As we keep pointing out, last season Newcastle conceded 68 goals in the Premier league and that’s the most we’ve ever conceded, and this season in our first six league games we’ve conceded 11 goals including six in the last two games, and we’ve been beaten 3-2 against Hull and 3-2 against Everton last night.
Romelu Lukaka after scoring first goal after just 5 minutes
11 goals in six games works out at about 70 goals conceded in the full 38 game season, so there’s an early case to be made that our defense is simply not up to Premier League standards.
And if you look at the six goals conceded in our last two games, they will show that we are definitely not good enough in defense, and the first half at Everton last night was a horror show, and much like the first half at Manchester City in the first game of the season – we couldn’t live with the other’s side pace and skill.
So while we keep going on about needing at least one new striker in January, if Newcastle cannot find a decent back four from what we have, then we’ll need to bring defensive reinforcements in during January.
And Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa did not have a good game against Hull, and looked inadequate in central defense in that first half, and maybe his best position is in one of the full back positions.
But both Tim Krul and Coloccini didn’t look too good either in that first 45 minutes, and both were badly at fault for gifting Everton their third goal, which turned out to be the winner.
There’s not doubt Alan Pardew and his players will come under pressure this week for that pathetic first half performance, and if we lose at Cardiff City on Saturday we’re in for two weeks of misery over the International break.
Currently Newcastle are 5th bottom of the league, not where we expected to be after six games.
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12 comments so far
cyprus
Oct 1, 2013 at 8:04 AM
Comment #1Sorry, will repost my last few minutes’ comments, Ed is on fire…
I always say, wait ten games and then let’s see, so I have to keep to that. Still, our performances have been so erratic it’s crazy. Not only from one game to the next, but also within games. Consistency is not in our DNA these days. In order to reach the stability (and growth) we so need (hence 8 year contracts), we must be elementally consistent.
Anyway.
On the game last night, I notice people picking their pet hates and pounding into them. I could easily do that too but I won’t. It’s easy because they were ALL shxte. A couple were ok (e.g. Gouf-Will) but the rest were horrendous. I will focus on one guy, on whom I had said pre-game our result would depend: HBA. Someone who understands football please explain this guy to me: One week world class, the other he must be carried. The substitution was a correct move, no doubt.
wolfshead@toon
Oct 1, 2013 at 8:06 AM
Comment #2what where lacking is an outlet when the pressure is on like when we we had dembaba since we sold him we have regressed banners at the ground asking assley to buy him back would be more fruitful than slagging off jfk
Rotonda heights
Oct 1, 2013 at 8:07 AM
Comment #3Doesn’t Pardew spend 4 out of 5 days on defence so in theory it should be his strong point, but 68 goals conceded last season and we’re still 16th this!
We only ever seem to go for it when we’re losing and when it’s too late
theartfuldodger
Oct 1, 2013 at 8:07 AM
Comment #4TS,
Either the squad needs to be disassembled i.e. 4 out and 4 in or Pardew needs to go.
Strangely we take pride that Ashley keeps squad together but Even if all the fans want 3 or 4 players gone and replaced with different or better ones , it will not happen.
Id give this squad to a new mngr right now to see what he can do this season.If its as bad,then no point keeping a squad together that finishes 15th or so for 2 seasons. But the fresh perspective of a new experienced and better manager will help in recruits(fingers crossed)
I take no pride in the second half performance as everton were off the gas. It means nothing.
Im gonna say it, we miss James Perch for his dirty work.
I dont think attacking play is Pardews forte.
Rotonda heights
Oct 1, 2013 at 8:08 AM
Comment #5Wolfshead
We were still s…e when demba was here !!
cyprus
Oct 1, 2013 at 8:09 AM
Comment #6Transfer Sage,
I get that, but I don’t mean he must ‘be carried’ in defense. Not everyone has stamina like Ribery etc. Arguably our best ever player (Ginola) was terrible in defense but he understood his responsibility when going forward.
HBA was trying to pull off a miracle when it was clearly not on. So, he should have worked very hard with the other stuff. Disappointing.
cyprus
Oct 1, 2013 at 8:13 AM
Comment #7theartfuldodger,
Very good points
(except the Perch one!)
HullMag6
Oct 1, 2013 at 8:14 AM
Comment #8Years ago Hull City was owned by David Lloyd and he ran it into the ground. The fans did an act of protest – they did a funeral March through the city carrying a coffin in the shirt colours. It spelt the beginning of the end for Lloyd.
First half last night was headless chicken time, hope something sorts out soon.
banjax
Oct 1, 2013 at 8:21 AM
Comment #9I just don’t know what happened last night at Everton. The players did not seem to be motivated. They were lazy, lethargic and a yard short of Everton on pace. It’s no good saying the second half was a great effort because the game lasts 90 minutes. If professional footballers can’t get themselves ‘in the zone’ before the game then it must be down to the manager to get them there. We are now in 16th position in the table and heading south and something urgently needs to be done !
bri h
Oct 1, 2013 at 8:32 AM
Comment #10Remember pardew saying we are strong enough in the defensive department.our full backs are too attack minded for a team that loose the ball too easy in midfield pluss our fullbacks are not exactly busting a gut to get back and help when we do loose the ball .They also loose concerntration too easy .Gary neville was spot oin last night .Ateam that ships so many goals have got to have as many players helping out at the back ie FB ,CM RW AND LW.
bills-son
Oct 1, 2013 at 8:32 AM
Comment #11I said all summer that if we continued playing with two full backs who can’t defend and wide forwards who dont track back that we’d continue to leak easy goals.
If Kinnear and Pardew between them came to the conclusion that the defence was strong enough and didn’t need strengthening then the buck lies squarely with them. I believed Pardew deserved ten games to see if he could organise the team but on the evidence so far absolutely nothing has changed or improved defensively from last season.
I also said our centre backs were weak physically and Lukaku proved that with ease last night – and there is more of that to come.
Pardew has four games to improve things dramatically failing which Ashley has a big decision to make. But, if Pardew is fired, a big finger needs pointing at Kinnear the guy who presumably had the final say in stating that the defense was strong enough. Wrong big time.
toonbrother
Oct 1, 2013 at 8:37 AM
Comment #12the problem with our defence isnt merely the constant presence of coloshitty. The problem is Pardumb’s infatuation with colocinni. Pardumb actually thinks the leader of the worst defence in the league is the new bobby moore. Pardumb wants Colocinni to stay with us for 5 more years. Our quack doctor manager has misdiagnosed the virus in our defence as a vitamin.