproven but benefit of doubt: Darlow, Lascelles, one of Streete or Good, De Jong, Aarons, Arma

    2 need to prove they can make it, sceptical – Riviere, Aarons

    That’s 21 players we are probably going to work with – lacking 3-4 quallity players, far more than repalcin 8-10 like for like.

    Beyond that 3 probably can’t hack it – Anita, Goofy, Oba while of players who could do a job Raylor and Jonas probably won’t be here.

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  30. Telling that I missed Colo off the list completely – can’t decide if he is a first teamer on what we know he can do, or a squad player on his actual performances, mebbe goes down as ‘to prove’ sStill, 22 players to graft a bit of quality on to.

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  31. Sorry but Willo isn’t squad quality. Neither is Taylor as he’s just never fit so we might as well have a cardboard cut out.

    To have to be ‘hopeful’ that most of our squad players will be good enough is a bit of a shambles really while only have 8 first team quality players in a squad of 22 is another shambles. Add to that 3 additions and we still only have a team of first teamers who we can confidently predict will suffer various injuries and loss of form. That’s including Sissoko who I will be amazed if he’s still here.

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  32. Excluding the under 21s I would only want the following to stay:

    Krul, Darlow, Eliot, Janmaat, Hadeira, Dummett, Lascelles, Staylor, Abeid, Colbeck, Sissoko, De Jong, Ayoze, Cabella, and Cisse.

    I guess you could make a case for Raylor, Sammy or Vuckic

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  33. Centre Back is definitely the area that needs address.
    I agree with MDS, Lascelles and Dummett will be the best we have next season – when really they should be back up to 2 real quality CBs.

    GTE – I’d go with 7 of your 8, but Saylor wouldn’t be in there. 4 or your 5 as Willo wouldn’t be in there either. I’m happy to agree with your 6 though, but instead of Street or Good I’d say Satka.

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  34. I can take that on Saylor and Willo lads, althougn while one or the other might go, I’m certain we’;ll have one of them in the first team pool next season. Centre back is the key to the whole thing, followed closely by central midfield, where we’ve been too lightweight all season (although not quite as easy simply to pass through as when Tiote played last season). My point is only that we need 3-5, rather than 10, new signings to have a squad of sufficient numbers, but we lack quality in key positions.

    Can’t agree on the ‘hopefuls’, Stu – the only squads in the league which won’t have half a dozen ‘hopefuls’ included will be Chelsea and Man City.

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  35. Not sure on that, GTE, as the club you mentioned Everton don’t have hopefuls. They have experienced players and they know what they’re going to get from them.

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  36. Alright I admit it – it was me that started the whole who to keep debate @48. 😀 Now I see the Chronicle and The Mag are at it too along with many on here.
    We can speculate until the cows come home but the regime will do their thing their way. Cheap and unspectacular, probably 5 out five in. And we’ll rage on.

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  37. Did I mention Everton? Since you so, I’d have thought that at the beginning of the season Stones, Alcaraz, Oviedo Besic, Atsu and Kone would have been classed as’hoping they’ll come good, beneft off the doubt’ and, like us with De Jong, some like Kone have been largely injured,and others haven’t worked out. Two of their ‘first eleven’players, in Lukaku and Barkley have had utterly **** seasons. The real difference with Everton (who are still having a poor season) is that they have five top reliable defenders and a bunch of experienced midfielders – experience, and leadership which we lack.

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  38. Georgio – cheap and unspectacular?! 👿 how very dare you!!. Did you not read that JC has seen the list of players we are after and they are tip top players!! …. Cheap and unspectacular 🙄 hush your mouth young man!!.

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  39. Stones, Alcaraz, Kone and Oviedo all had good seasons last year so not much of a hopeful there.

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  40. IMO naming a new coach quickly may help in signing new players if players think the club is moving the right way but doubt it will happen

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  41. Ice/Kim – don’t you think it’s a bit chicken n egg though, coz any coach may be waiting to see what players we sign before deciding whether to move to a club known to have little to no ambition.
    Surely the summer signings is the only way to encourage anyone other than Carver.

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  42. Sharpy but surely the coach would want to have some input into any new players , rather than sit back and see what players the club would bring in themselves ❓

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  43. Sharpy, Well you would hope any potential coach would be given an idea of in comings, but this is the Toon and we don’t do things the sensible way, so yeah you could be right.

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  44. Dave, It’s embarrassing and shows what a cheap outfit we have become in every way. At least the fans come out of it with a decent write up, feel sorry for Jonas being treated so shabbily.

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  45. Dave/Kim – you would think that’s how it should be, but didn’t the job description – penned by Charnleys own fair hand, say that those decisions would be made by him & Carr?.

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  46. Sharpy they said that the head coach would have some in put, but if not why is JC telling us all that he has been talking with Lee etc about the so called new signings.

    Kim@ 133 😳

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  47. Saylor will be good for about 5 games next season and then will injure himself again. Ashley is a fool who doesn’t deserve to own a football club. He won’t do enough in the summer because he is a cheapskate and a micronuts. No plums no glory Mike. And reduced profit as well as we slide down the league table you idiot.

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  48. How the man can call himself an owner is beyond me. He is an absentee owner at best and a fool at worst. If he wants lots of dosh then spend some to take us up the table Mike. It’s not difficult to understand. You have to spend wisely but you do have to spend. You can’t get by with 2 over the hill centre backs and a poor set of strikers Mike. It’s not rocket science.

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  49. Dave – I’m working my ticket a bit to be fair :razz:. Yeah JC did say the head would basically identify the positions that needed strengthening but it would be LC & GC who pick the players for those positions.

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  50. It’s bollocks. The only person who decides which players we get is Ashley. The others (Charnley and Carr) make recommendations but Ashley will pull the plug in an instant if he thinks the price is too high. I’m shocked he paid 12M (reputedly) for Cabella. That’s why we’ll continue to struggle. Ashley doesn’t understand the game. He’s just hoping to avoid relegation and keep making big money.

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  51. Interesting that Janmaat has as many assists (6) as Hazard. Shows his quality in a weak team (Janmaat that is). He has guts as well. A very good player. Hope he stays with us but with Mike in charge who knows?

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  52. If you take Janmaat, Sissoko, and Cisse out of the side we would have collapsed this season. The 5 game winning streak in the first half was more than half of our wins to date! It’s rididulous. Any owner who can’t see how poor his club is and do something about it is not a fit and proper owner. Two wins in our last 10. Nine wins total. A goal difference of -15. Shockingly poor. Nothing done about it in January either.

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  53. One of the hardest things to take for me was having Crystal Palace pass us in the table. Another one would be another loss to Sunderland.

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  54. Based on our goal difference we should probably be sitting 15th right now. That’s pathetic as well. Hopefully many of our sad sack players will be gone in summer. But who will come in? A few under 25’s with no Prem experience? And what decent manager would come to be our head coach then? It’s laughable in a pathetic sort of way.

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  55. To be fair I don’t think the club rates Willo either which is why (if memory serves) they played Dummet at CB when Staylor got hurt

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  56. The club don’t rate him yet how many seasons has he been with us now? At least he’s not made of glass like Saylor and if he’s given a huge amount of time and space he can occasionally make a decent pass instead of hoofing it but is that enough to keep him with us for 5 or 6 years? Apparently it is.

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  57. Colocinni came to us as a class player MDS mate. He was an Argentine international. He could pass a ball well under pressure. He wasn’t quite big enough or dominant in the air but he had some very good qualities. Willo was a hand me down player from a hand me down club (Portsmouth I believe). It’s ridiculous that he’s still with us and having to play regularly. A perfect example of the Ashley method. Let him stay. He’s cheap. He’ll do.

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  58. This must be a bit embarrassing for Mike surely. Pardew leaves us and leads Palace out of the drop zone and above us in the table in about 10 or 11 games. And he’s only a mediocre manager at best. Now we have a poor manager (under 20 winning percentage). How much lower can we sink? Stay tuned and find out.

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