Mo Diame has been little short of a revelation this year as he has nailed down the holding midfield position at Newcastle.
And his form seems to have helped Jonjo Shelvey play a more attacking game for the side and Jonjo has also lately been in top form.
The former Senegal midfielder adds skill and physical presence in the middle of the park for us, and he has shown lately what a good player he can be when his confidence is high.
The team spirit at Newcastle is the best it’s been for a very long time, and Rafa didn’t take long to instill that when he arrived two years ago at St. James’ Park.
Mo Diame – after scoring at Crustal Palace in January in the 1-1 draw
Mo was disappointing last season by his own admission, but he’s now playing really well when it really counts.
This is what Mo has said in the Chronicle today:
“I know what it is like to fight and stay up. I did it for three years at Wigan, for two years with Hull, with West Ham as well.”
“I know what it takes, but a lot of players here are still young. We just need to fight, we know our jobs and what the manager expects from us.”
“The manager keeps telling us we need to fight to stay in this division because every single team can beat every single other team.”
“It’s about keeping your shape, working hard and making as few mistakes as possible.”
“I think games like we played against Stoke away, West Ham away – in these games we kept the shape of our team and that allows us to feel strong together.”
“It’s helped us a lot, but now we must build from this and just keep going.”
“At the start of every season, you have to have targets,”
“Our target was clear: we have been working from the very first game to stay in this division.”
“We have done well so far and we are on track, but still there are eight games left – we need to stay focused and keep working.”
“There is a real fighting spirit that we have built during this season, just like we did in the Championship last year.”
Good words there from Mo.
Rafa Benitez is hoping he doesn’t have some of our International players return injured this week.
There’s news that Matt Ritchie will return to Newcastle early since it’s reported he has picked up an injury.
Not sure how severe the injury is but it’s probably minor.
Mo Diame is showing the experience he has in the Premier League and if we can survive a lot of that will be due to the form of the Senegal International this year.
Keep it up Mo!
Diame has played 25 times (16 starts) this season with two goals and one assist.
Comments welcome.
37 comments so far
lesh
Mar 26, 2018 at 10:44 AM
Comment #1Ron Knee
The Dolci? A bit posh what? Blokes had to wear a tie!
I’d bought tickets to see Taj Mahal at the Cellar in 99, I think, but the club went bust before he appeared.
Hey ho
Ron Knee
Mar 26, 2018 at 11:07 AM
Comment #2lesh
I only went to the Dolce Vita once – not my cup of tea at all!
jane
Mar 26, 2018 at 11:13 AM
Comment #3i had Mo Diame as player of the season in last season’s prediction competition so i feel my wrong judgement has been somewhat justified. seems to speak a lot sense in this article and makes clear that the target was and is survival.
dig-n-dig22
Mar 26, 2018 at 11:16 AM
Comment #4Sign him up for another 3Yrs ,he would be great backup for younger fresh legs in midfield.
jane
Mar 26, 2018 at 11:16 AM
Comment #5“I only went to the Dolce Vita once – not my cup of tea at all!”
maybe that because it’s a coffee shop
Lascelles sells sea shells by the sea shore
Mar 26, 2018 at 11:19 AM
Comment #6Good grief… Apart from Ed’s few articles there is absolutely nothing readible in recent days about real football… Even the ‘gossip’ columns are bare, international breaks can bring you to your knees as a football fan imo… Grim!!!
Jail for Ashley
Mar 26, 2018 at 11:24 AM
Comment #7Jiblets,
I wasn’t sneering, just because you have a very jaundiced view of everything and everybody it doesn’t mean everyone else has.
Munster Mag
Mar 26, 2018 at 11:27 AM
Comment #8Diame is a player who doesn’t need to be rotated and seems to benefit from lots of games. I was thrilled when we got him but it’s really only in the last 2-3 months that he has shown the prowess he has . He’s a serious unit. Imagine playing against him in 5 a side? Trying to get the ball off him when he shields it? Like running around a car 🙂 . Jib he’d make a good centre or number 6 on a rugby pitch 🙂
Munster Mag
Mar 26, 2018 at 11:28 AM
Comment #9Jail i reckon we’ll nail arsenal
Jail for Ashley
Mar 26, 2018 at 11:36 AM
Comment #10Munster,
Depends on the next two results, a win against ‘Udders and a good performance away at Leicester then aye, as long as Rafa sets up the team how you want him to.
Jail for Ashley
Mar 26, 2018 at 12:00 PM
Comment #11Jeff from Benwell
Feb 2, 2015 at 1:43 PM
Comment #247
dazzler
OK apo polly loggies
The little lady obviously doesn’t fancy living in Milano
Wow.
Jail for Ashley
Mar 26, 2018 at 12:33 PM
Comment #12Jib
Jan 7, 2017 at 6:12 PM
Comment #14
Spotlight
I thought it was “Once in a lifetime”
Doh
with apo polly loggies to
Tarkin Heids
Bigger wow.
RobLeenio
Mar 26, 2018 at 12:35 PM
Comment #13Confidence has been key to our recent good form and that is something the manager can try to instill, but it often comes from within the squad. In big Mo’s case, his improved form both defensively and starting attacks from deep in our half has given the whole squad a lift. In this way, Mo’s form has lifted not just his individual play but that of everyone around him and made him vitally important to our run-in.
RobLeenio
Mar 26, 2018 at 12:57 PM
Comment #14Looks like Ritchie is going to be injured for Hudds. This could almost be a blessing in disguise, as I would class him as a grafter rather than a flair player. His absence could see Jacob Murphy getting a start on the right, which, combined with Kenedy on the left, would likely terrify the Hudds defence.
lochinvar
Mar 26, 2018 at 1:02 PM
Comment #15See that Niall Quinn and an unknown north east businessman are forming a consortium to try and put funds into the Mackems before Short puts them into administration.
Why ?
Must be better investment opportunities out there or other more worthy charitable causes.
Jail for Ashley
Mar 26, 2018 at 1:03 PM
Comment #16loch,
I wonder why he doesn’t just wait until they’re down, I don’t think a sale now will make much difference.
Jail for Ashley
Mar 26, 2018 at 1:05 PM
Comment #17Robleenio,
Ah the beauty of having a non purple squad.
Jib
Mar 26, 2018 at 1:05 PM
Comment #18Apo polly loggies
is from Clockwork Orange
by Anthony Burgess
it has quite common usage.
(except for semi – literate
rig workers it would appear)
maybe it’s a generational thing.
Jail for Ashley
Mar 26, 2018 at 1:06 PM
Comment #19Apart from points reduction, what else are the implications of going in to administration.
Jail for Ashley
Mar 26, 2018 at 1:06 PM
Comment #20deduction
sing in the corner
Mar 26, 2018 at 1:07 PM
Comment #21Rob
I am more than hopeful that this is more a case of Matt having his priorities right (a very very mild ‘injury’ / stiffness, and he always intended to be fresh for the weekend)
He looked pretty fit late on in the second half against Costa R when he burst through and had a good shot on goal)
Obviously a knock can be picked up any time, or you can be lame a day or two after the game etc, but my guess is we will see him fit with a few days’ rest and ‘treatment’.
That would irk the Scots of course but that’s just hard lines..
He turned up for one meaningless friendly already.
Jail for Ashley
Mar 26, 2018 at 1:09 PM
Comment #22Jib,
Yes, a rather nasty violent film. Peculiar how nobody else but a guy who disappeared and you have used the saying on here, reading back on that particularly nasty piece of work Jeff from Be well, a he’ll of a lot of other similarities as well.
G
Mar 26, 2018 at 1:10 PM
Comment #23I think you will find the term in ‘A Clockwork Orange’ was Appy Polly Loggies
Jail for Ashley
Mar 26, 2018 at 1:10 PM
Comment #24Common usage???
Jail for Ashley
Mar 26, 2018 at 1:12 PM
Comment #25G,
It was, not an everyday term though, I’d say.
RobLeenio
Mar 26, 2018 at 1:14 PM
Comment #26Jail, generally it’s a positive thing, if you are a business that can survive the hit to your reputation. In terms of a football club, branding is less important than a high-street store for eg, so a recent period of administration is of less concern.
Debt will be written off, new owners can be sought, existing owners can walk away writing off their investments but with no future financial burden on their shoulders. Essentially it’s an opportunity for a fresh start financially. This is why the FA brought in points deductions as too many clubs were overspending, knowing that if they went into administration, it was no big deal.
If Sunderland are going to enter administration, it will likely be before the Summer as the points deduction will apply this season when they already look doomed, rather than next season when every point will count once more.
Jib
Mar 26, 2018 at 1:16 PM
Comment #27various spellings it would seem
https://wiredthroughwords.wordpress.com/2010/05/28/apo-poly-logies/
Jib
Mar 26, 2018 at 1:17 PM
Comment #28https://www.flickr.com/photos/sylvar/642838111
RobLeenio
Mar 26, 2018 at 1:18 PM
Comment #29sitc, that sounds possible at least. Of course missing the 2nd friendly would also give him the opportunity to train with his team behind closed doors for a couple of extra days than would have otherwise been the case. Still, I’d like to see Murphy at some point versus Hudds, I’m not sure we need to be too worried about containing them and I would like to see a more attacking line-up than the majority of this season.
Jib
Mar 26, 2018 at 1:19 PM
Comment #30https://jasonacorley.wordpress.com/
Jib
Mar 26, 2018 at 1:20 PM
Comment #31https://twitter.com/polly_strummer
DubaiMicky
Mar 26, 2018 at 1:30 PM
Comment #32Re scumberland, I wonder who owns the stadium? If they went into administration it would be their largest asset i would think, as a football club without a stadium is just a bunch of blokes. I wonder how much of the £70m debt is related to the stadium? How did Rangers get around it and start again? If they were to relaunch as Rangers did, where would they start?
G
Mar 26, 2018 at 1:34 PM
Comment #33@DM, according to Wiki it’s Sunderland A.F.C. Interesting question though.
c-dog
Mar 26, 2018 at 1:36 PM
Comment #34Big Mo been top class for us this season. Deserves a lot of credit.
RobLeenio
Mar 26, 2018 at 1:41 PM
Comment #35Micky, this is how I understand it:
Administrators are appointed by the leading creditors to a failed business. The job of the administrator is to take the assets of the old company which has ceased trading and to sell its assets in such a way as to make the most money it can for its clients, ie the creditors.
The first thing the administrators will look to do is to sell the business as a going concern. For a football club, that means complete with the ground and the training facilities, as well as with the players’ contracts intact. After that, I’m not sure, but I think this is what has happened with Rangers a couple of times.
I have a feeling the biggest creditor in Sunderland’s case is Ellis Short himself, so not sure how this affects anything in terms of appointment of administrators and where the raised capital goes.
I’m not a financial expert, this is just what I understand to be the case, so apo polly loggies if it’s misplaced waffle.
DubaiMicky
Mar 26, 2018 at 1:59 PM
Comment #36I get that Rob, hasn’t Short said he’ll forego any payment (including his debt) so he can walk away, then the new owners would start with -£70m in the bank and on-going contracts etc that are losing money too.
I guess one way would be to “do a Rangers”, get out of all their costly contracts (including players) and start again, but where? Surely not the old division 4, National League (5 tier) or even Northern League (tier 8) – along with South Shields?
Not often i feel sorry for some Mackums, but that is a pretty horrendous thought.
Belfast
Mar 26, 2018 at 2:08 PM
Comment #37They would still remain in the championship or league 1. All be it with a points deduction.
It works completely different in Scotland. The holding company at Rangers went into liquidation and a new company was formed. But the Scottish football association wouldn’t transfer the Scottish Premier League membership from the old company to the new one because the other clubs voted against it. So Rangers then had to apply to join the Scottish Football League and entered the bottom division. The whole thing was a farce and doesn’t happen in England.