[Archived] Newcastle home

[Eddie]

No shots on goal. None even off target. Appalling

Well that isn't true.

[John]

Wonder what Jerome thinks?

[SamTheShrew]

Well that isn't true.

Well my bad, clearly it was that good a performance I was lost in the ecstacy

[Amo]

He won't be sacked.. It needs to be clear to everyone now that Kean is Venkys man! They want complete control over this football club, from transfers all the way through to the bloody formation we play.

Yes, he's Venky's man. But that doesn't mean he has a job for life. Abramovich sacked Mourinho of all people. Don't think Venky's wouldn't sack Kean if he failed to deliver.

[Dunnfc]

Personally think John Jensen has brought something unsteady to the ship as assistant manager...

Today was a big chance of three points and it didnt happen but it looked like we got the basics right bar Salgado reasonably solid but i do miss Givet... he's the sort you miss when he dosen't play but unnoticable when he does play.

Platform to build on imo, Croque got some match fitness but get the feeling we wont see the best of him and its like we are payingCity to get him fit.

Would like to see us back to 4-5-1 next game... we dont have the quality or fitness in midfield to play four.

Robbo

Emerton

Samba

Nelsen

Givet

Hoilett

J Jones

Grella

Formica

Olsson

RSC

Is it me or would anyone else like to see Nelsen back as captain...he's just the leader and the man we need to drive us forward...

[super_arran]

Did anyone else think N'zonzi looked lost and uninterested today?

How steady eddie; sideways Steven got player of the year last season is beyond me...

[aXept]

Did anyone else think N'zonzi looked lost and uninterested today?

How steady eddie; sideways Steven got player of the year last season is beyond me...

I think Nzonzi just need a couple of more games... Still I think Jones did a better job today.

[chris]

Personally think John Jensen has brought something unsteady to the ship as assistant manager...

and Harford was the genius behind Kenny and Brian Kidd was the genius behind Sir Alex.

Buck stops with Kean I'm afraid, he hired him anyway.

[RIML]

Is it me or would anyone else like to see Nelsen back as captain...he's just the leader and the man we need to drive us forward...

Personally I wouldn't and you know how much I love the guy! For the simple reason he's played better without the armband imo. Also he's getting on a bit now and he can't keep up the level of performances week in week out.

[modes98]

No shots on goal. None even off target.

You know that in 1 attack we had 2 shots yeah? Santa hit the post and then Kalinic shot wide

But that was half of our shots!

[Dunnfc]

Personally I wouldn't and you know how much I love the guy! For the simple reason he's played better without the armband imo. Also he's getting on a bit now and he can't keep up the level of performances week in week out.

Yes More than me and i thought that was impossible... He is the ultimate professional... I just dont like Samba as a captain.

[47er]

We did what we haven't been able to and ground out a point even though the opposition was playing better.That's progress------of a sort!

However it was a home game to an opponent below us not to be compared to Wigan's result at Anfield eg. If the sides below us win their games in hand I can see us finishing an edgy 16th/17th.

That would be a poor outcome based on earlier season's results and with a strengthened squad so we have to fashion an unlikely win or two somewhere along the way.

[grizfoot]

Well what a terrible game of football that was. The game never got going, the team never got going and the atmosphere never got going it was a total non-event from a Rovers perspective. On another day we could have easily lost it's just a good job the Barcodes are a little toothless in attack at present. Hard to even pick out a Rovers player who played well, I suppose Nelsen got the man of the match on the premise of being "the least worst" player today.

I highlighted the fact that I'd have played Emerton at right-back instead of Salgado due to Newcastle's strength down the left flank. Anybody that's watched Newcastle on a regualrly basis knows this, yet we did nothing to address this and Salgado was left totally exposed once again just like the Wigan game all over again really. We stuck with the diamond but didn't really see the point in playing two holding midfielders in Jones & Nzonzi, Nzonzi was the holding midfield whilst Jones was playing the central-right position. I think the wide players in the diamond formation have probably one of the most difficult positions to play in football because you are almost playing in between two positions at once and it's very easy to get caught out positionally. Formations aside it's difficult to argue that Newcastle looked the far move composed team in possession, but as I said really did lack that finishing touch to really hurt us.

Losing arguably our best two attacking players at half-time didn't do much to help the cause. Thought we couldn't be any worse in the second half after the first half performance, but we gave it a good go! Final word goes to the referee, well done you successfully sucked the life out of this game with your pedantic demand of having every free-kick/throw-in taken from the precisely correct blade of grass. Blowing the final whistle whilst the ball was in the air from our free-kicks just about summed up his overall shocking performance.

Poor game, poor performance but one more point than we got from the Tottenham game where we played well I thought, football is indeed a funny old game.

[47er]

Well that isn't true.

How was it then Eddie?

[Pete1981]

Pedersens view of the game taken from his blog

MGPMorten Gamst Pedersen

newcastle aftermatch

Posted by Morten on the 12th February 2011

The game tonight was nothing that will go into the history books as a memorable match. To be quite honest it was boring from the start to end, and we did not deliver at all. But games like this will come from time to time, and we just have to accept that. But we played a good game against Tottenham and we got nothing from that game and today we played bad against newcastle through out the whole game and got a point. Thats about the energy we’re going to spend on this game, let’s instead look ahead and fix what we did poorly today.

Morten Gamst Pedersen

http://gamst.co.uk/en/2011/02/12/newcastle-aftermatch/

[47er]

Whaaaat?

Why did he play well? Because he cost 6m? Or because Sam signed him?

Well Kean picked him.

[Rovers Gals]

Steve keans comments on sky sports are dilusionary , not good enough to defend a point at home . this is prem football and the club is a business . venkys have to learn fast !

[JAL]

Is Joey Barton a poorer player quality wise than any of our lot in midfield?

[grizfoot]

No meaningful plan.

No pressure on the ball.

No bite in the tackle.

Lack of movement.

Lack of creativity.

Lack of determination.

Apart from that OK.

Some of these stiffs need taking for a walk around the paddock at Newbury.

As for Mr Steve Kean...once a nobody always a nobody.

We're walking the relegation tightrope again this season but this time without a safety net.

Oh very good no Andrews to poke fun at today so you thought you'd make a gag about the death of two racehorses.

[rebelmswar]

Is Joey Barton a poorer player quality wise than any of our lot in midfield?

As much as it pains me to say it, no, not today.

[RibbleValleyRover]

Is Joey Barton a poorer player quality wise than any of our lot in midfield?

Better than anything we have and by a long way. He's been fantastic all season.

[47er]

I don't think we can moan too much about the window because every decent player was way too over priced, I want quality but not at rip off prices.

Wayne Bridge would have been a good signing but god knows what he earns.

Stephen Warnock?

[AHoyle90]

What can I say that hasnt already been said? The obvious gameplan for teams now is to attack us down our right wing where Salgado despite being a great servant to us since he's been here, his lack of pace is getting exposed all the time now, and the manager is doing sod all about it.

Kalinic turns in another, frustrating, uninspiring display, can't hold the ball up and rarely threatens the goal. J.Jones totally out of position, N'Zonzi out of his depth, Dunn tries but not fit enough, could't get near Tiote, we constantly rely on Olsson getting forward and Hoillet, unfortunately Olssons delivery was off key today.

Devoid of ideas, lack of organisation, worrying times.

[47er]

Today we played like Allardyce was back in charge .... it was THAT bad.

Hope Santa Cruz and Hoilett were injured otherwise they were the two poorest subs of Kean's reign so far.

Have to say that although we didn't play well, Newcastle did - a point is a good result based on what I've just seen.

Oh well, Kean's got a couple of weeks and plenty to work on.

Reality starting to dawn is it? You've mentioned Allardyce------don't dare criticise anyone else if they bring up his name.

Allardyce had many better days than today by the way, especially at home.Your dance of delight at his sacking is looking more loopy by the day.

Hey Tony, how long did it take you to mention Sam today on a Newcastle thread?

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Parsonblue]

Was it really only three months ago that we were coming away from St. James' Park celebrating victory? I thought today's excuse for a performance was dreadful. Totally lacking in ideas in every department and for that the manager and his assistant must take the blame. Joey Barton, not a player I admire, simply ran the show today in midfield. Kean has been in charge for twelve games now, including the two cup-ties, and our midfield still looks totally inept. Indeed, there were times today when the players seemed to be as bemused as the fans as to what was going on. Why was Jones on the right wing? Why was Roque having to drop back to the right wing because Jones kept wandering inside? Why were both full backs given no cover? The questions are endless.

Michel Salgado has been outstanding this season and yet, in a few short weeks, the manager's tactics have left Salgado so exposed that he looks to have aged before our very eyes. A seasoned pro, a European Cup Winner, an international of some repute, has been destroyed by a tactical system that has left him and virtually every other defender totally exposed time after time. Chris Samba continues to struggle for form and, once again, another mistake today could have been quite costly.

In midfield I thought Jones was nothing more than average, Nzonzi, a player I really like, was very poor and Dunny really is struggling to find a role in this new system.

Roque, although still a class act, is simply not going to stay fit enough to score the goals we need and if Roberts and Kalinic are the answer, we're obviously asking the wrong questions.

On the evidence of today I can't say that I will travel to Villa or Fulham with any confidence of getting a result. Defeats in those games will put a huge amount of pressure on the team to beat Blackpool. Suddenly, that 40 point mark looks an awful long way away. We need to get back to doing what Sam did - win the home games and win the games that need to be won.