Huddersfield Town and Newcastle United, two teams promoted a year ago from the Championship, are the only two teams still without a solitary win in the Premier League this season.
🙁
The Terriers are bottom of the league and we are second bottom on goal difference.
It was the 0-0 draw at the Saints on Saturday that lifted us above Huddersfield who were beaten 3-0 at Watford.
DeAndre Yedlin is an upbeat guy and he has talked about how that result can be a good one for Newcastle and hopefully one to build on.
Somehow we have to get our first win of the season just as soon as possible.
It was our third clean sheet and our third 0-0 draw away from home this season – the only points we at the moment.
DeAndre Yedlin (shown above) was asked if the clean sheet is something for Newcastle to build on for the future – this is what he told ChronicleLive:
“Yeah, 100%. “
“I think we can draw confidence from this game and take positives from this game and also recognize what we need to work on and use it for the next game.”
“In another situation, you’d definitely be happy with a point away from home, but obviously we’re trying to get that first win. It’s a little bit disappointing as well.”
“I thought the attitude was good from the team. The most important thing was that we got a clean sheet and dug in and did what we needed to do to defend. We got a point away from home, which could be vital.”
“That’s kind of been the frustrating thing this season,”
“We’ve been quite close on multiple occasions. It’s just a matter of keeping the faith and keeping believing. Just keep working on our game.”
“That’s all we can do. Stay positive. Nobody’s ever got out of a tough situation by being negative.”
“We’ve got to stay positive, keep the fans behind us. Luckily, they been loyal to us and stayed behind us even in these tough time. We have to give praise to them for that as well.”
“We’ve been in a bad situation before. We know what we need to do to get out of it.”
“We’ve got the characteristics to get out of it. We’ll try to put those into place and do what need to do to get out of this hole.”
“Obviously, the biggest thing that we wanted to do was not lose. I think that’s the most important thing. We took away a point.”
“Obviously, we wanted to have three, but a point is better than none. We’re happy with that, but we’re still not satisfied. We’ll work on what we need to work on for Watford.”
“There were times when we were under a lot of pressure. It can get like that away from home sometimes.”
“I thought we did have a great attitude defensively, and put in the graft that we needed to keep a clean sheet.”
Let’s hope we can beat Watford at home on Saturday but not sure we can do that unless we play a lot better than we did at Southampton.
Comments always welcome.
261 comments so far
Our Toon
Oct 30, 2018 at 3:27 PM
Comment #1Rafa wants the fringe players to show more in training to fight for a position in the starting xi, nice comment to make but when fringe players see the likes of Perez playing shite week in week out then they’ll have very little chance / motivation to step up the challenge as they know they’ll not be given a chance.
Drop Perez and stop insisting on playing a no10 when you clearly haven’t got one, if you want to keep the system then play kenedy at no10 and bring in the player you wasted 12m on in Murphy!!
Our Toon
Oct 30, 2018 at 3:29 PM
Comment #2October is coming to an end and we’ve managed to not win a game of football in any competition so far this season, sorry but this team isn’t as anywhere near as bad as the current record suggests!!
toon22
Oct 30, 2018 at 3:34 PM
Comment #3What we need is another 5 year plan
Lascelles sells sea shells by the sea shore
Oct 30, 2018 at 3:35 PM
Comment #4Our toon
How do you know the current competition for the no10 spot are performing better than Perez.
Rafa is a respected coach who ISN’T afraid to ring the changes when necessary, maybe there is a reason Perez is keeping his place… It’s not all about what you do on the ball, the average player has control of the ball for 52 seconds a game and in all honesty Perez is really the only experienced option we have for a number 10 in the ranks… That’s not Rafa’s fault, that shit is on the regime!
Lascelles sells sea shells by the sea shore
Oct 30, 2018 at 3:37 PM
Comment #5All we have at the moment is Muto, Kenedy, and Ritchie who COULD POSSIBLY have the skillset to play a 10 role, do you think it wise to start messing around with experimental players in our current plight?
Essex Geordie Bill
Oct 30, 2018 at 3:37 PM
Comment #6L-O-N-G-S-T-A-F-F-E
Optimistic Panda
Oct 30, 2018 at 3:39 PM
Comment #7Transfer
What do you expect our crop of subs to do in 15mins, change the game?
We don’t have Solksjaer on the books!
Trying someone from the start is better than letting Perez go through the motions hoping a flick or back heel works.
A broken clock is right twice a day, Perez rarely makes the right decision twice in a match.
Lascelles sells sea shells by the sea shore
Oct 30, 2018 at 3:40 PM
Comment #8EGB
I would love to see it but I think he needs integrated from the bench… It could make or break him and going in his potential I think ease him in first… Sorensen (@ no.9) and Fernandez being the others that could follow suit into the first team, their development comes first but I wouldn’t mind seeing them get some match day experience.
Our Toon
Oct 30, 2018 at 3:41 PM
Comment #9Lascelles
Perez is not an experienced option at the no10 role, he’s a square peg trying to fit into a round hole, kenedy however is and has played that role both at schoolboy and senior levels, that was his position in Brazil more often than not. Also Perez contributes nothing on or off the ball as he’s weak.
As for it not being rafa’s fault, he’s had 3 seasons, 6 windows to bring in a no10 be it bargain basement or slightly higher. He’s failed to do so and has bought wingers and defenders, he tried Diame in that role and he looked god awful for a long time but we saw the best of him when he referred back to his normal position.
Change the formation if you don’t have the players to fit your system, don’t keep trotting out the same failed system with the same players and hope for a better result!!
Our Toon
Oct 30, 2018 at 3:44 PM
Comment #10The problems we have is we don’t create anywhere near enough chances and we don’t take the ones that do come out way.
Now look at the signings we’ve made, I know he’s been sold down the river by Ashley but he’s not even bought in a single creative midfielder in the time he’s been with us, I can’t name a single creative central midfielder we’ve signed under rafa. Merino was a good talent but we didn’t even play him in the 2nd half of the season but he wasn’t a creative player
Lascelles sells sea shells by the sea shore
Oct 30, 2018 at 3:45 PM
Comment #11OP
But no one knows if the backup would do any better, Rafa is best making that decision from his training analysis imo, if he picks Perez then I believe in him. It’s not like we are coming down with options.
Granted, the way we play the 10 is probably the most important role in the set up, I think a change of tactics would be more beneficial than have square pegs in round holes but Rafa has been winning trophies everywhere with his nous so I’m gonna throw my trust on his decisions and just roll with it, he is the best we could ever hope for!
c-dog
Oct 30, 2018 at 3:47 PM
Comment #12Lascelles
Agree there’s a certain amount needed when players are not on the ball. But honestly, there’s no defense for our pathetic attacking play. Perez along with Kenedy are offering nothing. How’s their positioning when someone else on our team is on the ball? How are they themselves performing when they are on the ball? The answer is poor. Is it Rafas fault we were left with sub standard players such as Perez and Kenedy? Absolutely not. All comes via the lack of investment through the owners policy. The squad is awful. All we can do is set up to try and not concede and pray we get a lucky goal. The players just don’t have the ability to break down premier league defenses.
martoon
Oct 30, 2018 at 3:47 PM
Comment #13I think taking part in a boycott is a very personal decision and calling people selfish who don’t want to is childish. I personally think a total boycott will be too detrimental on the team – however I think the taking your seats after 11 minutes is a very good idea and strikes the right balance between making a point without affecting the team too much!
Lascelles sells sea shells by the sea shore
Oct 30, 2018 at 3:48 PM
Comment #14Merino was industrious and forced the opposition back, he didn’t play because of injury and then possible being unsettled when he didn’t get his place back… He was a good technical player with drive and vision… He wasn’t adequately replaced, I think we won more than we lost with him in the side last season off the top of my head.
Our Toon
Oct 30, 2018 at 3:49 PM
Comment #15Lascelles
He’s won trophies and has had financial backing to do so, when he falls out with players or they don’t fit his system he can easily replace them.
Under Ashley it’s completely different and he should have adapted by now, he can’t afford to fall out with better quality players as they don’t fit his system (Mitro, mbemba) he needs to find a system that complements what he has as cash is limited
Optimistic Panda
Oct 30, 2018 at 3:49 PM
Comment #16Lascellss
Maybe Rafa needs to look at how he selects the team.
I’ve read he picks it on hard they train during the week, training is totaly different to a competitive match.
No one knows, isn’t it time we and Rafa found out if there’s a better option than Perez?
I’ve never rated Perez and don’t see why so many do, he’ll never be any better than he is in any position whilst I have a hole in my arse!
Our Toon
Oct 30, 2018 at 3:51 PM
Comment #17Martoon
I’ve boycotted and think people should do what they feel, if you want to boycott then you are welcome and if not then that’s fine by me aswell. No one should be told they should boycott
Our Toon
Oct 30, 2018 at 3:53 PM
Comment #18Optimistic panda
Fergies comments come flooding back to me regarding Obertan. Fergie said Obertan was the best player at man utd in training, one of the best he’d ever seen. Come match day it was a different story
When a manager sees players not performing on match days which to me is more important than how they perform in training then he should make changes, especially regarding Perez
Lascelles sells sea shells by the sea shore
Oct 30, 2018 at 3:55 PM
Comment #19If we got a good no 9 and 10 we would be punching above the sides collective weight… The 10 is of most importance in the 4231 set up even just a 10 would make a vast difference in this set up. Kenedy was never a 10 at professional standard to the best of my knowledge, because he played it maybe at schoolboy level doesn’t mean he can do it at PL level!
C dog
I’m not making excuses for Perez at all but if Rafa keeps picking him then he’s obviously outshine his competitors… They might be performing terribly in training in this role, I’m sure Rafa has tried out differing options but they’re probably all failing.
Optimistic Panda
Oct 30, 2018 at 3:55 PM
Comment #20Our toon
Totally agree.
Mick Quinn was shocking, still banged them in on a match day.
We got any fat strikers about?
c-dog
Oct 30, 2018 at 3:57 PM
Comment #21Yeah, it’s purely down to having no other player who has the ability to get on the ball in the 10 zone
Lascelles sells sea shells by the sea shore
Oct 30, 2018 at 3:57 PM
Comment #22Our toon
How can Rafa adapt if he’s being fed bullshit above him… The regime never have a plan, nor tell the truth, then it becomes even more divisive as Rafa’s only other option is to plan for a worst case which in my opinion gets us to where we are now!
c-dog
Oct 30, 2018 at 3:58 PM
Comment #23Kenedy ain’t performing in his natural position, he ain’t gonna perform in any other position. Wishful to suggest otherwise. His stepovers are brutal
Lascelles sells sea shells by the sea shore
Oct 30, 2018 at 3:59 PM
Comment #24OP @16
Lol btw
But that’s what im saying bud, maybe he has tried it in training but it’s that bad he has to persevere with Perez!
Lascelles sells sea shells by the sea shore
Oct 30, 2018 at 4:01 PM
Comment #25Cdog @ 21
Yay… You explained in nutshell what I’ve wasted my time trying to point out over this thread, I dip me lid to you sir for your great paraphrasing!!! 😉
Our Toon
Oct 30, 2018 at 4:03 PM
Comment #26Kenedy was spotted by Fluminense scouts at a young age, and worked his way through the youth ranks at a club which has also developed talent such as Brazil captain Thiago Silva and Rafael and Fabio Da Silva.
He starred for the Brazil U17 side at the 2013 South America Championships, scoring six goals to finish as his country’s top scorer in the tournament.
His performances prompted promotion to the first-team set-up at Fluminense, with youth director Marcelo Teixeria singing his praises.
“He has always performed well for our youth teams and his progress has allowed us to put our faith in him,” he said in 2013.
In last year’s Serie A, Kenedy made 20 appearances, 18 of them as a substitute, scoring two goals. But in this year’s competition the 19-year-old started the first game of the season alongside Brazil striker Fred and looks like he could be set for a bigger role.
Kenedy can play on either wing or no10 position!!
Lascelles sells sea shells by the sea shore
Oct 30, 2018 at 4:04 PM
Comment #27Our toon
I can play the 10 too… Doesn’t mean I’m effective (by the way I was a big centre half) lol
Our Toon
Oct 30, 2018 at 4:05 PM
Comment #28Panda
We nullify our strikers as we concentrate on being compact for the entire game, don’t go gung ho but surely a sensible balance between attack and defence is needed. Hopefully muto and Rondon will be used as a pair
hibbit
Oct 30, 2018 at 4:05 PM
Comment #29our toon
help me out here are these stats correct re Chancel Mbemba at Porto
https://www.soccerbase.com/players/player.sd?player_id=68733
Our Toon
Oct 30, 2018 at 4:07 PM
Comment #30Lascelles
Hahaha, I’d stick you in at no10 ahead of Perez, all in saying is Perez has and always was a forward and not a no10, kenedy has played that role and arguably had his best spell in a short career in that role. Surely it wouldn’t hurt to try him in that position and bring in more pace with Murphy out wide for the counter attack
Either that of Fernandez in the no10 role when he’s fully fit
Lascelles sells sea shells by the sea shore
Oct 30, 2018 at 4:07 PM
Comment #31What’s the schalke bit all about too… More financial misgivings maybe?
Our Toon
Oct 30, 2018 at 4:07 PM
Comment #32Hibbit
I believe they are yes, why do you ask?
Bladey
Oct 30, 2018 at 4:07 PM
Comment #33Rafa are you carver in disguise
ASH OUT RAFA OUT
Our Toon
Oct 30, 2018 at 4:09 PM
Comment #34By the way he’s been injured in case you were using them stats to justify why he was sold.
Lascelles sells sea shells by the sea shore
Oct 30, 2018 at 4:10 PM
Comment #35I’d like to see another option, even Kenedy if he could pull it off but maybe it’s failed in training, it’s not like clubs where knicking the door down to get him… I’m fearing the second half of last season may have been a flash in the pan for Kenedy as he has been poor to date this season and failed miserably in previous PL loans, I’m thanking the gods that we didn’t spunk 20 odd million on him now!!! Lol
Essex Geordie Bill
Oct 30, 2018 at 4:12 PM
Comment #36Repost from earlier as it seems to be a current topic as well.
OK Rafa, if you get the same players who look great in training, under performing on match days, should you continue to pick them?
Our Toon
Oct 30, 2018 at 4:12 PM
Comment #37Lascelles
Agreed I’m glad we didn’t waste that kind of money on him, and I’m glad we didn’t waste 18m on Jorgenson who was initially top pick last winter to play upfront for us.
Hopefully with Rondon returning we can see a change in formation with muto and Rondon as a pair
hibbit
Oct 30, 2018 at 4:12 PM
Comment #38Lascelles
I haven’t a clue about the Schalke link, I liked the lad and when our toon mentioned him i thought i’d see how he was doing at Porto and this is what i came up with
Lascelles sells sea shells by the sea shore
Oct 30, 2018 at 4:13 PM
Comment #39EGB
If the players competing for the same spot are just as poor… then yes!
DubaiMicky
Oct 30, 2018 at 4:13 PM
Comment #40Please don’t inundate Sports Direct with Subject Access Requests. They’re required to respond within 30 days but can’t charge an admin fee.
It could cost them thousands of work hours.
…and don’t use this template to not do it either https://ashleyout.com/campaigns/gdpr/