26 year-old Dutch midfielder Vurnon Anita seems to have made a miraculous recovery from the back injury he sustained last Sunday against the Saints, and he was carried off on a stretcher mid-way through the second half, and seemed to be in significant pain.
However, he is still expected to start at Swansea today, in what we expect to be an unchanged side that did well against Southampton in our first game.
Vurnon Anita – carried off last Sunday
Steve McClaren in his press conference said that Vurnon was OK and in fact was back training again on Wednesday.
The head coach also gave updates on Paul Dummett and Emmanuel Riviere, who has had some surgery back in France last week:
“Vurnon has trained this morning Friday, so he’s okay.” “Manu has had a small operation on his cartilage in France and is back here on Monday.”
“Cabella is back in training and Dummett should be back in training on Monday, so hopefully that’s a couple of plusses for Monday.”
Hopefully a small operation means that Manu Riviere will not be out too long, and certainly our injury situation is improving, with Curtis Good (hip, thigh) and Sylvain Marveaux (groin), the only other players injured.
We may see Vurnon Anita become an important player for the side this season, and he can be very efficient and effective in central midfield, as he was last Sunday – when he rarely misplaced a pass before he had to leave the field.
Cheick Tiote came on and he was a little bit rusty, having not played since early January, but Cheick will be pushing for a starting place in the weeks ahead, so Vurnon will have to be on his toes and continue play well to keep his starting place.
That’s exactly what we need this season – competition for places all over the pitch.
Comments welcome.
137 comments so far
Jib
Aug 15, 2015 at 8:54 AM
Comment #1Bobbybee
Sorry pal I’ve been talking about you as if you weren’t here !!!!!
Take a Chancel on me
Aug 15, 2015 at 8:55 AM
Comment #2I would say tiote was a lot rusty
Belfast
Aug 15, 2015 at 8:55 AM
Comment #3Jesperfuglsang out!
Jib
Aug 15, 2015 at 8:58 AM
Comment #4I’m hoping and praying that young Garry Monk just might get a master class in footy tactics AND strategy today.
I know from an interview he gave to a local Welsh rag that is what he’s worried about.
Although they have never met , this match has a feel of apprentice v master about it.
Munster Mag
Aug 15, 2015 at 9:02 AM
Comment #5Jib thats just reverse psychology from monk. I think they will win 3-1. 🙁
Take a Chancel on me
Aug 15, 2015 at 9:02 AM
Comment #6Still say we will win 2–0
Jib
Aug 15, 2015 at 9:04 AM
Comment #7munster
You could have given it a few more minutes before bursting me bubble 🙁
martoon
Aug 15, 2015 at 9:09 AM
Comment #8Bobbybee – Sorry I had leave our conversation yesterday as l was at the airport. I agree with your prediction of 2 2 and not a bad shout to play willo as he does quite well against tall strong strikers. It’s the small fast ones he struggles against!
Bobbybee
Aug 15, 2015 at 9:11 AM
Comment #9Better than behind my back jib! 🙂
Bobbybee
Aug 15, 2015 at 9:16 AM
Comment #10Martoon, that’s what i reckon, but Mbemba can cover those quick uns if required. We are definitely lacking height back there and it’s a concern. He’s always had Andy Carroll in his pocket and you don’t get a more difficult striker to play against than Carroll. Horses for courses – including carthorses! 🙂
Rotonda heights
Aug 15, 2015 at 9:16 AM
Comment #11jib
re – kemen
ib
” the reason the club won’t totally commit is that his first touch is poor.”
– – – – – – –
and yet willo has played nearly 200 games for us!!!!!
Munster Mag
Aug 15, 2015 at 9:18 AM
Comment #12Bobby i’d be amazed if he plays willo. I dont think we will get another centre half unless we play a sweeper system. So he has nailed his flag on colo and mbemba i think.
Rotonda heights
Aug 15, 2015 at 9:19 AM
Comment #13after what has been for the most part rubbish football for the last 4 years, i am actually looking forward to games again now.
Munster Mag
Aug 15, 2015 at 9:23 AM
Comment #14Sorry jib! Hope i’m wrong but swamsea will take huge encouragement from chelsea and will want to impress home fans. Mcclaren is right re swansea though. So well run. Great succession planning in place for their future managers too. Maybe we can do same. Cathro?
Bobbybee
Aug 15, 2015 at 9:25 AM
Comment #15Munster, you’re right there, but it was a point worth discussion i thought. If we concede another two headed goals today, he needs a complete rethink imo. Mbemba can leap, no doubt, but he’s giving players 5-6″ start. Collo hardly got off the ground on Sunday, and we let in goals that are avoidable. Hopefully somebody like Matip is on his shopping list.
martoon
Aug 15, 2015 at 9:30 AM
Comment #16Rotonda – I agree and even if we get beat today I’ll be looking at the manner of the defeat. As long as we keep fighting, keep playing football and not roll over I’ll obviously not be happy but be satisfied.
Mr Funk
Aug 15, 2015 at 9:30 AM
Comment #17I still think the best solution to LB and CB issue is Terence Kongolo. He could play LB, so he could get used to the EPL pace and then move to CB when Colo moves on.
will die for the toon army
Aug 15, 2015 at 9:31 AM
Comment #18Thank God Howard Webb left football I really hated that guy.
He denied us penalties and got us relegated.
Mister Tuff
Aug 15, 2015 at 9:33 AM
Comment #19bobbybee – my earlier post about fans was not directly relevant to your post -I only mentioned you as you were the only one up and about at that early hour.
loonie-toon
Aug 15, 2015 at 9:35 AM
Comment #20Seen today Ashley cole had is last 6 month terminated anyone fink he b good signing for back
Bobbybee
Aug 15, 2015 at 9:37 AM
Comment #21Will die, i disliked webb enormously myself, but i think we managed pretty well on our own to get relegated. Bunch of greedy mercenaries masquerading as footballers ably assisted by JFK.
will die for the toon army
Aug 15, 2015 at 9:38 AM
Comment #22I don’t think NUFC can keep s clean sheet
Jail for Ashley
Aug 15, 2015 at 9:39 AM
Comment #23wdft,
So it was Howard Webbs fault we went down, nothing at all to do with the ridiculous selling of James Milner or the constructive dismissal of KK, hiring a dinosaur of a manager prone to heart problems might have had an effect on the teams fortunes, but no you’re right, all down to Webb and the three games or whatever he never awarded a penalty.
Bobbybee
Aug 15, 2015 at 9:39 AM
Comment #24Mr tuff lmao! I was wondering why! I love it that fans from ANYWHERE support the Toon. No glory hunters in our lot, that’s a fact! 🙂
Ron Knee
Aug 15, 2015 at 9:39 AM
Comment #25I don’t think we’ll get any points from the next two matches but we might surprise against Arsenal.
jesperfuglsang - capt'n awesome of the lemon crew
Aug 15, 2015 at 9:39 AM
Comment #26Belfast…you would miss me if I wasn’t here!
Jail for Ashley
Aug 15, 2015 at 9:42 AM
Comment #27Bobbybee,
KK had those same greedy mercenaries masquerading as footballers playing quite well towards the back end of that first season, they looked pretty good against Man U on the opening day as well.
Bobbybee
Aug 15, 2015 at 9:43 AM
Comment #28Loonie toon. I have this abiding memory of Sissoko leaving Cole for dead, after a five yard minimum head start. And that was a good couple of seasons since. I doubt his pace has improved any since then. Great in his day, but not today imo.
Jail for Ashley
Aug 15, 2015 at 9:45 AM
Comment #29toonbotherer,
I will bet £100 that we don’t win a game this season with Collo in the starting line up. No, I said in the next five games, well I meant the first five games !!
Bobbybee
Aug 15, 2015 at 9:48 AM
Comment #30Jail, granted, but when the going got tough, they bottled it. Too good to go down they believed. Not up for the scrap. Happy to take 60g plus a week, but when the push came to the shove, they bottled it. That side should never have gone down in a million years, yet history tells us different.
jesperfuglsang - capt'n awesome of the lemon crew
Aug 15, 2015 at 9:48 AM
Comment #31It will be interesting to see if Obertan gets picked again today!
…SM said it was a tactical decision to pick at SOTON – so won’t tactics dictate otherwise today?
It was been mentioned before that SM tend to use the same players over and over just like Pardew. Will be interesting to see.
Munster Mag
Aug 15, 2015 at 9:48 AM
Comment #32Bobby i agree. I think mbemba can be held fairly culpable for one of the goals. He wasnt close enough to pelle but he also wasnt tall enough. Thats why i think making colo captain is steves first big error of judgement. And also because colo isnt a good captain anyway. What a sweeper he cud be though
Munster Mag
Aug 15, 2015 at 9:51 AM
Comment #33Obertan will be shown up again today. I dont care how fast he is
Bobbybee
Aug 15, 2015 at 9:56 AM
Comment #34Munster, don’t mind Collo being club captain, if he is influential off the field, but don’t see him a captain on it. Anyway, now Macca’s seen him in proper action, he’s no fool. He’ll know where we need strengthening. Just hope he can find a replacement in time.
Ron Knee
Aug 15, 2015 at 9:58 AM
Comment #35jesper
That’s why I predict a defeat today!
Jib
Aug 15, 2015 at 10:03 AM
Comment #36Jesper
“It was been mentioned before that SM tend to use the same players over and over just like Pardew. Will be interesting to see.”
What !!!
You might as well say
like Sir Alex Ferguson
like Kevin Keegan
like Sir Bobby Robson
like Jose Mourinho.
like Pep Guardiola (the idiot used Messi over and over )
murvar
Aug 15, 2015 at 10:04 AM
Comment #37Just seen this feature on the BBC website – it tells you how the Toon (or any other PL team) have performed in your lifetime and many other meaningless facts!
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/my-premier-league-life
jesperfuglsang - capt'n awesome of the lemon crew
Aug 15, 2015 at 10:07 AM
Comment #38Jib…I really have to tell you something that has become obvious to everyone on here…you are either hard at hearing or slow at understanding!
…which is it? It’s okay to disagree on topics or to have friendly discussions like most, but whenever something comes along you ‘don’t get’ it’s the same rhetoric with you.
Blackley and Brownlie
Aug 15, 2015 at 10:08 AM
Comment #39Bobbybee
That was a top post of yours on the other thread. Very well put.
jesperfuglsang - capt'n awesome of the lemon crew
Aug 15, 2015 at 10:09 AM
Comment #40Ron…tactics and formations will be half the victory…or defeat today.
…will be interesting to see what SM comes up with. I’ll admit I haven’t impressed with him as a manager (in terms of football and not man-management), but I’ll happily eat my words!