Some of our former players – plus Rob Elliot – took to Twitter following last night’s magnificent 6-0 win at Loftus Road – our biggest league win away from home since we hammered Walsall back in 1962.
Grant Hanley hugs Ciaran Clark after scoring
On Sat I was a little critical of the performance but not the result……tonight however. ….WOW????????
— Steve Howey (@stevehowey624) September 13, 2016
What a result that was tonight @NUFC absolutely brilliant! On to the next one! #ToonArmy ?????
— Peter Lovenkrands (@lovenkrands11) September 13, 2016
Ring the Fire Brigade
The Mighty Mags are on fire ?@NUFC 5-0 up— Mick Quinn (@mickquinn1089) September 13, 2016
FT
Six of the Best for @NUFC
And the best of the 6 Shelveys goal#HowayTheLads https://t.co/8njxamrh5Q— Mick Quinn (@mickquinn1089) September 13, 2016
And Rob Elliot recovering from his ACL injury had this to say.
What a night!!! #toontoon
— Rob Elliot (@the_dilsh) September 13, 2016
131 comments so far
martoon
Sep 14, 2016 at 9:46 AM
Comment #41Jail @35 – Fair point – I think it is years of disappointment as a NUFC supporter make you a bit wary.
mad-serb
Sep 14, 2016 at 9:46 AM
Comment #42Jail
Nobody won it from the teams I saw and can recall. Clark is the one that did 99% of the teams in. As there is no winner, any chance having all the goal scorers in my team qualify me for the round win on a bonus point basis 🙂
expatmag
Sep 14, 2016 at 9:46 AM
Comment #43JFA
On yhe ingo points subject, I think I got 9 out if 11 right. The only ines I missed out on were Clark for Mbemba and Gouffran for Atsu
WWSBRD
Sep 14, 2016 at 9:46 AM
Comment #44Ian
Ahem for once? I direct u towards the Steven Taylor injury sweepstakes on last season thank u very much
JDdubai
Sep 14, 2016 at 9:47 AM
Comment #45To be honest, Shelvey is a PL player on 60k a week – we arent going to find a similar player this season.
Better we wait til the summer and find a suitable alternative when we are back in the PL and able to attract and afford the right kind. We can risk it for this 1 season surely with the strength we have in depth and level of opposition.
Ian Toon
Sep 14, 2016 at 9:48 AM
Comment #46Jimmy- Diame could well be the best alternative. Is he struggling with overall fitness? I wonder whether he’s being nursed – we don’t get the leaks from the training ground that used to be common place.
Spoof
Sep 14, 2016 at 9:48 AM
Comment #47WWS
I didn’t say it would be bad, it could end up being better, but what I do know is that what we have no is working very well indeed, so at present I wouldn’t want it to change, better the devil you know than the devil you don’t, if results and performances drop and Shelvey isn’t pulling his weight then drop him and change the system, I’m not saying he is a world beater, but certainly he is one who is making us tick, all clubs have these players and at times they do have to win without them, we will have to ourselves, just like Man City have without Aguero ( I’m not comparing the two ), but all I am saying is that City would feel more confident if they had Aguero rather than not have him, that’s how I feel about Shelvey, the difference is City have others who can replace Aguero without disrupting the rhythm to much and I’m not sure that we have that when it comes to Shelvey, it’s not a do or die situation but it is a bit of a concern, another concern is the number ten role, Diame looks a decent player but without him do we have a direct replacement to do a like for like job, again I would say no, but that’s life, we just have to get on with it.
nut meg
Sep 14, 2016 at 9:48 AM
Comment #48It’s looking like we now have the foundations in place,what we so badly wanted and what was so obviously needed. If we get the right results this month the rest of the fancied teams could be thinking there’s only one automatic promotion spot left to play for.
Ian Toon
Sep 14, 2016 at 9:53 AM
Comment #49Jail @32- It says more about you than me sunshine. Not a good example to set to the younger poster that you’re so dismissive of. You only debate when the other party is submissive- many just can’t be bothered.
WWSBRD
Sep 14, 2016 at 9:53 AM
Comment #50Spoof
I do get what ur saying but then u answer ur own concern haha
Personally am not worried about tactics and squad balance anymore under Rafa. For the no 10 role Perez did pretty well there last night and Rafa has said thats his position in the team, Id like to see Perez keep Diame out of the team in that role by the end of the season
lesh
Sep 14, 2016 at 9:54 AM
Comment #51Jail
I suspect that the sound of horses that our Sunderland friends are hearing are more likely the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse!
WWSBRD
Sep 14, 2016 at 9:55 AM
Comment #52Ian
I debate with Jail every so often and am not sure many would describe me as submissive…atleast during the week
Ian Toon
Sep 14, 2016 at 9:55 AM
Comment #53Divisive
Mister Tuff
Sep 14, 2016 at 9:55 AM
Comment #54Had us down for a win last night – but nothing of that magnitude. Did not expect such a comprehensive win. Confidence at the club must be massive.
The players can only get better as they play more with one another.
Looking very good so far.
Good to see the team progressing.
Not good to see Ian Toon continuing his blog mischief – snidey character to be sure.
Laurent Robert 32
Sep 14, 2016 at 9:58 AM
Comment #55Spoof, in the long term, rotation should be the one that does possess the benefits. Players must also realise that they are in a squad, and with Rafa’s constant tinkering, they will get their chances regularly. Even by being out of the team for a particular game the system makes them ‘important’ as the lines of ‘best’ eleven are significantly blurred.
It could be argued that playing a ‘best’ eleven each week would significantly devalue the majority of players who don’t play as they are deemed not as good. Plus, you have the added significance of being drained, higher chance of injury due to muscle fatigue, and complacency if they’re always in.
Again, love Rafa’s tinkering. There are slight downsides, but rotating, say, two or three players every other game and giving long sub run outs maximises the squad over the long term, both in cohesion and mentality.
When the fresh players play, they know they can reach their maximum output in a game and not ‘save’ some energy for the next few games coming up.
Slank
Sep 14, 2016 at 9:58 AM
Comment #56Before the match I posted on here words to the effect that psychologically the lads will be developing the mindset that they can win every game. And some, if not all, of the QPR players will be thinking that Newcastle have far too much quality and the only outcome will be a win for them. And so it turned out.
The good and the bad news is:
Good
All our opponents will be thinking like QPR after last night. And a defeat for them will not surprise them.
The lads will thinking we can win every game and the confidence in the team will be brimming over with success breeding success.
Bad
The lads can become complacent and take their eye off the ball and feet off the ground. This is where Rafa earns his money. Sensible rotation and a ‘we can do better’ mentality drummed into the players should avoid falling into the ‘walk on water’ trap.
jimmysmith
Sep 14, 2016 at 9:59 AM
Comment #57We are lucky to have players like Diame and Gayle, but I don’t actually think they are part of our best 11. A spine of Sels, Mbemba, Lascelles, Shelvey alongside one of Hayden, Colback or Tiote, take your pick, with Perez behind Mitrovic has just about everything you could ask for. Maybe Diame sneaks in alongside Shelvey, but probably not.
AmericanMagpie
Sep 14, 2016 at 9:59 AM
Comment #58Amazing what 6 wins in a row can do to a club. More should try it.
Spoof
Sep 14, 2016 at 10:00 AM
Comment #59WWS
I haven’t answered my own question because I never asked one lol, all it was was a point, if Sels isn’t available it’s Darlow, if Dummett isn’t available it’s Lazaar, that’s easy, if its Shelvey then it’s not as easy, that’s basically the crux of the matter, anyway I’m just back from a nightshift so I’m off to bed, see ya’s later.
Ian Toon
Sep 14, 2016 at 10:01 AM
Comment #60WW- With all due respect you frequently adopt the politician ploy of answering a pointer not actually raised.
Eg. Yesterday – The KK adulation point was that he KK encouraged the adulation of the fans – not why shouldn’t fans be showing adulation. He apparently used to practice in front of a mirror -as in the announcement on the steps of selling Cole and not replacing ( with Ferdinand) until later. He was a showman, nothing wrong with that but recognising it!
Jail for Ashley
Sep 14, 2016 at 10:02 AM
Comment #61Slank,
The commentators on Total Sport said of our last promotion campaign that a lot of games were won in the tunnel when the opposition seen the sheer confidence of the players. With every win that confidence is glowing. Teams aren’t going to be able to deal with it.
Jail for Ashley
Sep 14, 2016 at 10:06 AM
Comment #62With performancesome like that it won’t be long before you can’t get a ticket for games, don’t think there’ll be many Dutch stag do’s after Christmas at SJP.
Laurent Robert 32
Sep 14, 2016 at 10:08 AM
Comment #63Rather than a player being ‘dropped’ (breeding failure, negative perception from their role), the players are valued within the squad, not devalued outside of the team.
Efficient squad management is a great emphasis on unity amongst the players, depending on the players you have.
clinath@ed
Sep 14, 2016 at 10:14 AM
Comment #64we may have just gone from “Newcastle would be a big scalp to take..” to “Shit, we’ve got Newcastle, no chance there, might as well save ourselves for next week…”
SPRINGY
Sep 14, 2016 at 10:14 AM
Comment #65morning all
fantastic display from the lads last night,i take is there wins previous to last night were more down graft and organisation,last night it looked more about confidence and desire,the organisational side was still there but the confidence and desire shone thru a lot more then recent…great to see,but not taking away from the lads but qpr were woeful….but u can only play whats put in front of you….same again please lads and staff.
SPRINGY
Sep 14, 2016 at 10:17 AM
Comment #66i must admit cant remember a time when we had so many clean sheets and +goal average……feels weird,but good!lol
Jail for Ashley
Sep 14, 2016 at 10:25 AM
Comment #67LR32,
It’s four years ago now but it still amazes me when I think of the stupidity of that eleven purples speech by Dirk Llambias. It is the complete polar opposite to what’s happening now.
Markaccus
Sep 14, 2016 at 10:26 AM
Comment #68Ian
I do not agree with what you said about Jails post. And just what exactly are you going to do about it if you decide I have 3 strikes? I think you believe you are more important than you actually are!
JamesToon
Sep 14, 2016 at 10:27 AM
Comment #69I don’t think we should worry about Rafa’s game plan/tactics if the likes of Ritchie and Shelvey get injured, he will have plans. The main concern is players complacency, also annoyed me a bit when wolves said their players are coming in today for preparations for Saturday, and some of our fans were replying “preparing by practising how to pick the ball out of your net” that’s just cocky,
Just enjoy the win lads, wolves will react on Saturday and they have some very good players.
My team in the league game v wolves
Sels
Anita Lascelles Clark Lazaar
Hayden Shelvey
Ritchie Gayle Perez
Mitro
Team v Wolves in the cup
Darlow
Yedlin Hanley Mbemba Gamez
Diame Colback
Atsu Perez Gouffran
Murphy
Slank
Sep 14, 2016 at 10:27 AM
Comment #70Jail,
I think managers try their best to remove doubts in the minds of players about the superiority of the opposition but the players are no fools and can see with their own eyes from watching the opposition perform in previous games what they are likely to face.
I first noticed this with the Liverpool teams of the 60s and 70s and then the ManU teams under Ferguson. Opposition teams seemed to sense that they were going to get beat before they had walked out onto the pitch. It was very much like that last night when Celtic faced Barcelona.
I’m hoping that this winning mentality will take hold with the team.
SPRINGY
Sep 14, 2016 at 10:30 AM
Comment #71anyone know the craic with mbemba?
Laurent Robert 32
Sep 14, 2016 at 10:31 AM
Comment #72Jail, that’s what happens when a successful manager is employed, not a dodgy casino boss like the financially sleazy Lambeezy.
It really is a breath of fresh air. Long may it continue. I’m really looking forward to going to the game on Saturday.
Slank
Sep 14, 2016 at 10:33 AM
Comment #73JamesToon @ 69
I don’t see Rafa changing the back four against Wolves. The clean sheets speak for themselves. He may make a substitution mid way through the second half but my guess is that he will start with the same back four unit who have performed so well.
Markaccus
Sep 14, 2016 at 10:34 AM
Comment #74Nope…. had a good read back of my comments, and not once have I agreed with you. I have debated with spoof on how we could replace shelvey, and understood how he might have taken jails post as dismissive. Absolutely on no occasion have I agreed with you in daying Jail directly compared willo and shelvey as players. You are now trying to twist my posts to continue the pettiness.
If strike 3 means you not interacting with me in any way, that would be just great. Put me down for a deliberate swing-and-a-miss right now.
SPRINGY
Sep 14, 2016 at 10:35 AM
Comment #75we need another solid winning display against wolves,then the belief will sore a draw or defeat may put a little doubt in there minds that it was a false dawn….but we have looked fairly solid and organised,and last night… confident…eventually
Ian Toon
Sep 14, 2016 at 10:38 AM
Comment #76Maark- Your being daft- just ignore me.
WWSBRD
Sep 14, 2016 at 10:40 AM
Comment #77Spoof
Haha ah sorry mate I assumed u were asking what would happen if Shelvey was out, goodnight anyway bud
Ian
I do what now?
On yesterday the point about KK was that I dont believe he should have to shut his mouth about NUFC. Ur point that he encouraged fans to like him was a wayward point not related to that…I also simply asked why that was a bad thing not sure any manager tries to be disliked by the fans
Ian Toon
Sep 14, 2016 at 10:40 AM
Comment #78You’re for the forensic clowns. Interesting that Sack Llamb also spelt divisive as devisive.
Ian Toon
Sep 14, 2016 at 10:41 AM
Comment #79WW- Lets leave it.
Jammydodger
Sep 14, 2016 at 10:42 AM
Comment #80Not sure if repost but Stumbled upon this, rather enlightening
https://thechive.files.wordpress.com/2016/09/14232425_1318716708141173_1762851399284143218_n.jpg?quality=85&strip=info&w=902