The four games in 11 days for Newcastle, probably caught up with some of our players today, but even though we hadn’t looked great in that first half at West Brom, we still thought we’d come away in the second half and win the game – but then Mathieu Debuchy was sent off. 🙁
Mathieu Debuchy receives his red card from Lee Mason
And Alan Pardew thought it was a definite sending off, so there will presumably be no appeal from Newcastle and the top Frenchman will now miss the next three games.
This is what Pardew said after the game today:
“West Brom sort of let us have possession today and we had a lot of it and we controlled the game to a degree.” “A few breakaways they had but other than that I felt confident that we would win the game – but the sending off did change it of course.”
“Unfortunately, I think it was a red card and then it was uphill and after the amount of games we got tired and we had injuries as well; we had to keep shuffling our team and in the end something give.”
After Newcastle had won seven of nine games in the league and drew one of the other two games, we have now narrowly lost the last two games – so the next thing to do is to regroup and try to get another winning streak going – obviously.
We still have a good side, and maybe some of our fringe layers will now get their chance.
Comments welcome.
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97 comments so far
pottsclock
Jan 1, 2014 at 9:34 PM
Comment #41No hay necesidad de que el lenguaje, Tsunki
Marty-Toon
Jan 1, 2014 at 9:34 PM
Comment #42@Ciaran and others
The problem today doesn’t highlight that Ashley needs to open the wallet.
Pardew has players that are available yet won’t use them even knowing the others are tired
Anita hasn’t played toon any full games in a row,could’ve played RW or left as he’s played before(instead of Gouff )
Cisse could’ve started instead of Shola
Ben Arfa could’ve started instead of Sissoko
Sammy could’ve played
Can’t say that those players would’ve played any worse than those mentioned.
I’m Not against the players that were chosen today just the lack of awareness that Pards showed by picking a tired team-we all said it the last day and he said it himself ,yet he still chooses tthe same players
Tsunki
Jan 1, 2014 at 9:37 PM
Comment #43Thats the thing that separates us from the mackem blogs – if they come on here they’ll get some freakin’ culture! 🙂
To think we thought we had a hair removal agent in Tiote- imagine having Cattermole in your squad. Like frying dynamite.
martoon
Jan 1, 2014 at 9:40 PM
Comment #44I know this is a football blog but anybody watching the darts final – the first 4 sets MVG played unbelievable darts.
Jail for Ashley
Jan 1, 2014 at 9:44 PM
Comment #45Tsunki,
Only you could think like that !
belgrade fan
Jan 1, 2014 at 9:45 PM
Comment #46Right now we should be in advanced talks with some good players, first of all CF CAM and a winger, but instead of that we will keep playing Shola and having 3 loses in a trot
Tsunki
Jan 1, 2014 at 9:47 PM
Comment #47Lo siento, Sr. pottsclock 🙂
Jail for Ashley
Jan 1, 2014 at 9:54 PM
Comment #48Belgrade,
Moi Toon brate,
Danas njie dobro !
Sazzer
Jan 1, 2014 at 9:57 PM
Comment #49They can’t say they are happy with the squad and then have no confidence to use it.
belgrade fan
Jan 1, 2014 at 9:59 PM
Comment #50Jail
Danas nikako nije dobro. But thanks God we have Shola only CF who never scores and making fouls.
I saw Nolan is banned 4 games now for 2nd red. Wont play vs us
belgrade fan
Jan 1, 2014 at 10:01 PM
Comment #51Does anybody really cares if we finish 6th or 8th?? I think only MA cares because of money. I really dont. 6 or 16 is the same. No CL, no Europe
The next Mike Williamson
Jan 1, 2014 at 10:06 PM
Comment #52We need a striker who can do more than be big. Shola didn’t look like he had a chance of winning a header against Ollson & Macauley. His only asset besides being big is slowing down play. What sort of skill is that?!!! I’d much rather have someone who can play football or create goals than slow down an attack. No other premiership team would play him.
If Pards believes we need one big man upfront then it should be easy to find one as no-one in the rest of the world plays this way anymore.
Jail for Ashley
Jan 1, 2014 at 10:10 PM
Comment #53Belgrade,
Dobro Viche,
I think sixth will see an EL spot.
jimmysmith
Jan 1, 2014 at 10:10 PM
Comment #54Anyone see that gobby wee ball boy sitting on his tiny wee stool winding Cabs up as he was taking corners on the left in the first half……….ooooh, ya cheeky monkey!
belgrade fan
Jan 1, 2014 at 10:15 PM
Comment #55Jail
Dobro VEce. Rest is OK.
JP...from The Rock
Jan 1, 2014 at 10:21 PM
Comment #56Just seen the NUFC TV post WBA interview with Pardew. How in the hell can he say “I can’t fault the effort of the players”. Are you fcuking joking Alan!! What bloody effort! We looked like we didn’t give a fcuk and if it was because of fatigue you should have rotated the squad and that doesn’t mean putting your best mate Strolla on from the start!!
He’s better get it right soon or else our lofty hopes of clinching a top 4 spot will quickly evaporate before our eyes after the amazing run we’ve just had :/
Brutooon
Jan 1, 2014 at 10:26 PM
Comment #571) Cabaye,Tiote, Sissoko and even Remy look tired. pass the ball to the opposition most of the time
2) Shola Ameobi is USELESS. said this since the past 13 seasons, hopefully Nigeria would never bring him to the World Cup!
3) As a HBA biggest fan, HBA got the skills but lack the brains. He should shoot the last min chance he got!
4) Our current squad is enough to perform for half a season but we need NEW signings if we are to compete for Europe or top 8
5) Against cardiff do rest some of our main players and regroup for the man city game
Graeme
Jan 1, 2014 at 10:28 PM
Comment #58To be fair, Sholla has been a passenger for about the last 5 years. When was the last time he actualy scored a league goal? And this is our “Go to” No2 striker!!
The man is as much a striker as the lollipop lady in West Denton. He has been past his “Sell-By” date for at least 4 years, but he’s Mr Nice Guy. The man is supposed to be a Proffessional Football Player” first and foremost and he simply doesnt have what it takes to be considered as a Striker in top class football.
Unfortunately, being “Mr Nice Guy” doesnt cut it at this level. I hope he has a wonderful time in Brazil, with Nigeria and that he finds himself a contract while he is there. There is NO WAY he should be offered another Contract at NUFC – Bambi simply isnt good enough to justify his squad number today.
toon22
Jan 1, 2014 at 10:30 PM
Comment #59For me it showed,
The squad look tired,Goofy needs a rest imo.
Shola isnt good enough.
Cisse isnt good enough.
Remy is good enough but needs help/rest/replacing depending on his contract.
Bottom line we dont have the strikers atm,we need a big signing with Cisse going out the door maybe even Shola following him.
Remy is here till the end of the season?but he is all we have right now Goofy has been a revilation this season but is knackered.
We need to get a decent striker and a big lump whos good in the air(shola fits one of the criteria)
Ciaran
Jan 1, 2014 at 10:30 PM
Comment #60Marty
Seriously hope you’re joking. Anita – a CM – could have played RW or LW?
Cisse instead of Shola in a lone CF role? Cisse is useless at holding the ball up, absolutely rubbish so no he couldn’t have.
HBA could have played instead of Sissoko but HBA was as ineffective as any player on the pitch today.
Sammy Ameobi should be out on loan getting regular game time as I do not think he is good enough for our 1st team.
All in all, the point I am getting at is, our options are poor, and we need Ashley to sign some players.
jimmysmith
Jan 1, 2014 at 10:31 PM
Comment #61I’d happily swap all of Obertan, Marv, Vuckic, Tav, and Fergie plus cash for one genuine tip top central attacking goal scoring midfielder. I think we’d be quids in.
Mike go right ahead and do that, in haste, and don’t mention it.
toon22
Jan 1, 2014 at 10:33 PM
Comment #62Imho even if we got Heskey from where ever he is he would be better than Shola is atm.
Jail for Ashley
Jan 1, 2014 at 10:36 PM
Comment #63Ciaran/Ruddy,
In your opinion why was Cisse so successful in his first season in the PL ?
Ancientcoptic
Jan 1, 2014 at 10:42 PM
Comment #64I think it is unfair to say Ben Arfa should be out of the team, because he did not square the ball at the end of the game.
Why must Ben Arfa be dropped every time he makes a mistake, I do not here any calls for Sissoko to be dropped from the side, and he had an absolute horrible game…
One rule for all!
toonarmydownsouth
Jan 1, 2014 at 10:45 PM
Comment #65JFA
Because when Cisse signed he didn’t have to work for it
We were flying, the surprise package of the season and the team was brimming with confidence
It’s been more telling since then, he offers nothing, and I do mean absolutely nothing, if he’s not putting the ball in the net
Even when he left Freiburg some fans were as relieved as they were gutted, and they apparently improved on the whole in terms if play as a team
Brutooon
Jan 1, 2014 at 10:53 PM
Comment #66Shola Ameobi shudnt go to the world cup cause he is Sh*T
World Cup is only for good players!!!
What if Shola Ameobi make fun of himself during the world cup and people will where does this player come from? “Newcastle United?”
jimmysmith
Jan 1, 2014 at 10:53 PM
Comment #67I think it is fair to say though that Benny gets himself into some fantastic positions in a remarkable manner before far too often making a pigs ear of it in a fairly spectacularly unprofessional way. Maybe he should be given a bag to whip out and breathe into at the climactic moment, you know, like Gutis’ spidey mask.
Charlie in the Gallowgate
Jan 1, 2014 at 10:55 PM
Comment #68Poor poor showing started brightly then went doon hill rapidly.
Ball retention was crap kept giving it back to West Brom
Decision making was crap when to pass and when to keep hold of ball.
Shola waste of space today – could not get his arse out of first gear and how many fouls did he give away.
Goufron poorest game in a TOON shirt.
Cabaye plays to deep when Anita is not playing alongside Tiote.
Ben Arfa needs to get his head up
Got to buy a forward as soon as poss and another creative midfield player.
All in All a p*ss poor performance against a poor team.
MOM I give it to Williamson
toonarmydownsouth
Jan 1, 2014 at 11:02 PM
Comment #69Ancient
Is there not a huge difference between bad form and bad decision making?
2 games in a row the lad just needed to square it, is it guaranteed goal?
Not by any means but it’s surely a much better chance to come away with a point which with how the league is this season is surely vital?
I’m not with others when people say HBA doesn’t defend, for me he just doesn’t play as one if team
For me were not a team like Chelsea or spurs where were brimming with attacking talent, and it would be fantastic to see HBA be that player for us but he needs to get back to doing what he was at the start of the season, getting the simple stuff right again
Completely agree that Sissoko was poor today and vs Stoke but for me he’s in the squad ahead of HBA is purely because he’ll look to create a chance than take the chancel
Whether that’s right or wrong, or if it’s the brand of football us fans want to see or not i think under pardew we look better with the more rigid shape and have players like Sissoko in the squad and 2 up top, sadly that’s not a brand that imho suits HBA, so looking at it that Pardew isn’t going anywhere I just can’t see where HBA fits into that!
I agree with what you were saying earlier that Sissoko isn’t a long term fix on the right and i think Pardew knows that hence why he went after Llana in the summer ( a player i was really trying to sell on here as i believed that’s the kind of players he was after so was relieved when he said he’d gone for him!)
toonarmydownsouth
Jan 1, 2014 at 11:03 PM
Comment #70Wow sorry ancient that turned into a bit of an essay!
Ciaran
Jan 1, 2014 at 11:03 PM
Comment #71Jail
Cisse is a scorer of great goals, not a scorer of many goals. In his first few months here, everything he hit went in. How many of his goals were tap ins? His 2 against Chelsea, his goal against Swansea et al.
He seemed to be operating on instinct a lot more, but I think it was a purple patch, not only in his Newcastle career, but in his career as a whole. He has never scored many goals at any stage of his career, and without goals he is useless as he has no other redeeming features in his game.
It is a shame as he looked like he would go on to be a legend at the Toon, but as it stands, he doesn’t even look worthy of the 9 million quid we paid for him, and I doubt any club would be willing to pay that for him, never mind the figure that Ashley would want for him.
beefman13
Jan 1, 2014 at 11:06 PM
Comment #72Ah the Shola issue, no goals as we ll know in near on 13 months in the prem and still gets a prem start, he does not warrent it at all, contributed nowt today apart from giving daft free kicks away.
JK come on we need a top quality striker in at the very least, dont piss us about like the previous window, earn some respect get a few through the doors, we are starting to flag a wee bit, Man City next and a few tricky ones after that s well, we need reinforcments to bolster our flagging troops.
jimmysmith
Jan 1, 2014 at 11:14 PM
Comment #73I think its time to bring both Cisse and Benny right back into the fold. Both have genuine qualities and are capable of being go to assets, and we have half a season where we are safe, to successfully build a team around them or recognize we need move them on and look at other options.
Ancientcoptic
Jan 1, 2014 at 11:23 PM
Comment #74TDS – I see your point, the conservative approach is probably considered to be smarter… grafting out results and building a solid unit, but for me that guarantees us nothing more than mid-table and short term gains. Being slightly bias towards Newcastle, I think we are bigger than building a team to play like Everton under Moyes.
I am not saying Ben Arfa is as good as Suarez, but some of the best attacking players can be very wasteful – if Ben Arfa plays 80+ minutes, he will get himself into situations where he will be wasteful, but on occasions he will get it right, and that means guaranteed scoring opportunities.
Man City are flying this season, and I don’t think they look anything like a team… it is their talent bombing forward that is getting them goals.
It all depends on the approach you like to see… I would rather see us playing with flair and taking risks…
You can get into the ring to box smart, or you can try to knock your opponent out, while risking your guard… for me, the best clubs go for knock out blows.
Laurent Robert 32
Jan 1, 2014 at 11:30 PM
Comment #75I like Debuchy, but that was a very stupid tackle.
Without deflections, wonder strikes, opposition mistakes or own goals we struggle to score regular team goals. The few games of good results are an indication of the potential they possess.
I have no doubt in the ability of the players, they are very good, and of an international standard.
It’s a crime that arguably our most talented player is castaway on the bench is order to kuyp fings toigh et th beck.
As we were watching the game and seeing forwards spending a lot of the time as fullbacks, it was very unsatisfying to see attacking potential go to waste, as it usually does under Pardew.
We recalled David Ginola, and his lack of backtracking, yet the team used his immense talent in attack as part of our defence. If we are in possession, they were not, therefore, they could not score.
What a great mentality those days were. The simple essence of how the game should be played. We are going to score one more than the opposition because that will win us the game. It is a world far away from the overly cautious approach which plagues us at present.
It’s like watching Audley Harrison in the boxing ring. Bags of capable potential, yet vastly underused and wasted.
Ciaran
Jan 1, 2014 at 11:32 PM
Comment #76Ancient
The best teams are exactly that – teams. HBA doesn’t play for a team, he plays for himself.
toonarmydownsouth
Jan 1, 2014 at 11:38 PM
Comment #77Ancient
I agree and yeah it does depend on your style preference but i can’t see Pardew ever favouring that fluid attacking all out style
So with that in mind, and also agreeing were looking to build steadily long term, i can’t see the point in having Ben Arfa’s or Marvuex’s and see us going for more of your Lamberts Llana’s etc, i think that’s the style he’s used to and the only one he can use effectively
Jail for Ashley
Jan 1, 2014 at 11:39 PM
Comment #78I wish people would differentiate between, tads, TDS and Toon Down Sarf, very different personalities and opinions, two of them I find reasonable !
Laurent Robert 32
Jan 1, 2014 at 11:40 PM
Comment #79Ancient, I wrote the boxing bit without reading yours, but good work and right on 😉
Arturo Gatti is one of my favourite boxers. He gave it his all by going forward and being positive, which I like to see in football as well. It is the root enjoyment of the game, attacking and trying to score.
Only one person can win the league, the rest can at least play in a way which brings enjoyment to themselves and the fans alike. That is what my philosophy is and that is how it will remain.
toonarmydownsouth
Jan 1, 2014 at 11:55 PM
Comment #80JFA
I’ll let the other’s lads in the down south club house you find them reasonable 😉