Moussa Sissoko has been off form over the last few games, and last time out at Crystal Palace, the French International could do almost nothing right and he had one of those games where it proved to be just very difficult and he had a poor game.
For that game Moussa finished second bottom of our Man of the Match poll.
Moussa Sissoko in action yesterday
But yesterday in the shambles of a 5-0 defeat – our worst defeat of the season at the Etihad Stadium – Moussa has come out as our Man of the Match – but let’s just add that not many players played well yesterday and as a team we were simply hopeless.
Maybe pathetic is a better word to describe the display.
Moussa got 26% of the vote, and goalkeeper Tim Krul who was continually exposed because of the terrible defending in front of him, came out with some respect and he was second in our poll on 14%.
Next in line was Daryl Janmaat, who had a terrific left foot shot early in the first half, which was only just wide of Joe Hart’s right hand post, and the Dutchman is becoming one of our most consistent players this season.
And there was even good news about Daryl today, and it was only a slight groin injury he suffered in the second half, and doesn’t look like a serious injury.
He was taken off as a precaution.
Young Ayoze Perez was next in line in our poll with 12% and Ryan Taylor looked good when he came on and got 6% of the vote..
Maybe that was a sympathy vote because of all the injuries the 30 year-old has fought through – but we expect Ryan to be included in the starting line up next Saturday at home to Aston Villa.
Ryan could replace Jack Colback in central midfield, and Jack is now suspended for the next two games after picking up his 10th yellow card yesterday in the first half.
We wonder how many games Newcastle players have missed this season through injury and suspension – whatever it is we will be top of that particular league.
But it’s now looking like we will be sinking down the league table as the season progresses, and we are already 5 points off 10th place when you consider our poor goal difference.
It’s looking very difficult for us to finish in the top 10 this season, and if that turns out to be true we will have finished in the top ten only twice in eight seasons under Mike Ashley. 🙁
That’s a terrible record.
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63 comments so far
Ron Knee
Feb 22, 2015 at 1:21 PM
Comment #1WHU 2-0 up.
optimistic prime
Feb 22, 2015 at 1:32 PM
Comment #2Sissoko mom lol
Marty-Toon
Feb 22, 2015 at 1:38 PM
Comment #3Actually can’t see any of the bottom 3 teams(maybe not Villa) getting more than 30 points this season.
We may actually be already safe from relegation .
Ron Knee
Feb 22, 2015 at 1:38 PM
Comment #4Jammy Spurs.
Marty-Toon
Feb 22, 2015 at 1:41 PM
Comment #5Can’t wait to purchase the dvd from this season,it’ll make for many hours of fun watching and reminiscing over a fun filled season.
Imagine having the job to put together the best bits from this season on dvd to sell to fans.
Small World
Feb 22, 2015 at 1:46 PM
Comment #6From previous threads and those of you going on about attendances, who clearly don’t go to the match.
We often get gates of 47,000 or so and often get them of 52,000+ meaning the average is about 50,000 most seasons. Yep, you’ve guessed it we’ll hit that figure this year.
I think it was Hibbit mentioning the away support for Stoke in the last home game. They brought nowhere near 3,000. I’d estimate 1200-1500. They didn’t bring a lot, not all of ours turned up. It was Stoke after all :0) Last time Wigan played up here, I think we got 44,000.
The upshot is that most pick and chose their games, especially since less are apparently buying season tickets.
Small World
Feb 22, 2015 at 1:49 PM
Comment #7Marty-Toon // Feb 22, 2015 at 1:38 PM @3
I reckon it will be a low figure to stay up. I was guessing a couple of weeks ago 34-35 points. As the weeks go by I might be revising that down myself. We’ll see – sometimes the teams at the bottom do put a fight over the last few weeks. Think S*nderland last year
FWIW – If they are in the same boat this year I don’t think they’ll pull it off.The new manager effect from Poyet has definitely wore off a long time ago.
Small World
Feb 22, 2015 at 1:50 PM
Comment #8“Marty-Toon // Feb 22, 2015 at 1:41 PM
Can’t wait to purchase the dvd from this season,it’ll make for many hours of fun watching and reminiscing over a fun filled season.
Imagine having the job to put together the best bits from this season on dvd to sell to fans.
-> Buy one and send it to some one you don’t like…
Ron Knee
Feb 22, 2015 at 1:54 PM
Comment #9Small World
As one of those “going on about attendances” and no longer living in the UK, I think you’ve just proved the point when you say less are apparently buying STs.
croftus5678
Feb 22, 2015 at 1:56 PM
Comment #10erm at end of season we will be trying to sign a coach so very little if any signings will come in with the excuse of we need to know how the new coach plays to get the right players for him !
only players i see coming in are for those who leave as he will try to take the edge off all the negativity as lets face it he doesnt care as long as we stay in the prem.
Small World
Feb 22, 2015 at 2:01 PM
Comment #11Ron Knee // Feb 22, 2015 at 1:54 PM @9
I am almost certain that is the case. Same regulars round about me, but there do seem to be more matchday tickets available in our section and that can be seen if you go to the club website and try and buy a ticket online for almost anywhere in the ground.
It does actually defeat the argument that people are only going because they are compelled to, ie already have a season ticket. The club won’t bothered a fig – it is still the same revenue. And that seems to be all they care about. Most matchday tickets are sold at higher than the “per game” price for a season ticket. Others up in level 7 are sold at heavily discounted prices for “dad and his lad deals”
Rotonda heights
Feb 22, 2015 at 2:03 PM
Comment #12wolfshead
i just find it hilarious the selective memory of some people as if everything was ok with the one who can not be named.
I know you have some unaccountable kind of man love for the guy and will defend him to the death, but if you really want mafioso vendetta type proportions I think you’ll find toonbrother’s increasingly justified view on Colo beats your adoration for your dearly departed P—-w.
Mister Tuff
Feb 22, 2015 at 2:04 PM
Comment #13Regardless of the results to the end of the season I think it’s obvious that Carver will still be in position.
Tubbs has made his gamble that we are safe. I think he is correct (in the gamble) that we will not go down.
I form this opinion not on the basis of an assessment of our team but on the assessment of others. There are clearly three teams worse than us who will not avoid the drop.
It will be close, with some crap football being played – it may wake up some fans to what lies ahead and I anticipate there will be more anti Tubbs publicity.
We really need to get on the back of the publicity at Rangers and the up and coming Parliamentary hearings.
The target should be Tubbs AND SD – the city and investors will not like bad PR..
davetoon
Feb 22, 2015 at 2:11 PM
Comment #14It would be almost impossible to get relegated this season given the poor quality of si many other teams down the bottom of the table.
firebug666
Feb 22, 2015 at 2:11 PM
Comment #15Mister Tuff
I agree wholeheartedly, the time has never been better to strike at the fat man and SD.
But we will never have enough fans united to make any sort of impact, our most recent protests have been laughable, poorly organised, split decisions on timing etc.
I would love to see the fans all sing from the same sheet, but will it ever happen?
Small World
Feb 22, 2015 at 2:13 PM
Comment #16Mister Tuff // Feb 22, 2015 at 2:04 PM @13
It is far harder than most think to have a real go at Ashley, as right as that may seem to be the best course of action.
He doesn’t give a damn about city investors and has repeatedly been on record to say as much. He talks as much to them as he does the fans of NUFC. Last time he didn’t like how they brought down the value of SD stock – he simply bought it all up and made the company wholly private again before then releasing stock for sale at a later date. That is how he has ended up with controlling interest in SD *AND* a pile of cash he didn’t have previously.
NUFC is not a piss in a pot to him, the only real way at getting to him is having everybody and I mean everybody not just NUFC fans, simply not shop at SD.
Ron Knee
Feb 22, 2015 at 2:14 PM
Comment #17Small World
If I was living on Tyneside I’d be torn between going to matches to support the team and not going to deny Fatso any of my money.
Ron Knee
Feb 22, 2015 at 2:16 PM
Comment #18davetoon
I fear our beloved NUFC are up for the challenge!
Mister Tuff
Feb 22, 2015 at 2:19 PM
Comment #19firebugg – “will it ever happen”.
Short answer is no. In time to ride on the coattails of the Rangers SFA/Parliamentary Hearings – probably not.
They’ll be done and dusted before there is a groundswell of anti Tubbs feelings. So we’ll have probably missed a gilt edged opportunity to let the wider world see that Tubbs has not overall been an asset but that he is a poor club owner.
Sliema
Feb 22, 2015 at 2:20 PM
Comment #20Davetoon
I disagree. I believe Carver is talented enough to get us relegated even from our current position. We have a tough run, no defense, and Carver.
Crazier things have happened. I’d be less shocked this time than I was a few years ago when it happened to us.
Tsunki
Feb 22, 2015 at 2:27 PM
Comment #21I agree. I believe we have all the tools to snatch defeat from the jaws of mid table mediocrity. Namely the Tools that run this club.
Sliema
Feb 22, 2015 at 2:29 PM
Comment #22Tsunki
Haha. Nicely put.
Mister Tuff
Feb 22, 2015 at 2:30 PM
Comment #23Small World – at the end of the day it is up to Tubbs if he goes.
He is embarking on a worldwide expansion for SD. I think if we can sully him, his brand his performance at SJP it could have an effect – or the perception of an effect. He is doing deals -partnerships with other companies to get a foothold in new markets overseas -bad PR may induce other companies shareholders to not be so keen to get into bed with him.
The “little man” now has access to the world via the internet -so perhaps a campaign is maybe not so futile as it would have been years ago.
The alternative – sit back and do nothing while he scoops up all the PL cash and does not re-invest it.
A simle question all could ask is “are we progressing overall as a football club”.
The answer I suggest has to be “no”. Accepting that should mean do something and not accept a further shafting from Tubbs and his cronies.
Small World
Feb 22, 2015 at 2:30 PM
Comment #24Ron Knee // Feb 22, 2015 at 2:14 PM
Love it! I would actually enjoy getting the chance to talk to Ashley (he must speak to somebody) and give him some of my thoughts on the running of the club :0)
I don’t reckon him to be the devil most on here paint him to be. A lot go on about zero hour contracts for some shop staff and sweatshop factories. What they don’t say is that he has made the 2,500 or so full time staff of SD far richer than they ever imagined with bonuses and share options which have run to 10’s to 100’s of thousands of pounds, all on top of their wages.
It seems as though he is trying to run NUFC like SD – Cheap product, pile them high and sell them cheap. it simply isn’t going to work. If we finish in the top 10, all staff will receive a bonus and it simply isn’t going to work. The players who will no doubt be thinking of moving on won’t give a stuff that the grounds staff aren’t getting a bonus.
Small World
Feb 22, 2015 at 2:34 PM
Comment #25Mister Tuff // Feb 22, 2015 at 2:30 PM @23
Understand totally what you are saying, I just think it is a tough nut to crack. We have gripe about his stewardship of NUFC and as I think we both agree, it actually damage limitation to his SD brand that will cause him to act. As close as it is to us and out hearts, I think tying the two together in the public mindset is a different matter altogether.
he’ll go when he wants to
Ron Knee
Feb 22, 2015 at 2:34 PM
Comment #26Small World
Poundland United Football Club!
jesperfuglsang - capt'n awesome of the lemon crew
Feb 22, 2015 at 2:35 PM
Comment #27Small World …would you say the average attendance this year will be the same more or less as the years before?
davetoon
Feb 22, 2015 at 2:36 PM
Comment #28Leicester Is prob already relegated and I can’t see QPR or Burnley getting 10 more points than us as they are playing just as bad football as we are
croftus5678
Feb 22, 2015 at 2:41 PM
Comment #29reality is pards was mid table manager and over all we was mid table team and now carver is mid table coach (who knows maybe same as pards maybe not as good) and our owner only wants mid table so he can bleed us dry and line his own pockets !
nothing will change ever under ashley as he doesnt want it to change ! he has everything perfect atm and if the fans cry too much he just gets another mid table manager so we say ah well next year we will build a team for the new manager blablabla when we all really know its a load of rubbish and we are no further along than when we first started !
best we can hope for is we get a decent manager who overperforms for that one season and maybe wins something by fluke untill ash cashes in on the overperforming players in the next window.
Small World
Feb 22, 2015 at 2:42 PM
Comment #30jesperfuglsang – capt’n awesome of the lemon crew // @27
I think this years attendances if anything have been slightly up on last year, they’ll probably tail off as interest dwindles i.e. unfortunately nothing to play for.
All in all it will pan out to be atypical year in which the average attendance is about 50,000.
I find it hard to believe that it will be so easy to sell season tickets for next season, however the economy is slowly picking up and folks may eventually have a little more cash in there pockets…
Ashley may even sanction a huge spending program and attract world class players for next term to help boost sales.
Small World
Feb 22, 2015 at 2:43 PM
Comment #31Oh…. smiley missing from post above :0)
Ron Knee
Feb 22, 2015 at 2:44 PM
Comment #32Everton v Leicester match – the perfect cure for insomnia.
Small World
Feb 22, 2015 at 2:47 PM
Comment #33Ron Knee // Feb 22, 2015 at 2:44 PM @32
Yep, that and any game played by S*nderland this season. No matter how bad things get, remember you could have been born a mackem.
Ron Knee
Feb 22, 2015 at 2:48 PM
Comment #34Small World
Perish the thought!
Mister Tuff
Feb 22, 2015 at 2:49 PM
Comment #35Small World – there are about 20,000 people on zero hours contracts at SD.
The BBC programme “Inside Out” revealed that Tubbs sweatshop workers in the far east were getting paid -it was either a dollar or a pound for a twelve hour shift. They are locked in factories for their troubles – they may get their measly pay and run the risk of the factory collapsing or burning down.
Highlighting that Tubbs enriches some 2500 staff should not really be lauded -if you are fair minded.
Tsunki
Feb 22, 2015 at 2:52 PM
Comment #36Ugh. *shudders*
Tsunki
Feb 22, 2015 at 2:56 PM
Comment #37I know it’s a tradition to do man of the match every match, but who would want ‘I was man of the match when we got rog’d 5-0’ on their player CV? 😀
Small World
Feb 22, 2015 at 3:01 PM
Comment #38Mister Tuff // Feb 22, 2015 at 2:49 PM @35
One of the biggest employers of zero hours staff is the NHS. My daughter worked for 4 years like that and loved it as it was ideal for her circumstances. I realise it isn’t for many others especially if you have a family to support
Also, how many other clothing manufacturers use far eastern sweat shops? I suspect Ashley’s places aren’t too far removed from those who make for designer names through to sports goods like Nike.
It ain’t a perfect world, remember next time you pick up your smart manufactured in a Foxconn
factory. I wish I could put the world to rights, but can’t
The point I am making is that he is no different for many others – he’s most likely not the devil incarnate. As regards lauding him for the bonus to full time staff, yes that’s right. I used to work for a company which had a good profit share scheme and saw what sort of loyalty and dedication it brought out in the staff.
BandB
Feb 22, 2015 at 3:04 PM
Comment #39There was a lot of loyalty, motivation and dedication on show from the staff yesterday.
It looked just like an SD store.
A shambles.
stuart no9
Feb 22, 2015 at 3:05 PM
Comment #40i think people may be underestimating how bad we really are. Relagation is a big possability.
I said on friday that the city game could be the start of the big slide. we played city at the wrong timeand i mentioned the fact that the game could have a major physological impact on the rest of the season if we get the predicted drubbing .
Thats exactly how it panned out, now we have to somehow forget that game and focus on winning some points from somewhere, the problem is – confidence will be shot- players will be banned or injured ( colback and janmaat) another 2 out for next week – a coach who has to turn things , but cant , at the same time , teams below us are not playing bad football and i can see teams like everton-west brom-burnley nicking points and making ground on us . If the teams below us pick up the odd win and get a few draws while we struggle to get a win and with 12 games left , there are 36 points up for grabs , plenty time for these lower clubs to give it one final push to safety . Have newcastle got the same fight ????