Wooah now steady on!

Shamrock

Now that the club has a top notch manager on the books the Toon Army is awash with full blooded optimism. It’s a refreshing change for us but it’s important not to lose sight of the cold, hard reality of our dire current standing.

I’m still not convinced we are staying up ‘if I’m being honest‘ (to borrow a phrase from the Alan Pardew handbook of handy sentence closures). I hope Rafa can work miracles and we certainly stand a much better chance now than we did under Steve McClaren – who appeared tactically inept and seemingly lost the dressing room a long time ago.

The big concern like a few have pointed out, is far too many of our players are either simply not good enough or just dont seem to care. I know the Grin Reaper lost their respect and they were not playing for him, but they are very well paid professionals and regardless of a lack of tactics or an inspirational leader they should still have been displaying the basic principles of football such as pass & move, chase balls, close down the opposition and commit to winning the ball. It’s not rocket science and the absence of the concentration and/or will to get the basics right for large swathes of the last 18 months under various managers and coaches worries me.

This league has been a funny one and anyone can beat anybody else on their day. I know a lot of people have us down for victories against every one of our relegation rivals, but it will more than likely be the case that those teams will come fighing for their lives. They will want the points just as much as our players. Who saw Norwich picking up a point against title chasing Man City for example?

If we as fans expect and pin our hopes on wins against every relegation rival then I fear we are in for disappointment. Numerous people have pointed out that local rivals Sunderland have displayed fight in recent games. Newcastle have not. The Derby game is absolutely massive. A loss puts Sunderland 4 points clear of us but secure a win and we are right back in it, with a psychological advantage.

Its worth noting that every bottom half team has beaten us at least once this season with the exception of Norwich. We seem to fold when the pressure is on. More often than not, these games against relegation rivals come down to who wants it more and tactics go out the window. Do our lads have it in them?

No doubt Rafa Benitez will inspire a few individuals and bring a fresh impotus into the squad. He has been there and done it in several Countries and we could not have wished for a better managerial appointment. He has several big tasks to overcome. They include making our defensive unit more robust, making our forward line more potent and getting key players such as Gini Wijnaldum and Moussa Sissoko to perform consistently.

I just hope the lads listen keenly to Rafa’s instructions and actually go out with focus and determination. If they do, they will pull off a shock result or two against the better placed sides we are due to face such as Liverpool and Man City. It could well be those games that we will be relying on to stay up, not necessarily your Norwich City’s and Swansea’s.

About Shamrock

Like everyone here, support Newcastle United. Not the easiest side to feel good about at times, but it's our side!

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165 thoughts on “Wooah now steady on!”

  1. Good morning Shamrock.

    Not bad last night, but a long way to go. Beaten by an offside wonder strike and denied a penalty, but still some optimism that we can play compact with shape. We even created a couple of half chances.

    The board acted 2 weeks too late for me to feel confident, but optimistic, possibly.

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  2. Morning Prem. This was written before the game yesterday. The fight gives me hope but they need to keep it up and we still need to find that bit of quality in the final third. Gona be too close for comfort..

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  4. The key to staying up is scoring more goals than the teams around you. Norwich are struggling for goals at the moment too, but will we out score the Scum?!.

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  5. totally agree, 2 weeks too late. Should have all been done and dusted during the 18 day break.
    it could still come down to the final game of the season against Spurs
    But at least we now have a fighting chance.
    Some improvements last night, but the same old deficiencies loom large, as in we are toothless and clueless in front of goal. I would not start Mitrovic against the mackems, his head has gone.
    He’s had his chances and blown it too many times.
    Either way, we need to get 2 strikers up top.
    any news on Cisse ?

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  6. Sham good read if a bit confusing until you said you wrote it before the game.
    We still have a way to.go but for me the team proved last night that they have the fight to scrap ot out.
    Which for me is the most pleasing , as before Rafa I hated to see how the team were so soft with most players going missing and, I could never accept that all the other teams we played fought and give it their all and we couldn’t .

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  7. I thought that we were pretty unlucky. Some of Mitro’s layoffs were excellent, I just wish he would score to get a bit more confidence. Danny Simpson shoved his head into Mitro’s face as well but of course we didn’t get that call.

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  8. Shamrock, good read and I couldn’t agree more mate. You could still have written this after the game tbh. Yes Steve lost his way and the players too it would seem and there is no doubt Rafa gives us a great chance. But let’s be honest here, these players are very fragile at the moment, you can easily see it doesn’t take much to knock the stuffing out of them. First 25 mins last night was very pleasing, we were playing it out of defence nice and calmly, you would of been hard pushed to know who were the relegation candidates were! I thought Leicester were very jittery and unsure what to expect, that we attacked and created a couple of early chances was very pleasing, if not a little worrying. To think if not for that wonder goal we would of had a point, especially given we should of had a pen too is a bit gutting. It gives me a bit of hope we can grab some points. All the same, our lack of killer instinct in front of goal is a huge worry, if only we could get an early goal or grab a late winner in games we’d have half a chance, trouble is we don’t look like scoring. We still look unfit too which in part is down to nerves/lack of confidence, just as Leicester are looking fast because they are flying and that confidence gives you that extra adrenalin push needed to beat your opponent . Rafa has one hell of a job to save us, but just as with Steve before him, he needs his players to not hide and fight from minute one to the end. I did see more fight last night but I fear this is too little too late, the Derby game is a huge test of mental and physical toughness, will our guys pass the test?
    In Defoe and Borini , Sunderland have two excellent forwards and we will have to be on top form defensively .

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  10. Dave ,agree, I also want to see Dumdums come on a little earlier too, thought Rafa left it a little bit late to introduce him to have any effect last night.

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  11. good all round performance. shame Sissoko and Mitro didnt get in each others way as that was a decent chance.

    very concerned we can’t score. we have to win on Sunday or we’re in serious trouble

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  12. Hope he plays De Jong for part of, if not all of next game too as he looks very composed on the ball.

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  13. Gashley:
    good all round performance. shame Sissoko and Mitro didnt get in each others way as that was a decent chance.

    Yeah, that had me screaming at the tv for sure, terrible mix up at worst possible moment. Mitro would of buried that left unhindered.

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  16. I keep thinking that the only problem with Mitro is confidence, I think him getting a real good game and bagging a goal or 2 would mean we would have a real good striker with confidence.
    I also found it odd when Rafa said about giving him and Perez etc finishing classes , so I would take from that that Schteve wasn’t giving them seperate finishing classes which is daft.

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  17. I hope Gini gets to play in midfield again. He looked very good there instead of Anita. That’s playing where he always has McClaren! Bit disappointed to lose as they weren’t massively better than us. Even the defence looked decent and Lascelles is getting better every game.
    We need goals though and De jong slowly getting match fit is not going to solve that! Kim – it’s not composure with him it’s slowness!

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  19. Look at our fixtures from here on in, they’re mostly very winnable. With the squad we have and a proper manager, we should be able to beat the likes of Swans, Norwich, Villa and Sunderland. Palace are on a shocking run, Saints and Liverpool are inconsistent and Spurs are hopefully out of it by the last game…

    Come on. It’s very doable now with a top manager.

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  20. well Johnson up and coming sentence does not seem to bother him,he threw a big party bash at his home y/day,hope the people that went feel real good about themselves,dicks

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  22. Mitro’s problem is that he’s always on his own when crosses come into the box. What chance does any striker have with 5/6 against 1?

    I’d definitely play De Jong as he’s good on the ball and can create.

    Literally I believe it’s a winner takes all on Sunday. Whoever wins will take huge amount of confidence which will help them push on.

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  24. what the hell is going on over in scumland,johnson former team team is charged with two counts of rape while at scumland

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  29. new man city game date
    Manuel Pellegrini will now bring his team to Tyneside for the Newcastle v Manchester City clash on Tuesday 19 April – with a 7.45pm kick-off.

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  33. Have I missed something here? Why is everyone talking about Sunderland like they’re Real Madrid?! They’ve only got one point more than us FFS!!!!

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  34. KIM
    How could I possibly support this club without being an optimist???
    My parents are Man City fans, half of the rest of my family are Liverpool fans and the other half are Man Utd. fans…I could have picked any of those but I chose this sorry lot! 😛

    Gotta hope my faith is rewarded one day…even drove my shitty little Corsa from Newcastle to Cardiff on my own to watch them get stuffed in the FA Cup semi. Cost me a fortune in petrol, hotel etc…I could have just supported one of those other clubs and watch the trophies roll in!

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  35. We have a better squad than Sunderland, Norwich and Villa and now we have a better manager. That should make us favourites to avoid the drop. Now to execute it!

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  36. Well played match yesterday. We deserved a penalty. The team looks to be very willing to work for Rafa.

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  37. Definite penalty, I agree. Draw wouldn’t have been unfair, but when you’re top of the table you’re so confident you can score winners out of nothing! Whereas we had players running into each other, mishit final balls, passes when they should have shot and blocked goalbound shots.

    Players just need confidence that they can score and we can win.

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  39. Mackems and Norwich. The 2 most crucial matches of the season. If we take the six points we should be all right.

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  41. TDS, I’m bloody dreading it mate, hate the Derby at the best of times but it’s worse than ever this season.

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  42. Must say I am just not looking forward to Sunday’s game. I’m looking forward to the few hours before when I’ll be getting bladdered but the match its self will not be a pleasant experience – unless we’re 3 up inside 15 mins…

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  43. I know what you mean Kim. It’s a big game anyway but this will be the biggest for decades!

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  45. kimtoon:
    TDS, I feel sick just thinking about it so god only knows how the players feel.

    That’s what I’m worried about Kim. I’m not sure many of them care at all tbh.

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  46. Shamrock: That’s what I’m worried about Kim. I’m not sure many of them care at all tbh.

    Well Taylor and Colback should do. I’m not sure Sunderland have any local lads do they?

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  47. I see Rafa has said he was pleased with Sissoko last night.

    I thought he did pretty well myself too, but I don’t get putting him out on the left wing personally. I always thought playing him on the right wing was playing him out of position as well.

    I think Sissokos strength is running with the ball. Taking people on and going on powerful runs with the ball.
    His strength is not crossing the ball & it’s certainly not his left foot. But that is why Janmaat is usually on the overlap, coz he can cross better than Sissoko.

    I would love to see a midfield 3 of Gini, Shelvey, Sissoko and have Townsend and another as either wingers, or wide forwards.
    Maybe 4-3-3 with Townsend & Perez on either side of Mitrovic.

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  48. Sissoko has the worst final ball of any player I have seen for five years!! He does all the hard work then makes the completely wrong choice almost every time.

    As for players that care. I reckon we can rely on Janmaat, Taylor, Colback, Shelvey, Perez and Mitro to get stuck in and show how much they care.

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  50. Stu, don’t forget Elliot and I actually think that both DeJong and Townsend would give 100% as they have a lot to prove.

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  51. Stuart79:
    Sissoko has the worst final ball of any player I have seen for five years!! He does all the hard work then makes the completely wrong choice almost every time.

    As for players that care.I reckon we can rely on Janmaat, Taylor, Colback, Shelvey, Perez and Mitro to get stuck in and show how much they care.

    Agreevwith all of that Stu. I’d add Elliott to the list too.

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  52. kimtoon:
    TDS, I feel sick just thinking about it so god only knows how the players feel.

    Hopefully they see it as a great opportunity! How many of them will have another opportunity to be part of a big club climbing the table with a top manager? They can learn a lot from Rafa and be legends for our club.

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  54. I will refuse to make a judgment on whether we can stay up until after the next two games. These are the games that will determine whether we stay up or not. 😕

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  55. Here is some Straw clutching. In the 2 weeks leading up to us Citeh have this schedule:

    April 5 or 6: Champions League
    Weekend: West Brom
    April 12 or 13: CL
    Weekend: Chelsea away

    They will either be elated or deflated but certainly knackered.

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  56. I know we have a terrible record against Citeh but look who were the Managers. We usually parked the bus and hoped not to get beat by too many. Of course Steve said we played a good half last time, pity about the 6-0 scoreline.

    I have watched a few Citeh matches recently and they have not looked sharp. Leverpool took them apart.

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  57. I think City are out of the league now. Points wide they are miles off, and their priority now is going to be the Champions League as they progressed last night.

    But their at risk of not making top 4 this season, and Pep without CL is unthinkable for them I reckon. So it’s not like they can forget the league & focus on CL unfortunately.

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  58. Well, we can look at all the if’s and maybe’s but in the end it’s up to us to secure premier league safety. They just need to graft more than ever and concentrate for 90 plus minutes, shouldn’t be too tall an ask of mega rich footballers 😉

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  59. A win on Sunday and I beleive we will stay up. The confidence that will give us will be imeasurable.

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  61. Not for me Georgio. If we draw we are still in the bottom 3 and that’s another home game gone without a win.

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  62. So Defoe says we will crumble on Sunday,and he prefers Sam to Rafa,I hope we make him eat his words

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  65. I think we will hear a lot from the Sunderland this week.

    They know that Rafa will have the toon players set up like this is just another game. He will be going through the drills repeatedly and there will probably no talk of a derby on Newcastles training ground. I think Rafa will try and nullify any emotion from the build up and game as possible – leave that to the fans.

    Hopefully after Monday night, he will have the defence practicing what they were doing then. But also have the forwards running drills to be more clinical with whatever chances we do get.

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  66. I am interested to see how Rafa sets his teams up at home. I think our defence will be stronger again for a week of work with him but how will he get us scoring? We need to commit more people into the box but does that come at the expense of protecting the defence?

    Reckon it could be a cagey game and I would be very surprised if Sunderland didn’t come to sit back and hit us on the break.

    Would still love to see Gini and Shelvey in central midfield with De Jong behind a striker.

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  67. I just hope we win against Sunderland, I don’t think I can take another defeat tbh. Steve McClaren has done a lot of damage to the club and Rafa’s been left to pick up the pieces. Morale was low under him, the players looked out of there depth under him. We desperately need 3 points on sunday and a positive boast to build on.

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  68. Terry, a defeat would probably see us relegated.

    We can’t even afford to be unlucky from now on in our home games.

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  69. Stu – did you notice Janmaat didnt really get forward at all on Monday night. I think Rafa will have a disciplined back 4 and Janmaats days of bombing forward will be limited now I reckon.

    I would love to see 4-3-3 on Sunday.

    Sissoko – Shelvey – Gini
    Perez – Mitrovic – Townsend

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  70. Stuart you we need to win against Sunderland, Crystal Palace, Man City, Spurs, very tall order and if I’m being truthfully honest I can’t see it happening.

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  73. Icedog:
    So Defoe says we will crumble on Sunday,and he prefers Sam to Rafa,I hope we make him eat his words

    Ice, on all their chat sites they are going on about how Taylor shoots his mouth off before every Derby yet all I’ve seen this week is their players mouthing off. That is a sure sign that they are rattled imo. Hope our lads say nowt and do their talking on the pitch. Hope we smash them and they drop like a stone, I for one won’t miss the Derby.

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  74. Stu – I know, and he’s not the best at defending either.

    It’s a shame we didn’t have another RB and then I’d push Janmaat into Sissokos spot for that 3 man midfield personally.

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  75. KIM Ime with you on that I hate Derbys,football goes out the window imo
    your right Taylor does mouth off,do it on the pitch as you say

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