When the final whistle blew on Saturday afternoon, we heard just a few boos from some of our fans, and the lads didn’t look happy when they left the field.
Fabricio Coloccini – manger thinks he’s getting back to his best
They knew, as the fans knew, that home games against sides fighting against relegation have to be Newcastle wins.
That’s if we are to end up high in the league table, and even qualify for the Europa League next season, which has to be the goal through the last 12 games of the season.
But Alan said the players were a little rusty, and the more we think of that he could be right, because our best side, which is the one we had out on Saturday, hasn’t played since the Manchester United game.
And of course since then we’ve acquired the great Papiss Cisse, and he has replaced Shola Ameobi in the team that started against the Red Devils on January 4th – and that’s eight weeks ago!
This is what Alan has to say today, about the game on Saturday:
“There were a lot of positives.” “I thought Colo looked back to his best a little bit.” “We’ve had a few positives, and we’ll take that into Sunderland.”
It seems the Newcastle manager is fairly satisfied with the performance on Saturday, after the lads were just horrendous against Spurs last time out.
But he know Newcastle will need to improve if we are to pick up 3 points against Sunderland on Sunday afternoon.
If Newcastle win they will get the double over Sunderland this season, and the last time we did that was back in 2006.
That was after Glenn Roeder had taken over from the sacked Graeme Souness in February of that year, and orchestrated a 4-1 win at the Stadium of Light on 17th April.
That was after Sunderland had been leading 1-0 at the half, and earlier in the season Newcastle had whacked Sunderland 3-2 at St. James Park on Sunday, 23rd October.
Come to think of it, a double over Sunderland this season would be very nice.
In fact it would be tremendous.
Comments welcome.
152 comments so far
bollance
Feb 28, 2012 at 1:07 PM
Comment #41Definite starters next season from the current squad?
Krul
Santon – Coloccini
Cabaye – Tiote
Ba – Cisse
planb's revenge
Feb 28, 2012 at 1:09 PM
Comment #42toon tom i didn’t mean it in a bad way. i meant more like buying a good rb, some lb cover, better cb cover better cover for our forwards. or perhaps buying with a view to moving to a 4-3-3. we seem to be linked with cm a lot (press might be grasping at straws as per usual) maybe we aren’t agreeing with guthrie? maybe gosling needs to go out on loan?
peoples thoughts?
bollance
Feb 28, 2012 at 1:09 PM
Comment #43..and Saylor
planb's revenge
Feb 28, 2012 at 1:11 PM
Comment #44@41 assuming we don’t get rid of colo if he doesn’t agree a contract
-Tendo-
Feb 28, 2012 at 1:12 PM
Comment #45stuart no9 // Feb 28, 2012 at 12:58 PM
everyone entitled to their own opion but pardew shite!? he may not be the best (tactic/ subs etc.) but he has had us 7th and above pretty much the enitre season so far! who would be your choice then. Post 12 makes some good points but again…you’re right that not everyone shares the same opion. Our defence needs serious revamping….i really hope simposn doesnt sign….i have never seen a defender back off someone as much as he does, he’s supposed to tackle ffs, instead he invites them closer/ to cut in / and shoot! My point being….the players are also to blame and times not just pardew.
planb's revenge
Feb 28, 2012 at 1:12 PM
Comment #46bollance you forgot perch and shola 😉
Toon_Tom
Feb 28, 2012 at 1:13 PM
Comment #47Planb – understood mate. A quality CB and Fullback definitely needed and another forward, experienced or young and ambitious.
The return of Marveux will be like a new signing and the likes of Abeid and Vukic should come good and play a bigger part next year
jesperfuglsang
Feb 28, 2012 at 1:13 PM
Comment #48Dannyo, some of us that you call “HBA’s personal fans”, tend to judge him in comparison to the rest of the team, that’s why you stand alone so to speak with your objective opinion on HBA 😉
At the end of the day you happy go lucky bloggers wants results (not performance) and HBA can give you that. He is more threatening at the last third of the field than any other player in our team.
If he looses the ball too often, then have his team mates move about to give him options and have two CM safeguarding him if or when he looses the ball.
You need dynamic in our oh so static, and boring 4-4-2. Or else we end up coming short every time and we’re too easy to find out.
Which has already happened.
If you ask my you are by no means objective when it comes to HBA my friend 😉
jesperfuglsang
Feb 28, 2012 at 1:14 PM
Comment #49maybe not alone in the sense of the word 😉 lol
Dannyo
Feb 28, 2012 at 1:15 PM
Comment #50@planb
Lol, thanks for the defense 🙂
@Catchy
I have no love affair with no one, however, i’m old enough to know that things are not always what they seem.
I’m also intelligent enough to know that changing managers just cause u don’t like the football is rarely the answer. Allot of people here think they base their arguments on facts, which they may do, but it’s extremely short sighted.
Lets look at recent history during MAs tenure. Which of the managers we have had has brought success?
With success i mean a chance of reaching Europe.
Kinnear, Hughton, KK, Big Sam, Shearer? None of them tbh, but perhaps we should count Hugton as successfull for managing to bring us up in such a powering manner.
Now we’re within the reach of Europe, we have stability in the dressing room, we’re targeting awesome players and have brought atleast 6 of them in within under a year.
And you want Pardew out? It’s shortsightedness like this that gets me. I like Pardew cause he helps us achieve these things. Idc about the current football being played, sometimes it’s annyoing to watch and other times it’s great. There’s deffo no settled type of footy being played atm, that’s quite obvious. It varies with who has the ball it seems to me.
Building a team, a philosfi, a dressing room and even staff takes time. Been doing it for just little over a year and u lot want replacements?
It’s not about loving Pardew, it’s about the NUFC history and how shitty it is coming to success.
U don’t get a bloody trophy for beating Barcelona, Man Utd, Liverpool, Arsenal and whatnot. U get it by being number 1.
And now that we’re actually able to do something about that, to really close the gap, u lot want Pardews head.
It really pisses me off this short term memory which many nufc fans has been cursed with. No perspective over the bigger picture.
None, nada, zip, zero, nothing.
It’s fickle fans with fickle brains.
bollance
Feb 28, 2012 at 1:16 PM
Comment #51plan b
Think colo is on his way. If rumours are true then he is currently on big money and we have offered him a much lower deal, probably performance related. Probably fair enough that he want a final big pay day via move. We have supposedly offered 5 yr deal to make other teams think we think he has a long shelf life so we get more for him. I may be wrong but if right he will move in the summer for around £6m
bollance
Feb 28, 2012 at 1:19 PM
Comment #52£6m will buy us a good young defender who will improve over 5 years and get us our money back when we sell
planb's revenge
Feb 28, 2012 at 1:20 PM
Comment #53toon tom
marveaux will be like a new signing?
are you Alan pardew?
he said exactly the same about hba last summer lol
stuart no9
Feb 28, 2012 at 1:21 PM
Comment #54catchy@27 also heaven forbid in europe if we get there ( possibly through the back door)
bollance
Feb 28, 2012 at 1:23 PM
Comment #55Talking about good centre halves. Watched FC Twente in the Dutch league. Douglas looked very good up until the point he should have hoofed the ball out to safety. Instead he tried to retain possession, got caught and they scored.
He will fit in well with our squad next season if we are in for him.
Toon_Tom
Feb 28, 2012 at 1:24 PM
Comment #56planb > fair play, but i have every faith in Marveux and he looks quality.
Therefore i think Marveux AND Benny will be like new signings next season 😉
Dannyo
Feb 28, 2012 at 1:24 PM
Comment #57@Jesper
I do not think i’m the only one being objective about HBA, but too many here give him the benefit of the doubt too often.
Some here said HBA was all alone when he came to the final 3rd, but he never was, he had the oppertunity nearly every time to pass the ball to a player who wasn’t swarmed.
HBA is no team in himself, i want to see him play as much as the next one, but if he wants to go left when everyone else is going right, then it’s just him being selfish. And i can well understand him being on the sidelines.
I expect us to change from the 4-4-2 once we have a defense we can rely on more, the 4 people in the defense are the basis of many, many formations.
And then we’ll be able to see HBA more often, but not before.
I have no extra love for players just cause they can do things other cant. I like players who play with their heart on their sleeves, players like Tiote, Saylor, Cabaye. Who knows what it means to dig deep for the team.
HBA has not showed it, he wants to show his skills more than he wants to help his team atm. He’s got that mentality.
And yes, maybe he’s simply too good skillswise for several of our players, there’s no denying that.
Dannyo
Feb 28, 2012 at 1:26 PM
Comment #58@bollance
I wouldn’t be surprised if Collo moved on at this point.
If he does i’ll be heartbroken, he’s a tremendous player.
At the same time, i can see Cabaye revel in a captains role and i can see 2-3 players coming in with the same wages as Collo combined…
-Tendo-
Feb 28, 2012 at 1:27 PM
Comment #59Dannyo – post 50 – spot on with that mate…it’s painful reading stuff about people wanting pardew out after what he’s done. Probably because their hearing mourhino may be leaving real madrid in the summer so it’s the obvious time for change as he should be coming in and leading us to glory. Still up there fighting for europe with 12 games to go and people aren’t happy….obviously people want bigger and better things with NUFC but do people not remebr this time 2 years ago we were a championship team!
We are not Man City…..We cannot purchase success…
bollance
Feb 28, 2012 at 1:27 PM
Comment #60Does anyone think we signed up Shola long term to ensure Sameobi also signed up as he was nearing the end of his contract and Chelsea were reportedly interested?
Sameobi has a way to go has shown glimpses. He will be loaned out this season or next so that he gets closer to the first team when he returns.
martoon
Feb 28, 2012 at 1:35 PM
Comment #61Dannyo @50 Good post – I agree with every word.
While I am no MA lover you have to have a grudging respect for the guys business acumen. Other clubs now know that when we go after a player we have a top price and will pay not one penny more.
bollance
Feb 28, 2012 at 1:35 PM
Comment #62Danyo
It would be ironic if colo went after we qualified for Europe as when we signed him he was promised regular European football. Instead he played championship football, lol!!
Not sure why he was in the Argentina squad when his form was poor for us but yet now he is playing his best football he is not in the squad?
bollance
Feb 28, 2012 at 1:36 PM
Comment #63Danyo
Maybe Colo is holding out to see if we do qualify for Europe? It was definitely important when he signed for us!
stuart no9
Feb 28, 2012 at 1:38 PM
Comment #64tendo @45 really its got nothing to do with who i think will be a good choice to take over as manager, however . martin oneill , brendan rodgers, O’neill for his tactical expertise, and rodgers for his ability to play sweet flowing football on the ground. there we have just 2 managers who have the ability to do what pardew cant. both teams also play for 90 mins and not 45. thats why i think he is shite.
planb's revenge
Feb 28, 2012 at 1:41 PM
Comment #65@toon tom lol mate.
i look forward to marveaux. want Ben arfa to hit form and i want lure french revolution in full swing
martoon
Feb 28, 2012 at 1:43 PM
Comment #66bollance @63. Put yourself in Colo’s shoes then you would probably do the same thing. He has one big contract left and obviously wants to play at the highest level and in Europe (and hopefully get back in national team). Would you not wait until the summer?
bollance
Feb 28, 2012 at 1:44 PM
Comment #67On MA
You have to weigh up his involvement. The club is moving forward. That is a fact. Although he contributed to the club’s debt he has stabilised the finances to the point we compete in the PL. We have one of the biggest debts in the PL but MA has ensure that it does not cost us each year. The interest would be around £8m per year which is the difference between having Cisse or not having him. There are reasons behind all the unpopular moves which overall are geared towards moving the club forward.
Overall MA has had a positive affect on our club.
Griff-toon
Feb 28, 2012 at 1:45 PM
Comment #68There where a lot of positives during the wolves game and espessialy during the first 25 minutes. We seemed more willing to attack and midfielders where pusshing forward towards the box. Tiotes shot for Cisses first goal, Gutierrez shot.
I feel our main problem is the link between midfield and attack. Tiote and Cabaye are sometimes sitting to low and therefore our play will mainly be between the defenders and those two. Now there is no problem having a bit of patience and passing the ball around a bit, making the opposition lower their pressure on the ball. Then look for passes up the middle. But if we loose the ball doing this its to close to our goal and the opposition can almost every time at least get a shot away.
My other negative is the distribution from Krul. Ok maby sometimes the ball finds Ba or Cisse, but to often the ball ends up with the opposition and we have anouther attack to deal with, increasing the pressure on our defence. Several times during the wolves game I saw Santon or Simpson being available, but instead Krul goes for the long ball. Sometimes its the better option but more often I feel we need to retain possession rather than give it away. It frustrates the opposition and increases our players confidense by having the ball more often.
Wish the lads good luck on Sunday. I think we are having a cracking season!
planb's revenge
Feb 28, 2012 at 1:47 PM
Comment #69@66
surveying your options as a player looking for his last big pay cheque.
i understand and wouldn’t begrudge him leaving but i hope he stays
Dannyo
Feb 28, 2012 at 1:48 PM
Comment #70@bollance
Not a bad theory at all. It would coincine with him getting towards the end of his career, and being the player he is, surely he’d feel he’s good enough playing for a club thats already within the reach of trophies.
But him being in the national squad i just don’t get.
Must be some trust issues there for some reason, i dunno.
pedro
Feb 28, 2012 at 1:57 PM
Comment #71Coloccini is not rated at all in Argentina. When I suggest to people in Argentina that he should be back in the squad, they laugh! Their opinions based on performances years ago. Argentina’s loss is our gain
jesperfuglsang
Feb 28, 2012 at 2:06 PM
Comment #72Dannyo, a get what your saying but for me it’s only half of the truth and it’s just a little too easy…
The argument about sticking to 4-4-2 untill we have a new defense on the other hand I dont understand; I have heard it before on the blog, mostly from Brits.
So guess it’s a British assumption that if you have “a weak” defense then you stick to 4-4-2.
If you look a continental team both club and country you’ll find that we are a lot who disagree with you. A thump rule, in my book is, if you have a “weak” defense don’t play with two forwards in the box you need to take the heat of the defense at all time.
You do that by keeping possession and by pass and move. The opposite of what we do.
HBA has his faults and need to work on certain aspects of his game, but you send out the wrong message when you make an examble just out of him, by keeping the likes of Jonas, Obertan, Raylor, Guthie of Perch in the team. Especially when you give them a run out week after week.
Even Tiote has been a shadow of him self this season, loosing way too much possession and and bad passing. Even Cabaye has been weak lately.
Toon_Tom
Feb 28, 2012 at 2:17 PM
Comment #73Jesper > i agree with your comments there ….. With this in mind, are they not ALL due a good game then?? Bring on the Mackems for the slaughter!!! 😉
theleckworthbird
Feb 28, 2012 at 2:29 PM
Comment #74What positives?
And how can you be a little bit back to your best? It’s like saying you’re a little bit gay.
jesperfuglsang
Feb 28, 2012 at 2:32 PM
Comment #75Toon_Tom, I would agree they are 🙂
Yes, lets bring the Unwashed for the slaughter 😉 lol
Toon_Tom
Feb 28, 2012 at 2:32 PM
Comment #76Leckworthbird > brilliant, literaly spat my coffee out there!
😀
Griff-toon
Feb 28, 2012 at 2:36 PM
Comment #77theleckworthbird
He felt he was a bit closer to his best, but obviusly he have seen him even better.
He was however better than against Tottenham.
Anyone remember Collocini intersepting a pass in midfield early in the game leading to a newcastle attack. Dont remember if we scored or not. But I like when Collo can put pressure on the attackers early, reading the play and intercepting.
williamnelhams
Feb 28, 2012 at 2:38 PM
Comment #78Stuart @37 thanks for your overly aggressive comments. If you read my post carefully you will see that it wasn’t the negative opinions that was my main grievance; it was the fact that no matter what article Ed posts it is soon quickly hijacked with irrevelant comments usually slating Pardew etc.
As for me not enjoying a debate you are very wrong – I’m more than happy to debate anything NUFC related especially with someone like you who is seemingly never happy.
Thanks for the people that understood what I was saying. It is so frustrating to comment about an article than have it lost by a sea of posts that aren’t in anyway related to the article.
Dannyo
Feb 28, 2012 at 2:38 PM
Comment #79@Jesper
Valid points all along.
When we play 4-5-1, we need to push that 5th midfielder a litte further up the field, so weather it’s a 4-4-1-1 or a 4-5-1 is up for discussion, it’s sometimes hard to tell.
At the beginning of the season, we started with a 4-4-2 with Ba pulled slightly back. Atleast that’s what the graphics showed. It’s still slightly like that when we play.
Imo, the team has become accustomed to defending from the top with two strikers. If u look at Wolves, both Ba and Cisse did that all game, or as long as they were on.
When working well, we defend and pressure like an accordian, stretching and compressing the whole team as u attack and defend.
Lately we’ve been exposed at the back doing that, and perhaps u’re right, maybe we should go back to a 4-5-1. But it could well mean dropping Ba and Cisse, and i’d like to think that maybe HBA could fit in there, but he’d have to drop deeper, and he dislikes that. It would be stretchered into a 4-4-1-1 for it to work instead.
I still remember Pardew saying how he wants to play, and he still really hasn’t done that. But we’re getting there, but right now, 4-4-2 is what has been working for us most of the season, and it’ll be like that until it’s done.
I assume the last few words there btw, due to the fact that changing it now may do us more harm than good.
We changed tactics at Brighton and Fulham and it didn’t work too well :/
I still think we’ll evolve the formations and tactics a bit, but i can’t see it this season. I think we’re a bit “stuck with it” now.
Jonny
Feb 28, 2012 at 2:49 PM
Comment #80Cisse a doubt for the game. Ba and Ben Arfa have to start!!!