Newcastle return to action at Stoke City on Wednesday night after 18 days preparing for this game and we´ll just have to wait and see which team turns up for the game and whether there will be any additional fight and spirit than the team showed last time out at Stamford Bridge.
We were hammered 5-1 in that game and the performance was simply a disgrace to the good name of Newcastle United.
And the powers that be at Newcastle also missed a great opportunity to fire Steve McClaren after that particularly terrible result and his woeful performance all season as the head coach of the club – and we are now afraid Charnley and company will hang onto him as he takes us down to the Championship.
Chancel Mbemba – likely to return at Stoke City
There are still 12 games to go but if we are to survive we have to start winning games like the next two – away at Stoke and at home to Bournemouth.
The good news is we have a number of our players back from injury for Wednesday night and it looks like Chancel Mbemba, Jack Colback, Vurnon Anita, Paul Dummett, Siem de Jong and Aleksandar Mitrovic are all fit for the game.
However for Fabricio Coloccini, Cheick Tiote, Papiss Cisse, Kevin Mbabu, Gabriel Obertan and Massadio Haidara it will come too early, although the first three could be fit for the Bournemouth game.
Here´s a decent side Steve McClaren could start at the Britannia Stadium and get the win we all want to see.
Elliot
Janmaat Taylor Mbemba Dummett
Sissoko Colback Shelvey (c) Townsend
Wijnaldum
Mitrovic
Subs: Darlow Lascelles Saivet de Jong Aarons Doumbia Perez
That´s a strong side and a strong bench with players like Vurnon Anita not even making the bench, so there´s growing competition for places in the team, which has to be good.
There;s some talk about McClaren dropping Wijnaldum and if he does that we could see a surprise start for Siem de Jong in the number 10 role.
What would your team be for the Stoke game?
Comments welcome.
60 comments so far
Jib
Feb 29, 2016 at 8:25 AM
Comment #1Jay
Rivi had a long term knee injury that Alessandro Schoenmaker accused the previous regime of mis-diagnosing .
Hopefully we now have the player we thought we were getting from Monaco !
jayphoto
Feb 29, 2016 at 8:27 AM
Comment #2@jib – I like Riviere. I watched him lots in france, Reckon his problem has been that hes been used as a number 9 when really hes better wide of a 3 of behind a striker.
That said, even in france his finishing was bloody woeful!
jayphoto
Feb 29, 2016 at 8:31 AM
Comment #3Personally I wouldn’t start Sissoko or Wijnaldum in this one. For 2 reasons, 1) they just don’t do it away from home! 2) They do it at home and Bournemouth is like an absolute cup final!
I’d start with a 4-5-1 turning into a 4-3-3 and play
Elliott
Janmaat Taylor Mbemba Dummett
Tiote Colback
Townesend Shelvey Aarons/Gini
Mitro/doumbia (whoevers fitter)
Jib
Feb 29, 2016 at 8:32 AM
Comment #4Good assist figures though but.
posada
Feb 29, 2016 at 8:32 AM
Comment #5I wish we had a proper manager to pick his best team.
He would base it on how they trained through the week and the attitude they showed.
This Clown won’t do that.
It will be the usual. How do I fit my favourites and big names onto a team sheet even if it means square pegs in round holes.
toontaff2
Feb 29, 2016 at 8:35 AM
Comment #6Riviere, barn doors, ageing mackem players – somewhere there is a joke in there for the upcoming donkey derby!
Rotonda heights
Feb 29, 2016 at 8:38 AM
Comment #7What I don’t get is why when we do discover some talents we let them move for absolute peanuts.
Kemen now playing for Lyon, went for something like 500k, not sure the Abeid situation but gone for not much more too.
Both highly regarded current and future internationals.
I am sure we will let Aarons and Woodman leave on less than desirable terms as well.
I thought Ash’s whole thing was sell on value.
We’ll probably do well out of Perez but it would have been nice to have kept and developed our own youngsters.
LVG has not been afraid to do that and I guess going somewhere like Manu, Arsenal or Spurs you would develop far more under a Wenger / Pochettino.
jayphoto
Feb 29, 2016 at 8:40 AM
Comment #8@Jib – to be honest Rivi would probably link well with Mitrovic. Very similar player to Troy Deeney and I think Mitro has been made to look worse because there are less players getting close to him. His knock downs, flick ons are great. Actually think Doumbia and Riviere would compliment each other too. I think doumbia and mitro probably would going forward but leave us exposed for pressing.
Unfortunately I think in that second striker role Riviere just has too many infront of him. De Jong, Gini and Perez are probably all ahead of him in the thinking.
Personally I’d love to see us play a bit of 4-4-2. Its working for watford and Leicester and spurs have used it frequently. We have the personal for it. Be a throwback to the keegan days…
Elliott
Janmaat Taylor Mbemba Dummett
Gini Shelvey Saivet Townesend
Mitro Doumbia
Play more direct, get the wingers running at players (gini played right mid quite a lot in Holland, can play there)
Rotonda heights
Feb 29, 2016 at 8:41 AM
Comment #9posada
there does seem to be an unwritten code that we will only ever appoint brit managers. beyond howe, that is a very depressing outlook.
jayphoto
Feb 29, 2016 at 8:48 AM
Comment #10@Rotonda – legend has it that Exeter manager Paul Tisdale actually spoke to Newcastle before we appointed Pardew…
I liked the McClaren appointment at the time, and I can see some positives, but results are results.
McClaren is on about 3m a year. (was the highest paid championship manager at derby on 2.5m)
Question is… if you offered 3m a year, and told the incomining manager he’d have 80m to spend in his first season and then at a guess say 40m to spend per year after that… what manager could you get??
Can’t think of too many managers outside of England that are on 3m a year. Tuchel is on less than half that at Dortmund! Or that get to spend that kind of money. The possibilities would have been endless.
Ron Knee
Feb 29, 2016 at 8:49 AM
Comment #11RH
Perhaps – despite the evidence – Charmless thinks foreign managers fail to impress in the PL!
toontaff2
Feb 29, 2016 at 8:50 AM
Comment #12Good to see Sissoko praising PSG rather than worrying about the Toon’s position in the PL.
beermonkey
Feb 29, 2016 at 9:01 AM
Comment #13RH
abied left for first team footie and kemen the same i would think
why wouldnt they want to go niether knew if mclaren would help or hinder there chances for first team football
while pardew was manager there was no real program here to develop players and no real route to the first team
jayphoto
i would be more inclined to keep shelvey further back and maybe try dejong in the gini role away from home
although we have to try something diffrent away as what we are doing aint working
Jib
Feb 29, 2016 at 9:04 AM
Comment #14toontaff2
I’ve seen his interview in French.
He has a regular spot on Canal plus featuring French expat players (he’s featured cos Ginola is a big noise in Canal plus)
The theme is an outsiders view of Ligue1.
He can only answer the questions he’s asked bonny lad.
Lindisfarne
Feb 29, 2016 at 9:05 AM
Comment #15When I saw Rivi playing in person I was impressed because in comparison to the other forwards he played more for the team, rather than as an individual and tried to get his head on to the flick ons, crosses. I am looking forward to seeing him alongside Mitro aka Watford.
Against Stoke I would perhaps start de Jong alongside Gini and leave out Mitro from the starting 11. Plus look to bring Saivet on to replace Sissoko when the opportunity arises, both players need to start shaping up and bringing more to the team and the direct competition for a place will them good.
jayphoto
Feb 29, 2016 at 9:08 AM
Comment #16@Beermonkey – Definitely agree! Im guessing it’ll be the same old at Stoke on Wednesday though!
I like how close de jong gets to the striker. Results are better when he plays yet he doesn’t play well.
I think at this stage his leadership will be important.
I think Saivet might be a decent addition away from home too. Both de jong and saivet retain the ball well which is something we’ve lacked.
Rotonda heights
Feb 29, 2016 at 9:08 AM
Comment #17Jay
Exactly, everyone says no one would work for Ash and his ”alleged” constraints. However, the truth is the money has been provided and the constraints have only really been talked up by failed managers.
For example AP was such a negative infuence he made the Europa league seem a drag, not something to be enjoyed and basically always played a virtual reserve team, while positive people like Pochettino embrace it. the whole mindset is chalk and cheese.
I don’t think any competent manager would have played someone (HBA) for a full 90 mins after a serious 4 month injury lay off on a plastic pitch and in sub zero conditions.
However, that is the level of dark age mediocrity that has been foisted on us for years.
Alongside his crass appointment of Wonga as a sponsor, the biggest problem is that Ashley just doesn’t know football and has always been surrounded by goons and drinking buddies, all totally inappropriate people to run a multi million pound business.
SM may play some more football at home but he hasn’t grasped the 3 points for a win concept away from home where we still capitulate on a regular basis trying to contain and nick 1.
There are far better foreign management choices out there. sadly I don’t think we’ll ever see them.
AncientC
Feb 29, 2016 at 9:09 AM
Comment #18“McClaren is on about 3m a year. (was the highest paid championship manager at derby on 2.5m)”
Jayphoto, can I ask where you are getting that info from
From what I read,McClaren stated he was not influenced by money which is why he accepted the Derby job. McClaren’s contract at Newcastle is supposedly heavily incentivised, meaning he will only be earning his basic.
Brendan Rodgers was earning 3 million a year at Liverpool. I would be surprised if a sacked Derby boss earns more than a very in demand Rodgers back then. McClaren would be in the top 25 paid managers in the world on that amount.
Rotonda heights
Feb 29, 2016 at 9:15 AM
Comment #19beer
i get they wanted first team football but we let them go for almost nothing. with a proper management and coaching structure in place (Maybe I should stop there lol!!) surely the likes of perez, MBabu, MBemba Aarons Woodman, Armstrong, roberts etc could realise their potential here.
Kemen could have been just what we needed slightly longer term, he’s only just turned 19!
Rotonda heights
Feb 29, 2016 at 9:17 AM
Comment #20Ancient
be funny if he said ” I am influenced by money”
jayphoto
Feb 29, 2016 at 9:18 AM
Comment #21@Ancient C – Was pretty well documented down here in Derbyshire when he took the derby job what he was offered to take it. Pretty sure I remember it being 2m with bonuses for playoffs, league position etc taking it upto 2.5m. Pretty sure it was similar for him when he took over forest too?
Big Sam was on far more as West Ham manager in the championship than that too
AncientC
Feb 29, 2016 at 9:19 AM
Comment #22Rotanda, McClaren didn’t have to mention money at all. It seemed like he was giving reasons for being on a mid championship table wage, after earning a lot more in other posts he held.
jayphoto
Feb 29, 2016 at 9:22 AM
Comment #23Also… McClaren turned down the job in January. We were 11th at the time. True Derby were in the top 3 but No way did he turn down a premier league job on premier league money if he was on peanuts at Derby!
AncientC
Feb 29, 2016 at 9:27 AM
Comment #24Jayphoto, no harm but I think your figures are all wrong. Didn’t Clement take a pay cut to take the Derby job.
McClaren on 3 million per year sounds way too much, that would make him one of the best paid in the world.
Jib
Feb 29, 2016 at 9:28 AM
Comment #25Derby paid McClaren £2million compo for 10 months remaining on his contract.
AncientC
Feb 29, 2016 at 9:32 AM
Comment #26Take a look at any list of the top paid managers in the world, see what 3 million per year gets you.
If McClaren earned 2.5 at Derby, he has taken a big pay cut to move up a division.
beermonkey
Feb 29, 2016 at 9:33 AM
Comment #27RH
all those players can reach there potential with us
how many times did we hear from pards that this player and that player were doing really well and deserving of playing first team football and then we never saw in the first team or they made the bench
i like the fact mclaren has a few out onloan,
players want the best for there career look at sammy he is 22 the amount of first team football he has compared to lots of other 22 year olds they have 2 3 times more games behind them
and this is where we fail
if they think there going to rot in our under21s then there going to leave
AncientC
Feb 29, 2016 at 9:35 AM
Comment #28Jib, where are getting the £2 million for 10 months left on McClaren’s contract from?
Jib
Feb 29, 2016 at 9:37 AM
Comment #29Ancient C
Clement took a pay cut from his assistant managers wage at Real Madrid because Derby had to pay compo to SM.
AncientC
Feb 29, 2016 at 9:37 AM
Comment #30McClaren had two years left on his contract.
Jib
Feb 29, 2016 at 9:39 AM
Comment #31My personal thoughts are
McClaren is on a 3 year contract at £1million pa increasing to an eight year deal if he wins something.
Jib
Feb 29, 2016 at 9:49 AM
Comment #32From good old Wikipedia
In September 2013, less than three months after being appointed at QPR, McClaren returned to Derby County when he was appointed head coach to replace the sacked Nigel Clough, signing a two and a half year deal.
May 20015 leaves 10 months
AncientC
Feb 29, 2016 at 9:55 AM
Comment #33McClaren was given a new 3 year deal in August, prior to being sacked the following summer. Wiki doesn’t mention it for some reason.
Jib
Feb 29, 2016 at 9:58 AM
Comment #34Oh OK
I thought £2million was a lot for 10 months
magscar
Feb 29, 2016 at 10:08 AM
Comment #35From The Independant re Managers Salaries
http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/who-are-the-10-best-paid-managers-in-the-premier-league-klopp-van-gaal-wenger-or-mourinho-a6688906.html#gallery
lesh
Feb 29, 2016 at 10:14 AM
Comment #36If McClaren’s pay were based on success, he’d be owing the Club money. We can safely include Charnley, Carr, Moncur and the rest of ’em in that too.
BandB
Feb 29, 2016 at 10:21 AM
Comment #37It’s an interesting argument.
Have we paid peanuts for a manager who is failing on every meaningful metric?
Or have have paid through the nose for a manager who is failing on every meaningful metric?
BandB
Feb 29, 2016 at 10:26 AM
Comment #38Either way, it’s not ideal.
Jib
Feb 29, 2016 at 10:31 AM
Comment #39B and B
Even if we paid the higher figures mooted he stil would cost no more in salary than one of our upper echelon players.
Considering the importance of a manager to a club , even middle range ones could be considered underpaid.
BandB
Feb 29, 2016 at 10:33 AM
Comment #40Personally, I think there is slightly more credit in the hope that we are getting what we paid for, rather than that we have been utter mugs.