When Odion Ighalo scored his second goal after only 28 minutes yesterday. it was hard to believe Newcastle were playing so poorly as they were being opened up so easily by newly promoted Watford.
And this was supposed to be the game where the team would make amends for their very poor display on Monday night at West Ham, when it looked like they didn’t bother to show up – even though they arrived at the ground 40 minutes late due to traffic.
One worry we have is this team is not mentally strong enough and just like last season, we don’t seem to have any leaders on the pitch.
Steve McClaren – what are they dong?
This is what Shearer said on BBC’s Match of the Day on Saturday night:
“Before anyone has a pop at me, Watford were absolutely outstanding from start to finish, better all over the park.”
“This is a Newcastle team that got absolutely battered from pundits and media alike, because of Monday at West Ham, being beaten 2-0.”
“They are at home, you’d expect them to come out, roll their sleeves up and have a right good go.” “And I looked at Newcastle there and I thought ‘no, no chance’. There wasn’t enough there at all.”
“Thauvin turns up in a tux. This is a serious business we’re in here. It was funny on the first day of the season, it’s not funny anymore.”
“From start to finish Newcastle were abject, really, really poor and big problems for the manager.”
We have a chance to actually win a game on Wednesday night when we take on Sheffield Wednesday at St. James’ Park in the 3rd round of the League Cup.
We should be able to win that game.
Comments welcome.
43 comments so far
Tsunki
Sep 20, 2015 at 12:13 AM
Comment #1Ashley Out!
Sliema
Sep 20, 2015 at 12:14 AM
Comment #2I’d give big Al another shot at the top job. Couldn’t get much worse than shtevie mac is doing currently. 😛
Tsunki
Sep 20, 2015 at 12:14 AM
Comment #3Dammit Ed I will have the last word. Stop making up articles!
Transfer Sage
Sep 20, 2015 at 12:16 AM
Comment #4Got to remember two key points about our squad:
1) we buy players with no premier league experience
2) we sell those who stand out as performing above par
Going off those two points means we will always struggle. We never have players who are able to adapt quickly and when they finally do we cash in.
No manager could achieve anything with this set up.
Sliema
Sep 20, 2015 at 12:16 AM
Comment #5Sack the board.
A quite hilariously impossible request, but so logical for our current plight.
Sack the board.
Transfer Sage
Sep 20, 2015 at 12:17 AM
Comment #6Could get Mourinho in and he’d struggle to get results.
Players simply aren’t good enough, lack quality at the back, lack pace through the team and lack a quality striker. No good.
Mister Tuff
Sep 20, 2015 at 12:25 AM
Comment #7Repost.
Mister Tuff // Sep 20, 2015 at 12:24 AM
Wallys first job should have been to clear out the deadwood. Quite obvious who the useless players are – didn’t need t have a clean slate policy at all – a crap player is a crap player is a crap player. Now we are stuck the the useless ones – and the clubs gamble not to improve more in the summer looks like it might be going to back fire. For the sake of a few extra millions they are potentially gambling away our club into relegation and losing millions to boot.
Mr Tubbs………………………………OOT
Penfold…………………………………OOT
Brollyman……………………………..OOT
Permed Hair…………………………..OOT
Cisse …………………………………..OOT
Willow………………………………….OOT
Sicknote Taylor………………………OOT
Colback……………………………….OOT
Fatty Elliot……………………………OOT
Moncur………………………………..OOT
Old Man Carr………………………..OOT
Siem Lungman………………………OOT
Uncle Peanut………………………..OOT
Jib Jibberish (the blog pest)………OOT
Bwave new world bwigade………OOT
The Multiple Gang…………………OOT
Sazzer
Sep 20, 2015 at 12:42 AM
Comment #8Transfer sage
West Ham having more success with signing foreigners than players with PL experience.
Southampton, Swansea, Tottenham and Watford…
Foreigners with no PL experience is not the problem.
WestOzMag
Sep 20, 2015 at 12:49 AM
Comment #9Im out. Sick of watching this mediocre club. Im off to support the local club perth glory.
The overrated Frenchman
Sep 20, 2015 at 1:06 AM
Comment #10Charnley had to go. That should have been a given. That would have meant the end of Carr and his “questionable” judgement. We wouldn’t have hired a sacked Championship coach. The proper squad overhaul might have happened. The culture had to change and it hasn’t. This is going to come back to haunt Ashley when the Premier League money disappears. Still, you make your own luck, they say….
BandB
Sep 20, 2015 at 1:41 AM
Comment #11If, as is possible, we lose to both Chelsea and City, we will need to get 37 points from the last 30 games just to match last season’s points haul.
I think we have probably done that just once or possibly twice in Ashley’s time in charge.
This is with a squad that is already just a couple of injuries and suspensions away from having to put academy kids on the bench.
Just a couple of weeks ago they were talking about sending SIX more players out on loan.
I always said the aim was to have a first eleven, a bench, a couple of spares, and the kids, and we are nearly there.
BandB
Sep 20, 2015 at 1:43 AM
Comment #12Or was it four?
Toon Tang
Sep 20, 2015 at 2:05 AM
Comment #13We’ve scored the least amount of goals out of any league in England, including uni-bond and vanarama and conference north and south and probably all Sunday league and 7 a-side and children leagues and reserve leagues.
Merciless times.
Remember I only drop the heaviest knowledge nuggets…
Toon Tang
Sep 20, 2015 at 2:06 AM
Comment #14Absolute frigging crap.
The overrated Frenchman
Sep 20, 2015 at 2:12 AM
Comment #15The handling of the squad has been undeniably incompetent. Tiote, Gouffran, Riviere, Marveaux – all drawing wages, taking up space, and unlikely to contribute anything. Question marks (or black marks) against Cisse, Coloccini, Sissoko, Anita, Obertan, Haidara etc. etc. Players out on loan who will clearly never make it. New signings all unproven in the PL and making no impact. It’s been a head-in-the sand and hope-for-the-best approach. No surprise it isn’t working…
Sav
Sep 20, 2015 at 2:46 AM
Comment #16Is it too early to say that Cabella actually looked better than Thauvin? How can Carr have watched Thauvin and not seen Payet pulling the strings at Marseilles?? I’d take him or Ayew over the pair of them. As for de Jong, I’ve read a lot of hype and seen zilch. He won’t be the first to be a wow in the Dutch League who can’t cut it here. Carr watches too much continental football and doesn’t ask will his picks cut it in the Premier League.
ilovetoon8788
Sep 20, 2015 at 3:19 AM
Comment #17agree Sav. Siem looked hopeless and seems like he won’t make it in the EPL. Same like his brother Luuk.
Blofal
Sep 20, 2015 at 3:20 AM
Comment #18We are now feeling the full brunt of the 18 months in which we failed to buy a player.
Players bought in that time would now be embedded into the squad and would have had time to adapt to the league.
The $50m spent was just the savings from that period. We have one of the youngest squads in the league and as a result one that lacks leadership and experience.
The transfer policy is still the problem. And Carr is to blame. He is effectively the Director of Football and has no right to be.
Pardew was inept but one can help notice he isn’t doing too bad now with a squad he has input over. There were numerous reports of both him and Carr arguing over recruitment. Carr was buying players to play a system that Pardew was not playing.
Carr likes technical light weight players and seems to want to emulate a style like that of Arsenal. Where as Pardew’s system wanted big holding strikers and pacey wingers.
I don’t know what McClaren wants yet. I don’t think he has the players to effectively implement any defined system of playing and is still trying to work out how to get this group performing.
We don’t have pace. We have a moderate amount of technical ability. And we have no strength up front now Mitrovic is suspended and even when he is back he is unproven.
Next game I would be dropping Thauvin for Obertan as we need his pace and to be fair he played well last season and only injury stopped him kicking on. Play De Jong as a striker until Mitrovic is back.
Anyway I’m through. I won’t be getting up at 2am to watch games anymore that’s for sure. The team needs to earn back that level of loyalty. I’m at work today on 4hrs sleep from staying up to watch that shite last night!
Novocastrian66
Sep 20, 2015 at 3:28 AM
Comment #19Blofal; You have my sympathy mate, Newcastle United have spoiled my weekend. 6 games into the season and I’ve had enough. Yesterday was as poor as I’ve seen in a long time and that is saying something.
The overrated Frenchman
Sep 20, 2015 at 4:05 AM
Comment #20I think we all feel the same. The constant bungling by those running the club and the inevitable poor performances are wearing us out. People are supporting the team purely out of loyalty, or a sense of duty even. There’s no pleasure in following Newcastle United these days. It’s just hard, unrewarding work. Ashley out.
davis_toons
Sep 20, 2015 at 5:10 AM
Comment #21@4..I believe ALL Fans Agreed with your saying.
That why MA and Board needs to keep good players for at lease 3 season or so and slowly cash out. Not cashing out every season.
We need to set ourselves up as a building squad NOT a cashing out squad to allow players to build Trust.
That will allow TEAMWORK and UNDERSTANDING to work its Magic on the field.
Currently our finances should allows us to keep players for some times and there is NOT a need for us to SELL unless other circumstances.
MA and Boards Needs to understand and hopefully it can be done.
ilovetoon8788
Sep 20, 2015 at 5:36 AM
Comment #22@post 19,20
have to agree. the only one who is apparently seeing many positives is mclaren. i wonder if he was watching the same game as us. he looks out of his depth at the moment.
ilovetoon8788
Sep 20, 2015 at 5:50 AM
Comment #23i was watching truegerodie channel and i have to mention he was spot on in his target of graham carr. carr has brought in so many waste of shi* to our club.
i think he’s having too much power at the club and he brings in shi* after shi*. gouffran, anita, thauvin, sick-note siem, haidara and many more.
it’s about time his role at the club is questioned. absolutely disgraceful recruitment by carr. sooner he gets out of our club the better.
terencelim
Sep 20, 2015 at 6:24 AM
Comment #24Misery continues until Ashley OUT.
jesperfuglsang - capt'n awesome of the lemon crew
Sep 20, 2015 at 6:40 AM
Comment #25I never liked when a manager blamed the players for his shortcomings or the clubs inability to get a simple transfer window right…
…it never ends well!
To quote a great song:
“What we’ve got here is failure to communicate. Some men you just can’t reach. So you get what we had here last week, which is the way he wants it. Well, he gets it.
N’ I don’t like it any more than you men…”
ilovetoon8788
Sep 20, 2015 at 6:44 AM
Comment #26Look at West ham under bilic and had a real go at city in etihad and came back with 3 points.
Just wait till we play city and Chelsea. We will play our 11men behind ball and hope for the best.
Our biggest mistake is depending on an English manager. I’ve said it all along we need a foreign coach.
firebug666
Sep 20, 2015 at 7:13 AM
Comment #27ilovetoon8788
I agree, we should have had a young coach, with new ideas for the modern game of football.
We should have a team that can play at least 3 different formations comfortably, we have one formation and we are poor in it.
leonado_keng
Sep 20, 2015 at 7:16 AM
Comment #28Please believe me , swop Mcclaren with Ian Cathro, i see something from him better than Mcclaren certainly because he is younger and absorb way of Valencia as assistant manager over there
leonado_keng
Sep 20, 2015 at 7:23 AM
Comment #29We use the English manager for a long time, since Sam Alladyze, Pardew, Hughton, Glen Roder, Kinnear…. What if we use English manager ? The same with result is that no pattern and no creation and no innnovation to play if everybody see top 10 BPL ,let me know who are English in success for all season
jesperfuglsang - capt'n awesome of the lemon crew
Sep 20, 2015 at 7:35 AM
Comment #30I have said it before McClaren would be a much better DoF in today’s football!
davis_toons
Sep 20, 2015 at 7:35 AM
Comment #31“N’Zonzi moves to Sevilla on a four-year contract with a buy-out clause of £21.53 million”
We could have get him we NEED such a player in the middle of the park. It was disappointing we could have easily paid £7 million.
davis_toons
Sep 20, 2015 at 7:38 AM
Comment #32It was a pound for pound signing. A proven midfielder at 26 which could hold water. What as the Board thinking.. Carr?
Charlie in the Gallowgate
Sep 20, 2015 at 7:41 AM
Comment #33Leonado
excluding Scotsmen was Gullit our last Foreign manager.
To me English managers like to play football like our National team boring slow slow shite – a bit like Newcastle.
As some one put it last night after our Che and Man City defeats we need 38 points from 30 matches to reach the magical 40 pts and ‘Safety’
Cannot see us getting that from our useless squad of players and a dumb F**ckin’ manager
Big Archie
Sep 20, 2015 at 7:44 AM
Comment #34NDTV.Sport have an article claiming the McClaren is PLEADING for more time. Wee bit of sensationalism there. Bit like the rest of you.
So, Transfer Sage, how many of our good players did we sell this summer? What’s that? None?
Your argument kinda loses its credibility there then , doesn’t it.
We’re in the process of completely changing our style of play. We are trying to get the team to pass the ball, like the big boys do.
Its taking a bit of time, thats all.
davis_toons
Sep 20, 2015 at 7:47 AM
Comment #35tbh..in the first place not many wanted Steve McClaren as manager. It was the Newcastle Board.
Charlie in the Gallowgate
Sep 20, 2015 at 7:52 AM
Comment #36Big Archie
Trying to get the team to pass the ball – what happened yesterday – didn’t take them long to revert to hoofball – kruls kicking was woeful yesterday.
McLaren must of forgot ‘plan pass’ yesterday by dropping Anita – centre halfs would go wide to collect pass outs Anita would drop in the hole in the centre and full backs use to bomb forward to receive pass from cenntre halfs. Yesterday was a glimpse of the future when Mitrovic comes back in – HOOF the F***er up to him he will hold it up a lay the ball off – give me bloody strength
jesperfuglsang - capt'n awesome of the lemon crew
Sep 20, 2015 at 8:04 AM
Comment #37Big Archie…you have 10 players playing in the field and 5 of them are new and were capable of passing the ball before they came here!
…if you look at the 5 that were here, how many who you say could pass the ball as well before they signed here?
*learning how to pass the ball my @r..!!!
Munster Mag
Sep 20, 2015 at 8:11 AM
Comment #38Archie thats nonsense. I said on friday that we needed a reaction and i wud be worried if we didnt. We are in deep crap. Bottom 6. As i have been saying for 12 months carr must come under intense scrutiny now. His signings and choice of manager and reasons for that must be analysed. Why did we not scour europe for a new manager?? Why do we keep signing rubbish? Why do our players lack pace and power. Now we realise the disposition of these players. And we see pardew doing well and the lunatic fringe here who despised him looking like mugs. Old man carr dear oh dear.
geniusofthelamps
Sep 20, 2015 at 8:15 AM
Comment #39this has nothing to do with Ashley as he doesnt run the club he just owns it. oue problems lie firmly with inept recruitment. we sign the worst winger in france for 14m??
regardless of what people accuse obertan of we are a better side when he plays because he can keep hold of the ball and give people a chance to get up and support him. this will be important when mitrovic returns. we played him and aarons in pre season and both looked good and then we drop them – whats the point of pre season?????
our buggest probkem is central mid as neither anita or colback are good enough. solve that and I think we will be ok. tiote and sissoko for me should be in the middle or sissoko and wijnaldum. forget this holding midfield crap let defenders defend and the rest attack.
I actually think we looked much better yesterday going forward but again after substitues were made
c-dog
Sep 20, 2015 at 8:15 AM
Comment #40Yet again, our transfers prove utterly disastrous. There can not be a single positive to say about Wijnaldum, Mbemba or Mitrovich. We should have signed Cabaye, Dann & Austin.