Good morning.
First up, good to see Gazza on the road to Wellville. He’s been there before, but I understand he’s making great progress and the more daft characters football has, the better.
The game itself was tough viewing at times as our formation creaked uneasily as many new players and an unedifying injury list took it’s toll. Add to this the Bar Codes aren’t where they are in the table by luck. They might not quite be ‘The Entertainers’ again, but Pardew has them organised and their desire was impressive enough.
6
Highlight of the game was his attempt to smuggle the ball back over the line after their equalizer. If I had to describe that move in word, that word would be ambitious.
5
It was all a bit of a struggle. In his defense Toon were at him and this is hardly a settled, cohesive back four, so no calls for his retirement just yet.
7
Many are called, some fail to turn up, a few say in a thick French accent, ‘let’s ave it my old son.’ He was well and truly put to the test and by golly I think he just about passed.
6
The poor old girl’s legs went and so back to the Guvnor’s swimming pool with our best wishes.
5
A hectic day at the office. Considering his last two run outs were worse I’m taking this as gradual improvement and again not calling for him to be chased out the borough by an angry mob with lit torches.
6
What I would do is play him in the middle and fit everyone else around him. This is on the basis that he’s apparently worth loads more than any of the others and is really good at playing football.
6
Looking every bit like a decent first team player. I particularly liked his show of grit when having a barney with one of their lot. We need more chaps like this who are ‘up for it’ and Jake certainly is that.
6
Probably his toughest shift with us yet. What I particularly like is watching him win a ball, tap it forward, look up, forward again and pass. A fantastic signing and without him we’d be in schtuck.
5
Another distinctly average performance. I’m bored with this whole crazy right wing business. It’s like the Amstrad vertical record player. I understand it, I just don’t want it.
7
So let me just check I have this right. Our most consistent goalscorer and one of our most talented players is a nuisance to accommodate when drawing up the team sheet. Arry, grow a brain and get back to me when you have.
7
He’s rock and roll. They were three up on him at stage. Whoever plays with him will score goals and whoever plays against him will have their hands full. Classy, smiley, destroyer.
7
A lethal strike followed by an infuriatingly selfish botch job.
Everyone’s knocking Defoe, but any striker in that position would have gone for goal..
People should really be questioning Adebayor, where he received the ball on the edge of the box, but had his head down so didn’t notice Defoe unmarked on the left, so went for goal.
If he had, that would have been 1-3 right there..
Oh, you noticed that as well
Watched the game on streaming – dont think I have seen Modric work so hard before in defense. He and PNB need a rest this week – no training.
I was very impressed with Newcastle, a draw was about fair.
Modric wasn’t his usual self at all! He was hugely at fault for their first goal and tbh looked as if he wasn’t even awake during the game, up until that point. He improved after though, as I am sure he realised it was his fault. He just stood their watching a high clearance which was heading towards him and by the time he noticed, Newcastle we in possesion and he was clambering back to try to help cover the overlap over Walker. Too little, too late though..
On reflection, I thought we controlled large portions of the game, but our passing in the final third let us down…
When Modders moved inside, to give us 3 in MF, we dominated the centre of the park and they were chasing shadows…
Sadly, there were too many missed passes in the final third and we didn’t make as many chances as normal: I guess I’d have to blame Bale, Rafa & Modders for the lack of quality service… none of them were on their “A game” and we suffered as a result…
The ‘codes looked pretty decent at home: plenty of young, energetic players – a point is not a terrible result by any means.
If we can carry out form from the last 5 games intothe next 5, we’ll be looking tasty by Xmas…
COYS!!!
“On reflection, I thought we controlled large portions of the game, but our passing in the final third let us down…”
How many weeks do we hear this comment? Nearly every fucking week that’s what. :ermm:
Any thoughts on a solution?
Would dropping VDV and replacing him with Defoe have improved our distribution/passing in the final third?
Surely the passing comes from the midfield into the final third, so for me they are just not linking up or no one is getting in behind the defenders to receive. We have a great striker in Adeboy but he is not getting the service.
VDV is the difficult bit, but only in the fact that we don’t seem to know how to use him to the best of his abilities.
I would give Gio a run of games instead of Defoe.
It’s Redknapp’s Jordan’s, Bond’s and Ferdinand’s problem to sort out. How many weeks, nay months, do they need in order to do it?
If it were you or I in a job and we repeatedly kept making the same errors and mistakes over and over we would be out on our ears like a flash.
Redknapp, in is after match blurb, said we didn’t keep the ball in the first half, WTF? Are these the basics of the game or not FFS? Needless to say he did get in his send up of Pardew and the great barcode supporters and, of course, how difficult it is to go there and win oops I mean draw.
And again we’re top of the table; the physioroom injury table that is. Expect to see a lot more of Bassong. That can’t be a good thing.