We are still trying to recover from another woeful display from Sam’s Newcastle side today – but we wanted to put down some initial reflections about the game today. We’ll have to wait until we get a good night’s sleep tonight and recover from this game, before we reflect further on what was as depressing a display from Newcastle United today, than we have seen in many a day.
- Sam just has to start playing more attractive and attacking football. If he doesn’t then he shouldn’t expect the fans’ support for this tripe that is being served up as football. It just passes the bar when we win, like last week at Fulham, but when we cannot even beat the worst side in the league at home – it’s just not good enough by a long long way.
- We must play an attacking 4-4-2 formation against 2nd bottom of the league Wigan Town on Boxing Day. PLEASE let’s have Milner on the right wing and N’Zogbia on the left wing.
- Smith should be played as a striker or central midfield player or else he should be a sub, but not on the wing.
- Don’t play Martins way out on the right wing ever again – he’s too far from the goal and his potency is completely lost.
- Play Cacapa and Taylor as central defenders. Rozehnal was again a little dodgy for their second goal today. Give David a rest on Wednesday, he deserves a break and will be all the better for it.
- The only way we can have a good recovery from today’s nightmare (and we use our words advisedly), is if we win at Wigan and attack them from the very first whistle. Another Fulham type performance will see a lot of Newcastle fans turned off even more.
Sam will not last very long if he serves up this kind of football, because it’s just not good enough. We remember the beautiful flowing football Sir Bobby Robson played and the wonderful exciting fare served up by Kevin Keegan. This may be good enough at Bolton but it’s just not good enough on Tyneside – especially because of the much classier players we have at Newcastle that were never available at Bolton.
Let us know what’s on your minds. Please try to keep the comments fairly respectable – well as much as you can in the circumstances – many thanks.
92 responses so far ↓
1 Tom_Toon // Dec 23, 2007 at 5:30 PM
Ed – You got the title wrong.
it should be: Newcastle must change Sam
2 iain // Dec 23, 2007 at 5:37 PM
i dont think most nufc fans even expect us to be playing like we did under keegan or robson.
but the one thing we do expect is when its not working our managert is big enough to admit hes wrong and go back to basics. like playing football for a start.
not stick with his favorite players regardless of form or play a system that you can clearly see confuses the players and frustrates them.
3 Dragoner // Dec 23, 2007 at 5:38 PM
lol @ tom
i say give him until the end of the season, he might turn out to be a great appointment.
Although sam messed with the formation and stuff, the parts of the formation he tampers with weren’t the worst part of todays performace. Our unchanged defence and central midfield were the biggest disappointment today. Barton was the worst on the pitch for me today, AWFUL
4 iain // Dec 23, 2007 at 5:41 PM
dragoner, our wide players were too far up the pictch its like we had 4 cf at times with 2 cm chasing shadows and 2 fb woefully exposed.
even martins at full tilt couldnt get back to help out he was so far forward after being sold short by a cm outnumbered and udner pressure with no one near him to pass too.
5 Hadrian // Dec 23, 2007 at 5:44 PM
if sam wants to play his kind of football , he’s got to get results or it just wont stand . even with the results i dont want to watch bolton week in week out .
i miss keegan
6 billy // Dec 23, 2007 at 5:46 PM
i dont think sam will change anything .he thinks this is the best start to a season we have had even though we are lucky to have as many points as we have . i cant believe how shit he has been for us so far.
7 Tom_Toon // Dec 23, 2007 at 5:48 PM
it was never our best start, look at the teams we played.
8 billy // Dec 23, 2007 at 5:53 PM
tell thicko sam that. he has no chance of gettig a penny to spend in jan . he would by a striker and play him left back.
9 Tripp // Dec 23, 2007 at 5:57 PM
It reeks of fear of losing, which is basically what happened yesterday. Playing the same thing over and over because we havn’t lost a game with it. 4-4-2 worked so well for us at home earlier in the season, against far, far better teams. He should have played it today. Very, very disappointed with the result. It’s just terrible.
10 lezb // Dec 23, 2007 at 6:02 PM
Sam for me is a 1 trick pony he reminds me of the kids Fable “The kings new clothes”I belive that he thinks if he keeps repeating the same mistakes week in week out if we dont see improvments then the fault lays with us.He honestly belives that 50000 + are wrong and he is right.So much for the yes men muppets around him for failing to bring him into the real world.He won,t change for the simple reason he dosn,t know any other way.One trick pony!
11 ende // Dec 23, 2007 at 6:09 PM
what’s wrong with Newcastle is the expectation, entitlement, and hubris of its fans.
12 Toon Barmy // Dec 23, 2007 at 6:13 PM
SIMPLY NOT GOOD ENOUGH, Derby for f@cksake! prem whipping boys at home taken 4pts from us, this is getting worse and the football aint getting any better, i wanted sam to do well but i think he’s now losing the fans fast, was as if the players were instructed not to shoot or to have as many touches in a shooting position as possible, sams right tho 50,000 fans could pick a better team, thats why he should no longer be our manager, Oba right wing! square pegs in round holes and all that stuff, i genuinly belive he wants his golden handshake as he seems to be the only one that thinks these tactics are working!!!. stopped fulham playing?? who the f@ck are fulham its a joke he only knows the bolton way. aint good enough for us big fella.
Keep up the great work ED, all the best!
i didnt need time to reflect watched it live =Bad
13 billy // Dec 23, 2007 at 6:13 PM
whats hubris . cant be arsed to look it up
14 Singa_toon // Dec 23, 2007 at 6:16 PM
shove a stick in it ende
15 Ben // Dec 23, 2007 at 6:20 PM
Im fed up of so called toon fans comapring us to bolton, how u can constantly put us on the same level as bolton is a joke, fair enough our football isnt great at the moment but we are going through a transitional phase which takes time,and as per usual were all gettign ahead of ourselves claiming we should be in the top 4!Maybe in a year or two once we have settled as a team and sam has had time to build a strong foundation,as he did at bolton, we will see the rewards!
16 john // Dec 23, 2007 at 6:25 PM
Why on earth do we have Sam “at the helm” when (Sir) Alan Shearer sits on a sofa as a pundit?
It’s CRAZY! Shearer has a passion for football and Newcastle United.
Sam out, Shearer in. It’s a no-brainer, before we become a laughing stock.
17 billy // Dec 23, 2007 at 6:34 PM
ende i take it you mean we think the world revolves around us . piss off . nothing wrong with wanting or expecting nore than we are getting . im with john would love inexperienced geordie shearer instead of ego big sam.
18 Toon Barmy // Dec 23, 2007 at 6:36 PM
ende your right the fans expect to much: like players to be in their correct positions and when they get to the game their not is that our fault? where is our record signing this term enrique? our most attacking player the zog – defender? our fault? top scorer right wing? want me to go on
19 lezb // Dec 23, 2007 at 6:41 PM
We might get criticised for not beating Derby – we should be beating them – but we did everything within our power to beat them. It’s our fault we didn’t win.”Sams latest words of wisdom .Not the fact that team,positions,tactics were all down to him.Seems its always that big lads fault that ran away Never Never Big Sams fault
20 Cockney Magpie // Dec 23, 2007 at 6:43 PM
Hopefully Mike Ashley is on the blower to Jose as we speak
21 lezb // Dec 23, 2007 at 6:48 PM
John hat do you mean BEFORE we become a laughing stock??
22 Nick Dryden // Dec 23, 2007 at 6:55 PM
It sickens me all the people who say we are fickle. Good managers who played good football , eg KK & SBR were given time ( 5 years each.) Stability is good if you have the right man in charge. Allardyce is the third in a row of shockingly mediocre appointments by Shepherd. You could give Allardyce £100m and he’d still tell the best players in the world to hoof it. Allardyce is the 3rd highest paid manager in the premiership because Shepherd was an ignorant xenophobic oaf who has raped our club over and over. If we keep Allardyce, we are never going to crack the top 4 or win anything. Just check the guy’s cv! Which of the top 4 would ever have appointed Sounness, Roeder and Allardyce ahead of a Ramos, Bilic, Mancini, Hiddinck etc, let alone let them waste £50m on the likes of Boumsong etc. Allardyce offers nothing long term either in terms of achievement or providing a spectacle worth watching. Negative, long ball thuggish football with the likes of Barton and Smith and everyone out of place. I for one am falling out of love with the second most important thing on my life.
23 Tom_Toon // Dec 23, 2007 at 6:56 PM
What a muppet. He blames the defence and attack but he doesnt ever blame the midfield and imo that has been the worst aspect of our game this season, argubly the defence has but would it have if the midfield werent giving the ball away all the time and just generally performing crap?!?
24 Tom_Toon // Dec 23, 2007 at 7:00 PM
Nick Dryden – Exactly and Bilic wants to manage in the UK, hes says not before euro 2008 but we all know he’d take our job, Jurgen Klinsmann as much as people say its unrealistic, it is very realistic.
25 Lazy // Dec 23, 2007 at 7:01 PM
I completely agree with this article.
26 toonoholic // Dec 23, 2007 at 7:05 PM
blame the players.
rozhenal was aweful as he gifted the second goal.
27 Nick Dryden // Dec 23, 2007 at 7:05 PM
Tom Toon would love either of Bilic or Klinsman
28 Tom_Toon // Dec 23, 2007 at 7:09 PM
Bilic
Klinsmann
Houllier
Irrureta
Take your pick.
29 billy // Dec 23, 2007 at 7:16 PM
tom and nick would you not like to give shearer a crack or do you think we have made too many errors to risk him ?
30 Toon Barmy // Dec 23, 2007 at 7:17 PM
Nick Dryden your right no other top team would give our last 2 & big sam a job.
#Im sick of these horror shows
1. The Roader *
2. Pure Sourness *
3. Big Saladface the shepherd finale *
31 Tom_Toon // Dec 23, 2007 at 7:28 PM
Nh shearer is such a legend i dont want to chance it and him to do bdly, id rather he worked his way up.
32 billy // Dec 23, 2007 at 7:32 PM
id hate to see him do a good job at another club while we struggle to get point against teams like derby though.
33 Nick Dryden // Dec 23, 2007 at 7:38 PM
Billy
I certainly think Shearer could do a job and bring the feel good factor, but quite honestly my 75 year old auntie would get a team playing with more flair and creativity than Allardyce. I just like the idea of a top foreign coach who could take us technically on to a higher level. Fat Sam may have got the off field stuff right but what’s the use of all that if your team can’t pass the ball 5 yards accurately! Allardyce is / was Shepherd’s final kick in the teeth!
34 billy // Dec 23, 2007 at 7:48 PM
agree it would be great to have a technically clued up manager in place who would be in the job for 5 years and take us to where we were under keegan and robson. seems a million miles away now though.
35 Alex // Dec 23, 2007 at 7:48 PM
Its time Ashely booted Sam out .Shearer should now be brought in with sir bobby in the background to advise him when needed.Sam seems clueless ,Why the hell does he keep playing players out of position?
36 billy // Dec 23, 2007 at 7:55 PM
cant have sir bobby he doesnt deserve the mental torture he needs to concentrate on his health now hes done his newcastle time .
37 Tom_Toon // Dec 23, 2007 at 8:02 PM
whats with bbc i tried to edit my article and its says it closes at 11 buts t 8
38 steve // Dec 23, 2007 at 8:15 PM
ende – wtf you on – we surely have the right to expect to beat derby at home. This was another woeful display as bad as fulham, so you expect us to be happy to shell out hard earned cash for this!
are you fvcking stupid.
We’re going from bad to worse and could at anytime be thrashed – unfortunately the only way we can improve is to say goodbye to Sam
39 Cockney Magpie // Dec 23, 2007 at 8:24 PM
id like Holliuer,Klinsmann, Ranieri, or maybe try snatching Redknapp or Coppell?
40 micepie // Dec 23, 2007 at 8:32 PM
I think I understand what Sam is trying to do, in a way. We’ve been too susceptible to giving away goals in the past and were that way even under Bobby Robson. BUT he’s not hitting a happy medium at all. It’s not solidity with some attacking flare at the Toon since BSA’s appointment. It’s barely better than the staleness of our worst eras. We’re not especially solid and not entertaining or attacking with flare either.
We are 9th, in Sam’s fitst half-season in charge so we should have patience, I suppose, but – yes – we need to change tactics and take things up a gear or two, at least!
41 Southern_Magpie // Dec 23, 2007 at 8:47 PM
I fear he doesn’t know any different in terms of his tactics. These tactics served him so well at Bolton and now he thinks that they will just work for us. When will he learn that we’re not Bolton and wont except dreadful performances like today or winning ugly with last minute goals from dead ball positions (Fulham, Birmingham)
In all honesty I think there is so much more strengthening in our team that needs to be done but even with the squad we have now we are so much more capable of performing better than we are currently. We don’t expect miracles, only gradual improvement. Well part from against Bolton we’ve been the same all season.
9th place is not disastrous and there is some daylight between us and the bottom three luckily, mainly down to how poor the bottom 6 or 7 have been this season. Only 4 points off 6th place leaves us still in a relatively good position, more than we deserve for how we’ve played this season compared to the likes of Pompey and Everton.
42 Hadrian // Dec 23, 2007 at 8:47 PM
the toon may have leaked in goals in the past , but that never stopped KK and bobby, and those two guys are a big reason we pull in 52k each week , there was que’s for season tickets a miles long when we were knocking it about with a bit of flair .
sam allerdyce was never going tobe the manager for the toon . maybe in sheperds (we need to get tough) head , but never in any toon fans heart .
43 steve // Dec 23, 2007 at 9:07 PM
Sams comments on skysports are a joke as are his tactics and team selection – I really wanted him to do well but its just not working
I reckon he’ll sell oba and emre and maybe owen if he can find any buyers
44 Southern_Magpie // Dec 23, 2007 at 9:14 PM
I don’t care if Owen leaves but please not Martins. Oba is the better player and we could get two players much better than Owen to share his 100k per week wages. Emre is our most creative central player, but I wouldn’t be disappointed to see him leave if we can get at least two replacements who know how to actually pass the ball and create chances through the center. We are just so predictable that opposing teams just know how to exploit Sam’s tactics.
45 Hadrian // Dec 23, 2007 at 9:20 PM
if sam looks tobe offloading all our favoured players , he will really lose whatever support he has left .
.
last thing we need is another hoof it and run manager (souness) comming in , flogging all our players then getting the sack .
how the farkin hell can sheperd sack bobby in august , yet our buissnes savy chairman is letting this muppet have a run till xmas .
i miss keegan
he’d come back i reckon , been sniffing around and not outright distancing himself since we got new owners .
46 Toon Barmy // Dec 23, 2007 at 9:22 PM
He wants the push, he never got the cash shepherd would have gave him and countless knows what else, ashley will give him nowt either way we as fans lose out.why else would he continually persist with these tactics, even the players told him they are not happy with them sam admitted it & the fans are certainly not happy, he’s having us for mugs, they dont want to pay him off.
47 Roger - W/Bay Mag // Dec 23, 2007 at 9:25 PM
I took my youngest daughter, who is only 4, to the match today and I can honestly say that the highlight of the whole afternoon was her singing of Christmas songs on the metro on the way in…class. Pity that I cannot say the same thing about BFS’s tactics, team selection, etc, etc.
I could go on and on about playing players in their correct posiitions, playing with width, passing the ball accurately, moving off the ball into space, keeping possession, getting behind defences. It’s called football for a reason but obviously not one known to BFS…airball would be a better description.
I resigned myself some time ago to the type of dross that will be served up by BFS. We do have a decent squad of players the problem is that they are not being empowered.
My little girl asked me in all innocence at one point which team was the mackems…she knows that they are the great unwashed from over the river! However has anyone considered that BFS used to play for them…is he actually a mole on a mission…to destroy football at St. James Park for ever.
Remember…we will be here long after BFS has gone. Keep the faith.
48 Toon Barmy // Dec 23, 2007 at 9:28 PM
Shearer as Manager, KK assistant, Bobby as director & Terry Mac as Terry Mac.
What a christmas prezzy
49 Southern_Magpie // Dec 23, 2007 at 9:33 PM
Even if Sam is not given much money in January, he’s still been spending significantly more than he did with Bolton and look where he got them. Sure, it took him a few seasons at the Reebok to get the squad he wanted but with the better players at his disposal at SJP and a summer of spending £20m+, there is no excuse. I can fully understand if Mort is not willing to hand over the dosh.
50 Joe // Dec 23, 2007 at 9:57 PM
Today WAS a disgrace but here are my reflections on the game:
1.Barton needs to spend a little time in reserves practising the basics. His passing and ball control were amongst the worst I’ve seen for a player in black and white.
2.Rozenhal needs a rest. He looked off the pace again.
3.Enrique needs a game. How on Earth can our most creative attacking midfielder play at left back constantly? I’m starting to think Enrique took a dump on Sam’s merc or summit, anything to explain why our big money signing isn’t getting a game.
4.Sam needs to work out the best 11. I have no clue whatsoever who the best eleven are, and by mixing it up and playing the guys out of position he really won’t get a clue what their strengths are.
5.Team selection needs to be tougher. Sam can’t be afraid to drop big name players. It’s the only way the best 11 is ever gonna gel.
6.Habib Beye is starting to look the shit! I had my doubts because of his reluctance to join the toon and the fact he’s an older player whose experience of English football is limited but has been our saviour in the last couple of games.
7.Glad to see The Duke back
This season was always going to be difficult with the transition period for the new players but fans need to realise it’s a massive transition for Sam too. He IS making his job harder by picking dodgy selections but he’s finding his feet and trying to explore the players. And let’s be fair here, even Sir Bob wasn’t completely successful in his first two seasons and look where we ended up with him. Playing this badly and being 9th is a lot more refreshing than playing superbly and being 19th. We’re not gonna make Europe this season – did anyone really expect us to considering all the off-the-pitch malarkey in the last year or two? – but we can still get a reasonable league position and build a foundation for next season.
No team ever achieved anything by constantly sacking managers.
51 Cockney Magpie // Dec 23, 2007 at 9:57 PM
Toon Barmy that looks good to me apart from id have king kev as manager and sir alan as asst.
u may think im jokin when i say this but im deadly serious…. Lets start a petition to get Kevin Keegan back in the hot seat. Maybe Ed can whip sumin up online and if we got thousands and thousands of people on there they would have to listen!!
BRING BACK KEEGAN!!!!
52 Toon Barmy // Dec 23, 2007 at 10:08 PM
In any order for me the Geordie dream team!
Remember KK said you’ve got to give these fans what they want!
53 Gareth // Dec 23, 2007 at 10:26 PM
Right, everyone needs to calm down and cheer the hell up. If anyone had watched today’s game not knowing where Derby were in the league or their previous form, and basing their judgement purely on today’s performances from both teams there wouldn’t be half so much vitriol and negativity flying around. Not that I’m saying it was good enough, it does need to improve, but it’s not as bad as most are making out. Derby were an absolute country mile better than when we played them away and we lost that one – and if it were the same performance from different opposition people’s perceptions would be more balanced.
Plus it definitely puts to rest the daft notion that Newcastle fans would rather be entertained than win, as that was undoubtedly hugely entertaining – but I reckon most Newcastle fans would still have been disgruntled even if Emre’s effort gone in at the death.
54 scott 9 // Dec 23, 2007 at 10:29 PM
Ed i agree with every single point u have made there play a 4 4 2 play smith up front or not at all i say not at all hes a decent lad but viduka is much better we could have closed the gap to 2 points today on top 6 but no we f*cked it up this should be opur team with the players available at the moment.
Given
baye taylor cacapa enrique
milner barton emre zog
oba duke
we should buy a rb or centre back in jan or both we should buy arshevin he is a must and we should sign diarra/gilberto i would happily take both but that will not happen if we gat these players then diaRRA/GILBERTO SHOULD REPLACE EMRE IN CENTRE MID OR BARTON BUT I THINK HE WILL FIND FORM ARSHEVIN AND DUFF SHOULD REPLACE MILNER ON THE WINGS AND OWEN IF HE KEEPS FULLY FIT SHOULD REPLACE OBA UP FRONT BECAUSE WE NEED TO BE MORE CLINICAL IN THE OPPOSITIONS PENALTY AREA .
if we play this team get these players have owen and duff fit for the rest of the season i think we could have a last gasp push for europe considering sam plays 4 4 2 and p[lays players in there correct positions.
55 scott 9 // Dec 23, 2007 at 10:30 PM
sorry my comment is so long but my computers crashed i i was dying to get that out i fell better now still distraught about the result though
56 stk // Dec 23, 2007 at 10:31 PM
when all is said and done, drawing with derby at home, and especially after that performance is in itself a sackable offence, i dont give a hoot about five year plans, if sam buys in jan and we’re still serving up this dross, we’re stuck with players that the next manager would have to just get rid of.
sam, this is nufc, we love our club, this aint bolton, step up and realise you’re allowed to play football here, we’ve got the players, no one trick ponying!
stop playing players out of position, it confuses them, and makes me want to cry at having lost the excitement of watching mz team!
the players might not be to blame, sometimes if you’re a true leader, you take teh hit, it relieves the pressure and allows your men to concentrate on their jobs without fear of being constantly critisised.
if anyone say we as fans demand too much i say you havent got a clue, 50,000 plus loyal fans buying strips and other rip off nufc items all the way down to the confectionery, paying thru the nose, when we actually have some really class players, we demand something in return, like maybe to watch an actual game of football. its a required minimum!!!
stop bumming smith coz i dont care about his work ethic, if you cant produce the goods, you aint good enough, simple as.
finally, guys if you lose the ball at home, bloody run after it and dont even think about stopping until you have it back in your possesion! and when you do, make some space so the player in possession has options to pass to, coz players getting cornered by three opposition players at home, with no one helping out, something wrong. i saw something horrible, 3 players all ran into eachother out on the left wing and derby picked it up. last time that happened was under souness and we know how shit he was.
talk to the players, and if they dont understand you sam, maybe you need to change to fit around them, coz fitness and training alone aint gonna win you matches!
im so angry, upset and depressed that i actually dont even bat an eyelid when newcastle play anymore. if i do, its coz ive fallen asleep!
57 stk // Dec 23, 2007 at 10:44 PM
if anyone covers up todays game with any good comments, they were watching a different game!
58 Cockney Magpie // Dec 23, 2007 at 10:46 PM
iv jus had a horrible thought, he is tryin to turn Martins into Diouf!
59 jason masters // Dec 23, 2007 at 11:01 PM
one garingly obvious thing you all seem to be forgetting, is that one of the best managers in the world is currently sitting around taking his kids to WWE shows?? or summat, Jose Mourinho maybe wouldn’t jump at the chance to join the toon, but i do think he needs to prove he can do it with a club that hasn’t got unlimited funds (chelsea) and he’s still more likely to come than KK
It may not bring the sexiest of football, but it would be organised and WINNING football, and he’d be able to bring BIG players, come on Mike Ashley break the bank if need be, cos it’d be the best investment ever for NUFC!
60 Lum // Dec 23, 2007 at 11:04 PM
Joey Barton sums up SA’s approach to football lots of effort but no skill. Can’t see SA lasting much longer. We made a rubbish Derby team look good. It can get no worse than this.
61 Leo // Dec 23, 2007 at 11:19 PM
big stevie bruce was at the game today, he was getting out his taxi just outside of the ground, shook the blokes hand, hes a real canny bloke.
62 Ross // Dec 23, 2007 at 11:44 PM
get jose on the blower?
get my f***g nana on the blower, even she can give you the simplest attacking 4-4-2, every player playing in the RIGHT POSITION.
63 James // Dec 23, 2007 at 11:44 PM
The biggest problem is unlike City, Villa, Everton, and everyone else above us, Sam didn’t buy one single player with pace or creativity. He bought Bolton style footballers to stifle the opposition. As we all know that will never bring success or popularity at SJP.
But there is light at the end of the tunnel, Mort and Ashley have never wanted him in charge. Hence why they won’t give him any proper money, because they know he’ll waste it on another Bolton style footballer.
We will have many more days like this under Sam. But I have a feeling he will still be given until the summer. 100% confident we will start next season with Ashley’s number one Manager choice from the outset…Shearer
64 Ausgeordie // Dec 24, 2007 at 12:41 AM
Gives me the shits to see them play that way but the fans need to stick behind them. It cant help the players booing them and in the end we need to do whatever helps the team not what helps ease our frustration. Its a shame we have never seen the team we want to play go on the pitch. I think Sam owes us an explanation regarding enqrique as well. Why are we buying left backs right and left if the plan is to convert one of fastest and most creative midfielders into an attacking back…….How bout a defending back?? That might help our casue Sam
65 Dragoner // Dec 24, 2007 at 1:26 AM
i know the tactics were bad, but what people fail to address is that if the tactics were the problem then we wouldnt have had as many chanes as we did, the fact of the matter is we wasted our chances and derby didnt. I just heard sam in the sky sports interview. i get the impression sam doesn’t like martins as he sees him as two wasteful. i can see him selling him in the summer. If he brings in a quality signing then i wont mind. WE NEED TO FOCUS ON IMPROVING THE TEAM, NOT ON LOYALTY TO CERTAIN PLAYERS
66 Tom_Toon // Dec 24, 2007 at 2:16 AM
Exactly, fk off smith dont show loyalty, no talent. We didnt have a pleahora of clear chances like sam says, he recons we dominated, was he at the game!?!
67 Dragoner // Dec 24, 2007 at 2:22 AM
was YOU watching, we had more possession, ball was mostly in their half, more corners, more shots on and off target, that is called comination my friend
68 Dragoner // Dec 24, 2007 at 2:23 AM
‘domination’
69 wsq // Dec 24, 2007 at 2:57 AM
Nevermind entertaining football, the football is not effective as promised!
That should be a good enough reason to scrap the 4-3-3.
I bet when owen is available he doesn’t play 4-3-3!
Why can managers be so stupid!
70 geordie_jordan // Dec 24, 2007 at 3:16 AM
absolute tripe. what a shocker. i’m still aghast over this. 1 point from 6 against the worst team to grace the premier league in many a year….
71 goalcentre.com // Dec 24, 2007 at 5:55 AM
Get the highlights:-
http://www.goalcentre.com/newcastle-united-vs-derby-highlights/
72 Daniel Petersen // Dec 24, 2007 at 6:57 AM
I’ve been a stanch supporter of BSA this season, but this is a little too much to take. Playing Oba out on the wing was pointless, Barton was useless (how many times did they just run up behind him and just steal the ball). I just don’t get it. Also, was it just me or were Derby just barbaric out their? I’ve never seen so many rugby blocks and blatant fouls in a football match. I’m not making excuses for the toon, but WTF. It was good to see Damien back though.
73 azza jones // Dec 24, 2007 at 8:50 AM
BRING BACK KEEGAN AND SHEARER AND MAYBE HAVE SIR BOBBY AT THE MATCHES AS A CONSULTANT OR DIRECTOR OF FOOTBALL………………………
74 Pi55 Off Sam // Dec 24, 2007 at 9:08 AM
People need to wake up Sam is useless and we are shite! He had a full pre-season, bought 9 of his own choice players and nothing!
Wise up people he’s a fat mackem bar steward
75 mark // Dec 24, 2007 at 9:18 AM
I dont understand all the fans that say n’Zogbia is great…he is nothing special, he is just a nugget who runs and blasts the ball. Thats it.
Also, Duff should be left wing. Zog should not get a look it.
Yesterday we had 23 shots, tell me Ed, what is not attacking about that??? I dont actually recall us just hoofing the ball up either, Barton, Butt and Emre when he came on all had the ball and sprayed it around. Did you actually watch yesterday?
76 Frankieboy // Dec 24, 2007 at 9:21 AM
Sam is NOT the man for this club. Am sure Mike Ashley has been taking note of the mood when he has stood on the terraces at some games. Just wonder who he would like to bring in cos can guarantee it has crossed his mind given the woeful displays this seaeson.
Slavan Bilic could be worth looking at
77 steve // Dec 24, 2007 at 9:30 AM
Yes we are 4 points from 6th but we now have Wigan, Chelsea, Man Utd and Man City coming up – we may get a point from Wigan (although even that’ll be tough) – can’t see us getting owt from other games.
We’ve had a what should have been our easiest run (although we tried our best to make hard work of it) we quite rightly should have expected to get a full quota of points – we’ll def start dropping down the table in Jan.
I’ve siad it all season but we look like relegation candidates and are in a totally false position in the league, scraping wins / draws against the bottom 3rd teams are simply not good enough, thats why we sacked Roeder, Souness et al.
Lets get the FFS era well and truely out of the toon and sack his last employee, he’s never going to fit in at newcastle playing bolton style football
78 Nick Dryden // Dec 24, 2007 at 9:37 AM
It was crying for Smith to be taken off and get Emre on. What does Smith do apart from get yellow cards? No assists, no goals, just a total waste of a shirt, but a Fat Sam ”undroppable” favourite. Why is it that we can all see this and so many other obvious things, but the idiot who counts, on £3M a year, never has a plan B?
79 Pi55 Off Sam // Dec 24, 2007 at 9:42 AM
Mark if you can’t see Zoggy’s raw talent you have shite in your eyes, and shite on your brain!
80 Steeley // Dec 24, 2007 at 9:51 AM
Some cracking comments today (particularly from stk) – it was terrible, and those who say Sam needs time to build a squad (in the Keegan/Robson vein) are wrong – they were given so much time because they started out playing exciting football and carried on doing that until something bad happened (personal stress in Keegan sake, and a shit board in Robson’s sake). The fans would have given both men all the time in the world because we appreciated their style of play. When we lost, it was forgiven, because most of the time we played a good game, and the results either side of a loss were inevitably spirited performances where we went out to attack and got goals (and sometimes wins….especially at home; fortress St James’ bla bla bla).
Sam is different. Way different. He has come and played dire football and come up with some extraordinary tactical displays…and not in a good way. What the optimists who say “give Sam 5 years to settle in” obviously dont realise that in 5 years all we will be able to do is perfect the art of the long ball and going away from home for a 0-0 bore draw. Oh, and at home it’ll be exactly the same.
Derby were not there for a draw – it was a must win (bookies had them down at 20-1 to win 1-0 yesterday)….to almost lose was not even in the brains of th Derby players, and their fans are right in wanting to play us every week. I bet every team in the Prem watched that and now thinks “Right, when playing Newcastle, just chase down their midfield (who are scared to run forward with the ball) and they will inevitably backpass to defence (who also dont like to run foward with it), who will then pass to the goalie, who will then hoof it forward….hey bingo, we have the ball back).
I wont even get started on playing players in the wrong places (Martins, Zog, Milner), but I am more worried about what’s happened to Enrique!!
On a positive note, I thought Duff bossed the game when he came on – here’s to more of him (or Zog) in on the LW, Milner RW and 2 out and out strikers up front in a standard 4-4-2.
Come on the Toon – we need to be United regardless of the manager, but crikey, there’s not much more I can take of him if we keep playing like this.
Article SPOT ON by the way Ed!
81 ChrisL // Dec 24, 2007 at 10:28 AM
Our season can’t be that bad surely… We’re only 4 points from a European spot.
Imagine how things will be when Sam gets on top of things.
82 Toon Barmy // Dec 24, 2007 at 11:06 AM
We are in a false position birminham & the fulham results only papererd over very wide cracks, weve played terrible stuff all season, We would be behind sam if we tried to play positive football, he’s not interested tho, he’s alienating the fans, he’s looking for the push – he’s having a laugh at our exspence…. come on the players have even told him its not working. SAM ITS NOT F@CKING WORKING!
83 steve // Dec 24, 2007 at 11:07 AM
@ChrisL – read my previous comment – have you been watching newcastle this season – we are sh!te and will be dropping down the table like a stone come jan when we have some tough games (although we’ve bizarrely made what were our easiest games tough!
Sam is clueless as are his paid for signings
84 steve // Dec 24, 2007 at 11:09 AM
@Steely – we are united in wanting sam to f*ck off or sort his act out
85 ChrisL // Dec 24, 2007 at 11:30 AM
@Steve, I have been watching, we have been shit in all but a handful of games… but I want Sam to have at least till this time next year to sort out the club that was in a terrible state only 5 months back. I think we’ve climbed from terrible to poor now
86 mark // Dec 24, 2007 at 12:00 PM
Pi55 off sam – Raw talent? Tell you what mate, if raw talent is smashing the ball high and wide everytime you touch it, f**k me, no wonder he is a footballer.
Last week at fulham, milner laid the ball up to him, Milner had 2 or 3 fulham players in the immediate surroundings of him – the easy thing for zog to do is cross the ball, but – no. he decides its time for head down, and run at these 3 players, where he is promptly tackled. and they clear. waste.
Yes, he had a good start to the season, but how many games are we into it now?
Yesterday v Derby, he just smashed the ball about 3 or 4 times over the ball by a mile, he shot from a freekick right on the edge of the box when Joey Barton was just to the side of him, its damn near impossible to get the ball over a wall and down from that range for Ronaldihno, Figo or Zidane, never mind f***ing Charles bastard N’Zogbia, thank christ we never spent large on him.
If I have shite in my eyes, its because your talking it directly in my face by saying he is good.
87 Adrian Swall // Dec 24, 2007 at 12:24 PM
He’s even got an excuse for not facing the MOTD cameras.
All he can do properly is chew huge chunks of gum.
In five years time we will be looking back at the worst time of our lives.
88 Rob Kirton // Dec 24, 2007 at 12:43 PM
Adrian Swall: Sam’s excuse for not facing the MOTD Cameras is strange. He said he was going to sue the BBC, but for one reason or another has decided not to.
I suspect it is because he hasn’t got a leg to stand on, when it comes to the allegations made against him.
89 sam // Dec 24, 2007 at 5:17 PM
sam just has to stop tryin to make newcastle play bolton type football, the players are clearly confused and dont knw their roles, if he doesnt change this he’s definately gonna get the sack
90 Rishi Arora // Dec 25, 2007 at 12:39 AM
I find it completely shocking that people want Sam out! They even link Houlierr- who played terrible footy at Liverpool to replace him!
At the end of the day here are afew facts, Newcastle go through managers far to quickly- we need stability- and Sam if given time can provide that!
The players we have JUST ARENT GOOD ENOUGH!- here is an example..JAMES MILNER. – He works his butt off… but can you honestly say he was better than Nobby 4 years ago? Nobby throughout his toon career could always pinpoint a cross, score goals regularly…. James Milner cant… Milner cant cross a ball… that goes with N’Zog too…
To many of our players take 1 to many touches, and that goes with Smith too…. – who is the first striker i have ever seen scared to hit the ball!
No one wants the Newcastle job, and Robson took 3 years to get us into Europe… Sam deserves that time… but i doubt that he will recieve it! SUPPORT THE TOON, SUPPORT SAM!
91 Joe // Dec 25, 2007 at 2:48 AM
The bloke above makes a good point – no one wants the NUFC job. Why would they? They only have to play a few bad games before supposed fans get on their back and force the chairman to sack him. It’s got to be the hardest job in football!
Like I said earlier, I’d rather play bad football and be in 9th than good football and be 19th. Would anyone on here honestly be happier if we were 19th but playing cracking football. Bollocks you would! You’d all be on here moaning that we weren’t winning games!
Someone said they were quite happy to let Sir Bobby Robson mess up his first two seasons in charge coz he was playing good football. I call bullshit on that and say hinesight is a wonderful thing. Bet at the time they was calling for Bobby’s head but since he brought success to the club has been banging on about how great he is.
Bottom line, this season is gonna be a big pile of shit and best we can hope for is a scrappy 10th place finish. But I bet from then on Sam cracks on with it and starts dragging our sorry arses up the table next season.
Just a sidenote, wonder how many people will still be whinging like little girls if Sam gets us to the FA Cup final this season?
Fickle? Nah, just NUFC fans!
92 stk // Dec 26, 2007 at 2:36 AM
i want the nufc job, id kill for that job!
i can’t believe people are saying the players are rubbish, surely you play to your squads strengths, and 433 aint in our strengths!
yes lets stay united, but for gods sake, if we can’t have opinions, not even, if you can’t see that bartons losing the ball continuously, martins aint a winger, smith just isn’t the player we all think and wish he was, then, bottom line, if you think playing a three man midfield with noone tracking their markers, putting in effort to regain possesion (especially at home) and owen/martins playing as a winger then im sorry you’re just plain confused, like sam.
we, as a team, just look either confused or unmotivated, and that is a crime in these parts, especially with something that the locals see as their representitives to the region, nation and globe!
the fans have every right to voice there opinion, its their manager that now needs to stand up for himself, stop singling out those that perform badly, and try something new, coz what he’s trying to do just isn’t working and if you can’t see that, you’ve had too many brown ales!
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