If Steve McClaren didn’t know how tough the head coach job is at Newcastle, then he will now, after Newcastle’s less than acceptable performance at West Ham last night when we lost the game – all too easily – to West Ham 2-0.
And it was the very impressive Dimitri Payet who ran the show for the home side.
Dimitri Payet scoring West Ham’s second goal last night
Payet had been a former target of Newcastle, but he was too old (he’s 28) and too expensive for Newcastle, who prefer the younger, cheaper editions of Payet.
But that transfer policy means we very rarely sign players from the continent who can make a quick impact at Newcastle, which is just one reason why Alan Pardew is now at Crystal Palace and making an impact at the London club.
It’s the beginning of the seas and are players still need to get, but last night’s performance lacked commitment and lacked passion, and it simply was not good enough.
This is what Steve McClaren said after the game:
“We’ve got talented players out there, but we didn’t do the basics well enough,” “We had been for four games, and that had kept us in games, but we didn’t do that here.”
“It’s a process, and this is normal. These sorts of nights and games are painful to go through, but sometimes you have to go through them to learn about individuals and your team.”
“We have to learn and move on, and make sure we give a big reaction on Saturday.”
“The players have been told it’s disappointing, but all you can do in football is dust yourself down and look forward to the challenge of a home game, and put this game and result to bed.”
“We can make excuses and say the preparation wasn’t ideal, but it’s no excuse. We felt the preparation wasn’t long enough and asked the referee to put it back.”
“But we didn’t do tonight what we have done for the previous four games in terms of organisation, discipline and being hard to beat, we lacked that.”
One concern that hasn’t been solved from last season is that it’s now over four games since we last scored a goal – 402 minutes to be exact.
If you cannot score goals you cannot win games, and when that second Payer goal went in after 48 minutes we couldn’t see Newcastle getting back in the game, al;though we did attack as best we could.
But it wasn;t good enough, and West Ha,m basically were happy enough to hold onto their two goal lead and a good 3 points.
Newcastle have now made a worse start than last year at this time – and we now have to somehow beat newly promoted Watford on Saturday.
If we cannot improve things over the next five games or so, then we could be in for yet another struggle on the league this season.
To say the very least – that would not be good.
Comments welcome.
123 comments so far
the broons
Sep 15, 2015 at 11:07 AM
Comment #1To be fair apart from Janmaat the order of results in the poll are very accurate still though, stupid enough to vote Janmaat best player. I’m only guessing that people were pleased that he was the only one trying to get a goal.
But like I said I judge forwards on forward play and defenders on defensive play. tut tut Janmaat and Cisse in those regards.
Ibizatoon
Sep 15, 2015 at 11:08 AM
Comment #2If its prep time we need, may I suggest the team turn up a few hours early for every game?
Toon-Prodigy
Sep 15, 2015 at 11:09 AM
Comment #3It will look brighter when we turn Watford and Chelsea over at home!
Last night was poor but it’s still early days for me to be bashing coaches like.
I think the performances will get better over time, there is quality in that squad no doubt about it. I’d like to see a change though, Im not a fan of two defensive mids and a lone striker.
Ibizatoon
Sep 15, 2015 at 11:11 AM
Comment #4the broons…Not getting in to whether Janmaat deserved it or not, that’s just a matter of opinion, but surely you’d judge a player on their overall play?
I went with Janmaat as they all made mistakes, but he seemed like he was actually trying to do something. He did get turned time and time again back in defense though – not arguing that.
the broons
Sep 15, 2015 at 11:14 AM
Comment #5Ibiza
To be honest with you mate I will give you that and you speak a lot of sense there. However my pick was Mbemba as I thought out of everyone he was the one who made the fewest mistakes.
To be fair Payet and Noble ran the show for them.
Ibizatoon
Sep 15, 2015 at 11:14 AM
Comment #6Broons…For instance, you’ve gone with Mbemba. I think he’s really doing well, one of the better and more important buys. However, some of his ‘clearances’ last night went straight to opposition players right outside the box. It happened a fair few times. Is that any worse than Janmaat getting done over by Payet? Janmaat had the added responsibility of being a creative force too.
toon kk
Sep 15, 2015 at 11:15 AM
Comment #7Janmaat was definitely our best player, he was the only one who remembered you have to score to win a game.
trying to attack with a pace less team isn’t easy, but there’s next to no service comes into the box
I blame it on very poor scouting, alot of money has been wasted on the wrong type of players for the premier league.
Ibizatoon
Sep 15, 2015 at 11:16 AM
Comment #8Broons….Wrote that before reading your post.
Payet, Noble and even Moses were really good to watch (well, apart from them being on the opposite team!).
Since when did picking a MOTM come down to who made the least amount of mistakes? Perhaps the vote should be on who was the worst player of the match if that’s the data we’re looking at 🙂
Jib
Sep 15, 2015 at 11:19 AM
Comment #9I voted Mbemba
He’s a remarkably fast learner.
A factor that alot of people are ignoring is the pressure that was on the West Ham team.
Regardless of their wins against the bindippers and the Arse if they had lost to us it would have been their 3rd home defeat in a row , I don’t think big Slaven had too much bother getting his side up for the game
Ibizatoon
Sep 15, 2015 at 11:21 AM
Comment #10toon kk…I’m still not putting this down to poor scouting.
I find it really hard to do so when you consider the previous years neglect.
I suppose it comes down to how much power you believe Carr has at the club. Is he carrying out a set policy, or is he setting it? If it’s the latter, then he may well have to take a large lump of the responsibility.
We desperately needed proper leadership last season. It doesn’t appear to have been addressed yet. Could prove extremely costly.
cyprus
Sep 15, 2015 at 11:22 AM
Comment #11Hey Ed,
Where is my long thoughtful post? Dam, gone forever.
Summary only then: We ain’t that bad. Sorry, unlike our attack, there were incisive points to prove it.
Ibizatoon
Sep 15, 2015 at 11:23 AM
Comment #12Jib…I get that they were at home, but surely as a team we had that pressure to win too? We are still waiting for a win after all.
Why would Steve have a harder job than Bilic in getting his team up for the game?
Ibizatoon
Sep 15, 2015 at 11:24 AM
Comment #13Cyrpus…We might need a version somewhere in the middle of the two.
Toon-Prodigy
Sep 15, 2015 at 11:26 AM
Comment #14If only Cisse’s overhead kick had connected!!
Lol! What a laugh we had!
JP...from The Rock
Sep 15, 2015 at 11:26 AM
Comment #15We have bought good players but what we had already has let us down again. Krul still doesn’t know how to kick a ball, Sissoko only tries half the time, Cisse is so lazy he makes Strolla look class, Anita is not good enough or strong enough and not tall enough either.
The lone striker does not work for us, we can’t cross the ball well to save our life and two DM is too defensive and doesn’t offer anything. Our tactics and formation need an urgent reshuffle. The sooner McClaren realises and does this the better we will be. Though being a new manager he is still trying to understand our strengths and weakneses, unfortunately for us we are losing valuable points in the process.
WWSBRD
Sep 15, 2015 at 11:30 AM
Comment #16Ok I might have sent Saylor an extra hard sponge through the post to prove myself right…sorry guys I didnt think he would actually use it! It was a joke gone horribly wrong
Munster Mag
Sep 15, 2015 at 11:31 AM
Comment #17Ibiza, if some journos are to be believed, Carr is the real power broker in the club. He nearly left before and Ash gave him a huge deal. I am sick and tired of seeing crap players playing for NUFC as our less intelligent fans say ” In Carr we trust ” . Laughable. I don’t trust him at all. The coach/manager should set the philosophy of the club, not the chief scout. Pardew has proven many wrong on here with his ability to elevate Palace, but we got him players like Anita, which he didn’t want. As for Steve, I am totally unimpressed with a philosophy of possession based Dutch nonsense football, with central midfielders not making a decent pass into the box. sadly Cisse is at fault for that too. Suddenly, Mitro has become vital to us, which is crazy. On a more positive note, most of the players did not give up, which is vital. I am tired of looking at Carr getting nonces like De Jong, Thauvin and Anita when other teams get faster players who suit English football more. Carr just loves his sytle doesn’t he?? Hence we get blokes like Mbiwa and Santon who simply are not good defensively in England. Carr needs to come under pressure now. How many gems has he uncovered ? Tiote ? Perez ? Any others ?? Why the hell did he not persuade Ashley to go for a proven performer like Cabaye?? Guys ion this website laughed at cabaye going to Palace saying we didn’t need him. Yeah right.
Munster Mag
Sep 15, 2015 at 11:32 AM
Comment #18Gotta say, Thauvin is not quick, which is a worry. Well done Sutty if u were right on this guy, but hopefully just one bad game.
Jail for Ashley
Sep 15, 2015 at 11:38 AM
Comment #19Toonbrother
Hi Ed,
I had made a bet with a poster called toonbrother, who claimed we would not win a game all season with Collocini in the starting line up. I took up the bet before he spectacularly changed the goal posts to the first five games. I thought he had said the next five games and said we’d beat Watford at home. Although I misread the bet I will honour it and will donate £100 to the SBR foundation. I will send you the details after it’s been done. Could you please confirm it in one of the little side columns
Regards
JfA
I am waiting for a reply
Ibizatoon
Sep 15, 2015 at 11:39 AM
Comment #20Yo…Nasty games mate. I thought you were better than that. You’ve ruined Taylor chances of going to the Euros next summer. I hope you’re proud.
Munster…Not the best opening line there 🙂
I want to see something from the club state that Carr is the DOF, as that appears to be what some are claiming.
Out of interest, why did he want to leave before the big deal?
WWSBRD
Sep 15, 2015 at 11:40 AM
Comment #21I must be a less intelligent fan then becuase I have far more faith in Carrs judgement than Ashleys ownership
solano
Sep 15, 2015 at 11:41 AM
Comment #22Time, time time, see what has become of us…
WWSBRD
Sep 15, 2015 at 11:42 AM
Comment #23Ibiza
I feel terrible about the whole thing truly I do
I would send him a care package but I worry about the box ripping his leg off now
Lilongwe Geordie
Sep 15, 2015 at 11:42 AM
Comment #24Munster,
Carr recommended Payet, but he was too expensive and the wrong side of our age bracket. Plenty of articles from last summer and earlier about it.
I don’t understand why Carr gets the recognition and the column inches. He shouldn’t be in the limelight at all. Every club has scouts, and every scout makes good and bad recommendations. Carr gets spoken of because of the running of the club at the top by Ashley, Charnley and previously Llambias. It has propelled him into a false idol role which no scout should really be in as we have no idea who else was on his lists and who was overlooked for reasons similar to Payet.
Look at Ayew and Gomis – clearly recommended by Carr but overlooked by the club initially due to cost but latterly probably because of wages.
Carr is no better or worse then most Premier league scouts.
Ibizatoon
Sep 15, 2015 at 11:43 AM
Comment #25Yo…If it’s a question of faith, and then faith in Carr or Ashley, there can be no contest.
Other than having money and giving an interview, i’m not sure what we’re to work with other than his atrocious history owning this club.
But anyway, he’s taken a back seat now – it’s all on the man who ‘decided’ that Carver would see us through until we could get our man (McClaren).
I’m trying to work out why i’m not full of confidence.
magscar
Sep 15, 2015 at 11:43 AM
Comment #26Not sure whether buys in previous windows were high on Carr’s list but presumably given the amounts spent in summer these buys were at or near top of his list? If that is the case and posters are already writing most off then shouldn’t Carr be taking some blame?
Regardless of how far down the list previous buys have been surely most would have been expected to be able to cut it in Pl even if not likely to excel given the patience Carr reportedly shows in tracking players. I find myself wondering why they are even on the list otherwise.
Carr who has accepted Ashley’s brief just like Pardew has escaped much of the scrutiny whilst all the gathering of pitchforks was going on. Not saying he is necessarily to blame but I wonder whether with the new Football Board in place we will see any change in type of the next lot of incomings – Is McClaren going to push for what he and team need?
solano
Sep 15, 2015 at 11:45 AM
Comment #27A repost for my old muckers.
Lads,I was making a general ob on Cisse after looking at several pages and sites, not pin pointing you,Ibiza and Broons, especially.
The fact is that Cisse has scored goals and can’t play alone. Perez has promise and can’t play alone. Unfortunately the two aforementioned (imo) can’t play together!!!
It’s a mess and as ever I maintain the blame lies at the very top BUT also with the fans themselves for their complicity in the charade.
My temporary comeback is only indicative of a slight change in my perspective. I think the majority of fans/whingers who complain about players and formations get exactly what they deserve served up by Ashley and Charnley! I have nothing but scorn and contempt for those ( and they know who they are) who stood by and did nothing when others spoke up and tried to fight.
I’m not so much bitter as indifferent to the suffering.
I have become …Comfortably Numb
optimistic prime
Sep 15, 2015 at 11:47 AM
Comment #28Ibiza
I’ll admit we did some decent buisness but no where near enough or in the right positions.
I can only hope we buy in jan, if we don’t we could be in big trouble.
We need proven players not potentially good players, was Colback the last EPL proven player we signed? He was free, can’t think of the last one before him.
Even though we spent money the supposed rebuild was done with cheap untested product once again.
It will take time for Steve to get his ideas across, all the more reason to have signed players who could hit the ground running.
Ashley out!
Ibizatoon
Sep 15, 2015 at 11:48 AM
Comment #29Yo…I think it’s best you just let him be now. You’ve done quite enough!
Solana…Just caught your response on the last thread. Wasn’t being defensive, I realised you weren’t aiming the post at me, but I thought I’d jump in anyway.
So, you’re not convinced by this particular new dawn? Not even after Ashley went on Sky Sports? Honestly, some people… 🙂
Lilongwe Geordie
Sep 15, 2015 at 11:48 AM
Comment #30magscar,
The football board? A facade created to placate the masses that ultimately serves Ashley’s whims as voiced by Charnley. Seriously, McClaren should not be on the board. Nor should Carr. They should both report to the board but concentrate primarily on what they are employed to do – coach.manage and scout.
Moncur serves no purpose. He is an ambassadorial figure who realistically offers nothing – a figure head nothing more.
Charnley is the only one in any way close to being suitable and experienced to fill the role on the board. That in itself is pretty damning.
magscar
Sep 15, 2015 at 11:50 AM
Comment #31Lilongwe
A few years ago when all the “in Carr we trust was going on” a mate of mine who was a lifelong York City fan ( where Carr had been involved) was chuckling away in amazement at the thought anyone could attribute such status to him. We even had a discussion to check we were actually talking about the same guy given his incredulity. He was amazed he wasn’t concentrating on Sunday League instead of France
Ibizatoon
Sep 15, 2015 at 11:51 AM
Comment #32Solano*
OP…For me it’s a case of doing the bare minimum to say we’re trying. I can’t handle the idea of having to read that “they couldn’t have done more in the last window”, as they most definitely could have, but thought enough was done, for now.
Always the same, just a differing budget now, one that a lot of the PL teams have to play with.
cyprus
Sep 15, 2015 at 11:52 AM
Comment #33Ibiza,
Can’t be bothered to redo the match comments thing which disappeared somewhere in the internet atmosphere. Maybe an alien is reading it, or Mike, or Steve, somehow 🙂 It’s just that, having first read the negative posts and then seen the game, I expected much worse, a mauling so to speak.
Other comments:
We will finish higher than WH, they is poor.
Bring Perez in, tell him from now on, you’re a CF. (If it doesn’t work out you can always change it back, he’s young) Now, have people flicking it, passing it to him, he’s a tricky customer, he’ll come good.
Maybe Mitro and him?
Refreshing to see two ex-coaches (AS, JC) doing the punditry, got many pieces of ‘inside’ info, re NUFC.
DaraghL
Sep 15, 2015 at 11:57 AM
Comment #34From previous FAO: JFA
Jail for Ashley / Toonbrother –
Just saw Toonbrother’s post.
Under no circumstances should JFA a) be paying anything yet or b) be paying to a charity of Toonbrother’s choice.
The bet, which I had also offered to meet; however was not called upon, still happy to sign up to it, was “Newcastle will not win another match with Colocinni in the side”.
JFA agreed to that bet and proposed that the loser pays the sum of £100 to the SBR foundation.
After JFA offered this you reneged on your previous ludicrous statement and stated it should only be the first 5 games.
Ibizatoon
Sep 15, 2015 at 11:59 AM
Comment #35Cyprus…I like to think that Ashley is in tune with the toon army and can sense what it is we’re after. I imagine he got your thoughts and will be busy implementing them as we speak.
Interesting observation. I suppose we could have been worse, but we weren’t anywhere near good, were we?
Mitro and Perez would be worth checking out. I’ll tell you what isn’t worth checking out, a lone striker. We haven’t even looked like scoring. Something is up, clearly.
WWSBRD
Sep 15, 2015 at 12:00 PM
Comment #36Ibiza
Aye Charnley the new man in charge…what can go wrong eh?
As for Saylor ur probably right…may drop him an apologetic email surely he wont get an electric shock from it? Safe bet no?
Ian Toon
Sep 15, 2015 at 12:02 PM
Comment #37i am not going to repeat what I said post match. Sissoko is not a wide man/ winger his crossing is poor. If he plays it has to be through the middle. I don’t agree about Colback he provides grit and determination – if Tiote is ever fit then maybe he can start instead of Jack. Incidentally Anita was doing a man marking job on Payet- allegedly!
Newcastle played like robots constantly passing back or sideways in their own half but with no idea what came next. You can’t blame Mbemba for finally hoofing in frustration.
Cisse can’t play on his own up front and Perez showed for half an hour far more movement and control in tight situations. We need to create chances to score goals to win football matches. Perez and de Jong to start.
Solano –
Your out of touch and clearly haven’t seen recent articles and communication from Macca. The financial game has changed in the Premier league with the massively increased tv money with further increases next season and Ashley is not reliant on 50,000 home gates.
The transfer window was an eye opener with Everton leading the way and not selling Stones. Palace and Stoke signed proven quality in Cabaye and Shaqiri. Buying proven quality rather than hopeful potential is more likely to bring success. Your living in the past and fighting old battles. Besides Charnley is running the show – if anything it’s ” Jail for Charnley”.
Not sure whom to blame but why didn’t we get Moses on loan?
Why didn’t Carr spot Payet – he was available and at a great price ?
Plenty of questions but your posing the wrong ones.
We really do need training ground work on defending and attacking set pieces.
Ibizatoon
Sep 15, 2015 at 12:02 PM
Comment #38Yo…Potential for a broken finger opening said email. The screen may be too bright and impair his vision. Really, I think it’s best just to leave it.
I’d suggest positive thoughts, but that could just give the lad a 6 month headache.
I’m afraid it’s a white padded cell for Taylor. He can then come out for one game later in the season.
That’d be 2 starts and surely we can call that progress?
Lilongwe Geordie
Sep 15, 2015 at 12:03 PM
Comment #39Magscar,
Carr has had a few flops through his career prior to turning up at SJP. The mess isn’t his fault, he certainly has to take part of the blame as some of the lower ones on his list probably shouldn’t have been on at all – Rivi for example. But I doubt his share of blame would out weigh some of the other culpable people at the club.
BandB
Sep 15, 2015 at 12:06 PM
Comment #40I got to see something of McClaren during Middlesbrough’s domestic and european cup campaigns.
If I was to hazard a guess it would be that he will now patiently wait for the players and formation he favours to gel.