[Archived] Loony Toons: Newcastle Preview

[Mike Graham]

Does anyone know the full facts behind the alleged crew that were intercepted on their way into Durham for a 'meet'?

It looked like they were returning to Durham University for their final year of studies.

All tooled up with text books etc.

[Ewood Spark]

Phew....!

Just got home.

What a top weekend.

Great result.

Great hangover.

Great song started by my best pal:

The Toon

The Toon

The Toon are goin doon

Beautiful...........................

Quite witty at first ... pity most of the Rovers fans missed the subtle pronunciation nuance and attempted to rhyme 'Toon' with 'down'

[RoverJoexx]

Impressive first half where we controlled the game and rewarded with two goals. How awful this newcastle team, a real chance they might go down this season.

Thought we could add more in 2nd half but they peg us back after a soft penalty. Think we did pretty well under the circumstances where their crowd is getting

behind the team after they scored, and see off the game at the closing stage.

We can all see that the team has not gel yet, with some misplaced passes here and there but our shape is forming. At this stage, I rather we do our job quietly

without making headlines and peak later on. Who know we might sneak into the top 6 spot at the end of season.

Can't find fault on anyone, I thought all made a shift in. Drive and commitment is abundant. You hardly find passengers now under Ince.

More the same for the season and let all see where it might lead us to.

[joey_big_nose]

Next week I'm not expecting a result but I am expecting a performance, a repeat of the stroll in the park that Arsenal got on their visit here will not do.

With that in mind hands up all those who want Pedersen back in the team ! What planet are you on ? You reward half hearted displays with the guy getting the shirt back ? At least Derby puts himself about. All this nonsense that he works hard in defence or he's a good header of the ball. If you equate just jogging alongside an opponent while they boss the touchline is defending well you're right. Yes he can get up well , he's a tall slim guy with a good spring but he rarely directs his headers anywhere in particular.

I think when you look at who we should play against Utd you do have to ask who is going to cause them problems. I don't think we have anyone who can rally worry the Utd Defence if we play a 442. Vidic and Ferdinand would own whoever we put out. On the other hand I just feel in a 4231 our wide players - if we stick Cruz out right and Pedersen on the left, will be able to seriously pressurise the Man U fullbacks - who are nowhere near as good in the air as their centrbacks - by wining long high diagonal balls for Roberts and Carlos. Whichever way I look at it I just can't see Derbyshire winning anything against Neville. By all means play him (or Treacy) against normal full backs (he has been excellent) where he can find some space on the ground but I don't think he will get that against Utd. We will require a more direct approach.

I don't like rewarding Pedersen's failure but for this one game I think it is clever. He is also defensively sound which will help when we are on the back foot. If it doesn't work Derbyshire or Treacy can come on in the second half.

TND made a good point that we used these tactics last year very effectively and Alex Ferguson is too canny a manager to not figure out a way to deal with it. But on the other hand I can't see anyone in their squad who will be able to deal with Cruz in the air out wide. Pedersen versus Neville is a bit more in the balance but I think it will be a battle whereas Derbyshire would just get eaten alive.

However I can't see Ferguson changing his tactics to deal with us, he will stick with 433, and I reckon we will have a great chance if we make the game something which suits us and we don't let Utd get comfortable.

[CrazyIvan]

It's interesting to read about Ferguson using the 4-3-3 formation. I'm reading Sir Bobby Charlton's My England Years (and I'd recommend it to anybody who loves footbal) and have read about Alf Ramsey and his use of the 4-3-3 formation. He basically won the world cup with it and I'm not surprised it's being used by Ferguson, it seems remarkably effective. I wonder whether Ince is looking at using that formation or a combination of 4-3-3 and 4-5-1, he used 4-5-1 for Newcastle and the difference between the two is not so great...

[broadsword]

What amazes me about Newcastle is that Ashley wants 400 million quid for the club.

But it's more of a general point. As far as I know, all Premiership clubs are loss-making concerns. The valuations come from the assets. But since it's not practicable to sell the assets, you're relying on income to get your stake back.

How many businesses that go for 400 million quid are making losses?

Unless you saddle teh club with debt and risk it all on getting to the Champions League then cream off teh profit for yourself, but I'm sure tehre's better ways to invest that amount of money.

[AndyC]

What amazes me about Newcastle is that Ashley wants 400 million quid for the club.

But it's more of a general point. As far as I know, all Premiership clubs are loss-making concerns. The valuations come from the assets. But since it's not practicable to sell the assets, you're relying on income to get your stake back.

How many businesses that go for 400 million quid are making losses?

Unless you saddle teh club with debt and risk it all on getting to the Champions League then cream off teh profit for yourself, but I'm sure tehre's better ways to invest that amount of money.

its not an investment.

its for rich people to have a play with their money!

[USRoverME]

I know I'm late, but I watched the match on a replay on TV, so I guess that skews things a bit. I thought we were good, but not great in the first half. We could have been more than 2-up, but we were quite sloppy in the middle third I thought. I'm chaulking it up, for now, to Villanueva still gelling with new teammates and Warnock learning the central mid roles.

I thought Derbs and Emo on the wings were immense. Even the tackle where Emo got carded, he made up a lot of ground to shut that down, great cross for #2 as well. Derbs and Villanueva supportered Santa well, just a lot of little sloppy touches trying to link up, mostly through the middle.

In teh second half we lost our edge, we got even more sloppy, and we let them close us down too easily, either that to Toon upped their workrate ten-fold. probably a combination of both. With the amount of sloppy passes in the first half, not surprised that Toon found some possession.

Glad we held them off, and a win is a win, but to scrape by against Toon in crisis is not a "sterling" victory by any means.

Nelsen scares me, I want to see Ooijer more often in the center.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

It's interesting to read about Ferguson using the 4-3-3 formation. I'm reading Sir Bobby Charlton's My England Years (and I'd recommend it to anybody who loves footbal) and have read about Alf Ramsey and his use of the 4-3-3 formation. He basically won the world cup with it and I'm not surprised it's being used by Ferguson, it seems remarkably effective. I wonder whether Ince is looking at using that formation or a combination of 4-3-3 and 4-5-1, he used 4-5-1 for Newcastle and the difference between the two is not so great...

I grew up with the 4-2-4 that most teams played in the early 60's from Brazil to Rovers ( weren't we good at it as well. Front 4 - Ferguson , McEvoy, Pickering and Harrison . A bucketful of goals in that lot) and then 4-3-3. Ramsey chose that system because he thought his wingers didn't contribute enough off the ball in previous systems. You should fit the players into a system that suits their abilities and strengths best ,don't shoe horn players into a system that doesn't suit them. Ferguson's got the players to suit that system. If by some miracle we are winning late in the second half on Saturday I wouldn't be surprised if he went to 4-2-4 with Ronaldo, Rooney, Berbatov and Tevez up front, that should be interesting !

[philipl]

I grew up with the 4-2-4 that most teams played in the early 60's from Brazil to Rovers ( weren't we good at it as well. Front 4 - Ferguson , McEvoy, Pickering and Harrison . A bucketful of goals in that lot) and then 4-3-3. Ramsey chose that system because he thought his wingers didn't contribute enough off the ball in previous systems. You should fit the players into a system that suits their abilities and strengths best ,don't shoe horn players into a system that doesn't suit them. Ferguson's got the players to suit that system. If by some miracle we are winning late in the second half on Saturday I wouldn't be surprised if he went to 4-2-4 with Ronaldo, Rooney, Berbatov and Tevez up front, that should be interesting !

That post has suddenly given me the old goosepimples of wow, Ronaldo, Rooney, Berbatov and Tevez are coming to Ewood next week and the same sense of wonderment I had when Rovers were back in the top league in the early 1990's. 26 years in the wastelands does that to you in flash backs!

And before the 'drog asks, yes I have a good glass by the PC and I'm sitting in shorts and flipflops.

[4ever&ever]

Really enjoyed my 1st trip to St James's park, it is an amazing stadium.

Fantastic support by the Blue & White Army on Saturday.

Some of the chants were funny,

Mike Astley is a football genius,

Where did Shearer win the league?

My favourite was, nana nana na Dennis Wise, Dennis Wise, Dennis , Dennis Wise.

[Flopsy]

That post has suddenly given me the old goosepimples of wow, Ronaldo, Rooney, Berbatov and Tevez are coming to Ewood next week and the same sense of wonderment I had when Rovers were back in the top league in the early 1990's. 26 years in the wastelands does that to you in flash backs!

And before the 'drog asks, yes I have a good glass by the PC and I'm sitting in shorts and flipflops.

a pretty slack dress code at your office then

[philipl]

a pretty slack dress code at your office then

It's my office and the temperature is still in the 80s during the day, thank you.

[bazza]

If by some miracle we are winning late in the second half on Saturday I wouldn't be surprised if he went to 4-2-4 with Ronaldo, Rooney, Berbatov and Tevez up front, that should be interesting !

Yes and I'll enjoy watching them sitting on their backsides crying after the full time whistle having lost 3-1.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

Yes and I'll enjoy watching them sitting on their backsides crying after the full time whistle having lost 3-1.

Me too !

[CrazyIvan]

http://www.mightyfootball.com/newcastle-vs...eague-27092008/

I've watched the highlights of Owens penalty and still can't quite work out how he ended up on the floor the way he did. He looks like he's been shot!

[Hughesy]

He's a cheat and went down easily. They still lost though so who cares.

Anyway isnt it time we had a United Thread up for the game? This site has gone a little slow on the new match threads being set up.

[vintageadidas]

Yeh, think we have talked this game to death now.

I think a manure threat should be up soon.

[joey_big_nose]

Yeh, think we have talked this game to death now.

I think a manure threat should be up soon.

What kind of a threat? An empty one?

[waggy]

god this winning is boring,the anti - ince brigade seem to disappear.they might be back sat night thought micheal owen sold the ref a dummy for the penny,good to see rocky scoring and samba defending

[thenodrog]

god this winning is boring,the anti - ince brigade seem to disappear.they might be back sat night

Nice to see the founder member of the 'Anti Robbie Savage club' has retained a strong sense of fair play eh?